RB PBEM #1 - Pericles (SPOILERS!)

[sooooo]

Horay, I finally get the game back. It's a good turn, since I found my fifth city, finish the hanging gardens and my great engineer is born!

Here's the picture of my north after I hit enter (thus after the HG has its effect):



Sparta is working on a great scientist, which is due in 8 turns (he'll head to Thebes to build an academy). Athens now has 4 engineer points per turn. I just finished an archer who will stand on the forested hill 1NW of Argos to guard that pass. There are two barbs in sight and I only have one phalanx to deal with them, but I think I'll be OK. Literature (and hence the great library) is due in 4 turns.

Traded for iron working and HBR this turn. There is iron around but I'm not getting it any time soon because it's in the desolate wasteland of the north. Athlete will provide me with sailing in 2 turns, and that will allow me to trade for calendar from Ruff. M_h hasn't offered me currency yet. We had an agreement to trade aesth for currency and to sort out the beaker difference later but he hasn't replied to my efforts to sort it out. I'll go and chase him up about it.

Oh, and I took the score lead this turn .

[sooooo]

A question for the lurkers: does anyone know how the game determines where a religion is founded? I recall that it's usually the youngest city without a religion, is that right?

I'd like to lightbulb Philo and get Taoism in Argos and then build the Angkor Wat there. Then I'd hire a load of priest specalists and have a gold+priest city.

[Fenton Denton Smith]

Yes - I think the youngest city is usually chosen although I don't think it is a given.

It helps if the city is recent and has no religon spread already - perhaps some wlse bod knows exactly how it works? I'd like to know too!

I haven't ever experimented too much with priest gold cities too much before so it will be interesting to see how this works!

incidentally - the bulb will come from the first GSci I take and then you'll hold out for another for the academy? Only downside to this is missing out on 50% extra beakers for the insta-great Library...

[sooooo]

incidentally - the bulb will come from the first GSci I take and then you'll hold out for another for the academy? Only downside to this is missing out on 50% extra beakers for the insta-great Library...

I've been thinking about this. Probably yes is my answer, because I can revolt to pacifism earlier and speed up the next GPs.

I've been considering this strategy:

1. Lightbulb Philosophy with the GS from Sparta in 8 turns. Revolt to pacifism and organised religion, try to get Taoism in Argos.
2. Get a GE from Athens next, use to build Angor Wat in Argos.
3. Get a GS from Thebes, use to build academy in Thebes.
4. Get a great prophet from Argos from Angkor Wat and hiring priest specialists. Make Taoist Shrine in Argos.

I realise that that's 4 great people that aren't settled and it's quite away from my original strategy of settling all great people. I'm not sure if this whole priest strategy is a good one or not. It'd mean I just build gold multiplier buildings in Argos and just science multipliers in Thebes. Later I'd convert Argos into a merchant pump once I've built market and grocer. Maybe I could trade for a prophet from Ruff or Dreylin? They should have some soon from their prophet wonders.

[Fenton Denton Smith]

If you manage to keep your "pool" clean then this is doable - especially considering the Pacifism boost.

Will take some micromanaging though. Your cities seem well planned.

The Gold city should work nicely as it will allow you keep the slider high on the science front which works especially well with a highly cottaged science city (Thebes)

Kylearan (sp - sorry!) has done some nice work on his website with regard to how to hire specialists.

[regoarrarr]

It's definitely random, but I believe the highest odds go to the non-capital city with the highest population that doesn't already have a religion.

[sooooo]

Eeek, the highest population? I may have to slave down my other cities just before the lightbulb then. Have to plan what to slave ...

[regoarrarr]

Yes it looks like that is the case

see http://www.civfanatics.com/civ4/strategy/religions.php


Once the player has been determined, that player's cities are each checked in turn. A random seed is added to the city's population, which then has two negative factors applied to it - an 8x bias against the city with the Palace, and a smaller bias scaled with the number of religions already present in the city.

Do you have the ability to spread religion to the other cities (that you don't want to be the holy city)?

[sooooo]

No. I get sailing next turn which gives me overseas trade routes and the greater chance of religion spread though.

Sparta currently has my highest population (7). I suppose I'd be fine with that city becoming holy actually. Maybe I'll try for that.

[T-hawk]

I don't think the holy city location really matters here, does it? I don't see any Prophet in your plans, and without a shrine, all the holy city gives is the +5 culture.