[spoilers] Commodore Milks Nostalsia as Pete of Mede

[shallow_thought]

Scouting and visibility on horses will doubtless change everything in a few turns, but a couple of very basic questions if you have time (my best guesses in parentheses):

How many workers do you plan to build before the first settler (2)?
What size do you plan to build the first settler at (I'm kind of assuming three)?
What third tile is it best to improve (grassland farm between the food resources)?

I've been playing in the sandbox, and the first settler pops out for me at turn 24, with road network for them to move on, and potential for  an improved tile at the new location depending on tech choices. I have no idea if that is sensible for quick or horribly slow...

All that river makes it easy to romp through some early techs.

[Commodore]

How many workers do you plan to build before the first settler (2)?
What size do you plan to build the first settler at (I'm kind of assuming three)?
What third tile is it best to improve (grassland farm between the food resources)?

Well, I'm pretty partial to the current gut impulse of Worker->warrior->settler (size two) while researching AH->wheel. Frankly, there's not enough to do this early with a second worker, and the riverside wheat able to share sheep is a dream for a fast second city. If my math is right we're looking at the spare worker turn being a road; not sure if we'd ever really want a grass farm.

[Commodore]

Basically, chopping forbidden here:

[shallow_thought]

Fewer workers than cities? No slavery switch before second city?

Are you sure you're playing Civ IV?

First rule is that there are no hard-and-fast rules...

Anyway, thanks for the reply. I'll shut up and wait for the next screenshot in a few turns time to see what you've been up to. Did the game get set to normal speed in the end? There was some discussion in the main thread...

[Commodore]

Anyway, thanks for the reply. I'll shut up and wait for the next screenshot in a few turns time to see what you've been up to.

Dude, appreciate the questions, always. Never feel like you have to shut up, it's good to explain the reasoning.

This is indeed normal speed, so it's a 10t worker, etc, etc. There are indeed some hard and fast rules, but the worker/city ratio stuff is a second order conclusion from the primary rule, which is: always work improved tiles.   I'll post another screenshot when the borders pop or the scout finds anything interesting, thus far it's been pretty dull scouting. Of mild interest, we all seem to have similar starts but as you might have noticed ipecac moved his first turn. It was to another plains hill, probably not a big deal.

[Commodore]

Since I mentioned Mr. Movers, let's talk Ipecac


IPECAC (victim, sardonic) as
JULIUS (Organized, Imperialistic) of
MALI (Mining, Wheel)

Ipecac is a smart guy. So it must be kind of galling to have the kind of record he has; he's prone to getting hit early and often, waging stubborn but doomed fights, and dying. That's...not fun. On the plus side, he has his own smilely thanks to being overwhelmed by mass sheep in his last pitboss start.
By my lights Ipecac is here driving the best combination available, Julius Caesar of Mali. Imperialistic is a freaking sweet trait, saving you hammers on the one thing you've gotta spam the most, and I'm also a fan of the great general boost. It dovetails elegantly with organized's savings of course, and I've already seen enough seas to think the lighthouse is a good boost too. Watch out if this lands the GLH battles me who can't read ban lists. Mali isn't amazing but the techs are solid and the UU/UB are at least useful. I personally hope Ipecac does spam skirmishers as his defender of choice, because immortals get boosts against them, but he'll be able to take and hold ground against the other two nicely with his easy-spam prelongbows.
Player Rating:
Combo Rating:
Caesar Name Association: 

[El Grillo]

The GLH is banned.

[Commodore]

The GLH is banned.

Indeed it is! I need to update the first post.

I had also forgotten 74C was both Khan and Jowy in one game.   Added to the list!

[shallow_thought]

Never feel like you have to shut up 

Let's hope I don't make you regret that.

... the primary rule, which is: always work improved tiles

So what's the next improved tile going to be? Adjusting for normal and going worker-warrior-settler, I get the pasture finished turn 19, with settler out 8 turns later (this can be accelerated slightly by builder the warrior on the forested PH, but that leaves the city at size 1) . That's a small pile of worker turns to do something with before improving the wheat (assuming city goes 1S or 1N of wheat, for the moment).

Best I can do is burn most of that on a road to the wheat, but it leaves me with two turns spare before the new city is founded and I can move the worker onto the wheat to start farming. Also leaves only two improved tiles between three citizens for at least five turns after the second city is founded.

There's a couple of synchronisations - cap grows and produces warrior on same turn if it just works corn after worker , and pottery can be finished as second city is founded, so it can go straight for granary if desired.

[Commodore]

You're on the right path, here's the other puzzle piece: I'd call a plains hill copper mine *definitely* an improved tile.

Any mine, actually, counts as an improved tile.