I had a pretty interesting chat with Bobchillingworth from Byzantium. I always thought they were out of the tech loop and kind of lumpted them together with Rome and Inca. But it would seem they have pretty good relations with all the southern nations, and with India as well.
Quote:RB: okay. is anyone currently researching Feudalism, that you are aware of?
My civ is interested in a few key techs
me: feudalism no
RB: aha!
that's good to hear.
okay... and I suppose someone else already has monarchy?
12:02 AM me: yup
RB: (I haven't checked in a while, sorry)
hmmm.... okay. Well, I finish maths in a few turns (backwards, I know)
after that, I need Hed Rule and Feudalism
12:03 AM not sure whoever got hed rule.... assuming they don't trade it to me, I'll go for it myself
me: england got monarchy
RB: but I need someone to research feudalism, if possible
I supposed I could.... but I'd rather save hold
my team will reward anyone who could get us that tech rather handsomely
12:04 AM I also need Machinery and Metal Casting, but those are already arranged for
perhaps you see where this is going...?
me: future tech?
RB: hehe
12:05 AM military allies are also nice!
def. in the market for those
12:06 AM my UU seems such a shame to not use quickly
me: true that
12:07 AM RB: If your team goes for feudalism and gifts it to us, we could repay you with a tech of sigificantly more value
we're also happy to gift 'phracts to friends, although you're a little distant, so transmit time might be an issue
me: I'll take that under consideration
12:08 AM RB: my team is happy to trade for anything, of course, but some techs are of much more value to us than others
so if your team is looking for something to research after code of laws...
12:09 AM speaking of which, I do hope you get that tech. Speculation is that Krill is trying to dominate most/all of the religions
seems a shame to let him do that...
me: yeah I hope I've got that covered
12:10 AM RB: I need to consult my maps, but you... don't border him, right?
I think England is south of you, Carthage West, France East
me: no he's pretty far away
RB: k
any civs you aren't particularly fond of?
12:11 AM me: besides France?
RB: yeah
me: not really
12:12 AM RB: that's good; we have at least pleasant relations with most as well.... still, war is a very major part of this game
me: so who arent you guys fond off?
12:13 AM RB: we're "developing relations" with a number of civs; hard to tell how that'll turn our, although most conversations have been promising. Our bestest friends are Maya, Babylon, and India
who totally couincidentally just happen to cover all of our flanks
what with our northern neighbor in the process of dying and all
me: babylon too?
12:14 AM RB: babylon was our first contact, actually
me: i heard you guys didn't hit of well at the start
12:15 AM RB: really, now
I don't suppose England told you that
me: i think it was maya
12:16 AM RB: Kyan (he seems to be the only one on their team actively playing this game) and my team have had some differences
but they're good friends
me: good to hear it
12:18 AM RB: I meant what I said about no CAN 2.0, but I am interested in eventually forming a long-term core trading/military group. I already have a nucleus of that going. I've only known you civ for a day or so, and it's way too early in the game to seriously commit to any such thing, but I'm still looking for partners
something to think about, I guess
long-term wise
me: yup
12:19 AM RB: no reason why any "core trading group" has to have exclusive membership for each party, either
certainly one could belong to two or three such groups
provided they don't make conflicting diplo arrangements
12:20 AM me: yup
and that's the key
RB: how long till' you get Code of Laws?
12:21 AM me: 8 turns I think
RB: hmm okay. My civ has math in... 5 I think
might be 4
hed rule shouldn't take us long
with the discounts we'll have for others knowing it
and our various hamlets
me: ah financial
12:22 AM RB:
dude I can make 4 cities where the vast majority tiles are fp
it's kind of silly
I was horrified to see france's land
nicer cap than mine
but all grassland!
the horror!
me: yeah I saw those floodplains
RB: I assume yours might be similarly blighted
12:23 AM me: well it's not bad
RB:
me: lots of rivers
could use a bit more food resources
12:24 AM RB: agreed there
you have gems and/or gold?
me: gold
and the silver ofcourse
RB: right
my civ can get gems too... I think so can everyone else who can place something on the huge band of fp
uh not sure how well balanced this map is
me: not really
12:25 AM if you see how far France's copper was from their capital
they would have been dead ages ago if they didn't pop copper at their capital
RB: I do feel sorry for portugal... I'm pretty sure we asked for at least seas on this map, final vote be damned
12:26 AM me: yeah I'm not a big fan of the map
RB: actually the thing that bugs me most is the lack of natural boundaries
ah well enough carping
I joined PBEM 3 in part to experience something more "natural"
12:27 AM me: yeah I'm thinking of joining one if the opportunity arises
also
17 teams is way too much
RB: Yeah I saw your post in the PBEM 4 thread
me: diplo has been excruciating
RB: yes
12:28 AM it's impossible to keep up with everyone
I like to do personal diplo
part of the fun for me is just meeting fellow civ players
me: I was the one doing all the heavy lifting getting the different teams in the cartel
RB: half my conversations just end up being about mass effect (my theme)
me: busy times
RB: but 17 is too many
I can't keep up with everyone
12:29 AM me: welln we'll be down to 14 sooner rather than later
RB:
was going to say
there's one obvious solution
me: was surprised at the viciousness of the game though
RB: tone or actions?
or both?
12:30 AM me: but i think your "no natural boundaries" were a key element
actions
tone was pretty decent I think
kind of strange since there's still so much land to expand into
RB: yeah.... well the big alliances haven't helped
12:31 AM maya's strike on India was a calculated action
I was actually about to declare on them too, with a shock chariot no less
could have done some real damage...
but I stupidly attacked a barb warrior
me: yeah but Portugal attacking Rome had not much to do with the alliance
hehe
RB: but knocked down to almost no health....
12:32 AM which also meant that I couldn't reinforce exploit properly
oh well
me: exploit, well, he had a strange game going
no slavery
RB: very... but he and yaz made the ultimate sacfice for my team
I won't forget that
he didn't want to go to slavery... just a straight beeline to alpha
me: yeah it was close
12:33 AM RB: stuck with it even when it meant death
me: rome would have been dead
RB: I could have saved him for a couple turns... I had 2 other chariots who could have reached his capital at the same time as india
but yaz didn't want me to
12:34 AM I hope he wins PBEM 2, but I'm resisting posting in that game forum too much cause' I don't want to risk spoilers
also I think he's screwed in that game
whoops!
me: yeah pretty much
RB: Rome... seems to be winning vs portugal
12:35 AM Rome is a good friend, so I'm glad to hear they're doing well
but.... I kind of like Portugal too
me: status quo
RB: they helped me meet aztec and Ottos
oh well
not much that can be done, I guess
I like france too, but gifting them masonry was all they're getting out of me
me: Portugal attacked Rome for obvious reasons
12:36 AM RB: yeah
but it didn't go too well, I hear
me: there was bad blood between them from the start
nope
Sandover got lucky
12:37 AM RB: you might not be able to say, but is anyone funneling guys to portugal?
me: you mean troops
?
RB: my civ is staying out of this, unless Rome is going to be eliminated
yeah
I'm worried about this turning into a larger war
me: like Inca has been doing for Rome?
RB: exactly
12:38 AM me: not that I know of
RB: okay.... Inca is pretty much tied to Rome. If Rome dies, they're in trouble
me: yup
RB: I'm friendly with Inca, but too far away to really help
but if other civs have Portugal as their irreplaceable ally...
could become a mess
12:39 AM me: not sure why Inca went for the choke
RB: hah with aztec?
me: they should have been spamming settlers from T1
RB: to the best of my knowlege, no one knows why they did it, including them
me: lol
12:40 AM RB: they already wanted to fight ruff even before we knew about the CAN
it just happened to work well with timing
I don't think that ruff did anything to piss them off, so.... :|
who can say
me: Ruff did a pretty good job defending
RB: I hear he had some help
12:41 AM me: a bit...
nobody likes an early choker...
RB: agreed
12:42 AM hey any idea what the heck happened with Korea?
I know Krill killed them and all
me: they had no units in their capital
RB: but did Korea just miscalculate where their warrior needed to be to get back?
or was there something more sinister?
12:43 AM one hopes not, but I've heard nothing about it
me: sinister?
RB: yeah like convincing them that no aggression was intended
talking them up while moving into place
or just a strike of opportunity?
12:44 AM me: not sure
but if you leave your capital undefended
tough luck
RB: yeah
I think I personally would have attacked too, although my teamates might have been against it
12:45 AM me: I'm not nearly nasty enough to have done it
RB: well.... wars of elimination have to happen, right?
12:46 AM me: sure
but not much of a war is it?
RB: is there anything better about killing someone early as opposed to after they've invested a lot of time and energy in the game?
me: more gratifying
RB: hahah!
that's an impressively blood thirsty view :D
12:47 AM me: not much skill is needed to walz a warrior into an undefended capital
RB: takes chutzpah tho
12:48 AM lots of risk, leaving your own city undefended
me: but putting together a coalition
making the right strategic moves
