2018-05-21 (c) Copyright Brett Paufler {denotes a post game note or clarification} # # # 2018-05-21 I have a desire to play. But I also have the desire not to look up in three hours and realize that is where my day went. So, let's try to take this slow. So, hard breaks between turns... no matter how trivial the turn. And I quit... well, I don't know where. I was going to say between turn 25 and 50. And the second idea was after I found the first city (or should that be third city). But that's coming right quick. Soon, that's all I know. Or in between the other stuff that life has to offer. 2:40PM See, I wrote down the time, because I want to minimize my playing. I was actually getting a bit angry... and hoping to escape into the game to prevent repetitive thoughts. Only, you know, I don't want to use the game as an escape. I mean, it is. But using it as a reward is better than using it as an escape... a subtle, but important, difference. 3:00PM And time to start. I think I've made the really big decisions. Researching: Meditation (for Buddhism) -> Pottery (for Cottages) -> Masonry (for Wonders) -> Bronze Working (for The Whip) This is a bit forward thinking, so who knows how much I will tow the line. Snake Charm (the capitol, who knows if I even have it right) will build a settler first, maybe even two, then a few workers, a settler, and so on. Snake Dream (the Holy City and Wonder Central) will build a worker or two and then start on Wonders. I would start it on a settler, as well. But I don't think my economy can handle that many cities. Snake Charm has better food. And I want to keep my research above ten beakers (at the very least) and hopefully, much higher. Research is the key to victory... or so, you will hear me say. As to the Scouts, the two in Dream will work their way to Charm (one via the coast, the other the mountains), while those starting in Charm will head towards Gandhi. There are a lot of wild animals out there, so I am expecting some difficulty getting through the jungle. As such, I will plan to move them as a group through that area. I can see it being a viable strategy to simply disband the Scouts. But after an early crunch point, I think contact with my three Northern Friends will pay off in the long run... well, hopefully. I may just give them more time to hate me. But I'm hoping the Tech Bonus (for others who already know a Tech) will pay off. I'll probably have to think about this. Making contact with Gandhi is a no brainer. In the test runs, he always scouted me out. Um, yes. I did a few test runs. Not moving anything, but researching through Meditation and Polytheism to make sure the Religion thing was working correctly. It wasn't. Hence, the two city start. And now, it's nap time. So, I'm going to assume I resisted the urge to play today. But we'll see. And it's not (really, not really) like I didn't play today. I have a mental image of my first few turns. And as long as I can play in conformance to that image, I think the strategy is fairly solid. 4:30PM Coming off my nap. And now, indeed, it is time to play. All hail the Snake Master! # # # 2018-05-21 Researched: Meditation (got Buddhism in Snake Dream, as expected) -> Pottery (working on Cottages, happy with research order so far) -> Masonry (will start Wonders, soon; also, need to Research Sailing for Great Lighthouse) -> Bronze Working (for Slavery, much more important than Animal Husbandry, as the difference between 7-2-1 cows and 5-0-3 cottages, just isn't that much) Turn 13: and I have three Cities and three Workers in production. Research is at eleven; and I'd like to keep that above ten at all times, skyrocketing quickly to twenty plus. Turn 25: three Cities, three Workers, a Settler and a two Workers in production, three Scouts heading North (I already lost one, but Gandhi came to me as predicted), Research at eleven, and in five turns going into Wonder Mode in Snake Dream. 6:00PM Turn 37: and I just contacted Isabella of Spain. Suddenly, the map isn't seeming that large. No one has a State Religion. Maybe I should research Monotheism. Turn 41: 38 Research, completely unreasonable for a normal game. Hopefully, I shall kick some serious ass. It is my intent. There's not much production on this map... or at least, not where I am, not yet. I haven't quite gotten to the forest yet. Judaism was just founded, so I am not going to follow that Research Path. Turn 51 (1960BC): cruising along, quite nicely. So, I'm having fun. I question whether this will be much of a challenge. It's 7:00PM and I'm calling it a day. I went to Turn 51 (over Turn 50), as I wanted to wait until I could switch over from producing a Lighthouse to the Great Lighthouse in Snake Charm (the capitol). I have all the available Wonders stacked to be built in one City or another, which means I am concerned about someone else building them. I'd rather have all the Wonders (or as many as possible) than stacking them all in a city. Besides, Snake Dream is just not going to be able to build Wonders as fast as I would like. I would stack them all there, but no such luck, not enough hammers. I am currently researching Alphabet. And after the trades, I'll research Iron Working to chop the Jungle and go to war. Gandhi is looking to be a good neighbour. Only Ragnar has declared a Religion (Hinduism), so I will assume he has founded Judaism, as well... which he did, as I just noted it on the map. I have Open Borders with everyone, because... well, a forum post hinted that might improve relations. Ha! I have so much of a lead over Ragnar, he considers himself a developing nation. Two Settlers and Three Wonders in production, cranking out over thirty Research a turn, which has way more to do with my generous start than anything else. It sure would be embarrassing if I blew this, even on the higher than standard (my standard) difficulty level that I am playing. Anyway, taking a day off from here. Well, at least a day off. Ironically, now that I am done, it is 7:00PM. But I mixed enough other stuff into the day that I don't feel bad about the time. # # # It won't do to get run over by another's military before I feel like going on the war path. I'm going to have to dedicate a city or two to pumping out the troops as a preventive/defensive measure. I have two Settlers coming online. Both of these should found Military Cities: Snake Bite & Slithering Fang, or something like that. # # # 2018-05-22 I may have taken a slightly earlier train back from the city, tonight, so that I could play the game. I say 'may', because these sort of things are hard to know. I mean, did I? Or, was I done with the city; and so, started to think about what I would do once home; as in, what were my alternatives. I played 51 turns yesterday. I will try to limit myself to 24, today, bringing me to 1000BC, I believe. In my travels, today, I really only thought about building more units: Warriors Missionaries Settlers Workers And if I were to put those in order of importance, it would be: Settlers Workers Warriors Missionaries Not that I have any intention of putting my Wonders on hold. But I've got a lot of cities. And when not building Wonders, I should prioritize these units. Also, I should build Granaries & Barracks... like, everywhere. I don't like how fast India is catching up with my score. They have nice land, too. 1760BC: of my four initial Scouts, a second one has been destroyed by a Panther. I have them on Auto-Pilot, as it's too much of a hassle to hand control. Want to lay odds that they are all destroyed by Panthers, eventually? Well, I just Whipped Stonehedge, which was pretty special for me. I don't think I've ever Whipped a Wonder, before. Of course, I have 17 Turns of Unhappiness in that City. But everything comes at a price. And now, I'm going to build two workers there, to run the Whip Clock out. I expect to be able to Whip The Great Lighthouse next turn. Let's see if I am correct. Nope, I was wrong. I was expecting 20 hammers per Population, but now that I think on it, I'm only going to get 15. So, five more turns or so. It's a bit of a disappointment. But the good news is I can Whip The Great Wall. I mean, I'd rather have The Great Lighthouse. But as my Cities get off of Wonder Duty, I can set them to building Settlers and Workers. Whipped The Oracle... but unhappiness is a bit much, these days. In order to build The Colossus (and things are looking pretty good for this, as no one else has Metal Casting), I'm thinking about settling a City off in The Cove. It might be my highest production City to date. 1120BC (Turn 72) {I'll just point out that even as of this post, I don't have a consistent format for stating the game turn, next write up, I settled into: 2018-05-22 1120BC T72 As the proper format for such things.} OK. I can Whip The Great Lighthouse next turn. And that's it for the night. 90 Minutes 21 Turns # # # I have the No Espionage option on in this game. And I believe a side effect of that is that the World Wonder part of the Top 5 Cities Demographic Screen is blanked out. # # # 2018-05-23 1120BC 7 Cities 15 Units By 1AD, I would like to double that... well, units, at least, maybe counting cities at five points. So, if I have fifty points now (in Cities & Units), I'd like a hundred by 1AD. And the easiest way to that might simply be to double everything. Of course, that's only 25 Turns away, so it's probably a bit optimistic. Gandhi got Code of Laws, so I'm switching to Mathematics for Aqueducts. It was likely a mistake to build the Pyramids in Snake Dream. It's the Wonder I want/need the most. It certainly would do the most good (+3 happiness in five largest Cities, if I remember correctly is quite the boon considering my land). Gadhi has two Techs that I do not. And I have two Techs that he does not. But that doesn't stop me from feeling like I'm falling behind. The problem, of course, is that I have the desire to stay ahead in Everything: Techs, Wonders, Score, Everything. And I judge my pace by my worst aspect, not my best. Snake Charm will build the Colossus, as I just Whipped my first Forge there... and the hill City in The Cove is a few turns out. # # # If I was just playing a blank map against myself, I would take my time expanding. But I am not playing (only) against myself. And I know there is a rich iron/coal reserve in the middle of the Great Jungle. So, I'm am going to settle every other site (say every sixth square in lieu of every third square), so as to insure that resource rich area is mine. # # # 550BC: I think I'll be able to Whip The Pyramids next turn. 45 from 3, doubled, gives me 90 and I get 10 this turn, presently at 402: 402 + 10 + 90 = Next Turn Whip. Assuming the above it correct, it will be nice to be able to compute these things. I mean, not that I always want to. But the option is nice. 500BC (Turn 95): The Pyramids come in. So, yes. I was able to Whip them the next turn. 10 Cities 23 Units (including Settlers) Well, it's only 500BC, so that gives me another 25 Turns to complete my goal. I'm not really doing very well on that. I need a lot more workers! A lot! # # # 2018-05-23 150BC I'm planning on cancelling Open Borders with Gandhi in a turn or two. I'll have two Cities blocking off his peninsula. And there is no point in giving him access to the rest of the continent. It may cause him to declare war. But I hope not. I do not think he is any more willing... ready or able than I am. I may end up doing the same thing in a bit to Isabella/Ragnar... and/or the Incans. But that is further off. And maybe so far off that we will simply develop into each other. I will have to start my Sea Adventure, once I cut Gandhi off, as he will go towards the islands... or I would. 1AD (Turn 115) 13 Cities (5pt/each) 36 Units (1pt/each) So, that's 101 by the previously discussed point metrics. Gandhi took being isolated better than I would have thought. On the other hand, most folks hate him. So, one could think of it {my land in between him and Ragnar} as a buffer of sorts, you know, not that I stopped trading with his enemies. I've not made any trades with Isabella, because I'm about to found a City (and a great City it will be, two Wheat, two Pigs) that will give me the Resources I need from her. On the other hand, I could use the Diplomatic plusses. There's enough tension in the game to keep me going. I only have one outstanding Wonder {in construction} that I really care about at the moment (The Great Library) and I've got a fairly solid city (The Cove) working on it. Galleys are in production for island settlement. Though, to be fair, that land beyond the Great Jungle is way better. Still, I want to isolate Gandhi. I should probably do a round of trading when I come back: Tech Trading Resource Trading # # # 2018-05-25 1AD Well, not much happened on the trading front. I traded Isabella for Pigs & Wheat even though I expect to have those online soon enough, in order to get the Diplomatic Bonuses. 150AD: in full REX mode. Trying hard to keep everyone happy with me, despite my weak military. I have to build that up. 275AD: Ragnar appears to have three cities. WTF? I went down a different Tech Path than Ragnar or Gandhi, so I'm not sure if I am ahead, at all. Eh, I'm close. But not clearly dominant. I am disappointed that Ragnar is not playing better. Of course, I'm all strung out. So, maybe Ragnar is playing better... or at least, closer to the chest. I plan on settling a city deep in his territory. Of course, that might piss him off. But I am huge compared to him. Fifteen cities to his three. But he might have more troops than me. Well, according to the Demographics screen, I've got a good 25% more soldiers than anybody else. So, hopefully, they all will listen to that. I feel woefully undefended. If attacked, I would lose a few cities. Well, I'll play to 500AD, today. Hopefully, no one attacks before then. I really don't think anyone will. As the screens say I am kicking ass; and that's what the game goes by. 500AD I need to build an army. I have a score nearly double my nearest adversary (the isolated Incan's). But my power is only slightly higher. It may be high enough to deter war. But I need to keep on building that higher. I have lined up some of the build queues a few units deep. And I need to build them out, prior to switching to non-military units. In the meantime, I continue to crank out Settlers. And there are three (or four) areas of expansion: 1) The Great Jungle (likely, the most important) 2) Isles off Gandhi's coast (to isolate him further) 3) The long desert strip between Snake Charm and Snake Dream. 4) Infill, my cities are stretched out; and I should backfill. I just got done gifting all sorts of resources to Isabella and Ragnar. They are not that powerful. But I would much prefer giving away a half dozen resources (currently, it is not that many) rather than losing a single City to a preventable war... well, now. Somewhere between 1000AD & 1500AD, I predict wanting to start a war. But I am nowhere close to that now. # # # 2018-05-30 It's been a few days. First, I'm worried that someone will declare war on me. Second, it doesn't matter as my mind needs a break. I'm on the third rewrite for the starting chapter to a story and it just doesn't feel right. So, on to something else. Without rereading the past notes (and if I recall correctly), I am in full REX mode, with units under construction, as a defensive measure. Well, Build Army was the name of my save file, so apparently that's important. 600AD: Gandhi beat me to founding a city on the island that would have cut him off for further expansion by one turn. Coincidence? Probably not! I was tempted to declare war. And I could have. Would have won the battle. And captured the settlement site, maybe a Settler as well. But I am not ready for a war. I would have lost far more than a single City. 800AD: Huayna Capac does not like me, considers me his worst enemy. Well, I am expanding in that direction. And once I am done expanding and have Steel, I do believe I will be in a position to declare war. We shall see. I have always been a bit slow in building up an army. Anyhow, since Gandhi seems to like me well enough and is contained. I shall be going against Huayna, first. 1000AD: still don't have that standing army up and running. Though, I am crushing the competition. And it is increasingly unlikely anyone will want to declare war on me. Steel in just a few turns. # # # 2018-05-30 1210AD I need to build more Settlers, so I can backfill. In the meantime, I am preparing for war with the hated Incans. I gave myself a killer start. So, it should come as no surprise that I have a dominant position on the map. I don't think there is much anyone can do unless they literally all decide to gang up on me. Perhaps, I should go for a Diplomatic Victory. Anyhow, I am tired. So, I shall stop for the night. Steam Power in two turns brings Dykes online. Going along with that tired thing. I am in the process of automating all of my workers. Sure, I would Cottage Spam the board. But the advantage of that doesn't seem to be worth the effort. I would get 120,000 odd points for winning this turn (not going to happen), which is down from the 130,000 it has been hovering at. Anyhow, my military is coming along, so war by 1500AD or so. Goodnight. # # # 2018-06-02 When in doubt, I should build units, pretty much the full gamut: Settlers, Workers, Missionaries, and Combat Units. I mean, on some level, I probably should just build combat units and go for the win. But this is my game and I am going to play it my way... which means, being a builder. 1210AD 1310AD I'm staying even on the points front if I win this turn, which means my population is growing nicely. Soon, maybe next turn, maybe the turn after, I will declare war on Huayna Capac of the Incans. I am massing my troops on that front... and because of that, Gandhi is suckering me for Techs. But at some point, it doesn't matter. I mean, he is hugely out gunned. I double his production, if not more. I discover Democracy next turn. I believe I am the first. And that will give me the Statue of Liberty for a second free Specialist in each and every city. Very nice. Not enough Settlers, this is true. We shall see how war goes. Huayna is no more prepared than I am. Eh, one more turn and I will do a Hard Save. 1320AD T192 Declared war on Huayna Capac. It's a little early. And I feel a bit exposed, but I can lose a city or two to another Civilization, so I should be OK. I mean, it would suck if Izzy or Ragnor declared war. But it is what it is. The die has been cast. # # # 2018-06-03 1380AD T198 I suspect The Whip effects the score quite a bit. So, the last twenty turns or so, one might not want to Whip if maximizing the score is one's desire. I am finding The Draft (must the 'The' be capitalized) to be highly effective. I really can't see wanting to run any Civic outside of Slavery, as the benefits of Slavery are just too high. And in fact, Emancipation doesn't really have any benefits; what it has are penalties for non-adoption. As to Nationalism, the only real contender for another Civic is Free Speech. But outside of a Cultural Win, the 100% Cultural Bonus is pretty meaningless. And the +2 commerce per Town, well, I guess that would be a function of map size. But let's suppose on the current map, I have 100 Towns, so at +2c/per, that comes out to +200 commerce per turn. And instead, I am getting (right now) three Musketeers at 80 hammers a pop... well, not for free, but for population. Still, it's close enough to being a math problem. Wait! Wait! The Statistics Screen (I'd thought I'd seen this somewhere) shows that I have 31 Towns. So, the cost of up to three Musketeers a turn is -62c/turn, -1pop/per plus the unhappiness. So, it's a clear winner to me. Those three Musketeers a turn are going to completely overwhelm Huayna Capac, as it allows my builds to go into Artillery, Settlers, Workers (sort of falling behind on this one) and other Infrastructure. Eh, let's face it. I find Nationalism fun. It is not going anywhere. But I can see the utility of Free Speech on some sort of non-military (Diplomation or Cultural) win. # # # 2018-06-04 1490AD T209 I had a fairly short war with Huayna Capac, taking over two cities, before accepting Optics from him for Peace. I, then, turned around and declared war on Gandhi. Right now, I have two stacks of troops (small stacks, but including a Machine Gunner in each stack) on defense inside my Cultural Borders, hoping he will take the bait and suicide his stack against my entrenched troops, before I move against his cities. If he attacks me in my territory, I do not suffer as much War Weariness... and he'll get crushed by my Machine Gunners. I believe I get Infantry in two turns. And well, combat will become very fun for me at that point. Fact is, I like wiping the board with the enemies troops. I find it soothing. This has been a good map for me. I am confident I will be playing more Home Brew maps in the future. # # # 2018-06-04 1545AD T219 It's feeling like a bit of a slog. But that probably just means I should quit for awhile. Oddly, even though there is maybe as much work (say an hour of play) in the early saves versus the later saves, since the early saves include more turns, it seems... um, more appropriate to make the save. Archiving a named save every five or ten turns seems a bit much. I have come to the conclusion that Religions are worthless. I simply am not going to build as many Missionaries as are required (a hundred plus to spread all the Religions to all of my cities) and the bonuses for doing so (+1 happy per Religion per City) is not compelling. With Drafting from Nationhood, both Gandhi and Huayna Capac are doomed. It really is a matter of time. They just are not building enough troops. And, yep! I still need more workers! # # # Workers! Remember those workers! Missionaries are meaningless! # # # 2018-06-06 I have decided to restart this game. It seems a bit silly, in many ways, to restart a game that has begun to feel like a bit of a slog. So, maybe as I get to this point again, I will simply quit. But I feel the win is in the bag. But more importantly, that I could have done much better if I had played differently. So, you know, lets see if that is true. I built too many Wonders. Yes, it is fun. But most of them are of little utility. Prior to replaying, I intend to go through the Wonders and identify those of value. When it comes to researching Tech, I do not take a long enough view. I go down side channels that serve little purpose... or like the founding of religions, I waste time and don't get the first discoverer bonuses. As such (much like the Wonders), I intend to go through and identify an overarching strategy. I, also, build too many buildings. I need to start thinking of Enemy Cities as Wonders. And if a Wonder is worth 500 hammers, how many hammers is an Enemy City worth and what does that translate into as troops. Also, I think I over produce Barracks. The 10% strength would take ten units to pay back. And I doubt I get ten units out of the average city. So, I'm better with one more unit. Lastly, I will mention religions. The State Religion in a New City is worth a Temple (+1 happy, +1 culture). And then, 25% bonus for all buildings is nice... even if I want to build less buildings. Anyhow, to keep this short. I waiver back and forth about the utility of founding a Religion. But there is no doubt, in this last game, I gained no benefit... not being attacked was much more important; and so, I took the Diplomatic Bonus for converting to a worthless Religion. Anyhow, restarting. Analysis of Wonders & Techs to take place in another text file. 2018-06-06 (c) Brett Paufler