[Spoiler] Suboptimal Goes on a Pseudorandom Walk

[suboptimal]

Turn 83

Games & Recreation finishes, Acorn grows to 7 population. Take a look around, see nothing of note, at least at first glance. Last turn Acorn was going to take one jungle, this turn it’s on the other jungle. If I’m lucky the picker does me a solid and falls on forest for the city’s border expansion. Speaking of expansion, I place the Commercial Hub at a cost of 141. Unfortunately, until the city grows next turn one of those citizens is doing absolutely nothing productive as I’ve only got 6 workable tiles right now.

After moving and repositioning units I attack the barbarian camp down by Tsingy. It will fall next turn, gaining me 50, 2 era points and 12 towards Defensive Tactics.

In thinking about this game for a bit I’ve realized that this may be more peaceful than most. Luxury resources are too scarce to make anything other than short-term warring viable. The war weariness will be too high. I have to wonder if that’s what seems to have stalled Woden a bit. I think he may be in a perma-war situation as Jester probably won’t sign peace while Woden holds the city (gotta love the occupation rules). His war weariness will recover (slowly) but will start back up the instant he starts fighting again.

Likewise, I think Pindicator and I will remain on peaceful, if antagonistic, terms for this game unless one of his (probably Pindicator) breaks out a very large tech lead. Between the lack of available amenities and the terrain between us I think any sort of warring will not be feasible. Just look at the terrain around Mixmax and Ralakesh. Yes, Pindicator could start opening up mountain tunnels to bring in more units, but except for the central river valley (and then on to the capital) my cities are tucked into obstacles. I’ll make the prediction now – this will be a draw unless we persist through to nukes, someone can accumulate uranium and goes hog wild with them before a Nuclear Non-Proliferation resolution shows up at the World Congress. I’ll hedge on a space race given the resource situation until I see how/where coal and niter spawn.

Speaking of the World Congress, there’s 18 turns until the first meeting. Wonder what will happen?

[suboptimal]

Turn 84

Liang is established in LFSR. Pindicator’s troops are now blockading the southern desert route back to Tokuhama Reborn. Ralakesh has built walls. He’s also founded Gruthkul and started a Campus:




I’ll have to keep an eye on the mountains to see if he opens up a tunnel at some point.

Take a further look around, nothing seems too amiss. Japper has stopped generating Great General Points, so he’s changed policies. He’s also suzerained Auckland, I don’t know if that was envoy placement or a quest completion bonus.

I shuffle some units around, though I leave my northern warrior where it is. It’s on the crook of a river and in a well-protected spot from Pindicator’s warrior. My swordsman kills the barbarian camp. Acorn has taken the jungle W-NW of the city center so the builder continues heading south to place a mine and a lumbermill.

[suboptimal]

Good game CFCJesterFool! Thanks for playing and keep a decent turn pace!

but not entirely unexpected. At least my scout has something to do now if I don't meet Woden automatically from border expansion.

[suboptimal]

Turn 8586

Time to meet Woden. Let’s see what’s up:





The city list shows two cities – Bomb Cyclone and Derecho. How thematic. Interestingly Jester’s former cities do not appear in this list. His milpower is currently 85, he’s lagging in science in terms of number of techs but he’s reached the medieval on the tech tree. On the civics tree we’re all one column into the Classical. Oddly, Jester is still on the civics tree:




For now, I don’t think Woden is much to worry about in the immediate time horizon. He’s weak militarily, currently at a lower science rate and that’s quite a distance to cover. However, that will change as he gets his conquered cities online. He’s also only built two settlers so can expand further if need be (and he has the space). I will say he’s got the best case for luxuries – furs and spices. The plan remains to be too much of a pain to conquer for both Pindicator and Woden. However, unless I can catch up with or overtake Pindicator with I don’t know that a win is possible.

Acorn’s settler is complete, it heads west. The city starts building its Aqueduct. In looking at the era scores I need 11 points in order to get a Golden Age. I think I can do it – I’ll get 4 for an Acropolis, 4 for a hoplite, 1 for the Machinery eureka, 1 for the Sailing eureka and 1 for the Apprenticeship eureka. I’ll also be getting 3 era points from eurekas from Aryabhata sometime over the next several turns (I claim him next turn and will use him after I settle the western city in 4 turns). Moving right along….




I put down the Aqueduct (91) and start a Monument. I’ll place the IZ as soon as Apprenticship is in and the deer will get harvested into that. I move the slingers here and at Mixmax into the city center and then upgrade those two plus the one at LFSR to archers. That gets me the Machinery eureka and an era point. As for the builder here there isn’t much to do until I can harvest the deer into an IZ and put down a lumbermill. I do think I’ve got the time to get over to LFSR for a lumbermill there so the builder heads off. Over by Bandar Brunei a barbarian scout has shown up; it’s likely the scout from the camp I just killed. I attack it with my warrior. It should attack back and if it doesn’t die I’ll finish it off next turn for a couple of

Hit end turn and hear the cash register. If I had to guess I’d say that Pindicator just met Jerusalem or Woden just met Brussels.

[suboptimal]

I just realized that I didn't post Turn 85's actual report. Here you go, with Turn 87 forthcoming shortly...if you've already read the prior post we can pretend you didn't while you read this one...

Turn 85

Chief Laughing Turk is Dead! Long Live Chief Laughing Turk!

With Jester out and Pindicator playing in his usual 9pm-10pm EDT time frame I get the rare two-turn weeknight. I see borders but have not met Woden. Neither has Pindicator but I’m sure his scout is now scrambling towards the now-Persian borders. Score-wise, Woden has jumped into the lead. He’s also regained first place in milpower but for the time being is behind me in tech (11 to my 13 and Pindicator’s 18). Until I meet Persia I won’t have much more to go on. The strategy, though remains as before – remain tough enough to not become a military target for the Inca or Persia.

Looking around the map Pindicator has followed suit in the north and fortified his units. Everyone will now spend their time making faces at each other across the river. Builder at Acorn is moving to the forest W of Kilimanjaro and will put down a lumbermill in two turns. The trade route has completed and I have the option of sending it to Bologna for 61. I could, in theory, send it to Tukohama Reborn for 81 but I don’t yet know how that would be received. I repeat the route. Oddly, with the trading post at Acorn completed I should have been able to run the route from LinCon. Acorn’s second settler will finish next turn and I’ll build the Aqueduct first, followed by the Acropolis and then the Commercial Hub.

My settler has crossed the river and will found the central river valley city next turn. The scout gets to 1 hex from being adjacent to Woden’s borders. Next turn we get to see what Persia has to offer. I’ll also be upgrading three slingers into archers for the Machinery eureka. In two turns I’ll put LinCon’s settler on the backburner – I intend to use the western city’s builder to do some coastal scouting after it puts down a marble quarry and a mine.

[CFCJesterFool]

Chief Laughing Turk! Pretty clever.

[suboptimal]

Turn 87

Machinery is done (earning me an era point for my first Medieval tech), switch to Apprenticeship. I’ll need to find something else to work on in a couple of turns while I wait for a third mine to go down. I’ve also got a Great Scientist waiting for me. I claim Aryabhata and he shows up in Acorn. Next up is Abu Al-qasim Al-zahrawi (from now on, Triple-A). While he’s alive he grants +20hp healing to all units within one tile. When used he grants one eureka from the Medieval or Renaissance eras and wounded land units heal +5hp per turn. He costs 155 points - that might drop to 120 once we hit the Medieval since he's an era ahead (or it might not). I dunno if I’d want him or not. The issue is that if I maintain my current GSP rate I'd get first dibs. If I pass then Woden and Pindicator, by virtue of turn order, could guarantee me Hildegard of Bingen which is the last thing I'd want. Omar Khayyam is the prize for this era (2 eurekas & an inspiration). I think I may take out the Inspiration policy at the next change as well.

I look around the map and see this:




That’s 30% of Woden’s milpower right there (33/110). With Woden met I send the scout back towards the coast. Woden will be trying to figure out where everyone else is and is probably heading west at all speed. I think I may park a warrior in the mountain pass. His horse would not be able to move past and if he took the southern pass he’d be stuck at my borders. It’d do both me and Pindicator some good. So I don’t forget I move the warrior up now. I also need to park the warrior at Bandar Brunei in the area SW of Tsingy. There’s a chokepoint that a horse won’t be able to navigate.

Also in looking around I see that Woden has suzerained Brussels. He’ll get +15% production on wonders though I’m not sure which one (if any) he’d want to target. Unless he had a “junk” city-state in his back lines I’m guessing he’s placed his currently available envoys.

Over by Bandar Brunei the scout attacked my warrior but did not die. It’s redlined and I finish it off, adding 5 to Defensive Tactics. My swordsman moves back towards my borders; it’ll get there next turn and I’ll let it heal there.

Settler continues its western move, will be at its chosen location in two turns. I move the warrior over so that the Bolognese swordsman cannot block my path. Speaking of which, all of Bologna’s visible warriors have been upgraded to swords. I’ve also realized that the settler will give me some extra coastal visibility with its 3-tile visibility. The reef would be three tiles away but it might clear enough fog to give some hints. I put down a lumbermill at Acorn, gaining the Mass Production eureka, an era point and getting the city to 18.9. The mine will go down in 4 turns and between it and the new population in a few turns the city’s production will be over 20.

Down at LinCon the settler is at 209/230 and will finish next turn. I put it in storage and start the Acropolis, that will complete in three turns. Actually, as it happens I’ll have three districts all complete in three turns – Acorn’s Aqueduct, LinCon’s Acropolis and LFSR’s Commercial Hub. I’ve noticed that the “free” builders from Ancestral Hall aren’t “free” per se – they still increase the cost of subsequent builders. LinCon will crank one out at a cost of 78 (I’ll move Liang to the city) so that I can get down two farms (for Feudalism) and a lumbermill. That builder is going to chop some flatland woods, put down two farms to complete a farm triangle and then lumbermill the forested plains hill to the east. I’ll put the chop into an Amphitheater and then build a hoplite and a few of heavy chariots (I’ll slot Maneuver for Colonization at the next change). They don’t need resources (so I don’t need to hook up horses) and having a few chariots around for knight upgrades down the line can’t hurt.

[suboptimal]

Turn 88

This is the first save in a while that I’ve opened and not had anything in the way of notifications. It’s quiet, in a peaceful sort of way. Pindicator has matched my milpower increase, he’s now at 244 to my 250. Woden’s up to 128 and his horseman has presumably sped out of view of my scout. My various units move on their appointed rounds; the northern pass by LSFR is now blocked. West of Kilimanjaro I move the settler out to the coast for a look see – this doesn’t cost me time as it’s still adjacent to the jungle hill I’ll be settling on in two turns, so why not? Fog gazing turns up two interesting tidbits:




- There is land to the south. Two indications that this is the case. First, it’s just visible in the fog NW of the marker I’ve placed. Second, that wave NE of the marker is traveling away from the main body of land, towards whatever land is down there.

- There is open water to the W/SW of that off-shore reef under the world tracker. The three “holes” in the fog that are there are both blue and the middle one showed the sunlight reflecting off water visual effect as local noon went by (I have the day/night cycle lighting effects active).

I suspect this might be another single tile island but the marked location would make the rice island second ring. I don’t think it will be anything I’d want to settle as I doubt I’d find any “interesting” resources. Based on what I’ve see so far there are only two luxury resources per continent and I’ve found both that are on mine. The new city’s builder will quarry the purchased marble tile, put down a mine and then go for a swim to take a look. I’ll chop the jungle between the arble and the Campus location once it returns.

Next turn I’ll need to switch from Apprenticeship to something else – Mathematics fits the bill. That’ll take three turns to complete though I’ll stop after two to get Sailing completed.

[suboptimal]

Turn 89

Another turn with no notifications. Mixmax has gained a population, Woden’s gained some science and culture and Pindicator has had a 3-4 point jump in science. No sign of Woden’s horseman. I swap techs from Apprenticeship to Mathematics. I’ll switch to Sailing after next turn, then back to Apprencticeship.

Units move around, builder puts down a lumbermill at LFSR and I see nothing new with the settler as it moves into settlement position.

Next turn will be a big one for me – three districts completing, a new city founding and using Aryabhata for eurekas. From a score perspective it’ll be significant. I’m currently at 168 points and will be earning at least 27 points next turn: 12 from districts, 6 from the new city, 1 from new pop at Acorn and eight era points (unique district build plus 4 eurekas). Unless Woden (189) or Pindicator (181) have a big turn of their own I’ll jump into first place in the score for a bit. I’ll also secure a Golden Age for the Medieval Era and gain an envoy in Brussels for completing their quest (building a Commercial Hub).

[suboptimal]

Turn 90

Lots going on this turn, survey the map first. Nothing notable, so I clear the notifications and move on. I also forgot that Military Engineering’s eureka was to build an Aqueduct, so that’s another era point. I get the miscellaneous unit movements out of the way and then start dealing with the important stuff.

In terms of techs and civics, Defensive Tactics has one turn to go. I’d consider holding it at one turn and getting Military Training up to 1 turn first, but the only thing between me and Feudalism is Defensive Tactics (and, technically, two farms). I also want to make a policy swap now (Colonization out, Maneuver in, might take out Inspiration for either Urban Planning or Conscription) For techs, I want to hold off getting any new ones until I can complete Apprenticeship and get the Industrial Zone down at Threefry. I’ve realized that the settler in LinCon has a higher purpose – I’ll finish Military Engineering after I get Apprenticeship done and then I’ll send the settler for a resource grab. If no accessible niter shows up I’ll complete Sailing and explore the islands with Xorshift’s builder.

Out at the west coast, two Bolognese swordsmen have moved between my settler and the mountains to the northwest. One is now trapped, the other has been relocated…




Sailing’s eureka is in, as is an era point. I place the Campus (141 cost), buy the marble (85) and send the builder to the hill to the west. It’ll go mine → quarry → swim and then return to chop the jungle NE of the city center. As for the warrior I start moving it towards Acorn. Speaking of Acorn its new population has arrived and the city is working all available tiles. The city will grow to 8 population in 7 turns and I’ve nowhere for the new pop to work (well, I could steal a tile or two from Threefry if needed). I start the Commercial Hub, that will take 7 turns. Moving down to LinCon I start a builder. It’ll take 5 turns to complete, I’ll stall it for 1 while Liang gets established. I’ll put the turn into something and then finish the builder. Over at LFSR I start a Market in order to get another trade route to Bologna going.

The game wants me to place my Acropolis envoy. I hold onto it, giving me two in reserve. I’ll have a third in three turns. Whether or not I do anything with them remains to be seen. I might want to get another in reserve along with another Library built (Acorn will take 5 turns to build one).

That leaves Aryabhata. Let’s see what I get…





Apprenticeship is a bit of a but Buttress (build a Classical Era or later wonder) is a definite score there. While it’s a top tree tech it is a prerequisite for Mass Production. Interestingly it seemed to traverse the tech tree from most to least expensive techs for which I didn’t have boosts – Stirrups (390), then Apprencticeship and Buttress (300 each). I suppose I should have waited another turn so that I didn’t “blow” a eureka on Apprenticeship (and probably gotten Military Tactics), but, well, I was overdue for a little in this game. I switch to Apprenticeship to finish it next turn.

I take a look at my score. I forgot that districts are only 2 empire points (and presumably 4 for uniques) so I’ve gained 22 points this turn, which is enough to jump into a tie with Woden at 191 and just ahead of Pindicator at 189. My science rate is just ahead of Woden at 42.7 (for now; Pindicator is at 53.2) and my culture rate remains last (21.1 vs Woden’s 21.4 and Pindicator’s 23.2). Slowly but surely catching up with the pack.