Note: Color-coded to make it easier to read . . . .
[COLOR="Lime"]Well, perhaps while the game is down, I can think a little bit about my current standing and where I want to go from here. It may even have the added benefit of providing more insight into my deranged mind.
I cannot recall my original objectives (and I do not feel like digging for them at the moment), but they were probably something like: "Be a player in the world; have fun; win the game if at all possible." I think most people have goals like that--some are just more likely to achieve them than others.
So let's talk about my status as world power. Based on my demographics, I would rate myself middle-end of the pack. In the past, I was riding high on #1 Power/Production, but that has fallen. My GNP is OK, but the Killer Angels, the Rebels, and I think the Holy Roman Empire are beating me consistently there. Jowy doesn't really count anymore. Koreans: So-so. They are recovering, but if I had not attacked them, they would be much stronger than they are today.[/COLOR]
[COLOR="White"]**Before I get totally off-topic with the GNP: I think that I am doing OK insofar as having a say in world events. I have several reasonably strong allies: Holy Roman Empire, the Rebel Alliance. Greece is still an ally, but is basically at the mercy of the Killer Angels right now.
I have someone out to kill me (Korea). I'll take that as a compliment. If the Rebels and I manage to partition slaze, I'll be that much stronger. However, the threat from Korea is still significant. More on that later.
Seems I can't avoid from going on a complete tangent. My bad.
Let me just put it this way: Unless my fortune drastically changes for the worse, I anticipate being a player in world events. However, I may want to think about trying to keep a lower profile, if that is at all possible.[/COLOR]
[COLOR="Red"]**Let's talk money again. This is one of my greatest concerns. I was not endowed with a particularly strong set of traits in this regard. Expansive, which I am surely not using to full capacity, will allow me to more rapidly grow and improve my cities, but that still works best if I am actually expanding. I am throwing so many hammers into military builds that this is not really happening.
My failure to secure a longer NAP with Korea is not unexpected, but it's still troubling, as I have said many times before. I could sell them units, but what would they want units for if not to attack me?
Anyway: I need more Forums and I need COURTHOUSES! Problem? Somewhat production intensive. My original plan was to stagger them, but I have not implemented that yet since I'm busy preparing for a two-front war.
However, if I can get, say, six Catapults on my Korean front, I'll feel a bit more secure. If a stack shows up, I can throw the Cats at it, hit it with the Horse Archers to damage the Hwachas, and then send in the Praetorians to mess 'em up. I believe that I will have time to crank out those Catapults. [/COLOR]
[COLOR="Magenta"]**Once I have that front reasonably secure, I will get Courthouses in my main production cities, though I will also need to build reinforcements for the Incan front. I anticipate taking Tiwanaku with some losses. I have also sent two Praetorians to shore up Byss's defenses in case of an attack there. I have a Warrior scouted the east coat for slaze's city there (Nakor said he saw one).
So maybe a more concise plan for the Incan war: Capture Tiwanaku and assess losses. If no counter-attack appears, and my forces are still strong enough to proceed, move on. Otherwise, battle slaze's counter attack until the Rebels attack.
I'm still the butt-monkey in this plan, but once Athlete enters the fight, slaze's forces
should split. I'm counting on the fact that he would rather defend his core cities (capital, holy city) than the cities at the edges of his empire. I am even considering the possibility of a separate peace with slaze if he will concede key cities to me, though I will not make such a move without notifying athlete.[/COLOR]
[COLOR="Cyan"]**I believe that I can out-produce slaze. Once Kuat finishes the Heroic Epic, that city alone should be able to reinforce that front, if slowly. The main issue will the be the logistics--the long walk to the front.
Infrastructure: Basically, I need to do a lot more whipping. I'm holding that off simply because I'm not sure that I can afford the blow to my income at the moment. If I wasn't worrying about a war with Korea, I'd take the hit, no questions asked. Once I have my 6 catapults, I'll probably go ahead and whip Courthouses in all of my non-production cities. I should have Metal Casting by then.[/COLOR]
[COLOR="Yellow"]**After that: I think I will press on towards Music, maybe pick up Calendar first. Forges go in Carida, Kuat, and Imperial Center, whipped if necessary (though Carida cannot recover easily from a whip).
I'll make a play at the MoM, though I expect Sullla to be working on it already. I'll have to consult my defunct C&D when the game gets back up, though (basically see if any of his cities have a ton of hammers invested in anything). I do have Marble, so who knows.
With Metal Casting in my hands, it's just one tech away to Machinery, and I can pick up Archery easily. Benefit? Crossbowmen to handle potential Korean Macemen. I think a defensive war is best until I can get some support to take on Korea.[/COLOR]
*******
[COLOR="DarkOrchid"]Alright, so that's a lot of text. A lot of rambling text. And mostly short-mid-term planning.
Longer-term: Settle everything I want on Centralia. Dathomir is starting a Praetorian, and will build a Settler after that, so I should have a native source of Stone soon. That will be nice. Will I want to build the Sistine Chapel or Notre Dam (if I pick up Engineering)? Not sure. Notre Dam could be helpful since I am not sure if I will be going into Hereditary Rule any time soon, but dunno.
I anticipate having a lot of land to my east to improve and settle, and I also need to establish a presence on the Outer Islands near my territory, lest plako gets there. A Settler and 3 Praetorians should be the minimum transported over.
Overall, my longer-term plan is to eliminate slaze, eliminate Korea, and basically try to focus on my economy while maintaining a military strong enough to protect me from invasion. Right now, the Killer Angels would have to go through my allies to get to me, unless they take a long trip on the outer sea, which I realize is a possibility.
I think that's enough for now. Maybe I can better organize my thoughts for next time.[/COLOR]
