2020-05-08
(c) Copyright Brett Paufler

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K-MOD - TACKY
WAR! WAR! WAR!

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I often start these In Game Notes prior to writing any of the main webpage.  And at other times (more so in the past), I write the complete Webpage intro, prior to starting on the notes.

Anyway, this time, I finished the Webpage intro prior to writing a single word, here.  I got all the way to:

         War! War! War!
      Strategies & Spoilers

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2020-05-08

I have not completed a Turn Set, as of yet.  My plan for the first Turn Set is fairly straightforward:

    1: Scout with my Warrior.
    2: Build Work Boats
    3: Research Bronze Working

And that should take me to the end of the first Turn Set.

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I guess I am going to use a lot more section dividers (i.e. '# # #') in this write-up than I might otherwise.  But conceptually, I want to break things up.  And all of these introductory sections occur in the same writing spree... at least, until I add another date marker.

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My initial Technology decision was between:
    Bronze Working - The Whip and Defensive Units
    Sailing - The Great Lighthouse
    Religions - Culture and The Organized Religion Bonus, along with The Oracle

In the end, Bronze Working won out, as being able to Whip at Whim is the most important function.

In fact, the more I think about The Great Lighthouse, the more I wonder if the Hammers are worth it.

{Oh, they are definitely worth it on This Map.  It was worth 4-7 Commerce per City, since most Cities were on a Separate Landmass.}

Here's the thought.  Those 750 Hammers (going by memory) can amass quite the Army.  So, is The Great Lighthouse worth an opposing Civilizations Capitol?  Probably not.  But then, if I am on an island, it's probably prudent to go for The Great Lighthouse.  I mean, it'll be worth +4 Commerce per City from the get go, that way (2 Trade Routs per City, with each Trade Route being a +2 Commerce Trans-Continental Trade Route).  Essentially, since this is an Island Heavy Map, if I start in The Islands, The Great Lighthouse is likely worth more than anything else.

But then, I'll want to Whip the underlying Lighthouse, which requires Slavery, so Bronze Working is a pre-requisite.  And more or less the same logic holds with Religious Temples or The Oracle.

So, Bronze Working is first.  And from there, I can see:
    Sailing for The Great Lighthouse
    Archery for a rush if is Bronze out of reach
    Mysticism to start down the Religious Tract, which we all know I love.

Also, I should mention that on account of The Islands, Barbarian Galleys will be a thing.  So Metal Casting to enable Triremes will be quite the edge... or so, I image.

{Since my Food came from Seafood, Triremes were not so much an edge as a requirement.}

Meaning, if I construct The Oracle, Metal Casting is my Free Tech of Choice.

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Ah, I only want to play This Map the one time.  {Chuckle.  Chuckle.  Snort.  It is to laugh.}  So when I save (more frequently), I intend to save a Working Copy of the Log File, so if I reload, I just use the Old Log File and the bookkeeping is easier.

Got it?

If I reload, I'll Reload (i.e. Roll Back) the Log File to the Reload Point.

Hopefully, I'll be a man about the entire thing and take my lumps.  But I really suck at such things as Worker Stealing, Rushes, Early Wars, and the like.  So, rather than Restarting Endlessly, which has become my modus operandi, I intend to only Reload in War Mongering Learning Situations, whatever that might mean.

{I did little to no War Mongering.  Though, I think I put quite a bit of Early Combat under my belt by Battling Barbarians.}

But hopefully, I will have no reloads.

I will include and Dead End (Reload) Log Files with The Save Games.

{Actually, I'll try compressing the Save Files several different ways.  And if it's more or less the same data load, I will include all the Log Files.  Otherwise, I will pick and choose... probably just including the last save from each Play Through.}

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Now, for some strategic considerations.

If I have more than two Cities on a landmass which does not contain The Palace, Hidden Palace, or Versailles, the Colony Maintenance becomes insane.  It's +20G/T per City if there are three or more.  It's pretty ridiculous.  But then, it is what it is.

In short, it will be very important to limit the number of Cities on any Island to two.

{For Islands, this was easy.  It's The Sub-Continents that are more problematic... or would have been had I ever progressed that far.  Simply put, most Islands only had one or two decent City Sites.  So, this was never a problem.  However, The Sub-Continents could hold many times that number.)

And once I Settle The Mainland (The Sample Maps tend to have one or two big landmasses), I will need to switch my Capitol to The Mainland.  Meaning (I just realized) that if I am starting on an Island, I probably should limit myself to Two Cities.

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2020-05-09

I have some random strategy, Game Play, and/or Micro Managing Errata to go over before I get down to it.

This could take a while.

Small Gifts of Gold may (or may not) give Diplomatic Bonuses.  I have tried this in the past to no avail.  But then, I saved a note (screenshot) wherein another advocates such action.  So, who knows?

I'm just reminding myself that there is a Civic, which allows one to Trade Gold for Hammers.  Though, I don't know how one is expected to get that much Gold in the first place.

Diplo Bonuses:
    +1 25 Turns Open Borders
    +2 50 Turns Open Borders
    +1 50 Resource Turns Trade
        5 Resources is 5x as fast

Through Promotions, it is possible to get a Galley with a Movement of 5.  But I question whether this is worth much of anything.  In the example, a Great General was sacrificed for the ability, which seems like a steep price to pay for something I am indifferent about.  I was excited at first, but that is when I thought said Galley could traverse Ocean Tiles.  But I do not believe that is the case.  Yeah, I just checked this in World Builder.  Five Movement is possible.  But the Galley could still not traverse Ocean Tiles.

The AI values Gold over Beakers, Trading away Technologies at +/-75% of their Beaker Value when Gold is given in return.

I suppose I should mention that all of these tidbits originate in the postings of others.  So, like, the Ocean Going Galley was erroneous information.  Who knows what value the AI actually assigns to Beakers.  Also, to make matters more complicated, it's likely 75% of the AI's Beaker Cost, not mine.  So, there pertinent point is simply that Raw Gold Buys more than Spent Beakers.

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2020-05-09

As I said, all of the preceding points come from elsewhere, others.  Though, it is my understanding that like recipes or lists, facts or ideas cannot be copyrighted.  Still, there is a sense of... something.

In my defence, I feel like I need to identify these strategic points somewhere and somehow, so as to record their integration into my Game Playing Style, this slow build-up of strategic considerations over time being part of the value-added of this site.

Anyway, to that end, the ideas are stripped bare.  The original sources overwhelming discussed these items in much greater detail.  And moving forward, I am inclined to include the raw idea (the base of the base) in as streamlined a way as possible... likely in a dedicated format.

I'm playing with {the following as a possible format}:

Strategy Name Title (date): briefest of brief synopsis, assuming the title doesn't say it all.

Let's try that, shall we?

Colony Maintenance (2020-05-09): a third City on a separate landmass (no Palace, Forbidden Palace, or Versailles) adds +20 Maintenance per City.  So, The Third City is an additional -60Gold/Turn hit (3 Cities * 20 each).

As I've stated, the foregoing will be very important in The Game I am just starting, as it's full of Islands... small landmasses, where a person may well desire to build only a handful of Cities.  Certainly, in the past, I have crowded Three Cites onto an Island where I should have only put One... Two at best.

I'd say the format worked-out pretty well.

Warrior Rush (2020-05-09): It takes upwards of 6 Warriors to secure the Death of a Fortified City Archer.  So, Rushing an Early City, may well take a good dozen Warriors.

Forts Are Ports (2020-05-08): Forts operate as Cites in the Trade Network, operating as Ports.

I used this last (or mentioned this last) in My Last Game.  But it's this subtle increase in knowledge that is hard to quantify and track.  When I become aware of a point fact {in the future, moving forward}, I will endeavour to relate it in the above mentioned format.  Though, it's not easily accessible by a quick search, so I may want to tweak it a bit.  Nah, it's good enough.  I do not use the ' (YYYY-MM-DD): ' format anywhere else, so a Regular Expression could pick it out.  I had thought I might have wanted to start any entry with 'TIP: ', but that seems ugly.

Essential to the above, Forts function very much as Cities.

Forts Function as Cities (2020-05-09): for purposes of Offence (City Raider Promotions), Defence (Garrison Promotions), Healing, Trade Route Connection, Ship Movement, Air Bases, and likely everything else except Yields and Expenses (including {so excluding} Cultural Growth). This presupposes the Fort lays within one's Cultural Borders.

Machine Guns Can Pillage (2020-05-09): I believe I confirmed this Last Game.  But my mind remains unconvinced.

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2020-05-09

The following is not exact.  In fact, none of these rules should be considered exact.  They are my rules of thumb.

Capitulation Requirements (2020-05-09):
    1) 10 more Combat Victories than Losses
    2) 2x Population OR (it may be AND, but I'm pretty sure it's OR) 2X Land than Target
    3) Target's Power has to be less than the World Average

These are just rough rules.  So, if one is close, then push it a little further.  The final requirement is perhaps key {the hardest to fulfil}.  I take it (roughly) as:
    sum(All_Civ_Pow) / Num_Civs

So, a few low Power Civs can cause a Civilization to feel more Powerful than it actually is, especially since All_Civ_Pow includes Colonies and Vassals {i.e. those who are not really making it on their own}.

It's all the more reason not to accept a failing foe as a Vassal.

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2020-05-09

And that brings me up to date on my saved Strategy Tips and increased understanding of Game Mechanics.  I will endeavour to add these in Real Time rather than saving them up as I have.

I mean, I do a fair bit of reading regarding Civilization.  And as such, this does not cover it all.  But ever once in a while, I get some good hard data that has an effect.  And much of the preceding falls into that category.

Though, something like the following is not as clear cut and so is harder to communicate:
    Industrious + Stone + Whip + Fail Gold + Abuse = Lots of Gold

I'm not much of a Micro-Manager.  But if I invest in Fail Gold in the Turns ahead, that's why.  Oh, I should also mention, the idea (named Wonder Bread Economy by others) is based on Whip Overflow.
    Whip Wonder = 20 Hammers
    Whip Other = 30 Hammers
So, if one Whips to finish something with 10 Hammers to go and lets the Overflow go to a Wonder, those 10 Hammers are essentially free {30 - 10 equals 20}.  It gets more complicated.  The idea is simple enough {even if I am not being clear}, abuse The Whip, abuse Fail Gold, prosper.

I will likely simply put a few Hammers into Wonders here and there (more or less as I have been doing in Games Past, but at an increasing rate), confident I will eventually get my investment back in Gold.

Hammers -> Stone Wonder (with Stone) -> Fail Gold is twice at productive as Hammers -> Gold directly.

And there we have far more words than this idea is worth to me.

I am not a Micro-Manager.

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2020-05-09
4000BC
T0

I am Building Fishing Boats and will Play This Set until I reach Bronze Working.  The Warrior is exploring towards the North East.  I think I've covered everything else, so far.

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T15: I veered to the East on account of the Stone, which if, I can I'd like to harness prior to Building the Maori Statues.  But I am writing because I met Sitting Bull... more or less, straight East.  Also, I was paying more attention to moving my Warrior than my City, so I worked the wrong Tiles.  I would have preferred to work a 1F2H Forest, rather than the other way around.

T32: Pericles from the North, but likely West.  I am on the Main Continent... or one of two.

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2020-05-09
3130BC
T58

I do not see any Copper.  This is not good.  I am willing to assume there is Iron on the Plains Hill North East of Kyoto.  {There was not.}  But that will not be within my Cultural Borders for two Border Pops.  My understanding is that Resources do not appear on Forested Tiles.

So, I see little choice but to Research Archery or The Barbarians are going to tear me a new one.

In some ways, it is OK, as I was half thinking about Researching Archery, anyway, you know, first thing... just for this reason.

I have Revolted into Slavery.  And I will wait until the Revolution is over until I decide on my next Builds:
    Work Boats
    Workers
    Barracks
    Settlers

Yeah, this is going to be a strange Non-Standard Game for me.

I'm already lost {in that, I don't know what to do}.

Finally, I did not use my Warrior to explore much.  Maybe, I should have.  But preservation of Units has always been important.  And even if there was Copper a few more Tiles away, it might be a mistake to go for it.  Eh, once I get Archers, I can explore a bit more.

So, I'm pretty sure this means my next Turn Set will go until I hit Archery.  At which point, I will be in desperate need of Units.

I am sure by then, I will have Whipped my Barracks and Built a Worker or two, along with quite possibly my first Settler.  I have no idea how the Whipping will go.

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2020-05-09

Food To Grow at Normal S
1->2: 22 Food
2->3: 24 Food
3->4: 26 Food
4->5: 28 Food

So, Triple at Marathon, which looks right
1->2: 66 Food
2->3: 72 Food
3->4: 78 Food
4->5: 84 Food
5->6: 90 Food
6->7: 96 Food
7->8: 102 Food

Since get 90 Hammers per Food, it's pretty clear I get at least 1 Hammer per Food.

A Settler is 300 Hammers, which would cost 4 Population.

Yeah, it's looking to be a no-brainer to Whip as much as I can.  The Fish give 5 Food, which is more than anything else.  So, if I stay at Size 3 or Better, I'm maximizing utility.  But really, I should do whatever.  I got to Size 4 in 58 Turns and will get another Population Pop in like 5 Turns after the Revolution.

I really suck at Micro.

Anyway, it looks like I'll want to Whip Settlers and Grow on Archers... or something like that.

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2020-05-10
2755BC
T83

I have Archery.

No one has Founded any of the Religions, which I'm guessing K-Mod does not prioritize.  So, I am going to Research Mysticism, next.

I would like to Whip Stonehenge, but it is out of reach.  Instead, having already Whipped a Barracks, I will Build Archers.  Well, another Work Boat and then a few Archers.

It looks like I have land (and nice land, at that) available to me.  So, I may be better off getting a few Settlers out.

So, I grow to Pop 6 Building Archers and Work Boats, Whip a Settler, and likely repeat.

Eh, rather than stopping, I am going to play another Turn Set.

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2020-05-10
2545BC
T97

No one has Founded any Religions.  I used to prefer running Buddhism.  Personally, it calls to me a bit more.  But then, I don't consider The Buddha to be part of Buddhism, so my interpretation is, maybe, not per the mainstream.  On the other hand, I find the Icon for Judaism to be stronger, easier to see.  But really, the defining issue is side-benefits.  With Buddhism, I unlock Monasteries and am well on my way to The Oracle and Temples.

Eh, I should make another Hard Save, here.  I don't like Reloading on losing a Race.  But then, I'm not a big fan of all The Races in the first place.  I'd like to play a Mod where all the World Wonders are National Wonders.

Anyway, I'm playing through, going for Buddhism.  I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

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2020-05-10
2290BC
T121

GAME OVER!

I decided to Declare War on Pericles, which wasn't such a bad idea.  But I took the 'Enemy Has Been Spotted' messages to be referring to Pericles.  And instead, they referred to a Barbarian Warrior and Barbarian Archer.

I probably can continue from the point where I Researched Archery.

The second Work Boat Explorer is doing me little good.  And if I take Athens, I really don't need another Settler.

Let us assume I can Bum Rush Pericles with 6 Archers... 6-8 to be safe.  But I think 6 will do the trick.

I will Reload at Archery and focus my attention on Pericles.

But perhaps, not today.

Further, I would rather have Iron Working than a Religion.  Yes, Religions are nice.  Religions are wonderful.  But if Combat is the name of the game.  I should Play Combat.

I am seriously considering the wisdom in Researching Bronze Working first.  But then, it allows me to Chop and Whip.  So, even if I intend to Rush Archers (or if I am lucky, Axes).  It is the way to go.

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RELOADING
035-01-03-T83 - KMOD TACKY - Archery - BC-2755
RENAMING
035-02-03-T83 - KMOD TACKY - Archery - BC-2755

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So, for bookkeeping, I would want the start and latest 035-01 save.  But I can kill the rest, as 035-01-03 is contained within 035-02-03.

Let's see how it goes:
    6-8 Archers for Athens
    Iron Working for The Game

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2020-05-10
2755BC
T83

Man (or should that be, CPU), if you look at the logfile, I am just going spastic, going back and forth and changing my mind {about Builds or Research, I cannot remember which, but I would guess Builds}.

I opted against Iron Working.  I will not get it in time for this initial strike.  So, I can delay it ever further.  Besides, who knows.  I may find Copper elsewhere.

Researching: Animal Husbandry (to improve my Cows)

Building:
    Work Boat (only because I am a third of the way done)
    6 Archers

I've already Built two Workers and Whipped my Barracks.

Part of the Spaz-Matron comes from not realizing I already had two Workers.  But it's hardly important.  I hardly think about that.  And I'm hardly (to beat a word to death) going to go into the Logfile and erase my tracks.  Why?  Because it's hardly worth my effort.

**Comedic Drum Roll**

I'm sure I will finish the next Turn Set (until Animal Husbandry), before the day is out.

You know what?  I am going to call all of these changes 035-02-03-T83.  The prior missteps are (wait for it) hardly worth keeping and/or recording twice.

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2020-06-10
2350BC
T115

I Declared War, did not Attack (but Stole a Worker), and Pericles Built two more Archers for a total of four in the City.

I will try again.  This time, moving in six (as I doubt I have the patience to wait for 8) to Attack right away.

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GAME-03
Restarting as before, just after Archery.

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Oh, and just by the by, the next Save Point will be after I Capture Athens.

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2020-05-10
2210BC
T129

Game Over!

The Bum Rush did not work.

I wonder how I can switch leaders in Map Builder.  Well, I think what I can do is save the Initial Roll as a World Builder file.  And from there, I can switch it manually.

I wonder if it is worth it?

Clearly, I am having problems switching my Gaming Style.

Also, it really doesn't matter if I lose all of the Mainland, as there are tons of Islands to be had.

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I'll start this on the 'morrow... or later.

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GAME-04

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2020-05-11
4000BC
T0

The Rush did me little good.  I may opt to Steal a Worker or two.  But I do not believe that is worth any initial effort.

Research: Mysticism -> Buddhism -> Hunting -> Archery -> Polytheism -> Sailing -> Masonry -> Monotheism - Animal Husbandry

I'm already thinking I should move Animal Husbandry up some.  But not until after Archery, as I'd like to Steal the Worker required to Pasture my Cows.

Also, I may be better off Garrisoning Archers in my Forest Hills and simply Settling off Continent to start.

In short:
    Religious
    Archers for Defence
    The Great Lighthouse eventually

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2020-05-11
T169
1810BC

Game Over!

Man, those Barbarians are just sweeping through.  I thought I could hold them off (easy) by stationing a single Archer in my Forested Hills and Plains.  But no such luck.  I will need to hole up in my City and just hand tight until the onslaught is over.

I should check to see if my Graphing Utility catches Barbarian Combat.

Check!  It picks them up nicely.  {And is all my Combat Graph shows on the Final Play Through of This Map.}

So, mistakes:
    Raging Barbarians is intense.  I'll need to hole up.
    A Great Prophet can Bulb Monarchy.  So, a Double Revolt at Organized Religion makes sense.

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GAME-05

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2020-05-11
2200BC
T130

The Barbarians came and I had neither The Great Wall nor Archers.

To get The Great Wall, I'd have to move Stone into The Fat Cross, which I do not want to do.

Also, I lost Hinduism.

Next Game, I will:
    Research: Meditation -> Polytheism -> Priesthood -> Archery

The Temples give me a slight Happiness Boost {+1 Each} and allow me to run Priests to get that Great Priest for Monarchy; at which point, I should be pretty set.

I will leave my Archers holed up in the Capitol.

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GAME-06

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2020-05-11
1500BC
T200

I swept the Early Trio of Religions, which allows me to Build a bunch of Temples, which allows me to run Specialists, which yield a Great Prophet, that I used to Research Monarchy.  And now, Happiness is a non-issue.  Of course, I could be running Representation and getting +6 Beakers, which I never even thought about... Oh, no I could not.  I have not Built The Pyramids.  Hereditary Rule is the best I can do.

Don't ask me how the AI's Archers and Scouts stayed alive.  There was quite the String/Stack of Barbarians homing in on my City, so I Built The Great Wall.  Or more precisely, knowing that Barbarians would be at the gate, I Built The Great Wall.

Hopefully, I will land the Oracle.  But that's a good 100 Turns off, on account of Research PreRequisites and Build Queue items.  I've now switched things around so I should get it by T250, which I think is early enough.

After The Oracle, I should expand.  So, I think a Barracks is the best Build after that... or a few Triremes.  But that is looking pretty far into the future.

Researching: Writing (Feudalism PreRequisite) -> Sailing

I was assuming I would take Metal Casting as my Free Technology from The Oracle.  But I have decided Feudalism will be better  I'll train an Army of Longbows, which are pretty snazzy with all my Bonuses.

When I come back, if I remember, I'll Roll a Turn, Whip a Temple, grow on The Oracle, and eventually Build a Worker.  Writing is 25 Turns out, maybe a bit more after The Whip.  I'm liking that plan.

REMEMBER:
    Roll
    Whip Temple
    Build Oracle

Eh, I Rolled two Turns, Whipped the Temple, and am now Building two Workers (one with plenty of overflow) prior to working on The Oracle.

At 3 Pop, that was a pretty powerful Whip.

Now, it is time to say goodbye for the day.

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2020-05-12
990BC
T251

I am the Most Advanced Civilization, while Sitting Bull and Pericles are the least.  I suppose Building The Oracle helps.  But I've let a lot of Cheap Techs go.

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Game Over!
2020-06-12
80BC
T343

I was unable to Discover Metal Casting prior to the arrival of Barbarian Galleys.  And as such, my Fishing Boats got eaten up.  Also, I lost two Combats (one Galley and one Trireme), which in itself is not so bad.  But once one counts up all the lost Hammers from Destroyed Fishing Boats (3), Ships (2), and Blockade Embargoes, I'm taking quite the hit.

I should have taken Metal Casting as my Free Tech.  It was the only other option... and what I would have done had I not decided to get fancy.

Also, although Longbows have allowed me to Scout the Board, I've only Built the one.  And I really need a Fleet of Triremes, instead.

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GAME-07: Reloading Great Wall of Religion

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2020-05-12
1500BC
T200

Thus, Metal Casting shall be my Free Tech.

Also, I have 5 Good Tiles Cow, Clam, 3 Fish, so I should Whip Down to Five, rather down from Five.

To solve any Unhappiness, I'll Build Archers. I will claim to being OK with Hundreds of Turns of Unhappiness backed up.  I'm not.  But I will do it.

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Game Over!
2020-05-12
240AD
T374

{On the re-read, I like to know in advance if this is the Game Over Entry.  So, I'm endeavouring (always a good word) to start any 'Game Over!' Entry with the appropriate heading.}

Well, Whipping is fun enough.  But this is not giving me a Winning Strategy.

Building Wonders, I am definitely not playing to Tacky's strengths.  Though, some might argue that Tacky has no strengths.

Moving a Settler to the North West, I lost a Missionary... being foolish.  I reasoned the Barbarian Archer's Movement wrong.  Then, being disheartened, I grouped my Settler, Missionary (a different Buddhist one, the important one), and an Archer together and the Barbarian Archer won the Combat.

No Copper: No Axe Rush
No Stone: These Wonders are expensive

I wonder if I skip Bronze Working, beeline Sailing, and then, pick up the Religions, if that will do me any good... and in fact, why bother with the Religions.

Of course, REX'ing is easy enough.  But what does it get me?

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GAME-08

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GAME OVER!
2020-05-12
2230BC
T127

I did not prioritize Bronze Working.  And there is no doubt I need it for This Map.  I do not have the Production to Build Monasteries or Temples natively.

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GAME-09

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2020-06-12
900BC
T260

The first of the Barbarian Galleys have arrived.

I do not have the Strength to fight off Raging Barbarians, so I am trying for The Great Wall.  I will Whip It when it comes within reach.

I'd say it's a bunch of BS that an Enemy can Blockade through your own Units.  I have to Destroy him to Break the Blockade, but he does not have to Destroy me to Institute a Blockade.  Total Crap!

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GAME OVER!
2020-05-12
200BC
T330

Hey, I'm just not going to continue playing if I lose an important race.

I decided not to Whip The Colossus (nor switch to full production mode) and someone else beat me to it.

That's not going to happen on the Reload.

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GAME-10

Starting From Here
Same File, Different Name
035-09-01-T350 - KMOD TACKY - Lost Colossus - AD-0001
035-10-01-T330 - KMOD TACKY - Reload Colossus - BC-0200

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2020-05-12
250AD
T375

Well, that was longer than I was planning on spending on This Game, today.

I Built:
    The Great Wall
    The Great Lighthouse
    The Colossus

So, my Cities are immune to Ground Based Barbarians and Island Cities are particularly beneficial for me, getting better Trade Routes and increased Yields on Water Tiles.

Things should go well from here.

I intend to REX (or at this point, rather than Rapid Early Expansion, that should be Rapid Mid-Game Expansion) for as long as possible, until my Research Slider drops to 50% or so.  With every new City, I need:
    Settler - obviously
    Missionary - for the border pop
    Archer (later, Longbow) - for Garrison
    Work Boat - I'm Settling Seafood
    Trireme - To Camp on The Fishing Boats

My Capitol (Kyoto, as I am using the Default Names, This Game) will be doing most of the heavy lifting on those Builds.  I will grow on something (likely Work Boats or Triremes, so Naval Units) and Whip a Granary as my First Building in most of the New Cities.  It's late enough in The Game, I cannot see investing in The Monk Economy.

It would appear I am letting Pericles and Sitting Bull have The Home Continent.  Long term, I do not believe there will be a Lasting Peace.  I think I will be better off eating both of them whole.  But the time for that is not now.  There are enough Barbarians about.

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I decided to Play a few more Turns.  Upon Settling my Second City (for Iron) I gained Cultural Control of a Lonesome Ocean Tile, which is quite nice, as it acts as a Anti Barbarian Fog Buster.

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2020-05-12
585AD
T417

Yacky (as in Zara) and Hammy (as in Hammurabi) are having a Love Fest and Trading Techs back and forth.  They are the Tech Leaders.

I get Feudalism in a few Turns.  At which point, I will need to make a few Longbows.

Eh, I don't like being behind.

On the other hand, there's lots of Island Land to be had.

If I am Attacked by Zara, I'm probably going to call it a day... or see what I can do.  But I tire of reloading.  You know what, I am not an Early Game War Monger.

Though, this would be an interesting Map to try with one of my Preferred Leaders with a Stone Start.

# # #

????-??-???
????AD
T464

I wonder how far I'd have to Roll It Back to get to the point before I Settled my Second City.  It's not a Great City.

Far more importantly, Barbarian Shipping is just annoying.  I mean, for the most, I am happy hitting End Turn.  I want to concentrate on the Big Plays and I don't want to have to hunt down Piss Ant Barbarian Galleys that are setting up Blockades even though I got them on Number, Power, and everything else in the local seas.  It's just annoying.

Eh, I probably should start over.  I really like getting The Early Religions.  But I still haven't Built two of the Monasteries.

Though, man, The Great Lighthouse is a Powerhouse on this Map.

I so want to Roll It Back... and I so don't want to Play This Map anymore.

So, I'll keep on trucking.

I'm going to Settle a fairly Far City.  It's got more Iron, two Fish, and a Hill or two.  After than, we'll see how I feel.  If I were to reload, this would be my Second City... perhaps, one of two.

So, Reload... No Reload... Reload... No Reload...

Yeah, I'd never know about that site {so is Settling it on a reload fair} unless I explored more.  And there are a few wasted Hammers in This Game on Cities that will never amount to much.

If I don't capture The Early Religions, I wonder who will?

If I Reload, it will be at The Great Wall of Religion.

# # #

GAME OVER!
2020-05-12
820AD
T464

I am not enjoying myself.  That trumps everything else.  I will Reload from Great Wall of Religion, not bother with any of the Wonders beyond The Oracle, as that's such a sweet multiplier, something like 350 Hammers becoming 2000+ Beakers.

Don't ask me how I got so many Buildings with no overflow Unhappiness.

Anyway:
    The Oracle
    No Other Wonders
    Only Stupendous Second Cities
    Spam Missionaries
    There is No Tech Brokering... so go crazy on the Tech Trades
    Get a Screenshot of Barbarian Blockade

# # #
# # #

GAME-11

035-06-01-T200 - KMOD TACKY - Great Wall of Religion - BC-1500
= = =
035-11-01-T200 - KMOD TACKY - Great Wall of Religion - BC-1500

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2020-05-13
1500BC
T200

As I restart, I question if the problem wasn't too many Cities but not enough Triremes... though, having said that, I will not be Building The Great Lighthouse, so I will be unable to support an Empire.

Hey, it turns out I am more powerful than both of my Landmass Partners.  I should maybe keep that up.

# # #

T290: The first Barbarian Galley arrives.  And I have decided to Build The Great Lighthouse.  Though, I will forgo The Colossus and expand instead.  I simply cannot see having a Thriving Empire without The Great Lighthouse.  I am Building my Workforce up to three to enable a Mass Chopping Effort.

# # #

2020-05-13
550BC
T295

I am Settling the Great Engineer rather than finishing The Great Lighthouse.

Nope!

That's not what I am doing.

I will finish The Great Lighthouse manually, as I think I will get it and it is fairly important to me.

But I am now considering Rush Building The Pyramids; and then, running Representation.

But right now, it is time for a walk.

# # #

2020-05-13
550BC
T295

I'm totally Popping The Pyramids, Revolting into Representation, and Building The Great Lighthouse by hand.

After that, it's 'REX REX, Baby!'

# # #

T301: Sitting Bull, Pericles, and Me are sitting at the bottom of the Most Advanced Civilizations.

# # #

2020-05-13
250BC
T325

I Sacrificed my Great Engineer for the Pyramids and Built The Great Lighthouse organically.

I am now running Representation in Kyoto and do not intend to Whip much moving forward.  Of course, I am in a low New Builds Available point of The Game {I've Built everything I can}, so that might change.

Those Barbarian Cities have tons of Archers, so I will not be Attacking them anytime soon.

I will be Settling upwards of Three Cities on The Home Continent, bringing the total to Four.  So, it really is a REX situation.  I do not want to move into the Sea prior to having a few more Triremes.  But getting more Cities online seems key.  Certainly, the Worker situation is easier on The Home Continent.  Let's face it, everything is easier on The Home Continent.

I am a few Turns away from Alphabet.  And once I get that, I will totally Trade.  With No Tech Brokering, I really can't lose.  I get full value for every Trade.  So, I should make every Trade I can... at least, until I have a sizeable lead, which I am sure I do not.  Actually, the Census says I am near the bottom.

Me and all the locals (Pericles and Sitting Bull) are about equal in Power and we are getting along.

I will Spam Missionaries once we have close enough Borders and I don't have to move my Missionaries through the Wildlands.

I need better Tech clarity.  Mathematics looks like the best choice for Next Tech, as it will give me a Happy Building... needed, as I am running against the Happy Cap in Kyoto.  And from there, Construction and Currency are opened up.  I think Currency may be the more important of the two.

And now, I'm thinking only the one additional City on The Mainland is appropriate.  It's a better location.  I'll likely land that Stone eventually.  And Island Cities will double my Trade Yield, making them far more lucrative.  I can always come back later and backfill.  As the other two spots were almost on my Cultural Border, it seems unlikely Pericles or Sitting Bull will Settle there.  Actually, Sitting Bull isn't Settling anywhere near me.  He's got plenty of Land in his part of the world.

# # #

2020-05-14
10AD
T351

I am the Third Most Advanced Civilization, running two Scientists and 100% on the Slider does not hurt.

6th: Pericles
7th: Sitting Bull

Let's keep it that way.

But remember, Trade whenever possible.

# # #

T352: I Settled a Great Engineer.  I believe I will get more out of those +6 Beakers than I would out of a +1C for Seafood Tiles from The Colossus before I wanted to Research Astronomy.

# # #

2020-05-14
360AD
T386

I still need Iron, so I can hardly not Settle another City.  But rather than the one way down South, I am thinking about methodically Settling ALL of the Islands.

As always, there is too much to do, too much that needs doing, now.  At the moment, hooking up with the Foreign Civs is worth 8 Commerce a Turn and growing.  So, I should send a Trireme down that way.

While REX'ing requires:
    Settlers
    Workers
    Missionaries
    Archers
    Triremes
    Work Boats

So, quite the infrastructure.

But then, I don't see that I have any choice but to REX.  It's either that or building up a Military to take The Homelands.  But I'm not in a position for that.

REX it is.

# # #

2020-05-14
565AD
T413

I seem to be doing OK.

The REX is moving along.

Compared to Many Other Games, I seem to be progressing slowly.  But it is what it is.  I have a solid base and am taking over territory.

# # #

2020-05-14
585AD
T417

It's getting tedious.

Time for a break.

# # #

GAME OVER!
2020-05-14
865AD
T473

Once again, I am none too pleased.

REX'ing onto the Islands is not so bad.  Yeah, it's a bit tedious.  But it was working pretty well.  Unfortunately, that juicy spot down South that I was working towards is infested by Barbarians.  And I keep on forgetting that The Great Wall only works on my Home Continent.

Also, I did not give Hammy the Tribute he requested.  And I pretty much need Open Borders with him.  It provides fantastic Trade Routes.  And in and of itself, goes a long way towards replacing my Island Cities.

I wonder if I can sweep the Early Religions and get Confucianism?

I will try again from scratch and attempt to bypass The Great Wall.  A good 9 Archers can form a wall in the Jungle.  And with 14 Free Support Units, I can have a few Triremes, as well.

Yep, starting from scratch.

# # #
# # #

GAME-12

# # #
# # #

Archer Defeat!

# # #
# # #

GAME-13

# # #
# # #

Missed Judaism By Two Turns

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# # #

GAME-14

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# # #

2020-05-14
500BC
T300

I did not Build The Great Wall... or any other Wonder.  If I Pop a Great Engineer, I am sure I will spend him on a Wonder.  Both The Pyramids and The Great Lighthouse are still available.  I am sure The Great Lighthouse would be more valuable long-term.  It stays active until Corporations, which may never be Founded in this game.  Of course, this is A Sweet Map for Sid's Sushi.  There's tons of Fish and Rice.  I really should push for that.

In lieu of The Great Wall, I built 9 Archers, which is more than I needed.  Placing them out in Hills and Forest induced the Barbarians to Attack singly, rather than waiting to amass forces like they did when I holed up in my City.  It was the same terrible odds... likely worse.  But the Barbarians had at it, gifting me with lots of Experience.

A Great Engineer for The Great Lighthouse would be awesome.  If not, I'll get a Great Prophet, Build the Buddhist Shrine and Spam Missionaries for the +1G/City.

Feudalism is looking like my next Tech.  And its a long long-long way off... really long.  My Tech Rate Sucks.  I really need a Great Engineer.

Come On, Great Engineer!

# # #

2020-05-14
500AD
T400

I would say things look good.  I have Two Cities on The Mainland.  And I am perhaps Ten Turns away from Settling my First Island City, which has Iron.  It is the Second City I Settled in the First Game.

I got The Great Lighthouse, surprisingly enough.  And I would have Reloaded had I failed.  I did not switch gears soon enough after doing more important stuff, so I missed on The Colossus.  But that is not nearly as important.

My Research sucks.  And Trades have not been as I would like.  I'm not the leader... or I would guess.  I haven't met Hammy or anybody else, yet.  I believe I have both Monarchy and Feudalism on the locals, which gives me Longbows over them.  I should Build some.

I'll Whip Osaka when the Settler is Built in 4 Turns.  And then, I'll Grow on Longbows.

I'd say the slower approach gives me more Units.  Man, all those Archers instead of The Great Wall is a better deal.  I had no idea those Barbarians would suicide like that.

In theory, I'm Third in Power amongst the locals, but that has a lot to do with Land.  Still, more Longbows.

Iron Island will be Settled with a full contingent of 4 Workers and a Missionary.  When I Settle the next Island, I should bring the same numbers to bear.

I am optimistic.  But I would not fair well in a War right now.  I need to change that.

In 4 Turns (after the Setter Pops), I should Revolt into Vassalage.  Eh, I should save and see what the Post Revolt World looks like.  I mean, it looks like an improvement.  And Bureaucracy is 100+ Turns away.  This is a slow Research Game.  But if it hurts, I'll just Reload.  Like many of the Game Mechanics, I think one should be able to figure out the effects prior... so like, one gets Unlimited Revolts at the same time or something like that.  Eh, I'll Reload if my assumptions about any changes are way off base.  That's the pertinent point.

# # #

T401: I'm second to last in Tech.  Pericles is third from last.  Sitting Bull is last.  Hopefully, The Great Lighthouse helps a little.  Also, some of my Techs (Feudalism) are fairly advanced.  I may be the only one who has Feudalism.  Ah, it looks like a Spy Mission.  That's the first time that's happened.  Oh, well.  I did not make a save.  So, reloading.

{Pericles sent over a Spy and had me Revolt from Monarchy to Despotism, which reduced my Happy Cap and cost Two Turns of Anarchy if I wanted to change back.  I didn't know how or why the change in Civics had taken place the first time, so I just figured I must have hit the wrong button somewhere along the line... or it was a glitch.  It was neither.  Pericles was being a pain.}

# # #

T402: Somebody Stole Priesthood.  My guess is Pericles.  Well, it has to be.  Sitting Bull does not have Alphabet.

# # #

I have no idea what went wrong... or what happened.  But somehow, I'm no longer in Hereditary Rule.  And my Happiness has plummeted.  So, I'm reloading prior to my Revolt.

# # #

2020-05-14

My change back to Despotism was the result of Espionage.  I did not figure this out in time.  So, I Reloaded.  In other news, in the other version, Hammy made contact.  But in this, he has not... not as of yet.

I have no lasting record of the other Spur, that Alternate Timeline.  By the time I realized it was interesting, I'd basically killed it.  Eh, I suppose I could have kept the Log File.  But I did not.

Oh, well.

It was a good use of Espionage Points by Pericles.  And as such, I am dumping more Espionage into him.

Next Turn, I Found my Fourth City.  And maybe 20 Turns after that, I will Found another.

I am sending the various Missionaries up to Osaka, so I can Build Temples.  Though, right now, my Happiness is doing fine.

Pericles and me are Researching many of the same things.  But he doesn't want to Trade or at good rates.  And I don't have Alphabet.  So, he's it.

Things are going well.  I am pleased with the Slow Expansion.  Also, having played The Map plenty of times before, I am not anxious about losing Territory.  It will be there waiting for me when I want it.

So, no worries.

Playing The Game is almost the only thing I have done today.

Time to watch a movie.

# # #

2020-05-15
875AD
T475

It's a bit of a slog.  My expansion is slow and steady.  And there is likely little concern for the speed of expansion... or lack thereof.

Pericles is using Espionage to annoying effect, having me change Civics from Monarchy to Despotism.  But then, he's spent so many Espionage Points, I now have City Visibility over him.

Sooner or later, I will Attack either Pericles or Sitting Bull.  But I'm really not ready.  And both of them are Pleased and share My Religion.  The Shrine is worth +15 Gold a Turn, which ain't too shabby.

In 50 Turns, I get my Samurai.  It's tempting to say I will go on the Warpath at that point.  But it is unlikely.  I just traded Feudalism to Pericles.  He gave me good terms.  So, why not?

It would be annoying if Hammy asked for Tribute.  But then, maybe I need a War.

Oh, just by-the-by, killing Barbarian Galley's is fun.  And this time around, I am being careful to take over entire Islands when I Settle, lest the Barbarians Attack.

When I Settle the Iron Way Down South, I will bring a few Longbows for Garrison.  It'll be Free Experience.  Also, I won't bother to improve the Iron.

# # #

2020-05-15
1000AD
T500

I am not a Tech Laggard.  But I am not running away with The Game as I might desire.  It does not look like I will be Battling Pericles anytime soon.  He has stopped all Espionage Efforts and I can Investigate his Cities.  So, that' kind of nice.

Anyhow, I'm not willingly entering a War for some time.  All my Island Cities are on Expansion Duties:
    Granary
    Lighthouse
    Settlers
    Or Other Support Units

The Capital is on War Units... until my Research unlocks something shiny to Build.

And the Second Northern City (Osaka) is Building Support:
    Buddhist Missionaries
    Work Boats
    Overflowing to Military

My Power is not so great.  But as long as no one Attacks...

# # #

T501: The Most Powerful Nations;
    Gilgy
    Unknown
    Hammy
    Pericles
    Zara Yacky
    Sitting Bull
    Me

Hammy has got me by a good 50%.

Sitting Bull is about equal to me.

# # #

2020-05-15
1130AD
T526

I probably should just abandon This Map.  The future is looking pretty darn tedious.  And guess what?  I prefer The Monk Economy.

Without Stone, the Early Wonders are too expensive.  And Defending against Both Land and Sea Barbarians is a bit much.

What do I like about This Map Script?
    All the Seafood!

I, also, like the idea of Samurai.  I think they'd last through The Game.  Though, that's probably true for Maces, as well.  It's not like Samurai are that much better.

# # #
# # #

GAME OVER!

MAP OVER!

# # #
# # #

2020-05-15

I'm calling it.  I'm not an Early Fighter.  Though, that said.  I kind of got a kick out of killing all those Barbarians.

I guess I'm playing K-MOD, again.

Same everything, just a New Leader and a different Start.  I'm thinking Gold and Rock in Floodplains if such a thing exists.  Mega Rock, that's the thing.

Spiritual & Industrious are the two traits I am looking for:
    Ramesses II

And he's it.

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2020-05-19
(c) Copyright Brett Paufler