Astronaut without sin confounds press, invites trio to control civilization

[Gaspar]

Calendar before Currency - pass the pipe.

[novice]

I played with the sandbox. Actually, I don't think we can afford archery yet. I guess we've settled like three more cities than I did when I played it through all the way (and we've also build more military and one monastery fewer), so we're behind on commerce from what I'd expected.

I messed about a bit with those trade route simulators, so that sandbox was a bit behind the game on commerce. It's also a few beakers behind the game.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15215428/PBEM23/...dSwordSave

Here's an updated sandbox, start of t76, where I think the commerce is correct. It's still a few beakers behind the game. Anyway, we can easily get Archery t76, Compass t77 and Aesthetics t78 (if needed). I simmed with emptying the food box in Callisto, as suggested, and worked specialists over coasts in the hindu island cities.

[novice]

After bulbing Astronomy we'll be two techs (Civil Service->Nationalism) away from drafted macemen. If we want to go to war, drafted macemen on galleons sounds pretty deadly to me. Much as we like him, I think Yuri makes a good target. He's pretty soft, and all his cities except his capital are coastal. We could capture Thessalonica on the first turn of war, unload 9 war chariots in the city and send them to capture (at the same time capturing Nicaea and Adrianople amphibiously) or raze Constantinople on the second turn of war. We'll secure iron, a continuous blob of territory, and get rid of the guy with Cataphracts.



I suppose the results of our early transoceanic exploration efforts will influence the viability and necessity of this plan.

[SevenSpirits]

Anyway, we can easily get Archery t76, Compass t77 and Aesthetics t78 (if needed). I simmed with emptying the food box in Callisto, as suggested, and worked specialists over coasts in the hindu island cities.

Aesthetics is easy, sure. But we might have to research Optics (if we're missing a scientist) or even Machinery (if we don't get an engineer or fourth scientist).

We'll definitely have a lot of options after astro. It would be nice to get a ton of great new settled cities, nice to raze Mackoti's capital (as it's the most threatening city to us long-term, I think), and nice to stomp on YNL or someone else and take their stuff. No matter what I think we should focus on production (swap back to OR/slavery, run specialists only when we can't whip fast enough) and get caught up on forges and then other stuff (settlers, galleons, whatever). Like you said we're only a few techs away from everything we need for the near term. (Theo for the AP is on my wishlist too.)

I'd like to plan on whipping as much pop as possible right away in our high food cities like Callisto and Io and the island ones (i.e. 3-4 pop forge whips) and then go from there. Hence why growing the island cities on coasts now is really convenient. (Although I do agree with working some specialists in the hindu ones; ideally at the end, once we've grown them a bit more, though.) One or two of the island cities might have to wait for religion first.

Oh before I forget, let's build that fort 2NE of Callisto when we have some spare worker turns, so we have a canal.

[novice]

Good thoughts. When should we do the civic swap? I've been thinking we'd do it when the golden age ends, since that's a natural time to stop emphasizing specialists (and our food boxes will be empty). We haven't discussed it explicitly though. I haven't done the math but if we're going Civil Service after Astronomy, switching civics on T79 might delay Bureaucracy, though.

[SevenSpirits]

Good thoughts. When should we do the civic swap? I've been thinking we'd do it when the golden age ends, since that's a natural time to stop emphasizing specialists (and our food boxes will be empty). We haven't discussed it explicitly though. I haven't done the math but if we're going Civil Service after Astronomy, switching civics on T79 might delay Bureaucracy, though.

I think it depends on our GPs. If we get the perfect set, in my (old) sim we got CS t79 IIRC, so I delayed the swap one turn. If we have to research another expensive tech, I think we might want to just swap t79 and again five turns later, because our research rate's going to be a lot lower. We can do the math after t77, when we know what GPs we have, sound good?

P.S. Sorry I've been asleep the last two times the save came, and didn't post any thoughts beforehand.

[novice]

P.S. Sorry I've been asleep the last two times the save came, and didn't post any thoughts beforehand.

No problem, as long as you're happy with me following my own unpublished plans. It looks like we might see another turn today though, so you'll get your chance to alter course.

I guess a few jibes and tacks are necessary on our cruise to victory.

[regoarrarr]

Lurker contest! Vote for of the turn!

I gotta go with

3. Fierce's power (at least in comparison to his expansion)

[SevenSpirits]

Played through this with novice. I don't feel particularly inspired to post pics today, but here are the demos.



We got a great scientist out of Ganymede. Engineer would have been superior (barring an unlikely duplicate engineer from Io) but at least it's not the low-odds prophet! Hopefully Callisto graces us with a scientist as well, then we'll be in great shape.

Two scientists were born this turn to others as well, Sian and someone else. Probably luddicator? I'll laugh if they build an academy, given what their research rate must be like.

I decided to alter the worker plan a bit, and clear out the sugar a bit faster (and more efficiently) in exchange for taking longer on the spices. Worthwhile, I think, as it's just a much better tile to work, in a sheltered city we'll want to develop heavily. Also we avoid having two vulnerable workers on the same indefensible tile.

I put our island hindu cities on merchants. Titania still has some artists to run, but it can do that next turn - I believe this will mean we get all that as tile culture in what little of the third ring we claim, too, so it's better than running them this turn.

I also built one turn of a forge in Io, since we're producing less than 5 hammers this turn. That leaves us able to 4-whip it in OR, which we may wish to do.

No one has any techs that we don't.

Mackoti will see our Compass research this turn and know what's coming.

[novice]

Sandbox:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15215428/PBEM23/...dSwordSave