[SPOILERS - PBEM17] Kyan Does Dallas. The Orange Sensation.

[oledavy]

If anyone needs clarification on my little exercise in creative writing, here is what actually happened:

Novice approached me earlier today over gmail chat, basically in what seems to be an effort to break out of their pariah nation status. After asking if I was allied with Darrell, he inquired as to whether I would be interested in a war against Rego or Shoot. He additionally asked if I would be willing to trade East Indiamen for Riflemen, which he is going to beeline for. I said that I would under no conditions consider an invasion of Shoot, but would be open to an attack on Rego. I said I needed to think it over and would get back to him tomorrow.

I immediately chatted up Darrell and Shoot to talk about our plans going forward. It turns out NoSpace had also been sending overtures to Darrell.

Both Darrell and Shoot are completely onboard with the idea, and gave me permission to negotiate with NoSpace on their behalf. Details regarding cooperation force composition and the spoils of war are still to be figured out. Oh, and the three of us agreed, Sledgehammer is not cancelled, just....postponed I have to admit, I find their proposition of attacking Rego very attractive for the following reasons:

1) Attacking Rego instead of NoSpace removes that whole unknown fifth civ element. What to do about Rego was a major concern going into Operation Sledgehammer.
2) I'm more comfortable attacking with rifles than muskets, as they're good on the offensive longer.
3) Rego is rapidly becoming a tech monster, while NoSpace's early game advantages are playing out.
4) Rego's territory is closer to mine, and whatever I take will have less maintenance costs.
5) Rego is not close to getting rifles, not yet anyway.

The more I consider this, the more I think its a good idea. However, I'm very suspicious of this entire turn of events. Kyan has urged caution going forward and recommended that I not trade East Indiamen with anyone on a permanent basis, as it will allow them to skip several expensive techs. I have to say I have been swayed by his reasoning - though I still am considering loaning them out though. I drafted a very terse email as a response to NoSpace, first time I've really tried playing diplomatic hardball.

Novice & Spaceman,

Having had time to consider your proposal, here is my response.

I would be willing to join in a war against Rego. I have spoken to Darrell and Shoot and I can speak for the three of us when I say we are onboard with the idea. However, in the event of a successful war, I get the Jewish Holy City.

I am not willing to trade you East Indiamen. I will be willing to loan them to you, if you can be trusted to return them, guarantee they will will not be used against myself, Shoot or Darrell, and make a decent offer for their use.

As part of this new alliance we will trade world maps. I will offer this trade to you on my next turn.

No open borders will result as a part of this deal, at least not until you possess corporation. At that point, we can talk.

If you are unhappy with any part of this deal, you are welcome to return to pariah civilization status or try to work with Darrell behind my back.

Dave

I wager that will get their attention. I may re-edit it to be a little nicer - however - it may be just the thing to send. I'm the one in the position of power.

At some level though, this all strikes me as very very suspicious. Why would Shoot put themselves in the position of facing a three-way alliance alone at the conclusion of this war? Do they have a secret alliance with Darrell or Shoot and are confident of breaking up the Entente? Are they using this as evidence to turn Rego against us? To say I don't trust Novice as far as I can throw him is a vast understatement.

If there is anyone out there lurking, I could really use a second opinion on the email draft. Is this the tone I should strike with them?

[The Reverend Doctor]

Dave, the effort you put into this game and thread is incredible. You're a real asset to both this game and these forums in my opinion.

Just wanted to echo this... been following along since I noticed the time you put into these great updates. Keep it up.

[oledavy]

Thanks for the encouragement guys :D

This turn we finally entered the Renaissance Era with the completion of Nationalism research.


The Statue of Zeus completed in Jaffa, and work went into a theatre.

I've been throwing up theatres across the empire for a couple reasons. For one, whenever I do get dyes it'll be an extra happy face. However, I've mostly been doing it to produce hammer overflow, since I'm creative and get +100% theatre production. For example, by switching Jaffa to a theatre, I turned that nicely timed forest chop (I wish I could say that was planned), the overflow from the SoZ ,and the base production into a whopping 101 hammers. This will give me a 68 hammer overflow for the next project.

Unfortunately, this building programe has had an unintended side effect.

Yeah....I didn't factor into this build programe that they create +3 culture too, and I have culture flipped Darrell's only source of ivory. I haven't benefited from it yet because I don't have hunting. I'm going to wait for Darrell to notice and bring the topic up, but I think I will gift the source back to him as a sign of good faith - and promise not to throw up any more cultural buildings in the city.


Henry Ford finally reached Constantinople and rushed the Taj to completion. A Great Person is due next turn. After I pressed the end turn button, Francis Bacon was born in Constantinople I was really concerned that I might get that Great Spy at 20%. I will probably use him to build an academy in Acre.

NoSpace researched Printing Press last turn. The tech spreadsheet has been updated. Darrell, Shoot and Rego's techs I have guessed based on looking at their lands and diplomatic contact. Of note is that Shoot is about to finish astronomy (which I have already penciled in).


Lastly, Darrell founded a new city this turn, I believe on that island to his southwest coast to claim marble, clams and whales.


He apparently hasn't come up with a name to go with his theme yet.

Revolt into pacifism to increase GPP due next turn, as my golden age gets extended for six more turns

[oledavy]

This is the reply I finally decided to send to NoSpace - a little less confrontational than my first draft.

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]Novice & Spaceman,

I would be willing to join in a war against Rego. I have spoken to Darrell and Shoot and I can speak for the three of us when I say we are onboard with the idea.

I am not willing to trade you East Indiamen. I would be willing to loan them if you are interested. However, attached to such a deal would have to be a guarantee that they will not be used against myself, Shoot or Darrell.

As part of this new alliance we will trade world maps. If you accept my terms, I will offer this trade to you on my next turn. You need a map of Rego's territory if you want to carry out an invasion, and I'm very curious to see what you have been up to for the last 99 turns.

No open borders will result as a part of this alliance, at least not until you possess corporation.

Regards,
Dave[/COLOR]

[oledavy]

It seems my read of the diplomatic waters was off.

[COLOR="Plum"]Hi Dave,

After some reflection and discussing with Spaceman, we're not keen on a 4v1 alliance. It brings back bad memories, and besides, we're the ones furthest away from Rego so we would probably gain the least.

The idea behind our proposal was rather to both gain a short term military and economic benefit to leverage as we both see fit. You could delay researching Rifling, and we could delay researching Astronomy.

We're still interested in a unit trade without further commitments. For us to be able to trade units we would need open borders, though, to gift units back and forth. However with us in Mercantilism we wouldn't get any economic benefit from open borders.

Regards,
novice
[/COLOR]

So.....what now?

[oledavy]

.......I'm beginning to think I've been 'had' diplomatically, with the advent of this latest email from NoSpace - it reminds me just how much I have to learn about diplomacy.

Perhaps I misread their intent, but their sudden about face on the proposition of a joint-war against Rego, WHICH THEY EXPLICITLY BROUGHT UP IN OUR CHAT!!!!



- makes me think, that this was all an elaborate ploy - either to test the diplomatic waters or to win Rego over. The effects of my revelations in the prior email still remain to be seen.

I made a mistake in this email, in pre-empting any open borders request, I forgot they were in mercantilism.

They shot down my proposal for loaning East Indiamen, and only want to purchase/trade for them without provisions. Something I am unwilling to do. It seems the only reason they initiated diplomatic contact with me, was to try and trade for some of these vessels.

Finally, their decision to completely ignore my part about trading world maps.....meh, I've already said this. This was either a diplomatic ploy to win Rego over or merely an attempt to trade for East Indiamen, nothing more. Am currently trying to figure out whether to go full-speed ahead with Operation Sledgehammer or rethink our plan. I'm a little ticked off at this at the moment, because I feel like I've been played, and would like nothing better than to see their cities burn by the end of this game.

[oledavy]

It occured to me I haven't updated in almost 24 hours Time for a post!

First off, I sent off a response to NoSpace

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]Honorable Novice & Spaceman,

I regret that we cannot find common ground on the matter of trading East Indiamen for Riflemen. However, my terms outlined in my previous email are non-negotiable.

Regards,
Dave[/COLOR]

Short, sweet and to the point. I am not trading away my civilization's advantage, period.

Thinking about the situation from a meta-gaming perspective, NoSpace is in a corner and they're trying to get out. They're not financial, so they need to conquer some territory to stay competitive late game. However, Rego, the only one they can attack, is far away and maintenance costs will be prohibitive. Their nearest rivals are wound up in an alliance. They would love to invade Shoot with rifles, but cannot without bringing the hammer down. I imagine they're very frustrated in their thread right now The only way they can gain an advantage is by breaking up the alliance and getting myself or Darrell to defect.

I had a chat with Darrell:

- Operation Sledgehammer is back on the table, but it will be with rifles since NoSpace will definitely have rifles by the time we invade.
- We discussed NoSpace's motives, and he agreed with my rough assessment that it was either an attempt to test the diplomatic waters or win Rego over.
- I reminded him to trade world maps with me on his next turn, to complete the map trade around.
- We addressed the issue of my flipping the ivory tile. I pledged to not built any more cultural buildings in the city and to gift him the ivory back as soon as I have hunting (a measly 38 beakers at this point)
- Apparently NoSpace does not have any interest in attacking me, at least not openly. Darrell floated the idea (revenge for me stealing the Taj) and NoSpace was not interested. I sincerely hope Darrell wasn't lying to me and is secretly considering it.

I really need to start shaking him down about getting that 716 gold back to me He finished gunpowder this last turn I believe, so I'll probably start seeing more of it on my next turn unless Krill decides to default

I also had a long conversation with Shoot, covering much of the same territory.

- He concurred with resurrecting Operation Sledgehammer.
- We discussed what units NoSpace would have, particularly we worried about the remote possibility of them getting cannons or machine guns.
- It turns out that Rego offered Shoot an NAP out of the blue? He believes this means that NoSpace shared my email with them, and wants to talk to Rego. I agree that it is awfully suspicious but I think it would be better to hold off on talking to Rego, let things simmer. However, Darrell agrees with Shoot so he is going to speak to him over chat sometime soon.

Overall, I really like working with Shoot. He has consistently gotten back to me quickly with diplomacy and dealt with me fairly. I do not plan on backstabbing him any time soon, and told him so in our chat. He seems like a really nice guy and its been a pleasure working with him so far.

However, lest anyone think that my reasons for working hand-in-hand with Shoot are entirely altruistic, it also makes good sense from meta-gaming standpoint. We're currently tied by our shared religion and war between us would mean the loss of several GPT for me. I have not seen the state of his lands yet, but if score is any indication he is the least likely to win this game. If I play well an it comes down to a late-game showdown between me and another civ, he'll hopefully support me and help me to victory.

The save is on hold at the moment as Krill prepares to take over for Darrell. I must say I'm a little intimidated by him and his reputation. I hope we can maintain the diplomatic status quo. Does anyone have any advice for dealing with Krill?

[oledavy]

Having a hectic day so the comprehensive turn 100 update will have to wait until tonight or tomorrow. However, here's a quick brief on what happened this turn:



The Taj finished this turn, extending he Golden Age until turn 108

Francis Bacon went for an academy in Constantinople. Acre would have been the best place. But I will have at least one more GS to play with before this is all over and it saves me two turns of moving him to Acre. The construction of the Academy improved my tech rate by 26 beakers. He would have bulbed alphabet.

Krill paid me 274 more gold, along with paying off the loan from Shoot:

[COLOR="Yellow"]update t100

Dave = 716-274 = 442
Shoot is paid off[/COLOR]

I revolted into Pacifism, actually saving me seven gold every turn. My military is just that small. Buddhist Missionaries are due to arrive in Jericho, Acre and Jaffa next turn to take advantage of this.

I reconfigured Jerusalem to produce its GP in 4 turns, trying to clear out those GP points before the end of this golden age so it can go back to cottage spamming.

Darrell got alphabet, I'll update the tech spreadsheet and upload it later. Rego's power levels have started to rise dramatically...I wonder. I saw his first longbow this turn.



Lastly, I spoke to Shoot last night. He thinks Rego is in NoSpace's camp and the evidence he put forward matches that pattern. It really is intriguing to me, because it seems like it would be a sub-optimal move on Rego's part to get on the wrong end of a 3v2. I suppose all will become clear with time. Shoot also reiterated Krill's anger at me beating him to the Taj.

Not to brag, but......



Even if I lose this game, I will have the knowledge I upset the almighty Krill
Krill, whenever you read this after the game.......:neenernee

[oledavy]

Some of you may have noticed in those last screenshots I was researching hunting - so I thought this might be an appropriate time to explain my basic tech plan for the next 60 turns or so.

When planning this out, I kept the high priority techs for my civilization in mind:

High Priority Techs

Astronomy (East Indiamen)
Rifling (Riflemen)
Steam Power (Dikes)
Communism (State Property)

Tech Path

1. Hunting
2. Calendar
3. Machinery
4. Optics
5. Astronomy
6. Alphabet
7. Paper
8. Printing Press
9. Education
10. Guilds
11. Gunpowder
12. Banking
13. Replaceable Parts
14. Rifling
15. Scientific Method
16. Communism
17. Physics
18. Chemistry
19. Steam Power

To Be Researched At Some Point As Needed: Construction, Engineering, Military Tradition, Literature

The reasoning behind the ordering is designed to get me all the pre-reqs for the priority techs while getting the most helpful technologies sooner (i.e. - printing press, gunpowder). Note, the beaker costs do not include beakers I've already spent on the tech.

[COLOR="Blue"]Tech Target: Astronomy

Hunting (38 beakers)
I'm researching this tech to gift Krill's ivory back to him next turn. 38 beakers is such a drop in the bucket at this point in the game it doesn't really matter.

Calendar (224 beakers)
This will allow me to finally get some use out of my silks, spices and sugar. I'm getting to the point where I could really use the extra happiness in my growing cities.

Machinery (670 beakers)
Pre-Req for optics, plus this will open up macemen, enabling me to start using Damascus to endlessly draft just about the time the Globe Theater will finish.

Optics (574 beakers)
Pre-req for astronomy, nothing more.

Astronomy (1916 beakers)
I think this tech speaks for itself well enough.[/COLOR]

[COLOR="Red"]Tech Target: Rifling

Alphabet (218 beakers)
Pre-req for printing press, my immediate target (to improve commerce). This will also allow me to be sure of my tech sheet's accuracy and keep a better tab on everyone's research.

Paper (574 beakers)
Pre-req for printing press, I probably won't get any more serious use out of this tech because I already have everyone's maps except for NoSpace.

Education (Bulb)
I plan to keep a GS on hand to bulb education when I get to Paper, this will allow me to get universities and Oxford online to improve my tech rate.

Printing Press (1532 beakers)
Tech on the path to rifling, and improves my commerce from villages and towns

Guilds (958 beakers)
Workshops +1 hammers, plus the ability to build grocers for more gold.

Gunpowder (1149 beakers)
I have prioritized GP above several techs because I am the only one with a Globe drafting city about to come online, and this will allow me to start drafting musketmen instead of macemen. Overall, I'm very happy with my decision to prioritize the Globe Drafting City, as it will allow me to get a leg up on military build up.

Banking (670 beakers)
Pre-req for replaceable parts, plus banks of course for more gold.

Replaceable Parts (1724 beakers)
I'm not going to get much benefit from this tech, just another pre-req for rifling.

Rifling (2299 beakers)
Riflemen!!![/COLOR]

[COLOR="Yellow"]Tech Target: Communism

Scientific Method (2299 beakers)
Pre-req for communism, though seeing where oil is will be nice.

Communism (2682 beakers)
State Property! If I had SP right now it would save me approximately 70 commerce every turn! I plan to save a great person, and combine him with the Great Spy from being the first to discover communism to start a third golden age and revolt into State Property. I doubt I'll have much competition for that spy. [/COLOR]

[COLOR="SeaGreen"]DETOUR
Tech Target: Physics

Physics (3832 beakers)
I will only detour to physics if no one else is about to research it. I suspect I will be alone however, and can nab that GS [/COLOR]

[COLOR="SandyBrown"]Tech Target: Steam Power

Chemistry (1724 beakers)
Pre-req for Steam power, frigates, and workshops +1 hammers.

Steam Power (3065 beakers)
Two words, Dike ownage [/COLOR]

Techs to research as I need them:
1. Construction (catapults, pre-req for engineering)
2. Engineering (trebuchets, pre-req for chemistry)
3. Military Tradition (cuirassiers, cavalry)
4. Literature (National Epic, Heroic Epic)

I will need all four of these techs at some point soon, but will research them only as I need them.

Techs I'm skipping completely:
1. Archery
2. Theology (I have the Shwedagon Paya)
3. Divine Right (Does anyone ever have a good use for this tech besides getting the Spiral Minaret to run a priest economy?)

The major problem with this tech plan is that is delays military techs after rifling and does not emphasize getting to Steam Power as quickly as I would otherwise. Additionally, it does not prioritize getting to Constitution or Democracy. However, I believe this is the best balance of priorities for a teching plan. Nothing of course is written in stone, and this path may change depending on how things develop diplomatically. As always, would appreciate any helpful critique of this teching plan

[oledavy]

A quick edit to my tech plan. The fourth tech I will research as I need it: HBR, for cuirassiers/cavalry.

Hunting finished and I queued up Calendar. I've been running 100% research for two turns now and will be able to continue it for at least two more turns, as Krill repays my loan:

[COLOR="Yellow"]update t101

Dave: 442-77 = 365

most of that should be paid off next turn.[/COLOR]

Researching these low cost techs with golden age boosted commerce is giving me massive beaker overflow. I will be able to research astronomy in a single turn by the time I get to it. The tech timetable is something like this:

t101: calendar
t102: machinery
t103: optics
t104: astronomy
t105: alphabet
t106: paper/bulb education

The map trade with Krill finally went ahead this turn, giving me visibility on the Egyptian City of Thebes as well as the first look I've had at Shoot's territory. Additionally, Krill requested the ivory. He said he should be able to reclaim the tile in ~15 turns.


The Jerusalem GP is due t103. Next turn I'm running max specialists to churn him out so that the city can go back to working cottages.

The Buddhist Missionaries reached Edessa, Acre and Jericho this turn and spread the one true faith. I requested 3 more GPT from Shoot:

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]Hey Shoot,

I requested 3 more GPT from you in game this turn. Here is the updated ledger.

t94 - 1 city
t95 - 3 cities
t96 - 3 cities (requested 7 gold payment)
t97 - 3 cities (requested 3 GPT)
t98 - 3 cities
t99 - 3 cities
t100 - 3 cities
t101 - 6 cities (requested 3 GPT)

Dave[/COLOR]

The Pacifism benefit cut down the time for Acre and Jericho to produce their great scientists from six turns to four turns. Each is running four specialists for 36 GS points a turn.

After some debate over where to put the Forbidden Palace and whether or not to put it in a city I capture from NoSpace, I remembered an old piece of Civ3 wisdom: "It's better to place your forbidden palace early in an imperfect spot than wait until later for the ideal location." Decision made, next turn I will begin work on the Forbidden Palace in Sidon after it completes a courthouse.


I went ahead and penciled in the location of Rego's two missing cities.


Grabs marble and whales, but will never be much more than a fishing village.



Redeems that otherwise unusable grassland cow - a filler city.



I have no idea how Rego's GNP is so high, and his production is similarly elevated. My GNP is only that high because I'm in a golden age. I'm really beginning to worry he may run away with this game if something is not done quickly.

Finally, a belated t100 update of sorts: my civics, demographics, and domestic advisor screens.