I was just wondering what sort of order people build things at the start of a new game. The early game always seems to drag a bit because your cities don't grow whilst building workers or settlers. How do you all plan what to build and when for the best early game progress?
What to build at the start
- Thread starter MikeUK
- Start date
AfterShafter
Deity
I tend to build combinations of warriors or scouts right off the bat with my cutoff for building starting other types of things being size 3 (depending on terrain). If I start with mysticism, sometimes I'll build one warrior, and then dump some hammers into Stonehenge until I start building a worker.
As for when to build a worker, it depends on starting techs. If I have things around my city I could improve with my worker, I tend to start building the worker instantly upon hitting size 3 - because, when he's produced, he'll be able to build a farm or something before he starts chopping another worker. If there's nothing for him to improve, I let the city grow until the time to build a worker is one turn less than the time it would take for me to get bronze working. In this case, the worker is produced and can move onto a forest just in time for bronze working and the ability to chop comes around.
Work boats are a whole other ball of wax - sometimes I'll build them first, but it really depends on terrain and resources. Oh, and, wanting to early rush/lock in on someone changes things quite drastically.
As for when to build a worker, it depends on starting techs. If I have things around my city I could improve with my worker, I tend to start building the worker instantly upon hitting size 3 - because, when he's produced, he'll be able to build a farm or something before he starts chopping another worker. If there's nothing for him to improve, I let the city grow until the time to build a worker is one turn less than the time it would take for me to get bronze working. In this case, the worker is produced and can move onto a forest just in time for bronze working and the ability to chop comes around.
Work boats are a whole other ball of wax - sometimes I'll build them first, but it really depends on terrain and resources. Oh, and, wanting to early rush/lock in on someone changes things quite drastically.
QuixotesGhost
Warlord
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2005
- Messages
- 272
Your first priority at the beginning of the game is normally keeping your workers busy (through appropriate techs) and having citizens to work the nice fat improved resource tiles.It really all depends on what juicy tiles you can work in your capital. If you go for early religion this changes because your worker techs are going to be delayed, so there's no use building one immediately unless you have happen terrain that can get you some decent tiles with only a single worker tech (like Agriculture or Mining). My general rule of thumb is to look for tiles that have at least +5 food (improved). If I have one and can tech the associated tech then I go worker first. If not I go warrior first.
So it's either,
Worker - Warrior (grow to 2) - Settler
or
Warrior (Grow to 2) - Worker - Settler
If I go for early bronze working it's
Warrior - Worker - Worker (chopped) - Settler (chopped)
Fishing boats first always if I have seafood.
So it's either,
Worker - Warrior (grow to 2) - Settler
or
Warrior (Grow to 2) - Worker - Settler
If I go for early bronze working it's
Warrior - Worker - Worker (chopped) - Settler (chopped)
Fishing boats first always if I have seafood.
AfterShafter
Deity
As you can see, there are different approaches to doing this Mike 
Don't take my way of doing it as anything more than a suggestion - a lot of people aren't fans of getting to three size before building a worker.
As for settlers, I usually chop-rush my first settler immediately after chop rushing my second worker. The time leading up to the first worker is more or less just wait and explore time. Once the first worker pops - which should be timed to be when you finish bronze working with my way of doing it - you chop the first few things you need quickly. A settler takes several chops on the marathon speed I play on, while a worker only takes one chop, so your first chop should be to get a second worker. Then get both workers chopping your settler. After that, I chop a combination of workers and settlers and military units, as I see fit base don the situation.
As for how much to expand... As much as you can afford to without crashing your economy, more or less. There is no hard and fast rule. Try and keep your research income high - even if your slider gets low, make sure techs are coming at a reasonable rate.
Don't take my way of doing it as anything more than a suggestion - a lot of people aren't fans of getting to three size before building a worker.As for settlers, I usually chop-rush my first settler immediately after chop rushing my second worker. The time leading up to the first worker is more or less just wait and explore time. Once the first worker pops - which should be timed to be when you finish bronze working with my way of doing it - you chop the first few things you need quickly. A settler takes several chops on the marathon speed I play on, while a worker only takes one chop, so your first chop should be to get a second worker. Then get both workers chopping your settler. After that, I chop a combination of workers and settlers and military units, as I see fit base don the situation.
As for how much to expand... As much as you can afford to without crashing your economy, more or less. There is no hard and fast rule. Try and keep your research income high - even if your slider gets low, make sure techs are coming at a reasonable rate.
Supr49er
2011 Thunderfall Cup
1) Warrior/Scout or Workboat if seafood resource, until city size =2
2) Worker
3) Settler
2) Worker
3) Settler
I do it right away. The first thing I always build is a Warrior/Settler combo to get my first city up and running. I'll then build an Archer and a Worker followed by a steady stream of Archers/Settlers until my economy starts to tank out. Only then will I consider any buildings in my capital, which is usually a Library. My second city will build a Worker first then nothing but Archers in order to be prepared for the Barabarian onslaught. At some point one or more of my cities will start becoming unhappy so I just pop rush a building to get rid of the malcontents, usually a Barracks or maybe a Monument if I don't have any culture happening. So for the first part of the game at least, I'm building pretty much nothing but units, and pop rushing all my infrastructure.
Oh yeah. If I have Fishing and start on the coast with some seafood, I'll always build a Workboat first.
If I have fishing & seafood, workboat first. Otherwise, usually worker, warrior/scout, settler, warrior/scout, assuming that I will have tiles for the worker to improve. Otherwise, the worker is after the first warrior and settler.
For buildings, usually granary (I go for pottery early to start cottaging), and lighthouse if I have a nice coast.
For buildings, usually granary (I go for pottery early to start cottaging), and lighthouse if I have a nice coast.
Rusty Edge
Deity
It all depends on starting location, techs, and whether I have a scout....
HOWEVER, if I have seafood I build a workboat. Those tiles are too important to early growth and research to pass up.
My records show that two scouts are worthwhile on HUGE/Marathon. If I can't get them at the start or pop them, I build them before I build another city.
If my city is in the middle of a forrest, Maybe I'll time my worker with bronze working... In any case I try not to build a worker before he has something to do. To tinker with the timing, I may throw a barracks in the que , just to keep my city busy while I'm researching or growing and then pre-empt it with a worker or something else...
Of course if I get a forrest start, I'll probably try to chop an early wonder.
I like to get to size 3 or 4 before building a settler. Then he usually settles near metal, or horsess, dpending on the start.
After that, I might decide I prefer my neighbors capital to the next best city location near my own capital, and build an army to go get it.
HOWEVER, if I have seafood I build a workboat. Those tiles are too important to early growth and research to pass up.
My records show that two scouts are worthwhile on HUGE/Marathon. If I can't get them at the start or pop them, I build them before I build another city.
If my city is in the middle of a forrest, Maybe I'll time my worker with bronze working... In any case I try not to build a worker before he has something to do. To tinker with the timing, I may throw a barracks in the que , just to keep my city busy while I'm researching or growing and then pre-empt it with a worker or something else...
Of course if I get a forrest start, I'll probably try to chop an early wonder.
I like to get to size 3 or 4 before building a settler. Then he usually settles near metal, or horsess, dpending on the start.
After that, I might decide I prefer my neighbors capital to the next best city location near my own capital, and build an army to go get it.
Balderstrom
Emperor
Only Build a worker when you have something for him to do.
Improving Food resources at the beginning is pretty important.
If you have seafood handy though, a worker becomes much less important right off.
Whipping when a city is 2-5Pop to rush Settlers can be helpful.
If you have a Huge amount of food 4-5 5+ Resources, Granaries aren't nearly as important. In the early game - even w/o a Granary that much food will cause your city to outgrow its Happiness cap still.
I will send a settler 8-10 turns walking or more to get Horses or Stone if I haven't gotten that nearby.
Improving Food resources at the beginning is pretty important.
If you have seafood handy though, a worker becomes much less important right off.
Whipping when a city is 2-5Pop to rush Settlers can be helpful.
If you have a Huge amount of food 4-5 5+ Resources, Granaries aren't nearly as important. In the early game - even w/o a Granary that much food will cause your city to outgrow its Happiness cap still.
I will send a settler 8-10 turns walking or more to get Horses or Stone if I haven't gotten that nearby.
killmeplease
Mk Z on Steam
1. worker
2. worker
3. warrior
4. settler
2. worker
3. warrior
4. settler
Dabur
Prince
warrior
warrior
warrior or worker
worker
warrior
settler
chopping saved till later age
expand borg style asap
warrior
warrior or worker
worker
warrior
settler
chopping saved till later age
expand borg style asap
pxpdoo
Ninja Burger Fry Cook
Settler (I like to live dangerously),
Worker (See above),
Archer, if I have the Tech;
Another Archer, if I do;
Begin Military.
Worker (See above),
Archer, if I have the Tech;
Another Archer, if I do;
Begin Military.
josephstalin
Kremlin Highlander
Rusty Edge
Deity
Okay so it's an analysis and proof that basically says worker/worker/settler whether or not you chop is the way to go
- Unless you play Marathon, with extended research times, which tend to leave workers with less to do, and increase the importance of commerce, coastal starts , and financial leaders. ( and I would add scouts for a free tech or two.)
Clam Spammer
Prince
This guide assumes 30 hammers for chops at Normal speed. Unless you start the game with Mathematics (or get ridiculously lucky with goody huts) then the conclusions drawn by it are not necessarily true any more. Chopping out the second worker and settler will take longer and will be much more detrimental in the long term. Also don't forget that if you lose the settler you're pretty much out of the game. Guarding it with your starting warrior/scout (if he's even alive at that point) won't save him from a bear attack unless you are on a low difficulty level and get a guaranteed win.
Balderstrom
Emperor
@ ClamSpammer: 
I Prefer to get another scout or warrior out first, and let the city grow. I haven't done the math, but it seems to work.
And that article, really needs better formatting. Far too much work to try and follow the numbers between the different initial premises.
The article also ignores completely the advantage of having a second explorer to know where to place the second/third/fourth+ city. Or even in case your first "scout" dies during walk-about.
I Prefer to get another scout or warrior out first, and let the city grow. I haven't done the math, but it seems to work.
And that article, really needs better formatting. Far too much work to try and follow the numbers between the different initial premises.
The article also ignores completely the advantage of having a second explorer to know where to place the second/third/fourth+ city. Or even in case your first "scout" dies during walk-about.
killmeplease
Mk Z on Steam
at Marathon both research time and improvement building time (and most of other things) are tripled. so it is not true.
at Marathon both research time and improvement building time (and most of other things) are tripled. so it is not true.
On Marathon, although research times are tripled unit build times are only doubled. So if you start with a Worker first, quite often he'll end up standing around with nothing to do while you're still researching his next work tech. That's why I never start with one. If I build a Warrior/Settler combo first, then Archer/Worker, I'll have a good number of the worker techs he'll need to always keep himself busy.
Rusty Edge
Deity
The first statement is how I recall reading about the scaling in the various settings.
The second statement I can verify from personal experience.
With the exception of scenarios, I've played Marathon as long as I''ve been playing CIV IV, so I tend to think of it as normal. Perhaps I'm mistaken , and
killmeplease can show us where it says so.
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