[SPOILERS] SevenSpirits becomes self-aware

[SevenSpirits]

It sounds like I should reserve video only for when it's massively more appropriate for what I want to show. So basically, when I would need a really fancy picture, I will consider a short video instead.

[T-hawk]

You gave me a great idea for a new forum feature. Look upwards to the QOTM.

[NobleHelium]

darrell must be celebrating right about now...

[scooter]

Had not seen it until now, but I liked the video.

[SevenSpirits]

I've simply been following the plan and exploring thus far. Here is what my scout has revealed.



I found Serdoa in the NNE. That means that the map ended up with the same layout as 39, rather than a mirror of it. The other players will be to my WNW, ESE, and SSW.

The scout is now revealing tiles mirrored from my immediate southwest, and I decided to send him eastward, to reveal more of my south. Therefore, the warrior I just produced is heading northwest, to uncover an area the scout won't explore in the near future.

[SevenSpirits]

Foreign relations have been occurring! First of all, Nicolae's scout found me from the southwest. He moved onto the grass forest hill 1S of P Is No Problem, and I had no warriors near enough to fend him off. My worker had just finished the sheep pasture and the plan called for him to move 1N and continue the grass mine. However, with the invading scout, I had to consider the possibility that the scout would be a jerk and stand on my sheep, preventing me from growing to size 5 in a turn (and finishing the warrior too!) as I was supposed to do. So I had to consider leaving the worker on the sheep tile to prevent that. I think many players would make that choice in a second.

I chose otherwise and continued with my mining plan, inviting the scout's wrath. And... it left. Cheers Nicolae. My choice may have been a bit reckless, but it had an advantage. Instead of inflicting pain upon myself through paranoia, I left the choice to start a fight strictly up to him. And for whatever reason selfish or friendly, he didn't take it. +1 diplo points for you sir.


In the north, I was the other party in an early scouting interaction. My scout moved up to get vision of Serdoa's cap and then immediately left him in peace, though no warriors were seen.


But then... sorry Novice. Just this last turn, I opened the save to find that Novice's scout was sitting on the roaded tile I was planning to move my warrior through for faster scouting. 2xp, 2 gg points, continuing scouting as wanted, and preventing the possibility of a scout being annoying to me? Sorry...


Here I am, following the plan. There are no good second city sites that I have found. Barely any nearby food, mainly. Right now I'm thinking to settle on the railroaded tundra hill that has both deer and horses adjacent. I think horses are the best single resource I can claim (for yield (2/3/3 as financial) plus military value), and I'm certainly not settling without first-ring food. N of horses is also possible - the drawback is it is not on the river.


Here you can see who stopped their capital's growth at which size. Me and Mackcousin: 5; Serdoa: 4; Novice and Nicolae: 3.

[Qgqqqqq]

Where do you plan on settling?

[BRickAstley]

How goes it?

[SevenSpirits]

For the second city I eventually decided to settle N of the horse instead of E of it. Short term it's very similar but it worked better for dotmap reasons. I'm planning to put another city 5N of my capital, and those three cities will just have tons of river cottages between them.


With RB being out of commission while I was playing some of these turns, and the turns being really slow, I actually forgot to research hunting. So I improved the pasture first. I grew one turn slower in exchange for a couple extra hammers and beakers. Net negative result I think but not severe at all.

Third city just got settled. I claimed the grassland gems, oasis, and wet corn... yeah that seemed pretty good. This was one major reason for the placement of the previous city: it can work the gems while the third city grows.

Also to note in this picture: see that oasis? That tile is exactly in the middle of me and Serdoa. So yes, this city is a bit of a reach. But it's so worth it compared to closer city options.

Something I really didn't appreciate until planning out the micro for this city, was how wonderful fast workers are at letting you do things in any order. I had them down by P Is No Problem, building 2 cottages and chopping the granary in post-settler. And they can actually catch up with the settler and finish the gem mine at Big Ow Notation the very same turn! So awesome. Every single worker turn so far has been genuinely useful, except for the "1t road" marked on the hill next to my capital.

Another thing you may notice in the picture is that I am completing a chariot in Tureen Machine. That city does not have a granary yet, but I decided to just grow it naturally to size 3 while exactly building a chariot, and then pump out a worker. After math I will begin chopping in granaries outside the capital.

So right, plan now is to get a really fast math (it should only take 5t more, given my gem mine), and then expansion with fast workers really kicks into gear.

Oh and Serdoa built henge and oracle, whatever.

[SevenSpirits]

t43 report. (We're up to t45 now.)

t42 I finished Math on a pretty direct beeline. The chopping commenced immediately. One granary in Big Ow Notation, and another one next turn in Tureen Machine. Also I'm chopping a monument next turn in Big Ow, since it's a border city, and since it could stand to grab the FP and the grass river mine.


Also founded city #4, LISHP, on the sugar where Serdoa founded his first.


My scout found Novice's copper city. I've been planning to settle my copy of that spot, and will probably do so next.


I sent my chariot exploring ESE, in what I thought was the direction of Mackoti, whom I haven't yet met. Apparently though, that's actually where Nicolae is, despite his scout skirting my south at the beginning of the game. So oops, instead I'm apparently being aggressive at the guy with war chariots. I decided to make the most of it and try to catch him unprepared, then back off anyway as a gesture of peace. And lo!


An empty city! ... but unfortunately, he moved a WC there the following turn, dashing my hopes of seeming incredibly nice by running away instead of attacking. But yeah, I ran away, and I'm doing what I can to seem nice, namely not pillaging the nearby improvements despite having the option.

Next techs on the agenda are fishing - sailing - calendar, since I want to get some coastal and island cities (getting one will be worth just as much as currency), and calendar will be worth an insane 4 happy even without iron working. Other priorities are: expand as fast as possible, to work as many grass river cottages as possible. Fast Workers + Math should make this a breeze.