Erh, that isn't good. But Stonehenge going lateish is a good sign.
From the "micromanage everything" department comes the instruction to move the warrior SE rather than SW. Why? The river. All other things being equal, which they are right now, the river is a more attractive area to explore and settle than not-river.
Settling the capital on the spot looks good, since there's no blue circles in sight. Moving north is the useless edge of the map, moving off the river is probably bad (since this game is definitely going as far as Levees), and moving east downstream loses our best visible food resource.
W(-)W that's a lot of food. Maybe we will need Caste after all, including for the workshop hammer. Oh wait no workshops. :)
Hunting first, since we'll need the camp, and we'll still get to A-H by the time the worker comes out.
My warrior found that northeast hut on turn 2. Pottery! Wowee! With that, the tech order is real easy, Hunting - AH - Mining - Bronze. Then straight to Priesthood.
I did build a scout after the worker, reaching the unit cap. The starting warrior had circled the capital exploring, then returned home for police.
Nice, Masonry from a hut too. Nothing special but I'll certainly take it. Hey, Masonry shows our UB, though it needs Construction. Pretty solid. And I most definitely want the Hanging Gardens, for the health and engineer points more than its actual effect.
I did a second worker while researching Bronze (also to pause growth while the warrior returned home and the first worker camped the fur), then whipped the first settler.
(That's Victoria (of England, not of Mauritania or something weird) over to the west. Waitaminute - Victoria got Buddhism? Mysticism from a hut?)
This first settler must plant my Oracle-building city, and the big question is where.
Here it is. This looks crazy close to the capital, but it's a really good site.
- Fast fast fast. The settler didn't have to walk far away.
- The fast city means now I can build two more scouts.
- Remember what I said about a dense build.
- There are no pre-Iron Working food resources anywhere except right here at the capital.
- - Istanbul's culture will pick up the pig soon, no monument needed.
- Good dotmap fit. It neatly covers all the tiles along the northern edge of the map, and picks the pig and banana that the capital can't reach.
- Four hills post Iron Working; it will be a strong city and likely to build several more wonders.
Edirne started its granary while waiting for Priesthood, then paused it at exactly 29 hammers while starting the Oracle and growing to size 4. Then I double-whipped the granary and overflowed back onto the wonder.
GARR. That ONE fogged tile turned out to have HORSES. If I had seen that, Edirne would be 1S of the banana in order to have two hammer tiles to build the Oracle.
IRON WORKING FROM A HUT. HOLY MOTHER THAT IS SILLY STUPID RIDICULOUS AWESOME. That lets me start hacking that jungle about thirty turns ahead of schedule! Including in time for some more mines for the Oracle!
I bid for Monotheism after Priesthood, hoping for a religion and Organized to help the Oracle, but lost it. Switch to Writing instead then.
Erh, that isn't good. But Stonehenge going lateish is a good sign.
This. Is. Officially. Beyond. Absurd.
And just to complete the roster of great hut luck, TWO of them gave experience to one scout. That's a Heroic Epic. "Let us all sing the praises and inspirations of our mighty... scout... who courageously ... visited two little villages."
Here's another overview, after I easily shot up to the score lead. That happens on most maps on Monarch difficulty..
The southeast cities, Gazaintep and Samsun, are placed to form a line over to the mountain range that can completely block off the northeast corner. (That mountain range runs all the way to the east edge.) I kept borders opened, but kept a close eye for any enemy settlers trying to sneak through. (None ever did.)
My whipped Forge and hired Engineer did their duty. And that is how to build the Pyramids in 500 BC.