Starting positions

Ephesos · March 31, 2003, 16:11

Here's a question which I feel has gone somewhat unanswered. What do you think is the best type of starting position? If it's not in the poll, reply in the thread.

badams52 · March 31, 2003, 16:22

*sigh* Well let me be the first to say it before everyone else gets in: grassland cows next to a river. Anything less and restart.

Generally though, I think most people look for fertile land (grassland, cows and river) with luxuries in the beginning -- one or two luxuries is all you'll need to REX and destroy.

If you've turned to the darkside, the only strategic resource that might be difficult to get in the beginning is iron, but that is easily rectifyable through war.

Dominae · March 31, 2003, 16:43

SP - barren and lifeless. Even on Deity I find multiple riverside cows rather boring. I will play almost any start, but I prefer the ones that are uncommon, interesting, and offer a challenge. For this reason I like to play 3 billion year-old planets.

MP - just the opposite!

Dominae

Cruddy · April 2, 2003, 13:18

Lots of luxries for me - different types being optimal!

The reason? I only play Deity these days, so happiness is the BIG factor. Having 2 different types of luxuries mens an early Republic government which keeps the research up - any extra resources can be traded for bonus advances or different luxuries or strategic resources.

Here's my reasoning - strategics are only needed to START building those important military units - luxuries are needed every single turn.

Barren and lifeless? Deity's tough enough without that.

Arrian · April 2, 2003, 13:24

Gimme rivers, cows, and bonus grassland, please. I like nice starts. Given my style of play (or more accurately the goals of my play), I need them.

-Arrian

Master Zen · April 2, 2003, 13:32

Fertile land for quick growth (don't need too good land like 2 cows, just something decent) or definitely luxuries. Luxuries are priceless.

nbarclay · April 2, 2003, 13:35

Quote:

Originally posted by Arrian
Gimme rivers, cows, and bonus grassland, please. I like nice starts. Given my style of play (or more accurately the goals of my play), I need them.

Ditto, at least when playing on my own. I tend to be more interested in seeing how big I can win than in trying to find games that give me a tough fight. In comparison or competitive games, the start doesn't matter nearly as much because "winning big" is more of a relative concept when I can compare my game with others'.

Nathan

epics · April 2, 2003, 13:56

I would like a fertile land and hills or mountains. Almost always my capitol is the most productive city.

Ephesos · April 2, 2003, 16:07

Well, yeah. It's rather obvious that your capitol is the most productive, since it has the palace in it

.

Fosse · April 2, 2003, 20:12

I'm willing to take almost anything except tons of jungle.

If I had to pick between lots food and lots of luxuries... I'd go with luxuries. I can always find a good food site... but if don't have a luxury in place by the time my cities start hitting size three...

Konquest02 · April 2, 2003, 20:34

I like fertile lands, as anybody (bonus grassland...

) but I like difficult starts once in a while, to get my feet back on earth after a too easy game...

--Kon--

nbarclay · April 2, 2003, 23:40

Quote:

Originally posted by Fosse

If I had to pick between lots food and lots of luxuries... I'd go with luxuries. I can always find a good food site... but if don't have a luxury in place by the time my cities start hitting size three...

That's what the luxury slider is for, and the luxury slider is why I'll take food over luxuries any day. Eventually, I'll get some luxuries hooked up, but the luxury slider can keep me growing and productive until then - especially if the starting position is along a river.

epics · April 3, 2003, 00:40

Quote:

Originally posted by Ephesos
Well, yeah. It's rather obvious that your capitol is the most productive, since it has the palace in it

.

Yeah but many players just move their palace, I do this rarely so it's my capitol from the beggining to the end.

vulture · April 3, 2003, 06:35

I have to go with the 'fertile land' option, enough to get a few reasonable cities out quickly to get things rolling. Luxuries nice, but as nbarclay says, there is always the luxury slider. Especially in republic, let cities grow and stifle unhappiness with the slider if you have any. Strategic resources? You only need one of the ancient era resources to ensure that you are able to get the other, and even a good archer stack wil be able to grab you strategic resources in a pinch. Never had any troubles here at all (well, apart from my first ever Iriquois game, where the nearest horses were right under Egypts capitol...). Defensive land usually means slow city growth, plus I can't remember the last time that the defensive terrain around my capitol became an issue. Difficult starts? Sometimes I like the challange. I've got a game on the go at the moment as the celts, surrounded by jungle and desert, with about 5 tiles of grassland. Not easy.

mabellino · April 3, 2003, 07:53

fertile....
being a relative newbie I like my starts as easy as possible.... one day I may even attempt to play a Regent game ;-)

HazieDaVampire · April 3, 2003, 16:10

Stick me on a non desert island and i'm super happy!

Mountain Sage · April 4, 2003, 04:28

Give me a river (for a windmill), some wheat (for flour), by the seashore (for salt) and my French will give you 5'000 + years of the best baguettes you ever tasted.

More seriously, river (or lake) + wheat or cattle, that's enough for me

I always reset the game when I see jungle (otherwise I'd play the Zulus).

I admire Dominae, Aeson & Co. for their masochistic plays but I'm still an egg...

Worthingtons · April 4, 2003, 04:36

Great Topic
I think there are other specifics people look for two - loads of fertile land around you is fantastic, some look for the Ability for a Supercity (prefferably thier capital) which they can an early wonder with (cos it seems close to impossible to do above Monarch).

syzygy_gal · April 6, 2003, 16:11

I like to start next to an ocean so I can get the Colossus and Great Lighthouse in my capital city. I make sure there are plenty of resources and I don't start in tundras or deserts.

nbarclay · April 6, 2003, 17:18

The only way I'd seriously consider building an early wonder in a really good capital is if other cities can take over the capital's cattle (and maybe other good food tiles), leaving the capital with plenty of shielded grasslands (or equivalent) for production. Otherwise, the capital is too busy as a settler pump to even consider building wonders.

Nathan

Dominae · April 8, 2003, 13:57

I must admit I do not seek out games like these all the time, but they're surely memorable, and therefore fun:

Fatalis2 · April 9, 2003, 04:05

Simple : I restart if I don't have a cow and a river...
I play for fun, not for competition... Then, Regent level and a good start position are perfect for me !!

statusperfect · April 9, 2003, 05:08

Quote:

Originally posted by Fatalis2
Simple : I restart if I don't have a cow and a river...
I play for fun, not for competition... Then, Regent level and a good start position are perfect for me !!

Competition is fun.

Kirby · April 9, 2003, 08:46

I like to found cities on hills for the defensive bonus. It's the only way I can survive at the difficulty levels above Monarch. Hills with gold are the best!

Rogerdude · April 9, 2003, 09:37

My ideal location has Food (Wheat) and Production (Cows), beside a river (Commerce and growth to size 12) and the sea (Wonders requiring it).

One luxury doesn't hurt, but it's now mandatory.