[PB59] Pindicator's One Thread to Rule Them All

[pindicator]

Turn 035, in the reckoning of the Shire

Bear




I know how my barbarian luck is, so I'm not going to keep the warrior around to test it. Even if it is on a forested hill, I am avoiding that bear. Warriors already seem like they will be light as it is and I don't want to spend money on another if I can help it. I think this guy is going to fog-bust the north now.




Food looks good now that the work boat is hooked up. The rest looks bad. I feel like I'm going to sink to the lower third of the pack before we get to turn 50, for having a slow start and for forgetting to even check the work boat opening.

[pindicator]

So Animal Husbandry is a bit of a bottleneck with this start, and moreso waiting to pop borders in the capital to get those pigs viable. If these tech costs weren't so high then I could spend some time going for Mysticism, but I don't think that's going to be possible because I really need to get AH > Pottery > Writing down. So I am going to start a 2nd worker at the capital and 4-turn it, then going to start a settler and 2-pop whip it. This will get my settler for the Cow/Pig/Gold/Gems site out timed so that it settles right when AH comes in. Also it grows to size 2 right about when the capital pops 3rd ring borders. After that city I might keep the capital low and pump another settler until Pottery comes, and only then chop out a granary and then grow to size 7 in the capital. Then we pump settlers until Writing is in. Maybe there will be time for Mysticism ahead of Writing after all.

[pindicator]

Spent a little bit of time trying to decide if I wanted to try for another settler out of Took, now at size 2 or at size 3, or if I wanted a worker at either of those sizes. Decided on a worker at size 3. These tech costs are sure a pain and the pathing for my workers is a bit awkward. So when its awkward like this I'm going to opt for more workers and then pumping out settlers when we get the capital to the pop cap - which is going to be sometime after the granary. Once we get that granary, though, it's going to be a very fast growth spurt and we're going to want the workers to lay down cottages.

[pindicator]

Turn 040, in the reckoning of the Shire





2nd worker is out and we have started on the settler. I've also discovered a planning error: I did not put AH at the correct number of beakers and so hooking up the cow will take a turn longer than expected.

The long times for technology has me thinking: maybe it is better to just settle that gold first ring just to get that commerce coming in. In fact the more I think about it the more it makes sense: my bottleneck right now is commerce, and so let's get that bottleneck solved ASAP. So I'm going to 2-pop whip that next settler and we're not going to settle on top of the marked location, but instead will settle 1S of the cow. It's a worse long-term city, but the technology times are just so slow. I think this is a necessary evil, and waiting for the border pop for the gold is just too greedy.

In addition, because my workers are not going to need to stay in the north to hook up the pigs on t51 when the capital's borders pop, that means we can start a settler in Took at size 3 for the western city. Oh wow, this actually brings a lot of puzzle pieces together nicely.

And yet, we're still not actively working the gold until the city hits size 2, which would be turn 50. So we're not really speeding up Pottery (but we would be speeding up Writing). Plus that growth at city #3 is going to be bad. But it does let me get city #4 down by t50 and I'll have 2 workers ready to improve the for that city as well as a work boat on the way from the capital.

I think I'm leaning towards making this change.

[pindicator]

Turn 041, in the reckoning of the Shire

Bear




He's going to move east next turn and mess up my plans, isn't he?

I'm rethinking my gold/cow decision again. Because after I hit 4 cities then I'll be at 2 workers for 4 cities right when Pottery comes in and I'd be wanting to make granaries. So maybe it's back to the original 3rd city location. Maybe I let the bear decide.

[Lewwyn]

Bears are known for their intelligence after all. I'm sure this one is smarter than average.

[pindicator]

Turn 043, in the reckoning of the Shire

Bear




Luckily the bear has stayed at a distance. I whipped the settler this turn and started roading the tile where I will found my city (went back to the original plan). Next turn we will finish the road and the settle all in one turn, so even if the bear does move forward he will stay outside my borders. I had some idea of chopping that forest to not let those hammers go to waste, but it's only 8 hammers and I figured getting the new city up a turn faster was worth 8 hammers. Also, if that bear moves closer and I don't road this turn then I could be set back several turns.

Not surprised to see Stonehenge fall so early. I think with the heavier research costs combined with more competition means we will see a lot of early wonders.

I would really like to get another settler out before Pottery finishes. Maybe I'll take 2 turns to grow back to size 3 and then just start the next settler there straight off. Though actually, if I steal the fish back at size 3 I think it might be faster to just grow to 4 and 2-pop whip again. Even without a granary I can grow from 2 to 4 in 4 turns.

[pindicator]

Turn 044, in the reckoning of the Shire

Introducing Brandybuck




Maybe I'm overthinking things here a bit, but Brandybuck is working the 2f2h2c elephant over the 3f cow. The food won't make a difference in growing to size 2 or 3 and with expenses of 6 already I feel I need the commerce. Maybe I should have gone for the gold. Maybe I'll want to go Mysticism next!

[pindicator]

Turn 046, in the reckoning of the Shire

Animal Husbandry is done and the horses are in a great spot:




I made a mistake in not whipping Took last turn and now I think it's better not to whip it at all. Pottery is going to be done in 7, and in 7 turns at the current pace I'm looking at finishing 1 worker and having the second one be at somewhere around 55/60 - which is right about where you want to be whipping to overflow into a granary. The capital will spend those 7 turns growing to 4 (2 turns), and then whipping before Pottery finishes to overflow into a granary there. That will get me 4 workers for 4 cities, which will be doable.

The workers will improve cows, then horses, and then move to the pigs. The new worker out of Took will road to the capital and then west to city #4 location. And I think that's about all I need for now. Once those granaries are in then it's going to be cottages galore at the capital.

[pindicator]

Turn 048, in the reckoning of the Shire

3rd worker is finished out of Took and I started on #4 right away. Baggins hit size 4 and swapped over to a settler.

Crunched some numbers on Pottery finishing because I knew it was going to be really tight to getting it in 4t. But then it looks like I really don't need it in 4, I can wait a turn for it to be done in 5. Reason being is that end of t51 both Baggins and Took will not be in a spot where I want to whip for overflow - but end of t52 will be a pretty good time for both. So it looks like city #4 is going to be in the western Pig/Copper/Crab spot on t54. Baggins should also finish its Granary by eot54 with the overflow from whipping its settler along with a chop. The trouble might be finding the worker turns for that chop - it's likely going to mean delaying city #4 for a turn as right now I was going to use my workers out of Took to speed up the roadway and speed up how fast that city finishes. But I think granaries are going to be more important.