What next? Egypt Emperor Hatty

[vranasm]

I rolled fractal emperor epic map with hatty as leader. Actually regenerated once the map, this one was interesting.

Irrigated corn, sheep and stone.
Not many rivers around so actually am thinking about building mids and run some specs, so settling food cities is absolute priority. there seems to be around enough food.

Seeing the initial exploration i think making soonish blocker city is priority. I marked some spots, well looking at it now the blocker would maybe better 1SE, but will lose on river and has a lot of brown around :-(.

Is this situation where you would build settler on size 2? That's actually what I plan, building warrior first, then settler, worker improves sheep. Warrior is build on PH.
I am a bit unsure on tech path (got ah, mining, BW probably next), pottery is not high, but writing should be after BW probably. Masonry maybe right next after BW?

 

[Gumbolt]

I would rather have the blocker site include the pigs and corn. 1SE for me to make it a port city too.

The better option might be to take the horse/fish site and go for a WC rush. Should be a walk over really.

The rush seems best option for me with such poor terrain around. All that forest to chop too. Bye bye Americans.

 

[vranasm]

I would rather have the blocker site include the pigs and corn. 1SE for me to make it a port city too.

The better option might be to take the horse/fish site and go for a WC rush. Should be a walk over really.

The rush seems best option for me with such poor terrain around. All that forest to chop too. Bye bye Americans.

it's 6 tiles to road, improve horses... how quick expander wash really is?
and with rush i maybe will miss those mids...
I looked at the horses too but I think they are a bit too far away...

 

[Gumbolt]

it's 6 tiles to road, improve horses... how quick expander wash really is?
and with rush i maybe will miss those mids...
I looked at the horses too but I think they are a bit too far away...

If Americans don't settle near horse you can build city on it and road. Has your worker got much else to do? If you get masonry soon mids will be more than possible.

I wouldnt build the mids for the sake of building it. Hardly a food rich map. Maybe great light house with coastal cities?

 

[vranasm]

If Americans don't settle near horse you can build city on it and road. Has your worker got much else to do? If you get masonry soon mids will be more than possible.

I wouldnt build the mids for the sake of building it. Hardly a food rich map. Maybe great light house with coastal cities?

actually TGL i considered too...

if i make all 4 cities i screened (well except the blocker that would be 1 SE but gets pigs+corn), every has 2 food resources with possibility of running 2 scientists and more...

dunno how many food per city you should get to call it 'food rich', this certainly is not 'cottage map'

i dont want to nitpick advice I get... but every discussion we have should lead me to shift in thinking... my initial thoughts for first 4 cities were...mids+early libs+scientists since every city has good food surpuls to feed them.
TGL would be cherry on top.
That's my thought process anyway.

 

[Framesticker]

I haven't really looked (because I'm dead tired) but I'd suggest that northern coastal city go 3S. That's still claims the Sheep and the Corn, but also gives you some lakes to farm around.

 

[Gumbolt]

I played on a bit from your 3200bc save.

Spoiler :

Overall I did exactly what i planned.

Laid third city on the horse. Happily gained a second food resource in sea too.
Took out Americans around 2000bc with 5-6 war chariots. Washington fell easily. New York too with some reinforcements. Americans only had 2 cities. which were both captured.

Currently at 1325bc with 4 cities and 4 libraries nearly ready. I can afford a 5th city if I use scientists.

Only real issue now should be barbs due to empty land. I can post save later.

I probably won't play this out. So much land already and a solid science base once each city runs scientists.

 

[vranasm]

I played a bit too... until 5BC...
I didnt rush...because
1) I just dont like rushing lately, it seems to me a bit boring even if I understand that succesful rush brings the difficulty down a notch
2) I wasnt sure I will manage enough WC in time.

So sorry that the good advice went a bit nil.
Instead I invested those hammers into pyramids and TGL, which both i got (mids 1k BC, TGL around 400 BC).
My expansion suffered a bit and I had to stay smallish with 4 cities, blocker city, horse+fish+clam city and the northern sheep+corn city, expansion to east totally open.
After wonders i continue a bit expansion meeting with ADs with 7 cities.

i suffered a lot without enough workers, well the first 4 cities never worked unimproved tiles (making those libs and scientists helped a lot though), but now I expanded a bit and it really shows off, so i somewhat hunt the past.
I plan to make at least 1 more city in the east (fish+horse spot), am a bit unsure on the 2x clams spot totaly east sharing border with dutches.

I am baffled a bit with cities overall. i found afterall some nice spot with enough riverside for some cottage spam and am a bit unsure if i should invest there in palace and moving capital.
memphis proved to be somewhat decent gp farm.
horse+fish+clam could be great prod. city, with Thebes another prod. candidate.

the rest probably cottage spam where available or stick with farms and specs (should be probably better with early mids)?

In techs i am after some trades positioned a bit good way. finishing CS, planning calendar. That's one thing I probably did wrong, since the order should have been the other way around since I have at least 2 calendar resources in the land.

Diplomatic wise...it's so-so ok. I am surprised that Wash got on a crack and expanded best (9 cities), since usually HRE is good rexer (with his Rathaus). Both are pleased because of religion so i have a bit safe position.

I dont plan early war, probably will try outtech them a bit to cavs since it's my favorite wartime...but will be tough with americas so big.

 

[Gumbolt]

Looking pretty solid techwise. You have reached the 100 beakers at 1ad mark.

Main critism is size of your cities. Then again that goes with the terrain and probably due to lack of workers. This might explain why so much forest is left. Chop chop! 1.5 worker to city is normally wise.

Hopefully you should be able to pull out a big tech gap and use this to roll over the Americans and HRE. Keep them both at pleased/friendly and they should remain peaceful.

Oh heres the attachment to my rush. One plus side to a rush is that it normals gives you 1-2 workers too.

 

[vranasm]

I decide to give this game one more try from beginning.This time with rush.
I think it kind of worked since i got at 1775BC 5 cities (capped 3 from wash). The wash land is pretty poor too :-(.

What next? I understand it's economy time (i started building workers everywhere) then slow expansion?
Should i try still for the mids+TGL? or better just mids?

 

[Gumbolt]

Okay some thoughts.

Thebes needs some defenders. I would retreat a few wc back there. The new WC being built will help stop the unhappy citizen. I was also thinking defence against the barbs. I see Thebes building a library. Run 1-2 specialists. Chop grassland forest build cottages. Stop farming the corn as It is not useable by Thebes anyway.

I would of burned Boston as I prefered the pigs/corn site. Also 5 cities for 1775bc is a bit much. The upkeep cost will kill your economy. Don't be afraid to burn unwanted Ai cities on a rush.

Memphis needs to whip /chop 2 workboats asap once fishing is in. I would be chopping the workers and letting the small cities grow.

You could use 2-3 more workers. I would chop the forest covering grassland around Washington/Thebes. In preparation for cottages and use this towards workers. The extra workers will help you work the land as your cities grow. Cottaging the river grassland first will be best.

Overall I would use 2 workers near thebes to chop a worker. Same for Washington. Then use a worker to chop workboats. You could even use overflow from Thebes for a worboat.

Oh you need pottery. Tech rate 100% till you have pottery. For commerce you can use sea tiles if you are not covering costs at 0% science.

Overall you did exactly what I did but Boston was a mistake.

There is also a risk barbs will spawn spearmen. Have 1-2 warriors around Thebes. Perhaps a war chariot if things get bad with archers/axemen.

 

[Gumbolt]

Your original save wasnt that bad!! Americans may have had 9 cities but many were weak or in poor locations. You had a healthy tech lead. A few more workers and you would of been quite strong.

I think you can continue from either save and win. The great light house and mids made previous save look good. Why did you restart? If you have land to expand into a rush isnt always needed.

If you could get GLH on latest save that would be good.

 

[vranasm]

well i thought that i could eventually make the corn city too, so i wanted to prefarm..but you're right it's not wise now...

what you think about settling pigs+gold city "soon"? I could use that happy+commerce...

 

[vranasm]

Your original save wasnt that bad!! Americans may have had 9 cities but many were weak or in poor locations. You had a healthy tech lead. A few more workers and you would of been quite strong.

I think you can continue from either save and win. The great light house and mids made previous save look good. Why did you restart? If you have land to expand into a rush isnt always needed.

If you could get GLH on latest save that would be good.

well i am just kind of abandoner... wanted to try different approach to compare the 1AD result.
I just like the beginning most. Maybe it means i will never find out if I can beat emperor though :-D

 

[Gumbolt]

well i thought that i could eventually make the corn city too, so i wanted to prefarm..but you're right it's not wise now...

what you think about settling pigs+gold city "soon"? I could use that happy+commerce...

You are short by about 3 workers already and you want to build another settler? You may build a 6th city but you would never have enough workers to mine the gold or build road to it. Don't forget when New York comes out of revolt your upkeep costs will soar although newyork has a few cottages. Overall get out the 3 workers/ 2 workboats and prepare for a few cottages.

I am not sure you will be able to do mids/GLH on second save.

 

[Gumbolt]

well i am just kind of abandoner... wanted to try different approach to compare the 1AD result.
I just like the beginning most. Maybe it means i will never find out if I can beat emperor though :-D

Well hatty is one of the more easier emperor Ai to play. Great starting techs, nuce UU and the UB aint bad either.My first win on emperor was with an Egptian leader. I love the war chariots.

 

[vranasm]

I will probably go back to the 5BC save to see how far I can go with it.

It's 2 turns from CS (that's great), what's not so great that the cap is more hammer then commerce and I thought about eventually moving it to the flood plains to the east, but it seems to be a bit too late for such move.

I should trade for monarchy from Charlemagne and after CS tech probably calendar.

Build more workers, cottage fps east.

Question is for which war to aim... it would be probably best post-lib war or try for medieval war with trebs and maces?

 

[Gumbolt]

I will probably go back to the 5BC save to see how far I can go with it.

It's 2 turns from CS (that's great), what's not so great that the cap is more hammer then commerce and I thought about eventually moving it to the flood plains to the east, but it seems to be a bit too late for such move.

I should trade for monarchy from Charlemagne and after CS tech probably calendar.

Build more workers, cottage fps east.

Question is for which war to aim... it would be probably best post-lib war or try for medieval war with trebs and maces?

Well med war will be lbow vs trebs and mace. Perhaps better to wait for gunpowder or rifles. You have no great need to start a war. Rexx out rest of land and grow cities. I wouldnt move capital. With the Great Lighthouse you can spam cities really. Just make sure you have enough workers first.

 

[vranasm]

I played a bit from the 5BC save. To 670AD mark.

At first I wanted to go to 1k AD, but I am a bit unsure about the situation.
I followed the advice a bit and quickly chopped/built army of workers (have 15 workers now), too my bad dutches settled that horses spot to the far east :-( wasnt quick enough, or decisive...probably I was too focused on those workers.
So I am kind of stuck on 8 cities.
I have education and am trying to heavily whip universities where available.
I have problems with GPs though. I got merchant (on purpose) which greatly quickened the education tech, but am lacking academy in capital, but i think i will make there oxford uni.

Am finishing philosophy and probably will start lib immedietaly. Am a bit unsure which tech to take from lib though. I dont have open astronomy and usually take nationalism for Taj Mahal and cuir->cav beeline. But I am unsure if I shouldnt try for astronomy from lib (diplo reasons later).

That brings me to trades, I have there some opportunities for trading. Zara offered me Machinery for Feud+220gold. And have 2-3 techs on almost every AI, too bad Cathy and Wash doesnt have anything usefull and I actually outteched them heavily.

I have charle and wash as best friends (they're both friendly). Soo that leads me to questioning who to attack. I checked Charle<->Wash position and Charle probably will never vote for me over Wash in UN, so i think that outstrips UN victory.

If I want domination it usually means take on neighbors before intercontinental invasion, but both of them are my best pals...
I could pack home and try for SS, but am a bit unsure I can hold on the tech lead long enough.

Have to find where all those AIs are though...hmm I should have buyed some world maps... but the money i need for techs.

So what next? Finish lib race, get Nationalism? Cuir->Cav war against wash?

 

[Gumbolt]

Few thoughts. Why are you not running caste? With Caste system Memphis could be running 5-6 scientists? Using a 2 food 1 hammer tile in any city seems a waste. You could use a good GP city. Academy in capital is a must. Philosophy could of been bulbed by GS much earlier.

Why are you not growing cities? You are running all these production tiles yet many of your cities are 3-5 pop below happiness cap. Your capital could of been running the grassland cottages much earlier. Your capital could easily be size 12-13.

In terms of lib there is no rush. No Ai has paper yet beyond you. You could easily grab military traditions from lib. Tech to within 1 turn of lib and tech out nationalism. With stone you should be able to build MM quickly.

In terms of whipping unis. You really don't have much pop to whip away. As stated above run some more food tiles in all cities.

Enough to be thinking about. Nice to see all the workers.