Luddite/Pindicator

[luddite]

So, Fierce still hasn't moved his units. But, he built another axemen! What is he doing??? Also, he seems to be putting espionage points on us.


Our settler will finish next turn (we were one short of finishing it this turn), and bronze working is due in 5 turns, although that may change as we run out of gold/settle a new city. We might need to have the new city work fish for a turn to speed it up, if that'll save a turn. Of course, if fierce does move against us next turn, I don't know if we'll be able to settle down south at all- he could reach that site in 9 turns, which is just barely enough for us to hook up copper (maybe we could upgrade a warrior). But if he still hasn't moved next turn, I'd say go for it.

I was thinking we should build a worker next in the capital. We'll need another worker to hook up copper, while the other worker mines the gold. Or they could both just focus on copper, to get it faster.

On the plus side, with fierce building so many units, his expansion is going to be super slow. As long as we can survive the early game, I think we'll be able to grab a lot of land down south.

[luddite]

Alright I think we're safe. Fierce moved that southern axe SE, in the direction that yuri's scout came from. The other units are still staying put. So either Fierce is attacking yuri, or he's just really paranoid about defense.
edit- actually i think the most likely explanation is that Fierce just has no idea what he's doing :P

So, important question for next turn. Worker or settler in the capital? The safe move is a worker, to hook up copper faster. But a settler would maximize our landgrab.

[pindicator]

Yeah, I agree about Fierce. I think he's playing super-defensive/paranoid since he doesnt have much MP experience. Heck, he's probably worried about Impis and that's why we're seeing early axes.

I'm torn between worker/settler. I want to say worker but maybe that's because I'm playing super-defensive due to my lack of MP experience I am concerned about putting a settler in the jungle without something better than a warrior to defend -- a single chariot/spear/axe would ruin our day (see mackoti's thread in PBEM24). So I vote for either a settler going to a good back-line location (i.e. bronze), or we go for worker and then the next settler goes out into the jungle with a spear or chariot.

The Fierce situation has got me thinking..., if he doesn't know what he's doing in MP then we will probably have a weak neighbor that we could play to conquer later with knights or gunpowder units.

[luddite]

I'd be willing to bet that the copper will appear on that desert hill we started. It must be close by... Fierce hasn't expanded his borders yet, or settled any other cities (and I'm assuming Comm wouldn't give him nearby copper without giving us some too). That bare desert hill looks really suspicious.

But yeah, attacking with early knights or cuirassiers is a strong possibility.

[pindicator]

That bare desert hill looks really suspicious.

Heh, I've my eye on the grass hill 1NE of the desert hill.

[luddite]

yeah, that could be it too. Anyway I went a head and built a worker. If nothing else, it can help chop. Also, there's a barb warrior down by where we want to settle... Hopefully it'll attack our warrior (on hill forest) and lose.

[pindicator]

Wow, turns are coming through fast now. Woke up to find another.

The barb warrior turned tail and fled, so we settled our third city. Oh, I did not name it... Gotta remember to do that. Anyway, the worker finished its mine just as the city's first inhabitants were looking for something to do, so its working a grassland hill and building a work boat, due in 5 turns. What does that worker do next? Borders pop in 3 turns, so it could build a road (2 turns) and move onto the gold (1 turn). I would guess we want this new city to build our military for the short term. It has good production with the grassland hills. Maybe even a future Maori site.

Elsewhere in the world, Fierce has built a settler. It's currently sitting underneath the long-fortified spear. I wonder if he's having fits about settling near our warrior. Perhaps we should back off a bit if the settler advances, just as a sign of good will.

We also got graphs on Fierce. I'd post them, but I want to post them when we also have mackoti's and we have now lost graphs with mackoti. With Fierce we are about even with him on GNP, ahead in crop, and way way way behind in power. I switched EP to go 2pts to mackoti, 2pts to yuri, and when we get graphs on mackoti next turn I'd switch them all over to yuri. Hopefully mackoti is also moving his EP away from us so we aren't leap-frogging each other in EP for some time to come.

I dropped our science to 0%. Right now we are making 14bpt with -5gpt at max sci and 9gpt at max tax. Getting the new city hooked up and the gold online will go a long way to help that.

Worker out of Hercules in NYC finished on the end of turn. I could go for a warrior there; it'd be nice to get eyes up north again to see what is going on. Or an MP for the capital.

[pindicator]

I forgot to add that someone founded Hinduism last turn.

[luddite]

well, that explains why the rival best GNP just shot up. Interesting that hinduism got founded before buddhism..

Nice that we got that city settled. We now have 3 cities, more than anyone else, while fierce still just has 1!

But yeah, I guess we can move that warrior back a bit now. With him, and the warrior by the new city, we could completely spawn-bust the whole jungle area. We can also move up the warrior from Hercules, to block the NW, and then we'll only have to worry about barbs from the east.

I forgot to say, last turn we did have graphs on both Fierce and Mackoti. Not much interesting to say about it though- just confirming what we already knew, that Fierce has way higher power.

Anyway things look good Next turn lets have the worker build a road, then it'll still have time to finish the gold mine before the new city is ready to work it.

[luddite]

Wow, another turn already!
Fierce moved up his axe and settler, so I moved the warrior there back. I forgot to move up the northwest warrior, though.