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Open spoiler: Persia in Once More Unto the Breach
So yeah, Maarten started a pitboss and I have (literally) nothing else going on for a few months. Here's my uneducated opinion on what I'm doing wrong, and sort of a logbook to keep my ideas straight.
Plus, you know, screenshots. I heard those give points. |
MILD SPOILERS
MILD SPOILERS MILD SPOILERS Here's the playing field: https://i.imgur.com/rZLHC11.png By the time I got in, there remained only the Americans, French, Babylonians and Persians. Cyrus it is. And thus, the République du Québec establishes EGGnSPAM on the western coast, with designs upon THE WORLD. |
SERIOUS SPOILERS NOW
GET OUT (I mean, if you play this game. Strange spam from outside sources is mandatory, and welcome.) Here we go. https://i.imgur.com/hB51jop.png Quick scouting reveals stone, pigs and seafood. I have nothing towards bronze or religions, 2 techs towards pastures and a UU that demands horses. Easy tech choice: https://i.imgur.com/QIVFtgL.png Find horses, grab them, expand to the best early city locations and conquer the rest. Cyrus is Charismatic (extra :) and faster promotions) + Imperialistic (faster settlers + GGens). Early, I'll need to focus on getting a healthy revenue and health care. That will enable an army and growth. More :) also means more :whip: Here's EGGnSPAM, circa Turn1 https://i.imgur.com/gIMdNN5.png |
The romans have played but haven't increased score. Possible move-settle. IDK if starting locations were pre-balanced - if not I may have a sizeable advantage with my starting 21.
Since I start with hunting, Scouts will be deployed. With over 8 players, 1 or 2 should do before workers and workboats. wait, wasn't it worker first in CIV? Anyways, need techs before worker so scout first. Double scratch that, worker (15) will spawn after tech (10) is done AND those pigs are +3 food. It'll be a lonely 2 weeks for that scout. Hope he pops a nice goody hut. |
Goody hut with medium gold. Beats a slap in the face.
https://i.imgur.com/IzMIAiA.png Also, more forests and plain hills. Gonna be hard on commerce though I may be able to go GP economy with the pigs. More scouting needs to be done before that. The capital does, nonetheless, have TONS of whip and chop potential for early wonders. Or an early stack of doom. We'll know what the map decides for us in the first week or two. CIV was circle-scouting not straight-line scouting right? Guess I mostly need to know where to settle anyways. Since I'm not making units, circles will have to do. |
STONEHENGE
Tons of chops, foor for whip, fresh water, stone and pigs for city 2. Stone for Stonehenge which gives a free monument everywhere, I get free happy from monuments. Man, the CFC war academy is great. |
Behold! the glory of the SW lands.
This area shall be dubbed: Buttfuck Nowhere Peninsula. https://i.imgur.com/amDtOmn.png Population: 0. Not even wildlife. |
Another goody hut, another medium gold.
Also, something interesting today: score increases. https://imgur.com/MRoN9vD.png I guess that means most of them got a warrior at the same time, or growth at the same time. Also, that the mongols are ahead from goody-hutting a unit. Let's hope a worker will pay off before long. I'm confident that it will, with 2 pigs. |
Quote:
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Got AH: no horses either. Anywhere within what I've uncovered of a first ring anyways.
Those sheep better put out. Also: - some civs have 2 techs (I suspect the mongols got one from a goody hut), - I was the last one to increase score due to tech (AH is an expensive first tech) and - the ever so religiously devout Matrix is now the proud owner of a christian holy city. |
Spoiler thread warning!
Scouting so far: https://i.imgur.com/2KmnF9y.png And therefore, the techs: https://i.imgur.com/g6xCZyy.png First the immediate resources then whips and chops. We'll see if there's anything to do with the surrounding terrain ... so far it looks as though I may need to go off-shore to the NW. |
2 fishes, only one of which I can reasonably reach.
https://i.imgur.com/4w6IxVt.png This dot or 1 below. Probably 1 below, best get food first, and an extra flood plain, then whip a monument. Then further down, the black dot for the black sheep: 2 good 5F tiles, 2 good hills, more bad hills and tundra. https://i.imgur.com/E2M46hm.png Will be a serviceable military port. |
Lots of nothing to do, first pig online.
https://i.imgur.com/cETF0kF.png Wolves, sheep, a shephard. Suspense and a children's fable on the east coast. |
Many of them are cramped together while I'm on an isolated island.
https://i.imgur.com/B0Bo3Y7.png Horses are in, off to the east coast with sheep. Both of my pigs are online and clams will be up right on cue for size 3. Between that, the isolation and tons of chops, I should be able to set up a nice runaway empire with a minimal archer contingent. There's 5 solid cities as is, maybe 6-7 if copper or iron demands it. However, Immortals will be all but useless. We'll also need early galleys for the circumnav bonus. I need to brush up on coastal wonders and trade route commerce. Looks like it'll be my economic base. |
The cat's out of the bag: I got to slavery first.
https://i.imgur.com/034JQVr.png 4 food resources weren't enough though. With copper right in the fat 12, I'll be able to build a massive army of axemen FAST to kill ALL THE WOLVES. Whipping from settlers is key, as I've got a 50% production advantage on them. Secondary sites will have to spam workers and cottages. Starting from isolation and without tech trading, REX into a cottage and trade route economy has a lot of potential. No need to mass forces yet. Or to claim territory. Stonehenge is thus a bust. Gotta shoot for a fast economic expansion to every workable tile, with GLH/Col support. |
First contact!
https://i.imgur.com/ZBgrsvm.png Unemployed fishermen from Québec have met with foreign scouts and requested to see their women. Being poor and without work prospect, they bet everything on cultivating a foreign aura of mystery. Maarten of the Stralish, scoreboard leader and religious guru, has appeared on the landmass to the NW. That's slightly concerning, in a way. A life of cottage greed without enemies was a treasure to be relished. On the bright side, there are no luxuries on my landmass so meeting new folks will allow for better trade routes and luxuries. Knowing that they've talked about being all piled up together, there's no doubt in my mind that we'll be able to work out some competitive deals. Side note: scouts don't count as city garrison for happiness purposes. Cottages and sea exploitation remain on the menu as coin is the only way I can pay them. Thing just got more interesting. |
Ynnek and I are both whipping. 1 pop for him, 3rd for me. 3rd settler is out.
The landmass to the NW is barren, with desert and mountain peaks. That gives me hope I'll be able to settle on the one copper hill so as to establish a coastal beachhead with both strategic interest as a defensive buffer and little risk it will be envied for its productivity. On to important news: The capital city was named EGGnSPAM. While BakedBeans made for a suitable second, the persians will be hard-pressed to keep naming cities like that forever. Thus, I'll be picking from the list of towns in Québec. Québec and Lévis are the 2 first offerings, with Gaspé to come on the south shore and St-Tite far to the east to claim horsies. From our beginnings as insular, isolated idealism shall rise patriotic nationalism through such naming strategies. Or the english canadians will send troops in to quell our hopes. Coin flip really. |
Napoleon has a coastal capital which will be good for trade route commerce. Unfortunately, it's bad for exploration.
Misclicked the scout that was protecting my 2nd settler. There's a tiny chance that a wolf or jag would pop out of the bushes and take him. That sort of national tragedy would bum me out but oh well. Pictures with city #3 soon. |
The french peninsula:
https://i.imgur.com/3L2QXa4.png Further north: jungle and a warrior from Matrix. Killer (France) might be willing to let me settle that copper. We'll see. Either way, it's super low priority for him as he's got copper already connected in city #2 and the terrain around that copper is dreary. My priority is spamming up cottages and putting together a navy of triremes. Isolation has its perks and I'll bet they can't afford to put up a navy on top of the tug-of-war of land disputes. Settler #4 is almost on the horse site. The fogbusting scout defended against a barb warrior, which is an unexpected surprise. I need more workers to start spamming cottages but at the same time, quick and dirty imperialistic+chop+whip settlers will fill my island so fast it's almost worth foregoing workers in many places. Maarten has upped his espionage game against me. From his score, he went tall. Probably has luxuries. I bet he's going big on spies against me because I'm out of reach of his scouts and he wants to know what he's up against. They'll need open borders and spare ships to even think about scouting me. Killer is either preoccupied with a closer neighbor, or surrounded by too many people, or both. I'll have demographics on him soon. |
Turn 61.
Demographics reveal I'm first in crop yield. That's awesome. I may have limited bonus resources and NO luxes, but going wide and planting cottages will keep me in the game. There's plenty of strategic resources. Plenty. With no one to immortal rush. https://i.imgur.com/biHpGkY.png All of my resources are now settled and pending exploitation. There are 2 more good spots for cottages inland - with settlers about to be chop+whipped. The foreign situation is very quiet. No one on the east coast, just untamed jungle. https://i.imgur.com/q5CopGw.png Killer has been out of reach and/or unresponsive, although he did accept open borders. Sailing next turn will give me some juicy trade route gold from him. I'll have an axe and a scout in his backyard sooner rather than later. https://i.imgur.com/MPfDgPQ.png I hope we can cooperate. He has defensible land that would be a PITA to conquer from a naval transit and his best interest would surely be to keep his sights on the NW neighbors that are running away in score. |
A WILD KILLER APPEARED!
https://i.imgur.com/gvUaf1Q.png Napoleon dynamite, the killer. https://memegenerator.net/img/instan...iller-time.jpg |
And now, for my post #1337
* * * Drumroll .......... * * * [worship] * * * https://i.imgur.com/9lSMvGz.png Cool. [8D] If he was a guinea pig, he'd be that stud. |
That guinea pig :D
He'll die a happy man. Imagine guinea pigs had child benefits..... |
He better connect his spinning wheel to something productive and profitable. Them's gonna be some payments.
In other news: https://i.imgur.com/Oa0L9St.png?1 Matrix has popped 2 cities, bim bam. He already had a solid start with religion and high-gold luxes, but a deadly free-for-all is brewing. https://i.imgur.com/L92CEOc.png?1 Killer has founded his 3rd city, somewhere inland. He is headed for that free-for-all and I'm content with letting them at it. Demographics have me on top of food yield by a wide margin. I can micro myself into #1 for most stats. Stone connected in 3 turns and I've got some sweet chop/whip action to go into settlers that overflow. Said settlers will be all set to go spam cottages inland and steamroll me up the corporate ladder. |
SHENANIGANS
SOMETHING BIG JUST HAPPENED The balance of power inland has shifted. Here, take a look: https://i.imgur.com/kDNdo8l.png What does it mean? Here's a little historical re-enactment. https://i.imgur.com/Oa0L9St.png?1 Pope Matrix #1 glhfnorekthx https://i.imgur.com/L92CEOc.png?1 I got ze killer copper [tm] and a 3rd city https://i.imgur.com/Oa0L9St.png?1 Oh yeah? I got 3 cities too badda bing badda bang https://i.imgur.com/L92CEOc.png?1 Nice city you got there. It'd be a shame if ... axes ... were to happen to it. https://i.imgur.com/Oa0L9St.png?1 *sweats in holy* https://i.imgur.com/rKApCWA.png https://i.imgur.com/L92CEOc.png?1 U give me, I attack another guy https://i.imgur.com/Oa0L9St.png?1 *sweats in holy* https://i.imgur.com/lnD5zcX.png https://i.imgur.com/Oa0L9St.png?1 *sweats in holy* https://i.imgur.com/FxNu0NV.png https://i.imgur.com/Oa0L9St.png?1 No backsies [:(!] During Matrix's turn. The first crusade ended in a capitulation without bloodshed. And thus, the free-for-all commences. [doomsol] |
Note to self: actually watch Napoleon Dynamite. Supposed to be a killer movie.
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That guy really does look like herr dr. Killer.
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Turn 78
There might be some big news ahead. Not jinxing it. https://i.imgur.com/L92CEOc.png?1 Killer is on a rampage. He sent axes north, cut a deal with his holiness https://i.imgur.com/Oa0L9St.png?1 for 1 freebie coastal city and free passage to the next poor shmuck. Said victim barely played his turns ever and has trouble running the game. Not completely sorry to see him go. Killer also happens to have elephants. As if we needed that to worry about. Ynnek is in the center of the land, above Matrix. He might be able to settle on the E coast and trade. I really look forward to massing international trade routes. I may not have luxes but I have peace and quiet, so let's make the most of it. If all goes according to plan, I should have a big economic steamroll going. With a large enough navy and a couple of defenders in good form, it should be possible to sneak my way up to a surprise comeback victory. Too bad isolation fucked immortals. Still, by IMP settling hard and early, and making the most out of CHA :) I'll pull a few rabbits out of the hat I was dealt. For now, more workers. And triremes for defense. |
Well crap. 4 hammers short, 1 turn late. Let's hope it still works.
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OH YEAH !
6 chops and 2 perfect (1 shield off) overflow whipped settlers(+50%)-into-wonder(+100%) later, https://i.imgur.com/dFtHpBQ.png My pyramidal scheme paid off. Last turn had me 4 hammers short so I was somewhat worried. https://imgur.com/3EfxEti.png The Pyramids are on and I finally have some breathing room in the way of :) management. https://i.imgur.com/NqGS7Gv.png Time to get triremes and a gazillion cottages [tubs] Still #1 for crop yield with a bunch of small-time cities (5-5-3-1-1) which all have monument and granary. Fell to #3 pop though, which I bet has to do with Herr Killer swallowing the AI and one of them having 2-3 much larger cities. Got a solid, wide foundation to build upon, gonna make more workers and show the world that surfers are the coolest [surf] |
A gazillion cottages sounds like overkill.
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Ok, so ... there's 3 continents. Took my sweet time figuring that one out, didn't I. Gonna need optics faster than expected. On the bright side, no one has sailing and I'm halfway to metal casting so the fleet from Bear Island will be up and uncontested for long enough to support a full builder mode.
https://i.imgur.com/zjUN6mH.png Libraries are going up, scientists hired, cottages being worked in 4/6 cities. 1 will go mass triremes, 1 will focus on ground troops, the capital has 4 big food resources for GP. 3 are passable lumps of land with a handful of usable grasslands so I'll try for the colossus in order to gain viable sea $. There has been no word on the diplomatic front for a while now. Seems like they are gnawing at the scraps of the roman AI together. Pope Matrix's army consists of mostly archers AFAIK whereas Killer will most likely end up with too few axes to press on, or too many troopps as well as distance maintenance to slow him down. https://i.imgur.com/YCDqWNi.png Matrix got bullied out of a city and there's no doubt in my mind that he's been preparing for the worst. Protective archers and a headstart are a fierce thing. A bruised ego, a convenient target ... I'm content to let this play out. If and when Matrix gains the upper hand, I'll have easy pickings close to home. If and when Killer gains the upper hand, he'll be the easier adversary to contend with economically. Ynnek remains a wildcard. He has 3 cities to the others' 4, tons of lands to the E and N, locks Matrix in and hasn't been involved in a major conflict. Can't tell what resources he has or what kind of an army he sports. He seems the most interested in cooperating and trading. We'll see how that goes. There are 3-4 potential spots I could settle on to his E and N, one of which is extremely tempting (gold, cow, horses, coastal plain hill). I don't want to spoil a good relationship though, so I'll have to negociate for it. The double silver spot is nice as well. Maybe I should send 3 galleys, 2 settlers 2 immos 2 workers, settle both spots and send him silver for free. It'd be forceful but he's taking his sweet time settling so it might just benefit him. Or send an extra settler and gift him a coastal town somewhere, to accelerate our partnership. Either way, those metal luxes + early forges will do wonders to Bear Island. |
https://i.imgur.com/L92CEOc.png?1 Built the great wall. WTF :rolleyes:
The AI in Rome seems to have taken care of business with 4 archers whipped up. That's gonna leave a mark. I once hinted at Killer in diplo that I'd be coveting TGW ... did I taunt him into it? Why would he even consider that garbage. Barbs? Low troop count at home? Whatever it is, wow, and as far as I can tell his war effort is stalling. Are we on for the dark ages? EDIT: barb uprisings are a thing and Killer dodged a 5-axe bullet. Guess I spoke out of turn. |
Found a picture for socralynnek as google image search for "Klingon soccer" yielded this:
https://i.imgur.com/BSHzJIj.png And hence was the T94 map devised: https://i.imgur.com/JQhbrsI.png Demographics look amazing. Let's hope it holds up to scrutiny when mainlanders finish expanding. I need to make every square of Bear Island count. They're counting hamlets these days. https://i.imgur.com/RWzZWc4.png Military pales in comparison to Killer's. OTOH, all I need is triremes to deny him hard, whereas he'll be gunning at convenient (more than mine at any rate) land to conquer. Maybe I'm painting too much of a target on my back with wonders. If it comes down to it I'll just have to swallow my pride and whip triremes. Best Rival has 65 TOTAL gdp. At 50% sci meter, my research allocation alone is 62 [music] And now for a COLOR CODED diplomatic briefing [tm]. https://i.imgur.com/pPPx2tq.png Napoleon, genius in the arts of artillery, will soon have proper toys to play with. Not sure how far north he will send them before they get christened on walls. Willing to split the loot if we partner to cleanse the pink guys [headstab] https://i.imgur.com/ai9i0Vp.png Has slavs [whipped]. Adidas-wearing but less expanded. Will share the view on Bumfuck Archipelago ; might need me to balance the scales against Killer before Babylon turns into Chernobyl [nuke] To pick a side or not to pick a side :cool: https://i.imgur.com/THiEHW7.png Has taken my stone that it may be blessed and used in constructing walls. Those might give pause ... short pause ... to Purple Dynamite down there. We've received pre-blessed marble to use in glorifying the great and the saint among us. [python] Greed dictates that I should try the double-whammy Parthenon + GLib on that marble. It's terribly tempting. Will mostly depend on a) Killer building a fleet or not and b) getting Parthenon stolen or not. We'll see. |
https://i.imgur.com/pPPx2tq.png : Somebody set us up the catapults.
Also https://i.imgur.com/pPPx2tq.png : Lost a chariot to barb warriors. I don't know whether or not he has sailing, but the latest scouting run revealed he has been making all cats, no boats. My first trireme fleet spawns next turn, which is kindof overkill now that he has a confirmed zero navy. Wonders and cottages it is. Oh, and I'll go and raze the barb upstarts that got his chariot. Revenge gives +3: "You fucked 'em up good" diplomatic modifier with Killer [rocket] |
Turn 105: 2 players have reached trade routesand one passed me in GPT. That means a whooping doubling of GPT since T95 [goggle] Yikes. All other demographics still look favorable.
Everything indicates that I'll soon(ish) run the GLib [book] with representation (double research scientists) in a Heroic Epic capital, sporting surplus food for 10 pop on 4 worked tiles. With Caste System, that's 8 scientists. Nothing's done yet though. Cap still has some work to do getting there while #2 is cranking out (other) wonders. #3+4 are just making units. #5+6 are on a slow exponential curve for pure pop + cottage growth. The boys are at around 4 cities each and nearly half are upstart villages. An expansion is being planned towards the top corner of the map in order to score gold, silver and a strong military farm on the active landmass. Come T150, I plan to be ready to defend it and/or be in a position to retaliate against Killer's ele-pult forces. Now I just realized that Joao is both the leader on the 3rd continent AND the civ with early ocean transport UU. That means I can't just relax my home island defense behind a good Navy. While it's doubtful he'd beeline his UU, and get to caravels before I do, it's equally unlikely that I'll get astronomy before he gets optics. Bottom line, my ass will be vulnerable. Either way, unless I get roped into something unbecoming, my ideal strat would be to play aloof with the neighbors and just fly off to galleons, frigates, grenadiers and cannons, mount a mass-upgrade surprise party, and meet the 3rd continent Finns where it hurts. |
SHENANIGANS!
Taoism has been founded. https://i.imgur.com/WGMXygp.png That's right, it's nowhere to be found. It was founded on the same turn as Islam. It is logical to conclude that some of those fanatics on Continent #3 are so low on the scoreboard because they rushed religion, presumably to go AP diplomatic victory. Now, you need every civ in the game to be a member for that to happen. Contingency plan: obliterate them with either a ridiculous tech lead, a naval interdiction or some good ol' riflemen on galleons. Demographics are back under control as of T107. There's been some wild fluctuations of GNP for the top seed: I whipped in the capital vs someone who artificially inflated their $ (I bet for a tech or for unit upgrades), probably a financial civ with coastal tiles handy. https://i.imgur.com/BgZbetG.png Now #3 for military with triremes up. 2 boatloads of future northmen are headed for barbarian shores. Fingers crossed. |
So long, Paul Bunyan (Feb 14th 4000BC — Jun 4th 100BC). You've been a great help finding friend, foe, life and death alike.
https://i.imgur.com/nJCMBoZ.png [tubs] |
Anno Domini.
1AD report for posterity. The world is still at war, its machinations evolved. But war ... war never changes. https://i.imgur.com/zVNLQi1.png Rome is defended by its magnificent 7, archers who will stop at nothing to tell Killer he can stuff it. It's a bold move. Let's see how it plays out for them [doomguy] https://i.imgur.com/PinM3Tt.png No thanks. Not even the right foe. https://i.imgur.com/KVYJWCG.png My scout being dead, I'll be missing the dark patch of Napoleon-Pope borders. Both have 1 city in there somewhere. The world map didn't change much. https://i.imgur.com/pPPx2tq.png : I'mma grab Rome and then fuck the other pink. Want in? https://i.imgur.com/THiEHW7.png : We have perfectly good relations with the guy holding half a dozen catapults and twice that many axes right by our capital ... why do you ask? https://i.imgur.com/ai9i0Vp.png : We need your help surviving the oncoming storm, let's make some deal (and stall for 10 turns without signing). Ynnek would like troops but I have none. My towns aren't even all garrisoned. I have the advantage of high food and peace, but no lux and nowhere to grow. He has the advantage of having the most space behind him, but competing demands with neighbors that want a piece of it. In short I offered horses, 50/50 split luxes, settlers and workers for a shared settling of his N coast. Seeing as he needs horses and workers now, couldn't settle up there if he wanted to and would even gain an extra lux by signing the deal, it's an offer he can't refuse. https://i.imgur.com/Rt6gUeS.png https://i.imgur.com/MOTZAKi.png I feel like what he wants is for me to attack Killer - or at least close borders to tank his economy. My international overseas trade routes be juicy, and Killer's about to double up on the fun with currency's +1 trade route/city. https://i.imgur.com/ICzRYOf.png For that to happen, he'd have to give up more ... else I might just have to join Killer and take it. Not my first choice at all, but the stalling is becoming tiresome. Very little happens on Bear Island. That's how we like it. I don't have neighbors to contend with at home and thus: https://i.imgur.com/lmnPw5c.png Sweet. The 2 back cities are up with forges and starting to pump out units. https://i.imgur.com/iVSWhvL.png Lucky #7 wasn't mean to be born but hey, iron and fish, could do worse. Besides, ships need iron not copper for metals, so having a secure source is worth it. The midriff is all up in cottage bling bling https://i.imgur.com/sUswmZC.png And the seat of power is on its last throes of whip-to-overflow action. https://i.imgur.com/UxIWc4h.png Good news to come soon. Good news which will take the form of caste system, pacifism and a mellowing of the bustling, industrial life they were accustomed to in the capital. https://i.imgur.com/YImstj4.png So if the worst comes to pass on the mainland, we'll be alright. https://i.imgur.com/wU1a1x7.png |
GLib is up [book]. Time for the next objectives.
Operation Heavy Metal
Operation Ludicrous Speed [ynnek] Phase 1:
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