The Maya

[zxcvbob]

Because the current GOTM is with the Maya and I haven't played them in a long time, I started a practice game to try some different social policy strategies. No matter how I play it, I fall behind until the Industrial era, even tho' I was only playing at King level, then started catching up (after one AI or another had run away with the game already.) I think part of it was the map. I started without any fresh water, and with an aggressive neighbor. I built lots of atlatls right from the start. But I wonder if I was setting myself up for difficulty by focusing too much on getting to Theology early -- the only thing I researched off of that path was Mining. That means I had no chance at all of getting Hanging Gardens, Pyramids, Petra, or Artemis. (I did manage to build Colossus and use the extra trade route for a food cargo ship) For all that, I got probably one extra Great Person -- a merchant to build a customs house because I was hemorrhaging gold at that point.

Do you beeline Theology at the expense of everything else to get one or two more GP's? Are they worth it?

I'll attach the initial civsave file later because this was such a fun (and hostile) map. It's a standard-sized pangaea but it doesn't play that way. I abandoned the first 2 games (Honor start and Liberty start) at about turn 100 or so. I'm finishing the Tradition start, on about turn 420 right now.

 

[aafritz17]

I experimented with some Maya Sacred Sites games a while back, and it was hard to get a Long Count Bonus before the one that comes up on T101 (standard time). I think I got only one by the T86 event, and a ruin had given me Calendar that game. That being a 2nd level tech was a big boost toward Theology.

More often than not, Mining was my only detour, also. Too bad the GoTM doesn't have a mining lux nearby (I posted this on the GoTM forum, too). Unless, maybe there's one next to the hill?

 

[zxcvbob]

I'm pretty sure I had goody huts disabled in this game. I still got to Theology by about turn 80, but I don't think it was worth it. I said earlier than my first GP was a merchant but that was the previous game; actually it was a prophet to found a religion.

 

[XVBLACKFLAGVX]

I recently had a science victory with the maya while playing small pangea on deity, so I may be able to offer some help. For single player I would almost always recommend opening tradition with the maya, and following up with rationalism with a few filler policies in between. Your first "free" great person should almost always be a great scientist which you plant and work for the science boost. Depending on the situation I would take either a great general or a great engineer second, with the idea of rushing a wonder with the engineer. You do not need to rush theology. You should almost always take pottery first followed by animal husbandry and the techs necessary to work nearby resources. With tradition your build order will look something like scout -> shrine -> monument -> worker -> granary/settler. You should sell the monument on the turn that you get the free monument policy from tradition. Aim to produce 4-5 settlers from your capital and prioritize growth for a long time. You can't work specialist slots if you don't have the population to do so.