[SPOILER] The Steak, Beer, and Cigar Saloon

[Catwalk]

There we go. Only plan is that I'll very likely be settling the cow/horse city next instead of going east, seems too good to pass up. I'll just have to suffer a low happy cap a bit longer. I also want missionaries before I go east, started a monastery in my capital to grow on.

[haphazard1]

The northwest horse is definitely very nice -- that will be a solid city, although a bit slow growing. But with tons of green tiles it should be very profitable, and the horse and cows will provide a few hammers so it has some production.

I still think Jowy is likely to push west to grab the gems, unless he has another source of gems near him. He may not do so immediately due to all the jungle, but I expect he will come west.

[NobleHelium]

Any new plans to discuss? Congrats on Buddhism. The trade routes thing is always a headache to figure out because I don't think I have all the requirements nailed down. But I think settling your deer city and putting a road north of it to connect it to your river (which connects to your capital) will be enough, once you get Sailing to get the trade network extended to Nakor's territory...assuming he has a road/river/coastal connection to one of his cities.

Yeah sure.

[Catwalk]

I think Jowy is likely to settle on the filler PH, it can pasture the horses ahead of, share corn, gets +1 hammer and can work two cottages for the capital. That site will invalidate most settlements for gems, forcing him to go deep into my territory with nothing useful to work (I'll have the pigs by then).

I think Sailing will guarantee me trade routes as I now have an unfogged route all the way to Nakor's new city. Only tile I'm missing is the actual city tile. Writing => Mathematics => Sailing => Calendar definitely looks promising.

Settlement plan is C5 => C3 => C4. C3 will be planted one tile further east, as it speeds me up a lot to have first ring pigs. I hope to have a missionary ready by the time C4 is planted. I can work a lake tile until I get the clams. I will also want an axe right away for it, preferrably 2 axes and 1 spear. I figure that can reliably repel at least 4 invading units.

[Catwalk]

Turn 55
My micro is sloppy:

I was pondering whether to build a road on the deer or start on a cottage. I decided to go with the road for the trade connection. A cottage would have yielded more (I grow in 3 turns, a cottage could have been ready). For some reason I was reasoning that I needed the trade connection in order to give my next city a trade route. This is obviously not the case. Also, I'm really not sure why I sunk 19 hammers into a monastery. I was planning to switch to a settler, but I definitely should have gone with the settler right away. Newbie mistakes here, it's usually better to sink overflow hammers into a worker or settler.

When Vacuuming grows to size 5 I want to double whip a worker. I'm thinking about converting to Buddhism when it grows back to unhappiness at size 4, I need the happy faces pretty bad.

[Catwalk]

Turn 56
Hinduism was founded this turn. Here are some demos:

Founding my third city helped a good deal, and I beat both Jowy and Nakor to it by a turn or two. Neither one of them have metal units or chariots yet, so I'm not too concerned about my safety in the next few turns. First axe finishes in two turns.

[haphazard1]

Demos are looking pretty decent overall. The power rating is still looking a bit worrisome, but the axe should help there.

[Catwalk]

Turn 57
Still nothing much happening. Writing is coming in 4t from now, second Settler shortly after. I'm debating going Sailing before Mathematics, giving me trade routes with Nakor for +3 commerce at a base cost of 100 beakers. Conversely, Currency gives me +4 commerce at a base cost of 400 beakers. Maybe Mathematics => Sailing => Currency? I should have an unfogged route to Jowy by the time I get Currency, giving me the full benefit of the extra trade routes. I could even go Calendar before Currency, I'm more starved for happiness than commerce (plenty potential for boosting my commerce with cottages and growth). Any thoughts? Early Calendar would also make my elephant play less urgent, and I'm not really keen on settling there in a hurry just for the happiness.

[haphazard1]

I like the idea of more happiness, as it lets you grow onto more good tiles (especially cottages). So moving Calendar up could be very useful. Sailing might depend on whether you can get OB with Nakor and/or Jowy -- if they are not interested in OB then Sailing becomes less attractive. Although you would need it for Calendar anyway, hmmm. I would see how Nakor and Jowy respond on OB before deciding.

[Catwalk]

Turn 58
Axe finished, going to station it between Dishes (capital) and Vacuuming (copper city) for now. Double whipped the worker in Vacuuming as it grew to unhappiness at size 5. This frees up the fish for Dishes, going to grow it in 3t and resume the settler after that. I need my worker to stick around by Dishes and Groceries (deer city) for a bit longer, so I'm not in a hurry to complete that settler just yet. Putting a few more turns into the monastery in the meantime, since I already foolishly put 19 hammers into it previously.

I like Calendar too, and I can't imagine Nakor will turn down OB. Other than trade routes, it's a gesture of friendship and he's very likely to want to be friends early on. With an unfogged coastal route to Jowy I will also have a connection to my elephant city without having to build two extra roads. Btw did you notice the tundra copper to the south? It's on the tile where I plant to make a fishing city. I could move the city if I want a 1/4 tile to work. That sacrifices a forest but also lets it steal a forest from Groceries, which needs it far less due to having two hills available.

Current tech plan:
Writing => Mathematics => Sailing => Calendar => Currency.

I might even put Sailing (100) before Mathematics (350) in order to get foreign trade routes sooner. I can easily save some forests a few more turns and focus on other projects. Sailing will give me 4 commerce per turn instantly, I think that's worthwhile. I also get to build a galley and send a settler to Marble Island if I feel like it. If I slot in Masonry (80) before Currency (400), I get to start MoM at full discount very early. And with an island city I won't be relying on foreign trade routes with both Jowy and Nakor. Once Currency hits, I need them both to have the same number of cities as me in order to get the full complement of 2c trade routes.