Where should I settle my second city?

[Ecoris]

Playing as Babylon on Emperor/Epic/Pangaea following the four-city tradition opener strategy and recently bought a settler using gold obtained by selling two gold resources to Isabella and Augustus.
I am wondering where I should place my second city (see screenshot below). Considerations:
1. On the forest to the left of the cows west of the settler.
2. On the horses at the coast at the bottom.
I'm worried that Ethiopia won't like option 1, or that they will grab land close to me if I go with option 2. (There's no good land west of Addis Ababa).

Other notes: Popped a hut with faith this turn and get to choose a Pantheon next turn. The worker will finish the Plantation soon increasing the happiness to 5 after Babylon grows.

Spoiler :

 

[joshua43214]

Don't get all gooey about coastal cities. Yes they are nice, but you are not even considering all that lovely mountain, especially playing Babs. I do like site 1, but it will suck for production, suck to defend, and be a million miles from any other civ for TR other than Ethiopia who will control your entire sea access for the entire game. Your choice if you want to give an expansionist civ full control of your TR from your city though...

You can pull an easy sub 300 turn SV if you settle those mountains rather than prioritizing coastal cities even on that difficulty where you will not get any mid to late game RA's.

 

[eewallace]

I'd say 3 to the west of where your settler is (NW of the tile you suggested). Then buy 2 tiles to grab that elephant before Ethiopia gets it. Yeah, Ethiopia might be a bit annoyed but they will get over it. Meanwhile you have 3 luxes (2 unique) and a sweet location to run your first cargo ship between that city and Addis Ababa.

 

[Crafty Bison]

Settle right where you are now on the gold, especially if you can trade others for gpt: mountain + hill + rver + Gold + deer, cattle and 2 sheep in the 3 ring + a tonne of river tiles. Pretty sweet spot right there. The third spot is down south on the coast on the horses to get the pearls and ivory. Don't go too close to Addis Ababa to get the coastal spot; it'll be vulnerable so close to a cap on pretty flat terrain.Plus your 3rd city will get a pearl and ivory anyway, which is what you would get by going west.

 

[Ecoris]

Thank you for your suggestions. I think I'll go with Bison's suggestion.

(I'm playing G&K, so no international trade routes. Could have been clearer about that).

 

[joshua43214]

Thank you for your suggestions. I think I'll go with Bison's suggestion.

(I'm playing G&K, so no international trade routes. Could have been clearer about that).

ahhh, yes, in G&K on that map, coastal cities are far less valuable than the mountains. Make/hill/river/mountain your only concern, get observatories up asap and sail to an easy win of any type

 

[FeiLing]

Spoiler :

If you take 1+4 the pantheon with the hammer per fishing boat might be a good idea.

 

[joshua43214]

Spoiler :

If you take 1+4 the pantheon with the hammer per fishing boat might be a good idea.

If he takes 4, then 1 is redundant since 4 will get everything that 1 has to offer...

 

[dragonxxx]

I'd settle these:

1) the hill under the horses on the east coast
2) the hill 2 tiles to the south of your current settler position.

with option 1) you get coast, a lot of food , incense and 2x gold in the 3rd ring
with option 2) you get mountain, hill, river and gold + ivory in the third ring and some cattle/wheat/sheep. You get non of these immediately tho, so I'd first do 1) and then 2).

 

[glory7]

2nd city: settle where you are and exchange lux with other guys
3rd city: 4 tiles south to where your settler is. Another mountain+hill+river....
4th city: take ethi cap and use it as your 4th city.

or you can go with 3 city SV. With all observatory cities, it's fairly easy. Yet, since you play epic speed, going for some conquest is better.