Strategy for playing boreal map

[gavenkoa]

A Boreal map generation script puts lots of tundra & some plain tiles (almost no grassland) with Deer and some Sheep / Wheat. There are some Gems, Fish / Crap & no Silver / Gold for happiness & Calendar resources.

So for high difficulty levels you don't have health / happiness resources.

Also most of the tiles are bad for production but Deer provides food surplus.

What kind of playstyle should I lean to? I think about:

* placing cities only around resources or near ocean - this might limit compact city placement crippling maintenance cost...
* early on burn food surplus from Deer on 1F1C1H cottaged plains, and even river tundra cottages 1F2C - when I hit whip limit.
* pursue Heredity Rule early to fight happiness limit, then lean to Representative and compensate unhappiness with buildings / religion (as there are no happiness resources besides Gems).
* shift to Representative to burn Deer food surplus on Great people, instead of plains / tundra tiles... Then Parthenon is a interesting Great Wonder...

I can't figure out if chopping is a viable option, tundra tiles without forest are very weak... and forest provides lacked healthiness... Maybe early on I keep some own tundra forest (leaving 2 or 4 in a fat cross) per city but make an army of workers to chop conquering forest - as foes land will be less developed to rely on & to support military buildup... Deer provided hummers provide enough performance for workers & settlers (for my Imperialistic leader) & research rate is too low to have buildings to build, maybe I should focus on war then...

Also I don't understand what way I could organize production. There are no plain/grass mines, low happy limits make whip difficult... Seems whip is the way with all those bad tiles...

That is my capital on T130 and cottages are essential to keep research progress, but I cannot make cottage nor mine capital... It cripples my research rate & building construction...

What should I concentrate on? Which techs or civics or great wonders (Immortal / Deity)?

 

[antimony]

I would chop the resourceless tundra (not deer or fur) liberally. The extra hammer on a tundra forest is not worth much. I would rather have a cottage there or just not work the tile and have specialists from the extra food. A lot of your production will come from chopping and whipping in cities with some food. Cities without food should be rare except if needed to grab a specific resource. As always with bad land quality, wonders that boost your research, like Pyramids or Great Lighthouse (not sure if enough coast for it on that map script), will shine. And yes, if not Pyramids then get Monarchy early for happiness.

 

[sampsa]

Well since there are a lots of tundra/plains, you can't rely much on cottages. Mids must be the wonder for both -cap and specialist boost.

Also I don't understand what way I could organize production. There are no plain/grass mines, low happy limits make whip difficult... Seems whip is the way with all those bad tiles...

Yes, obviously whip as you won't have a lot of good tiles (=cottages). Mines suck anyway though, so it's not much different compared to a normal map script. At least you have a ton of forest to chop!

 

[Fippy]

River plains cottages are pretty good tbh, with deer everywhere (high overall).
Everything combined those cities have some decent base without mines.

 

[sampsa]

Yeah with food plains river cottages can be good. I haven't played the map script so I don't know if there are in general many plains river tiles in the capital area. In the screenshot there is only one grass river and one plains river tile.

 

[pigswill]

Specialist economy.

 

[Qactus]

On Boreal maps you can find a reasonable amount of (forested) gems, often in clusters. This can make early aggression especially rewarding, so it is worth to scout your neighbours' capital cities early on.
The vast amount of forests also facilitates early aggression, since the AI are usually slower to put that production to good use.

Regarding your T130 (!) screenshot, it seems you could have expanded a lot earlier. That city spot you marked to the west is awesome and immediately connected to the capital by the river. All it needed would have been a warrior and a settler. Now it's T130, your workers have built many roads, the cap is building a forge and a barb city has been allowed to spawn in the west.

 

[kazapp]

A Boreal map generation script puts lots of tundra & some plain tiles (almost no grassland) with Deer and some Sheep / Wheat. There are some Gems, Fish / Crap & no Silver / Gold for happiness & Calendar resources.

There are many Gems - you are actively unlucky if you don't get Gems, if not in your BFC, at least within reach of your 2nd or 3rd city.

There are usually a few Furs and Silver scattered about, but they can be on the other side of the map. The problem is - what do you trade for them if their owner already has what you have?

I have seen Gold, but we're talking maybe a single gold on the entire map, and only on one in four maps, so that's rare. If you do get or trade for Silver (or Gold) obviously Forges become more attractive to you.

Don't underestimate the Charismatic trait. Two extra happiness (once you build Monuments) can make a huge difference on Boreal maps, since you cannot rely on getting even a single happiness resource. If you don't even get Gems (and no Furs or Silver), Charismatic is a game changer.

You should also mention how you are exceedingly likely to have loads and loads of forests. That's a resource too.

So for high difficulty levels you don't have health / happiness resources.

The notable omission is Calendar resources. Normally if you don't get metals, you can often get calendar resources... and then trade.

Also most of the tiles are bad for production but Deer provides food surplus.

You are unlucky if you don't get lots of Deer. Deer are not bad in terms of Food - or Production.

You do need to get your Commerce elsewhere though. Cottaging river tundra isn't exactly attractive...

What kind of playstyle should I lean to?

Hunting is a god-tier starting tech on Boreal maps. Not only does it unlock all those Deer (you will likely have a dozen or more), it also gets you closer to Archery. Boreal barbarians can be as brutal as raging barbarians!

I have come to the conclusion that Mining-Bronzeworking is a given starting tech path. You would have a very unusual start if you don't have lots of wood to chop. On Emperor and below, you have time to chop out four Workers and still defend yourself against barbs - loads of workers are critical since every city will be placed among endless trees...

I can't figure out if chopping is a viable option, tundra tiles without forest are very weak... and forest provides lacked healthiness... Maybe early on I keep some own tundra forest (leaving 2 or 4 in a fat cross) per city but make an army of workers to chop conquering forest - as foes land will be less developed to rely on & to support military buildup... Deer provided hummers provide enough performance for workers & settlers (for my Imperialistic leader) & research rate is too low to have buildings to build, maybe I should focus on war then...

Since just about every city will have lots and lots and lots of forest, I consider chopping mandatory to get out Workers, Monuments, Granaries & more.

 

[kazapp]

Another insight: starting spots can (and often are) VERY uneven. There's almost always one loser on every map. If you're not starting with several ice tiles or mountains in your BFC, or with only one or two food resources when everybody else get four, chances are an AI will.



Also: a shout-out to Sullla, who played a Boreal map on YouTube recently (and possibly to Henrik as well, should he play the same map)

 

[kazapp]

As always with bad land quality, wonders that boost your research, like Pyramids or Great Lighthouse (not sure if enough coast for it on that map script), will shine. And yes, if not Pyramids then get Monarchy early for happiness.

You absolutely can find bodies of water large enough for Great Lighthouse to be worthwhile. But you can't count on it, like you (obviously) can on Pangea and Continents maps. Don't assume a body of water is larger than what you have scouted...!

Pyramids, Monarchy, Charismatic... yes. Also aggressively scouting to find the happiness resources before anyone else grabs them (but fully expect to find only one, which most often will be Gems)

 

[kazapp]

your workers have built many roads

After watching Deity players play, my conclusion is that roads are essentially a newbie trap. People like me have vastly overestimated the need for roads.

Only road with a purpose:
* obviously connect strategic resources if you need 'em. Almost always connect happiness resources (on Boreal that's probably "always"). Connect health resources only when the unhealth becomes a real issue.
* unless connected by waterways, find a neighbor and road into him for trade
* building roads to connect your empire can be important, but isn't nearly as crucial as you think as a Monarch and below player. Almost without exception, Deity players will put 100% priority in being able to work developed tiles for every pop in the city.
* don't road! Every turn you're building roads is a turn your Worker isn't doing something more useful!

so before you road, ask yourself
* is there a resource not yet improved - if so, the answer is nearly always improve that first, but don't necessarily road it up
* is there a plains or grasslands tile you can cottage - if so, the answer is nearly always cottage first, and almost never road it up
* can you instead chop to expand faster? Your probably should, except when you shouldn't. Managing your speed of expansion, knowing where you cannot afford more cities, that's actual skill.
* is there a more strategic spot where roading actually makes a difference? Building a road between two rivers to connect two parts of your empire? Yes. Building a road into a neighbor for trade? Yes. Building a road where you realize many units (or even a single Settler) will travel? Yes. Building roads for beauty or to satisfy your completionist urges? Absolutely not!

 

[gavenkoa]

Definitely I had to chop more, here is for expansion.

Maybe even Axes + Archers help with mil rush. Depending on AIs' resources.