What to do When You're the Backwards Continent

[Lennier]

Perhaps I could have worded it better.

Perhaps, but I took away your advice as "If you're playing a continent-style map, make sure you're the first to Astronomy, trade it around to get a tech lead on your neighbors, and then stomp your continent." Tatran's advice was "If you're playing a continent-style map, make sure you've secured your continent before the other continent gets Astronomy."

In general, when I'm playing a continent-style map I try to get Optics early (to get the circumnavigation bonus and get tech-trading partners) and then Lib Astronomy. You're right in that the foreign trade routes from Astronomy can really boost one's economy.

In this particular game, my continent had me as Boudica, Tokugowa, Shaka, Izzy, Willie, and Wang Kong and the other continent had HC, MM, Freddy, Lizzy and Zara. My continent was going to be embroiled in a war slowing down the tech rate even though we were the "large" continent. Add to that the the financial divs were given crappy starting locations, it's not surprising that the smaller continent was able to get a tech lead.

Different maps of the same total tile size can have widely varying amounts of actual land. This map looks like it has enough land tiles that standard land distribution would require almost twice as many AI players. Even though the land is fairly evenly distributed between players it's made military victories more difficult because it will take a lot more turns to destroy or capitulate each AI. Just the turns spent moving through enemy territory alone is a major obstacle here.

Were this on a higher difficulty the global tech pace would be insane, and you would almost certainly have a runaway AI on the other continent.

Edit: I see this is on marathon speed, which I guess negates the movement problem?

Movement problem is much less on Marathon. But it still takes a while to conquer someone.

No offense, but it's difficult to find good advice when playing with such settings because so few of us here on this forum have experience with that kind of game.

None taken, but the second game was more of a "this is how it went" rather than a call for help. But the only "unusual" settings I used were marathon/huge and huts on. There are a few marathon/huge players out there.

Playing games with huuuuge amounts of land per player becomes increasingly difficult (sometimes impossible) the higher the difficulty level because the AI gets so many free and/or cheap cities while the human player suffers increasingly high maintenance. You basically encounter a situation where you can no longer afford to expand and you have to just concede the land to the AI which turns them into monsters because they CAN afford it.

Well, I'm glad someone here doesn't think Marathon/Huge is easy.

As I recall, huge maps have 3x the area of standard ones. However, they have a normal number of civilizations that is less than 2x of standard maps. This does give relatively more area per civilization than on standard maps. But increasing the number of AIs would make the tech rate go up, make many more capitol sites, and generally make the game easier.

 

[Tatran]

Controlling your continent has too many benefits.
1) No annoying AI spies.
2) No (negative) close borders modifiers.
3) No neighbour (Mansa, Pericles, Gandhi, Hatshepsut, etc.) who will go culture later in the game.
I had to throw away several games, because a good friend/neighbour went for a cultural victory.
4) To secure future strategic resources.
Sometimes there's only one of them at your continent and it's very rare to have none of each strategic resource.

I prefer to have Astronomy when most AIs have open markets.
I remember games where I had Astronomy early while almost every AI was running Mercantilism. Waste of time.

Marathon/Huge maps are less forgiven when making mistakes or making the wrong decisions.
(What to research, bad settling, overexpansion, neglecting military, etc.)
In my last (marathon) games I found a good rule of thumb to expand (AND to be able to research)
when gold income (100% gold slider) >= all costs at 0% gold slider.
Somehow using the (resource) slider at 0% or 100% works better. Not a percentage in between.

 

[pigswill]

Empty Continent#2. 985ad.

Spoiler :

After securing the continent I went for FP in Rome before expanding too wildly. Also adopted Hinduism to please Mehmed (who's spent a long time being friendly). Expanded after FP, now up to ?28 cities, still room for at least another 20. Just picked up lib>astro so not doing too badly on research. Got 4 caravels out exploring (2 east, 2 west) to meet neighbours and maybe pick up circumnav though Chuck got to optics many turns before me.

Maybe go for free religion, run 100% cash while checking out available trades.

 

[Lennier]

Spoiler :

AP semi-cheese victory. I had a "WTH" moment when I saw a notice that a GG had been born in England, looked to see who Lizzy was at war with, and realized she was first to Fascism. I switched to an EE against Lizzy, then realized she hadn't researched Biology, got that, switched back to EE and stole railroad from her. I founded Mining, Inc., just because I could. Didn't even get an exec out before I won.

 

[pigswill]

Empty Continent#2. 1400ad.

Spoiler :

Continent is certainly filling up now. I'm up to 45 cities, there's a few AI cities as well, beginning to run out of space. Running 60% science for 1100bpt. Still behind on tech!

If I don't get stomped and my cities are allowed to grow peacefully I should totally dominate the game by 1600 (810k land, nearest AI 360k land).

It sure takes a long time to play however.