Q-RUSH Running Notes (c) Copyright Brett Paufler # # # 2021-06-10 I intend to play another game as Huey Dewey and The Capacs. And I will use the same relatively random Fractal Map Generator. I will definitely rush (if the opportunity presents itself), committing to the construction of two or three Q-Guys, almost no-matter what. Further, although I will give myself no restraints (since they seem to be forgotten and broken at will, anyhow), I will try to report in the persona of Q-Chief of Q-Tribe of Q-Home or something of the like {a goal at which I failed miserably, changing my mind almost immediately}. Q-Guy: Archaic Superstitious Honour Bound Modelled on: Incan Aztec Mayan As a sort of South American Composite Whole Values deviating from Good to Bad: This being a subjective evaluation. Let's try to stay on The Good Side {Though, as an afterthought, it might be fun to pick a leader whose history matches my desired style of play and try to intermix the two accordingly. But in the end, I am going to play to win. And artificial restraints don't seem to do that much good. They need to be baked in.} # # # # # # Q-GUY-01 The One... and hopefully only. We are ready for a world that calls to us. The Roll must be good. The Roll must be wholesome. But we do not hold a preconceived notion about The Roll. As of this moment, we have no punch -list agenda... but that may not last long. For, The Gods direct. # # # Do we Worship Gods? Yes, they take the form of ideals Three Cows in The Fat Cross is a bit of a World Builder cheat. There were Three Cows, just not in The Fat Cross. I, also, moved The Settler, extended The River, and added a Plains Hill. Originally, The Stone was Marble. But I use Stone far more. I may live to regret that decision. But I'm not going back in. {As mentioned further along, there's more Stone on The Continent but no Marble except for the one I swapped out. So, this may have not been the best move.} The Iron was always there. The People may regret praying for Stone over Marble. It may be the great starting mistake. I didn't just chose Stone, I switched out Marble. The Oracle and The Great Library come rapidly to mind. But the full compliment Monk Economy leans on Stone. {In the end, it made little difference. And though I built all The Wonders in my Last Game, I am moving away from Wonders... or so, I shall claim. Perhaps, Wonders are the icing on the cake. But one needs a cake, first and foremost.} # # # No Barbarians Aggressive AI No Events No Tribal Villages No Tech Brokering Permanent Alliances Allowed I do not know what this tells us about our world. Oh, heck. I didn't check the Difficulty Level... Monarch! Excellent! Losing is still a possibility. I could make a mistake. Almost all the options make my life easier. It's not like I'm choosing in The Computer's favour. I'm King of The World, this I know, because My People tell me so. # # # Build: Q-RUSH Research: Animal Husbandry # # # 2021-06-10 044-01-01-T51 - War Monger - Q-Rush Victorious - BC-3235 The Q-Rush was victorious. No second thoughts. No second guessing. Six Q-Guys did the trick. The best City Sites overlap. So moving my starting location may not have been ideal. Oh, well. Also, I may have changed the only Marble on This Continent into Stone. That would be a bit ironic. The set-up is great. T51: Two City Isolated Start... Well, I'm presuming Isolated. It's looking that way. But I have not confirmed shorelines... nor do I know about Pre-Astronomy Contact. # # # 2021-06-11 3235BC T51 The desire is slow Turn Sets. I am making decisions for My People. Thus, I do not wish to rush things. Though, that said, Settling EVERYTHING and Building The Oracle are my next main objectives... or really, putting together a better strategy than that should be my next objective. # # # T100: 2500BC Mr Oranje is on an island right next to me... or if not an island, another continent. Also, he has had contact with someone on the other side of himself, as he is behind in the Espionage Race: i.e. he's had someone else to consider. Soon enough (likely prior to starting on The Oracle), I will Build Two Settlers. After Iron Working, I will Build a third. And that will be it for The Core Cities. I already have my eye on Amsterdam and expect to launch an invasion... at some point. Certainly, a Stack of Q-Men can do wonders. But Orange will have Axes, soon enough. And there are other dangers beyond The Lands of Orange. So, it may be wise to use Orange as a buffer. Sailing has a reasonably high priority, Since Orange Founded Buddhism, The Religions are not nearly as important, as otherwise might be the case. But I still might go for Judaism. The problem with plans to attack Orange is that I am not ready now. And as I get ready, so will he. Thus, I have the advantage at Q-Men versus Archers. But Axe versus Axe is pretty even. And historically, it's taken awhile for me to find advantage. On the other hand, I can just Build Troops. And that might be the preferred solution. # # # T107: The Orange Adopts Slavery, which means he has Bronze Working and Axes. I was thinking about Bum Rushing him. But I think I'll be waiting, now. # # # 2021-06-11 1500BC T200 Next Turn, I get Bronze Working. It doesn't seem that fast... especially since I landed none of The Religions. On the other hand, I got The Oracle (and therefore, Monarchy) prior to T150, which seems plenty fast to me. I should have prioritized Pottery. I need Cottages and could have used them faster. - - - GAME OVER! I will be restarting. There was nothing wrong with The Rush. It worked perfectly. I did not (meaningfully) prepare for War with Orange. Knowing he is there will not change much. I do not miss The Religions. Sure, they always help. But I don't want to get into that game/race. And I do think I will be able to Destroy Orange prior to Theology... and/or Buddhism will migrate into my lands. I will be Researching differently. I will beeline: Pottery Priesthood And from there, I really don't know. I guess I'm split between: Writing Library Great Scientists Bronze Working Chop a few Terraces # # # # # # GAME-02 # # # # # # 2021-06-11 1900BC T160 It's hard to say if things went much quicker. The Oracle seemed late by a few Turns. But I get Bronze Working next Turn. And that will set up a quicker REX... and I can plan for Copper or not. I do not feel Orange has much time left. I could go off on tangents. But launching an invasion of The Netherlands is the smart play. I am going to concentrate on The Two Core Cities prior to producing any Settlers. At T200 (if not before), I should crank out a few of those. # # # GAME OVER! 2021-06-12 1200BC T230 I am displeased with The REX. I have too many superfluous Buildings if REX is the name of the game. On the other hand, I am unconvinced REX'ing is my best strategy. Thus: Two Cities Build Them Tall Orange is Distant He's further away than he looks He'll Declare Destroy Him Builder's Game 4 Workers At T230: Great Wall is Open What does a Defensive Game look like? But then, Amsterdam is quite the prize. Tall is the name of the game. # # # # # # GAME-03 # # # # # # 2021-06-12 2000BC T150 A clean solid start. Nothing fancy. Just getting it done. I will go Wonder Crazy once I get Masonry. Researching: Bronze Working Masonry Writing But I am indifferent about The Wonders. Gold is every bit as important... maybe, more so. I got The Oracle. But that is no surprise. And opted for Monarchy, which I believe it better than Representation for a few Tall Cities. Wonder Priority: The Great Wall I question whether I need The Pyramids, which obviously means I do not. # # # T200: 1500BC I am unclear as to agenda. Attack Orange: That is very far away. Wonders: I guess. But I guess is an empty strategy. I am expecting to have at least 50 Turns until an Attack... and perhaps, much longer. If Orange Attacks, he exposes his backside to Stalin. Researching: Sailing Mathematics Both unlock Wonders. And both are required for Attack. Though, I am really not overly eager for either an Attack or a bunch of Random Wonders. # # # T265: 850BC I am racing to Settle the rest of The Home Continent. Orange has not looked anxious to do anything aggressive in my direction. And he is Researching Aesthetics. So, I expect him to make a play for The Great Library. Meaning, if I can handle it. I should launch an Invasion against him in 50 Turns, about when he might complete it. I'll have Elephants and Catapults and not a whole heck of a lot else to do, but Build an Army. If Orange crosses the pond, I will Attack, Building an Army rather than Settlers. The REX starts now, with a view towards an early T3XX finish. # # # 044-03-03-T325 - War Monger - Buddhist Block Nation - BC-0250 There is a huge Buddhist Block of Nations, led by Orange, and consisting of Me, Stalin, and Yara. I've added another City Site to my Want List. I just added a Settler to Beijing's Queue. But Orange may Settle in an inconvenient location {presumably on The Home Continent}. So, I may delete The Settler. I lead in Tech. Power is good. Orange is the man to Attack, so I will not be giving in to any more of his demands. I've got lots of Troops to Build. Let us say Ready for War at T400, which means many more Catapults... maybe ten. # # # 2021-06-12 110AD T361 I have Declared War on Orange. I will Destroy The City he dared Settled on My Land. And then, I'll go and Capture Amsterdam... or such is the plan. Meanwhile, Stalin is battering him from the other side, so I don't expect much in the way of resistance. Though, I am going to take my time. I am in no hurry. I've Settled The Continent fully with Seven Cities. I would say things are going well. Amsterdam is worth a bloody fortune... or whatever The Buddhist Holy City is worth, considering everyone is Buddhist. It's going to change My Economy right around. I don't know. I may not have enough Troops for an invasion quite yet. But I can certainly push Orange back into the sea. I'm saving The Attack for The Morning. Orange has a lone Axe; whereas, I have: 5 Catapults 5 War Elephants 3 Axes That one City doesn't stand a chance. And I've only seen the one ship. So, I feel pretty safe. Yeah, he got clobbered by Stalin. Time to move in and profit. {I assume the last was confirmed by a quick peak at The Power Graph.} # # # 2021-06-13 505AD T401 The War with Orange is going nowhere. I should have foreseen this. Oh, well. His City in The Lands (i.e. My Continent, so story telling isn't nearly as clear) was poorly garrisoned. And I formed the wrong expectations in regards to This War. I'd bring The Troops home to save on Supply Costs. But it's not worth the logistical hassle. Also, Orange is more willing to trade Triremes than I am. It's very important not to lose Troops in CIV. I Built a Fort to better maneuver my ships, avoiding Orange's Triremes. I've got 23 Units in my Attack Stack. But against Fortified City Longbows, it is not enough. - - - This War is costing me a good chunk of change: +/- 35G/T from Unit Supply and lost Trade Routes. Hmmm... should I reload? - - - Yes. Yes, I should. # # # # # # RELOAD 2021-06-13 FROM: 044-03-04-T401 - War Monger - Tedious War - AD-0505 - RELOAD TO: 044-03-03-T325 - War Monger - Buddhist Block Nation - BC-0250 - - - It's the latest hard save I have and is before Orange Settled on MY Shores. Since I'm going to work (more-or-less) the same program with Workers (Road to Cottage or Mine for Hills), it will be interesting to see the differences. Or course, I question how much data of that nature will be preserved. # # # # # # Um, I may have never Revolted into Civil Service prior to The Reload. If so, that's a fair bit of lost opportunity, as well. # # # T347: Always remember to beg. Thanks for the reminder Zara. T351: If Zara asks, I will join him in his War against Stalin. # # # Having failed at War, I will try Peace. And for Peace, I don't need quite so many Troops. I've got The Hammers to Build a few Wonders. At this point, I will be disappointed if I don't land The Great Library. # # # T358: I Declared War on Stalin at Zara's request. Thus, this will be a War Game. And I should not neglect The Army for too long. I'm starting to feel anxious about not having enough Troops. Given enough time, Stalin will launch some sort of invasion, a retaliation for Declaring War. # # # T410: My idiot Triremes were running away from a Work Boat. The big decisions was whether I wanted to dilute The Great Person Pool in Cuzco with Artists Points from The Sistine Chapel. But I don't want to risk losing The Wonder. Looks to me like Orange can Build it. And I've been all relaxed about Wonders and such. I need to Build it now and not mine Gold, if I want it. The other option was to quit Building it in Cuzco (two Turns away) and start from scratch in Beijing. But like I said, I don't think Beijing will complete The Wonder in time. And I want it. TT433: There is an island to Settle. So, I'm Researching Astronomy and preparing The Landing Party. I do not know if I will want to keep The Cities or spin them off as a Colony. # # # T436: Stalin's landing party consists of Two Catapults and nothing else. They didn't even Capture a vulnerable Worker. Are you trying to give me free Experience. T436: My mistake, The Worker was not within reach. Still, those Catapults are no more. # # # 2021-06-13 044-03-05-T451 - War Monger - The Path of Peace - AD-0755 I just landed Astronomy. It seems like a good time to make a Hard Save. In a few Turns, I will launch a Galleon or two towards The Island. I am undecided about how much energy I should put into feeding My Colony. A Worker or two could hardly hurt. Also, I can get away with a mere Two Settlers. But a few more would put The Nascent Civilization on its feet. Perhaps, I will dedicate Beijing to the task for A Few Dozen Turns. # # # I may have messed up The Hard Save Log File and all subsequent Log Files... but just a little bit. # # # T488: Orange just got another useful Wonder. He's not going to last much longer. I will Attack at Steel. Yep, there's a reason I keep going to that: preservation of Troops... even Siege. # # # STEEL! 044-03-06-T530 - War Monger - Death To Orange - AD-1150 I have Upgraded almost all Catapults and Trebuchets to Cannons. I don't have enough Infantry. Well, maybe I do. But The Stack seems a little Cannon high and Manpower short. Save is Pre Declaration of War with Orange. - - - Troops To The Front! # # # 2021-06-13 T536: Orange went down fast. Stalin is next on the list. Then, I might jump over and nail Mansu before he gets too strong. # # # Stalin Destroyed The Stack. Oh, he Capitulated eventually. But the cost was quite high. # # # RELOAD! 2021-06-13 FROM: 044-03-07-T559 - War Monger - Costly War - AD-1295 - RELOAD To: 044-03-06-T530 - War Monger - Death To Orange - AD-1150 1: I forgot to change out of Artists and ran Amsterdam down to Pop Five, which is not good. 2: The War with Russia was too costly... way too costly. # # # 2021-06-14 As stated, I reloaded. The War with Russia (even though I won) was disastrous. # # # 2021-06-14 044-03-08-T535 - War Monger - Amsterdam Over - AD-1175 I just took Amsterdam, leaving the wayward city on My Homeland. Troop preservation shall be key. I will let The Power Graph guide me. Mansu shall be my next target. And as I gain nothing by rushing, I will wait until after I can Upgrade The Stack to Rifles. It is possible I will wish to harvest some combat experience from Mansu. Then again, my Cannons will only be so much stronger than his Muskets. So, I could lose a few Troops that way. And Troops are Hammers in The Game... well, that and Beakers. And now, let us take a break and deliberate. # # # # # # GAME OVER Perhaps, I shall stop capitalizing game terms. It's getting to be troublesome to determine when and how to apply the syntax. I did not play any more turns. I think I can do better. Also, I think if I throw enough Cannons at the problem, it will go away. A Cottage Mono-Culture is not working for me. And despite maintenance costs, I believe a one or two population city working a fish and a merchant specialist or two will more than break even. Also, I'll switch from Monarchy to Representation at some point. We'll see how it goes. # # # # # # GAME-04 # # # # # # I will bum rush China progressively with more and more Q-Guys. So, whatever works is what I'm using. I'll start with two. Why not? # # # T39: Five Q-Guys did the job. # # # 2021-06-14 1000BC T250 I have no religion but all of the major wonders, including Stonehenge. So, my culture issues are solved. I don't know what I want to do settlement wise. Yes, a lot of cities is tempting. But even then, I need to know where to put those cities and what to do with them. Also, I don't want just small cities. And I should settle the big ones first. Outside of good old Middleton, my ideas are not all that great. Thus, I sit. I wait. Something will come to me... or it won't. Perhaps, I need Code of Laws so the first and only non-military build for many of those cities is a courthouse. Monarchy may well have served it's purpose. But I need way more happiness resources prior to making the switch to Representation. Sorry, all lower case isn't working for me either. But capitalzing "This Game" has got to go. # # # GAME OVER! 2021-06-14 044-04-02-T287 - War Monger - Orange Declared War - BC-0630 Orange Declared a War for which I was completely unprepared. Game Over! Otherwise, things were going pretty good. But I may have been a bit Wonder Crazy. Yeah, I'm not going to reload. I don't actually know how I feel about a land war with Orange. It's hard to get good odds at this stage in the game. In fact, I'd guess it's darn near impossible. I have to go offensive. Well, if I had Civil Service, which is an incredibly useful technology, I'd have heavy infantry. That would destroy whatever Orange threw at me. In the end, I guess I'd rather have the wonders than a bunch of useless cities... or cities that I can found late game, as I don't intend to grow them. Maybe, that's the way. Lots of Wonders. Late game spam of cities. And if I only have two cities, two workers might keep me ahead of the game. I wonder if it is possible to pop Civil Service from The Oracle? - - - Well, that's a big no. # # # # # # GAME-05 # # # # # # T49: China w/ 6Q, 3 survived. # # # 2021-06-14 044-05-01-T275 - War Monger - Wonderful Start - BC-0750 I haven't lost a Wonder, yet. I am Buddhist this time around. So hopefully, Orange will not declare. I have a few more heavy weapons lying around and twice his power. But I'm in no position to put up a fight. I am going Wonder Crazy. Two Workers No Settlers. All The Wonders. If Orange does not attack, things are looking good. I have decided to have small late game cities, so no need to settle them early. In other words, I'll have two cities this game... maybe three when I get Amsterdam. Or, believe it or not, I can see Settling Middleton to make a play for The Statue of Zeus. But that's a ways off. # # # 2021-06-21 044-05-02-T350 - War Monger - Wonder Crazy - AD-0001 I haven't got time to expand... nor do I want to. Cuzco & Beijing are kicking some serious butt. Together, they have ALL the wonders... well, except for The Hindu Shrine. I expect Mansu got Taoism. I have contact with everyone else and am going for Optics. Oh, cool. I am the power leader... of what I can see, anyhow. Each city has two workers. The fat cross is developed in Beijing, Cuzco has four tiles to go. For the most, I am using my workers to chop. I can't say the play is enlightened. It's mostly the same old same old. And if someone attacks, I will not be in such a great place. Though, no one else has maces. So, the battles might be fun. # # # T400: 500AD I am sweeping The Wonders, which I like. If I am going to spam cities, the time for that is right about now. I should either do that or attack Mr Orange. I find hitting End Turn to be soothing. I do enjoy this game, falling into it, and thinking of nothing else. # # # 2021-06-15 044-05-03-T437 - War Monger - Pre First American War - AD-0685 I will be clearing the continent of foreigners. Orange spun off America. And America will be the first to go. I don't have many troops. But America is fielding warriors, among others. So, I'm not expecting much out of them. I made a hard save in case this is a disastrous idea. This game (for whatever reason), a shared religion did not prevent hostilities from breaking out. It will be a full blown world war will Orange taking the brunt of it. # # # 2021-06-15 044-05-04-T463 - War Monger - End Continental Wars - AD-0815 I destroyed Roosevelt. And took over Zara's lone city on my continent. I am very unit poor. I need to go on a building spree. I mean, I am so unit poor, I really should never have declared war. But then, I was going up against swords. So, I did. All of the new cities (I have nine, now) are turning a profit. I think the next few turns will be the most critical. If someone declares war and comes prepared for battle, things will go badly for me. On the other hand, I do not care about the cities which would fall first {i.e. those cities which would be captured first by my enemies}, not at all. I have The Monk Economy going strong. So, my builds are more involved than I would have projected. Things are looking good. I dominate in tech. I simply dominate. Let's see if anyone attacks. # # # 2021-06-16 1095AD T519 The Peace of Power... or so, I will confirm. {Presumably, I checked and it was in part my power which was keeping the peace. {Nope, sorry. This was a TODO and covered further below.}} In taking over The Homelands (still searching for that story), I overstretched my army. And if someone would have attacked, it would have hurt. Whereas now, I am cranking out units and expanding my territory rapidly by settling the outer island, which is quite substantial in size, if of limited potential. No matter, I plopped down four going on six {Settlers}, which is way too many for big cities, but perhaps, the right amount for secondary cities, wherein broad is valued in its own right. {So, sue me. That last paragraph isn't so clear. In settling the far island, I (assume, as I'm not double checking) that I packed in the cities, maximizing quantity over height: many cites, not just one or two tall (high population) ones. Meaning: Core Cites Fully Developed Secondary Cities Monastery, Temple, Courthouse A Conservative Monk Police When I go on a leisurely campaign (I would guess), there will be a third class of city, which may be prudent to develop as a separate class. At the moment, it would be mentally impractical to pretend I consider every city as a distinct individual. They are of a class with a fairly hard set policy in place. When the power balance is broken, I will attack Orange (which means Zara), being happy to declare a peace once I have All The Dutch Lands! Amsterdam is a particularly rich target, as it is home to The Buddhist Shrine. But do we have A Peace of Power? We have peace. But I am not in equality. I'm provisionally defendable: Frigates Sea Net up and coming Knights & Cannons Building the offence at home Astronomy {No one else has} Island Immune For Now Limited Coastal Shipping Lanes So, no peace yet. I am lagging. It's a fingers crossed, hope they pick the other guy type situation. Um, until Astronomy, I believe I am the most likely target. Perhaps Stalin because he is reachable. I can hope. After all, to declare on me, they must have some willingness to declare on a non-enemy. I've got pretty good relations with Cyrus and Zara. Ah, but they like Stalin that one step better. He's at Friendly. I'm at Pleased and falling fast. Of course, that final bit is due to an expectation of war and going global isolate {i.e. Running Merchantillism and not caring about Diplomacy}. # # # T529: Cyrus and I have a Defensive Pact. It's been a long time since I've had one of those. Let's see if I can leverage this into a BFF: Best Friend for Life! T541: Just doing time. I'm implementing the algorithm {the build list}. But I'm not making much progress on The Power Chart. I lead Stalin, at least. More importantly, with every passing turn, I am more and more able to withstand an attack. Of course, real defences is a good ways off. An incoming Slaughter Fest could be fun. # # # After Monastery, Temple, Courthouse, I am building Optional: Terrace Is there enough food to warrant such an investment? Forge +2 H Forgo +3 H Build - - - I don't know what sort of upside I would need in order to build a Library or Market. +5 isn't doing it. But I can see how +6 will. Thus, I will likely pre-empt and guess the growth potential: +5 due to simplicity will likely end up the go number. # # # Most Turns go pretty quickly. All workers are fully automated. And whenever I am pulled to the Build Screen, I back that sucker up, sometimes fifty odd turns out with no intention of fine tuning anything in the meantime... unless starvation or other calamity calls. I think I have all the Health & Happiness a Pop 10 City needs... regardless of my murderous war like ways. # # # 2021-06-16 044-05-05-T574 - War Monger - Start Golden Age - AD-1358 I have a Defensive Pact with both Zara and Cyrus. It would be great if that prevented them from attacking. I changed into The End Game Givics by launching an expensive Golden Age, which cost me a Great Artist (scrap) and a Great Merchant (which I may live to regret using in such a wasteful manner if I play to Sushi). I am having fun just toddling along. And it is far too soon to claim an Implicit Victory. My power is not that great. And I do not know very much about Defensive Pacts, whether the Ally can Declare War or not. It makes a difference. Also, Zara does seem to have greater velocity than I do. But perhaps, that Revolution will help me. +200 Beakers/Turn from the change: Representation and Merchantillism. Amsterdam is worth a lot; but may not be worth a war with Zara in order to acquire. # # # T620: 1450AD Having just Researched Communism, I can form Defensive Pacts and Cyrus is game. I will pause here and think about what I want. 044-05-06-T620 - War Monger - Pre Permanent Alliance - AD-1450 # # # 2021-06-17 I may not fire-up the game, today. But when I do, I will form a Permanent Alliance with Cyrus. And with that, I could take an Implied Victory. So really, I need to decide what I want out of this game. It could be a pretty good one to ride off into the future and see what The Late Game looks like. It's been a long time since I've been there. # # # 2021-06-19 1450AD T620 I formed a Permanent Alliance with Cyrus: Research Costs 50% More Espionage is all messed up So, some kind of melding # # # 2021-06-19 1460AD T625 My Espionage fell to pieces after The Alliance. Oh, well. I'd say I have a Soft War going with Mansu. After capturing another city or two, I am sure Mansu will be willing to Capitulate. Do I want to let him? # # # 2021-06-19 1466AD T628 Mansu will Capitulate. But I am going to roll the turn on the assumption Cyrus has the chance of taking another city. At which point, I will accept capitulation... well, either way. # # # 2021-06-19 1468AD T629 Cyrus took the city. I vassalled Mansu and returned the one city I took. All is well. I've got Missionaries in production to convert Mansu. But I'm not really sure why I should care or if it will do any good. - - - I am right at the Domination Limit. I probably should call it. I have enjoyed myself. But it has been ever harder to find the motivation to play. The Game is done. # # # 2021-06-26 Brett Paufler