I've been thinking about trying some advanced starts, and wanted to get some feedback on how to adjust the usual ancient era starts.
In particular, what are the best builds, social policies, religious beliefs, and research plans for a Renaissance start?
For those who haven't tried, here's a quick overview of the setting. When you start in the Renaissance, every civ has already discovered all medieval techs. Any ancient (e.g., Great Library) or classical (e.g., Oracle) wonder cannot be built by anyone. Every medieval (e.g., Hagia Sophia) wonder is immediately available to all civs. The player starts with two settlers, one worker, and three pikemen. When you build a city, it already has a population of 2 and contains a granary, monument, shrine, and (if on the coast) lighthouse. The turn after you build your first city, you get to pick four social policies right away.
Builds: The following buildings (among others) are available right away: library, workshop, market, temple, aqueduct, amphitheater, water mill (if on a river). Which would you choose first, and why? Is there any point in trying for a medieval wonder, or will the AI get all of them?
Social policies: With four policies, one choice would be to take them all in Liberty and get the free settler and free worker right away, with a free Great Person not far off. Does a Tradition start still outweigh Liberty under these conditions?
Religion: Because you start in the Renaissance, the faith costs for everything are higher. Should you ignore religion? Or grab it anyway, but go for beliefs that do not involve spending faith. For example, cathedrals and pagodas are expensive, especially when you are starting without even a pantheon. Religious Center(+two happiness with a temple) or Feed the World (+1 food for shrines and temples) might be more useful.
Research: Gunpowder and Chemistry to go a-conquering? Printing Press (hoping to build the Leaning Tower) followed by a beeline to Architecture (to use a GE from Pisa to rush the Porcelain Tower)? Astronomy-Navigation to go a-conquering at sea?
In particular, what are the best builds, social policies, religious beliefs, and research plans for a Renaissance start?
For those who haven't tried, here's a quick overview of the setting. When you start in the Renaissance, every civ has already discovered all medieval techs. Any ancient (e.g., Great Library) or classical (e.g., Oracle) wonder cannot be built by anyone. Every medieval (e.g., Hagia Sophia) wonder is immediately available to all civs. The player starts with two settlers, one worker, and three pikemen. When you build a city, it already has a population of 2 and contains a granary, monument, shrine, and (if on the coast) lighthouse. The turn after you build your first city, you get to pick four social policies right away.
Builds: The following buildings (among others) are available right away: library, workshop, market, temple, aqueduct, amphitheater, water mill (if on a river). Which would you choose first, and why? Is there any point in trying for a medieval wonder, or will the AI get all of them?
Social policies: With four policies, one choice would be to take them all in Liberty and get the free settler and free worker right away, with a free Great Person not far off. Does a Tradition start still outweigh Liberty under these conditions?
Religion: Because you start in the Renaissance, the faith costs for everything are higher. Should you ignore religion? Or grab it anyway, but go for beliefs that do not involve spending faith. For example, cathedrals and pagodas are expensive, especially when you are starting without even a pantheon. Religious Center(+two happiness with a temple) or Feed the World (+1 food for shrines and temples) might be more useful.
Research: Gunpowder and Chemistry to go a-conquering? Printing Press (hoping to build the Leaning Tower) followed by a beeline to Architecture (to use a GE from Pisa to rush the Porcelain Tower)? Astronomy-Navigation to go a-conquering at sea?