TSG 238 Opening Actions Thread

[vadalaz]

This thread is used to discuss the game's opening decisions and strategies through the first 100 or so turns. Here you can post questions related to the game and share your achievements/anger/frustration/victories while you play.

Quick links: Upload submission | Announcement thread | After actions

- What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?
- What tech path did you follow and why?
- What Social Policies did you choose?
- Did you get a religion? What religious beliefs did you pick?

 

[lerrocco]

In last months game it was good to see the difference the NC made to the early domination push. Essentially, it was needed for the troops to take the last couple of cities.

It is also apparent that the Honor policy tree fits this early push really nicely, again if the game can be won early. If the game continues much after turn 150 or so then the limitations of opening with Honor become painfully obvious.

There is a really good guide to rushing Attila in the strategy sub forum. Essentially on Deity on small maps it is possible just to go to war early and keep pushing until the win / loss. If the game isn't over by turn 150 or so, it's probably not going to happen as the AI has unassailable advantages in tech and troops. No Libraries, just monument and troops, more or less. Sometimes no additional cities other than the capital are built, just captured! This often happens when a warrior upgrades to a ram in an early ruin.

I am guessing this game is on the cusp of the early rush as well. That's a lot of cities to take while the horse archers and rams are still potent units, and with no tech back up, but the start is easier on King level. I guess it will have to be attempted

A lakes map. I have never played one, is that a Pangaea with lots of water bodies?

 

[zxcvbob]

In last months game it was good to see the difference the NC made to the early domination push. Essentially, it was needed for the troops to take the last couple of cities.

It is also apparent that the Honor policy tree fits this early push really nicely, again if the game can be won early. If the game continues much after turn 150 or so then the limitations of opening with Honor become painfully obvious.

There is a really good guide to rushing Attila in the strategy sub forum. Essentially on Deity on small maps it is possible just to go to war early and keep pushing until the win / loss. If the game isn't over by turn 150 or so, it's probably not going to happen as the AI has unassailable advantages in tech and troops. No Libraries, just monument and troops, more or less. Sometimes no additional cities other than the capital are built, just captured! This often happens when a warrior upgrades to a ram in an early ruin.

I am guessing this game is on the cusp of the early rush as well. That's a lot of cities to take while the horse archers and rams are still potent units, and with no tech back up, but the start is easier on King level. I guess it will have to be attempted

A lakes map. I have never played one, is that a Pangaea with lots of water bodies?

Lots of fresh water; might be many small lakes or it could be a smaller number of large lakes, I think that's selectable in the game setup. And I *think* the landmass can be pangaea or continents (not knowing is a nice surprise)

Honor can work just fine for playing the long game if you take the right side first for culture from a garrison unit. (just post a scout or archer there) I'm about to start this one and haven't decided what route to take (other than build a scout and a shrine) Probably a mix of Tradition and Honor. That's a lot of pastures! I'm guessing we'll quickly meet Monty who benefits from lakes, and Casimir who also benefits from pastures.

 

[Megalou]

Frustrating start...

We were beaten to God of the Open Sky by Dandalo who must have popped faith. So good bye, heaps of culture, hello scraps of culture via Oral Tradition. Looking at Dandy's location he could dang well have picked that himself and started weaving some nice lusekofte. Anyway, it was a pretty bad blow because the expected extra culture was my justification for picking Republic rather than Honor.

The second blow was missing out on Terracotta army. I got greedy and wanted to have one of every unit up until catapults before finishing it, and got beaten by something like 2-4 turns. Poor long term planning was the reason for that, but the charm of the game is that there are always things like that to work on.

The early game included two CS annexations, and no settler builds at all. The occupied city happiness penalty was obvious but the Huns were only unhappy on sporadic occasions. Eventually it was time to go for Rome who had lots of ballistae and put a dent in my army. In the screen-shot we have recently retaken Sidney. Next will have to be Carthage even though Dido is such a nice leader. There will be a kind of bottleneck for the troops down there, so I'm building some other stuff in the core, as you can see.

I still have 3 friends, despite my rotten Putinesque behaviour, which helps with the economy. I doubt that anyone will renew the friendship, but by then the economy should stand on its own legs. Social policies so far: Republic branch, Tradition opener, Commerce opener. Wagon trains is next. Wonders: Great Library (philosophy) Oracle, Maosoleum, Hanging Gardens. (That list reminds me of @The_Black_Vegetable s hilarious post in the announcement thread. )

Edit: I should open a second front versus Mongolia and stop with the artsy-fartsy stuff in the core.

 

[raider980]

Whew, wild start! Ups and downs. I move the warroior NE to check out the land. And holy moly, 3 more pastures in range if I settle on the Spice!

I figured I had to try to find ruins with my warrior. And then I would go to Horse Archers and find my first victim so I beelined to get them. So decided to open Tradition but then full Honor.

Ruins were: Barbs, 70G, Advanced Weapons on T15!

Oh look, here's Portugal. I have a Scout and Battering Ram right near the Portuguese capital so I say what the heck. I took Lisbon on T22, and Maria is out. My scout did have to sacrifice himself though.

That was the end of the ups, now the downs for awhile. I meet Genghis and decide he's next. So I build HA's continuously (with minor detours for Caravan and such) and one more Ram thrown in. But even with the Pastures it takes a long time and many hammers. I meet Caesar but he's way across the mountains so he can go later. But then, later, what the heck:

Spoiler Seriously, Caesar? :

Still, gotta focus on Mongolia. When my small army reaches outer Mongolia they see he has many warriors and archers for defense. Ha, no match for my BR and HA I think. Well... Genghis was churning out units at a blistering pace, but I wanted to get him now because of Keshik later. Back home at Atilla's Court, barbs were attacking relentlessly. So I had to keep a HA back there.

Oh nice Japan wants to be friends; I sign a DoF because I'll be busy with Genghis for a while.

Spoiler Then, just a few turns later :

Ok, I've got to make peace with Genghis and go take on Oda. Oh man, he's got Lisbon totally surrounded; so I start selling buildings, there's no way I'll keep it. I move my army down to Tokyo which Oda had built just south of Kabul. I now have 4 HA and 2 BR with 2 more HA on the way from Atilla's Court. On the way, I DoW Rome and take out Cumae; no way I could let that city stand. I easily take Tokyo and fight off Oda's army. Should I take back Lisbon or go straight for Kyoto. Lisbon was a pretty sad city so I'm going for Kyoto. I'll take it and let Oda keep Lisbon and develop it into a somewhat useful city. That's where we stand on T101. Its started to turn around back to the ups, I think I can take Kyoto with little trouble.

Spoiler T101 :

I think I'm ok now but for awhile there I thought I was in serious trouble. I was up against the unit limit when I lost Lisbon to Oda. And I had negative gold and got the warning about losing a unit. I had to sell some buildings in Atilla's Court because I definitely didn't want to lose any units - two of my HA have logistics. Luckily when I took Tokyo I got some money and could sell a building before razing it. So I got through that, even though I'm still negative gold flow. Not sure what to do next after I take Kyoto. Maybe pause and build some infrastructure.

 

[lerrocco]

Oops!

2 ruins in 6 turns... culture, opened Tradition with that starting location, will go through Honor and hope to steal workers for pasture building.
second ruin, ram.. hehe.

Going full Attila on this one, spamming horse archers.

Skipped my usual scout x2 opener for warrior x2, for the upgrade potential, and if acquired, next capital I reach should be mine, warrior about to be built.. I will build a scout now as well to find the cities. Warrior will keep looking for ruins. 2 rams, one in either direction, would be awesome.

Tech straight to horse archers, will look for optics on a water map.

I have only just got round to this game and I will have to play it over many sessions, I hope I can find the rhythm and remember what I was up to.

 

[lerrocco]

I decided to speed play this, pretty reckless perhaps..

T15 I had a warrior and a scout and a ram all next to ruins..

Spoiler T15 :

I built a worker! first time ever, have to maximize those pastures and the timing was perfect as I could build horse archers straight after the worker. Decided to pop the first with the ram, would be curious if that upgraded hehe, but got pottery. Went with the warrior, and it was upgraded to a ram !!.. and the scout found a map, showing Portugal and Japan..

seriously, 2 rams, a scout and a map? What else did you expect?

I bumbled into a Mongolian archer and killed it, on impulse, well it was either that or sell Genghis my horses? Don't think so!

I will have to stop and think now. Pain having to build monuments, no barbs so far, so my usual honor opener is slow... Is it a cheat? i normally save upgrades for my rams and use them to heal, but can't do that in this game, so cover II for now.

Building horse archers at a decent pace despite the unhappiness penalty. I have to get some happiness before I take on another city, but so tempting with 2 rams..

New territory for me, I have never taken 2 capitals in 34 turns before..

Good job I got Lisbon, reminds me to get optics after Sailing..

 

[lerrocco]

Last post in here from me. I thought it would be worth posting an update. I have had negative happiness the whole game. My scout just got promoted on T53 and can see a natural wonder, and the +2 happiness has put me at zero happiness hehe.

No growth in the captured cities, but I will at some point have +8 happiness from LIsbon, and I am sending a general down there to pick up the marble and horse pasture to the north. The general is on his way. No point in sending generals with the horses, so I am using them all for city expansions.

In Attila's court I built 5 HAs, a scout and a ram (just) .. 2 warriors were upgraded to rams.

I am about to take Rome, easily, but he will retake just as easily until I kill his siege weapon. That's the plan, horse archers to kill units then city capture. I am 1 HA short..
so , build plan, HA (send east), ram (west) then horse archers while they can still reach the front.

I know more or less where Genghis and Dido are, so thats the plan. I have 2 armies and those 2 are next. 3 more capitals after those 2, I will reinforce when I can have optics online soon. Then mathematics.

When my cities kick in, I should be ok, my other cities are defending barbs with only city defences. But gaining culture points while doing so. I do have double experience now and most my HA are around accuracy 3, so logistics soon.

I am doing barb and CS missions in the time I have while my rams slowly trundle across the map.. I aim to meet the troops up again before the next assault.
I bought the horse tile next to Lisbon for the production, and hope to have a couple of work boats soon, maybe I can buy one after taking Rome. I will do CS quest while my rams are on the way to Dido that should give me faith points. Its just a barb camps and barbs.

Easy game so far, juggling the unhappiness and I only tipped -10 briefly, but running at -75% production all game, and no food growth.

I expect to win, dont know the map yet. I think I will have Rome in 3 turns and then Genghis (6 turns?) , who I have been attacking all game, so a walk in, then dido.. 15 turns?

I would hope for a sub 100 turn finish depending on the map. maybe around T90?

I will be back to unhappiness when I take Rome.