[Mjmd #51 No Players] Mjmd Rambles - a civ story

[Mjmd]

Settled turn 96 and 97. Founded Judaism this turn 98. Decided to do an empire overview now and then do graphs turn 100. Questions comments let me know so I can respond.

We all knew where Judiasm would pop. We all knew. Remember favors cities without religion and larger the better so of course Oregon Trail got this religion; sigh.

Turn 96 settled Pharoah. I game all about pathing of your citizens and workers really. Had a lot of fun with this game despite not realizing this at all...... I was having a lot of trouble advancing my citizens and wondering why while my vendors were out walking to no where. I picked up Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom which is basically slightly upgraded game but in China instead of Egypt. It actually got pretty repetitive because I actually understood what I was doing this time. Still not bad, but stopped playing the campaign midway. Anyways speaking of pathing, I moved my scout wrong way way back when and instead of going from hill up one then to hill, I went straight across (early morning turn). Anyways means I didn't see the wheat on the island. If I had known about it I could have settled that city sooner and tried to get a lot of culture there. Even if I had settled for it now, he could 1st ring it and be fine. Mind like the green I am I never sent a unit to check even though I meant to do forever ago.
Turn 97 settled Civilization Rise to Power. My introduction to civ; although evidently civ has a long legal history I didn't know about until I googled it. I credit this game with the little patience I have. It liked to crash sporadically, but I was hooked so much I patiently would reboot the computer and keep playing (I was young and had no clue about patches or trying to fix). Also taught me to save a lot which helped later in life.

My overall plan is to turn Age of Empires, Pharoah, and Sim City into cottage cheese. Organized will help pump some libraries and markets into key cities. You'll note the 3 missionaries in production because why would it naturally spread (SD did get 1 spread in a random city). I also need to find a worker to start cottaging more around Lemmings for when I get more happy.



As I'm sure most people know Plemo got Pyramids. Same city as HG. Assuming was a city like Sim City with lots of forests and he had all his workers there. Gives him a couple great engineers down the line. I was only half heartily building. Glad of fail gold. It does make me really want Mausoleum as you can see from my above tech..... Both for my own use and to deny. Construction after (literally only because I'm next to aggressive Rome otherwise I would delay forever). There is marble on the map. Only Ramk has it hooked up. May see if he is willing to trade for a silver. Only person with a spare happy resource atm is Gira with 2 furs. Most people have either 1 or 2 happy resources but only a single. Me getting 2 more silvers should make some trades possible as well as 3 spices. Question: should I value a silver higher in a trade vs another happy resource due to synergy with forge? Or is it considered even?

Other news is that SD built a whole bunch of libraries and his GNP is actually pretty damn good atm. I'm guessing he's going for currency as he hasn't settled another city in a bit. Lazteuq has an intersting capitals. He got as many cottagable tiles as I did by moving, but 2 less on a river. Only 2 food but both good. Mind he got to settle in place..... His GNP is also scary when he turns it on; as I mentioned he is one of three people to have an academy. I'm wondering if either Lazteuq or Gira were building the Pyramids. I was going for halfheartedly but they SHOULD have been going for. 

[AutomatedTeller]

plans are looking good. when do you see getting aggressive and attacking someone?

[Mjmd]

Ummmmm Rifles? Maybe knights if Vanrober looks weak enough. Definitely the direction to expand. Sometime after Prats are relevant preferred.

I have 1 city on continent and then 3 islands I can expand to without issue. I have to imagine the inner island SD will settle soon. Probably right when he gets currency. I could try to chop whip a galley, but don't have a good place to produce a settler atm anyways. Plus I just took the highest food city I've seen and its nearer SD than me. I have to assume combination of keeping up with Lazteuq and the hills / forests shielding that spot were all that kept it for me. The zzz city is probably a post Prat city as well.

[Mjmd]

El Grillo offered a trade of 2gold per turn from him for immediate 15gold from me. I'm assuming he's close to completely an important tech (currency probably?). I wish I knew how long I would get the 2 gold for.... I assume at least 16 gold back. Not really relevant. So question do I help the #2 player assuming the are near the #1 player so hopefully the fight to both their demise later? I think that is the only pathway to victory for anyone else honestly. Plemo needs to be stopped. Lets help the only player who probably has a chance. Best chance for anyone is that these two fight and drops them both down.

I'm going to save gold for a couple of turns and actually do Calendar at full tilt instead of 50%. This will allow time for a couple of cottages and cities to grow. (yes I really do plan everything around when cottages at my capital grow)

[Mjmd]

Turn 101. Turned 100 rolled in the morning and I didn't have time plus wanted to get 9th city settled.

Met Plemo turn 100 and he is west of Lazteuq, but it doesn't look like on the same continent. I'm wondering if it's just Plemo and El Grillo on a separate landmass slightly separated from the rest of  us..... That would be very bad. They are at war which is good and have been for some # of turns based on turn split.

Empire overview. Settled 9th city GoldenEye 007. 2nd and last console game you will see. I did not own the game but I played a ton at friends houses. Just an absolute classic. City pays for itself as well. SD settled the island as predicted end of turn 100. There was a prat in FordMustang on the west coast there last turn, BUT he double moved it somewhere west which is a good sign.


Demos: note I turned on tech for this so something would look good at least......

Now bad news is that there is some prerequisite bonus built into this.... 2-3 people discovered calendar in the two turns (can't remember if I checked this morning or not it was early). Wondering if one of them is El Grillo...... Well I was 6 turns away anyways, now 5. Thoughts at the end on tech.

Food: SD hasn't been whipping so all I can figure is he switched a bunch of lower food tiles to mines.

Power. Is SD going after someone now? I think he got currency a couple turns ago so would make sense timing wise. Now is he going after Lazteuq OR is he boating Plemo? Unlike last time with my scouting info I don't think its me. Due to the food cut and production increase (not shown just because mostly blah and I imagine I'm not only one posting these), I would assume the prats are for something other than to increase his unit upkeep cost.

So I'm 5 turns from Calendar. Both GKC and Ramk have marble, but its a big if they would trade. I have enough forests prechopped IF they did I maybe could beat assuming 2 people who are building (Ramk may be on of the people). Gira might be another and he's industrious. That war hasn't really gone anywhere. Both GKC and Gira keep increasing power and they have been at war FOREVER, but no fights seem to have occurred. There was a great general born, but I'm assuming that was Plemo El Grillo.

Anyways IF I got marble MAYBE I could get isn't quite good enough I don't think. So do I panic at SD's power and go construction? With scouting info I don't think so. That leaves 2 tech paths. Both interesting. I can go up the religious tree and get double prereq bonus for code of laws. Courthouses would really help and allow me to keep expanding to those islands. Plus grab a 3rd religion. The other option is to go and get literature and build the Great Library and pantheon. I think I'm going to go for courthouses. Its the most economic thing to do atm. Multiple monasteries in my capital wouldn't go amiss either.

[AutomatedTeller]

SD's power worries me. What is the info you have that he's not coming south? A stack of praets to the north? Lack of roads this way?

If SD is absolutely going north, then sure - something that isn't construction makes sense. If he's not - your west side is pretty vulnerable - CivCallToPower is a long ways from any help.

Calendar is surprisingly meh for you - you have lots of spices, but nothing else. That said, with 5 spices and 3 silvers, it seems like you could trade for other happy and size is important. I say surprisingly because I've found it usual to have a couple of calendar happy near my cap in these games. that said, increasing happy has to be important, no?

[Mjmd]

2 things
1) I have a scout just going back and forth along the  3 border cities. He knows I'm doing this and hasn't closed borders (this WAS my main reason).
2) I had done the cow for cow trade a few turns back. Logged in for this turn and HE OFFERED a wheat for fish trade, which I was actually going to send to him just for a double check! Symbolizing the fish city I got for the wheat city he got no doubt.

West and Northwest. SD is either going after that island directly west of him (could have just been a buildup of galleys and protective units). There could be Plemo cities down there he wants to snipe. OR There is a tasty Lazteuq city down there on flatground without nasty hills and forests hindering army movement.

Note the large island down there. Note the Plemo galley. Means there is land to be rexed that way! Leap Frog will build a galley next turn. Might whip it out and slow build a settler from Oregon Trail; will take a while for galley to get there anyways.

I actually am tied with Plemo for second highest happy cap in the game atm after El Grillo. No one has more than 2 happy atm except him (has 3 plus religion). I'll probably short term trade a silver for Gira fur if I can though.


Anyways time to build infrastructure and rex! Life is good.

PS: I'll do an eastern screenshot eventually but so far what I'm seeing of Vanrober land is just horrendously mismanaged. His capital has 3 grassland river forests..... I mean I made plenty of mistakes this game, but that is just a crime.

[AutomatedTeller]

hey - sorry I haven't stuck my nose in here for awhile. How did you get the screen to do that?

rexing seems fine. getting a ton of cottages down means that you can research construction pretty fast if necessary.

[Mjmd]

I mean I haven't been posting up a storm to be fair. Been working a lot of OT recently.

Flying camera mode. You have to do do something in the exe files and then ctrl alt f will do it. I actually am pretty bad at it but happened to swing it correctly the first time.

Will do a bigger report turn 110 I think with pictures. Currently turn 109, but haven't played it yet; news:
1) Plemo and El Grillo stopped fighting a while back much to my sadness.
2) Last turn Ramk jumped in the GKC Gira war and took a city off of GKC. Now this is surprising because he is the only one lower on power than me.... Maybe it was exposed. That war has been going on forever and really slowing down the turn pace. Still surprising because I think he borders Plemo.
3) Ramk is only one I've confirmed got calendar, but he does have marble so still ok with my decision. I have to imagine he's building. It would have made more sense for him to go for his UB at metal casting I think otherwise.
4) Confusionism popped in Age of Empires as the odds would dictate (sighs at Leap Frog). That makes 3 religions for 3 future monasteries in my capital and eventual culture win push.
5) SD HAS NOT gone to war yet although both he and Lazteuq power keep climbing. I was about 90% sure he was going after Lazteuq, but I do have research on construction right now until he declares. I also made quite the bribe turn I discovered code of laws (was thinking maybe he thought I was going for constructions so maybe thats why I wasn't the target; wanted to reinforce good will). Traded him a silver for 1gpt a turn and his spare copper. He snap took that trade (I was actually on and could check when it disappeared from my availibiltiy), so probably didn't need to do. Still probably worth it while he has Prats and I my 8th rank military building mostly infrastructure. I actually did complete my first 2 barracks this turn of the game.....
6) That island is quite large and quite attractive. Borders El Grillo actually so not a long chain of islands like I thought. He just dropped off a warrior but I think he's scouting. Meanwhile I'll whip my settler for 1 of the spots I want on it (should fit 2 cities, but maybe 3)

[Mjmd]

Got ya'll caught up on the news so here are just a few empire picutres. As far as demos and graphs I'm doing well in GNP and last in soldiers although that will change next turn I think with 3 new units. I'm middle everything else. As you can see from in game score Plemo is just disgusting. He is at 16 cities...... Again only hope is a Plemo El Grillo war that drags out. Sadly I think they have all weak neighbors over there. Why couldn't SD start over there!!!

I stopped teching to see if I need construction or not. My spikes when I turn it to 100% are very noticeable so plan was to stay at 40-50%, but waiting. I would love to go to literature and turn all of sim cities forests into the Partheon and Great Library. Would probably need to hard mode the partheon without marble if I thought someone else was going for.

West: You can see the island spot I want has MARBLE!!!!!! Again there was a Plemo galley down there that let off a warrior. Not sure if I would go to war over, but maybe. Hopefully it was just a scouting force and I win the race.

East: Turning it into delicious cheese. Now since I had to chop down 2 forests at Age of Empires for cottaging anyways and it already has a granary and a library I decided to chop down 4 and build myself a little something  . Listen before ya'll get on my case, a stone wonder produces the most hammers from a chop its just the most efficient thing to do really..... In all seriousness it does 3 things. 1) eventual great prophet for my shrine. 2) Starts generating culture for my 3rd culture city. Never too early to start planning. Obviously my hindu holy city would be perfect except it decided to spawn in the 5% chance spot on the coast  . So 3 cities I plan on being capital, Sim City, and Age of Empires.  3) The smallest reason is it forces anyone who wants to attack to bring A LOT of catapults.

You can also see the little of Vanrober's territory I scouted. Decided to bring chariot back. You can see my 2 prats disappeared sign. I'm assuming they boarded a galley headed toward Lazeuq, but never hurts to be careful. Another reason for the bribe. Anyway's I haven't been perfect this game, but man his territory has more useless roads than mine does, tons of forests, and almost no cottages. Note there is a northern fish you can see in my picture but icon doesn't shot. He hasn't settled a nice grassland horse fish city. His GNP is horrendous. His capital does explain why his food was so insane early. I'm also wondering if this is what Plemo's capital looks like. Financial leader starting with fishing and then 1 of his neighbors gets knocked out? It wouldn't even be that impressive (still somewhat, but man that start would be good if you had fishing as a starting tech). Once I get to knights I'm building a nice little stack of them for defense and offense if the opportunity presents.

As far as what the world looks like. Assuming El Grillo borders Vanrober and Ramk and Plemo bordrers Ramk and GKC. All weak sadly. GKC has gotten bogged down with this Gira war and now being 2v1. I am pretty sure there is a land connection over there because evidently from relationship screen I know ramk and Plemo have been at war. Ramk also had a war with GKC before I knew both of them so maybe he did do something with his early axe.