[Spoilers] Coldlight: The Commodtay Saga

[Commodore]

1AD:
That's right, we're now onto turn 115 here in PB31. The map is weird, the competition is cutthroat, and the reporting is spotty, but I can at least show the demos without shame:

GNP and MFG are behind the giants of Mack 'n Harries by a lot, and this is full-burn research, but hey, considering how poorly we played this start...

I'm actually very impressed by REM. Crop yield #3 is him, I'm pretty sure...another couple turns and we have his graphs as well. We're not in the neighbor of the super-hawtness, although TBS is making up for his milder CY with a better MFG. That Pindicator line is going to go up soon I suspect, because I'm seeing horse archers in his lands vectoring south; I'd bet you dollars to doughnuts that 2metraninja is his other neighbor.

...so although we're doing well, I don't know how much better we're going to be doing.

Here's the sad land of the Great Kingdom. Happy coasts though; right now we're on the rise to be the best economy in the world thanks to still having plenty of 2/0/3 tiles to grow on. OT4E is a possible vulturing vector if Mackoti and/or Old Harry begin to eat him...circumnavigation galleys loaded with maces would do a lot of damage.

The other, longer-term method of self improvement is clearly splitting a land neighbor with the other land neighbor. If that's Pindicator with TBS, we need carracks; if that's TBS with Pin, we need knights and a crapton of roads through wasteland. Neither seems exactly amazing. But either option is better than them teaming up on us.

[Commodore]

A couple quick notes:

I am very, very glad we got circumnavigation. For more reasons than one, but certainly to spare our fishing nets for one:



Secondus, let's be very very thankful we're not 2metraninja this game. If you thought his situation looked dire before...

[Commodore]

Slow turns lately, and only destined to get slower as now both of our resident maniacal psychobears are under assault; Old Harry is punching OT4E, while Pindicooter hits 2mn. Golden boys Mackoti and Old Harry are the clear #1 and #2.



Our own GA is 13 turns away. Yeah, Feudalism is a 4t tech with just a touch of wealth. So I rock like that.

Knights and vulture some OT4E.

[Commodore]

Interesting. Old Harry is going to town on OT4E with his long MoM golden age winding down here, and he is not messing around. I'm cautiously giving him Taoism but that could just as well be Mackoti, the giant out in the fog. Pindicator is having more difficulty with 2mn; going by sea in the galley era is painful. I don't doubt that Pindicator has the empire strength to kill 2mn, but I don't think he's got the guts this game.

Our own score is still steadily on the rise; with the completion of the Moai at end of turn we're now solid #3, which certainly feels like an accomplishment in this foodless environment. I'm toying with the idea of staging a raid into OT4E's island holding(s), but Gem Island here isn't exactly a powerhouse to whip from...

[Commodore]

So how are we doing? Good but stagnant; let's look at the capped cities:

Kojack is bumping into the health cap, and only got out of the happy cap this turn with the first silk plantation coming online. Moai makes this capital okay, at least, but I'm not going to be bouncing up and down with glee over here. It needs a library, of course, and then harbor/market for the seafood health and ivory/silk happy. There is enough food in the hills with windmills to max out tiles, for what it's worth.

Most immediately, the next happy boost is going to be in the golden age's HR/Confucianism swap. It might look pretty grim but this is actually destined to be one of our biggest cities.

Fole Keep, home of Confucius, is the other "big food" city. I'm pretty sure this poor pitiful sucker will be starved to death during the upcoming golden age to net the *next* golden age. Not like even Colossus makes this place super exciting, but good heavens...can you imagine this without Colossus? We'd be 2metra-tier.

This is also where borders touch with the Zulu empire. Remember how I mentioned splitting TBS with Pin? Yeah that's not happening, not with how Pin gutted himself on 2mn.

Perk ain't going to be saved even by Colossus. I need a couple workers in here to mine at least one, maybe two hills.

The barbs built this craphole; I really don't feel like building more like this, but with less food.

The Wall, last of this survey, will actually most likely be our second biggest city in the end from sheer perversity. Windmills everywhere, lots of coast...this will be a pretty okay place, with the exception of the pretty massive downside of only growing at +3fpt. But beggars sure as hell can't be choosers.

Yeah, it's silly. But with either Mackoti or Old Harry the clear winner, I don't think non-silly goals make much sense here in this game.

[Ichabod]

I love the perfectly placed hills to deny any foolish attempt at spreading irrigation.

This map was super cruel...

[Commodore]

I love the perfectly placed hills to deny any foolish attempt at spreading irrigation.

This map was super cruel...

Our only other river has deserts to stop irrigation likewise.

[Ichabod]

Not sure what you are complaining. Play the map, man, and rush Biology.

I wonder if it's still a game of Civ if you can't buiild farms... A big part of the game's decision making is simply gone.

[Kurumi]

Any news?

[Commodore]

Any news?

Not ambition beyond this little island city and maybe the entire island its on. AND MAYBE ALSO THE WORLD.

...seriously this city has so much food for this map...