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Chevalier Absolutely Knows What He's Doing as Best Korea
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 (April 12th, 2018, 21:52)Chevalier Mal Fet Wrote: I take back what I said about Emperor K not losing any cities. Wow. Did he just get outmanoevred? Are his units out scouting? Did he not chop more units out when he got declared on? (Maybe didn't have many forests to begin with?). He hadn't posted in his thread for a week, had he just checked out? I don't know, but it's good for Archduke and bad for everyone else in the game.
April 13th, 2018, 06:27
(This post was last modified: April 13th, 2018, 06:32 by Chevalier Mal Fet.)
 (April 12th, 2018, 23:52)aetryn Wrote:(April 12th, 2018, 21:52)Chevalier Mal Fet Wrote: I take back what I said about Emperor K not losing any cities. He was a little leisurely in tech - from the tech tree screen it looks like he never finished Masonry. So, he was fielding warriors against 36 strength chariots, best I can figure - it's the only way Archduke's quick conquest makes sense. His power did spike from around 90 the turn the war started to 160 a few turns later, then slowly eroded and I think it was at about 120 last I checked - in other words, still the size of the entirety of my armed forces! But warriors are basically helpless against those chariots, because combat strength is so important. He could probably barely chip away at the chariots, but was getting obliterated in return. I think Archduke just muscled his way to both cities and swarmed them down, ignoring most of Emperor's units - the cities would have been really weak, too, boosted only by warriors. Could have happened to any of us and Emperor drew the short straw. I guess beelining Masonry and Bronze Working is a good idea when you start next to the Mongols. If you see their military power spike, crank out some spears and walls - walls would have saved Emperor's life, but not his game since Archduke's chariots would rule the land around his cities, spears might have actually stood a chance against 'em. Oh, and I think I might declare war on the Archduke as soon as we meet. Just never give him the chance to get a trade outpost with me at all. That thing's worth more than a GG. EDIT: I also wanted to comment that I think this actually isn't too terrible news for me. The Archduke just made himself look big and scary, but his real gains aren't that much. For the investment in his military, he's up to 4 cities, with 1 district. I'm only about 4 turns away from the same situation, only I also have a religion with great beliefs and my districts are a little more developed. Going forward, his only real advantage over the rest of the field is twofold: 1)He has his pick of city-spots. Settler cost matters more than available terrain at limiting expansion, so this isn't too wonderful - basically he can ignore marginal spots and focus on high-gain cities, at the downside of a more sprawling, harder-to-defend empire. 2)He saves on settler costs for the rest of the game. But the savings aren't much - if the increase is 30 cogs per settler, then conquering two cities instead of building them saves you 60 total production going forward - ie the cost of a monument, and less than the Library I saved with Jesuit Education. So I have a spare 90 cogs to spend on future projects compared to his spare 60. This should drive Japper into my arms, I think - he's gotta be looking over his shoulder, and the DoF is up next turn, I think, or possibly the turn after. I'd like to get that and then swing my army south for Antioch. Hopefully Alhambram gives me one, too, although I'm less sanguine there since I am getting pretty scary already and he's no fool, but that's not necessary. I think I can take down Antioch before he can react and invade my lands. That'll be the gamble, anyway.
I Think I'm Gwangju Like It Here
A blog about my adventures in Korea, and whatever else I feel like writing about.
Turn 59
Big turn today! Lots happening around the world, so I need to think about my strategy going forward. Okay, so the news was spoiled by the organization thread, and the fact that Emperor is now posting in Archduke's thread, but sure enough, Emperor was wiped out by Archduke in a single turn. Archduke captured both cities at once, a neat trick. He must have had overwhelming force. Closer to home, though, there's huge news that forces an emergency decision:  I move my scouting slinger one step closer to I Blame the Parents...and find a Cree settler right next to the site! This is terrible news.  Both Japper and Alhambram are dead set on settling towards me. Is there no good land on their other flanks? Are there Sumerian/former Georgian borders butting up against them the other direction? In both directions I have expansion cities trying to go down within ten hexes of my capital. Maybe these are my just desserts for leading in the score? Maaan, maybe Stonehenge as a bad idea. The timing here is atrocious. If Japper was ONE turn later with that settler, we'd be able to reach our spot, no problem. But as it is, we'll ahve to step onto the forest, he'll see the settler, and then either step on the wheat and settle, or just settle where he is. We lose the race by a single turn, through the virtues of turn order (if we moved before Japper, we'd still get to found). This is the second time I've been dinged by going last, and I'm a bit annoyed at Destiny because of it. Well, nothing to be done but soldier on. It's not actually that bad. I'm actually incredibly, incredibly lucky. If Japper had been one turn FASTER, we'd be screwed. But he wasn't. He had enough movement to cross the river - but no more. By sheerest coincidence, by the merest trick of fate thanks to the path I chose to get my settler up to I Blame the Parents, the spot I'm standing on isn't all that terrible. So I settle I Blame the Parents one turn early:  Farewell, glittering diamond tile. :  Okay, I still have 3 first ring 1-3 tiles, I'm still on fresh water, I still have second ring horses, iron, and 2 sources of second ring wheat, plus a 3rd ring forested hill for later (unless Japper settles over there, he might). I lose the diamonds, I lose the river (so no water mill), and I lose those second-ring forests for chopping. A heavy blow, to be sure, but not as heavy as Japper will suffer when he sees this spot is closed. I go ahead and spend 75 gold to drop the seowon on a 4-science tile that boosts 2 mines and 2 farms:  I'm trading 75 gold now for savings on production later. I'll need ot buy that tile eventually, since the culture picker will go for the horses, iron, and wheat tiles first. It's the best seowon spot left, since my original spot boosts 3 mines, no farms for no net gain in science (-1 for being adjacent to the city center) and a loss in future food. I start walls, but swap to a scout instead. I really need map knowledge now. Production is fantastic in the city, but I need food desperately - growth is sloooow. Two wheat is nearby, and the horses help. I'll see what the tile picker grabs, then when a builder gets up here I'll get some farms going. Why so intent on settling here? Didn't I say "there's plenty of land"? Well, I did, but that's when I thought Japper was staying on his side of the river, and when I thought the land outside of the Korean basin was somewhat, er, viable. It's really not. Check out the land north and west of I Blame the Parents, around Valetta:  It's crap. There's no fresh water. There's no mountains for aqueducts. There's absolutely no hills for production. There's barely any forests or stone to chop and substitute for mines. I can't even get a good seowon city out here. Nothing that will ever repay the cogs spent to colonize it. Here's the land to the southwest, near In One Ear:  Also crap. I pinned one spot that might sorta be viable, with that nice deer tile, some rice, and a few hills, cows, and forests. Nothing spectacular. If I get desperate I can settle here. Finally, even further south, almost due west of I Saw It First and But Who's Counting, is s just jungle. Nothing but jungle and chocolate. I took a step with my warrior and revealed more chocolate because of course I did. So the 7 cities I have pinned are basically what I got, plus Antioch. That's enough for the near term, but in the mid-game I need to break out. So, I've started evaluating the possibilities of war with Japper or with Alhambram. It all depends on the wider game state, but I'm going to work towards a goal of a ~t100 attack on one or the other. Probably too late for swords, so maybe think about knights. I can grab Feudalism/Stirrups in a decent timeframe, I think. Here's Alhambram's third city, as promised:  A nice chocolate farm, like OCISLY. Wouldn't have been my first choice, but he can chop out the jungles, plant some sweet Dutch districts along the rivers, and make bank off that chocolate. I would have liked A Startling Lack of Gravitas just across the river, but oh, well. Score and overview:  
I Think I'm Gwangju Like It Here
A blog about my adventures in Korea, and whatever else I feel like writing about.
How's our ETA to Another Fine Product if Japper heads south with that settler?
Not sure what's going on with the metagame. Maybe Japper is thinking he needs to settle away from his frontier with the Mongols, though that sounds maybe backward to me (set up that frontier now to have those cities mature and ready to defend when the next wave comes rolling out?). Maybe he has no defense aboust chariots and doesn't want to tempt Archduke. Maybe your lands just ended up better from map generation.
Good question - that was my first thought. I can found Another Fine Product on T63. T60 we cross that grassy plain, T61 reach the river, T62 cross it.
If Japper heads south, he would need to reach the mountain to block it. Can he do that by T63 (he moves before me - ugh)? Let's see...T61 enter forest, T62 enter plain BUT he can't climb the hill, T63 climb hill - and then I found the city before he can. So no, I'm pretty sure Another Fine Product is safe from Cree encroachment. He'll probably settle up the river from me, which, while not ideal, is okay. I knew I probably wouldn't get any spots up there.
I Think I'm Gwangju Like It Here
A blog about my adventures in Korea, and whatever else I feel like writing about.
Chevalier, you dummy, he moves on T60 still. So he CAN beat me if he beelines for that hill by the mountain - that's the only spot that could lock me out. I can get my slinger there by T62 if I skip upgrading him to an archer. So that's the new plan. I also don't have a DoF with Japper (or won't, in a turn), so he'll need to get an escort for that settler. If he waits for the archer, that's another turn lost. I'll see what Japper does on his turn - if he moves the settler with no escort, I move my slinger to block. If he waits, then he's lost the second race.
I Think I'm Gwangju Like It Here
A blog about my adventures in Korea, and whatever else I feel like writing about.
April 14th, 2018, 09:07
(This post was last modified: April 14th, 2018, 09:30 by Chevalier Mal Fet.)
Score report:
Couple of notes. 1)I meet Rowain this turn, and his science isn't as impressive as I thought from his tech lead. He could be profiting from barb inspirations, or he could be grabbing cheap techs. His culture rate is fantastic, though. He has 6 pop in his 2 expansion cities, not sure about total pop yet. 2)Archduke of course added all of Emperor's holdings to his empire, so his empire score naturally doubled. He only has the one finished campus he inherited from Georgia, though. 3)I really need to get more campuses down - I don't care if the first GS is taken, but if Hypatia is second, I want her. Save up faith for a possible snipe? Seems sensible. Chopping out some seowons might also be wise, even if I can't use Magnus. Wait, chop without Magnus? Not sure if chasing the great scientist is worth giving up that production. Hmm...Could slow build. I'll start my expansions on that. 4)Japper is really falling behind. I think he's waiting to finish the Ancestral Hall, then he'll pump out a bunch of chopped +100% settlers and have free builders to go with 'em. He can then use those to build his Mekewapadkpadfrs and have some really nice cities right from the start. Turn report in a few.
I Think I'm Gwangju Like It Here
A blog about my adventures in Korea, and whatever else I feel like writing about.
Turn 60
Start the turn off with some very welcome news:  Japper's settler is withdrawing to the north. He's not going to go for a riverside plant, at least not yet. As a result, I think I can get one more city in along the river, a short while down the road. Right now, using Magnus (once he's available) and I Blame the Parents' forests, I could conceivably get out 2 settlers, one for Me I'm Counting and one for the riverside tile, which I haven't named yet. Anyway, that's down the road. The long and short of the matter is that, while I was forced to take a suboptimal settling spot here in the north, Another Fine Product is safe. I also meet Rowain of Sumeria - or rather, he meets me. The notification takes me just west of JRTI:  So probably a Sumerian scout out amongst the lakes. I need a few more military units to escort settlers - I'm pulling the slinger back from I Blame the Parents since it's not needed, but waiting for it would delay In One Ear by one turn. That's...probably worthwhile. A handful of extra cogs, beakers, and clefs isn't worth the risk of a Sumerian scout sniping my settler. That'd be a devastating blow.  Rowain has wines and marble, which partially explains his culture. He also picked up a Relic from a barbarian camp, so his faith is huge compared to everyone else. Let's see...4 faith from the relic, figure on 4 from the holy site + shrine, maybe 5...where's the last 2 coming from? Hm. Need a scout that direction, too. I wasn't planning on this, since there was no need, but I realize that I might be able to give my settler some extra security by offering Rowain a DoF:  He's friends with both his neighbors, why not be friends with me? :D The settler will only be vulnerable on T61, then In One Ear can be founded on T62. A small risk, but one I'm nervous about nonetheless. If he takes it, I'll (slowly) move the settler out and hope to found on T62, if I see no barbarians around. If he declines, then I'll link up with the slinger and found on T63 instead. South, I start scouting around Antioch. The terrain here is nice:  The desert hills suggest a potential Petra site, or hell even the pyramids if those aren't taken! I'd love 7-charge serfdom builders, please! I can't believe someone hasn't grabbed 'em already, but I guess everyone has higher priorities. The city looks pretty attackable. 4 archers can fire from the hills and plains around the city, and 3 warriors will easily be able to besiege it. I need the warrior and slinger from the north, so as soon as Japper agrees to a DoF, I'll pull them back. If he says no, then I can wait for the chopped soldiers out of OCISLY. Score and overview:   Magnus is established on T65, and I can start chopping with the builder that same turn. Two settlers out of OCISLY by T69. But Who's Counting ETA ~T72, I Saw It First ETA T75. Then we need another builder to hack out the Entertainment District and start working on the Arena - could be a chop, could be a mine, could be both, we have 4 charges and 2 chops needed for the entertainment district. JRTI is working on its Plaza, ETA T64, then it can start some Liang builders. I think there's time to spare one for I Blame the Parents, it really needs a farm. Not sure yet though, need to double check the numbers. I Blame the Parents is building a scout, then it will swap to the Seowon and slow-build that. Save the chops for later (settlers?).
I Think I'm Gwangju Like It Here
A blog about my adventures in Korea, and whatever else I feel like writing about.
Is a faith-snipe of the next great scientist viable? Let's do the numbers.
Alhambram needs 26 more points, at 4 points per turn = 7 turns. In those 7 turns I will accumulate 14 points and be at 25/60, Japper will be at 47/50 (needs 13 more turns). To recruit that turn, I will need (150+10*GPP remaining) = 150+10*35 = 500 faith. I'll naturally accumulate a whopping 190 faith in that time, and be 310 short. Can I get 310 faith from chops in that time? I don't think I can. Looking at historical chops, the settler project at OCISLY will net me 160 faith - still 150 short. I need 2 more forest chops. I'll get half from chopping out the Entertainment District...this leans me towards chopping towards the Arena, too. I'll get ~120 that way, and natural faith generation plus my own GS points will make up the difference (fingers crossed). Okay, so IF and ONLY IF the next Great Scientist is Hypatia, I will try and grab her with faith. Otherwise I'll save my faith for libraries, monuments, etc.
I Think I'm Gwangju Like It Here
A blog about my adventures in Korea, and whatever else I feel like writing about. (April 14th, 2018, 10:07)Chevalier Mal Fet Wrote: Is a faith-snipe of the next great scientist viable? Let's do the numbers. If you land Colosseum, I'd probably deprioritize spending faith on monuments and try to bank faith for possible unit buying once you reach Divine Right (at which point you can build the Grandmaster's Hall). If you are in the lead with science, I'd even consider slow building some libraries at your high production cities. With the Mongolian Confrontation coming at some point, the more faith you have banked the more ability to react you have. While that's a ways away, it's not THAT far - you'll probably pick up Theology relatively soon just for the ability to enhance, and after Feudalism, Divine Right seems like the next target since it unlocks a 6-slot government and faith-buying. I'm very confused by Rowain having DoFs with both his neighbors. Sumeria has the stupidly-broken war carts and he decides not to use them? Maybe he had some really bad barb problems and couldn't have attacked and took DoFs to get set up? I don't know, but the era of War Carts is only going to last so much longer and if they don't get used, is Sumeria really a strong civ? |
