[SPOILERS]PB46: (In Search of) Fine Foreign Dining, by Hannibal of England

[The Black Sword]

500 + 200*trade route value IIRC.

[Krill]

Cheers. Mulling over running mixed scientist/merchants pools with a single clean GS pool, trying to figure out the potential output from 2 GM isn't easy, but really out of 5 GP I want 3GS and 2GM for an Astro bulb plan, and two golden ages. If I can make this work then I can could avoid Caste completely but I could be fine ever into running trade missions if I got 4GM and a GE...

[darrelljs]

(500+200*C)*X

C = trade route commerce from THAT city to YOUR capital, rounded down. (harbor and ToA of THAT city WILL be taken into consideration)
X=.67(quick)/1.0(normal)/1.5(Epic)/3.0(marathon).

1) Select your Great Merchant.
2) Press and hold the shift key.
3) Left-click target city.
4) Hover mouse over trade mission to see the gold value.
5) Profit!

[Krill]

You know I don't have a GM, or vision on any opponent city right?

[Krill]

Turn 089

Been toying with the tech choices and great person strategy now that the expansion has been pushed as far as I can push it. Every player I'm behind now I'm going to be behind for a while as I doubt they hit an limits to expansion: good happy resources distribution, good food resources to enable early investments into cottages, Religions or wonders, whatever. They have what they have. Now I have to move onto the next phase: Exploitation.

Assuming I can Sneatonthorpe as the front city on T96, 1N of horse, I have more than my fair share of land down here. I might also have more land accessible by ocean SE of Huxter, but I'm waiting on a border pop to know if I need caravels or not. I don't know if I have the best late game: I'm doubting it TBH, but it will be interesting to see if FIN/England matches OH and Hitru with FIN plus a shrine, or Rusten with Spi + shrine (I think OH founded Confucianism, using the strategy I wanted to follow, Rusten is too high in score without a wonder to not have used EXP to grab a religion and he was up for Hinduism and Judaism).

I need to play defence, but there are a couple of problems: unless I found a religion, will I ever get access to one? I'm thinking I will not, not if I intend to have a reasonably timed first GA. With that in mind it screws the benefits of CHM with triple promo units, because I'll lack Theo.

I can't bulb Theo, and I expect Christianity to fall to one of Pindicator or GKC. Frankly either of them should be pushing for that Pre-T100 as they are racing each other, but recently I've been reminded that people are idiots (yours truly included in the definition of "people", much to everyone else's chagrin). That leaves a GS bulb of Philo or Islam?!

I'll leave aside the potential to just research to Divine Right, it's actually possible if I am truly left alone, but I can't help myself meddling so I doubt I could grab it even if I was allowed to. Could I bulb Philo?

I'll skip the bulb choices, the GP strategy, and just say this: Yes, I could, but I don't think it's wise, and it would take longer than 176 turns to do the prep work. GS1 Westminster bulb Philo, GS2 WT save for Astro, High odds GS/Low odds GM Aldeburgh GA, GS Westminster, 7 turn GM from WT in first GA (needs Pacifism).

The problem with this route is I would have to research ALphabet to bulb Philo and I couldn't grab that, Myst, Masonry, Polytheism and then research Meditation and Priesthood to 90% and Mono to 50%. In 12 turns. (Overflow from Priesthood into Meditcation into CoL then turn before generating the GS, then play the turn I'd pop the GS last, roll the turn and complete Mono, then bulb Philo for "No risk" Religion bulb.

Does it work? In theory, yes. In practice, no. So religion is gone from my game and I want to delay the first GA to even see what I have available. On the first turn of the first GA I make a decision regarding a religion and I fucking go for it.

There are no defensive bulb paths available: Double Astro bulb is the goal just to alleviate tech pressure from anyone else doing something ridiculous with a bulb path in lieu of any PHI leaders. I can push out the 100GS from Westminster, 200GS from WT as Aldeburgh and Westminster catch up and then I would be able to generate the mixed odds GP from either city, probably Westminster as Aldeburgh can keep a cleaner GS pool. Meanwhile Wormelow Tump can generate 288gpp in a GA whilst food neutral: get it to size 13 with a full food box and I can turn that into 420GPP, so that's the fifth GP and it can be a pure GS, GM or even GA that takes 13 turns to generate for the second GA.

I like this as a rough plan for one reason: I have nothing to build in these cities except settlers, workers, ancient era military, and once Currency comes in, slightly cheaper markets. Something that actually helps tech seems...smart. I'm also not really risking getting too many GM, so the trade route out isn't a problem unless I decided later on to use different GP for the GA.





Thanks to that barb warrior, the entirety of the mainland is now barb-busted.

Elkad got SoZ (he always picks a wonder and makes sure he gets it, it got him rushed in PB42, but SoZ seems...interesting. His longbows and Xbows are going to be cruel). AT got Collosus (given Gav never updates, he cannot be accused of using spoiler knowledge). OH or BaII got Confucianism, but that is OH with the stupid GNP over the past few turns forcing it.

The rest of us suck.








Back up to 6th in crop yield, and I'm not really whipping any more bodes well.

[Krill]

I suppose we might want to lay down how we think various techs look better or worse for our situation compared to normal, with "our situation" meaning our traits and geography, and no consideration given about certain techs being prereqs of others.

Techs that look better than baseline to me:

• Writing - We've got discounted libraries!
  
• Sailing - Water map with islands to settle! Lighthouse for capital and city 2!
  
• Mathematics - we have slow traits, but have lots of trees. Lets chop those damn things down.
  
• Construction - half price Colosseums, Catapults, yada yada yada. On the other hand, we won't be getting a lotta mileage outta the "roads bridge rivers" bonus... Unless we have hitters I don't care for cats. That bridge over a single river tile would probably be the most expensive bridge in any PB.
  
• Feudalism - SERFDOM will be crazy important for us, Cha longbows, also we'll want Vassalage until Constitution. If we can survive without Slavery I'd even be sold on revolting out of a GA
  
• Machinery - Cha Crossbows, Windmills, Watermills. A city around those flood plains could peak out at a crazy-high HPT. We'd almost certainly have to prioritize this more if we got Feud quickly, but we'd get bogged down in Construction, HBR and CoL
  
• Aesthetics - an early HE would be nice, if we get an 8 Exp unit via barbs; looks like Marble is available to the south. We don't have HE unlocked yet, and NE city isn't even settled. They are on Lit anyway.
  
• Monarchy - We apparently have 21352356252535 wine tiles we can build wineries on, on all of which we get a Fin bonus. Might be able to trade some wines for other happy resources? Or sell them? Or just get drunk and cry about our lack of food? It's too obvious
  
• Literature - TGL on a water map, and we do get a discount on libraries.................... that said, there's probably nowhere we can save enough trees to make this a realistic goal tho.I'm chopping forests as they enter our borders, nothing left for the GL, and Elkad is about 40 turns close to it.
  

Techs that look worse than baseline to me:

• CoL - Caste doesn't look appealing because we don't have any fucking food to feed workshops. We're also slow REXers and so early Courthouses look less appealing. It could be a way to get a religion for OR, though, which could be important if there's a particular wonder we want. (e.g. TGL) You see those F2 screens? Most cities are ahead of development as I'm using libraries to pop borders and then light houses are getting 2 popped whip to allow coast to be worked as we lack workers. After that, we have nothing to build so Courthouses are the obvious choice, better than Markets even for us.
  
• Iron Working - No jungle to chop, no food to work iron mines. Gateway to Compass for harbours and 2XP boats...and then Optics later on. Can't be ignored forever, can be ignored for now.
  
• CS - Bureaucracy. For our capital? *breaks into furious laughter* I'm considering swapping to Serfdom to push out GP quicker to open up the Astro bulb ASAP...but that means Bureau after OPtics. Yet This opens up Paper for Privateers, and also farm spreading, so it's actually a key tech after an Astro bulb. Galleons are only a threat if we have maces and Xbows capable of jumping off them.
  
• Engineering - No food for workshops, so the +1h doesn't matter a lick. Also gives castles for +1 trade route, and we need Castles to protect cities, and also the road movement. Don't understimate the important of Engineering. It's better than Guilds for us, except Guilds leads to Banking...
  
• Calendar - I see... a single desert incense and a grass dyes. Plus, we're Cha. Still need this tech for the Astro bulb though, so it's ahead of Bureaucracy.
  
• Drama - generally the game's most forgettable technology. We actually have a pretty good Globe spot @ City 2, but I just noticed in the changelog that Nationhood is now High Cost (where it used to be No Cost) and also we'll want to be in Emancipation shortly after that comes available anyways. I don't even know why I don't just combine Drama and Literature, it's a redundant tech that provides nothing to the game.
  

Remember, this is just compared to a "baseline" situation; e.g. I put Engineering in the bottom category, but it's still an incredible important tech.

With techs I'm struggling to see beyond Monarchy next (1 happy and 25 commerce per turn once Timble is fully grown), going through Priesthood and opening up a cheaper CoL, as we are going to have to build courthouses as the core Classical era city improvement looking at our costs. Saving the need to grab HBR or Construction, and Masonry when we have stone and marble is still wise for walls so we probably grab that before we even reach Priesthood. Monarchy would cost around 430 base beakers: it'd be a 3 turn tech at max research. Myst, Poly, Masonry and Priesthood costs about 310 base beakers, which is just 2 turns of max research after we finish Currency. Maybe 10 turns to grab everything? Then reassess for HBR and Construction: Straight run at Feud might actually be what makes sense for us. I might even consider spending a turn for a civic swap out of GA...

[Krill]

Another reason to rush Feudalism: On a huge map, can't you revolt 2 civics in a single turn if you have 16 cities or fewer? Lurker confirmation appreciated.

[Krill]

Turn 090

This turn brough to you by barbs who don't want to die:




Full barb busting net still operational. Timble and Lucker still on schedule to be founded T91, and why will that barb not just kill itself? but there is more land to the far south that is not dependant on border pop to access via ocean tiles.

Cavendish is just going to swing around and then rejoin the chariot.





The desert warrior will move into Owlthorpe as MP, the dyes warrior moves onto dyes and with Timble settled the area is locked down fine, the W1 warrior is no longer needed in this area and will help murder that SoB barb, or head to the south west as a barb buster. If I can promote him to W2, then he goes to the far SW, if he can't (and is still a 1 mover), then he replaces Yeld who moves over to cover the forested area.

Also note, started working 2 scientists in Westminster. If I realy, really need to force beakers, I can work 12 scientists in 7 cities (some cities with libraries are still size 1...), which is 45 base bpt, which should be enough to ensure Currency is completed eot94. I just don't know if I'd go bankrupt due to costs as that would mean I stop working a couple of commerce tiles.





Gold...and 4 turns from IW. Tricksy. That TBW only has 3 land resources hooked is interesting, he could have more unroaded, but then I have 8 worked and 4 unroaded.





Note: T91, if I settle both cities, I will save 2gpt from the used settlers, and bring 7 units back into my borders (but Gilbert is leaving) so I have a saving of 5gpt. Just watch that city maintenance. I might actually bankrupt myself next turn.





Next turn I should put on 14 crop yield and jump over 100 for the first time. Looking back over records that puts me 13 turns behind first place.

[Mardoc]

Sorry for disturbing the game rhythm: couldn't count past three when trying to play the turn due to sleep deprivation, and had a difficult decision to make, if you count how many workers it takes to road as difficult.

No more night shifts scheduled for this month though

Occasional night shifts is even worse than always night shifts.  My sympathies!  

[Krill]

The nightshifts I work now are bollocks. I have to function, to think. The days of playing PBEM5 in bursts between nightshifts were so much simpler, I didn't even need to think for that job, I could do it on autopilot and I didn't have to do anything outside work, but now?

Getting old doesn't suck, but working nightshifts whilst old sure does.