[Mjmd #51 No Players] Mjmd Rambles - a civ story

[Mjmd]

Well I was the only person not to settle in place.... Makes me feel like I overthought that OR everyone else just scouted differently OR the starts aren't that mirrored. In good news the early turns are flying. I got in an extra turn thanks to working from home, so at least there's that.

Introducing Lemmings:



Its hard to remember that far back, but I think Lemmings was my first video game? In any case its about continuously leading your people to their deaths, so seemed appropriate. I'm going to try to keep games in the approximate order I was introduced to them (games I spent a lot of time on), but memories are fickle.

I'm going to scout a little more right before doing a slight zig zag back around up and to the left. First warrior will then go down and right. I think to the left is a dead end hopefully. Exciting news is that I spot a happy resource. I could see it being 3rd city pretty easily between expanding off mineral wealth and Lizzy's desperate need for happiness.

Another advantage to this start I realized is I get to skip agriculture for a second. Which means there is a very good chance I can get some known tech bonuses going early. I'm also going to be playing around if I can fit fishing in without too much pain. I think with more city micro and planning via simming than I've ever devoted and being financial with that little lake, I can maybe fit it in and since its a prereq to pottery end up doing it for pretty cheap without interrupting my plans. A lot of that will depend on what food resources scout reveals and where copper is. There is definitely a cost to starting with mysticism. If I had literally any other first tier tech here it would make things so much easier. I'll be thankful of the civ choice later, but just multiple decisions making the start slower is coming back to stress me. I'm debating how many chops I want to spend of my precious 6 in the bfc to early game vs saving for 1 wonder later. Right now I'm thinking 3 chops before math. Thinking 1 chop each on the 1st and 2nd settler. Whip a worker in between. Maybe 2 chops on 2nd settler? Then no more until later.

EDIT: I actually realized that because my capital gets to work the deer instead of the wheat immediately, the worker will actually pop the turn it would have had I started at the other location; turn 11. Cost of few beakers, but this site will make that back in spades easily. Makes me feel better.

[Commodore]

EDIT: I actually realized that because my capital gets to work the deer instead of the wheat immediately, the worker will actually pop the turn it would have had I started at the other location; turn 11. Cost of few beakers, but this site will make that back in spades easily. Makes me feel better.

I think it's actually equal. Borders pop t5.

[Mjmd]

EDIT: I actually realized that because my capital gets to work the deer instead of the wheat immediately, the worker will actually pop the turn it would have had I started at the other location; turn 11. Cost of few beakers, but this site will make that back in spades easily. Makes me feel better.

I think it's actually equal. Borders pop t5.

I think that's what I said. 12turns vs 10, but old site when capital would grow drops the turn by 1 down to 11. Because I moved I also finish on 11. Anyways, baby woke me up; saw the turn rolled and seems the perfect time for coherent thought. A lot of people have been reporting recently. I wonder if first contacts have started being made. Both SD and GKC reported last turn so hoping they are neighbors. SD is in all the games, so seems odd he would report without something happening. Although he is very good at reporting. As a long time lurker you can always pop into his thread to see what is happening which is nice. Speaking of, he shares the demographics a lot and actually can read them, so I probably won't post those often except on request. Although it looks like someone built warrior 1st???? There is a reason I wanted greens to have a dedlurker. If starts were mirrored I would expect to be 1st in food, but I'm 3rd. Being 10th in GNP makes a lot of sense as I'm not working a river tile. I really can't do C&D at all, so ignore anything I ever say about it. I also realized I never double checked the tile count. With 9 tiles I'm at .51%. So 1765 total? I'll take all the extra room.







Speaking of contacts I've found no one. Mind Instead of going straight out and hoping to hit people and get tech bonuses I've been going up this littler river valley to get view of land around where capital was so when BW comes in can make some decisions. Plus I have a weakness for maps and just want to know all the things around me. Speaking of, in all my test games and sims I've been building a warrior 1st, but I think I'm actually going to build a scout (noob? well I have no dedlurker to scold me and don't know whats normal so following my inclinations). Turns out custom maps don't have large stretches of forest or jungle to get mired in and scouts can make some time. Get more tech bonusus sooner hopefully as well. Current scout is actually going to up and then right and back down. New scout will then go north and west. Going to tech BW next. 1st settler looks like it will come out turn 31. Will see where copper is and whats a little north of that, but current spot is marked as X above. Long term definitely heroic epic city as expected. Short term once I have pottery it can help the cap grow some cottages. Honestly since a lot of the nearby food resources are AH ones, unless copper is near the rice (or I moved down to it) I will probably settle some city near that wheat and then 3rd city will grab horse or copper. Questions / comments?

[Mjmd]

I wasn't going to report this turn, but then a SD scout showed up from the west. Meaning he is at most 12 tiles to my west. If I could have picked anyone not start next to it would have been him. I imagine that means the river to my east is my dividing line with that neighbor. Remember when I was spitballing defensive holy city earlier. That may happen somewhere to the north on a hill. Probably right after writing. Will have to play around with once I know that area more.

Just did some worldbuilding tests with 4 cities. Cap size 4. two size 2 and the farthest away size 3. The size 3 got the religion all but once (and that was 1st test where I'm not sure I had all settings in place. So plan is to pink dot a city up there on a hill. Send all my workers up there to get it some food stat and chop a granary. Whip the non cap cities down. Stuff it with units built my X city above. I should be able to do this much sooner than SD wants to attack. Next tech like a bat out of hell to currency then see what power graph looks like might have to go construction sooner than planned. SD will know that A I want to tech and that B I'm a threat long term, BUT BUT if I look prickly enough and can get a descent force of Hwacha's going I should be safe and he might turn the other way. Again he knows I want to tech so have very little incentive to backstab.

EDIT: This should be obvious but this is  probably the worst case scenario as its going to force me to do some non economic things early to just to be safe. The nice thing is the Holy city should do a good job of "saving" some sites up that direction until I have tech superiority and once I've settled I can then try to race for spots in the East.

[Mjmd]

I'm sure most of you already figured out my issue with doing it as a 4th city. Using estimated ETA of Prats as turn 85, I can barely get a holy city established in time for SD to capture it. Which means IF I end up doing this strategy it must be my 3rd city. Which means I have to pray the copper isn't to the East somewhere. I moved southwest, I'm expanding North and Northwest with this plan.

I realized last turn I should have had my scout go West, but since I already went East second scout will have to do and just be careful about being snipped by a warrior.

So tech path is now BW > Farming > AH > Wheel > Pottery (I'll have to skip fishing sadly for speed) > Polytheism (preferred) > writing (hate delaying but necessary). 3rd city should then have time to hit 3rd culture ring and defenses before Prats. Between that and walls I should mike quite the prickly target. This whole plan is assuming there is a reasonable copper location and 2 people don't go for stupid early religions. I guess i could go all the way to Monotheism if I had to. I'm really going to miss that X city if I have to move. Low maintenance, worker micro worked smoothly, could help grow cottages, but sigh aggressive Rome as a neighbor. Next update whenever I meet my neighbor to the East.

[AutomatedTeller]

Are you still looking for a ded lurker?

[Mjmd]

Are you still looking for a ded lurker?

It would be most appreciated! I had given up hope that I would actually get one.

What do you think of the picks? Also my current plan. The answer should be dog crap, because I'm pretty sure I should go pottery before AH. I'll have a detail micro plan for review after I know where copper is.

[Mjmd]

Might as well do a turn report since I actually have a Ded lurker to report to.






I've now seen two lions and from the demo's it looks like someone lost a scout already. Which makes my move to NOT go scouting not towards someone right away seem even more . Current plan with eastern scout is to go down and hit the coast and then go right. Scout that's being built will then go up and left trying to scout a good area for Operating Spirit Bomb.

There is some important information hidden in that incense desert. If you look for food anywhere east of that river there really isn't any except near the top. That stretch of desert looks like a clear line the mapmaker made for territory. Assuming equal distant that makes my eastern neighbor about 20 tiles away! So that's good news. Bad news. If we each get one close neighbor and one far neighbor (I'm kind of still assuming modified donut for map type) that makes me Rome's close neighbor. His plan will probably be to settle towards me then attack. Some of you might question why I'm so desperate for a Holy city to dominate that area (hopefully a choke area) 1st warrior is going to check west. SDs scout actually went that way so I'm insanely curious to see it again hopefully. Surely axes and walls would be enough? I mean they might be. But I want to prevent a war from even starting.

Wishes are wishes but I wish the silvers were gold and I wish the stone was a marble, but ah well.

[AutomatedTeller]

hi

I'll take a look at the pics and see what I think.

SD is to the west, you said? Personally, I would take the idea of SD being there as a reason to rethink everything - aggressive praets are dangerous and SD is aggressive beyond the pale. He is absolutely attacking someone with aggressive praets - only question is how long it takes him and how big his stack is.

I get wanting a holy city to culturally dominate that area - the problem is that it A) makes you a more interesting target and B) doesn't help you safe from praets.

Do you know how much ladn there is in the world? You can get an idea as to how far away your neighbors have to be from that.

As Liz, I think you have to A) get most of your share of the land and B) not be food, long enough for your economy to get you a lead where you can take on one of your neighbors. You will probably not get all of your land, because your traits aren't set to expand, and others are. You are also aren't set up to pinkdot people and defend that territory, not that that is easy to do, anyway. I've pinkdotted with protective civs - it has generally got my butt kicked.

[Mjmd]

I had assumed you had read my ramblings already and knew what you were signing up for .  Pink dot might be a strong term. It looks like there is a little river to the north there and I would like to be on a hill on my side of it. Probably about 5-6 tiles from where my starting spot originally was was. It kind of looks like there are a lot of grasslands around there and possible more land north. I was thinking holy city for 3 reasons. Feel free to tell me I'm being noob, but I think it makes sense.

1) Lizzy kind of wants a religion anyways for culture and happy.
2) Vision and control of surrounding landscape.
3) Extra cultural defenses until cats. Once we get to cats Korea's are especially good against prats.

4) On a larger map like this (about 1700 tiles was my rough calc) shrines can eventually be worth a lot of money, although this is down the road talk and not an immediate priority.

Edit 5) I would love to have access to organized religion for getting cities up and running quickly and also to compete in wonder races.

As to the more interesting target part; I'm pretty sure I'm going to be the target anyways! Again unless I can look extra prickly.

Edit: realized I never answered your question about how far neighbors although once you've read through I've thought about a bit. SD scout arrived turn 5 on the grassland hill where the Lion is in my last pic north of wheat.  If he went straight for me means are capitals as they were originally set up would have been 13 tiles ish apart. Based on the incense and desert to my right I would assume something like 20 tiles to my eastern neighbor of fairly safe settling. I suspect the settling races will be on the north and south coast. Based on the river flow and coastline I don't think**** there is anything to the west but 1st warrior will go check it out just to be safe.