[SPOILERS] Elum & mackoti; the tiles are always greener on the other start...

[mackoti]

hey, elum how is going buddy? Can i login sometimes to see your masterwork?

[Elum]

Hey man, not too bad thanks. This turn I just destroyed some 23 of Whosit's units in Grimace's land (without a loss) but I don't think he knows yet because civstats is down. I'm hoping it was most of his army. Other than that I'm coming to the end of a taj golden age and have just got economics for free from lib. I revolted to free market from merc and lost gold/beakers Luckily free religion stopped the total swap being a negative.

And please do log in, it would be great to hear what you would have done in this position. We're behind Grimace and Whosit and ahead of ipecac/Dreylin in turn order.

Good to hear from you dude.

[Elum]

Going to do a full post when I'm at my computer but I'll update now.

I captured Grimaces GLH city off of Whosit which was the main aim of my aggression against him, I offerd peace but I'll have to see how he reacts. I have a much greater land army than him, he's down guilds and engineering (but has ~500g saved), and I have a land border with him now. Unless he has something up his sleeve he should take peace, if not I'll poise the knight stack to attack and reoffer. I think the game is mine to loose now and an expensive war where I likely over extend myself is not what I want.

The tech side is really interesting in my opinion, probably because I've never made these big tech choices before, I'm just grabbing gunpowder to facilitate any drafting that may have to occur and then I haven't made up my mind. What would seem to be the standard meta would be to chase cavalry, head down pp route finish up with mt golden age -> profit. But I'm not taken with that idea. Firstly I don't want to give discounts to CH on those techs which I imagine he is heading for now, second I don't have that many cottages, or mines, limiting the payback of the techs on the way. Also there's nothing I can't do with muskets, Knights and cats that I can with rifles included, save war with CH. My next option is astro, thanks to the awesome design of this map galleons will be of dynamic changing importance when they arrive, there are many islands and both Whosit and Dreylin are vulnerable from the coast. It's also a way into sm -> communism. Compass along the way should help start getting the free market roaring into action with harbours and discounted customs houses. Another option again is to head straight for steel. A stack of cannon, pike and musket would be basically unstoppable. Pikes fight Knights, cannon fight cats, muskets the rest, and keep the knight stack behind for opportunities. I'd grab military science after for grenidiers as insurance against rifles and academies for military pumps(I've got 2 gg hanging around). And it's a route to communism (/biology?).

I think what will sway my thinking is 'what will secure the win?' And that depends more on foreign events than domestic at the moment.

[Elum]

Empire shots

Advisor shots

Near term plans are: Bother to micro cities again, overflow out of Gunpowder hard (at x1.4), tech compass then either PP or optics, build harbours, probably not draft any muskets but set up some cottage-less Grimace land cities for it, build more cats and knights.

Thinking of opening borders with Dreylin but I can't make up my mind if they see me as a direct threat or not. Do they keep a high power for their size to deter me or for profiting abroad? In any case the whipping helps me feel comfortable about them ot teching to hard. Why am I the only one in caste as my main labour civic? I thought it was established it is more efficient than slavery with guilds? Especially with large cities.

[spacetyrantxenu]

How many of your rivals are at war, or have been recently? That's likely a consideration in civic selection. About the tech overflow, excess beakers will round down to unmodified beakers and will then be modified by whatever modifiers apply to the next tech you choose. You don't get to accumulate overflow at the x1.4 rate unfortunately.

Thanks for the report, looks good. But I can't say I care for the naming scheme.

[Elum]

Thanks for the heads up, I was going from this post but it looks like it's pre BTS.

There does seem to have been many wars you're right, unless CH has made some gains I'm unaware of though I don't get what he's doing, unless he's about to attack agent47, or hopefully whosit.

[TheHumanHydra]

Thanks for the report. In contrast to xenu, I like the naming scheme.

[spacetyrantxenu]

Thanks for the report. In contrast to xenu, I like the naming scheme.

I guess you favor historical accuracy? :P

[TheHumanHydra]

I'm just a curmudgeon, I guess, but people always badger me into naming schemes anyway.

[Elum]

Ipecac declared, he has 5 3-move galleys forking two of my cities. I guess they are full of cr2 berserkers or amphib Knights. I have basically no defence. Ouch.

Worst case, he burns a core production city, captures the other on 'his' landmass. Best case he takes my offer of peace for the city on his landmass. I knew this was coming but I didn't think here so I'm out of position. I imagine he will do his worst then ask for peace. Long term it does make me think I will have to deal with him first. I always thought there was too much MAD for us to war seriously so what happens in this turn of his dictate my stratagy from now. If he doesn't burn my city, I resume the status quo. He burns it then I will deiviate from economy techs and grab chem -> steel. We are ~level power but he is fairly behind in tech so it's a fairly safe bet development wise. Current fear is this war drags on.