kjn's Ryde (spoilers!)

[kjn]

Something that bugs me.

The output of TZ is easy to determine from graphs and known improved tiles: they work farmed rice, pastured sheep, and their city tile for 11F 3H 3C. 14 foodhammers is the best possible output possible from a 2-pop city on this map. That takes care of worst rival food and the mid value of production.

Likewise for AT. Since he whipped last turn, he is likely working his rice and his clam, for 12F 2H 5C. That takes care of worst rival production and the mid value of food.

However, that leaves Catwalk with the rival best in both food and production. With five tiles worked a total of 15F is high but doable, even if many are unimproved, nor is 6H that special. But taken together, it means a whopping 21 foodhammers.

That's 4.2 foodhammers output per tile. Every tile but one must be a strength 4 tile. It means the second city must be settled on a food resource and working a forested grassland deer. It might be second-ring, given the status of holy city, but still...

This also led me to re-assess some earlier C&D work. If Catwalk had contact with both TZ and AT on T8, they could research Agriculture in 4t, thanks to the known tech bonus. That would also fit with a team working a 3F1C-tile on T8 to T11.

[kjn]

T23 - 2620 BC

Alfred roads, Hulatorpaheren moves SW onto the forest and will start roading next turn. Citron goes 1S, and will be visible to TZ next turn. New tech is Bronze Working, and I pick up another bonus beaker due to the known tech bonus.

End turn. I should get plenty of new map data when I end turn next time.

Demos and C&D

Sternum has finished a settler (zero sabotage cost), so TZ will probably claim copper soon. With two workers, he is likely to finish a connection between his cities and copper fast.

Catwalk grew his second city to size 2 in just 4t. That pretty much requires a 4F surplus and 6F total, ie a 3F plant (probably on sugar or banana) and then working a 3F tile, probably in second ring.

Total power rose 3000, of which 1000 was Catwalk reaching 4 pop. TZ's power didn't increase.

Catwalk got a new tech in 2t, and TZ one in 3t. Given his modest GNP drop in the graphs, I think TZ got a single-discounted or well-known tech. I put him in for Fishing. With luck, he puts the overflow from the settler into a work boat.

That leaves Catwalk at 2t and a cheap tech. That's probably Hunting. I have no idea if he has any plan in this game...

Lots of pictures next turn!

[kjn]

T24 - 2560 BC

I started the turn with some intelligence gathering: I sent Agn 1S to take a look at Sternum and perhaps put pressure on TZ's sheep. Then Citron joined Stark. I had first planned to send Stark back directly towards Ryd, but I will let him stay at the front for this turn.




As shown here, I have Agn able to threaten TZ's capital or his sheep directly, and his two warriors stand no chance against Citron on open ground. With luck, TZ has spent his overflow hammers from the settler on an work boat (8H invested in something in Sternum).

Otherwise, I've been following the micro plan. The road between Ryd and Fröderyd will be completed next turn, and the settler will be completed T26.

After the turn was ended, the borders of Ryd expanded and I got lots of new map data:



Nothing game-changing revealed, however. The sheep to the north isn't enough to motivate moving Fröderyd 1N.

Demos and C&D

AT was the only team that gained a score increase - a tech - this turn. It took 2t since their last one, and with a total power increase of 2000 it pretty much has to be Hunting.

Since AT spent 1t revolting to Slavery, he lost 2 cp, which means he's one turn after the rest of us in expanding to third-ring borders, and TZ has already expanded to third ring. That leaves 13 tiles to be claimed by Catwalk, in comparison to the 16 third-ring tiles for me and TZ.

This gives the following land development for Catwalk's cities:

17000 (initial BFC)
9000 (second city's first ring)
10000 (second city's second ring)
13000 (first city's third ring)

The first two tests are the same for both the sugar plant and the banana plant, but the sugar placement would cause the capital to only gain 12000 land tiles in its third ring, while the banana plant gives 13000.

So Catwalk settled his first city on the banana, to his equivalent of my northeast. I think there will be a deer on one of the two forests to the east of it. It also means that there probably is copper in the area. I probably should send Agn southwards...

[kjn]

T25 - 2500 BC

The situation that met me when I opened the save was exactly the same one as the one I saw when I sent the save on last turn. My workers did their thing - I had expected TZ to retreat. Sternum had grown to size 3, and have 12 or so hammers invested in a build - probably a work boat.

So Citron is sent to the front, and wins though he is down to 55/100 HP. He did pick up 2 XP, and can promo-heal next turn.

That leaves Agn and Stark. I think I have the following options:

1. Kill his second warrior with Agn and Stark
   
2. Move Agn 1S to the forest
   
3. Move Agn 1SE next to Sternum
   

Since TZ founded their second city (end of era of barb animals, or should there be another city?) I think he has his CG3 warrior with the other city, and not lying in ambush behind the forest. Wait... there is a road leading southwest from Sternum, so the CG3 warrior can also hit Agn from 1SW of Sternum.

So, after a long deliberation I believe option 1 is best. It will leave me with 2 units to face his CG3 warrior. Agn manages to push TZ's warrior down to 15 HP, and Stark wins flawlessly.




Demos and C&D

TZ picked up a whopping 27 points, from growing Sternum to size 3 and planting a new city. He has also improved his ivory now. It will take at least until T27 to connect his copper, since he founded his second city on T25, and that is assuming he could pre-road the copper tile, which isn't that likely. Another possibility is that he founded on the copper.

AT expanded borders, and presumably is at 33 land tiles now, just as me. That leaves 7 land tiles for TZ's new city. One possibility is 3NW of Sternum, on the plains hill. With a single road, the move could be done in 1t. Since Catwalk settled on the banana, I think there is a high likelihood that the plains hill 3NE of Ryd has copper.

AT also grew back to size 3. Global soldiers down 3000, up 1000 from TZ's pop, and down 4000 from their two killed warriors.

With three new citizens, there are large increases in both GNP, production, and food output. Lets see if my unconventional opening can hold up. I will probably be last to two cities, but I might be the first to the silver (unless AT goes for it).

[kjn]

Anyone know exactly how the build auto-upgrades works?

TZ had 8H in a build on T25 in Sternum, and assume that they just settled their second city on copper, and with a road in place. They obviously know BW and Hunting.

They end turn.

Will builds come before the auto-upgrade/obsolete process, or after?

[Commodore]

Builds come after. In 38, I was able to get half a dozen machine guns the turn I got Railroad by whipping in maces everywhere. Warriors go to spears, rather than axes. Archers crossbows, not longbows, etc...

[kjn]

Thanks! That means he can theoretically whip an impi this turn once he receives the save.

[kjn]

Also, lets see if any lurker here can manage to work out which music that will announce my mounted units.

[Merovech]

Ride of the Valkyries?

[kjn]

Nothing as new-fangled as that. :D

Hint: it reputedly goes back to the 30-years-war, though the modern version appeared in the mid- and late-19th century.