[SPOILERS] Back to Basic - Mardoc plays Augustus of China

[HidingKneel]

So, newb questions:

That's Silver down by Belkar? What's that, a happy resource?

What's Stone good for? Doubling wonders? What are good wonders to aim for?

[Commodore]

So, newb questions:

That's Silver down by Belkar? What's that, a happy resource?

What's Stone good for? Doubling wonders? What are good wonders to aim for?

Wow, you really are FFH only, eh? Silver is a 5 commerce metal luxury, like gold or gems its improved with a mine and gets an extra happy with a forge.

Stone is a wonder-doubler, working on a lot of those that marble doesn't work for. Stone wonders of note early on:
-Stonehenge. 2 Great Prophet points, free monument in every city. Basically, half-Creative. It's very cheap and early, though, plus Sian with Charismatic wants it even more (as monuments are worth an extra +1 to Chm). If available still when stone hooks, though, definitely should 1t it.
-The Great Wall. Great Spy points, which is useful. Barbarians on your landmass don't enter your borders, and +100% Great General points fighting in your borders. Another dirt cheap wonder, probably should be failgold cascaded before being built, unless Great Spy plan/barbs dictate earlier completion.
-The Hanging Gardens. Great Engineer points, +1 health, +1 population in all cities. This is a nice one that usually gets built a little later. It requires a 100h Aqueduct to be built first, then for Mardoc with stone the wonder itself is a mere 120h. Generally, the rule is to build it once you gain more hammers by whips (30h a pop) than you lose in the building.
-The Pyramids. Great Engineer points, unlocks all governmental civics. This is huge, huge, huge. Police State can be situationally useful, but it's mostly about Representation,+3 to the largest cities and +3 beakers to all specialists. Utility of that one should be obvious.

[Mardoc]

I'm also currently aiming for the Oracle, which is only doubled with Marble, not Stone. But it's a free tech, and there are some good ones available around that era. We'll likely take Metal Casting, which enables forges (BtS version is +25% hammers to everything, doubles metal happiness, Ind gets at half price) and Colossus (+1 commerce to all water tiles).

Oracle, Pyramids, Colossus, that's enough wonder goals for the time being. Also need to build some cities, after all . If the others give us a change to grab Stonehenge on the cheap, we'll do that too, but it's not a primary goal right now.

Had a few more turns. Only last night did anything happen worth mentioning, though:




Yep, that's a hut. Time to find out what the villagers will 'contribute' to the empire. Also to find out if, as I hope (hint, hint, RNG...) there's something else nice enough in Vaarsuvius' projected BFC to change plans again and settle the north site first.

If the save were to come around again, that is . Why people schedule actual things for their weekends....

. Nah, just kidding. I can live in suspense a bit longer. Especially when I can inflict it on lurkers too!

[Mardoc]

Yep, that's a hut. Time to find out what the villagers will 'contribute' to the empire.

And the answer is....


50 gold! Not quite as good as a tech, but still quite respectable. We'll be able to convert that cash into tech pretty quick anyway with the early settler plans.

Also to find out if, as I hope (hint, hint, RNG...) there's something else nice enough in Vaarsuvius' projected BFC to change plans again and settle the north site first.

Huh. Definitely need to redo the northern dotmap for this, Vaar where it's currently marked would orphan the Fish. Warrior's going to head west, to see if there's something thataway worth pairing with the Corn. If there's not, then tentatively I'm thinking 1E of the corn, and the tip of the peninsula for the Fish. In either case, it doesn't compete with the southern site just yet.

Our new warrior is heading down to scout Haley a bit more thoroughly. The land has been good to us lately, I'd hate to throw away a hypothetical second fish by not scouting it before settlement.

[Commodore]

South site then; sharing copper mine is huge.

[Mardoc]

So apparently you want pictures, Mr. Commodore Sir?

I can do that!

Sadly, they're not pictures of happy things.

To the south, we've discovered...no reason to move Haley. Better to share the mines with the capital than to get a bunch of foodless coast:



To the north, it's even worse. A great barren waste, good only as a buffer:



I suppose we're not exactly short on places to grow toward - it's just that our empire will get a bit lopsided.

For consolation, take a look at the demos:


Apparently everyone else's start was even weaker!

[Commodore]

Whew. You said pictures of bad things, and I expected "Hinduism FIADL"

[Mardoc]

Whew. You said pictures of bad things, and I expected "Hinduism FIADL"

Oh!

No, I meant it literally: not happy. But it's just failure to find the El Dorado, the Eden, the valley of milk and honey where none need work to eat. Not any sort of disaster like losing out on our planned-for culture.

We'll probably have to put a turn into Wheel while the settler is en route, though, along with the turn of revolt. I think I forgot to account for the free beaker, so Polytheism is closer than I planned to the settler.

[Commodore]

4t settler; 5t Poly. Looks 'aight to me.

[Mardoc]

Next turn we put a turn into Wheel, turn after that we settle Haley and found Hinduism there. It's still unfallen, as is Buddhism - in fact there's nothing at all in the event log that's not ours. Maybe we pushed a smidge too hard. Still, better than losing out.

Meanwhile, Roy is making another worker, and the warriors are off exploring. Probably should bring at least one of them home.