[SPOILERS]Boudica of Rome and Gawdzak ask: "Raise your what?"

[Gawdzak]

Interesting analysis, now just discount everything for time and Seven will be happy. I expect that only favours the new traits even more though. Agricultural certainly looks very powerful, also curious that about 1/3 of it's value comes from 4f tiles. If that ratio stayed fairly constant then I could see switching it to 5f tiles being reasonable.

I agree here.

The only one that really stands out to me that you are undervaluing is Expansive. You usually want to chop in a size 1 granary with Exp almost as soon as the city has been settled. Seeing as you have 5 cities, you might estimate 4 granaries should have been built at this stage, if you had Exp? The bonus from getting the granary earlier is also very powerful, you might estimate it allows each city to grow 1 extra size, worth another 30h via the whip. So, you could put a value of 240h on expansive.

I would definitely play differently if I was Expansive, no question about that. I ignored all the snowball effects in my analysis because it would be extremely hard to measure. For example as Agricultural in my game, I was able to grow to the next size 1 turn faster many times, allowing me to work an extra tile for a turn/whip earlier/build worker and settlers faster. So if we add all the snowball effects Agricultural/Productive may seem even more powerful because I feel both traits are extremely snowbally in its design.

I probably didn't explain myself very well but hopefully you get the point.

[Gawdzak]

Alright enough rambling from me and back to the game

Pillage another winery yielding 9 gold,every little bit counts.

DQ sent a warrior in my direction:




I hope he's not planning to settle in my direction, and if he is, he better not steal my gold!

Demos:




A lot of players are dragging their feet in this game, most are on 3 cities. Poor Gavagai who got rushed by mackoti settled a 2nd(?) city this turn. Good for him,looks like he'll live.

GermanJojo's IMP/CHM Khmer civilization isn't doing so well either,still on 2 cities. However he grew his capital all the way to size 7. On paper IMP and CHM seemed anti-synergistic with IMP favouring horizontal expansion and CHM favouring vertical growth but IMP/CHM players probably should just stack the whip anger and start 2 pop whipping settler like crazy and try to outexpand people. Big cities are nice but more cities are generally better.

[Gawdzak]

"Am I paranoid if they are actually out to get me?"




So unfortunately other people settling cities last few turns has cross some kind of threshold, the barb rush is coming!

News of the turn,DQ fortified his warrior. I don't like that,but nothing I can do about it right now.

Someone gets a Great Scientist last turn, and Seven (Pericles of Russia) had a 12 point midturn score increase...so I think Seven bulbed math?I think he's going to try to chop out the mids, nothing I can do to compete right now.

The barb thing sucks, I'm forced into making some sub-optimal micro decisions, which really annoy me, but I have to go for the safe play here.

O well, hopefully I will have something interesting to show you guys soon, and if you are closely following this thread I think you know what it is.

[Gawdzak]

Got it.

[Gawdzak]

I landed the Great Lighthouse, and I'm pretty happy about that.

Judaism was founded Turn 60, judging by the score increases it could be either Parkin, Wetbandit (seems to take over Kuro for the time being) and Slowcheetah.

What's next? I'm going to keep expanding but more barbs are incoming, going to settle an island soon.

The tech goal is to beeline Currency, I will get Writing next turn.

[Commodore]

Well done!

[Gawdzak]

Well done!

Thank you!

On a unrelated note, we are still waiting for Parkin to play. Kind of strange that he's play everyone else's turn in PB18 but not playing the turn in his own game. *grumble,grumble*

Perhaps because of this?

Also, just so everyone is fully aware ahead of time, I have an important announcement. In this game I will be using a reverse smurf: a mystery user will be playing all my turns and posting their written updates using my account. The challenge for everyone will be to figure out who it is. Thanks in advance for your understanding.

[Gawdzak]

Turn 64

I settled another city this turn




Since this is an intercontinental city, this city actually makes me 8 gold per turn on 100% gold.

Going for Archery next, there's so many barbs and I need to get out some cheap units for exploring/fog busting.

Now I'm going to compare the passive effects of the traits and effects that they would have on my empire.

Agricultural: 7 food per turn
Productive: 3 hammers per turn
Organized: 2 gold per turn
Financial: 1 commerce per turn
Creative: 6 culture per turn

Agricultural is not very strong they said. Agricultural is a late game trait they said.

[Gawdzak]

Turn 64 Continued

It is now Turn 64 in this game. The Oracle still have not fallen yet.

I am going to give my thoughts on the matter. I have decided early on that I wanted the Great Lighthouse and I got it on Turn 59. I strongly believed that the Great Lighthouse is the better wonder for me. The extra trade routes would gain a lot of value over the course of this game. Besides, what could I have taken?

Monarchy? Uh no, I get 3 extra happiness everywhere because of Charismatic and I don't have Wine very close by. So it's not that useful for me.

HBR or Iron working? Not when I can't even see anyone's borders yet, so no war anytime soon.

Metal Casting? I'm not Industrious so Forges are just too expensive at this stage of the game. Colossus? It got nerfed in the mod (2 extra commerce per water tile in ONE city) so it's not really worth it for me since I have no good spot to build it right now.

Now Math or Code of Laws is the big question. Both techs are useful, Code of Laws allows me to found Confucianism and a key economic tech later on. Math, of course, is a strong economic tech that also leads to Currency.

If I did go for the Oracle, I think I certainly could have gotten it early enough that I would have a good chance but it would almost certainly be at the expense of the Great Lighthouse.

Right now, however, the questions is not should I have gone for the Oracle but should I go for it now.

I'm kicking myself for missing this earlier, but what if Seven goes for the Oracle? Remember I said back in Turn 56 Seven bulbed Math? This means Seven had a Library as early as Turn 49 so it would be very easy for him to tech Mysticism-> Meditation/Polytheism-> Priesthood. Seven could easily build the Oracle and grab Currency anytime right now.
Want to know something even more scary? What if he's going for Code of Laws first and Oracles Civil Service? While I don't think he have the commerce to get to Code of Laws right now, it is certainly within the range of possibilities in the next 5-10 turns or so. I fear the GG's might start to come out after that...

So now how soon can I get the Oracle? It will take me around 4-5 turns to get there in tech and it will take me at least another 4-5 turns to build it since I already chopped most of my forests. Turn 70ish Oracle? That's pretty late if someone else decide to go for it.

My best hope is that someone else build it before Seven does, and I will not go the Oracle.

Who are the top candidates?Let's take a look:

1)Wetbandit/Kuro: these guys are Agricultural/Productive India who founded Hinduism. So they are one tech away from the Oracle and they can take Monarchy which would be good for them, get Monotheism next and double revolt into Org.Religion and Hereditary Rule. The Great Prophet points for their potential shrine wouldn't hurt either. They can also build it fast with their fast workers and Productive mines.

2)HitAnyKey: he founded Buddhism and built Stonehedge. He is Wang Kon of Spain. I wouldn't understand if he didn't build it because he already built Stonehedge which would be pretty good on a map this size. He is Productive to help him build it, he already built one wonder,why not another.

3)Douglas Quaid: he built a Obelisk in his capital and got a Great Prophet,so I know he has an early Mysticism at least. He is Elizabeth of Egpyt.

4)Everyone else: I have no idea what these guys are doing since I haven't met them or done the C&D to have an idea what they are doing.

So in hindsight, while the Great Lighthouse is the stronger wonder in a vacuum, perhaps the Oracle would end up being the more decisive wonder since nothing happens in a vacuum (pun not intended).

[Gawdzak]

Turn 65

New city




A shot of the empire.




Capital.




Demos.




One important thing to note here is that people are getting trade foreign trade routes.

I, on the other hand, have only found 1 other player and have no idea where he is. Oh well I will be content with settling more island and give myself 2 commerce trade routes.