I had a good feeling starting up this game:
Although the rules allowed for any type of victory, my ambition was to win by military means, Domination or Conquest.
The settler is sitting on a plains hill next to a lake with two food resources and two future wine yards inside the "fat cross".
The place was very much to my liking so i settled Rome on the starting location.
My first build was a worker and the research was set to Hunting to get some scouts out.
My lone warrior scouted on northward, popped a hut which gave us a map. Nothing too exciting though.
Buddhism was founded in a distant land 3640 BC and Hinduism in 3040 BC.
I made contact with Isabella of Spain in 3040 BC, Victoria of England in 2600 BC and finally, Bismarck of Germany in 2480 BC.
Isabella was the founder of Buddhism and Victoria the founder of Hinduism.
After Hunting, I went Agriculture -> Bronze Working -> Animal Husbandry -> The Wheel -> Masonry -> Archery -> Mysticism -> Meditation -> Priesthood, Writing. I had found a Marble resource NW of Rome, just outside the fat cross, so my chance to get the Oracle was quite high.
After the worker was completed, Rome built a warrior, Barracks and another warrior.
I took the following picture after I had discovered Bronze Working (and immediately revolted into Slavery).
I hoped that I would have Copper nearby but was somewhat annoyed to see that the only copper resource was on the other side of an intricate mountain ridge, If I were to place a city at that location, it would be near impossible to support from Rome (not to mention the maintenance costs) and it would take several decades to build roads between the city and Rome. Another problem with the copper location was the very high likelihood that someone of my competitors would settle on the spot and cut me off from. I would have to make a push for that location somehow if I failed to find metal elsewhere (south of Rome).
My exploring scout popped a hut and found a new scout! He also revealed that the area south of Rome looks really promising, with lush grasslands, Gold and Stones nearby.
In 2560 BC, Rome (at size 4) started to build a settler. The settler was completed in 2280 BC and Rome started to build two new workers.
I felt that it would be wiser to place my second city between the copper resource and Rome. This way, logistics and support would be much easier. Building cities too far from the Capital will also have a very negative impact on your financial position due to maintenance costs and can cripple the early (very important) research. I had already, in advance, placed a warrior on the planned location for the second city.
In the top right corner you can also see another warrior clearing fog to disable spawning of barbarians.
Antium was founded in 2080 BC. Meanwhile, Rome was building another Settler for my third city.
As you can see, I did NOT found my third city at the copper location. I was genuinely scared of the maintenance costs so decided that a closer spot would be better off. I also intended to turn this city into a money making machine, with plenty of cottages and a gold mine. The stone resource would soon (hopefully) be mine as well.
Rome completed construction of Stonehenge in 1040 BC and started on the Oracle. My plan was to get Code of Laws with the Oracle but when I had one turn left of the Oracle, Writing was still 3 turns away. I had to set Rome on something else for two turns and cross my fingers and hope that no one else would steal the Oracle from me...
The plan worked though, and the Oracle was mine in 800 BC. I picked Code of Laws and wouldn't you know.....
Cumae was made the Holy City of Confucianism!!
I have no clue how the game decides where to place the holy cities, but this was truly a jackpot. My plan was, after all, to turn Cumae into a money making machine. The confucianistic Shrine would add plenty to this and with both Stonehenge and The Oracle in Rome, it was only a matter of time before the first Great Prophet was born.
400 BC was another great year in the roman empire.
First i settled Neapolis at the copper location. Then Iron Working was researched and.......
Iron was discovered right next to Cumae!!
I absolutely need to borrow one of Sirian's trademark expressions here: "Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good!"
As i predicted, it did not take long for the first Great Prophet to emerge, so in 250 BC the Kong Miao was constructed in Cumae. On the same year i also started to build my first Praetorian.
When 1 AD was approaching, Rome was a healthy little empire consisting of 4 cities. The Romans were true follower of the confucianistic faith and life was quite easy. Of course, in the blacksmiths workshops and in the barracks, the true power of Rome was building up.
And thus ends Part I.
