Where to expand?

[Onionsoilder]

Well, I just started a new Emperor game as the Amurites. My starting position looked really good (3 food and 3 commerce resources? Yes please) but I don't see any decent places to put my second city. I was thinking about 2N 1E for the copper and corn, but it seems somewhat removed and doesn't have much else of value. I was also looking 1N of the second incense to get it and the sheep and cotton, but it doesn't seem to have much food, especially since I don't have Husbandry and I don't plan on getting it for a while.

What do you guys think? Pick one of those? Or start over?

EDIT: Forgot the picture...

 

[cabbagemeister]

I'd grab the spot 2N of the Incense. When it expands it's got Incense, Gold, Sheep, Cotton. Gotta get to it before Sheelba does.

 

[[to_xp]Gekko]

I see plenty of potential cities there. you'll get tons of resources, sure they will not be uber cities but you don't need that. gather all that mana, resources and unique features ASAP!

I also love to settle on freshwater, coastal, riverside and plains hills. there's plenty of choice there, it would give me an headache

 

[Breez]

I would build a city on the spot next to the cotton. It looks like a hill AND next to a river. Use that cities Culture to block off access to the resources behind it. Then expand behind my wall of culture at my leasure... I would NOT sign open boards with him until i had filled in the back side though.

 

[Doug Piranha]

I'd grab the spot 2N of the Incense. When it expands it's got Incense, Gold, Sheep, Cotton. Gotta get to it before Sheelba does.

My thoughts exactly. Not much of a city until the border pops, but it will be great eventually.

 

[Tholal]

What do you guys think? Pick one of those? Or start over?

Start over?!? What is the obsession with quitting new games on this forum?

You're on a nice river system, you have plains, trees, hills and grassland. Your first city has 5 different resources and a mana node, with the Pool of Tears just outside current culture range, you have copper, incense and gold within easy reach, as well as two more mana nodes nearby (gotta love mana as the Amurites) and room for 2 or 3 more cities along the same river as your capitol. The only downside I see, is potentially being boxed in by the Clan of Embers. Otherwise it looks like a pretty sweet start to me!

As for the 2nd city, I would plant it to the west to try and discourage those pesky orcs from intruding onto your lands.

 

[Senethro]

You can place 4 good cities on that screenshot and one strategically important one. Don't be so precious with your city placement.

 

[Doug Piranha]

By the way, I would be researching calendar instead of education. Rather than wait for cottages to grow, you could have one of the best commerce tiles in the game by building one plantation (two if you can grab the other incense tile with your second city), more food if you switch to agrarianism, and more happiness if you get access to the cotton.

 

[Feyd Rautha]

Personally I'd go 1w of the incense ASAP. I'm all for aggressive town placement though because it will shut off AI expansion.

 

[loffenx]

Looks like a great start to me eyes. What size are you playing at? Given the close proximity of the Clan I would guess your on a small / crowded map, so the boxing-in should not be too much of a disadvantage.

I would personally pick the 2N of the Incense-location, grabbing good resources and shutting out the Clan as soon as you got your Obelisk up.

 

[Breez]

btw I have to ask... how do you people play without the Grid and Production views turned on. Looking at that view gave me a head ache!

 

[WarKirby]

invade the orcs asap. before they invade you.

rush bronze working and throw swordsmen at them.

 

[WarKirby]

btw I have to ask... how do you people play without the Grid and Production views turned on. Looking at that view gave me a head ache!

I have the grid turned on constantly.... in my head.

It's just a visual aid. You eventually learn to work without it, by visualizing it mentally. I can pick out map tiles easily without any silly grid.

 

[[to_xp]Gekko]

I love the grid, it bothers me. otoh, the food/hammer/commerce display looks really bad

 

[Bootsiuv]

Well, it looks like you've got the sea to your east, so north of the incense and east of the cotton would be my pick....it looks like that would shut out the clan and give you all of the resources to the east and north of you, including the Broken Sepulchre for the free death mana.

 

[Onionsoilder]

I was just worried about the lack of food I guess. I think I'll go 2N of the incense then.

 

[Onionsoilder]

Okay, I took your guys advice, this is what it looks like now. My economy has jumped from struggling to powerful after Calander(I don't know why I didn't pay attention to that Incence, that's good stuff!) and I'm looking at invading Jonas now. I built several archers to guard my cities and just got Bronze Working, and my third city by the copper has excellent production, so I'm building swordsmen there.

Now I'm trying to make a plan for later down the road. I'm contemplating founding AV for the extra science, though I've never gone AV before(or Order, for that matter. Always stuck with the neutral religions)., though I have some questions about it:

1) As the AV founder, am I still subject to the same penalties from the rising AC count(they always seems to hurt me more then the AI, especially Blight).
2) Can Hyborem claim my holycity or possibly capital with his Worldspell(that would suck)
3) What is a good strategy if I take this approach to ensure I succeed?

 

[Monkeyfinger]

1NE of the marble and follow WarKirby's advice. Incense city should be city #3.

Edit: Too late I guess.

1) As the AV founder, am I still subject to the same penalties from the rising AC count(they always seems to hurt me more then the AI, especially Blight).

It does. Blight's buggy right now and often focuses on the human player a lot more, it's not just your imagination. (This ALWAYS happens when a new version comes out.) So AV's kind of crap right now.

 

[Onionsoilder]

Right... Well, all of the really good religions have been taken, leaving me with only Empyrean, CoE and AV. Empyrean also gives a bonus to science as well, though is still weaker then most religions. CoE is pretty much crap, though I might try to grab it anyway for NN(Tasunke is pissing me off, killing my workers/reinfocements before they can get to cities).

So: Empyrean or AV? If AV isn't horrible in comparison, I might do it anyway just for the novelty. I have a really good game going now, probably one of my best yet(I only had to reload once this whole game, when Tasunke surprised with with a sneak attack. I hate the raiders trait...)

 

[Nefelia]

Right... Well, all of the really good religions have been taken, leaving me with only Empyrean, CoE and AV. Empyrean also gives a bonus to science as well, though is still weaker then most religions. CoE is pretty much crap, though I might try to grab it anyway for NN(Tasunke is pissing me off, killing my workers/reinfocements before they can get to cities).

So: Empyrean or AV? If AV isn't horrible in comparison, I might do it anyway just for the novelty. I have a really good game going now, probably one of my best yet(I only had to reload once this whole game, when Tasunke surprised with with a sneak attack. I hate the raiders trait...)

While getting the Holy City is ideal, I wouldn't let that dictate my choice of religions. Besides, Holy Cities can always be conquered later, and the Ai may even save you a GP by building the shrine itself.