[Spoiler] Nakor needs new oranges

[Boldly Going Nowhere]

I'll see if I can do something about updates.

Pictures too! I see the scoreboard (in other threads, not this one ) and you seem to be doing well. Let's see it!

[Nakor]

Ok, let's see what I can do...



Overview of my land. Going to settle 7 and 8 next (obviously) and then probably the big C to the west.



Capital with 3 food resources. Going to get a GS after the GP. Building workers/settlers.



Settled for copper. Should focus on Military after this settler.



Settled for horses. Commerce here, so a Library in due time.



Settled for Gold. Commerce, of course.



Furs for more happy... should give some nice commerce.



Last addition. Getting a secure border to the east.

That said, I need way more production cities now...



I need more military (Spears/Immortals)....



Tech so far. Maths will be done next turn. Then I'll either go for MC (Colossus would be awesome and cheap forges are great), or for getting that CoL bulb ready (10 turns untill the GP from Stonehenge).



Nice, but did I say I need military?

[Nakor]

Gaspar, I'll be gone again from Monday untill Friday.
I'll try to post an update and plans tomorrow.
It's all about building Forges (MC just in) and teching towards a military to take someone out (HBR/Constr).

[Gaspar]

Gaspar, I'll be gone again from Monday untill Friday.
I'll try to post an update and plans tomorrow.
It's all about building Forges (MC just in) and teching towards a military to take someone out (HBR/Constr).

Gotcha.

[Nakor]

T99, Gaspar take over for a few days
Catwalk is really annoying with his settlers. He is settling way out of his range and in my face.



There is a Settler from Catwalk on the hill SE of his spear. So 9 won't happen...



So let's settle 10 first.



Whip when you think it's best. There are a few forest chops you should wait for.
Afterwards, build a lot of military, I need to attack Catwalk.

Tech set to HBR, but if you think I should go Construction first, then change it.

Have fun! I'll be back somewhere on Friday.

[Gaspar]

I dunno that Catwalk is settling in your face, I think that he was slow to expand eastward and hence it feels that way, because you thought that territory would be yours. The newest city, Empty Wallet, is a little aggressive to be sure, but Deprivation for example is 7 tiles from his capital but 10 from yours. The most recent Babylonian settlement, feels much more aggressive. I'm not going to tell you how to play your game, so I'll leave tech on HBR, but to me, Currency is a much better option right now. I am going to save gold a turn to provide flexibility if I feel strongly enough after playing a turn or two. Babylon is kicking everyone's ass though, so that should be the concern.

Another thought on tech path - that Great Prophet you have on ice - maybe clear Medi/Poly/Mono/Priesthood and bulb Theology? I'm not sure what the long-term prognosis for getting another great person for a Golden Age is, so I certainly won't change tacks to that, but otherwise that guy is going to be iced a long time - you aren't anywhere near any civics you'd want to GA into.

Also, 10 has literally no redeeming value with Iron Working and Calendar. I get wanting to claim territory because you feel boxed in, but that thing is just going to a drain on the economy for 30+ turns in a best case scenario. I just can't do it. There are three alternative plants, none of which are great. I moved the settler back on the road network and I'll solicit your opinion if you're reading or any lurkers (lol) and if I hear nothing, I'll probably plant the clams city in the SE.

I whipped every city that could be whipped because that is how you produce things in the early game. You just cannot keep on production without whipping at this stage of the game. Additionally, you've gotta run through the cities and manage tiles. The capital over its happy cap but is working 2 food tiles while the city we specifically planted to alleviate that issue is working a dry cottage. Giving it the cap's rice solves both issues, for example.

Anyway, here's the major decisions:

Tech Path:

I think it makes most sense to go Currency > Iron Working > Calendar and then clean up the classical military techs (Construction and HBR.) The only other alternative that makes any sense is Iron Working > Calendar so you can plant that city sooner. What are you going to do with Horse Archers that's productive right now? I just don't see it.

For reference sake, Iron Working is 4t breakeven, Currency is 11t breakeven and Calendar is 9t breakeven.

City Settlement:

Option 1:




This is pretty weak, but it provides some value with the clams tile and is defensible with the hill plant. Probably all it would ever work is the food tile, the 2 mines and maybe a crummy dry cottage or two, but it would bring value quickly.

Option 2:




Catwalk planted his city here at X. This city really gives you nothing, it provides an incense tile that you'll never work but gives happiness and will require you to micro your cities frequently so that it can grow, as its only food in the grass cows of Four. I would not plant this but if you want a wedge against Catwalk its legal and workable with sufficient micro.

Option 3:




This is the great unknown. ICTR aren't as big a deal, since we currently have OB with everyone, but a tundra island could spell something interesting off shore. I believe we have a rookie mapmaker here, and they love that sort of thing. And worst case, its a foothold into the islands that can feed itself. This is the best option, but requires the awful play of sitting the settler around for several turns while we build a galley. I will probably overflow to a galley in Two, but this is probably best done with your next settler.

I would settle option 1 and then get another settler out for option 3, but I can't say either is all that appealing.

I'll do a full-ish t100 report shortly, but I want to end the turn here first.

[Gaspar]

The grand t100 report for the game I'm only helping out in...

Alright, so here's a look at the map.








On first glance, I felt like Nakor was a bit boxed in here, but I don't think the mainland is all that big - or rather, I think everyone is dealing with the same sort of situation. Zanth is the only one of the leaders we have contact with and he is on nine cities, just one more. That said, given that we are 10th of 12 in land area while having Stonehenge, I'd gander that we're packed a little tighter than most. There's a lot of food here though, so that's pretty okay in my book. There are other teams with Calendar, however, so I can see why you'd worry your going to lose out on the land. Sugar, Spice and Incense are all available in the north and someone is probably going to get shut out there. I don't think that's your big issue, though. Nor do I think Catwalk's settling patterns are either. I think your issue is that Zanth is going to kill you. Let me repeat that:

Zanth is going to kill you. (Imagine you're watching a Samoa Joe match and chant it.)

He's way ahead in tech, is currently on CS, and just planted a city taking tiles from one of yours that is all of 6 tiles from your capital and claimed no new resources. So forget about invading Catwalk, and start thinking about how many Horse Archers and Cats you can get done before the inevitable invasion. That said, I would still tech Currency first because it will better allow you to tech other defensive military techs. Especially if you get a scouting wb or two out and actually get real trade routes with everyone.

Anyway, that's that. Here's a tour around the cities:




The cap is fine. I'm putting the Forge overflow into a Barracks and then I think it should do nothing but build units for a while. I might be inclined to keep something similar to this tile configuration and just grow onto specs to accelerate the next GP. Probably I will run an engy after it hits size 7, but it depends on how much whipping I do elsewhere.




I know there's a lot of food here but this city should have gotten a Lighthouse before a Barracks. Dry cottages suck and you'd have been better off just working coast probably. I'm doing a galley here for the Settler I'm going to build in Four but this place probably should be cranking military after that. Probably do the work boat for island city here, but beyond that, yeah, lots of spears and axes until HBR and Construction come in.




I rejiggered the tiles here a bit after this shot but that's neither here nor there. Library is a decent shout after the Forge here. Three and Four should do all your Settlers and Workers since either one can work a ton of food and hammer tiles while the other gives its cottages off elsewhere.




See above. I'm doing a Settler here right now.




I just whipped the lighthouse. I will whip the Forge as soon as able. Once the cap hits its happy cap, Five should get the pigs to better accelerate its production through whipping. This would actually make a very good Moai city. I don't have the stamina to micro that for you, though.




Ok, I don't want to be nitpicky but there's hardly any good tiles here beyond the resources - why on earth would you build a Barracks before a Lighthouse? Anyway, it will whip the Forge on t102 then overflow to the lighthouse. It can maybe think about military after that. Might find a way to squeeze in a work boat if we do mediocre clams city.




This is the guy I suggested you plant but it needs a lot of tile micro to be useful and I don't see that happening. With all the food and the low happy caps there's no reason this city shouldn't have either Wheat or Rice all the time. Might do a library that it doesn't really need after the Forge just to fight back culture. This city needs way more than 2 units on defense. Like at least 3 and 3 on axes and spears, IMO. When this falls, your cap is next.




This is just a gateway to the north, if IW and Calendar ever come.

Here's the demo situation and all the relevant graphs:









You were 3rd in pop but 10th in land area before I went on my forge whipping spree. That is because you aren't whipping. There is so much food here. SO MUCH FOOD. You should be whipping constantly, for everything, at this stage of the game, and for the last 50t.

Anyway, that's the state of things.

[Nakor]

Gaspar, sorry.... I need to whip more.... get it.

Ok, tech to Currency

Settle 1.

Invade Zanth... later....

Need to sleep...

[Gaspar]

Gaspar, sorry.... I need to whip more.... get it.

Ok, tech to Currency

Settle 1.

Invade Zanth... later....

Need to sleep...

No worries, Nakor, just trying to help.

I'll try and report every turn so you can change course if you see something you don't like.

[Gaspar]

For the record, I didn't forget this turn - I was just not playing until we were after Zanth, since as a potential defender, I want the 2nd half of the turn timer. While I expect he'll wait to attack until Maces are on the board, I REALLY don't want to fight a war while Nakor's gone, so if I can get in Gavagai/Zanth's head a little bit that I'm a pain the ass and they don't want to attack me on the off-chance they're planning on doing it right now, all the better.

Really nothing happened this turn. I switched research to Currency - if we get attacked before it comes in this war isn't going to be any fun anyway, and we'll get the quartet of Currency, Archery, HBR and Construction in faster if Currency is the first tech in regardless. Saving gold regardless, so if emergency strikes, you can switch tech to whatever military tech you want if it happens (this is why breakeven sucks.) Other than that I went ahead and got vision on Catwalk's new city tile in case that's useful sometime and also moved an Immortal to the slightly worse than mediocre clams city site.

Pictures next turn.