[SPOILERS] WillPlunder as Mehmed of Arabia: Noobs meet world

[WilliamLP]

If we have alphabet, does that allow us to see all 'tradable' techs in the relations screen?
If so, maybe we can get that tech before paper?

It does more than that since tech trading is actually on by setting! (But still banned.) So we can see which techs we could trade in each direction.

It's a double-edged sword though, it means other players can know our techs exactly too. Honestly I can't see delaying something more important for it (e.g. Education) unless we are going to change strategy a lot based on exactly which techs another player has. We already have quite a good idea.

For the turn:




Mostly it was just building and this slow advance. Kuro doesn't have much in C. Vanderbilt, and has a larger stack in Sam Walton right now (with 3 longbows). He might be thinking of some kind of counter-advance along the left side if we go up the right, but I think he's going to have a bad time if he tries it.

Retep is alarmingly fast in getting to Astronomy! He also whipped a ton of stuff, for some reason, even during a Golden Age. There's not much we can do about him though.

[Plunder]

Alphabet is needed for printing press, and I think printing press is better before education since it will directly increase our income.

[WilliamLP]

Alphabet is needed for printing press, and I think printing press is better before education since it will directly increase our income.

Do you think us knowing exactly what techs others have helps us more than them knowing what we have? If so, why? I see it as best a neutral.

Education vs Printing Press first, I don't know about.

Education:
+ Can start universities (and Oxford) earlier, leading to a research benefit there.
+ Can make a run at the Economics merchant, maybe. I don't think anyone has it yet. Bandit or Retep would be the competitors for it, or maybe Boldly. Suttree is missing the whole guilds line, and Retep probably is too.

Printing Press:
+ Immediate bonus to cottages, and a fairly substantial one.
+ If we needed rifling as fast as possible, we'd pick this.

So is the research benefit from earlier universities + Oxford bigger than the benefit from an earlier cottage bonus? I have no idea.

[Plunder]

The bonus from printing press is online immediately while universities take a fair amount of time to build.
Also, having that bonus from printing press would accelerate the research of education.

[WilliamLP]

The bonus from printing press is online immediately while universities take a fair amount of time to build.
Also, having that bonus from printing press would accelerate the research of education.

I agree on all.

A head start on Universities and Oxford would speed the research of everything beyond the point that they're built though, and they would be built earlier. Printing Press would still come soon, and the Econ Merchant, if possible, would speed the research of everything as well. The earlier Free Market civic swap is also a big deal.

Is A greater than B? I don't know! A real answer would need some serious calculation, which is hard, but it might be worth trying to at least get a back-of-the-envelope estimate.

Regardless of which is more, all routes need paper anyway so it's kind of a waiting tech.

Also of note is that we probably have a second golden age available, somewhere around 11-13 turns away. Depending on whether our next GPs are scientists. If they are, we use them for bulbs too. We probably want Philosophy / Pacifism for our next one for the great person point bonus.

[Plunder]

Is there an easy way to see how many villages and towns we have currently?

The income bonus is pre-modifiers, so my gut feeling says it is pretty big, much bigger than a university. We don't have that many cities with a massive science income if I remember correctly, except our capital.

[WilliamLP]

Is there an easy way to see how many villages and towns we have currently?

The income bonus is pre-modifiers, so my gut feeling says it is pretty big, much bigger than a university. We don't have that many cities with a massive science income if I remember correctly, except our capital.

I think the way to see is to go through all the city screens.

The capital is the point - Oxford there is going to be worth a lot per turn. There are at least couple of cities that get more benefit from a University than they would from PP - Spaghetti is notable for the gold and lake tiles, and we have 3 gem cities.

Anyway I'll take a stab at trying to get a ballpark estimate of both for tomorrow's turn.

[Plunder]

I don't think you should look at a city by city comparison, but total income vs total income.
Then PP is probably worth even more than a uni in our capital.

Oxford is still so far away that I don't consider it a real factor. Whether or not and when we can build it is also very dependent on external factors such as this war.

ps. should we maybe fortify our shrine-city a bit more? currently it's relatively vulnerable to be sniped by our seafaring competitors, and it would really hurt us badly!

[Gavagai]

Is there an easy way to see how many villages and towns we have currently?

Statistics screen.

[NobleHelium]

Is there an easy way to see how many villages and towns we have currently?

Statistics screen.

I don't see anywhere in the statistics screen for hamlets/villages/towns. There are units and there are buildings. Oh and cities.