Chevalier Rides Again: A City Lights exploration

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Eltargrim held the saves for 5 days,  and now Math (Rome in both games) has held them for 3 (while playing EUIV! Just take 15 minutes to play the save, that's all I ask!). 

Losing my mind here.

[williams482]

Oof.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

A turn comes. No real news, but we find Korean borders. Will attempt to gain open borders and map out the nation. 

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Yep. Just look at these turn histories...

Game 2:



Game 1:

[Sullla]

Yeah, I don't get it at all. This is the early portion of the gameplay where the turns should take 5 minutes to play, 10 minutes at most. There's absolutely no reason why it should ever take more than 24 hours to pass on the turn in this state, that reflects a complete lack of interest in the game being played. Like Chevalier, I was almost always chomping at the bit for the next turn to arrive, eager to see what would happen next. Someone passing along the save file a mere 40 turns into the game and just... doing nothing with it for 4 days is inconceivable to me. Hey, remember how we had 8 players in PBEM7 and we were running *TWO* turns per day for the first few months? I was playing a turn in the morning and another one in the evening, it was crazy fast. That was a great group of players, everyone except that Mikeforall guy who was literally cheating.

Appreciating the updates even if they continue to roll in at a glacial pace.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Game 1 - Turn 30



Barb-clearing operations in the river valley continue, my 3 cities are working on their builds - two galleys and a warrior. I will dispatch the ships to begin overseas exploration and the warriors will begin to concentrate on Hattusa once the barbs are clear. 

No idea what I intended for this game, it's been 30 turns in 4 months. 

Game 2 - Turn 42






The Water Mill finishes inspiring Construction which finishes inspiring Games and Rec which finishes. I have a slew of research options, but mostly I just work on setting up more eurekas - Celestial Nav to continue the trade network and Defensive Tactics since I don't expect anyone to declare war on me, but I hope to finish a second campus eventually. 

Korea hits recorded history and slots double adjacency seowons, taking his science sky-high - 46! But he can't match my production and I'm starting my first Urban district this turn:




+2 science (1 on the borough, 1 on the campus) and +3 more production, and up in only 3 turns. Not bad. 

Overall we're two turns out from planting 3 cities:




This game is in full snowball. 

Met the Dutch, they're doing okay (hi Grotsnot).

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

A turn came in. :I 


Exploration south of the main island continues, revealing a large subcontinent on the east that's separate from Phoenicia and Korea, and what seems to be a modest island to the west with naught but barbs and devils. I begin to clear it while my galley presses on. 


Ancestral Hall finishes next turn and we'll plant 3 cities.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

I think I'm going to win my game with randoms in about 5 turns:

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Looking over this situation map at work, I worry that I didn't notice the walls when I actually played the turn. When did London start those walls? Did Victoria pick up on my military spike?

I don't have Masonry, so getting the galleys in place to hit the city before the walls go up is key. Even if I just get the city redlined, I should be able to brute force it, although it may take higher casualties. The random player doesn't understand the combat algorithm, for example, since after losing his starting warrior to barbs he's only built a single slinger (presently somewhere east of Newcastle). That means his cities will get run over by my galleys.

Now, I had intended to launch a massive surprise attack when my second warrior made it from Sparta to London's borders, but now I'm reconsidering. The initial strike won't be as powerful, and I'll need to grind out London, but it's essential that I get as much damage in as possible before the walls finish. At the same time, I need to give him as little warning as possible to scramble more defenders - I bet Newcastle is working on a warrior or something now.

So, new plan: As soon as my galleys are in position, invade. That should take about 2 turns. I think I can polish him off before turn 60 if all goes well (ha ha ha).

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

A new turn with the randoms (I can count on a turn every 2 days with six random players, my six friends can't get a turn to me in 2 weeks!)




England will be invaded with 4 galleys and 2 warriors, while they only have a slinger. 

The key to this opportunity is them losing their warrior and not replacing it. The capital, as a result, is only strength 15, and Newcastle only 10 - it will get pasted by my galleys. 

England has 9 available production at London, assuming Urban planning and a max production setup if the player is paying attention. That means the earliest walls go up could be turn 59. It's a gamble, but I'm willing to wait for Oligarchy to make the war as quick and decisive as possible. We will invade in 4 turns, when PP comes in. England cannot counter with Oligarchy since they have no units!. 

That will give me 8 cities to an estimated, er, 8, for the rest of the field (Norway, Indonesia, Japan, and Phoenicia). GG, victory to Sparta on an archipelago map.