[Spoiler] PB42: Rusten and mackoti play Krill playing Bismarck of Portugal

[Krill]

Also, Mardoc, you put the desert incense on that capital tile, not the map generator. I am not impressed.

Mardoc, why did you place a desert incense at the capital? Both the horses must have been naturally placed by the map generator, because you wouldn't add a second horse if one was so easily accessible, and the RNG won't place an incense tile next to a horse like that. So you had to decide that we needed a calendar happy (or you gave everyone a calendar happy). But if you had done that, you should have placed it on a plains tile, not desert as the start normaliser changes all desert tiles (that aren't fp) to plains. And if you do that, you should have shifted the horse around (move 2N, but that puts it in the capital, or SW, which is wiser).

Also, there is no reason to put calendar happy in the capital. You were supposed to check for precalendar happiness resources to make sure no one got completely screwed over (and to be frank, this start is close to that point, but not across it).

[Krill]

We love barbs. Just not when they are about to pillage improvements.




I don't think the warrior to the NE is a threat, as it can't enter our borders as it has no tiles to pillage or cities to attack on the second turn (Thanks DanF)

However, the barb adjacent to the grass sheep is much more annoying. We can take the 50/50 shot next turn if it moves onto the sheep, and we can have 3 warriors to cover it (so we should be able to keep a warrior in the city whatever happens), or I think the barb warrior may attack a warrior on the forest, dependent on the RNG. If we move the warrior out of the city though we pick up another unhappy face: this does not delay the settler, there is a 2 hammer cost to this move regardless of if the barb attacks or not.

It's also possible that the barbs are swarming to attack a city, in which case it might not even step onto the sheep.





I think this is actually the first move to make this turn. If the scout is clear, then I think the south is safe from barbs for a while (unless one spawned last turn and is in the fog even after the scout moves NE.

If this is clear, then we can move bother warriors back towards city 2. The northern warrior can then move NW or can move NE with the aim of moving onto the plains hill that is covered by the river to try and force that barb to attack into 50% defensive odds.

Next turn we just have to wait and see what the barbs do to react.

I'm still looking at changes to worker micro. There is an option to get the horse hooked T58 and have the capital steal the hill mines, horse, sheep and forest and make 15hpt to throw out a chariot (this is with the city 4 corn improved T54). If we just rushed the horse hook up, we could get it hooked T55 by using all 4 workers in the vicinity and get a chariot out eot56 from the capital (this is with the city 4 corn still hooked T54). We can change all the micro, it's always subservient to strategic needs anyway.

And if we did this, would could whip out a chariot from city 4 rather than a work boat as well.

[Rusten]

edit: xpost

If there is a barbarian warrior east of that scout wouldn't it now be moving on city #3? If so we can wait a turn and if nothing appears then move to the forest.

Barb management needs an overall plan and not just local decisions so I'll leave that to you. But expect more, many more. That's a lot of land up north.
What's the chance that the barb warrior suicides on city #2 over pillaging sheep?

[Krill]

I have no idea on the likelihood of the barb suicide. It depends on in the AreaAI IIUC, and I've never been that hot on the AI mechanics. It's not close to 100% though, because the odds are so bad for the barb warrior.

[Krill]

FWIW, I think I can still get the copper improved T58 and roaded T59 even with a T55 horse hookup. City 4 gets dumped on a bit with this and doesn't get the second cottage but does have the farm down on T54. The only thing that really gives is the settler time from the capital and some burnt worker turns (2 lost moving to horse, 1 more lost moving a second worker to a forest, 1 excess worker turn lost moving chopping worker at city 3 over to the copper (we always lost one worker turn whatever we did, now we lose a second).

This involves stealing the grass mine from city 2, but I think we still have the hammers to keep with settler whip to T56.

[Krill]

The other point is then the micro for the capital. Whatever we do we are going to delay the settler. It needs to make 17 food to grow to size 6, and next turn it will be unhappy at size 5 for a single turn. It can't reach 15hpt whilst working the pig, so we ought to overflow something out of the warrior. I think it has to be use two cottages, pig and sheep this turn, next turn carry the unhappy face and work the plains hill mine to overflow 3 hammers (the unhappy face wears off eot, I always forget: does it work a tile?), and then work pig/sheep/horse/gh mine/ph mine on T55 and T56 for chariot and growth eot56, then settler T57-68, whip T59, and can't settle until T62 unless we road the city tile on T61.

[Krill]

The micro for the capital and workers checks out. I can still get the granary in time for a half full food box in city 5 (however chopping on T62, but as city does not grow until eot64 there are two full turns of working the pig, so save maximum 11 food anyway). I think it works out best to just pasture the horse at city 3 instead of the chop (whip settler T60, still gets to the city7 location on T64 to settle T65 so long as the roads are in place). And I can even get those roads down. The next choice is to burn 2 extra worker turns to get furs hooked T66 as planned or T67 with the worker turns instead put into forests that can be chopped for barracks in city 6 or galley in city 7.

The only definitive delay is that city 6 is settled a turn later, and the deer camp is hooked T63, not T62. So I'm going to mull this over for a bit longer, but I think this is the plan. Capital horse hook up T55, capital chariot T56 via warrior overflow, whipped chariot from city 4 T57, withdraw two warriors to city 2 and keep the warrior in the city. Hold the scout on the current tile and move east next turn.

[Krill]

Follow up moves depend on barb moves. Horse hooked T55, Chariot due eot56 from capital, eot57 from city 4.





Our GNP is kinda sucky, even considering we are just saving gold, but we have 3 river cottages worked atm.

[Krill]

Typical turn, T54




Obvious barb move has obvious response...





...with the obvious outcome of the lost 50/50. I moved the northern warrior onto the plains hill, if the barb attacks it is into 50% defense and if the warrior loses, well, you can't win games if you constantly lose 90% battles.





Horse hooked T55. Work pig, horse, sheep, grass hill mine, plains hill mine for 14 hpt, build chariot. Chariot, growth@6 eot55, 1 hammer overflow. T57 work pig, sheep, horse, fp, grass cottage for 15fhpt and build settler, T59 whip for 3 pop. T60 regrow on axe or chariot.




We are up about 3 pop on OH, but down 4fpt. OTOH, we have 2 unhappy pop that are about to get whipped away and aren't producing anything so...I just focus on that GNP figure. Going to keep on saving gold for a few more turns. Not sure if we want to grab Writing next rather than Masonry or Sailing due to city 4 losing that worker. I think we had a window to cram the library in, but I think that's gone now.

[Krill]

Turn 55




Barbs continue to do plenty of damage.





Note OH scout, might be adjacent to a lion. We'll see. Moved warrior to the future city 5 tile, it should actually heal faster and will be on the road network.





Note seafood location, obvious city location IMO is on the desert and give away the corn.