Japper and Cornflakes' team thread

[Japper007]

Ah great! will do Feudalism also boosts Stirrups for both of us. Knights are the definitive end of the complete dominance of both Woden and Sullla's UU.

Oh btw I finish Apprenticeship in 1 turn, any tech goal you want me to pursue?

[Cornflakes]

Thinking out loud about your tech options:

You've already provided all the tech eurekas I'll need in the near future so in that regard I don't have any tech goals, and I don't see anything compelling for you on the tech tree in the near future. Maybe Machinery as a short-term target (I'll have Engineering in about 6-7 turns)? After that a general trend towards Ballistics? You're going to run out of time before I boost Military Engineering for you though, and I'm definitely not going to be able to complete Gunpowder in any reasonable timeframe so you'd need to build your own Encampment + Barracks + Armory.

The top naval tree you won't have boosts for in any reasonable timeframe, and these techs don't really do much for us
The bottom tree through Castles/Printing/Siege Tactics towards Military Science has some tough eurekas that you probably won't get any time soon (actually you'd need to get Education first for the Printing eureka ... but what are your chances at a GScientist???).

Ballistics looks to me like the best target for bare survival into the Industrial age, although that is to our long-term detriment by chasing an encampment + buildings rather than campus + buildings to boost science. On the other hand, what value would the additional universities/science really provide if our neighbors just walk in and take them from us?

I could see some value in possibly having you stop Machinery 1-turn short of completion so that you can keep building cheap archers (which don't even cost maintenance with the discount policy in place). Then you beeline ballistics, completing Machinery and upgrading 2 archers to Crossbows at the last moment for the Metal Casting eureka after building a horde of cheap archers. Maybe, just maybe by completely ignoring the top and upper-middle tech lines we could maintain enough military edge over someone who does go there first? There might be an outside chance to blitz someone (either finishing off W/CMF or continuing on to a new target). I could beeline Cavalry on the bottom of the tree while you hit Ballistics.

The most important factor I think is what game you personally would enjoy playing for the next several months. I'm admittedly weaker in the building/economics side of the game so you can probably come up with a better target in that regard than I can. I'd probably go the Ballistics-beeline route if given the sole decision, but then that suits my personality and tactical strengths (basically it's the next-era beeline beyond what I'm currently working towards) ... I'd rather die fighting and at least get some combat experience in the process. If you would enjoy building more than offensive warfare then by all means set a more economic-oriented goal. Either way we only have a prayer of a chance at winning so pick your poison

[Cornflakes]

Quick update on my empire ... first of all defensive tactics completed this turn, so I swapped civics to:

   

Keeping Strategos. Woden is making a strong play for the next GG, making 4/turn now compared to my 2 now and 3 once my encampment completes. I'm definitely going to need to run a project to claim the GG (which is absolutely essential). Defensive tactics in to build walls. I'm going to get a chop into walls for sure at capital and dry 3rd city. I'm debating whether to actually build walls in the 2nd city Hariharalaya [really need to remember to re-name my cities ] ... I already chopped the only forest there so the walls wouldn't be *free*. I need to get out a couple more more archers before Feudalism completes (since the archer boosting card is obsolete there) which is why I have Agoge slotted as well. I'll probably not build walls at the 2nd city and instead get out 2 more archers.

   

And an overview shot. One of the builders in the north has 1 charge and the other has 3. After playing the turn and thinking about this more, I realized that I should have sent the 1-charge builder south. I will use it to chop the forest into walls. The chop will be done on the turn that Feudalism is complete but before I swap civics. In that way I can get 100% production overflow from the chop, but then swap in the 5-charge builder policy and put the overflow into a builder. The 5 charges will be enough to chop the rest of the forests in the north. All those chops from the new builder will go into military. 

The 3-charge builder will farm the rice, then chop the forest SE of the city into the walls for max overflow into Aqueduct [I'm bringing Engineering over 50% this turn so that the wall chop will immediately complete Engineering], and then build the last farm there for the Feudalism eureka. The aqueduct will go down to the east of the city.

Capital will finish encampment, then bring walls to near completion for the chop, overflow into builder, and then probably Encampment project.

[Cornflakes]

As a reminder [which I forgot myself when discussing research options earlier] you will loose the Agoge as well when Feudalism completes so you won't be able to build classical military with the production boost.

[Japper007]

Ah I see what you are doing there Sullla, clever! Due to the DoF he can happily keep blocking of the istmus there and I can do nothing about it! Gah!



Oh well, that spot was reaching, but since the settler is already on another desired blocking spot I can just do this:



Don't worry Cornflakes, next settler will claim the stone spot  , about 10 turns away...

With my frontlines secured, I took the rest of the turn to think about dotmapping the backlines:



With these cities, my already established ones, and two I plan to capture (Seoul and Nan Madol), I'd be at 10 cities, all with plenty of room to grow once Mbanza hit and plenty of jungle/forest to put them in

Great Scientist may not be as hopeless as you think, I think I could get it with some Project-Fu. The issue with that path is twofold though: 1) This GS is just very underwhelming to me,  and 2) I don't even have a library or another Campus anywhere, so what is even the point?
 


So for now I'm just going to halfway Engineering while I wait on you to boost it...

[Japper007]

I upgraded two Ngao, with Nan Madol getting walls I see it as a nessesity, I'll preserve the rest for when we hit Machinery (which I have boosted as of this turn, hit three archers). I'll have three Ngao and 4 archers next turn, Nan Madol will be ez.

[Cornflakes]

I upgraded two Ngao, with Nan Madol getting walls I see it as a nessesity, I'll preserve the rest for when we hit Machinery (which I have boosted as of this turn, hit three archers). I'll have three Ngao and 4 archers next turn, Nan Madol will be ez.

Ngao upgrade is fine, probably for the best in any case to have a little extra power on the stats when the DoF expires. I haven't been watching power closely, but CMF & Woden power appear to have remained approximately unchanged since the DoF (CMF just under 300, Woden just under 200). Woden is the one to watch closely now for horseman builds to take advantage of his GG.

Try to hold off on Crossbow upgrades if possible. Since I will have the GG it makes sense to upgrade all my units first once Professional Army is in place.

[Cornflakes]

I sent you request for spare citrus and iron

[Cornflakes]

It looks like CMF is blocking path to the city state. What is your plan? Our DoF expires in about 5-8 turns (I think)

[Cornflakes]

It's been a while since I've posted an update, so here we go

   

This is from a couple turns ago. The trade route to Geneva earned me +2 +6 ... it also completed their quest and allowed me to get the +15% science bonus. Too bad I don't have a campus! But the gold will get me about 180 by the time we are ready for war, and the Science will be enough to make it worthwhile holding off an extra 3-4 turns for Military Engineering (rather than about 10 turns).

   

Started this turn by chopping the walls for max overflow into Aqueduct

   

Engineering was just over 50% so the eureka from Walls completed the tech 

   

1-turn Aqueduct build and I'll have about 20 overflow to pour into something else next turn ... Not sure exactly Maybe a builder? Maybe another Archer?

This city wasn't half bad even though it started dry. I chopped a marsh about 5 turns after it was founded which got it up to 3 pop, for 6. The Aqueduct was necessary for a eureka on my tech path so it would have needed to be built anyway. And being Khmer it also boosts the rice farm up to 5. I'm going to build the last farm for the Feudalism eureka on the tile I just chopped with the last builder charge.

And the city still has 4 forests + deer for some massive chop production! Say average 60/each = 300 for Chariots overflowing into Domray  

   

Started the encampment project in the capital and an archer in 2nd city. I have a builder under a sign reminding me to wait until Feudalism completes to chop that forest. Walls are already 1  short of completion. I'll drop the overflow into a 5-charge builder. Then maybe finish the project, maybe wait.

Can someone clarify the formula for how many GG points the project will get me? It costs 98 ... I calculated about 35 GG points? I have 13 techs completed.