What Is Your Maori Settling Window?

[Tinkerture]

I know there was some discussion leading up to the release of GS and some just after, but now that GS has been out the better part of a year, what do you consider to be your ideal Maori settling window?

Edit: I considered adding a poll, but I wasn't sure how to frame the options. If anyone has any suggestions along those lines, I'd be happy to add one.

 

[beest]

I recently played the maori and I first did a couple of trial starts to see how this ocean start works out (fractal map, deity, everything standard). In most of these trials I was not able to find any good location before turn 20, sometimes even turn 30, and in one case not at all. And with good I mean a well below average city. Often you don't even find any major land mass before turn 15-20. Anyway, plan B is to just sod it and basically settle the first bit of land you see. At least you settled early.. Settling on some remote island can be a good thing, you can continuesly pump out settlers without worrying about anything.

 

[Victoria]

Such a post would be better in the general forums.
I have played maybe 10 Kupe games to completion but perhaps another 20 I have just messed around with.

The “good location” is a trick that makes you sail on. You are far better off finding a quick place to land with some sea resources which are not hard to find.

You are getting +2 culture +2 science before you land so you are already ahead
You land and get 2 pop so immediately can start getting another settler
Any tree is getting you +1 production so it is like you have already used your builder and it speeds up that settler, you can often get 2 settlers out before religious settlement.
You get a free builder which you use for any eureka/inspiration but normally bomb a fish/crab
You get loads of extra housing so will grow massive fast, especially if your first pop goes on a fish.

At this stage you are now racing ahead and you have 2 units at sea to explore for other ‘better’ landing places, picking up loads of goody huts but more importantly finding CS before anyone else. These early CS bonuses are huge.

Before you know it your settler has popped and you are at 4 pop and racing ahead in culture and science, founding your second city which you normally choose off continent and there are lots of off continent bonus cards.

Unless on Pangea, go straight for the 100% ship card, get 2 galleys and 3 quads and you really start owning early
Or
Look for a nice trees enemy and push for Toa's
Or
just expand quickly, 10 settlers by t100 is not hard and you are not restricted like other civs

The worst thing you can do is keep exploring looking for a rare natural wonder or similar for your first settler.
And good tree locations are not that common, you do not have to build any maraes if you do not want to and you can chop trees, their best value is at the start of the game not at T100 when chopping is strong.

 

[Nigel_Tufnel2]

It is rare for me to settle after t10. I sail the Settler and Warrior towards any hinted coast (at a 90 degree or more angle from each other at first). I always move the Warrior first, other than to sometimes sneak the Settler a hex or two because view range is better. It is very rare one of the first islands/coasts does not have a lot of sea resources. I may keep looking, especially for a location with trees/hills, but those can always be 2nd/3rd city locations.

Early expansion is so effortless, but I actually prefer to build 2 Scouts first, and get them super-promoted with the Survey card before running Agoge. I let the initial warrior explore coasts, and the Scouts I let go inland more after at least one promotion. Exploration is one of my favorite parts of Civ, so Kupe is the most fun for me.

 

[MartinMcMartin]

fractal, huge, marathon, 20 civs, 24 CS.

max turns is 10 or so to settle. start is always south or north of map. go right with warrior to find CS and huts, left with settler. where there is land, look for good place and settle! sometimes I save on turn 1 and scout with both units. i want to find CS and lots of huts with warrior and circumnavigate the world until back at capital. i go to first landmass with other civ(s) and settle near coast on decent spot. crank out warriors and archers to rush nearest civ. always hope that nearest civs dont declare war until I have 3 units.... that is the only problem going the other way with your warrior. sometimes just follow with warrior to be sure to have some defence from start. if without warrior, use free builder to get that nice ocean tile and goody huts on your "new" continent.

 

[MartinMcMartin]

add: deity level of course...Maori are easy...