The Immortal Challenge 3: The Gathering Storm

[aelf]

well if u play on prince level u can count on luck. on immortal, better to rely on what u have seen.

Good point. I'm inclined to agree with the majority and go for 2N.

 

[Hackapell]

Fair enough. I took another look at the map and saw a grassland hills along with all the plains hills, so that should give us enough production.

 

[Vizzini]

aelf If I might make a suggestion? Don't post the starting save game until -after- the placement decision for the first city has been made. That way you won't have all these folks posting spoilers or suggestions based upon a quick peek in worldbuilder. You can post "don't post spoilers" in your rules if you want - doesn't look like some are willing to honor that tho.

 

[carl corey]

Huh?! I think there was only one spoilerish post without a spoiler tag in it...

 

[Andraeianus I]

Are you guys aware that an advantage of settling on coast makes it very easy to connect your cities by simply discovering sailing? Just settle your cities on rivers and coastal areas and they are automatically connected.

Personally I am a great fan of the Great Lighthouse. It can give you a lot of extra commerce once you have open borders. Something like 8-10 extra commerce in the midgame in every coastal city. It depends on the size of your cities of course. Technologically Churchill is very close to discovering the necessary techs for the Great Lighthouse. I would settle in place. Just leave some forests in case you are afraid not to get enough production. Seasquares are good squares to get you commerce early in the game; so that is not much of a problem. Cottages need two promotions before they are better.

 

[carl corey]

The thing is, we're talking about the capital here. It will probably hold the most multiplier buildings, some national/world wonders, it will have the Bureaucracy benefits. Do you really want to boost sea tiles with all that?!? When I settle a coastal capital it's because there are 2-3-4 seafood resources in its fat cross, but this is ridiculous! No seafood whatsoever... I think the benefits of the Great Lighthouse could easily be matched by working a couple of cottages.

As for connecting cities by sailing, well, you'll still need roads to shift workers and troops. Coastal or not, roads are a must.

 

[Andraeianus I]

Coastal or not, roads are a must.

But take time. And that is why sailing is the earliest way of connecting your cities as long as they are coastal or on rivers. And: England was a seafaring country, so let's play like that!

 

[Andraeianus I]

The thing is, we're talking about the capital here. It will probably hold the most multiplier buildings, some national/world wonders, it will have the Bureaucracy benefits. Do you really want to boost sea tiles with all that?!?

The city has a lot of food surplus and by having specialists you can make use of those buildings.

Other cities will be more productionlike: ideal for producing armies. When we settle in place we will have a city that will produce money/ science and a lot of great people...

 

[Solver]

Settling in place won't give you more food. Settling in place or 2N will still retain both special food resources. But settling 2N will give you more grassland, which provides two food immediately and can be farmed, while the water tiles won't go above two food. Though cottages would probably be better anyway on those extra grassland tiles.

 

[ratrangerm]

I'll just say that I agree with everyone who has suggested moving 2N and settling there. With no seafood resources, starting on the coast is never a good thing. Even building a harbor in the capital isn't enough to justify the lack of seafoord.

 

[Pete2006]

I played a couple turns from the save and this game looks extremely challenging. Good luck aelf.

 

[aelf]

Gambling on Immortal is generally not a good strategy, as we've learned. So I moved the settler 2N and settled there on the following turn:



I hope most of you are okay with what you see. Now, should we go Agriculture and worker first?

 

[zagnut]

I think I would research Agriculture to be able to farm the corn. Then Wheel. After that either Animal Husbandry or Bronze Working - you can decide which one 20 turns down the road.

Worker -> Warrior -> Worker -> Settler. Get the Corn farmed, and get the hills mined. Somewhere in there the pigs will need to be fed.

Have the existing Warrior explore to the north and east.

 

[uberfish]

Is there really any argument for anything other than worker and agri-AH when you have grain + animals as the only two visible starting resources?

 

[Solver]

I'd go Worker and Agriculture-AH as well. The Immortal health cap is low, but you have fresh water, so you don't need The Wheel to hook up that Corn ASAP, just farming it will be okay.

The question is whether to pop that goody hut. You'll want to move in the opposite direction to get some exploration, but the first border expansion of London won't pop the hut. Also, it's Epic, so it'd be 150 culture to pop the hut, which will take a while.

 

[carl corey]

After the border pop no-one can get to that hut until open borders. I think you have better things to do than go for the hut. Whenever the worker can waste a turn he can go pop it. Or the first warrior that comes out.

As for research, I usually go for BW when I have mining and don't have Agriculture or Hunting. So either BW & warrior or Agri->AH and worker. Your choice.

 

[Jet]

That (let's see what the word filter does with this) is a *****in' Heroic Epic city.

 

[Sjaramei]

Agriculture-Animal Husbandry while building worker-warrior yes

 

[Solver]

After the border pop no-one can get to that hut until open borders. I think you have better things to do than go for the hut. Whenever the worker can waste a turn he can go pop it. Or the first warrior that comes out.

True, but what if the hut gains us AH ? Though the chances of it giving a tech are slim on Immortal.

 

[Dirk1302]

I would go Agri-AH without any doubt here.