Strange Start, Any Tips?

[Malician]

Yes, thats how I do it. Very easy to install as a mod.

So...settle the merchant? I mean normally I would say yes, definitely settle (unless a trade mission was needed for $$), but grabbing COL early and building early courthouses seems like a big advantage.

I'd REALLY like a trade mission (after all, it would allow me to actually tech) but I'm worried about barbs. I've already lost two scouts, a warrior, and a work boat to them.

 

[Malician]

I WAS ROBBED.

Spoiler :

A trade mission to Pascal made me an unexpectedly nice $1900, and I sold a tech for $400. Several great scientists spawned, allowing for multiple academies.

I continued pumping wonders, and then decided to try invading Pascal. He had two archers or swordsmen in each city, all of whom turned out to be bad defenders against my amphibious berserker invasion.
I think I lost, total, two berserkers from a galley sinking and one from a 60% win chance attack.. with no bombardment whatsoever. After grabbing the good cities he capitulated quickly.

I was rewarded with the Mahabodhi, the Colossus, the Oracle, the Shwedagon Paya, and the Apostolic Palace.

The Taj Mahal and 3 great people gave me three consecutive and incredibly profitable golden ages. Colossus + financial + gold age...

I spawned a great merchant and a great artist during the golden ages. Despite a 74% chance of Great Scientist, I spawned another great artist.. followed by another great merchant. No fourth golden age for me.

Pacifism + taj mahal + mausoleum of maussollos + national epic + parthenon with assorted wonders and seven scientists... I may stop playing soon as the game's ridiculously over.
I can start my fourth golden age as soon as my next GS spawns.. which won't be long.

 

[michmbk]

Played this up until about 1300 last night - it gets much easier - will try to finish later and post to show why, but in short:

Spoiler :

All the other AI are either isolated or hate each other. I assume most games will follow this script - Pacal founds an early religion, so does Brennus. Joao appears isolated, Pacal only knows us, and Brennus and Hatty know each other. If Hatty then ends up with a later religion (as she did in my game), then she and Brennus hate each other, and both end up super backward.

The AI doesn't typically handle isolation well, so the AI tech rate is nightmarishly poor. I stopped a turn from lib and am debating whether to go lib-steel, or just lib-nationalism, draft berserkers and kill.

 

[michmbk]

Always was a fan of playing crappy starts. I'll take a break from immortal to give this a shadow.

Edit: or not, no BUG for me.

What's weird is I uninstalled bug, and it told me it needed to reload civ with the bug mod, but once it restarted, it just opened normally without bug, so I'm playing it without bug. You'll blow this out of the water though - it was tough for a time, but since you're better than me and I'm starting to blow it out, once you hit about 500 AD, I'd bet it turns into a rout for you too.

 

[michmbk]

All done - dom victory - 1816

Spoiler :

Headed towards astro using the failed wonder economy - marble hammers to gold conversion is pretty good.

Successfully built this unintentionally:

Also built MoM, even though I was trying to fail it too, but it came in handy later, as did parthenon with nidaros the super GP farm. I then realize it appears everyone was isolated to some degree, or the civs they met, they hated, because I met everyone and they’re all a mile behind in tech. Only Pacal kept up with me initially, but he never builds enough units, so he's irrelevant.

Teched CS, switched my capital to the center of my empire, and got a few courthouses, and watched tech go from 75 beakers a turn to 200 in the span of about 20 turns. Then beelined Astro, and won this race:

While doing that, I was using my scientists to bulb down lib path, so at 1370, I was a turn away. Since no one else was close, time to switch toward steel. Looks like lib-steel, cannons while heading to rifles and invade whoever I want. Built berserkers and settled here in the interim:

Trade routes – almost pays for itself instantly – will be gold positive at 60% once courthouse in. Then this:

Used a scientist for 15 turn golden age, and at nationalism, switched anarchy free to nationhood/slavery/FR, and drafted/whipped an army to kill whoever - who cares about unhappiness - 2-3 unhappy faces per city - big deal. Look at what everyone is teching - I took steel while Hatty techs drama and Willem feudalism. You know Willem had a bad roll if he's that far behind in tech. Hatty’s way behind – start with her – while heading to communism – state property is obvious with all this land. She caps to Brennus, so have to kill him too.

Two holy capitals – cannons and muskets make this a romp.

Meanwhile, hit communism and physics, two great people, for 15 more turns of a GA – and civics – state property obviously. Keep trading with Pacal, I’ll keep him friendly while killing everyone else. Bye Brennus and Hatty:

Obviously, game over – 30 cities, and tech is unfair:

Off for some quick capitulations to get me the dom win (hopefully). Took awhile, but a few cities and each of them did this:

Was a percent short on land needed for dom, so culture to 70% for 5-6 turns, and it's done:

With GLH, and all the land, once you settle all the coast and move the capital, this is a walk in the park. I usually don't draft and whip at the same time like that - was kind of fun to have my dozen initial cities pull together an army of 30-40 units in about 7-8 turns.

Might have been tougher if everyone knew each other and you had a bit of a religious lovefest, but with isolation and people hating each other, AI has no shot on prince. Didn't even tech rifling until the last 15 turns - cannons and muskets were plenty.