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

[Dark Savant]

Turn 73 (1080 BC) - Part 6 (C&D continued)

We're going to lose graphs on Ventessel soon, so I'm going to post current graphs.

[Dark Savant]

Gavagai, Krill, and Ventessel are all not ending their turns.  Ventessel just might not be able to play as usual, but Gavagai and Krill have both logged in for quite some time.

I suspect something's up.  No other player is in a position to know this.

I'm hesitant to end turn myself for no other reason than because I want to react to whatever happens.  I don't think anyone else would even care.

... okay, I'll log on, do the micro double-check, and log back out.

edit: I can react next turn 99% as well, so I'll just be less annoying and end turn already.

[Dark Savant]

Okay, Gavagai logged in and whipped 3 pop in Istanbul and 1 pop in Edirne Ankara (oops) (-9 points, 15 pop total), then ended turn, leaving the game paused with 10 minutes left.

Krill and Ventessel have yet to end turn.

[ipecac]

No point attacking at this point, I think.

And you're right, there are a couple of good city sites (good for both of them) at the Krill-Gavagai border.

[Dark Savant]

No point attacking at this point, I think.

I wasn't seeing adequate payoff (we'd be sinking 400+ hammers into such an attack), so unless a golden opportunity presents itself, that sounds probably like the best plan.

The grand overall strategy is still:

1. Continue to build peacefully under cover of "you aren't going to attack the rival who is Expansive/Aggressive, are you?"
   
2. Tech to Iron Working before choosing to attack.  (This may actually include Metal Casting first, because I'm not sure anyone else is going for that!)
   
3. Build lots of Aggressive swords.
   
4. Bonk heads.
   
5. Profit!
   

And you're right, there are a couple of good city sites (good for both of them) at the Krill-Gavagai border.

I'm not actually sure who we want to win any conflict at this point (aside from "bloody stalemate").

[ipecac]

I didn't conside Krill Oracling Aesthetics for the SoZ. Makes sense though

[Dark Savant]

I double-checked that Metal Casting would show up with a KTB in my sandbox, just to be sure.  So yeah, Krill's Classical technology must be one of Aesthetics, Mathematics, or Monarchy.  That last would be a strange choice with Charismatic and a lot of early-game luxuries.  And the main reason I can see to Oracle Mathematics is to then lightbulb Currency with a Great Merchant, but that makes less sense here than in a SP game, and Krill doesn't have a source of Merchant points anyway.

So it pretty much has to be Aesthetics.  I was actually considering chasing that after Writing, but Krill can slow-build the Statue of Zeus faster than we can reach Aesthetics, so that's no longer a choice.

It does, however, leave Metal Casting and the Colossus much more of a possibility than I thought.

I didn't conside Krill Oracling Aesthetics for the SoZ. Makes sense though

And actually, that solves the long-standing question of why Krill chose his leader and starting civ.

I think Krill really wants to play with a commando factory.  I'm not very familiar with the history of Civ 4 games here, but there can't be many in which they were actually a decisive factor; usually a MP game is over before you can bring one into play, and they wouldn't work as well in a SP game because the AI always defends every city.

He started with Mysticism for a head start on the Oracle.  He chose the Inca because they have best general accompanying tech, Agriculture, plus terraces.  (Though I think I might prefer the Aztecs in this mod.)

He chose Boudica to minimize the number of XP needed for a commando -- he only needs 13 on a rifleman.  The limiting factor is actually researching Military Science.  Usually the limiting factor is that you need either a lot of settled Great Generals, or West Point, but with one more Great General, he has 4 XP, 3 XP from barracks, 3 from Statue of Zeus, 4 from civics, for 14.  He'd then need either 2 more Great Generals or West Point to create commando cavalry.  

I'm guessing Krill actually also wants to build Shwedagon Paya, so he can swap to Theocracy without having to research Theology.

The fact that this all fits together so nicely is another point in favor of his tech being Aesthetics.

[Dark Savant]

Gavagai moved another axe into Ankara (on t73, not t74, which just rolled - I started to take notes but haven't touched any units yet).

I feel that the winners of a war between us and Gavagai in the foreseeable future would be Krill and Coeurva, no matter who starts the war.  If we attack Gavagai, he's got superior defensive terrain.  If he attacks us, we're Aggressive (with 5 barracks) and he isn't (with 0 barracks).

Also, the war would cost us more than what we learned from Krill's map.  I might consider it if Krill could somehow offer more.

So it's not a surprise Krill wants us to attack Gavagai.  Also, Gavagai is already benefiting from Krill's capital move, and ideally the player to solve that issue should be Krill, not us.

[Dark Savant]

Turn 73 (1080 BC) - Part 7

War Between the White Walkers and the Incest Empire Update



There is no war.  Krill has always been at peace with the White Walkers.

Reached for comment, Tywin Lannister gave only a curt statement about how only children and fools believe that the Others pose any threat to the Empire.  Questions about the rumored affair between his two older children resulted in the response of only an icy glare.

[Dark Savant]

I think this is in Krill's best interest -- he can deal with Gavagai better, and Ventessel can actually challenge GermanJoey expanding into his back yard.  (Though Krill still wouldn't know it's GermanJoey.)

Maybe he'll even build a terrace in his capital!