[SPOILERS] Roland and Suboptimal Team Up

[roland of gilead]

Temple is actually worth a pile to me. i can get the mahabodhi 6 turns after it and that is worth 2 and 6 Plus whatever the apostles deliver.

Here is a question obviously my chop value is going up all the time but so is my district cost. I assume i am better using the chop asap and placing the district? because the base value of the district is higher so scales faster?

Also district discount formula stuff. Is it worth chasing or just pick up the bonuses when available.

[suboptimal]

A chop is a bit over 1/3rd the current cost of a district and the two values scale at the same pace. A chop at the start of the game is 20, a district is 54. That ratio scales exactly because they scale using the same exact formula, just a different base value. If a district costs 108 a chop is currently worth 40. If a chop is worth 50 then a district currently costs 135, etc. Where the scaling stops is in locking a district and building it later on -- the district stops increasing in cost once it's placed but the chops (and new districts) keep increasing in value.

The district discounts are easy to chase if you have a unique district OR you plan for them from the start. With a shuffled tech tree they're going to be harder to come by. Right now you've got four district types unlocked (Encampment, Holy Site, Campus and Government Plaza). If you completed four districts you'd currently get a discount on a district type that you have none placed or completed. For example, if you built a second Holy Site, a Campus and a Government Plaza and don't have any Campus districts placed then your first Campus and first Encampment would be discounted. However, if you completed Currency before you placed one of those you'd need to get your total district completed count up to 5. The rules for discounts are:

a = specialty districts unlocked (do not count green ones - Aqueduct, Canal, Dam, Neighborhood - or the spaceport)
b = districts completed

Condition 1: b >= a
Condition 2: b/a > # of that individual type completed, placed or in progress

So, going by the above, currently a = 4 and if you have 3 Holy Sites and the GP, b = 4. Condition 1 is met and condition 2 (b/a = 1) is met for Campus and Encampments because you have none placed or in progress.

Condition #1 stops mattering once you've built 9 districts because there's only 9 districts available until Aerodromes and Water Parks are unlocked. Generally speaking if you focus early on 2-3 district types the others will have the discount applied in the normal run of things.

[roland of gilead]

cheers.

I should get the encampment and perhaps IZ and EC cheap perhaps.

What i almost certainly should have done is placed the campus without the chop a couple of dozen turns back.

Going to spend some time tomorrow morning on my turn finalising short- medium term plan.

I will know where feudalism is by then.

[suboptimal]

Turn 66

Open the save to the completion of Recorded History and Celestial Navigation. Mercenaries is boosted since I’ve completed my eight land unit. So...where is it?




Holy crap that’s relatively gettable. It would currently take me 53 turns to get there but as my goes up that time will come down. Roland, I think that’s worth beelining after I complete Political Philosophy. Defensive Tactics was already lined up (5 turns). I was going to start Archery but given our prior discussion I’m going Irrigation → Iron Working. That’ll take four turns. OC completes its warrior next turn and I’ll walk that one down to Al for garrison duty.

Builder at Diamonds chops the forest where the Campus is going. That gets the shrine down to 3 turns. Embarked warrior local to OC returns towards the city, other embarked units head continue on their way. Southern galley finds nothing. I’ve got two slingers at Al and one needs to move. I send it over to the Campus for guard duty. I also shift off the diamonds and put the citizen on the PFH east of the city. A little more production, a little faster growth. I also lock in the Harbor for 122 though I’m building the library first.

At Brussels the galley in the city promotes (Embolon), the other heal-fortifies. The builder embarks and puts down a kampung to the west of the city. Four era score, +1 housing and clears the way for the settler purchase. The settler will land on Big Island in two turns and then will need 3-4 turns to walk to Cove. The warrior is disembarking at the salt next turn, walking to the horse the turn after and that should afford me a view of most or all of the path. I’ll be able to buy my next settler in two turns. It’s kind of a wash as to buying it at Al and sailing it to Big Island or at Good Time and walking it over. The latter is the safer option, for sure.

I’ve got a policy change, Agoge out and Conscription in for the time being. I also take Urban Planning out and put in Natural Philosophy. I was going to promote Pingala with Researcher but I already took that. He gets Connoiseur. Science and culture are up to 28.2 and 16, respectively. The culture increase reduces the time to Mercenaries to...42 turns. Better. The shrine and two in-progress monuments will give me another 6 and speed that up further. My path to Iron Working will take only three turns. Roland, here’s my current tech tree status:




I think I’m going to save us some grief and get Mathematics out of the way after Iron Working while you’re working the top of the tree. I’ll then work the top of the tree for Construction, Engineering and Horseback Riding. In looking at my generation and the time to buy my next settler I decide that I should buy my first trader. But where should it go? Well, any internal route to Al is worth 31. Any overland route to China is 3. Overseas routes are 6 and I’ve got two destinations available – Nazca and James Tavernier (from Have a Good Time via Al). I buy the trader in Have a Good Time for maximum flexibility. I’m thinking to send it to James Tavernier for - the more I collect now the more I have for Jong upgrades – with Professional Army slotted each quadrireme will cost 185 to upgrade.

[roland of gilead]

This is excellent news and will really help inform my decisions on my turn.

So let's jump right in.

TURN 67

First things First I make that 6th farm at the capital and revel Feudalism.



No such luck with this one it's a bit out the way. A blow for china for sure but a bigger blow for the other teams. They don't have a 4 charge builder or pyramids in place for a 5th. They also will have to hard tech Drama and Poetry.

Sub in 7 turns I will deliver you the inspiration for Military training No one is builting an encampment any time soon and i have really good culture. Let's get you to those Jongs.



I Also start a water mill at the capital done in 3 turns and will pass you the boost for construction in about 4 turns as you will want that for games and recreation. Let's get you to those Jongs

Do some policy swaps



and invest in antanantarivo with apadana i can take Suz of this soonish if desired.



Place the harbor at Tav and start a spear 6 turns but will come right down. Finalised all my pins through my empire except for the CH on the swamp at capital.

[suboptimal]

Yes, let's get me to those Jongs. The eurekas for Military Training and Games & Recreation will speed that process up quite a bit (I keep forgetting that those inspirations are gettable). I'd say start building up your gold because I'm going to need all the gold.

i've currently got four or five warriors out. I'm going to use them for barb-busting and clearing Big Island of barbarians. Once that's sorted I'd like to upgrade them to swords when the jongs upgrade if the money is there. One thing I did the last time I played as Indonesia was to harvest copper and crabs for extra cash. I have that option at Good Time (crab) if we need a little more gold.

If I can get swords and Jongs fast enough I think a decapitation strike on (W)odin might be warranted.

[suboptimal]

This also means that I should prioritize the Harbor + Lighthouse at OC in order to get another trade route going. I'll have Cove settled by then and can send a second trader to China for more gold revenue. Also need to consider getting Caravansaries slotted once PP is complete. I might actually get to Jongs before I can afford them.

[roland of gilead]

Yeah that is a danger and before you have enough quadriremes.

I will get my gold income up. Most notably when i get to that 5th petra city.

I do need to buy a few key strategic tiles though.

woden looks a sensible target being so so close but let's not judge that one to much for now.

I have some infrastructure to do then a round of settlers then it's all abut gold. Tile improvements will pick up the gold income in the mean time. soon i shoud be working those 2 chocolate and 2 teas for example.

[suboptimal]

Turn 67

Irrigation complete, start Iron Working. Theology inspiration is in. As inspirations come in I need to fit that in at some point, if only for more culture. Current time to complete it would be five turns.

Land units at home do their thing. Embarked units do their thing and I make first landfall on Big Island:




Up at Good Time the settler and mostly-healed galley are now off the coast, I’ve got a new fishing boat and a trade route to James Tavernier (and the boost to Currency). The galley currently garrisoning Good Time heads northwest to take a look at things:




I don’t know that there’s another city state so close by. What I do know is that the former Brussels is a kampung haven – every resourceless coast tile that the city could ever work can have a kampung put down on it. I’m going to use the galley to defog around the northern end of Good Time’s island and then re-garrison the city.

Looks like CMF and Archduke both put down cities this turn.

[roland of gilead]

TURN 68

Bit of a quiet one after the buzz of the last 2 turns.

Find apprenticeship could be better could be worse.



Start the apadana for those envoys.



Stop producing worker in Goldson until i can get liang in place. With Feudalism so far away those extra charges will be vital.
Can recruit her in 2 turns.