[SPOILER] PB37 Dark Savant tries not to be a blatant MP n00b

[Dark Savant]

Turn 25 (3000 BC)

Since I started playing Civ in 1991, I've never ever gotten quite accustomed to the years passing faster in all later Civ games.  3000 BC in Civ 1 is 50 turns, which enough to plant at minimum 3, often 4, occasionally 5 cities.  And that's often with some cities working on the Colossus and chariots instead of more settlers. 

Our scout does in fact get kicked southwest (that is a strange direction; I wonder how that algorithm works); it moves west and then northeast, finding this:



The warrior pushing to explore the jungle discovers fish and more land across the water:



C&D: Everyone except for Krill and Gavagai got 16 points for 12 land tiles in second-ring for 20 turns.  Gavagai gained a population point and is the first to 4 pop; Ventessel also gained a population point.  (It looks a little weird having 5 turns between growth, but he's already in Slavery.)

No new technologies, and only 1000 new soldier points, from Gavagai's even-numbered pop point.

Krill probably has a 6-food tile in his second ring, incidentally (for a couple turns he was producing 8 food with just one pop point).  We are once again dead last in food production (10, next-lowest is 11), and we will be for a while (typical for a chop-first strategy).  We're not going to catch up in food until red dot gets its pig pastured on t34.

CML is probably on Bronze Working since he hasn't showed up with The Wheel (I was expecting him to research Bronze Working from the start; you'd take Mining as a starting tech specifically for early Bronze Working).  And if I'm right about Gavagai's research, he should show up with Mining next turn.

[Dark Savant]

This may have been the last turn I'll play before leaving for my trip; in the event I cannot play my turns in time, here are plans up to t40:

• Empire overview: revolt to Slavery on t29, after Castle Ironfist finishes the settler and an additional warrior.  The Wheel should come in on t32; Agriculture is next, which should come on in t40.  (I haven't yet done the Agriculture vs. Pottery sims.)  Red dot settler should complete on t28 and plant on t31; orange dot settler should complete on t40 and plant on t41; both should start barracks immediately.
  
• Scout: push into that isthmus to the west of Istanbul, keeping away from Gavagai's visible warrior.
  
• Jungle warrior: push into the end of the jungle peninsula, then return to the area of Castle Ironfist.  If no threats appear, he should hang out ~4 tiles south and a little east of the capital to keep an eye out for barbs.
  
• Warrior currently fortified SW of Castle Ironfist: stay where it is to keep lookout for barbs, then escort the settler to red dot.
  
• Warriors due on t29 and t33: one should hover close to Castle Ironfist, but at least one should keep a lookout for barbs once the road north starts being built, and cover that worker.
  
• Maura (Frodo): due to finish chopping on t27.  He should start a mine where he is then (he has nothing else to do), move into Castle Ironfist on t32 after he finishes that, build a road on the tile north of Castle Ironfist on t33-34, a road northeast of that on t35-36, a road north of that on t37-38, and a road north of that on t39-40.  This will ease the movement of the settler due on t40 to orange dot so it can plant on t41 (that area doesn't look like an area where Gavagai will want his second city) and have a trade route right away.  (This means that orange dot will likely never produce a warrior, since it'll probably get copper connected before it can build one.)
  
• Banazîr (Samwise): due to finish the copper mine on t28.  He should accompany the settler to red dot starting on t29.  On t31 he can start a pasture on the pig as red dot is planted, finishing on t34.  t35, move to the forest to the northeast; t36-t38, chop that forest; t39, move 1 tile northeast, start a road, then awaken; t40, move 1 tile northeast onto the pastured cow, start another road.  (If a road on the copper is desired now, awaken him on t40 after 1 turn of roadbuilding, build the road on the copper on t41-42, then return to the pastured cow and finish the road on t43.)
  
• Worker due from red dot on t40: start a pasture on the plains cow NW of red dot.
  
• Castle Ironfist: settler due on t28 with chop; should start a warrior which should finish on t29; start another warrior which should finish on t33.  t33 should also see growth to size 3; the new citizen should work the copper mine; start a settler, due on t40.  (The current plan after that is to build worker #4 but I don't have solid plans after t40.)
  
• Red dot settler: due on t28, move W then SW; t29 move SW onto hill; t30 move SW onto red dot; t31 plant and start barracks working the pig.  With Banazîr finishing the pasture on t34, whip the barracks on t37 as soon as you reach size 2; complete it on t38 and start a worker which then gets a chop the same turn; t40 worker #3 complete, start warrior.
  

[Dark Savant]

Turn 26 (2960 BC)

Turn rolled just as I was about to drive out, so I played another turn.  It was a quiet one.

Our scout pushes into the isthmus; the jungle warrior pushes to the end of the peninsula; both find islands but no new resources.  I'm wondering where Gavagai's first-ring food is, but I'm not going to investigate that.

No changes in soldiers or score this turn, actually, so no C&D needed!

[ipecac]

I'm traveling myself so let's see how things go.

[Dark Savant]

Turn 27 (2920 BC)

Playing and reporting from a 7-year-old laptop 400 miles away from home is awkward, but workable!

Our scout looks like he'll blaze a trail through this isthmus to ... whatever awaits us to Castle Ironfist's northwest:



The scouting jungle warrior finds a good deal more seafood at the end of that jungle:



Frodo completed his chop, settler due next turn.  No sign of animals, barbs, or other players.

C&D: Krill grew to size 3 (2 points, no soldiers); we've now got the smallest civilization.  He grew in only 3 turns so he must have some good food tiles worked.

dtay completed a technology.  This has to be Bronze Working, as previously discussed; he'd need to squeeze out an extra flask or two to achieve this but it'd get him a strong tech one turn sooner.

10,000 new soldiers showed up; this must be dtay's Bronze Working plus a warrior somewhere.

Gavagai has 14 land tiles in 3rd-ring (the same as us).

[Dark Savant]

Turn 28 (2880 BC)

The turns are still moving slowly, so I can report this turn.  I can't really indulge in C&D until about Tuesday, though (and that will be easier once I get Gavagai's graphs in about 5 turns).

We produced our first settler , now en route to red dot.  No sign of animals or barbs to disrupt our party; our snowball's hopes rest upon the strength of red dot.

Our scout continues through what is apparently not a peninsula, and discovers this:



Someone's going to get a cow that produces especially little food.  I'm still hoping to discover someone else soon enough to transfer espionage over to ... whomever.  (Actually ... it'd be better if no one were there, but I'm not expecting that.)

Sam is now done with the copper mine; Gavagai's scout isn't actually here to see it though.  I have no idea where it went; it didn't try to skirt around our capital as I was expecting.  If someone does, he'd now see a suspicious mine on bare grassland.  

Minimalist C&D: Gavagai got a mystery tech (this is worth taking a close look at but I don't have the time for it currently); Ventessel got something that I'm currently guessing is The Wheel; Krill gained 12 points from 9 additional land tiles; 10,000 new soldier points.  Full C&D can wait several days, I'm not going to potentially change anything until t32 (or some hostile warrior shows its face).

[Dark Savant]

Turn 29 (2840 BC)

Castle Ironfist produces a warrior en route to size 3, I revolt to Slavery, worker and settler move to red dot as the plan, and the scout moving through the isthmus discovers ...



... whoops, that is NOT actually an isthmus.  Well.  I suppose it's time to head back east and try to see who is past Gavagai in another direction.  I don't think it'll discover new stuff to our west or northwest in time for that to be a worthwhile pursuit.  I'm also beginning to wonder if there's no one actually in those directions by land, anyway.

This is starting to look kind of like a Civ 2 random map: a handful (one in this case) of long, stringy continents interspersed with lots of little islands.  

Ventessel whipped at the very end of t28 and promptly regrew to size 3.  No new techs or changes in soldier count.

[Dark Savant]

Turn 30 (2800 BC)

Back from vacation , though I don't have time for extensive C&D or simming just yet.  I probably will next turn.

Nothing much happened anyway.  Our scout headed east in sackcloth and ashes; it will be a few turns before he either uncovers new territory or is killed by one of Gavagai's warriors.  Our red dot settler/worker/warrior moved onto red dot.  The jungle warrior is returning closer to Castle Ironfist, and the new warrior is moving to survey territory north of it.

We're currently dead last in score, though we're due to gain score each of the next three turns (pop, then tech, then pop).  We are still king of soldier count, though.  

Simple C&D: Krill gained a population point, so he's now pop 4.  CML got a tech that has to be Bronze Working, since he's been researching for a long time and a lot of soldier points just showed up.

By my reckoning, at least two people completed a settler last turn and at least one this turn.  This is from Ventessel's whip, and at least two other people's GNP dropping to 1, which I am presuming is people revolting to Slavery just after their first settler completes.  It might be misleading as in our case; we didn't revolt to Slavery immediately since we could produce a warrior in 1t, so why not, which happened to have the side effect of not alerting people that we finished a settler on t28.

On the other hand, no one has planted a new city yet -- this is the earliest turn I was expecting it, though I'm now guessing that Mardoc made everyone else's starts just like ours, and there are no good city sites within 4 tiles of the start position.

[Dark Savant]

Oh, hmm.  Gavagai just started to put espionage into someone else, not far short of being able to get graphs on us.

This is either the appearance of someone else he fears a lot more, or an AI-diplo offer of a non-aggression pact.  Well, I wasn't planning an early attack anyway unless planting orange dot is some kind of offense.

I'm still going to get graphs on Gavagai but then will shift espionage back over to Coeurva.

[Dark Savant]

Logged in again to check the other thing I forgot to check: Coeurva is now in Slavery.  Gavagai isn't; makes sense, he took the time to grow to 4 pop before producing a settler.