[SPOILERS] Patience is a virtue

[plako]

I moved my mounted stack so that Commodore can see it (~30 Knights + ~10 HAs). I guess it gave him some headache since he logged in way more times than normally. I didn't have a staging tile to 1-turn his border city so this was basically an effort to see, if he is alert enough. Assuming he was alert enough I'll just retreat. He definantely has enough to defend the city in the neighborhood.

I'm also going to use a tiny bit of that Espionage economy and steal Astronomy from Commodore (he is 1-2T to finish it). It is not very cost effective, but I've already invested passively 2000 EP points on him so investing ~1200 more actively (i.e. 1T of 100% EP slider) makes it a decent bargain. I probably do 2 rounds of 100% to make sure I can keep city visibility. But I do other round after finishing Chemistry so that Commodore can't get dominant position with East Indieman's. I can finish Chemistry in 1-2T after this turn.

As I indicated earlier the Espionage missions are a bit too expensive. The high known-tech bonuses make direct research quite a bit better, even if I've low number of science multipliers and running nationhood for a better espionage multiplier. It would be borderline ok, if you've a very good city to use for stealing (e.g. city earlier owned by you and with lots of your culture in it) and Open Borders with the target. Neither of these are true here. You also need to select a target that is not intrested in investing EP points. You need to be able to dominate the amount of accumulated EP points.

In the other parts of the world there is a yet another good RtR game with winner candidates around i.e. GermanJoey, dtay, Gawdzak and Gavagai. Donovan has lost it because of losing the big island east from him to Gawdzak. I'm not a real contender either. I'm destined to crack heads with Commodore that will be futile to both of us. I just wish dtay would make the 1st strike soon so that I could pick up the leftovers, but that does not seem to be happening (I've city visibility to both Commodore and dtay).

[Rowain]

Thanks for your update

Given the lay of the land do you think you/Comm/dtay could have done something different or was the current situation a given result of the map?

[plako]

Thanks for your update

Given the lay of the land do you think you/Comm/dtay could have done something different or was the current situation a given result of the map?

Commodore is now in a pretty hopeless spot sandwiched between me and dtay. I think he should have gambled in dtay border instead of mine since against dtay he would potentially got dogpile with Portugal and make gains that way. That is still possible, but his troops are all on my border and Portugal has attacked REM+Adrienier so I guess we'll continue building up army and staring at each other in standstill.

I admit that Commodore's culture bomb was pretty decent, even if he paid a hefty price for it and it will force him to split his forces. That place was only one where he could really gain some land because I settled it too late to gain enough cultural control over the area. That might have also be the reason why Commodore's army is on my border and not on dtay's border and could be interpreted that the geography indeed directed Commodore to attack me.

[Old Harry]

Would you have let Commodore attack dtay without giving him any grief?

[plako]

Would you have let Commodore attack dtay without giving him any grief?

Not if he left my border unguraded like Commodore does towards dtay. To be frank his defenses there are totally ridiculous. Feels like he hates me and loves dtay. I'm stunned he can leave only archers there defending in AI-diplo game. Actually I'm getting very pissed about this.

[plako]

Story of the war turn:
Commodore decleared and killed a chariot. He offered peace that I didn't take. Now I killed few units and gained a GG in the process. I then offered peace. Not really caring, if he takes peace.

[plako]

Aargh. I see from civstats that I lost score while Commodore was logged in. 1st instinct was that he has somehow managed to capture a city, even if I faintly remember checking that he couldn't declare war for another 3 or so turns. After a couple of minutes of staring civstats I spotted that there was no score increase visible. Well that could still mean a captured and auto razed city (There is one potential candidate). After another short period of thinking I think he claimed tiles via culture. Only options I know are through Espionage i.e. spread culture or Culture bomb. 1st would require massive EP investment when I've such a big lead in EP points so I guess he has generated yet another Artist to bomb me. I'm very frustrated about this game. Commodore is really tough neighbor to have. I must admit. When he has put target on you he'll keep pushing and pushing no matter whether it ruins his game and this time also mine. At least he isn't helping out the leader this time. dtay is no longer in best position after 2Metra declaring and raizing a city plus several other nations having plenty of success in the war field. Commodore also declared war to dtay. I hope it isn't just a trick to get 10T NAP and he would join 2Metra in a war against dtay, but I don't have my hopes too high, even if this would be very good timing to dogpile and maybe that Artist would have had a btter use there.

At least Commodore has wrecked his ecnomy while building a silly amounts of military and drafting througout his Golden Age. Maybe at some point I've sufficient edge to do something.

[plako]

Also I start to be in the camp that would suggest removing 10T peace treaty altoghter from these mods. It is stupid to have this kind of NAP mechanism in a game.

[Rowain]

Also I start to be in the camp that would suggest removing 10T peace treaty altoghter from these mods. It is stupid to have this kind of NAP mechanism in a game.

IMO you need to have some way to ensure a peaceful border else the player sitting between 2 others is always totally f*****.

[Qgqqqqq]

Also I start to be in the camp that would suggest removing 10T peace treaty altoghter from these mods. It is stupid to have this kind of NAP mechanism in a game.