Auric Ulvin restores winter to Erebus [SPOILERS]

[Bobchillingworth]

Okay, so per our conversation last night I tested the impact of certain buildings on blight. I created a test scenario with a non-expansive leader where I WB'd in six one-tile island size 20 cities with no connected resources, and then artificially raised the AC so that Blight hit on the second turn.

• City 1 had an Aqueduct and started at -16 health
  
• City 2 had a Smokehouse and started at -18 health
  
• City 3 had a Granary and started at -18 health
  
• City 4 had nothing and started at -18 health
  
• City 5 had a Forge and started at -19 health
  
• City 6 had a Public Bath and started at -19 health
  

After Blight hit, the returns were the following:

• City 1 had -42 health
  
• City 2 had -46 health
  
• City 3 had -46 health
  
• City 4 had -46 health
  
• City 5 had -47 health
  
• City 6 had -47 health
  

So I was correct in remembering that Aqueducts cut blight by an additional amount, although the impact was less than I had thought. I'm guessing that the +2 health is simply applied twice; once to the "natural" unhealth of the city, and then again in the calculation of how much blight unhealth is incoming. I was wrong about smokehouses or granaries providing some innate benefit independent of resources. And Forges and Public Baths don't make blight significantly worse.

That said, if you have to choose between a Smokehouse and an Aqueduct, the Smokehouse is still probably better since it'll help you grow back more quickly. The Aqueduct only makes more sense if your city is going to be on the very margins of starvation immediately after the blight arrives. Although it's possible that Smokehouse health benefits with resources will cut total blight the same way the Aqueduct does, in which case there's no competition at all.

[Qgqqqqq]

There is a random element to blight unhealthiness IIRC. But you're right about the double application of innate health from aqueducts.

[Ellimist]

Okay... I haven't updated in awhile but we're up to turn 125.

I got a relevant event this turn:



I went with option #2. It will let me work an extra scientist, and increasing the AC won't do me any favors.

I'm not sure what else is worth screenshotting... I'm doing okay but HK is doing so much better. I finished Sorcery and currently have five adepts with enough experience to upgrade to mage(out of 9 total adepts). I expect to have three metamagic nodes soon, at which point I'll upgrade the first group of them.

The Deepening is at 188/402 hammers, and I expect it to be able to finish between turns 135 and 140. Given that Blight may occur at about the same time, I may actually delay completion somewhat to try and maximize the impact vs HK.

I'm researching Poisons now, and may pick up Optics and/or Currency afterward. My next major tech goal is Arcane Lore, though. It costs 3883 beakers, but I have one Great Sage already who can bulb it for 1276 beakers. Another great person will arrive at the end of turn 129, with a 75% chance of being another Sage.

Once I have Poisons, I'm going to train some assassins and send them to the goblin forts south of my territory. There, I'll give them some initial experience by killing wounded goblin archers after using Ice Elementals against them. I'm hoping to have time to get 2-3 promotions on 8-12 assassins, in order to send them on a special mission.

I haven't used any golden ages yet, and I'm probably overdue for one, but I'll wait a bit longer because I really don't want Blight to happen in the middle of one.

[Ellimist]

Uhhh... that's a lot of goblins. I'm glad I have access to Ice I.

Poisons came in at end of turn.

[Bobchillingworth]

Very considerate of the barbs to march about 60 exp your way, just when you're starting to train an army.


Adventurer will become an Assassin, correct? Probably has a good shot at becoming a super Aeron's Chosen unit.

[Bobchillingworth]

Allow me to summarize the last couple weeks of Ellimist's diplomacy with Dave-


Dave: We have met, although you didn't send me a message Are you here to hurt me, or can you pull a plan out of your ass to defeat the obvious runaway I've signed an NAP with?

Ellimist: I am not going to bully you. Here is a text summary of all of my map knowledge. Please trade and/or tell me something useful.

Dave: HK is expanding all over the map and yet I have agreed to not use my hero to scout and/or convert his land, despite Loki presumably being a major factor for why I picked Furia. We should totally trade mana, except my entire empire is paralyzed in fear of newborn AI Hyborem and his OCC empire.

Ellimist: Upon closer inspection, it appears you're actually too backwards to even trade mana, so I'll just improve your empty nodes for you. With the game at turn 125. And you playing Balseraphs. Also, what?

Dave: AI Hyborem is so incredibly terrifying that I can't defeat him until turn 140, when most games are wrapping up. Because of my utter inability to do anything proactive, HK's units are going to have, like, a buttload of boosts. Please improve my mana nodes, even though I have no intention of actually producing arcane units maybe January.

Ellimist: Here are some free resources and a free map to go with the free mana nodes I will be improving for you.

Dave: Thanks, although we're all screwed anyway & I'm totally depressed about the game. Btw Brian is slowly raising the AC as part of some moronic Armageddon plan which will badly fuck over everyone who isn't HK, assuming the game manages to run a million turns into overtime. You should encourage him!

Dave: YOU SON OF A BITCH, WHY DID YOU SINGLE-HANDEDLY DELAY THE BLIGHT BY SEVERAL TURNS

Ellimist: The Blight would have wrecked everyone who wasn't HK, who is running Sacrifice The Weak, and the idea that any of the Horsemen could have done serious damage to HK is laughable. Also HK obviously wants the AC to rise, since he keeps raising it. We need to work closely together, so here is my secret plan to slow HK with The Deepening before crippling him using invisible Assassins.

Dave: How dare you do things without emailing me about it, even though you played your turn at 3:20 AM? I feel like maybe you aren't such a good friend after all! Also, how could you even think of unleashing the Deepening, which I inexplicably find unfathomably worse than the Blight I was championing two turns ago?!

Me:

[Qgqqqqq]

HK is expanding all over the map and yet I have agreed to not use my hero to scout and/or convert his land, despite Loki presumably being a major factor for why I picked Furia.

This is a bit unreasonable considering any humans response to an aggressive Loki.

[Ellimist]

While Bob's summary isn't 100% fair, it does accurately reflect some of the frustration I've had recently. Bob just paraphrased each of the messages we've sent so far.

I want to work with everybody else, and I'm basically required to at this point, but it's difficult when different people operate under conflicting assumptions. I haven't really posted diplo messages, and I'm not sure if DaveV has, but HK has gotten so far ahead that it's just a very difficult situation for both of us.


Also, Bob...

Yeah... I totally should have done this earlier. Now that HK has Sorcery, I will be shocked if he doesn't monitor the area between us every turn. So... I should decide whether that plan should be revised or discarded.

TLDR:
2-3 AM isn't the best time for me to be trying to solve this particular puzzle, play the turn, and write three diplo messages that don't backfire in some way.

I'll play this turn tomorrow.





[EDIT]
Also, for the record and so nobody reading this gets the wrong idea, I am not expecting to concede anytime soon. HK still has to close the deal. It's not over unless he can pick a victory condition and achieve it despite my best efforts to disrupt. I'm not saying I'd never vote to concede, but it makes no sense to do so before HK's even started to pursue anything other than developing his empire.

[Qgqqqqq]

Dave is posting messages, and I understand the frustration you are having. I simply thought what I quoted was unreasonable. (I also found the summary rather amusing and interesting, even if I didn't give that impression, so thanks for it!)
Is it just floating eyes that see through their invisibility, or hawks as well?

[Bobchillingworth]

@ Ellimist:


I think I only told you, like, ONE MILLION TIMES, that Floating Eyes can reveal Illian Assassins.


Here, allow me to quote some choice chats between us from the last few weeks:


Bob
oh ho
illian assassins
okay, spiders can't seem them when cloaked
no surprise there
hawks can't either1:21 AM
Elli Mist
they stay cloaked outside of ice?
Bob
but floating eyes can


[...]


Bob
just stay away from floating eyes and empyrean grunts


[...]


Elli Mist
yeah and i can't get religions either
grrr
a hidden assassin strike might be worthwhile
if he doesn't get floating eyes


[...]


Bob
pretty big "if" tho, not sure what kind of player would go for the Tower (which I assume he will) and doesn't have a network of floating eyes


[...]


Bob
he isn't empryean, so if he stays veil it is just eyes to watch out for
Elli Mist
yeah
and who uses floating eyes against their own territory {Italics added- Ed.}



So don't give me no grief!