TSG 275 Opening Actions

[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: 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?

 

[fiddlesticks]

To turn 100:

Highlights:

• Early war with Byzantium yielded two settler and one worker steals. I kept at it until I finally got the offer to take over Adrianople but took ~225g/5gpt instead.
• Built a few early units to help with CS allies. Wellington and Ife are BFFs from worker/camp liberation combos and Kathmandu is solid now after a conversion quest.
• Early ruins and scouting were pretty good. Ife and Kathmandu gave me the food from camps pantheon. Two pop ruins sped up the early game and a 60 faith ruin helped the push to 200 faith (tithe/production +15%)
• I just DoW'd Rome because he jacked up the price on truffles and was blocking my trireme. I'm building up some units to take him out, hopefully after he's created a few great works and the Colossus which is under construction in Rome. Then I'll circle back west and take out Theo and Suleiman.
• NC ~turn 93, Education on track for sub 110, which is pretty good for the start I think.
• Full tradition, opened Aesthetics
• Two sea trade routes up: Athens->Argos and Argos->Athens
• After HG ->Writer's Guild

 

[raider980]

Whew, this is a tough early game. The plan was to play a peaceful calm science game and use CS alliances to help in the victory. Well you know what they say about the best laid plans...

I almost rage quit around T50 because the settler I started at T22 didn't get to found Sparta until T45 because of barbs in the way (and I lost my starting warrior en route). I should have just settled on the Wine instead of going up next to Sri Pada.

Spoiler T53 :

Went full tradition, after debating Liberty because of the large map and lots of room. If there would have been more luxuries I would have gone Liberty. I see lots of good places for cities - except there are no luxes.
I fell into the trap of Food from Camps pantheon, even after asking the question in the Announcement. But it turned out to be good I think; there are quite a few camps around and it really helps in the capital. With Sri Pada I got a religion even without a faith generating pantheon. Went Tithe and Pagodas (I was like 5th to religion but luckily Pagodas was still there).

Spoiler Then the real trouble began when I saw a Roman army appear north of Sparta on T97. :

Spoiler Caesar DoW me next turn and here on T102 I'm sure I'm going to lose Sparta. :

 

[ForkOfSpite]

First (in reference to my announcements post):

• Early ruins and scouting were pretty good. Ife and Kathmandu gave me the food from camps pantheon.

Trap for me (but I'm a mediocre player).

- What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game? Early scouting to determine war or sim
- What tech path did you follow and why? Archery - Animal Husbandry because I can't stick to a plan
- What Social Policies did you choose? Tradition because I chickened out on early war
- Did you get a religion? What religious beliefs did you pick? Yes - tithe and pagodas. Not planning to enhance (so of course I will)

Turn 23 Screenshot:

Spoiler :

Was hoping to find an early AI target, but my warrior headed northeast and first scout headed southwest. Second scout met some of Theodora's units northwest up near Ife. Found Constantinople not long after that, and it looks super easy. Liberty war! Send Liberty settler west towards the cattle, silk, and wheat, and take over Constantinople from there. Oops, no monument yet. The Liberty settler feels so far away. Find a faith ruin on Turn 22. Pantheon on Turn 23, and between the pearls, two religious city states, and Mt. Fugi, it looks like I can develop some decent faith. Final decision made - Tradition it is! Finish the monument and get to Pop 4 and then send out the settlers.

Initial techs were Archery (wanted to build/buy archers for Liberty rush) followed by Animal Husbandry - thought I would have enough time to get Mining next before I had a worker prepared to chop, so might as well look for horses. Prioritized sailing (forgot that lighthouses unlocked at optics rather than sailing), so I went Pottery third and then Mining. Realized that my happiness couldn't handle expansion, so I took Trapping fifth (quicker luxury) followed by Sailing and Optics on Turn 67. Third settler had some issues - was trying for a citrus/truffles/pearls spot northwest of Kathmandu, but Caesar beat me there. Barbarians slowed me down a bit back west to the fish/pearls/cattle spot north of Athens. Fourth city founded on Turn 69.

Essentially permanent allies with Kathmandu from worker rescues, but was only friends with Ife for 10 turns or so (find China quest). Third religion on Turn 76 - pagodas and mosques were available (cathedrals and monasteries were gone). I took pagodas. Mosques were taken by an unmet civ later in the game. I don't see much of a reason to enhance, so I'm not planning to - just want enough faith to buy some useful great people later in the game. I doubt I could spread my religion in a meaningful way to get the tourism bonus - maybe the world dominate religion will get spread to me?

National College and Tradition finisher on Turn 98. Might be a mistake, but going for the Oracle now. Still want to take Constantinople at some point. Caeser has also build some wonders, so might want that as well.

Turn 98 Screenshot:

Spoiler :

 

[Rhodro]

- What did you think about before starting the game, what was your approach to this game?
Coastal -> setup coastal trade routes early.

- What tech path did you follow and why?
Granary tech first because i found on turn 1 or something the 3rd deer. When i scouted only a few good settle locations + they were not contested, i decided to go for 5pop before building settlers.
Next focus was AH, mining, trapping (for the lux and large amount of camps), sailing + lighthouse tech. I got crossbows quite late to capture kathmandu, because i didn't see a 4th settle location, but kathmandu has a river, whales, and can easily connect more food trade ships.
So 3 city NC, im building hanging gardens now, which is almost finished. I went for 3rd trade route + workshops before civil service, because there is not much fresh water.

- What Social Policies did you choose? So far full tradition.
- Did you get a religion? What religious beliefs did you pick?
Yea but sadly pagoda's was taken, I got mosques and tithe and faith from pearls. All other buildings are taken now. Theodora has sacred sites but with me only having 1 building and her religion having none i don't think it will have much effect.

Scouting wise i got a bunch of pop ruins, 1 tech and some gold and 2 archer upgrades. No culture at all, so i'm happy mt fuji gave some culture.
I had 2 triremes. 1 went clockwise and 1 counter clockwise. The one at the ottomans, clockwise, is now stuck and is coming home. The other one is now at Ormus and might get past ottomans, we will see.
The promotions im taking on them is extra boat dmg % and 1 extra vision.

I didn't really want to attack rome because we're having a truffle for pearls trade. But his military score is ~1800 and mine ~360 so im pretty sure he will attack me at some point.

Spoiler :

 

[lymond]

(gotta do the Venice game but ..man..don't know how to play those guys) Anywho, this map is a bit troublesome. Very hard decisions on where to settle. I very much wanted the NW to the northwest, but wasn't sure whether to settle N of it for the pearls or S like Argos in fiddle's game. I had not fully scouted in the coast and in hindsight the seafood is pretty good there, but most importantly, the food ships would have made it worth will, but I settled N for the pearls and wheat - settling for caravan instead to Athens.

1) Pearls would have been the better pantheon for faith, but I used the NW pantheon as it was faster early on - and I'd hoped at that point to maybe find another good NW to settle, which did not happen
2) Rome was my early target for harassment. Stole so many workers/settlers from him. I stole the first one and backed away from Rome to heal. Wait some turns moved forward and there was a worker - will he white peace - yup - snag and peace. Then declared again later as he was sending out settlers. In that peace deal which was not long ago as of this date, he gave me over 1000 gold and luxes. (I am now using that to finally settle the fourth city.
3) Friends with Theo
4) Honestly, I don't know yet if I'm going the military path to culture or not, but Rome will die.
5) Astronomy seems like it will be important here.
6) Missed HG which would have been very nice here
7) Yeah, maybe food from camps would been better
8) Got Mosques and Tithe, but just used points to spread reli.

I think this game is going to be a struggle, but I will give it my best.

 

[Megalou]

Settled in place and proceeded with a really peaceful set-up, with 6 cities on Tradition. Unlike everyone else so far I placed two cities on the north coast. IIRC I had maybe 4-8 turns of unhappiness before circuses and colosseums were set up and the first consistent alliances secured. (I feel that an alliance should never be allowed to fade, especially as Greece, except in the very earliest phase when I don't have the means to sustain it.)

Workers was slow because Rome and Byzantium were both swarming with warriors. It was a mistake of sorts to send my own starting warrior way north through Rome, where it was killed on the way back trying to snag a worker. Stealing from Ife worked reasonably well, but I also had to build one in Athens.

Rome is a problem because they have no natural foe except me, and so keeping them at war with someone else will only have a limited effect. But their position can turn into an advantage for us when war comes, since their land-hordes cannot do a broad sweep when attacking us. (Argos and Kathmandu are blocking their expansion.)

I will not get a fast finish, probably not going into conquest mode until I have cannons or maybe even artillery, so this is one of those games where winning at all will be a good challenge.

Religion:
Food from camps
2 culture from temples
5c, 5f Hermitage ...scraps really, but I didn't try that hard.
tithe
cheaper missionaries and inquisitors

Techs: For once I did not do all the cheapest techs first, but got trapping before mining. Not much else to say. I should perhaps have bee-lined for workshops as @Rhodro mentioned, but I have a soft spot for the Sistine Chapel. Astronomy is not super prioritized since I don't have any tourism to speak of anyway.

Social policies: Full tradition then into aesthetics. Although a religious building would have been nice, I'm glad I stayed off Piety, because the AI got reformation beliefs incredibly early so sacred sites would have been a wild gamble. Screenshot coming up...

 

[ABigCivFan]

I learned a lot about early city placements (prioritize food/lux/hammers) and growth after playing a few of these GOTM games. Here is a screen at turn 100, built Colossus and HG in capital, running food ships, low on faith but doing ok on everything else.