[Spoilers] Bacchus debuts on RB showing unmatched vision and slick dice-rolling

[Bacchus]

Built another settler (sixth city), capital whipped lighthouse for 2 with maximum overflow, as far as Krillmod allows, it will then 1-turn an axe, a spear and spend the third turn doing something else, concurrently growing back to 6, at which point it will also buld a settler.

American no-promo chariot appeared on southern borders, brought down my C2 chariot from the cap to defend the zone, if he chooses to advance further, I will be able to strike at it with 75% odds. A tricky question, actually, he can worm his way into the backlines, which are pretty demilitarized, and I really don't want to whip a unit there.

Retep advanced one with his stack and split it for some unfathomable reason. There is now a mini-stack of a HA, an archer and a spear guarding two workers within striking distance of William's city if William has some spare units in the core, and his power graph suggests that he does, he should be able to attack out productively. Strange choice by Khmer.

Not much happening otherwise, demos are falling behind a bit, but we will whip our first library in 2 turns, and then switch science on for Metal Casting -- there are serious and increasing MFG issues with our land.

[Bacchus]

I'll post some pictures tonight. Apologies for the underwhelming updating.

[Bacchus]

Oh hai. Here's that T97 update.

We start with battling -- Dhalpir decided to push into our lands with his scouting chariot, bringing within a striking distance of a C2 chariot and an archer. I didn't see any reason to suicide the archer (25%) given the 75% survival rate on the chariot, so went ahead and attacked. Took a mauling of five hits:


Here's our newly founded city of Starship Troopers (yay!):


I know what you are saying. Yes, it's a godawful first ring and wouldn't have thought of founding that if I wasn't Creative and if I didn't really want that empire-wide happy. The reason I'm not fitting two cities onto that peninsula is that I want a city on the hill west of Banana, and that there is an island to the south-east, the best spot of which would have potentially be made illegal with a plant on that cape. Also, another two settlers will be ready in just 7 turns, to fill further spots:


Two ridiculously good ones in the west, one of which needs a galley though, and


A reasonable one in the east, this will be our border with WIilliam, which would allow a nice strike into his lands with Engineering. Otherwise, here is the core:

Where we just whipped our first library (yuck!). The two northerly cities are on infrastructure duty and then will generate scientists, the capital is finishing off a spear this turn and will start building a settler, probably for the eastern Oasis plant -- just in time to take that clam away.

Slight worry is this:


I'm not sure what he is doing, but I've relocated units to the relevant border city, should retep change his mind and go after us. I'm also building a spear up to 5 for a 1-turn whip, so that I can double whip from 4 and immeadiately again from 2, should such a need arise. I really hope it doesn't.

Demos, which suck:


This is really poor, actually. The rival average is really depressed by retep and slowcheetah, if you clear their empires out, we are basically dead bottom. That's why I'm pursuing a somewhat vain project of the Collossus -- I desperately need something that can give me an advantage, and that's the only wonder that's slightly off the beaten tech path (I assume the Oracle-owner chose something other than MC) and for which I have a resource. Plako has incense hooked, hurray for Calendar, he also has Marble, so hello MoM (in addition to the Lighthouse). Scooter has stone and a Great Wall. Not sure why not the Mids, which no-one's built yet.

[Bacchus]

Oh wow, retep took his turn in less than a minute.. and all he did was move his stack 1NW.

What will happen is that William will destroy this heap of obsolete units wandering aimlessly about his lands and gain a fuck lot of experience. Could be much worse though, these units could be wandering around my lands.

[DMOC]

If you found a city on a separate landmass, it can be founded 2 tiles from another city on another landmass. (At least, in the default Civ4 game.)

[Bacchus]

Nothing to write home about these turns, except that Dhalpir built a city in the southern jungle, the one that commands a fairly thin neck between our subcontinents. A bit annoying, it's a good defensive position, but it would have been a real stretch to settle it ourselves, plus we have more excellent spots. For now, I'm more than happy to let that pig/iron spot contribute to the anti-plako war effort. I just need to make sure that once the city falls eventually, it does so to me, rather than the Mayans.

Also, William finally killed my scout

[Bacchus]

Vikings built the 'Mids.

[Bacchus]

Whilst the turn is hanging due to unfortunate rolling times and several players with narrow play windows, Pindicator offered me spices for the world map. 10 turns of 1 happy in a relatively happy-endowed empire for guaranteed circumnav? We'll call you back.

[Bacchus]

Taken up with RL stuff, might post a proper update on Sunday. So far, another city founded, also sometime ago Retep declared war without having a single unit anywhere near my borders, so I worried a little, but then convinced myself that it's a feint and went ahead to plant my next city -- which is on the border with William, and thus requires a garrison, which makes the Retep line a bit thin. I had plenty of pop for emergency whips to make the gamble, though, and my visibility into Retep's lands is good to warn early of any approach. Regardless, now that we are up to 8 cities, I'm spending a bit more time building military.

Except for the capital, which started on the forge to proceed onto the Colossus. It has base mfg of 18, will be 20 with a workshop, so this should be done soonish. I will hammer bank 60 overflow into the Collosus -- 30 off the forge and 30 off a unit of some sort. Also, a Galley is finished in the Big Time, and that city will grow to 6, before triple-whipping a settler to go settle an island. Double Star will also build a settler after it's grown.

[Bacchus]

Oh, Jesus, turns out whilst I was travelling and playing with half an eye to the game, there was a whole avalanche of wonders -- Colossus, Great Library, Kashi, Hanging Gardens and Statue of Zeus. All in far away lands. But the best city in the world is William's Turandot