What is the earliest year you have won?

[unmerged(155082)]

Without using exploits and on hard difficulty setting. What is the earliest year that you have won EIC?

I tried easy and normal and won by 1625 on both settings. I'm trying hard now for my first time and things are looking a little slower but not a lot. Just curious to know what year most people win on hard if they put their mind to it.

 

[Ionus]

If you jump in hard and fast when the other companies are vulnerable, yes you can win quite early in the game.

But I bought the game to play it, so I leave everyone alone until they bother me. I keep myself occupied taking native ports, trading and attacking pyrates.
Then they start sinking my ships and I get annoyed and take them out.

Waiting for them to attack has produced some satisfying games, the earliest I have won on medium difficulty is 1720.