What are the other choices for that event? I always forget them.
Merovech's Mapmaking Guidelines:
0. Player Requests: The player's requests take precedence, even if they contradict the following guidelines.
1. Balance: The map must be balanced, both in regards to land quality and availability and in regards to special civilization features. A map may be wonderfully unique and surprising, but, if it is unbalanced, the game will suffer and the player's enjoyment will not be as high as it could be.
2. Identity and Enjoyment: The map should be interesting to play at all levels, from city placement and management to the border-created interactions between civilizations, and should include varied terrain. Flavor should enhance the inherent pleasure resulting from the underlying tile arrangements. The map should not be exceedingly lush, but it is better to err on the lush side than on the poor side when placing terrain.
3. Feel (Avoiding Gimmicks): The map should not be overwhelmed or dominated by the mapmaker's flavor. Embellishment of the map through the use of special improvements, barbarian units, and abnormal terrain can enhance the identity and enjoyment of the map, but should take a backseat to the more normal aspects of the map. The game should usually not revolve around the flavor, but merely be accented by it.
4. Realism: Where possible, the terrain of the map should be realistic. Jungles on desert tiles, or even next to desert tiles, should therefore have a very specific reason for existing. Rivers should run downhill or across level ground into bodies of water. Irrigated terrain should have a higher grassland to plains ratio than dry terrain. Mountain chains should cast rain shadows. Islands, mountains, and peninsulas should follow logical plate tectonics.
Thessa was tired. It had been forty seasons since their landfall in this strange land, and the duties of leadership were beginning to take their toll. "But I must not flag. His loss diminishes us all, but the people will look to me for strength."
Volantis was not without his faults. He had been arrogant, certainly. Arrogant and impetuous: the latter was rare quality among their people. Still, she had been fond of him. And not only her: he was much admired among the people, the closest thing they had to a hero.
The circumstances of his demise were murky. The two young rangers who had travelled with him returned his bones to Evermore. One said that he died a hero's death, saving them both from a lion's jaws. But the other told a different tale: that a strange madness had fallen upon Volantis in his final hours, a result of some fell magic discovered in the ruin they had been exploring. A wild story, to be sure, but Thessa thought it had a ring of truth.
Perhaps an hour past midnight, Thessa found herself staring at the dying embers of the funeral pyre as a young elf approached her.
"Archmistress Thessa, may I beg a word?"
She turned her head towards him, giving a slight nod. "Speak."
"I once heard a disciple of the Fellowship say that in every end there is also a beginning. That life is a circle, and death is a part of it..."
A look of impatience flickered across her face, and the young elf became flustered.
"Apologies, Archmistress. What I mean to say is, Volantis often spoke of destiny, that it was the destiny of the elves to build an empire that spanned all the forests of this new land. And he may be dead, but our destiny did not die with him."
When she did not answer, he shuffled his feet awkwardly. "Some of us are talking about staying here. To start building the empire he dreamed of."
Thessa turned her head back to gaze at the remnants of the fire. "Tell me what you will need."
Second city planted: turn 40. Ellimist got his second city built the same turn. Possibly Mardoc as well (during the previous turn): his score went up by five, which I think is probably a combination of growing to size 6 and founding a city.
0. Player Requests: The player's requests take precedence, even if they contradict the following guidelines.
1. Balance: The map must be balanced, both in regards to land quality and availability and in regards to special civilization features. A map may be wonderfully unique and surprising, but, if it is unbalanced, the game will suffer and the player's enjoyment will not be as high as it could be.
2. Identity and Enjoyment: The map should be interesting to play at all levels, from city placement and management to the border-created interactions between civilizations, and should include varied terrain. Flavor should enhance the inherent pleasure resulting from the underlying tile arrangements. The map should not be exceedingly lush, but it is better to err on the lush side than on the poor side when placing terrain.
3. Feel (Avoiding Gimmicks): The map should not be overwhelmed or dominated by the mapmaker's flavor. Embellishment of the map through the use of special improvements, barbarian units, and abnormal terrain can enhance the identity and enjoyment of the map, but should take a backseat to the more normal aspects of the map. The game should usually not revolve around the flavor, but merely be accented by it.
4. Realism: Where possible, the terrain of the map should be realistic. Jungles on desert tiles, or even next to desert tiles, should therefore have a very specific reason for existing. Rivers should run downhill or across level ground into bodies of water. Irrigated terrain should have a higher grassland to plains ratio than dry terrain. Mountain chains should cast rain shadows. Islands, mountains, and peninsulas should follow logical plate tectonics.
So, played a few more turns. Not much is going on.
I've been using the fact that my supplies can double-move on forests to move in and out of my territory each turn, giving me a little advanced warning on enroaching barbarians. Finally saw one this turn:
Actually saw a goblin the turn before up north, but it was gone this turn. Anyway, potential annoyance. My lizardman is still healing up from avenging its brother on that lion (99% battle, but knocked him down to less than half health), and my sole warrior won't get reliable odds on the attack.
Two civs with high production: Ellimist and either Mardoc or gtAngel, with the rest trailing behind. In GNP we're pretty even with Mardoc and gtAngel, with Ellimist and Selrahc trailing behind. Either Mardoc or gtAngel surpassed us in power this turn.
And Selrahc finally grew his capital to size 4.
Produced a second worker at EOT, and Volantis' Rest grew to size 2. Now I'll get started on a third worker while getting myself a second farm around New Evermore. Should complete just one turn after education comes in, at which point we can get this cottage economy rolling (and grow the capital to the happy cap).
Quote:Polo has had a rough year. All the exploration he's been ordered to
do has left him Crazed, Diseased, and mostly dead. Perpentach doesn't
care, though, because he's still funny-looking, and he can still
dance.
Polo's not sure, therefore, if those moving dots across the water are
men, or elves, or merely hallucinations. But he shouts out 'hi!' to
them anyway.
HK, it looks like we've met in PBEM 25. Not sure there's anything to
discuss this early - have you anything you'd like to mention?
So, a few thoughts:
1) Forget everything I said about this game running neck-and-neck. Mardoc is winning. He's got the highest GNP, he's almost tied with Ellimist in production, and he's got the highest food.
2) I couldn't see the scout he was talking about, but I assume it's his super-scout. Which means it's at least MI, and possibly MII by now. That means I need to protect my workers. If I'm planning to keep my supplies near the borders, I need to protect those too. And I need to protect my cities! The capital doesn't have any defenders right now.
Anyways, my reply:
Quote:Greetings from the Ljosalfar Empire!
Unfortunately, Archmistress Thessa is in a period of mourning and cannot greet your envoy personally. However, I have no doubt she will pleased to learn of your visit. It is rare to see a civilized face in this savage world. Let this meeting mark the beginning of an era of friendship and cooperation between our peoples.
It may be, as you say, that we have little to discuss for the moment. However, let us offer you a friendly word of caution: our scouts report that the savage clan of blood-drinkers to our north are quite skilled at trapping and taming the beasts that roam the wilds. I would be inclined to look with suspicion at any animals who roam too close.
I figure it can't hurt to give Mardoc the impression that I'm on his side against his most likely rival. But the way things are shaping up, I'm more inclined to befriend Ellimist. Both because Mardoc is winning, and because he's further away (and I want to stay out of wars for as long as I can). Anyway, it's probably much too early for this type of speculation.
In other news, I got an annoying event:
Pay 20 gold, or lose two worker-turns. I figured the gold was more valuable, so my first worker is repairing my road connection rather than building a farm. The road connection is worth 3bpt right now. But potentially more importantly: with that road in place, my lizardman can move between my cities in one turn. Could be important if barbarians or crazed Balseraph scouts show up.
I really need more warriors. But I'm going to prolong my farmer's gambit a little longer: I want a third worker before education comes in.
Off-the-head choice analysis: It takes two turns to build the road. Assuming that you immediately began rebuilding the road and did not/will not lose any worker turns do to the worker's movement to the previously roaded tile, you lost three beakers. Assuming that your two lost worker turns delay your farm by two turns, it looks to me like you lose 4 food. Since you don't yet have any other good tiles at that city, 20g for 3b and 4f seems like a good trade to me.
Merovech's Mapmaking Guidelines:
0. Player Requests: The player's requests take precedence, even if they contradict the following guidelines.
1. Balance: The map must be balanced, both in regards to land quality and availability and in regards to special civilization features. A map may be wonderfully unique and surprising, but, if it is unbalanced, the game will suffer and the player's enjoyment will not be as high as it could be.
2. Identity and Enjoyment: The map should be interesting to play at all levels, from city placement and management to the border-created interactions between civilizations, and should include varied terrain. Flavor should enhance the inherent pleasure resulting from the underlying tile arrangements. The map should not be exceedingly lush, but it is better to err on the lush side than on the poor side when placing terrain.
3. Feel (Avoiding Gimmicks): The map should not be overwhelmed or dominated by the mapmaker's flavor. Embellishment of the map through the use of special improvements, barbarian units, and abnormal terrain can enhance the identity and enjoyment of the map, but should take a backseat to the more normal aspects of the map. The game should usually not revolve around the flavor, but merely be accented by it.
4. Realism: Where possible, the terrain of the map should be realistic. Jungles on desert tiles, or even next to desert tiles, should therefore have a very specific reason for existing. Rivers should run downhill or across level ground into bodies of water. Irrigated terrain should have a higher grassland to plains ratio than dry terrain. Mountain chains should cast rain shadows. Islands, mountains, and peninsulas should follow logical plate tectonics.
(April 10th, 2013, 01:27)Merovech Wrote: Off-the-head choice analysis: It takes two turns to build the road. Assuming that you immediately began rebuilding the road and did not/will not lose any worker turns do to the worker's movement to the previously roaded tile, you lost three beakers. Assuming that your two lost worker turns delay your farm by two turns, it looks to me like you lose 4 food. Since you don't yet have any other good tiles at that city, 20g for 3b and 4f seems like a good trade to me.
Actually I think I didn't lose any beakers, since apparently it didn't update trade routes until the end of the turn, and I'll have my road back before ending the next turn. But I lose more than 4f: everything that worker would have done will now come 2 turns later. That's another 4 beakers from a 2-turn delay from connecting my cotton, etcetera etcetera (actually 6, since it'll put me over the threshold for a prereq bonus).
But consider: barbarian warrior 2 tiles to my south. If I wanted to finish the farm on time, I would have needed to deal with that warrior. My lizardman will still be healing, and the odds are 73% (at best) attacking with my warrior. Too risky when I've got so little in the way of military.
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