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

[AutomatedTeller]

Can't argue with Gimli!!

On the plus side, you'll be able to start your next PB pretty quickly!!

[Mjmd]

This is just for posterity sake so when this all goes horribly I can look back on it and say how stupid I was.

So I have really been liking the map, but I really am not happy with that lake. If I don't take that tip SD can freely move to either side of it and I'll have no hope of holding anything that direction at all. I would basically be able to form a line at my end of the lake and cede everything else to SD. Again he chose aggressive Rome, he is going to attack; so just giving him more land is only a short term fix. I really do not want to go that close. I would be perfectly happy with SW of the wheat right in that lake tile..... That would be a good distance away while not giving up everything.

Sooo if I put at aggressive plant he can see the 1st ring border, just tested. Obviously the better spot as its influence would extend west more making future cities that direction safer. Especially if you look at how those mountains are situated it would be very effective at 3rd ring. However, If I put SE next to wheat he wouldn't be able to see until 2nd ring pops. So when do I poke the bear. There is actually an argument for doing sooner as he might overreact plus its pre prats.

I have one more turn I won't show, but there is a grassland cow NE, but I would have to put 1E of where I want. Assuming there is no food near those mountains west that is the only food other than the wheat near the river. He has no other reason to expand directly this way other than to grapple with me. He obviously will get  3rd city sooner than me, so I have to hope a spot is still there, although if its not than I would know new target!

Ok last post until copper in 2 turns. Speaking of a bunch of other people including SD got this turn!

[AutomatedTeller]

Sounds good.

One thing you might want to do is put your password somewhere in an early post, in case someone needs to take a turn for you.

[Mjmd]

At first I was disappointed in my copper location. My copper was away from SD; his was towards me at the point I had identified as the key strategic area. I was trying to figure out how to make my spot work / not be slow without sinking a ton of worker turns in. Finally decided would be best to just steal the capital deer and settle on it to help save worker turns. Then I started simming. If I'm not mistaken, if I settle on the copper near the silver the capital would get copper immediately right? I've rolled random maps and tested; I've tested on a created map to look like this and I have.




This whole time I've been talking defense defense defense. How do I defend, how do I not get run over. How do I not cede all that land to SD? What if instead I rushed SD? Assuming capital gets copper when I settle here is the approximate timeline:

Turn 33: 2 warriors threaten SDs copper (would have been turn 31 but southern warrior started down and around before I knew where copper was). I could threaten with 1 warrior, but would rather show up with 2 at same time. I can use scout (assuming it survives) to judge this.
Turn 43: 1st axe can be at copper; can do a spear turn 42 instead dependent. Could do even sooner if I whipped first unit instead of a worker to road, but all the rest of the timing below depends on the road being there)
Turn 45: 2 more axes can be at copper
Turn 46: 1 more axe arrives  (can whip 1 more after this in copper city and be fine on happy)

Thoughts?  

[AutomatedTeller]

well, if you've tested it, I guess it must work.

It seems like it must be because of whatever bugs allow you to hook up resources in a cap that are on a different river than the cap is.

As far as rushing SD goes - assuming you manage to cut SD off from his copper, if he can get archery before you take his cap, he'll be able to cut you off and will, eventually, tech IW and and get Praets.

So, can you get axes to his capitol before he can tech archery. He's definitely going to know that you are coming.

Rushing SD is pretty much a throw of the die - the "right" place for the copper city is 1S - that would be a pretty decent city.

man, there's a lot of copper on this map. Makes me wonder if there is copper to your west.

[Mjmd]

I figure if I don't get the kill I will at least cripple. I can plant a holy city 1SE of copper like was the original plan. If it doesn't work definitely settling all on hills. SD holds grudges pretty fierce.

SW warrior will kind of be seeing the west as he heads up, but I don't think will change my plan. This is probably my best bet to knock out or cripple SD early. It will obviously slow me down and its not what I had in mind for this game, but when the opportunity presents.........

Tomorrow I might post some things, because SD is doing something weird. He is last in score atm which I wouldn't expect from an expansive civ, but I can't read PBSPY pt increases or graphs well enough to figure it out.

[AutomatedTeller]

what's the PBspy link? I couldn't find it in the tech thread.

At a guess, SD is last in score because he's coastal and has the fewest land tiles, but that's a guess.

[Mjmd]

Lost the scout near SD to a lion at 90% odds. Hopefully banked some future luck.... I was kind of relying on that scout to figure out if he had horse or not.

With how everyone's capital seems to be I don't think its a coastal situation. http://civ.zulan.net/pbspy/game/97/#game_log If you want to log into the game to take a look at graphs you can. I actually switched EPs back to SD. I'm going to try to keep my demo's hidden. Not sure what I need for that but.... worth a shot.

[AutomatedTeller]

Well, the difference isn't very big. Might be that SD has a lake in his fat cross. Score is only land, tech, wonders and pop. Everyone has the same wonders - pop is going to be 1 or 2. Culture is the same, so land might vary a little. Tech could be different, if some people are cleaning up 1st level techs and others are doing AH, for instance.

[Mjmd]

I'm really bad at reading PBSPY for obvious reason of I've never done it before.... Speaking of I'm pretty sure based on power this is the turn SD finished BW and now I'm in last place! I readjusted espionage back to 2 on him 2 on vanrober. Based on required to see his graphs I'm assuming he is now putting on someone else. I'm hoping he reads my spending as noob (which it is), but more importantly hope it hides for a bit. Mind PBSPY pt stuff probably will make that mute. So here are the best plans I could come up with:

2nd city will be called Leap Frog; didn't feel like editing it out after the fact so spoiler. 2nd worker is Bob.

Plan #1
Turn 31 settler finishes > switch to worker > move bob to tundra forest > switch to slavery just so I don't forget
Turn 33 Whip Bob set production to axe > give 2nd city deer, tundra forest, and hill forest
Turn 34 bob starts roading up western side of lake
Turn 36 Kevin finishes chop and starts roading between 2nd and 1st on grassland
Turn 37 1st axe finishes from Lemmings; start another axe
Turn 38 2nd axe finishes from Leap Frog and it grows; switch 2nd pop at Leap Frog to forested hill
Turn 39 Whip 3rd axe from Lemmings which will be synced movement wise with 2nd.
Turn 39 whip 4th axe from Leap frog
Turn 41 Kevin goes to mine silver
Turn 47 silver finishes
Result at copper; warriors 31&33; axes 43,45,45,46

-Variant can whip spear from Lemmings turn 40; arrives with 4th axe turn 46
Turn 48 Bob heads back
Turn 49 pottery finishes

Plan#2; keep deer with capital
Turn 33 whip an axe;
turn 34 whip the spear; keep forest being chopped with capital
Turn 36 next axe finishes
Turn 38 whip Lemmings again for another axe; Kevin starts mining silver
Turn 41 Leap Frog finally steals capital deer after capital is back at size 2. Will also get leap frog to size 2 right after silver mine finishes (fin 42 but grows 43)
Turn 46 switch cap to worker after it grows to size 3
Turn 48 pottery finishes and can whip Bob out; overflow into granary
Result at copper; warriors 31&33; axes 41,43,46 Spear 42

Plan #1 ends with 1 more axe attacking and mostly completed road network. Plan #1 also gives me a backup plan of whipping a settler in the 40s if it feels like I can't get the kill. Plan #2 gets two axes and a spear there by the time plan #1 only has one axe. Much faster, but no road network or backup plan. Pottery timing is about the same. Mind this is with no known tech bonuses factored in so that is probably moved up under both plans.

Thoughts?