Zalson plays one turn at a time [COMPLETE]

[Zalson]

T80
Starting to grind a little here.

Damascus finishes the workboat -- and I'm at a loss for what I should create. For lack of something better to build, I guess a Madrassa?

Not much else happens. Mecca grows next turn.

Gosh I need more workers. And settlers. And cities. Next turn will have a larger update.

[Zalson]

T81
Le north
It is a barren north. In the north there is seafood. This is what I have to work with.



My lands
What I am working with.



I'll chop out the worker at Medina next turn, then grow one more size and start a settler.

Same thing for Mecca (continue to grow to Size 8). Then worker/chop/settler.

Damascus too. Then worker/settler.

Baghdad just keeps trucking along.

[Zalson]

T82:
Math done. Set to priesthood because I can 1T it (Oracle fell 1240 BC) but mostly so I can think about what I’ll need in the 4-5 turns or so.

Techs:
Sailing: 149
HBR: 373
Mediation: 119
Priesthood; 89
MC: 672
IW: 299
Aesthetics: 448
Alphabet: 448
Monarchy 448
Currency: 598
Construction: 522

If I had ivory, construction would be a no brainer. Cats and elephants and go smash Ramesses.

I think Sailing is the right choice: open trade routes with Qin, get a lighthouse for Damascus — and move on to Calendar next. I’ve got a bunch calendar resources. Let’s use them.

I don’t think I need currency yet: I’m making 50 bpt @ -10 gpt — this means I need more cities. So currency?

After some thought, I select sailing and drop science to 0%. I’m should be able to power through it in one turn, maybe.

Sailing for the international trade route and then currency after that. Then probably calendar to increase the happy cap — although maybe Monarchy? Not sure…

Chop out the granary in Baghdad and the worker in Medina. Medina will grow next turn and then… will start a worker or a settler. Not sure which.



T83
I thought that baghdad would be a good city for a barracks but with just 2 hills… i don’t know. I do need to farm the grassland tiles AND the floodplain to be able to grow. Maybe this is just a terrible hybrid. Anyone want to help me figure out what to do here?

Damascus grows.

Can double-whip the Madrassa in 2T. Mecca can double-whip the Madrassa but I’m instead going to triple whip a settler and then finish the Madrassa while regrowing.

T84:
Forgot to reset the science slider Do it this turn.

Start settlers in Medina and Mecca.



T85
I feel bad whipping so much after getting the 1/2 million pop message. Oh well.

3 pop whip Medina
2 pop Damascus
3 pop Mecca

New Madrassa and 2 new settlers next turn. The setters will go to 2 and 3.

[Zalson]

T86
Sailing is done! Start Currency. Need to run 0% science for 3t to get enough gold to get currency in 11T.

Damascus overflows into Moai, then into a lighthouse.

Madrassa done in Mecca in 4T. Archer in Medina next turn (then a missionary or 2) Baghdad grows in 3T and finishes its barracks in 9. (but really in 3).

[Zalson]

T88

Delayed by some computer connectivity problems.

Not sure what happened on T87 but T88:

Mecca and Medina both grow.

Najran founded on spot 2. Kufah founded on spot 3.

Surplus drops to 30 gpt — and goes down more as I start a worker Medina. Mecca will start a worker in 2 turns when it finishes the Madrassa and grows to size 7.

Qin has iron working. More pictures as I sort through connectivity issues.

[Whosit]

Just wanna say that I'm enjoying the read.

[Zalson]

Glad you're enjoying this, Whosit. I'm having trouble with my civ-playing computer getting to the internet -- which makes it difficult to post about the game. Since the whole point is reporting this game, I'm trying not to get ahead of where I've reported.

I've gotten to T90 and hope to give it a push tonight.

[Zalson]

Okay here's a picture dump that, I hope, is relevant.

I've lost what I'd previously written but an update from turn 89:








I think what I was trying to illustrate was: the placements of Najran and Kufah, as well as the completion of the Madrassa in Mecca and my inability to think of anything to do with Baghdad.

[T-hawk]

Baghdad is tough. Not enough food to be a big whipping camp, not enough cottages to be a financial center, not enough hills to be a military production center or to build economic multipliers. I think the least-bad use of a city like this is to whip settlers and workers as it can manage, and build a handful of military units in between.

Put another way, if you're going to whip anywhere, do it at Baghdad, because the tiles it whips away are the worst of any city.

[Zalson]

How would recommend doing that?

Right now, I was planning on cottaging the two riverside tiles that remain and then mining the two plains hills. That gives me a ... +3 surplus at size 7. Maybe cottage a few more non-riverside tiles to encourage growth.

I think that's the right build here -- then the 2 pop, 3 pop whips get off the immature cottages and the mines.