[SPOILERS] Ceiliazul's First Dance: Louis of the Ottomen

[timski]

Questions generated:

• Calendar comes before currency in 2 of these games. Why?
  
• The urgency of Iron Working varies wildly. How will I know when I need it?
  
• I took MC cuz beaker cost and cheap forges. Would Math have been a better (but un-sexy) long-term pick?
  

Thoughts on your questions, from someone else that is still learning from watching these games. I'll try and be as neutral as possible:

I've learnt that the core skill here is knowing what you can use now. That and being flexible enough to adjust to circumstances, not just following a set path regardless.

Currency gives an extra trade route which is "a good thing". But doesn't do much for a handful of cities with just +1 gpt. Calendar might yield nothing important immediately, or might unlock several point of Happiness, and hence soon after many extra tiles being worked. Likewise the usefulness of Markets depends a lot on the strength of the underlying financial economy, while The Mausoleum of Maussollos may be crucial long-term for a Great Person-based strategy.

Oracling Metal Casting purely on beaker cost may be inappropriate if Metal Casting cannot be immediately used: An alternative that improves an economy quicker may rapidly regain those "lost" beakers.

Metal Casting vs Codes of Law is entirely a "it depends" decision. Metal Casting is good with lots of sea (otherwise Forges are the only short-term benefit), lots of rare metals (Gold/Silver/Gems), lots of non-building production, and an existing religion. Short-term Codes of Law's religion is powerful, if one lacks a religion and plans to build a lot of buildings: Religion (with organized Religion) is a much quicker and hammer-efficient method of getting a initial 25% production bonus. Religion also helps happiness more if one doesn't have rare metals.

That said, Mathematics is less logical for Oracling, because the research cost is much lower. If one just wanted Currency quickly then the whole Oracle dance was likely a distraction. The unseen power of Maths is the chop bonus - if one doesn't chop any forests prior to Mathematics. Of course it requires patience, since it slows very early development slightly.

I reckon Iron Working tech is needed when: (1) No Copper has been found nearby (and hence Iron is needed for credible defense). (2) War and city capture is planned (against more than just Warriors). (3) Jungle is being settled in earnest. (4) On a sea-heavy map, where Harbors and Optics are potentially useful early.

[Ceiliazul]

Thanks Timski for the input, it appears more and more likely that I could have landed the Oracle 10 turns later for something worth more beakers. Spilt milk though, and I sure can't complain about the current demos

Turn 48 saw a forge completed in Minion, and the beginning of that leisurely 8 turn stroll to Pyramids. Wait a minute, what is this cheap trinket??



Yes, I took some slop out of Pyramids build plan and intend to squeeze in a library here. At ~16c here in Minion, postponing a library for 10 turns means throwing away 40 beakers. In fact, the library will cut almost half a turn off from my planned Math research!

A sudden influx of cash will also help immensely:



In this crazy maintenance map, commerce is absolutely the limiting factor of expansion. I've got plenty of hammers, and so I chose to turn it into gold at a 3-for-2 exchange rate.

My score continues to be a problem, but I'll be whipping off 30 points of population next turn. Ziggo and Biohazard will both feel the whip:



My score is indeed being noticed, I received this diplo from Catwalk:

I think you are (deservedly) leading the game. You had the best opening and you're set to churn out wonders.

He goes on to talk about setting up dogpiles against me, and wants concessions on a dotmap... I'm open to conversation, but I don't see how leading in points means I'm in position to be extorted.

Meanwhile, back in the real world:

I am close to Maths, Masonry was possibly my next tech to push for Mids myself if it was still going. Extra hammers in the chops would certainly aid the build, but I still thought it might be a push.

Hey Catwalk, know what happens when one guy techs in peace and the others squabble? Pegasus has only 3 cities, keeping his demos and score low. Meanwhile, he has libraries and scientist specialists working to make his raw beaker potential roughly DOUBLE mine... and better than double anyone else's.

[Ceiliazul]

The empire keeps keeping on, the 'mids are under construction (really this time!) and 4 pop points died to the whip. At EOT I discovered hunting and grew back 2 pop so my score only dropped by ~9pts.

The big news is from the foreign embassy:

Deal with Catwalk:
-I give him 2 settlers (t70,t90), he gives me 1 worker (t70)
-NAP until Pegasus is dead
-OB with each other, not with Peg or Ad Hoc
-Share diplo and graphs, etc
-I get Ivory region (to my North), he gets Gems region (my East)
-Mutual defense in case of broken NAP

The deal was his idea, and yes I am bribing him. If he is working in good faith, it will be worth every one of those 100 hammers. The wording of the agreement is interesting, the NAP goes until Pegasus is dead. Realistically that's going to require a 2-on-1 battle, so each of us could delay attacking and keep the NAP until literally the end of the game.

I think I could out-maneuver Catwalk on a game-mechanics basis, but that won't be necessary... I'm the Industrious Ottomans, baby! Catwalk's Expansive Romans will try to out expand me... but the map is brutally against that plan. I like my chances with a vertical growth strategy here.

For now though, the micro plan continues. Libraries for everyone and Pyramids in 7 turns. I'd be worried about competition from Ad Hoc... but his peasants are turning their noses at all things production.

Immediate priority is defense. 2 Axes and a spear come off the line in the next few turns... then I'll feel better about my security.

[Ceiliazul]

With the Thanksgiving holiday dominating about 5 days in a row here in my family, I played my turn but didn't get to a bit roundup/report.

[SIZE="2"]Cities[/SIZE]

Minion will complete the Pyramids and produce a G.Engineer in the BC years. The only city in my empire that is allowed to grow freely, this city should reach size 10+ before t75. It will complete the pyramids, then grow on barracks/units and produce workers and settlers in the meantime:



Biohazard will likely become the Beaurocracy capital, but first a forbidden palace must be set up. Future home of Oxford University, and hopefully the Great Library.



Ziggo is producing the first offensive force for my empire as we speak. Ziggo will continue donating tiles to nearby cities, and as those cities grow up around it, Ziggo will hunker down with it's corn and 2 scientist specialists. The yellow outlines the borders of surrounding cities



Hazard has succeeded in carving out its BFC and will soon produce the first GP for my empire. Hazard will be completing the library soon and focus heavily on scientist specialists to ensure that I don't get a useless prophet.



I'm seriously hoping that the Cull conflict will unlock the Heroic Epic, and if so I'll put it in Minion. Remember that the palace will move in the medium-term future, and this city will turn into a pure hammer factory. The commerce capacity is simply inferior to the surrounding lands, so I don't feel conflicted about this choice at all.

[SIZE="2"]Big Picture [/SIZE]

My empire is looking good. Very very good! My point lead has narrowed as predicted, but will rebound as my cities regrow. All cities are working only improved tiles (with a couple tiles to spare as cities grow) and workers are laying groundwork for future projects.



Note the fantastic progress on Mathematics. Peg got the tech last turn and my shiny new libraries will make it a 4-turn tech... without specialists! My demos all look super good:



[SIZE="2"]Foreign Embassy[/SIZE]

Ad Hoc:

• NAP until t80
  
• Writing in 3t
  
• Rival max crop! (doing all the right things to dig out of his hole)
  

Catwalk:

• NAP until Peg is killed
  
• OB and trade routes established!
  
• Writing done, Math in ~11t
  
• Recently settled a new city for an instant 10gpt hit
  
• rival max mfg and number of cities
  

Pegasus

• NAP until t120
  
• Math done, not sure of current research
  
• Settled city 4 on t49, GNP went ker-plop
  
• MFG through the roof as he starts to finally expand
  

[SIZE="2"]Future Plans[/SIZE]

Tech plans: Math -> Aesthetics -> Literature -> Currency -> CoL.

Post Math, my workers will begin the process of clear cutting my immediate lands. My best cities have forges for 25h chops, to quickly produce workers and then a couple more settlers.

The pyramids are nearly a lock, to be completed on t56. Pegasus could hypothetically clear-cut his capital and make it a race... but his chops for the wonder are only worth thirteen hammers. Mine will soon be worth 35!

After the obvious swap to representation, I'll be running 0% science for a very long time. Scientist specialists will carry my entire research burden all the way through currency.

[pindicator]

Great job on the wonders! I gotta say I'm a bit jealous. I'm just catching up on the turns for the last few weeks and I like the reporting.

One question - I see 4 workers in your last screenshot. Do you have more or is that the extent of your worker force?

Happy Thanksgiving! And keep up the good work!

[Ceiliazul]

One question - I see 4 workers in your last screenshot. Do you have more or is that the extent of your worker force?

2 southern workers are roading toward my next city site, and will be just in time to chop those forests for 70 hammers on th 'mids. (Feel The Power!)

1 worker is East of the capital finishing a mine just in time for Minion to grow onto it.

1 worker near Hazard is biding time until the deer tile is workable next turn. The road he built is about 10 turns too early, but oh well.

1 worker near Biohazard is connecting cow and will soon go on a chopping spree for 25h worker/settler cops (More Power!)

1 worker is in biohazard, enroute to join the chopping brigade.

In case you cant tell, the forests have been spared until Math and will be leveled in immediately as the Ottobot engine devours everything in its path. (Must Have More Power!)

[Ceiliazul]

t51

As all the world recovered from the y1k parties of the previous turn, nothing much happened in game. Real life parties also sap this turn report:

-Math continues its stellar progress, gnp 70, rval max 46

-Minion continues to stack rocks, but the progress will be slow until 3 chops complete the turn after Math comes in.

-Biohazard produces an ax, and my power rating is tops in the game for the first time at 63k

-Hazard claimed the deer tile on Catwalk's border, and the city will be a real contributor within 10 turns. with G.Prophet points pooling, i'll pile in scientists asap to try to make my empire's first GP a scentist instead.

-6 diplo items received in the last 24 hours, and 3 sent. I wonder if a no-diplo game would beless time consuming...

[Ceiliazul]

Onward!

[Ceiliazul]

Math finished this turn, in perfect timing to boost my Pyramids forest chops to their maximum potential.

Ziggo will produce a settler on the same turn the pyramids finish. It will move toward the double-deer location both Western workers in position to get the corn farmed by t59!



t56: pyramids finish
t57: revolt to Representation
t58: found city, 2 workers farm corn
t60: forest chop to granary
t61: whip granary at size 2->1

[Ceiliazul]

Minion:




:2dance:


3 chops and a 4 pop whip later, I'm really happy with my 7 turn build time. I realize this has set me back in workers, settlers and army... but it's worth it.

I expect Specialists are going to be the ONLY way to make tech progress while still expanding. Each new city is costing us 8-10 gpt in maintenance at size 1, but to stop expanding is to die...

The solution is Rep-scientists! Every new city will get a granary and library FIRST, about 6t with proper worker investment. That means each new city will quickly be running 2 scientists and contributing 15 commerce to the empire! Meanwhile, my core cities are going to be the only ones allowed to grow, and their mission in life will be to keep me out of bankruptcy.

So far I've been staying afloat with "creative accounting:
43 prebuild 'henge
2 pillage farm
9 pillage mine
11 pillage pig
15 pillage mine
23 pillage village
17 pillage hamlet
2 pillage cottage
------------------
122 gold!

That's basically Math tech right there, which snowballed into 'Mids, which will snowball into more tech... I like it.

In the meantime, my demos have fallen to earth. I'm still above average, but not excelling. This is the cost of the stacking too many rocks:



Diplomatically, that's ok though. Ad hoc went about 2 weeks without talking to me at all, and Pegasus was also quiet.

t56 City counts:
Catwalk: 5
Pegasus: 5
Ad Hoc: 4
Ceiliazul: 4
Cull: 2

Now that I'm mortal again, they're much easier to talk to. Catwalk and I are working together closely, talking about swapping units and such. Pegasus and I have Open Borders, and I have a full compliment of trade routes! Life is good.



Oh, and another important discovery this turn. GNP analysis revealed that someone had Iron working... and it could only be Crazy Cull. I looked closely at his land...

Particularly the hills yielded no info...

Nor the bare plains...

But I found it! Yes I found it:



[SIZE="2"]Seven, you sneaky devil.[/SIZE]