[Spoiler] Suboptimal Goes on a Pseudorandom Walk

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Have you played around with GS singleplayer much? Do you have any thoughts about it?

[suboptimal]

I haven't really played much past the mid-Classical. I have noticed that the changes that came with both GS and the spring patch have slowed down the early game. With my usual sloppy play on Prince I used to be able to get to PP in the late 40's to early 50's but am now finding even the mid 50's to be a bit of a challenge. Generally speaking, I do like the changes that I'm seeing, though with the upcoming patch I'll be curious to see what they're tweaking.

- I like the new strategic resource management system, though it does remove the need to build Encampments.
- I really like the changes they've made to the map scripts - there are more choke points, the pangeas are no longer "just walk coast to coast", the fractals are more interesting in shape, there are more inland seas and they're generally more interesting to explore.
- Despite their claims and attempts they still run into issues where city-states are getting clustered together away from player starts, particularly on fractal maps.
- Tundra starts (and I mean DEEP tundra starts) still happen frequently with the map scripts, particularly on fractal maps
- The AI is as inept as ever and after having played against real opponents here I find the SP games a little monotonous.
- I haven't gotten a chance to play around with the new power system since I haven't played that far into the tree yet.
- I don't think that the civs they added are as broken as some of the DLCs
- Disasters seem to be hit-or-miss. I had a game with max settings where I've had a river flood twice, a volcano go active and erupt once and be subjected to a drought all in the first 30 turns. I had another game, same settings, have no disasters in the first 80 turns despite being near a desert, having two floodable rivers and a literal chain of volcanoes on the map.
- Barbarians got changed. When a scout finds a city the camps no longer mass-spawn. They seem to toss out units at random, one unit every random number of turns. OTOH, once they start tossing out units they seem to do so non-stop. I am seeing a LOT more camps popping up though.
- I have no opinion on the diplomatic victory system as I haven't played far enough for it to kick in.

I am curious to see what they put in the upcoming patch, as the CFC discussion seems to indicate that the patch is focused on GS more than general gameplay. The changes to production costs and the ability to generate more production will be interesting but I don't know if they'll be enough to address those issues. They do seem to be focusing their game mechanics efforts on slowing down early game pacing and making the late game more bearable.

Moving into the MP realm, I think the expansion ruleset has things to offer and perhaps we'll see how they work this PBEM. I would definitely like to see this game go deep into the tree (past the Industrial Age) so we get a good look at the mechanics.

[suboptimal]

Turn 7

The warrior’s journey east reveals a couple of forested plains hills to the east on this side of the river, some flat plains and grasslands across the river and possibly the end of the river in the fog. Nothing worth a screenshot. I do think I’ll go one more tile east (onto one of the PFH) before going for the camp.

Hit end turn and hear the city-state cash register ring.

[suboptimal]

Turn 8

LinCon gained a population, I set it to work one of the wheat to grow the city in 11 (the governor put the citizen on the plains hill). The city will expand to the 2nd ring wheat next turn. Pindicator also grew to population 2 this turn. The warrior moves east, finds another jungle hill and a mountain. It’ll head for the camp next turn.

I need to work out some micro to see if it’s worth working the plains hill for the extra production to get the settler out a little earlier, rather than getting to a 3rd population in 11 turns. Ordinarily the population growth and a slightly slower settler would be a better option but I think getting the settler out sooner given the low food in the area might be the better approach in this instance.

[suboptimal]

Turn 9

Looked at the micro for the capital, working the plains hill instead of a wheat is not the better option – results in less and and only gains one turn on the settler.

I also decided the warrior needs to go another tile to the east rather than head for the camp to defog, as it started the turn on a better city site. Settling on the forested plains hill tile between the jungle hill tiles might be a better approach than the desert hill. It pushes the amber to the third ring of the city (bad), but gives the city three 22 tiles to work (the city center and the jungles to either side). This location would also generate 76 from T26 through EoT40 where the desert hill tile only generates 53 in that same time span. The plains tile next to the mountain would also be a +2 Campus location.




The barbarian scout is on the coast, so it looks like I may be on a peninsula. Another reason to keep scouting a bit with the northern warrior as anything interesting will be in that direction.

The question is how long until I meet someone? That would determine if I try to cold-research Writing to get an early Campus down or whether I should hold it at the eureka level while researching other techs… This might depend on what I find east of the capital.

In other news, Jester probably found a natural wonder as he’s gotten 3 era points.

[suboptimal]

Turn 10

Jester and Woden have both completed their first tech. They are working either a science-yielding luxury or have a geothermal vent nearby. Probably the former. I’ll be completing my first tech next turn, as will Pindicator (probably).

Southern warrior tops the hill, uncovering Methana Volcano and coastline. I’ll go north with this one to defog the end of the river, then head up the east coast. Northern warrior crosses the river. I'll work back towards the camp, defog a little to the north and then attack once Code of Laws is complete.

The known world as of Turn 10:




The downside to the marked city location is that it completely takes away any possible city location on the river to the east. That would be bad as I need to fit at least two in here, somehow. Settling on the jungle 1NW of the marked location and then another city on the grassland at the river delta might work. That grassland, though, is a 2-meter flood zone, though how likely are we to see global warming in this game?

[suboptimal]

Turn 11

Animal Husbandry completes, I start Pottery. Pindicator has also finished a tech this turn. I also realized that Woden & Jester’s techs were a result of their earlier pop growth, not resources.

Northern warrior moves NW, revealing a mountain in the distance to the NW. Southern warrior moves towards the coast, revealing just some flat grassland and plains.

I’m still trying to figure out city placement. One of the two grassland tiles at the eastern end of the river is a definite. Both have two first ring 22 tiles with a third in the second ring. One location gives me a coastal location and then I’d need to decide how important sailing could be on this map. The inland location gives me that +2 Campus location in the second ring.

I think the desert hill would be a better option than the jungle on the north side of the river for two reasons. First, it’s on the south side of the river and thus a little better defensively (even though I’ll have to be expanding northwards). Second, it’s the only location that is both useful and gets the only visible luxury resource into the second ring of a city. I think this map might have rolled scarce resources (or got set to that by the mapmaker). Speaking of resources, Animal Husbandry revealed one Horse in the nearby area:




That’ll take a bit of to get to...

[suboptimal]

Turn 12

In the south the barbarian scout seen earlier has turned up next to my warrior. I attack it now to hopefully make it easier to mop up later. I do 42 hit points and also see that quick combat was disabled. I dunno who did that but I’ll leave it for the time being.

Up north I move to the stone and reveal quite a bit of new terrain:




No luxury resources. Heh. The flat grassland just NW of the warrior would make for a good fourth city unless I find a luxury off in the fog to the west. Of course, I also haven’t checked the coast for whales or turtles. This really feels like a scarce resources map.

[suboptimal]

Turn 13

Open the turn to find another barbarian scout that’s approached from the south/southwest. Hmmm….I’ll have to get a unit to defog the tundra at some point, probably a slinger after I go settler → builder at the capital. Code of Laws has two turns left. I’ll move the northern warrrior NW then SW so that it ends on the hill next to the camp (to the NE) and then attack once I slot Discipline. The other warrior will continue heading up the coast. Neither warrior finds anything of note.

[suboptimal]

Turn 14

With their population coming a turn earlier both Woden and Jester have now completed Code of Laws. Pindicator and myself will follow next turn. All of the barbarian scouts have disappeared into the fog. Northern warrior positions next to the camp – that’ll be a 35 vs 29 battle next turn. Southern warrior heads for the stone by the river.