[SPOILERS] AT: Tonight in Vultureland... Louis of Sumeria

[Merovech]

Metal casting makes a lot of sense. Can you build the Colossus on this map (not in the capital, I would assume, but elsewhere?)

[AutomatedTeller]

I think Collosus requires saltwater and there's no saltwater anywhere, so no, I don't think you can. That makes metal casting a little less good, of course, but the 1/2 price forges and access to machinery is great - I have a big leg up on xbows, if I choose to go that way - I don't need to get CoL to reduce costs (which are killer on this map) and I have Metal casting.

[AutomatedTeller]

well, I had an update that I thought I posted here... but it turns out, i posted it for PBEM 35 instead I'll have to recreate it tonight.

It was mainly about soldiers (everyone is building military) and power graphs. And getting oracle in 3 turns.

[AutomatedTeller]

1 turn to Oracle. Pindicator's power is getting pretty high. I presume he's preparing to attack someone... I'm hoping it ain't me. But then, I have a vulture and will have a rax, a spear and a vulture in the next 3 turns or so, plus metal casting, plus I'll kick out another city. AH in 3 (can't do it and grow next turn and I kind of want to do that)

I have gold and am roading. I can hook that up, then get fur and chop out a worker/settler. Maybe will spend some turns on Stonehenge... good way to build up gold reserves...

[AutomatedTeller]

the post I was going to make this morning, but posted to pbem35 instead
Turn 34 Power graphs



Demos:



There was more, but it was about getting oracle in three, (love overflow)

Turn 35:

Killed that barb. Took no damage, only gained 1 xp. Guess I should send guys out.

2 turns to oracle, get a rax this turn, 2 pop whip a spear into another culture in vulture road, so power will go up nicely. not that anyone has my graphs.

Speaking of graphs:



Pindicator's went up another 4K - which is a spear or the wheel. Or a pop point and an archer, I guess. But I think it's a spear.

Mine should go up 12K over the next 3 turns.

Demos:



I'm trying to decide on my next site:



In case that's not clear,
a) on the marble
b) on the stone
c) on the hill near the horses.

Marble and stone are both quite aggressive on pindicator, but they get me marble and stone. I get the iron in my cross on stone, and the marble gives more commerce.

Stone helps with stonehenge (eh), Pyramids (good) and HG early. Marble helps with Glib, Parthenon, HE and NE in the mid-term. I think the iron is the key - course, there's not a lot of food up there, thus C) is tempting, as well.

I dunno - any thoughts from lurkers? Lurkers, that is, who haven't read pindicator's thread?

[AutomatedTeller]

I am thinking, now, that it's C), that the others are just too dangerous. I dunno - we'll see.

I do get Oracle, not surprisingly. I'll switch to hinduism after the 2nd vulture comes out.

[AutomatedTeller]

yay! oracle. dial up forges in both my cities and I'm all of a sudden part imperialistic, part expansive and part organized!

yes, i know oracle->MC is not a very inventive strat... but it's a good one to pull off.



Dialed up forges - they both get whipped next turn.



I need more workers and another settler. and more military. Of those things, one is critical, which is military. So, whip than a vulture in VultureRoad and anothe spear in VultureLand

I had forgotten that vultures were 6K, so show up as more than regular axes, which is good. Course, phalanxes do, too - phalanxes worry me, a lot. I need archery or chariots - not that chariots can kill phalanxes, but they are A) mobile and B) cheaper than vultures. a chariot will likely hurt an axe enough that a vulture can easily kill it, which is cheaper than 2 vultures. An archer, though, is even cheaper AND doesn't run into the spear.

My hope was to expand, but my opponents seem to want a military solution.

Power ratings:



Soldiers:

54K
45K
43K

I'm at 42K so I'm getting there. AH next turn makes it 44K, 2 forges right after that makes it 49K, so that seems more scarier!!

Pindicator is at 51K, which seems like a lot, but I think it's a warrior and 3 chariots, so no big deal. the chariots will kill vultures on the flat, but not so easily in trees and on hills in trees, vultures should win.

I'm trying to decide on archery or writing next. Writing gives me libraries and I want a lib, but I think archery is best, for the city defenders. And the cheap guys killing enemy...

[AutomatedTeller]

question for lurkers: anyone know if it's more efficient to go granary->forge in a new city if you industrious, or forge/granary? assuming that you are going to try to pop whip them, that is?

[Nicolae Carpathia]

Granary first.

Think of a granary as +100% to all food yields, and a forge as +25% to hammer yields.

[AutomatedTeller]

well, running a sim, it looks like either way gets them up at the same time. Forge first gives more overflow, granary first has more food in the bin at the end. Both of which makes sense. I dunno if chopping makes a difference, though.

Given that a forge is twice as much as a granary, but is half-price for a an industrious civ... that makes sense.

So, it's really a question of: would you rather have more food available or more hammers available at the end of getting those 2 items?