[Spoilers] Pindicator's Nice Thread

[pindicator]

I don't know if I have 5,000 words in me, but I am certainly leaning towards the top of the tree in the near future.  First of all, just how important is it to research Construction and go finish Rome off next?  Could I do it with just massing axes and horse archers?  Do I even want to do it or should I wait and continue to build up?  If I go for Construction first will that mean someone else beats me to Literature?

When I do finally move to Gavagai I want it to be an attack that pushes him off the map and possibly can continue starlight into Superdeath.  Superdeath is barely doing anything right now; he has the worst power by a large margin and his lands are tucked away in the north.  So I want an army large enough to not only break Rome but be able to march through all of Gavagai's lands and onwards.  I think this would lend going for Construction to open up the tech to build units, then aim for Literature as I build up units. I don't see myself doing a heavy whip scenario like I did when I went after Bing in 65, but we'll definitely start rotating whips again - all the more reason for cities to grow now.

Then there are the things we're giving up. As soon as I conquer Gavagai then I'm going to want Forges and Courthouses. I'll be large enough that maintenance will start to get to me, and I'll have gold + silver so forges will make a lot of sense, on top of the +10% gold from my UB. But I don't think I need to worry about them until after the attack has started, which means that I still have time for the top part of the tree inbetween researching Construction and starting the attack.

There is also a Great Scientist coming up in 9 turns.  This is too soon to start a golden age, but I do have my eye on a Philosophy bulb and landing my own religion.  (I still have only a single religion spread of Judaism to my cities.)  So Drama and Meditation get added to the mix at some point.  Or does this lend towards going Code of Laws after Construction and setting up that golden age by opening up Caste? So perhaps the first Great Scientist is still the golden age trigger, but I'm just going to sit on it a while and the second GS becomes the Philosophy bulb.

When do I trigger the Golden age? After MoM is built (whether by me or not), but I think even a little later than that: I will want to hold off until I can switch into Monarchy, Org Rel, & Caste - then push out a second great scientist for the Philosophy Bulb, and then 2 more great people for what is hopefully to chain together at least 2 golden ages. This would go nicely with having Great Library & National Epic already set up in the capital.

All right, I think that's not nearly as much as your were looking for, but it's enough for me right now. I feel better about what my plan is going forward. Tech path after Currency is going to be Masonry > Construction > Aesthetics > Literature and then we look at Music vs Code of Laws depending on how close we are to pulling the trigger on the invasion of Rome.

[pindicator]

117

Currency is in




Breakeven is about 40%. 99gpt in Expenses and beakers top out at just over 200 when we turn the slider to max. We're running at 30% to get Masonry in 1, and that still tops the charts. Goal is to have Construction in by eot123, though 122 wouldn't surprise me, and then it's time to build up war units.

Gavagai tried to move up a settler on his half of 115, but I didn't bother to crack the defenders as they were too far away. Made a slight error this turn in not pillaging the horse, but I was too focused on covering my workers and didn't realize I could do both until much later. Last turn Gav must have realized that he had no where good to settle in the area; Heathcliff denied the coastal Sheep/Horse spot that he was likely gunning for.

[Amicalola]

I don't know if I have 5,000 words in me, but I am certainly leaning towards the top of the tree in the near future.  First of all, just how important is it to research Construction and go finish Rome off next?  Could I do it with just massing axes and horse archers?  Do I even want to do it or should I wait and continue to build up?  If I go for Construction first will that mean someone else beats me to Literature?

When I do finally move to Gavagai I want it to be an attack that pushes him off the map and possibly can continue starlight into Superdeath.  Superdeath is barely doing anything right now; he has the worst power by a large margin and his lands are tucked away in the north.  So I want an army large enough to not only break Rome but be able to march through all of Gavagai's lands and onwards.  I think this would lend going for Construction to open up the tech to build units, then aim for Literature as I build up units.  I don't see myself doing a heavy whip scenario like I did when I went after Bing in 65, but we'll definitely start rotating whips again - all the more reason for cities to grow now.

Then there are the things we're giving up.  As soon as I conquer Gavagai then I'm going to want Forges and Courthouses.  I'll be large enough that maintenance will start to get to me, and I'll have gold + silver so forges will make a lot of sense, on top of the +10% gold from my UB.  But I don't think I need to worry about them until after the attack has started, which means that I still have time for the top part of the tree inbetween researching Construction and starting the attack.

There is also a Great Scientist coming up in 9 turns.  This is too soon to start a golden age, but I do have my eye on a Philosophy bulb and landing my own religion.  (I still have only a single religion spread of Judaism to my cities.)  So Drama and Meditation get added to the mix at some point.  Or does this lend towards going Code of Laws after Construction and setting up that golden age by opening up Caste?  So perhaps the first Great Scientist is still the golden age trigger, but I'm just going to sit on it a while and the second GS becomes the Philosophy bulb.

When do I trigger the Golden age?  After MoM is built (whether by me or not), but I think even a little later than that:  I will want to hold off until I can switch into Monarchy, Org Rel, & Caste - then push out a second great scientist for the Philosophy Bulb, and then 2 more great people for what is hopefully to chain together at least 2 golden ages.  This would go nicely with having Great Library & National Epic already set up in the capital.

All right, I think that's not nearly as much as your were looking for, but it's enough for me right now.  I feel better about what my plan is going forward.  Tech path after Currency is going to be Masonry > Construction > Aesthetics > Literature and then we look at Music vs Code of Laws depending on how close we are to pulling the trigger on the invasion of Rome.

At what point do you think founding your own religion loses its attractiveness/viability? I really enjoyed this analysis, even if it wasn't quite 5000 words.

[pindicator]

At this point I'm not likely to go for a shrine, but it still has some benefits. I get a free missionary so getting 2 cities with the religion straight away (better than the 1 jewish city I have now). I'm not feeding someone else's shrine. And it's denial, preventing someone else. But really the best reason to bulb Philosophy is that it's just a good bulb on the path to Nationalism and Liberalism.

An alternative is to adopt Hinduism after taking over Rome. Without a shrine, Hinduism is a "safe" religion, meaning nobody else is going to profit off of me expanding it to all my cities.

I took a look at the GS preference sheet and I have another odd play I could go for: I could bulb Machinery. I would have to ignore the religious line to prevent Philosophy, and I would have to tech Alphabet, Iron Working, Metal Casting, and Compass while not teching Civil Service. But after those the next bulb target is Machinery.

[pindicator]

120

Maybe I should have pillaged that horse...




But Gav has been sitting a stack of 6 praetorians, an axe, and a chariot on the marked tile, ready to pounce on any movement I have onto his horse. And honestly, I'd rather have them sitting outside the city than inside, so I've just held the status quo. Also, I will be making elephants soon, so I'm not too worried if he starts shifting from Praetorians to Horse Archers.

Next turn we will turn up the slider and will be able to 2-turn Construction. I'm working to get a few last minute infrastructure projects done by then: barracks in the capital, a stables at David the Gnome. I know I said I didn't plan to whip heavily - I don't want to fall off the GNP pace I've set by too much - but I also really want to get rid of Gavagai this time.

Marble was finally hooked up this turn, and so the last push at My Little Pony begins:




Nobody else has shown a calendar resource connected or traded, so I'm likely not going to whip it to completion. I still am going to spend my chops because I want to get MLP switched over to unit production right away.

[Tarkeel]

Best of luck with Operation My MoM(?)

[pindicator]

Best of luck with Operation My MoM(?)

I'm so used to trying to steal other people's MoMs, I don't think I know what to do with my own...

[pindicator]

122

My third event is perhaps one of my least favorite:




This will be helpful when we whip an elephant out of this city in 2 turns, though. Faster regrowth to size 5.

Magic Science had declared on naufrager but it does not seem that war came to much. Peace was showed in the events log, along with MS revolting into Org Rel, Hereditary Rule, and Serfdom. So he has Monarchy. Nothing about a golden age, however. If that is true, then I have to think that is a mistake. Commodore also revolted into Caste.

Gavagai is up to something:




All his units are gone. The 3 praetorians in Arretium are down to 1. The stack of units that had been guarding the horse is gone. I think I will pillage the horse next turn if they stay gone. As it is, this turn I left a single worker behind in the north, in range of his horse archer. I would be willing to make that trade right now, seeing how I have less use for workers and more for killing units.

I suspect Gav is making a big push against Commodore. If true, then I do not want to get in his way.


2 people have Construction and that speeds along our research a bit more. At end of turn we will be the 3rd.

[pindicator]

123

Construction is in




Magic Science demanded a fish. Not wanting to jeopardize my source of ivory, i didn't accept, but i offered it right back to him.

[Amicalola]

How many of those are you whipping?