ReallyEvilNoobie [Pitboss 30 spoilers]

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

Going fish BW whatever I can get settler EOT 36 size 3 2 fish netted pig mined 2 forest chops and 2 spare worker turns for roading.

Worker until fishing EOT 5, Workboat EOT15 to net coastal fish T16. Worker EOT21 Pigs mined EOT26 Workboat 2 EOT30...

Or going an hus after fishing I waste 2 worker turns after, but get the pasture up instead EOT26. I can change to slavery and 2 pop whip the settler EOT35 with still 2 workboats, or a warrior second as this method is less reliant on the fh output of the fish to make the settler.

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

Very little to choose between them. I think Mali gets thrown out. Pro/ind even with its nice Mali synergy with the UB and UU the UU will only help early and the UB whilst it is a nice boost is a very minimal boost.

Then is there much between the others... I would not use the duns really at all, but I supply the assembly plants are ok if you last that long so they are probably of more (very limited) value. Panzer is useless and very late. Gallic has a lot of game spy use being a 2 mover especially to cover mounted units and being agg helps too, although that would be neighbour dependent.

Essentially is fin + assembly plant > exp and agg plus Gallic? Also Germany is slightly more versatile in techs at the start too although both can play the mining the pig opening easily.

Unless I state otherwise, I think fin is that good. I can't see myself staying competitive LT on monarch otherwise. Especially with the coast... If a lot of the other chaps aren't given fin leaders (I imagine there will have been a few left off) then a play for the colossus could make the sea quite profitable... I think the Shaka there was to tempt me to choose something slightly weaker given my love of the trait for warmongering.

I choose Germany.

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

For shame... I haven't posted an update to this game since it started! I was quite annoyed with it for a time, although I think I am perhaps in a second position with a lot of potential going forward.

So I didn't find much moving and SIP and put the micro plan to use. Initially built a worker and teched fishing. Moved over to a workboat on max hammers when this was finished. When the workboat was done I had a choice of either using the 5/0/3 fish to build the half done worker or slaving him after growing to 2 pop. Annoyingly due to hammer degregation as I halted him for a workboat and then to grow to size 2 I was 1 hammer short of a whip and the worker would have come out eot22 rather than 21 on the straight build.

However irritatingly I got forested copper in the cap... Which would have got me the worker on the same turn using the slaving route, and in slavery essentially for free... Nevermind though. Mined the pigs whilst building a second boat and then chopped/double whipped the first settler without warrior cover as I put him 3N1E of the cap, completely covered by my culture. It came relatively late T36 I think but was at least the turn after I built the settler having his route out chopped and roaded onto the copper. Unfortunately I had to chop the nice forest copper tile before mining it to allow this faster city settling. I think it was worth it. The second city whilst not sharing any food, did get a workboat built from the cap the turn after, and had netted first to work from the second turn of it's creation.

That has what has really held me back with this start - I needed 3 workboats really early on, so initially hammers were quite tight.


This was not what pissed me off however. I headed deep into the core of the world and met dantski on T11 fairly far away. And died to a lion on a hill... First combat! 26% odds! I do share some blame as I could have definitely avoided the lion, although I did think I had 1 free win on Monarch. My mistake. So I was playing blind for quite a while. At least the first city needed no defogging, but this left me on the back foot a little.

It was around this time I decided to go for a religion and a gambit. I knew that the next city didn't need any extra tech, and number 2 was unlikely to need any first using the mined pigs tile. Between workboats and units hammers were shorter than tech. Also viewing the land I was very happy with my choice of fin/pro. There is so little flatland to cottage and fin coast is a huge boost over non fin coast. I then realised though that if I landed a religion I could get to priesthood quickly and likely with the copper hill and mined pigs (plus overflow whips) bash out the oracle. Given the lack of cottage sites and rivers, and many small islands the colossus would be huge on this map. Definitely worth the risk making all ocean tiles 2/0/3 and coast 2/0/4. Also early happy was rather hard to come by.

Buddhism landed 2 turns after hamburg was settled (a pity really as it didn't need a border pop) and proceeded to go for the oracle...

I got a warrior out of the cap to explore for a third city (really to share the cap pig, perhaps to claim the corn) and he got eaten by a bear/lion combo. This delayed my third city by a turn to T53, and also made me need to whip a spear (upgraded build from a warrior) out of hamburg to cover him, getting me a second worker much later also.

I then at size 4 used the unhappy faces not eating food when building settlers trick to get a settler at size 4 and double whippped this. Using the overflow into the oracle along with a couple of chops and overflow from a second 4-2 whip on another settler I landed the oracle T63! Metal Casting FTW!

Worker turns have been tight, more or less just hooking resources. A few chops and 1 river mine and a road through the land. Still only 2, although with the amount of seafood I am using, and heavy whipping/tile sharing this isn't too much of an issue yet. Lots of forest to chop and soon to go to math after sailing and writing. I also had to repasture the pigs after mining them. If I wasn't tile sharing with the new city that needed a food source I probably would have left them where they were.

T63 I got city four and debated about putting it 1S of where it was. I had a workboat ready to put nets down that turn, but decided on the hill for a bit of defence just in case re barbs, and that flatland is in short supply. A farm will help me mine those other squares.

I have been really fortunate with buddhism spreads. All cities have free culture, the last and most useful city to have it to pick up the clams the turn of founding... Seems I am getting RNG payback.

Demos are pretty dire, have been most of the game. I am whipping heavily and don't have huge amounts of food resources to work, so I am not too bothered with those. Also score wise not too bothered as I have very little land points currently. Tech rate is pretty decent at least.

Still only met Dantski, and I am glad I beat him to city 4 (both have a wonder so equalish comparison). 2 workboats scouting and will meet others soon!

Seems like a strange map make. We actually seem to be very close. That island just off my cap actually could be just off ipeacs cap also... It has become a higher priority. Also this turnup has made the oracle hugely more valuable too. If there are any coastal hijinks then the ability to get triemes 60-80 turns ahead of others is very OP. It also explains how 2metra managed to cap a city so early. I thought that it was a loss to a warrior, however a cheeky amphibious assault if this map is like this all over is much more likely. Also made me slightly worried about my own cap too... I'll try to keep size 4 plus now really to allow an emergency whip of defence.

Long term plan is not mess this up. Slowbuild the colossus and outtech. Tempted to try and attack ipaec if he hasn't realised how close we are. Make sure I don't die to the same (I will have 1 turn of warning at least). No to overexpand and go much beyond my sphere of influence - I will power on the tech over most this game I feel. Avoiding early attack is key here. Make sure I get the islands and to load a few pro archers on there to make them look expensive to take.

Apart from 2metra and his lucky break taking a city early, I feel I am in a very strong position here. Depends if he can convert that or if he has a constant harrassment from now on...

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

Or is that spanish pink actually of lonewolf and not ipeac? Hard to say...

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

Met lonewolf and Mistolin. Mistolin on 5 cities, no huge surprise with spi/exp to quickly set things off. With the early courthouse a potential beast. Has a vulture scouting out slowly towards me too. Lonewolf only on 2 cities but has writing... Offered a cheeky open borders. If he accepts then I know he is quite green - my workboat is nice and non threatening, but I will get routes and he won't and also will get to scout his lines, and see what is going on with that city. I feel safe from him as we had no routes on meeting so I know he doesn't have sailing, which I will get next turn... He has a worker outside his territory on copper unprotected. He is either covering further ahead and thus rather skilled, or completely oblivious to how quick even monarch barbs can start getting on top of you if you play haphazardly. Speaking of barbs, I have one Coming up to my southern city. Spear can deal with him and I hopefully should be able to get a woody spear out of it.

Other development is I opened up TNBD to see he only had 3 cities. Rechecked civstats and 2mn has also taken and kept a city from him?! (I feel this is a little unfair on 2mn, not a huge fan of civstats for this early warring knowledge but hey ho). I cannot imagine either if the setup is remotely like ours would allow peace while this is happening. Surely even with org he will crash his eco? Nerf his Imp trait? Gain 2 game long enemies? I cannot see the logic to a second war where a city is kept... Maybe they are really open? The way I have played I probably would have fallen to an attack like that early. None of my now 4 contacts have met anyone else, so I feel a little more vindicated in my poor early scouting.

The map is incredibly hilly. Great for me with the coast teching ability, I think others will really struggle to keep up unless that is part of the balance. Also means I can mine the land and have quick switching eco/hammer cities as needed early on. Target now after sailing is writing>math>calendar for the happies or currency for the routes. Depends what islands I get and how many cities I have after math.

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

Ergh this game is depressing. Trying to make a move but I think it will settle down to a war of attrition... Ah well

[Dreylin]

Context! Pictures! BLOOD!

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

Context! Pictures! BLOOD!

I started an attack to try and have relevance although his army is bigger than suspected and odds are not going my way I'll try later I did take some pics

[Dreylin]

Who did you attack?

[ReallyEvilMuffin]

Lonewolf. I surround him now so could not do anything and have a safe rearguard. Razed his second city navally and took his desert paradise. But he has about 10 knights to my main stacks 18