[SPOILERS] scooter's PB53

[superdeath]

I don't think that's actually a real problem. Appoint an arbiter for the game who decides. In most situations the evaluation of abusive/not abusive is completely obvious.

It's harder to implement in real time than you might think. Most players only have one time a day to play their turn. It will slow the game down considerably to get approval, and when it's close it's just going to lead to very hurt feelings.

And if running a 6-player game properly requires an arbiter on hand constantly, that's too much micromanagement.

I also think this conversation needs to move to the lurker thread if it's going to continue because it's really hard to talk about this game's actions openly here.

Also, who is going to be the arbiter? Who is going to take all the heat for making subjective decisions? It sounds like being a WW gamemaster but worse.

i mean, id be fine being an arbiter for whatever games im NOT in...

[BRickAstley]

i mean, id be fine being an arbiter for whatever games im NOT in...

Don't do it, it is not worth it.

[Thoth]

I mean, I know what I would do as arbiter - stop being arbiter immediately.

Preach.

QOTM

[superdeath]

i mean, id be fine being an arbiter for whatever games im NOT in...

Don't do it, it is not worth it.

[scooter]

Turn 120-121

All quiet, so let's do a tech update.

Tech vs Cornflakes

I am UP:

Priesthood 60
Monarchy 300
Feudalism 700
Guilds 1000
Banking 700
Economics 1400
Compass 400
Optics 600


I am DOWN:
Code of Laws 350
Aesthetics 300
Literature 200
Music 600
Construction 350
Engineering 1000
Philosophy 800
Nationalism 1800
Liberalism 1400
Military Tradition 2000


== Net Down 5640 beakers
== Net Down 3640 beakers

I made up 2k beakers on Cornflakes since we last updated. Since then, he pulled off his Lib-> MilTrad play, while I went EduBulb -> Economics and used ~40% of the Merchant to complete Optics and Gunpowder. His GNP is in the toilet and is the worst in the game right now, so he really was reliant on Golden Ages + MoM + Bulbs + GLH. Only a matter of time before I overtake him.

Tech vs Commodore

I am UP:
Meditation 80
Priesthood 60
Alphabet 300
Civil Service 800
Banking 700
Paper 600
Education 1800
Economics 1400
Compass 400
Optics 600
Alphabet 300


I am DOWN:
Code of Laws 350
Theology 500
Construction 350
Engineering 1000


== Net Up 140 beakers
== Net Up 4840 beakers

This is the biggest change since last time. I've made up nearly 5k beakers on him since the last update, largely due to my aforementioned play. Somehow in this time all he's teched is Engineering. He must have done some unit upgrades. Now granted, I'm like 99% sure he's going to complete Chemistry in the next couple turns which is another 1800 beakers, but then I'll complete Astro in about 5 turns, so here we are.

Tech vs The Black Sword

I am UP:
Meditation 80
Calendar 350
Alphabet 300
Civil Service 800
Guilds 1000
Banking 700
Education 1800
Economics 1400
Optics 600
Alphabet 300
Gunpowder 1200


I am DOWN:
Theology 500
Aesthetics 300
Literature 200
Construction 350
Engineering 1000

== Net Up 1480 beakers
== Net Up 6180 beakers

Similar gap opened up here. His GNP did just blow up, so I think he's running mass wealth here.

Tech vs Cairo

I am UP:
Alphabet 300
Civil Service 800
Guilds 1000
Banking 700
Paper 600
Education 1800
Economics 1400
Optics 600
Alphabet 300
Gunpowder 1200

I am DOWN:
Code of Laws 350
Construction 350
Engineering 1000

== Up 2700 beakers
== Up 7000 beakers

So where does this leave me. Well, my raw beaker counts are a bit overstated here by Education and Economics. I got the Merchant which opened up some options, but I'm not yet really getting other value out of those techs. Engineering is by far my most glaring weakness, but Astro is a form of maneurability, and I'm still prioritizing that because it has the potential to win me the game. I'm adding Muskets now which will benefit from Protective, so that should help quite a bit.


So the play right now is to complete Astro (around 4 more turns), then get myself several Galleons and go Construction-Engineering and evaluate whether to make a play against Commodore 5T later. It all depends on whether it looks like he can make progress against Cairo by then and how much naval power I can get into position.





Roswell is a critical possible avenue for me. A few loaded Galleons 9T from now could fork Vancouver/Everett/Snare/Backpack out of the fog all at once. Did I mention I have a Great General available? The hard part is the sheer breadth of our front as evidenced here. Razing something like Everett without losing anything substantial of my own might just be concession time, although that one's unlikely due to how easily he can reinforce it from Yakima.

[scooter]

Bonus screenshot because upon finishing that report, I noticed an incorrect build that I logged in to fix.





While saving gold, my banks are worth 200gpt. These Banks have been enormously helpful, especially because it's allowed me to eschew Code of Laws and expensive Courthouses - note the gruesome city maintenance costs. Speaking of, Organized would be absolutely amazing right now on this map. Lighthouses have been important, so cheapening those would have been nice, but it would be worth a free 55gpt plus cheap Courthouses (probably worth a similar amount), then there's the knock-on effect tons of EP could have.

[naufragar]

Cool pic. I like seeing Civ from unusual angles.

[Zed-F]

All quiet on the western front?

[scooter]

Full-on dogpile at a time where life has recently gotten significantly busier. Cornflakes has sent literally every single unit he has at me. TBS could backstab him and capture all his wonders and get into a winning position, but instead he... signed OB with Cornflakes last turn and now is waiting for me to play, so I know what that means. And Commodore treaty ends in 3T, so GG. Considering conceding because I don't have the kind of time it takes to fight off a 2-3 front war.

[scooter]

I think I have a CTH bug, and if so, it was a pretty disastrous bug. Either that or the wording of the changelog needs to be updated.

Coastal blockade: only blocks trade routes, blockaded cities can still work blocked tiles.

From this, my expected behavior is a blockaded city should lose its trade route commerce and access to tiles an enemy unit is physically located on only.





This is what I'm experiencing though. The trade route and tiles are all accurate - there are units on those tiles. However, it also cost me access to every single resource in my empire too?? This caused mass starvation/unhappy, and it resulted in Astronomy not completing end of turn, which caused a unit timed to complete a Galleon end of turn producing a worthless Galley instead. Is this a bug, or am I misunderstanding the wording here?