(c) Copyright Brett Paufler 2019-03-30 {{} Denotes an after the fact back edit. So, this edit {bracketed by curly braces as it is} is a back edit. Everything else is written concurrent to game-play.} # # # Time for the next game. I'm not even exiting the program. Rather, let's do some Research using the Civilopedia. I plan on playing on Monarch {Skill Level}. And I want an Early Religion. So, that means Mysticism... and maybe Financial, to boot. Contenders include: Arabia Holy Roman Empire Incan Yeah, Incan! Maybe I do not have to look any further? The maintenance reduction from the Holy Roman Empire's Rathauses is very nice. But the Leadership Traits are not to my liking. I would like to go with someone else. But it is looking like the Incans have it. Custom Continents. Monarch Marathon Permanent Alliances Aggressive AI No Events # # # It, almost, feels like cheating choosing the Incans. Odd, how I did not feel that way when selecting Rome. # # # I will be doing the same pick from 25 Regenerations, so read ahead at your own peril. # # # 01 (The Seed): The Seed is not bad at three seafood and corn, but I will be moving on due to lack of Hills. Otherwise, I might have taken it and forgotten about any more regenerations. I took a break prior to looking at the rest. And I have to say, this start is very tempting. If I had Fishing, I just might take it and be done with it, not looking at the rest. 02: Seaside. No. The previous was a fine Seaside start. So, unless the Seaside presented is truly legendary, I will be passing. 03: Seaside. 04 (Marble Cow): I doubt I will be taking it. But then, maybe. It's inland with three Resources and a few Hills. Not great, but playable. 05: Two Corn, Pigs, but only a single Hill. I do not believe I am strong enough to overcome a lack of Hills in my capitol. 06: Nothing. 07 (Garden of Eden): Three Seafood, Two Corn. Lots of Forest. One Hill. It has potential. I would have to Whip. Yeah, I do not feel like Whipping. But to win on this start, I believe I would have to Whip. 08: Scrap. 09: Seaside. 10: Seaside with Gems outside of the Fat Cross. It's tempting, but Garden of Eden would be better. I can Whip the Snot out of Garden of Eden. 11: Not good enough. 12 (Tigris River, which I already want to rename The Elephantine): Elephants, Pigs, Corn, Three Hills, Six Floodplains. It could be a powerhouse. 13: Calendar Resources. Why would any Tribe of Hunter Gatherers Settle there? 14: Seaside. 15: Total Seaside. On a One Tile Isthmus. 16: Seaside. 17: Not good enough. 18: Three Seafood. Pass. 19: Seaside. Not rich enough. It's between Garden of Eden and The Elephantine, at the moment. 20: Interesting, right up next to a Channel. But not rich enough. 21: Isthmus. Pass. 22: Pass. 23: Pass. 24: Pass. 25: Pass # # # So, it's between: Marble Cow Garden of Eden The Elephantine I think I'll look at Marble Cow first on the assumption I can rule it out. Yep, ruling out Marble Cow was easy. I'll look at Garden of Eden, next. But I think I've decided on The Elephantine. There are Two Elephants on The Elephantine. It will suffer from -2 Health right off the bat. But that might not make much difference. I'll have access to a slew of 3 Food Cottages. There you are. My mind is made up. I loaded Garden of Eden, but could not be bothered to really look at it. We shall be playing The Elephantine start. # # # # # # Gods of Glory Gods of Ganesh # # # # # # Well, I sort of feel bad, now... in that the second Elephant was only discoverable after I founded the City. But it's a mostly harmless mistake. It's in the Fat Cross. So, my people should have known about it... right? Eh, whatever. This is the map I am playing. I just don't know if I would have made the same decision with a single Elephant. It was like, 'Two Elephants! How did I not see that? This is the one!' So, the final decision was made on the knowledge that there was another Elephant. On the other hand, 25 Rolls is already cheating... # # # 5000BC: Going for Polytheism... as I like to believe, Ga'nesh would have it. # # # 2019-03-30 3250BC T50 I have a nice island all to my lonesome. See, the best laid plans of mice and men. Who am I going to rush? {I don't know if I've said this anywhere, but a full on war was my default strategy going in. I want to see if I can finance my Economy by plunder.} Now, there might be a passage to some other lands. But that is a ways off. I've got a solitary game on my hands. # # # 3235BC: I got 555gold from Goodie Huts. Someone else got more. # # # 2320BC: I messed up and founded my second City a turn prior to landing Judaism. It would have been a lot nicer to have both Religions in the same City. In fact, Stone Fish (the second city) is going to be a mediocre City. Oh, well. Bad move. I seriously feel like reloading it. But I shall not. The double Shrine (and future Corporation HQs) would have made Elephantine a powerhouse. Need to attend! {In retrospect, after playing six games, I can say that Elephantine works best as a National Park City. It has tons of Forest that I do not need until -- whatever Tech that is -- is discovered.} # # # 2019-03-30 470BC T303 After Metal Casting for The Colossus, which I really don't need, I will be going for Paper and the University of Sankore. I am very much in Wonder building mode. If I do not land the Monk Economy, I am sunk. Well, maybe not. But I'd like to nail both the Monk Economy and the Corporate Dualism. From now to then, it is very much skin of my teeth power {i.e. I am not building any units}. Ah, I have half of the built Wonders, including The Great Wall, which allows me to run zero (only a single garrison unit per City) Military until Astronomy. Of course, if I run into a Barbarian City or two, well, I'll have to do something about that. A Builder Game is much slower than a War Monger. Well, the War Monger packs more into each turn. But the Builder requires more turns. # # # 2019-03-30 515AD T403 I am working on the University of Sankore and am fairly confident I will get it, as the computer does not seem to prioritize it. I (just now) Researched Iron Working and found my sole source of Iron on the entire island... way over on the other side. To get a Settler there, I Researched Archery and will escort it there with a few Units. This is an insanely Metal Poor island. {One Iron, No Bronze, No Horse} The next major Research Project is Divine Right for Islam and The Spiral Minaret. This, too, I believe I will nab. I am not so sure about the Sistine Chapel: the final Wonder in the Monk Economy Triumvirate. # # # 550AD: Well, nothing is forcing me to take out the Barbarian City, so I will found an intermediary City on the way to the Iron. It will make my life easier. And the Supply Chain of Archers will not be as long. I'll have Iron in time for Optics and whatnot. So, no worries. In the meantime, I'll get a few Archers. # # # 2019-03-31 820AD T464 I have not met anyone else nor am I in any particular hurry to. Music for the Sistine Chapel is my next Research Goal. After that, perhaps I will prioritize Optics. But I am not sure. Let's see if I get the Great Artist for being the first to Music. I lost out on the race to the Apostolic Palace by like a turn or two. However, my consolation prize was 1,020 Gold, which may (or may not) have been the only reason I was the first to reach Divine Right. It's hard to say. Though, I do not believe the Computer puts much weight on Divine Right. Perhaps, it's hard coded to avoid so as to allow a late blooming Human Player a chance at a Religion. I have founded three Religions. And have (or will have in a turn) Shrines for each. At 50% Research, I am yielding 127 Beakers per Turn, which I think is pretty good. I'm, also, cranking out 72 Great Person Points a Turn. This is due to having landed 9 of the 22 built Great Wonders. It's not a bad ratio for Monarch Level. And I'll be more than happy about the three or four I missed out on (or was thinking about building but didn't quite get to) if I get the final two Monk Economy Wonders. And in fact, The Sistine Chapel isn't all that important. So, I'd even settle for two out of three. I have Settled eight Cities and maybe have an equal number of Secondary Sites to go. At the moment, I think it is more important to push Religion (Hinduism, the state religion, along with Judaism and Islam) into all my Cities than either found my next City or build Swords to take over the Barbarian City. Of course, I don't have Iron connect yet. So at the moment, that is a moot question. # # # 905AD: Someone else built the Spiral Minaret. I only received 605 Gold, so I was still a bit aways. On the same turn, someone else, presumably, built Versailles, which doesn't really matter. Nor did I get the free Great Artist for discovering Music first. So, I am hardly the Run-Away Technology Leader. On the other hand, the Barbarian City is defended by Archers and not Longbowmen, so few have reached Feudalism yet. # # # 990AD: Barbarian Longbowmen have appeared. # # # 1060AD: I am going to forego Optics and concentrate on the Post Education Technologies. Going one further, rather than build the troops I'd need to take over the Barbarian City, I'm going to try and Culture Flip it. # # # 1135AD: Cyrus has made contact. Every other build will be a Military Unit for some time, now. I do believe I will be going for a Cultural Win. Well, I may change my mind. But for now, I'm going to stay put on my island. # # # 1170AD: I am reloaded in order to give Cyrus the Paper Technology he requested. It was foolish not to. So, for those counting at home a bit of cheating... or a realization mere moments later how much easier the game will be if I am friends with Cyrus. Often, the AI only asks for Tribute once. Hopefully, that will be the case. Either way, I cannot afford him beelining Astronomy and attacking. Of course, considering I just gave Paper to him, perhaps I should have traded it away when I had the chance. # # # 1225AD: Ethiopia made contact. And I traded Paper to them right away, which is what I should have done with Cyrus. So, note that although I was willing to reload a momentary change of mind, I did not go back in time {so as to make the trade with Cyrus}. Ethiopia is a Vassal of Cyrus. I have Open Borders with both. # # # 2019-03-31 1245AD T549 Since I am landing a few Technologies, still, that others want in trade, I must assume I am treading water. I doubt I can win a Military Victory. I will be going for a Cultural Victory. But to do that, I need to build a Military. Well, I have absolutely no Military, so doubling or tripling or quadrupling it should not be a burden. I am Researching Education then Liberalism. I believe I will opt for Economics as my Free Technology for the free Great Merchant. After that, I will likely Research Nationalism for the Taj Mahal. But that's getting a bit ahead of myself. This will be a hard win. But then, maybe not. Once I get my Military in order, it may be a simple game of plug and chug. I have three Religions, after all. Anyhow, at least half of my production should be into Troops, at this point, so as to avoid an invasion. # # # Troops! Troops! Troops! # # # 2019-04-01 1410AD T600 I am solidly going for a Cultural Victory and have decided upon my four Cities. Yes, I know I only need three. But I'll build four up, so it doesn't matter as much if I choose wrong. I will build the Hermitage in the third best City. And that will knock the fourth one out of the running. In the meantime, I still need more troops. Persia is at War with the Malinese, so that is taking some of the stress off of me. Hopefully, Mansa Musa can hold out. # # # I have the second largest Civilization... or so the survey says. # # # 1416AD: I built the Taj Mahal, which is good. I selected Nationalism as my free Technology from Liberalism, thinking I could research Economics faster for the free Great Merchant. But Mansa Musa beat me to it. So, it is very good that I just complete the Taj Mahal. And of course, even better that Cyrus is kicking the snot out of Mansa. My Golden Age has begun. # # # 2019-04-01 1500AD T645 I do not like being the weak kid on the block. Around ten turns ago or so, Mansu Masa sent a Privateer my way. And I thought about throwing in the towel. The Privateer did not do anything or ransack my Fishing Boats. But if it had wanted to, it could have. And I would have been helpless to prevent it. {Note, in my final game, my Fishing Boats were vulnerable for ages before anyone destroyed them. They are not a major target.} I am cranking out 114 Espionage Points a Turn, which may be a personal best for me... certainly at this number of Cities. One of my Cultural Cities is going to Specialize in Espionage and has built Scotland Yard and two Great Spies have been settled. I do not have more Espionage Points against everyone else, but I am creating more... my rate of Espionage is higher against each of my opponents than their rate against me. Strategically, I am going for Mining, Inc, next. And then, Sid's Sushi. It's not much of a strategy. I have exactly one Mining, Inc Resource. I am better off with Creative Constructions, so I will try to land that, instead. It means I can either Settle or use my Great Engineer to finish the Statue of Liberty. I used my Great Engineer to knock 25 Turns off the production time for the Statue of Liberty. I'm pretty much locked into Creative Construction now, as I doubt I will see another Great Engineer. I already have the Great Scientist I need for Creative Constructions. Things might be looking up a bit. It would be nice to go on the War Path, but I am seriously behind the times Unit Wise. An offensive is a good 100 Turns off. And if I survive that long, I might be best served just riding the Cultural Victory out. I have Open Borders with everyone, so everyone will slowly start to hate me. But hopefully it's only slowly. # # # 2019-04-01 1506AD T648 Cyrus has Declared War. 'Time to Die!' I'll believe him... or take him at his word. I believe I will reload from the start and try to do better. I think that means having way fewer cities. What's, perhaps, more ironic is that Cyrus lost all of his attacking force. He attacked a Hill City with three defending Longbowmen, killing one in the first attack, which I will assume was a bit of luck and barely injuring the other two. I'm finding it hard to decide where I would place my initial Cities if I were to replay this map. My mind wanders back and forth, this strategy or that. # # # I played another Turn and let us just say, the War was not going well. Cyrus could have been more aggressive and devastating. But it really doesn't matter, as I don't feel like moving my troops across the board. # # # # # # Gods of Glory The Second Coming # # # # # # So, I guess I am going to play this map again. # # # 800BC: Confucianism has been founded in a distant land. I researched Bronze Working. And so, they beat me out by 10 Turns. # # # 2019-04-01 500BC T300 First, let us not fool ourselves into thinking that my strong start this game is normal. I know the situation. And thus, I knew it was safe to concentrate on the Religions. Having said that, I nabbed three of the starting five Religions. And likely will be able to found one of the remaining two... likely Islam as Divine Right allows one to build the Spiral Minaret and the Gold that brings. I founded my second City eleven turns ago. It is going to concentrate on Workers and Settlers for the foreseeable future. Between my third and forth Cities, one will pump out Missionaries and the other Units. I need to get my Power Rating to a respectable level prior to contact. I have decided to go with a Pattern Settlement, as that has worked for me before, squeezing my Cities up next to each other. Of course, I've got a fair bit of Desert and Tundra, so I'm not really sure what I am going to do there. But it's a starting place. I did the first 300 Turns in a rush... that may have only taken an hour or two. This next session (or two or three) should be more spread out. The immediate goal is to Research the Top Row Technologies and put that Monk Economy into gear. I feel good. But I cannot afford to really Turtle Up. I need to gear up for War when it hits. Luckily, I've got a few hundred Turns to prepare. # # # 70BC: I built the Parthenon. The Great Library is next. # # # 30AD: I got a Great Engineer. I will be sitting on him in order to found a Corporation, which may well be a mistake. # # # 370AD: I was the first to discover Music and got the Great Artist. Researching Paper through Civil Service and then on to Divine Right. If it's still available, I will try for Philosophy and Taoism. I hardly ever get Taoism. # # # 400AD: the priority build order for the new cities (I only have four at the moment) is Workers, Settlers, Missionaries, Barracks, Unit Spam. The capitol is on Wonder Patrol and may well be all game. # # # 500AD: The third Religious Shrine has been constructed. -3 Gold at 100% Research. # # # 990AD: It is the turning point. Both Islam and the Apostolic Palace were built/founded by others in distant lands. Of course, they are both secondary. But it's a shame not to get the Religion, since I need the Technology for the Spiral Minaret... which I likely will not get at this point. On the other hand, 966 Gold is nothing to sneeze at. # # # 1010AD: Someone discovered Liberalism. I just might get the snot kicked out of me. # # # 1090AD: A Distant Civilization has Circumnavigated the Globe. I am going to get destroyed, once again. # # # 1095: I am going to make a run for Gunpowder. And if I get it, build a massive number of Muskets... nothing but Muskets for quite some time. # # # 1105AD: I used my Great Engineer to complete the Spiral Minaret. It's a sort of last gasp maneuver. If I don't get that, I am sunk. Now, it's infrastructure and build out until Gunpowder lands. At which point, MUSKETS! # # # 1215AD: Lots of contact. I am getting destroyed this game. I mean, maybe I will pull it off. I cannot have Open Borders or Trade Resources with anyone. This game is so much worse than the previous. Oddly, I could not begin to tell you why. Maybe, because I beelined so many Techs. Or maybe, they are all friendly this game. Ah, that is it. I nabbed so many of the early Religions, they all share Buddhism. My mistake was in gathering the Triumvirate. I wonder if I should reload and try again? The odd thing is that I do not believe I would be having such a hard time if I was crowded {by my neighbours}, as I'd simply go into War Monger Mode and be done with my adversaries. # # # # # # RELOADING! # # # # # # I have no idea what my new strategy will be. Game #1: Outgunned, fair and square. Game #2: Wonder Fail! Game #3: Three City Challenge? # # # # # # Quad Cities Quartering the World Slicing & Dicing # # # # # # 2019-04-01 4000BC T0 I am playing this map, again. I have taken screenshots of the map and am going to settle the best four spots on my continent, first. One of these early Cities will be where that Barbarian City keeps popping up. I will limit myself to one Early Religion... and maybe Islam, because I do anticipate trying for the Monk Economy. I will try for Pyramids, but lazily. I will forgo the bulk of the Early Wonders. # # # 3505BC: I found Hinduism and start Researching more prosaic Technologies like Hunting. # # # 1770BC: I am not so good that I can make up for my false starts. Also, I am not so good that I cannot Whip. The map will not give me what I want if I do not Whip. I must Whip. The gods demand it. Also, the Settle order needs to be changed around a bit. Kraken Point (the Maori Statue City) should be the last of the majors founded. # # # # # # Yet Again! # # # # # # This group is labelled -3x in the save files: the fourth attempt, zero index counting. {{ In the Game Save Zip 00 - The Seed 01 - Elephantine Start (the same start for all these games 11 - The First Save of the Second Game 53 - The Third save of the Sixth Game, as I am using zero indexing Hope that helps. }} # # # 2019-04-01 500BC T300 I am working Food and Cottaged Flood Plains to grow on... Whipping for the real infrastructure. Of course, I say this and my capitol Ga'nesh is now on a growth spurt so I have some chance of building a Wonder. So, whipping it down may have been a mistake. Eh, it would not be the only one this game. I have Hinduism and Judaism. So, I could not help myself and went for the second Religion without really rushing for it. I am, probably, better off starting over again, in the morning, Whipping elsewhere, but keeping the capitol at maximum pop. I do believe that is what I will do. Settling NW one square worked best, allowing all the Floodplains to be worked. Yep, I'm starting over again. That was -3, so I'm -4 {in the log files}, which will be the fifth play through? Yep! Yep! And Double-Yep! I just reloaded the game, moved NW, Settled, and that is where I will pick up from tomorrow. Capitol: Worker Worker Settler In between Wonders and everything else, the Secondary Cities will be Whipped and do the pumping in service of the Gods of Ga'nesh. # # # # # # Gods of Ga'nesh # # # # # # 1: Let the Capitol Grow 2: Whip for maximum Hammers, 90 per pop on Marathon, I do believe 3: Multiple Religions are fine, but do not waste Hammers spamming more than The One # # # # # # This should be the last play-through. Assuming the map is unbeatable by you if you fail again. # # # # # # 2019-04-02 3490BC T34 I discover Polytheism and revolt in Hinduism. I will take the slow way to Judaism. Researching: Pottery -> Mining -> Masonry -> Monotheism I may switch my mind about Monotheism if someone founds Judaism first. Between now and Masonry, I will be building Workers and Settlers, which should be the last time this game that Gods of Ga'nesh (the capitol, also probably just Ga'nesh in the future... or The Capitol) will be building either Workers or Settlers. # # # 2650BC: Pottery was a waste, at least before Judaism, as I got The Wheel from a Goodie Hut. And my Workers will not be building a Cottage prior to Judaism. Well, we will see. But the loss is not critical. I could have waited. It would be a shame to lose the second Religion. Of course, less Religions mean more wars for my adversaries, so I have mixed feelings. # # # 2130BC: I founded Judaism, but not in the Capitol. I wasn't thinking enough. I'm concentrating on expansion. Likely waiting the 19 Turns... Whoa! It was 19 Turns. So, I traded a Worker for not having Judaism in the capitol. Eh, it's close enough to a fair trade to not think about it. We are talking about an extra 10-20 Gold hundreds upon hundreds of turns down the line when (or if) I ever found Wall Street in the capitol. And this way, I don't have to, as it is the Shrines and the Corporate Headquarters which will drive the revenue. # # # 2050BC: I build Stonehenge. The way I am playing (or at least, this game), I am getting Stonehenge consistently. I expect to get The Great Wall and The Pyramids, as well. This is what the Great City of Ga'nesh is all about. Fish Eyes (my second City) has built a Worker (so, I have three); and rather than growing is working on a Settler. Ha! It's 24 Turns for The Great Wall. It would have been 23 Turns for a Terrace (the Incan Granary replacement). Um, The Great Wall it is. # # # 1850BC: The Barbarians are at the gate. And it is four turns until The Great Wall is completed. I am sunk if someone else gets it. I'm all in on The Great Wall Gambit. # # # 1810BC: I built The Great Wall and expelled the Barbarian Spear and Warrior who were about to attack The Great City of Ga'nesh... the heathens. I will be Researching Priesthood and then Writing, stopping in my production of the Pyramids to try and secure the Oracle for another Religion. Perhaps, I will have another City to put it in. Or perhaps, I will wait and let it land in one of the existing two. # # # 2019-04-02 1780BC T172 It's a solid start. I have no complaints whatsoever. I mean, not all of my micromanagement has been optimum. But it has been about as good as I can expect. In order to get a Religion out of The Oracle, I will have to delay it, which may lose me the Wonder. That has been a race I've lost about half the time on this map. I could get Metal Casting, instead. We'll see. # # # # # # Wonder & Slavery Cost Benefit Analysis # # # # # # I want to look at the Cost versus Benefit of both Slavery and the Monk Economy. I have a spreadsheet open. And I anticipate doing most of my heavy lifting there. {Nope, it's all here. I never used the spreadsheet, just a calculator.} As I was looking up the Hammer cost of the Monk Wonders, my eyes spied Stonehenge, so I will start there and analyse that Wonder, first. Stonehenge has a Hammer cost of 360, double production speed with Stone, and plus another 50% for Industrious. Thus, every Hammer is worth 2.5 Hammers, and the actual cost for an Industrious Leader (a caveat I will drop from my discussions) is 144 Hammers. Thus, for close to the cost of 1.5 Monuments (at 90 Hammers each) one gets a free Monument in every City. It's a pretty cheap Wonder. By the same token, in an isolated start (like I am playing), The Great Wall allows one to ignore Military Units... all the way up until T500 or so... at which point, one would be advised to drop everything and get with the program. The cost (for an Industrious Leader on Marathon Speed with Stone) for this convenience is 180 Raw Hammers. My Capitol currently has 9 Hammers a turn, so that's 20 Turns. Or another way to look at it, for the price of 6 Quechas at 30 Hammers each, one's Barbarian Problems are solved. Without doing the full math, The Pyramids will take me about 80 Turns to build, and in return, I get +3 Happy and +3 Science per Specialist. Just looking at the Science Boost, I'll need to run 200 Specialist Turns to break even. So, the math is far from clear. # # # Slavery Fish Eyes, my second city has two tiles (that when developed) will provide 5 Food and two that provide 1 Food / 4 Hammers. The second Food source is a Fish. And I am going to ignore the cost of Work Boats. If Fish Eyes Whips from Pop 4 to Pop 2, the unhappiness does not matter. What matters is the loss of production capability. At 90 Hammers per Pop, with a 2 Pop Whip, provides a Benefit of 180 Hammers at the cost of (78 + 84 = ) 162 Food. And that is one way of looking at it. However, to be at Population 4 (the requirement to Whip 2) one is giving up those two Citizens for: 78/6 = 13 Turns for the first Pop 84/5 = 16.8 = 17 for the second Pop, during which time one earns 50 Hammers. See, it's getting complicated. Gain for a Two Pop Whip in Fish Eyes 180H from the Whip 50H from Working a Tile 17B from Working a Tile (Beakers) ---- 247 To The Good (which I am just going to count as 250) But, I could be doing something else for the 30 Turns (and it is ironic that the Whip Timer and the Time to Rebuild the Population is the same in this example): 30 * 6 = 180, which is what I could get running two Scientists (running Representation from The Pyramids). 180H from working 1/3/1 & 1/3/0 30R from working same ---- 210 To The Good Well, and there you are, Whipping is more productive. Clear and simple (247 vs 210). But running the Scientists is way (way-way-way) more... um, Scientifically Proactive. 30 * 3 * 2 = 180 Hammers Ah, let's look at a third alternative, running Scientist while growing, but still Whipping. 78/6 = 13 Turns for First Pop Growth 84/4 = 21 Turns for Second Pop Growth 250H from the Whip 125B from the Scientist ---- 375 To the Good, but it takes longer Scientist Whip: 375/34 = 11.00 Turn Tile Work Whip: 250/30 = 8.33 Turn So, running Scientists while growing is clearly the best bet, assuming one counts Beakers as equivalent to Hammers, which since I have been thinking about building Research, I shall. {Oddly, after all of this, I still think straight out population growth is better than whipping, because after the second or third Whip rather than comparing a 2 Pop City to a 4 Pop City, one should be comparing a 2 Pop City to a 6 Pop City, as that's where it would be without The Whips.} # # # The Short Version Running Scientists while growing a City is the best Whipping Strategy, based upon my analysis. # # # Huh, maybe I don't need a spreadsheet. # # # The Monk Economy The Spiral Minaret 1650H (Stone) University of Sankore 1650H (Stone) The Sistine Chapel 1800H (Marble) For Stone Wonders, my conversion is 2.5x on Hammers. So, the actual cost: The Spiral Minaret == 660H University of Sankore == 660H Temple 240H Monastery 180H But both of these are Whippable, so a comparison to Troop Units might be more useful. I could get 4 Longbow instead of these buildings, so it's a trade-off between a Garrison and Research. I think the optimum strategy (unless one is specifically going for a Cultural Win) is to bypass the Sistine Chapel and just get the other two. At 10 Cities (all with a Temple and Monastery) the Turns to Recovery is: 660H Cost of The Spiral Minaret 660H Cost of University of Sankore 2400H Cost of Temples 1800H Cost of Monasteries ----- 5,520 Hammers Sunk for 10 Cities 2400H 1800H ----- 8,720 Hammers Sunk for 20 Cities The yield is +2 (Beakers or Gold) for each of the Wonders, at two Buildings each City, means the rate of return is 8/Turn per City 5520 / 8 / 10 = 69.0 Turns 8720 / 8 / 20 = 54.5 Turns I was thinking a 100 Turns would be a doable rate of return, so this looks good. I think the Sistine Chapel will only make sense if The Great Library makes sense... due to the swerve away from Military Techs this requires. The Great Library gets no Stone Bonus and I have no Marble, so the Raw Hammer Cost is 1055 / 1.75 = Great Library Analysis 1344B Research Aesthetics 897B Research Literature 602H Great Library Hammers ----- 2843 The yield is 2 Great Scientists: +6 Beakers +3 Great Person Points 2843 / 2 / 6 = 236 Turns 2843 / 2 / 9 = 157 Turns Now, 100 Turns might not be the best metric for whether something is worth it. But The Great Library is looking to be questionable. # # # I should go through the Wonders and see which ones are Stone Based. # # # Code of Laws provides Caste System. It's looking to be a major Technology. Also, Nationalism can be had without Music... and will allow me to move my Slave Economy into the Modern Era. # # # In previous games (this map), The Oracle was built in 1280BC and in 1250BC (by me). 1t's now 1770BC (I think 15 Years per Turn), so that gives me about 30 Turns. The Oracle 450H (Marble) with Priesthood 10Turns out, means I will have to CHOP!!! # # # 2019-04-02 1490BC T201 I got Code of Laws, which enables Caste System, which is incompatible with Slavery, so go figure. Right now, it does not matter, as my Whipping Block Cities are both at Size One. Oh, and my first three Cities each have a Religion in them, which is probably poor planning. I could have waited the Turn and doubled up somehow. Oh, well. # # # It is tempting to reload and pack the Religions, but the best I could hope for would be a double up. And that is not worth it, especially since the getting the three Religions is a bit of a hack, in the first place {as I already knew how this game would play}. # # # Researching: Mathematics -> Civil Service -> Paper I will attempt to build the Hanging Gardens on the way to Paper for the University of Sankore. # # # If I get a Great Prophet, I will build the Hindu Shrine. If I get a Great Spy, I will use it to disrupt the Barbarian City down south... keep it from spawning, by keeping an eye on it. # # # 2019-04-03 1390BC Um, I should really (and I mean, really) Research Animal Husbandry, prior to Mathematics. I've got two Pigs in the immediate vicinity... and more (likely) around the corner. In fact, it will be Fishing -> Animal Husbandry. # # # 1200BC: I Whipped The Pyramids in The Capitol, which is exactly what I said I would not do. But... well, most of the output for the next 11 Turns would have been for The Pyramids. And this way, I do get more Research. # # # 2019-04-03 840BC T266 Concentrating on optimizing the Whip, my turns are taking more time. It's fine, though. I mean, I will lose otherwise. So, I am doing what I need to win. I am building not what I intend to whip. So, um, that's probably not very clear. Grow on Courthouse Switch to Terrace, Build One Turn Whip Terrace Let Overflow fall into Courthouse It may not be optimum. But the idea is simply to get a 2 PoP Whip. And of course, having Whipped Ga'nesh to Death, it is in no position to build the Hanging Gardens. Still, not Whipping the previous game got me creamed. So, like they say, something has got to give. Still, maybe I should do the math again for Ga'nesh, assuming I will work my Cottages (fast approaching 3/0/5) for growth and my Elephants and Mines for production (assume, 1/3/1 for two). And then, in a bit, my Pig will come online (as a Pig rather than a mine at 5/1/1). Tiles I can work as successive population 5 1 1 Pigs 3 0 5 Cottage 3 0 5 1 3 1 Mine or Elephants 1 3 1 1 3 0 Mine ------- 14 10 13 Food F + Build to 4 = 84 / 2 = 42 / 5 = 8.4 Build to 5 = 90 / 2 = 45 / 4 = 11.25 Buiid to 6 = 96 / 2 = 48 / 3 = 16 Turns H/T T Hammers 9 x 8 = 56 (9 hammers from 3 at 1/3 for 8 Turns) 6 x 12 = 72 3 x 16 = 42 =========== 170 Hammers if Work Tiles vs 270 Hammers for a 3 Pop Whip Whipping is more productive! And keep in mind, Ga'nesh has good tiles to work. The gains are more pronounced when the subsequent tiles are of lesser quality. # # # Whip It! Whip It Good! Lyrics by Talking Heads I do believe # # # {Of course, I no longer believe this. It may well make sense to Whip if one's Happy Cap is at 5 or 6, but at higher levels, a higher population, I do believe, will be more productive. Good luck building a Wonder in a 4 Pop City. All of which means, I will need to do this analysis again, maybe next game, for my Capitol.} # # # 2019-04-03 420BC T308 There is a good 200 Turns until contact. I am working on Civil Service. It's somewhere around 40-50 Turns out, depending upon how my Gold holds out. I took one Barbarian City with a stack of 6 Quechuas. I am headed towards the other. But I believe I will need to make some more Units prior to attacking, as I lost one Unit (I got lucky, only loosing the one) and I left one behind at Anasazi as a Garrison, lest they revolt. Actually, it's not a bad return for the units. I got a City for 180 Hammers and was left with 5 Quechuas. # # # 2019-04-03 290BC T321 I rolled the dice and I lost. The Barbarians mounted a valiant defence. Maybe I should have quit after the first loss. But I did not. It was pretty much a clean sweep, losing four of my five units. While they lost one of their three. Well, I don't actually know. I mean, with a little bit of luck, what would have happened? Should I have waited? Maybe I should have brought six units. I did not. I lost all the Experience I've ever earned. Ouch! # # # 2019-04-03 260BC T324 I am Whipping like crazy. I whipped the final few turns of The Hanging Gardens... just in case. Also, I think eight Quechuas is the proper number for my next assault. Two of those defenders are experienced, now. Research Slider is at 70%, so I am at the edge of how many Cities I can support. One Settler is in the queue. And then, Cumin the Barbarian City. Oh, a few turns back I switched over to Confucianism, because it is just spreading better. All of my Cities have Confucianism, even the Barbarian City I just took over, while only 4 of 6 have Hinduism. Note, I have both of the Religious Shrines. And I still have not made the Maori Statues, as the City I was intending to put them in has not been founded yet. Yeah, I'll be coming back from behind, again. Maybe it is the map. Well, I mean, it's me. But the map is not helping. # # # 2019-04-04 90BC T341 I am pretty sure I am going to start over... yet again. Yep, that is what I am going to do. I did a lot of work showing how good slavery is. But one thing I did not do was factor in the lost tile... or Specialist. Due to unhappiness, the maximum Population is one (or more) less than it might otherwise be. But the main reason to reload is if I pushed Research in the capitol (and worked only Cottages), I could pump out as much Research as my whole empire was creating. I am in a weak position. Thus, a replay. 1: I want tall cities. 2: I need Research. 3: I need to be able to Turtle. So, I need Gunpowder at contact... or a slew of Longbowmen. 4: Way more Workers. In the early stages, it feels like I am Worker heavy. But by the end, I am lacking. I need to stay ahead of this. 5: Confucianism and Islam are my preferred Religions. Confucianism allows two enemy Civilizations to get Buddhism and Polytheism (and maybe another Judaism). So, wars. All that said, it should be stated that I can stare at the map for a long-long while, without figuring out where to place my Cities. City 1: Settle in Place. There is no better spot. City 2: West of the Stone, which gives me the Stone and is as good as any locale for the Maori Statues. City 3: Maybe I should plan on taking over a Barbarian City? Or the Floodplains in between? By Turn 300, I need to be pushing well north of 50 Research a Turn. I'd like to hit 100+ Research at 1AD. I will run Caste System in lieu of Slavery. # # # # # # New Game # # # # # # Thought Control is the Capitol. # # # # # # 2019-04-04 4000BC T0 Building a Worker (then a Settler). Researching: Hunting, so my worker has something to do. # # # 3955BC: Received the knowledge of Fishing from a Goodie Hut. # # # 3490BC: The Villagers are Hostile and Destroy my Quechua. # # # 2019-04-04 2500BC T100 Almost nothing happens in the first 100 Turns. I have a Worker and a second City: Maori Statues. # # # 2310BC: I did not get Stonehenge. Though to be fair, I did not try very hard. It always sucks to lose out on a Wonder Race. But my Terraces will make up for it. And it really was a place-holder: something I could work on until Masonry came in. # # # 2019-04-04 1980BC T152 The Great Wall just came in. The Maori Statues are fifty odd turns away. At which point, I believe I will have Maori focus on Settlers and Such. I need, at least, one more City. # # # 1890BC: I believe I have around 40 Turns until someone else builds The Oracle. Priesthood is a solid 20 Turns away. And it's 450H, so I would have to Chop something. Meaning, I need Bronze Working, as well. Thus (and in short), I will not be building The Oracle. # # # 1420BC: I'm going to Chop and try for The Oracle. I think I have about 20 Turns until it is built elsewhere. And I can Chop twice in that time. I am researching Code of Laws. So if I get it, I'll likely take Metal Casting. # # # 1330BC: I did not get The Oracle. It was completed in a far away land. # # # 1110BC: Fourteen Turns until I nab Confucianism. I hope I nab Confucianism. # # # 2019-04-04 970BC T253 I landed Confucianism. I need to start expanding. Though, I do believe Troops and a Barbarian City Capture or two is the way to go... at least, at first. Of course, I say that. But a Library will yield me +8 Beakers, which is way more than a new City will. So, it has the priority for now. # # # 930BC: I got a Great Spy from The Great Wall. For the most, such a Unit is worthless... or not. I will use it as a Scout to see what the Barbarian Cities (if any) are up to. So, I can beeline an attack, when appropriate. # # # 670BC: +56 Beakers per Turn (+54 if one takes into account the deficit spending). # # # 540BC: I am reloading, because I did not see a Warrior who was hiding under my Great Spy... and so, I moved my Settler into peril. Reloading prior to seeing if Warrior will take the Settler. Sometimes, they don't. # # # 510BC: Founded Charming Third (my third City) and Normalized Research (after taking into account negative spending is +60 Beakers a Turn). # # # 2019-04-04 500BC T300 I did a little finagling and was able to push my Research up to +70 Beakers a Turn with zero deficit spending. I've got 100 Gold in the bank. But I don't feel like spending it down at the moment. Researching: Civil Service (which is 34 Turns out at the current rate). Oh, the Great Spy is working pretty good at Fog Busting. And she can even capture the loot from a Goodie Hut (even with a Warrior standing on top). Though, the last time she (my spy be a gal) popped a guarded hut, four Hostile Warriors appeared. Well, at least they were not Axes. # # # 240BC: Once again (and I do feel this way quite often), I feel like I am going to win... well, or doing good. Yeah, maybe doing good is a better metric. Research is at 81 Beakers a Turn with zero deficit spending. Of course, I had next to no gold in the bank (having spent it down, so I could not deficit spend if I wanted to). But we need not get into that. # # # 150BC: +104 Beakers a Turn with no deficit. Yeah, that's what I am talking about. # # # 320AD: I have founded Christianity. It landed in Maori, which is where Confucianism was founded. So, I think we have our Money City. # # # 2019-04-04 360AD T386 The University of Sankore is in. And I am producing +152 Beakers with no deficit. Divine Right is roughly 50 Turns out. I am building an expeditionary force, so I can capture the Barbarian City. I should make sure they haven't flipped to Longbows, yet. Four Cities is not much. But they are all good cities. Not the best production wise. But they will do. The next two Cities down the peninsula should be a bit better. Which means, after Divine Right, I should go down the Optics path. Ha! I just got my Research up to 161B/T! +169 Beakers +2 Gold Is the final after all my tweaking. This is going to drop soon, as one or two new Cities come online. Perhaps more importantly, these last few Beakers come at the price of Hammers. Still, Research is King! # # # 2019-04-05 500AD T400 This will be the last game I play on this map no matter what. There is no contact, but will be shortly... in 100 Turns or so. I will get (or so I hope) the Barbarian City, soon. I have, also, Settled another City. So, my Research is taking a momentary dip down to +160Beakers a Turn. # # # 580AD: The Great Library has been built in a Far Away Land. I get a ping of sadness when I hear such news. At the same time, I have decided to go a different route. # # # 2019-04-05 790AD T458 The Monk Wonders have been built. Yippie. I am 44 Turns, give or take, away from Gunpowder. Which means, I should be able to defend myself. If I Turtle Up, I'd like something along the lines of 5 Muskets per City. Though, I doubt I will Turtle Up. The Wonders being made by the other AI's are The Parthenon and The Great Library. Both are nice Wonders. I'd like to collect them all. But I am not that powerful this game. After Gunpowder, I believe I will go straight down the Corporation -> Economics -> Scientific Method path. Um... unfortunately, that is not an actually path. So, let us say, Scientific Method is the target, I do not know how I will wander there. Perhaps, I will go through Optics and Astronomy. If no one has made contact by the time I collect Gunpowder, I may decide to do that. I only have Confucianism in four out of seven Cities, so I need to work on that... and then build the Temples and Monasteries that go along with that (and The Monk Economy). In the next 100 Turns, I need to Settle (would like to Settle, will Settle) at least two more Cities on my Home Continent. I could pack more in, but I question the utility prior to Sid's Sushi, which is too far off to plan for at this remove. I am confident. I believe I have enough time to Power Up... before the Hammer drops. Who knows? I may be strong enough to attack someone? # # # 2019-04-05 890AD T478 There has been no contact as of yet. Judging from the previous games (which really makes this an unfair contest, I have lots of milestones to look at for reference {geared specifically to this map}), I can expect contact somewhere between T500-600, with T550 being my best guess estimate. {As I proofread this, I am (already) playing another game with similar settings. But I do not believe it is unfair of me to expect contact by T500-600 in that game... because it may not be an overly accurate estimate for that map.} Thus, I will get Gunpowder in time... and will have a few turns to build Muskets. I have no set Build Priority, but it is something like: Terrace Courthouse Confucian Monastery Confucian Temple Forge Barracks Muskets {I do not believe I will build as many Monasteries in the future. It obsoletes too soon.} And so, just now, I added a Forge to three or so Build Queues. I'll have to look carefully at what I want after Gunpowder. Nationalism is appealing, but I lose Bureaucracy, which would be a Research Hit. Liberalism requires Philosophy, which takes me out of my way. Optics might allow me first contact, but I am in no position for a war... and that is the main reason for contact. Still, that decision is 28 Turns away. At which point, the future will become clearer. Soon enough, I will be building another City to the North, to capture the two fish (only one of which will be in the Fat Cross), so maybe I should head for a Corporation. I just looked at the Demographic Screen. Almost all of my rival's better Research rates can be attributed to trade. The main continent offers plenty of opportunity. And then, the lands across a shallow sea give the +1 Bonus for trade to another continent. So once again, I am feeling sorry for myself... or realizing the start was less than idea. Isolated? Yes. But as a consequence, I was forced to play through the game's standard narrative. And winning is most definitely about bypassing the normal narrative. # # # 2019-04-06 1005AD T501 I just got Gunpowder. And I do not know what to Research next. The Sistine Chapel and it's +5 Culture for all State Religion Buildings would be nice. I'd get +10 Culture everywhere (eventually) and it would negate the need to build anymore cities. Of course, that option is +/- 25 Turns away in Research Time... and would cost me a Great Engineer, as I don't think I would build the Wonder it in time, otherwise. Thus, I'm not going to go for it. I'm going to Research Currency, instead. I will assume that contact will be made soon enough. At which point, I will be able to fine tune the Post-Education Technologies for fun and profit. In three Cities, I have either a Barracks or Forge under production. And after I get each, I will focus on Muskets for a spell. # # # 1015AD: The Chinese Empire has made contact. Thus, I would have never circled the globe first. # # # 2019-04-06 1330AD T526 I have used two Great Engineers: 1) Sistine Chapel: will allow me to proceed with a Cultural Victory. +10C Everywhere for the two State Religion Buildings. +2 For each Specialist 2) Angkor Wat: Gives me an additional Hammer for every Priest Specialist, which means I am running lots of those. Hopefully, I get the two more Great Prophets that I need to build the Holy Shrines. I have eight Cities. So, that means I only need one more for the optimum Culture win, as each Cathedral needs three Temples... or something like that. I am the only one with Paper and I am not trading it. So hopefully, I can maintain Tech Parity. Post contact (with three rival Civilizations), I traded away all of my advantages down to Paper... and then, cross traded once again with everything I received in the first round of trading. I could get the free Technology for Liberalism... and then, Economics. It's possible. Yeah, nobody else having Paper means nobody else has Education, which is a big one. I have three Cities building Troops, which may not be enough. But it's what I have going, right now. I do not have that clear of an idea of what comes next. I expect to be attacked by Persia and/or Ethiopia, probably both as they are great friends. But another 10-20 Units and they don't stand a chance. So, it matters how far away Astronomy is. Barring successful invasion, which I am optimistic about, I think I can pull off a Cultural Victory. And who knows, in another few hundred Turns, I might be in a position to attack someone. I would like to have a better plan. The Post Education Technologies are what comes next. And likely, Sid's Sushi, after that. # # # 2019-04-08 1130AD T526 Ethiopia has discovered the secrets of Astronomy, which means he may be the first to attack. I am not ready for an assault. But down the line when I am, I may well welcome an invasion for the experience and Double Great General Points, since I have The Great Wall. In the meantime, we are trading. I offered Open Borders, which Ethiopia accepted. Oddly, I believe it is a one way trade. Oh, well. I will be switching to Merchanitilism as soon as I am able. # # # 2019-04-08 1190AD T538 I just got Guilds and am eight Turns away from Banking. At which point, I will research Liberalism for Economics as my Free Technology. I will be upset if I lose the race. My Power is at a fraction of my adversaries. But as I will be playing defence, I am not that worried... maybe, I should be. Ethiopia is plotting war, as is China (but they do not have Astronomy, so who really cares). I am preparing for the offensive... but not completely. In truth, in about half of these games, Ethiopia has attacked China. So, it could go that way. Right now, I have three Cities producing Units... and that will be the case for some time. # # # 1220AD: Ethiopia is Researching Constitution, so I will land Liberalism. Though, he is Researching at twice my rate, so I will not keep up Technology wise in the long run. # # # 1230AD: I am Revolting into Pacifism and Merchantilism. Things are looking good. # # # 1275AD: Ethiopia declares war. His initial attack did nothing but kill four of his Units, give me a few experience points, and put me 24 points closer to my first Great General... so, um, that's six points per attack. # # # 1320AD: I repulsed his attack, which was going amazingly well for him, having suffered no casualties after landing. But Yara made the mistake of attacking with weakened units and lost his entire stack the turn thereafter. Clam Dip shall be my Troops Specialization City (i.e. where I shall settle all my Great Generals). So, I should rename it... to Vice Grip. # # # 2018-04-08 1370AD T580 I am disappointed in Yara. He says that I am his worst enemy. But he can't be bothered to launch another invasion against me. I think his window of opportunity is closed. I will build up a defensive force five high (at least) in my cities. And then, I will think about assembling an invasionary armada. Zara will land the post Scientific Method Bonus Technologies... if he wants them. I am concentrating on Rifling and military, for now. Researching: Rifling -> Railroad When I get there, I should be able to attack, if that is my inclination... or Turtle forever... especially after one considers that I expect to be first to both of those Technologies. I'd like to land Sid's Sushi... but it is not the priority, at the moment. # # # 2019-04-08 1400AD T595 Five of the Opposing Civilizations have Declared War. This happened a few turns back. But was such a non-event, I did not record it. I have too many troops to be invaded. OK. Fair enough, if they coordinate an attack and everyone lands at once, I am in trouble. But considering Yara has not made a repeat appearance, it's an empty threat. I have five (going on six) Units defending most of my Cities. And Rifling is only twenty odd turns away. They are going to get shredded at Rifling. So, it's a matter of being able to knock me out in the next twenty turns. It won't happen. # # # 1405AD: Gilgamesh (of Sumeria) attacks! His stack of ships had me worried: 5 Caravels and 5 Galleons, which could have meant 15 Units, but he only landed 7. I am rearranging my troops, so it will hurt if someone lands simultaneously on the other side of my island. But if not, I am safe. 1408AD: Mansa Musa did land on the other side of the island. If he attacks right away prior to allowing me to rearrange troops, the City is lost. # # # 2019-04-08 1458AD T624 Endless War! Um, I'm doing OK on the war department. Talk about Turtling, I do not have any navy. But I have Rifles, which no one else has, so I'll be OK. My opponents simply are not dropping enough troops at once. Though, I will give them kudos for the coordinated attack: three different Cities... not simultaneously, but pretty close. I've made peace with most of my opponents. And I am up Rifling on everybody, so I'll be OK. The battle is intense. I need to stop and rest... take store. The last 25 Turns or so have flown by. In some sense, I am hanging on by the skin of my teeth. In another, they are just wasting their troops. Though, I no longer believe I will ever be in a position to launch an offensive. # # # 2019-04-08 1514AD T652 I believe the worst of the attacks are over. Every one has made peace except for Mansa Musa. He thinks he is doing something reducing my Cities defences. But he is not. I'm slowly working on Culture... but not in any sort of hurry... as Troops are still important. Of course, I say that and not a single City is producing a Military Unit: though Vice Grip is working on the Heroic Epic, which will be required to produce ever more expensive Units. Still, I think I have the building blocks required to win a Cultural Victory. And if not, my bad. My three Cities will be: Thought Control Maori Statues Spy of Tigris Spy of Tigris is the only questionable choice, but I believe it will have the production capacity required after building a levee. And I do not want to change Vice Grip's focus. Lastly, rather than holding a grudge, it is likely in my best interest to Open Borders and trade with everyone and anyone who desires. Seriously, every turn I become harder to attack... and I'm not super confident, but with three Religions, I think I have what it takes to win Culturally. # # # 2019-04-09 1634AD T712 Cyrus of Persia has attacked, again. He attacked one of the three cities that I am heavily garrisoning, so he got nowhere. He lost his stack. I lost three units. And I have a slew of reinforcements moving to the City. Of course, if this becomes another pile on, I may be in trouble, as I stopped building units. But what are you going to do. # # # 1648AD: I destroyed the second Persian stack. Mothers are weeping in the homeland. A third stack is likely on the way. But what is a person to do but get another Great General. # # # 2109-04-09 1710AD T750 We are at the halfway point. It has been a long time since I won a Cultural Victory, so I don't know if I will pull it off. I don't think I will get knocked out. But I will be in a race for my Cultural versus Ethiopia and Malinese Team Victory Moon Shot. They are a ways off. But let us assume they will launch in the mid 1900s, so 1950. That means I have 450 Turns to go. 150,000 / 450 = 333 Means, I need to get my Culture up to the 500C/Turn range in my worst city. I built a Cathedral in Charming Third, so that is my third Cultural City. I have been behaving like Spy of Tigris would be it, but what is done is done. And the difference is not that much. I am in Caste System (and intend to finish the game in Caste System). Artists give me +9C/T. I'll be running 5-10 of those in my Cultural Cities. And yes, if this means I have to be a World Villain to defy a UN Resolution for Universal Emancipation, I will. I should get Sid's Sushi in 62 Turns (or so). It does not look like anyone else is prioritizing it. So, I should land it. At which point, I will turn off my research. Vice Grip is currently building Destroyers, which is an end game Unit. I am considering only building Destroyers in Vice Grip from here on out. Certainly, a fifty plus stack is reasonable. I wonder if settling a City specifically to take advantage of the Free Specialists from a National Park would make sense. I think I would have to Settle three more Cities for that ploy to work, so I'd have the Cathedrals. But I could get an additional 7 Artist Specialists that way: +63C/T... not too shabby. Thus, with Sid's Sushi, I will need to Settle a Trio. The gambit is worth it. Besides, I have plenty of unused real estate. But I will put that on the back burner until Biology. So, build priorities will become: Executives Settlers Workers It's sort of amazing how well six workers have served me. But I need those Forest Preserves done now. Also, Railroads will make defence easier. # # # 2019-04-09 1754AD T773 I gave Cyrus Biology for Peace. I was doing OK. But he just got Combustion. And my Destroyers were going to stop being effective. The 10-20 Turns Peace I will get (at a minimum) will be worth it. During the attack, I made the mistake of suiciding my stack of old units against his Infantry. I don't regret the loss. But I believe it convinced him he was winning, even though that was the last of his gains. I am building the National Park in Thought Control... and then, I'll max out my Merchants, hoping for a Great Merchant fairly soon after I discover Medicine for that all important Sid's Sushi, which may well mark the difference between winning and losing this game. This may be the longest run for the end I ever make... and it's on Marathon. Who knows? Maybe I will change my mind. But no. I feel like I'm pretty far behind. It's late in the game to be doing some sort of boomerang to the top of the ranks. # # # 2019-04-09 1778AD T797 I have no idea how far everyone else is from building a Space Ship, but I am still not in my final descent for the Cultural Victory. I very much want Sid's Sushi. But I do not have the Great Merchant. The next Great Person is 18 Turns out. And although there is a 60% chance for a Great Merchant, I have not nailed one yet. I will give my enemies whatever they want to maintain the peace. I no longer have any Technologies that others desire. And plenty have Medicine... along with me. Research is at 0%. Culture is at 100%. Victory is well over 100 Turns away... so it may well be an impossibility. Still, it is my only hope. # # # 2019-04-09 1779AD T798 If I don't get a Great Merchant for Sid's Sushi, I will use it for a Golden Age. And hopefully, the +100% Great Person Points will give me what I need. After the Great Merchant, all Specialists become Artists... well, except for Gods of Ganesh, which is the Cultural leader and is running a good ten specialists, now. That's a pretty good city. # # # 1783AD: Rome is at War with Sumeria and Babylonia. Persia is (likely) plotting against me. I have cancelled all trade deals and closed my borders, lest I get hit with more negative modifiers. I am sure someone will ask me to join a war, but I will not. Six Cities are building Troops. I hope to be prepared. # # # 1796AD: I founded Sid's Sushi, so a Cultural Victory is looking awfully promising. In the meantime, Cyrus sent a convoy my way, so I declared war and took it out. # # # 1797AD: I Revolted into my end game Civics: Representation Free Speech Caste System Environmentalism Pacifism I think it will take a successful military assault to take the game from me. I do not believe Cyrus has what it takes to launch a successful military assault. # # # 1798AD: Sumeria has Declared War. Well, if enough folks pile on, I am in bad shape. # # # 1800AD: Persia took 55 Gold for Peace. Now, Gilgamesh needs to lose a stack, so I can offer him the same deal. # # # 1807AD: Gilgamesh accepted Peace for 125 Gold after I destroyed one of his Destroyers. So, all is right with the world. # # # 1811AD: A few turns back, the United Nations was constructed. If they try to force Emancipation down my throat... or any other Civic than what I am running, I will defy the resolution. # # # [alt]+mouse-click builds an item indefinitely. # # # 2019-02-10 1825AD T844 I am re-purposing all of the tiles around my Three Cultural Cities and turning them into Farms. For Culture, nothing will beat an Artist Specialist. With the added boost this will bring, I shall predict I win a Cultural Victory in under 100 Turns... so, by Turn 950. Um, you may wish to check my math. Cultural Victory Predicted by T950. # # # 1826AD: And then, Rome appeared off my shores with a nice attack stack. It's only four Transports, which translates into 16 Land Units. But I am done. I do not wish to fight another battle. Heck, maybe I should... just to see if I can. Nope. Not going to do it. Persia will just declare again... and then, Gilgamesh. And without being able to take it on the offensive (and I am in no position to take it on the offensive), the battle becomes one of weary attrition. I concede victory to Yara of Ethiopia. # # # Thus, I am starting the list of possible players for my next game: Charlemagne of the Holy Roman Empire Joao II of the Portuguese Empire Augustus Caesar of Rome I do believe I will be playing as the Portuguese. But any further game-play is a bit away. # # # 2019-04-10 (c) Copyright Brett Paufler