Fast, Low-Stress PBEM

[scooter]

Um, I should be more clear. This game is NOT over unless AT agrees to it . I kinda slipped into talking about teh game in the past tense. Again, I can still have some fun here if anyone is interested in playing this out, so no pressure at all.

[Sian]

scooter ... i tried attacking him a few times (the attack on you was my second force) but was bumped off ... and again, not saying that Luddite didn't play well, just saying that the map was at fault as well

As for the map ... yeah, it could have been made much better rather easily, but alas that wasn't the hand that was dealt

[AutomatedTeller]

I'm ok with calling it. I mean, the idea is to have fun, not force people to play a game they aren't enjoying.

[pindicator]

Hey, I'm having a blast. I've been doing the equivalent of driving around somebody else's Ferrari so don't blame me for being reluctant to give up the keys

In seriousness though, it's been a won position since I took over and I have no problem ending things.

Regarding the map...

While I think we're all in agreement that the oasis spots need balancing, scooter is spot on in that luddite was the one who recognized it, and recognized it immediately. His 2nd and 3rd cities were to take the oasis spots; he then did a great job in recognizing that just taking the spots wasn't enough, he needed a large cultural control -- so he plopped down wonders in each of them. It would have helped to have more worthwhile land surrounding the oasis sites. I think Mist meant for civs to fight over the oasis' with how he set the stone and marble up, but they were just too close together for that to be reasonable.

But Scooter's right -- it wasn't all the map. AFAIK, Scooter was the only one to send a legitimate force against Luddite in the early game while Luddite was doing his wonder whoring. The scary guy at the other side of the world, gave the only potentially tense moment, while the only real attack from immediate neighbors came after turn 75. IMO that's just as much why Luddite won -- it was no secret he was wonder whoring but his neighbors never punished him for it.

Still, GG Luddite and I'll praise you one more time for doing a fantastic job at recognizing the map and how to play it. It's a deserved win for him; I was just the steward put in place after the game was already won.

[luddite]

Thanks guys. As soon as I saw those oasis sites, I knew I had to shape my whole game strategy around them. I'm glad it worked, since I would have looked like a complete fool otherwise .

Admittedly I was pretty lucky to not start next to Egypt. If Scooter had rushed me instead of AT, it would have been a serious problem. I just gambled that I could get away with a fast, low defense opening and it paid off big.

[AutomatedTeller]

I enjoyed the game. I made several decisions, including not settling the copper faster.

And, well played Luddite.

I liked the map - I think the oasis sites were designed to be contested more than they were, with each side getting half of each.

I kind of agree that the player who didn't start next to scooter had an advantage... but that's not the maps fault. If I had been willem of maya, for instance, scooter doesn't attack me and I get 2 oasis spots. That's, frankly, just a bad decision on my part - I did it because I am playing maya in pbem35, which is a poor reason.

[AutomatedTeller]

more and more, as I look at the various threads, it's clear that luddite made the correct play - and I don't think being not being next to scooter had anything to do with it.

On turn 32, when scooter invaded me, luddite had 2 archers and a warrior in one of his oasis cities. There is no chance that 3 war chariot could take that. Scooter could have burned his 4th city, sure, but the other 3 were basically unassailable by that time, at least by 3 or 4 war chariots.

No, this was just luddite correctly identifying a right strategy and executing it, something the other 3 of us did not do.


well done!