TSG 143 opening actions report

[Knowtalent]

Welcome to the TSG143 Opening Actions thread.

STOP - Please do not continue reading this thread until you have completed at least 80 to 100 turns in your game.

This thread is used to discuss the game once you've started playing through your first 100 turns. Apart from normal decency, the only posting restrictions are to please not post videos until the deadline is finished and to use the spoiler tags for screenshots. Here you can post questions related to the game and share your achievements/anger/frustration/victories while you play. Please remember that we are running a family friendly site, so express anger or frustration with this in mind.

Please use this thread to discuss your goals for the game and your opening moves through the first 100 turns. Anything after that should be posted in the After Action thread once you have completed your game.

- What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?
- Where did you settle and what did you build first?
- How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?
- What were your initial priorities?
- What tech path did you follow and why?
- What Social Policies did you choose?
- What Wonders did you try to get and did you get them?
- Did you go for early Faith? How did you use faith
- Any surprises?

 

[zxcvbob]

I've played 80 turns, and it's going okay I guess, but not like I expected. I'll be really surprised if anyone wins this in less than 100 turns.

While getting barbs under control, I found a warrior escorting a Mongolian settler. I was about ready to declare war anyway, so I killed the warrior and stole the settler for a worker. About 5 turns later, Mongolia was no more.

- What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?
I played a practice game with the same settings and it was a lot of fun. So I decided to play the same way on this map. Liberty, left side of Honor, then either Commerce, Patronage, or Rationalism depending how it goes.

- Where did you settle and what did you build first?
I settled on top of one of the gems. (I won't be able to build a garden) Scout, monument, scout.

- How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions? What were your initial priorities?
Find my neighbor and kill him.

- What tech path did you follow and why?
Animal Husbandry first to find horses, Archery, Wheel, Pottery, Mining, Writing. Maybe Mining was before Pottery, I don't remember for sure.

- What Social Policies did you choose?
Liberty opener, Honor opener, Citizenship, Warrior Code, Military Tradition, Republic.

- What Wonders did you try to get and did you get them?
I put 2 turns into Artemis, just marking time while waiting for war elephants to unlock. After I built several WE's I saw that Artemis hadn't been built yet and would just take a few turns to finish, so I finished it. A CS wanted me to build Zeus, so I did that one too.

- Did you go for early Faith? How did you use faith
I got a pantheon just for being first to meet one of the religious CS's, didn't have to build a shrine. I took the faith from gems belief, and I've just founded a religion (tithe and pagodas)

- Any surprises?
The mountains! They totally box in the starting quadrant. So I attacked and captured that religious CS that has Cerro Potosi and annexed it right away for an escape route. Built a lighthouse and a trireme, and I've met China and the Huns. Also there's no iron for frigates. Not sure how I'm gonna proceed; probably spam elephants until I can build pikes, and swim them all across (that's gonna be quite a bottleneck until Astronomy because of the deep water) and trespass in a CS for a staging area until I'm ready to attack Attila.

 

[zxcvbob]

BTW, courthouses are expensive! (what is it, 4 GPT?) But as Gandhi you can just annex a city and get by a long time without building a courthouse.

 

[Vacuuman]

99 turns in and I don't really know how things are gonna go. Wiped out Genghis around turn 60 or so and found Attilla to the North. Backtracking a bit I think I made a big mistake; after capturing the CS to the north, I saw that it was separated by water, so I attacked the CS to the E as well... only to find the exact same thing. I could sell the eastern one to Attilla (who ironically wiped out China AND built the GW in my game), but he doesn't have a whole lot to give. It's gonna be a long and bloody war once I'm ready to take on Attilla. He has knights and pikes, and I have spearmen and Elephants.

 

[zxcvbob]

I'm on turn 100 now. I've met everybody and exchanged embassies; I probably should research Printing Press soon. Attila captured Beijing a long time ago, and he's just finished taking Wu's last city. He also built Notre Dame in Attila's Court, and maybe some other wonders. He is the military leader but I'm closing fast. He is my next target, obviously. Once I take Beijing I'll have some iron.

I've researched Astronomy so my units can hop across the channel, and I'm building crossbows and pikes as fast as I can (I probably ought to build Heroic Epic), and a few Trebuchets. The elephants can stay home to guard against barbs.

This map is ridiculous. Hat's off to Knowtalent.

 

[IronfighterXXX]

I've played 76 turns, already conquered Huns, Mongolia and China capitals.

I've settled on gems, chose God king pantheon hoping for quick game. When realised that I am in a trap conquered north city state (better land).

AI on king is ultra weak, still using warriors and archers; when I was about conquering Atilla's capital he was building useless on defence battering rams (but was first in military )

I discovered all except one civ, but as in each square are two I know where it will be.

I have two armies moving slowly in two different squares, each one contain: 1 general, 2 horsemen and 8 elephants.
Cities have more defence now, but with generals and hopefully SoZ (three turns left - my mistake - should take honor opener earlier) game should end ~100T

 

[casualplayer]

Arrgh! Turn 104. I've met everyone, stirred up a war between Sejong and Ramkhamhaeng to deplete both their forces and was about to take Ramkhamhaeng's cap when he ignores all my injured units in range to obliterate my last melee unit in the vicinity.

This was looking promising as I had cleaned up Genghis and busted out through a city state by Turn 60. Helped Attila conquer China and put a pin in him for later. I was looking forward to taking Sukhothai, upgrading to Crossbowman, buying some Pikemen and dominating up the East. Best laid plans.

I haven't the heart to swim a Pikeman all the way over there now. I am defeated.

 

[Kendon]

Last question first: Any surprises? As a matter of fact ...

When I finally got a religion I certainly needed the money from Tithe. I'd already sold off most of my improvements.

My only wonder was Temple of Zeus when no one else seemed to want it.

Policies were complete Honor first. Now that that's done I'll start Patronage.

Tech path was the initial priority: Archery, Animal Husbandry, the Wheel for war elephants – enough to take Karakorum on turn 45 while turning three Mongol settlers into workers. I declared war the moment I saw a Mongol settler.

The terrain effectively and totally discombobulated my early decisions. I spent a couple of turns searching and staring for an overlooked way through the mountains. Then I attacked the east CS which was the wrong choice because there were only three spots for my ranged units to attack from. After half a dozen attack-recovery cycles I moved north to attack the CS there. That went much quicker.

Now for the first question: I thought about how, in my practice games, the four corners all connected in the middle. I said to myself, "The one technology I won't need is Sailing." Completely wrong of course.

As zxcvbob remarks, it's a clever map. It's surprising. It makes us do things differently.

 

[poxpower]

Dear lord this is a horrible map for domination lol

Moderator Action: Moved to Opening Action thread from the Announcement thread. Please do not post in the Announcement thread once you have opened the save because of the possibility of spoilers. This is a perfect example of what can happen.

 

[beetle]

I will add more details when I have my notes available.

- What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?
- How did the terrain and map settings affect your early decisions?
- What Social Policies did you choose?

I did a test game with these map settings which convinced me that (1) I would be lucky to found even two expos, and (2) that killing a neighbor early would be strong play. Both of those pointed me strongly to Liberty. I also figured I could use the Liberty finisher for a GPr if needed.

- Where did you settle and what did you build first?
- What were your initial priorities?
- What tech path did you follow and why?

I moved 1 hex NE across the river to NE. I thought I might want to unlock Petra (missed it by a wide margin) and that I would be giving myself more room for an expo downstream (did not really work out, as there was a CS too close for me to found on the river). Initial priority (and tech path) was for WE then Horsemen. Scouts and Warrior are enough to take the first city or two.

- What Wonders did you try to get and did you get them?

I did not think early war mongering would mix well with Wonders, so I avoided the temptation of most of the early ones. I wasted many hammers missing Pyramids though. I did pick up Oracle.

- Did you go for early Faith? How did you use faith?

I skipped the early shrine, very uncharacteristic of me, but scouting got me the first pantheon anyway. CS questing got me a religion. It was quite nice, with Mosques and Pagodas. Reliquary for the enhancer because the ones I wanted were gone and Religious Texts was not going be useful owing to the geometry.

- Any surprises?

Evil map! I can only assume that it rolled mostly that way, and Knowtalent realized he could button us up with just a couple more mountains.

I have the city spacing set to 4 (default is 3) so Ur did not plant. That got me (1) an early worker, and (2) an easier way out of our corner. Roads up to the CS (coastal on the hill) let units leave easily enough, but no one gets to come back that way unless you kill the CS.

 

[sebtanic]

Haha, nice map!!

Turn 99 here, I conquered 2 caps so far and will take Hunnic capital shortly when my peace deal expires.

Progress so far:

t43 - took Karakorum, wiping out the Mongols.
t65 - founded religion: church property (+2 per city), religious community (+)
t87 - enhanced: pagodas, itinerant preachers
t96 - took Beijing, which was occupied by Huns
t97 - accepted peace deal for the Huns "Intermediate" city which had a relatively high defense

 

[sebtanic]

I have the city spacing set to 4 (default is 3) so Ur did not plant. That got me (1) an early worker, and (2) an easier way out of our corner. Roads up to the CS (coastal on the hill) let units leave easily enough, but no one gets to come back that way unless you kill the CS.

So you're playing by different rules? Didn't know that was possible...

 

[Knowtalent]

So you're playing by different rules? Didn't know that was possible...

It shouldn't be. The save should reset those settings.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

 

[beetle]

It shouldn't be. The save should reset those settings.

That is what I had always assumed. It makes no sense to me that my default settings would effect shared saved games I get from others. But I cannot plant with only three tiles between cities. Could one the last patched have changed this behavior? I am happy to help trouble should if you cannot replicate the problem.