[SPOILERS] - social distancing with pindicator

[superdeath]

and just how far you can push a civ to crank out units

I try and live by this motto.

[pindicator]

And it's going to take me 50 turns to recover from that

[Lewwyn]

And it's going to take me 50 turns to recover from that

And sometimes all you need to do is run out the clock 

[pindicator]

181 - 183

This is the longest stretch I've gone all game without posting but it's also been a crazy couple of days for me. Not much hope for the holiday weekend slowing down any, either. Tomorrow I'm taking the dog for a hike, and Sunday to the coast for the day as I'm trying to dodge this late-summer heat wave that's going to have Portland near 100 F again.

So what's happened since my last? Mjmd didn't take my offer for peace, but he immediately sent one back along with a PM telling me that he hadn't done any attacking or pillaging ... which isn't really kosher but whatever. He then used the enforced peace to do something else entirely:




Yeah, I was concerned about giving him peace, but really I thought it was going to be Charriu that he goes after. I don't know how AT is a better pick, but they're both on the way out. Mr. Cairo has been making good headway against AT lately.

Charriu is still fighting but Jowy razed a city of his, and as of this turn Jowy has Rifling. Why does nobody have Nationalism yet?

My economy continues to improve, and I'm making almost 300gpt at max tax now. The top players are at 500 so still some ways to go there.

I'm settling coastal cities as they are all instantly profitable




Desert Blade is city #28. I have #29 coming next turn.

And my crop yield lead continues to grow




Focusing on economy buildings. With Mjmd going to war after AT i'm a little less concerned about him declaring on me. Mjmd did resettle sugar cookies, however.

PRO: 108 + 108 + 113 (4,111)
FIN: 71 + 72 + 73 (3,606)

[pindicator]

184

Refounded Belisarius




Enforced peace up in 7 turns.

Mjmd took 1 city off AT and then signed peace. I'm guessing it was an island city because Mjmd kept it. But this means I just need to be ready for him in 7.

PRO: 119 (4,230)
FIN: 75 (3,681)

[NobleHelium]

There are islands over there? Can we see some pictures of the more distant lands?

[pindicator]

185

Cities keep growing, science keeps climbing. It's time to turn on the gas now. Philosophy in 1, Nationalism should be done 3 turns later.




Mjmd has Rifling. He's making 500bpt at breakeven to get it in 6 like he did. But I bet there are Wealth builds in that.

I'll get some foreign lands next turn.

PRO: 119 (4,349)
FIN: 77 (3,758)

[pindicator]

186 & 187

Nationalism plan is on track, although we have a lot of wealth builds where I would want catapults.  After next turn we'll turn off the wealth builds and get units coming from everywhere.

Mjmd picked up Engineering this last turn, took him 2 turns to do it at breakeven.  He seems to have given up on binary research lately, perhaps to mask what he rate is?  But Engineering in 2t is around 530bpt.  Still well above my breakeven.

Here's the state of GNP on 186:




Cairo picked up Printing Press last turn.  Is everyone just going to beeline Rifles like it's the only play?  Or even the best one?
Jowy picked up Engineering last turn.  Then Jowy got Archery the turn after.  I fear Charriu's days are numbered now.

Out east we have some input on the foreign wars.  Mjmd only sniped off an island city from AT and then gave peace.  He still does not seem to want anything to do with the easy grab of Charriu - I've seen how some of those cities are defended.  Charriu has everything against Jowy, and Jowy is finally grinding Charriu down:




Then to the north, Cairo is beginning the march on AT's capital:




PRO: 120 & 120 (4,589)
FIN: 84 & 88 (3,930)

[pindicator]

188

Rifles spotted




This was from 187, but this turn there's also a rifle that completed in Maple Sugar from end of turn. Mjmd's power is the highest and climbing high as he builds more rifles.




Besides power, I am optimistic about things thanks to that HUGE crop food lead we have opened up. I still have several more city locations I'm looking to settle as well, but that is going to have to wait. Starting next turn it's going to be lots of catapults and a few maces.

Nationalism and the Draft are a huge part of my defense plans for Rifles. So I need a golden age in order to get that civic swap. But my National Epic is still 11 turns away and I have no city near a great person to pair with my Great Scientist. Because my opponents are all so zeroed in on Rifles that they forgot about Taj, I am going to build Taj. (Seriously Mjmd: all you had to do was build Taj and you win!!!).

My highest hammer per turn city right now is Multnomah:




A few turns back I whipped a catapult and then built wealth in Multnomah. This turn I swap that Wealth back to the catapult and complete with 101/50. Due to the hammer cap this becomes 50h overflow and then modifiers are removed, bringing it down to 40h overflow. (I could have set this up better but it seemed crazy just 6 turns ago that they would actually let me get Nationalism first.) Then we grow to size 12 the following turn, and at 12 we go max hammers. The goal there is to get to 520/700h. From there we can 6-pop whip the wonder to completion. I looked at staying at 11 and 5-pop whipping but they both seem to be just as fast as each other. So both ways we get to the right number of hammers on t198, then whip on t199.

Civic swap on t200.

Peace with Mjmd is due up in 3 turns. So I have to hold for 9 turns against a possible rifle invasion. One idea could be to declare myself right as peace is up and then offer him peace back.

Mjmd picked up Compass this turn. Probably aiming for optics to match my caravels at sea.

Next turn I'll look at defense ideas in case he is attacking.


PRO: 120 (4,709)
FIN: 85 (4,015)

[pindicator]

So uh, I have this PM....

I wasn't exactly sure how to do this and of course no one answered the question, but I will be declaring war on turn 191 and taking the second half of the turn. Gives up the surprise, but didn't know how else to do it and honestly probably not a surprise so eh.

Thanks for hte heads up?

Does this mean I'm supposed to double move him now?