Yes, triremes do upgrade to frigates, but I don't know if we can get them out in the first turn as frigates. We'd have to have only 12h into a trireme to be able to 2-pop whip it. 12 + 62 + 16 = 90, and that would do it, but I don't know if that's a realistic configuration for our cities to be able to put out. Still, we should start a lot of triremes this turn. (And pray Commodore doesn't pillage our iron somehow.)
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 Commodore split up his galleons. Why would you split up your galleons if you are trying to break through?
Answer: because not all galleons have units on them. Otherwise you're just weakening the amount of impact you can make in one location. Either that or he was trying to get me to pull units out of Jamba Juice so he can hit it with everything next turn. But Jamba Juice is one of the weakest cities in our empire; that's an awful target.
Still, I played it a little conservative.
Dominos: 13 units, 5 galleons in range
Jamba Juice: 25 units, plus a couple ancient era riffraff, 13 galleons in range
Sid's: 16 units, 8 galleons in range
All cities are safe from an amphibious assault. And maybe we're lucky and Commodore doesn't realize how close to Frigates we are...
6 frigates finish end of next turn
2 caravels will also be had for upgrades.
Okay, I have to go back to the LotR theme since Commodore is attacking. I figured a better way to channel my energy was some boastful bravado in thread rather than my escapades of late. I even had the perfect clip in mind; one where Theoden says that the armies of Saruman will break upon their walls like water on rock. Instead I found, well, just watch:
On the game - things look good. On the stack splitting: I wonder if Commodore is floating around behind us, trying to force us to shuffle units to different parts of the island with partially loaded Galleons while he has another group of fully loaded Galleons ready to roll. /paranoid
And hey, we DID actually eliminate someone in this game, unlike a certain Khmer neighbor . So the forum rank/titles are working pretty well for us thus far.