COTM 45: Ottomans!

This month we'll pull the Ottomans out of the box as the player's civ. It's always fun to run over everyone with the Sipahi :) , so I've made a few changes to create a little more "challenge". :D To celebrate February's extra day this Leap Year, I've given all UU's in the game a leg up and "leaped" their key stat up a notch. Whatever attribute for that UU was improved, it's been improved one more point. This also affects your Sipahi (but look below; the values are different for each class.) The shield cost for all UU's in the game are the same, so overall this makes the UU's all a bit (or a lot) more powerful! I think you'll find a few more challenges as the game unfolds, but I'm sure you're up for it.

Civilization: Ottomans
Rivals: 7 pre-selected.
Barbarians: Raging
Difficulty: Monarch
Land Form: Continents, 70% ocean, Standard map.
Geology:5 billion years old, Normal and Temperate.
AI Aggression: Normal

http://gotm.civfanatics.net/games/images/cotm45large.jpg
http://gotm.civfanatics.net/games/images/cotm45mini.jpg

Conquest-Class Bonuses:

Give you a leg up on the AI: Sipahi set at 10-3-3.
Alphabet for Free
50 Bonus Gold


Open-Class Bonuses
None, but your Sipahi are 9-3-3

Predator-Class Obstacles:

Probably put Sipahi back at 8-3-3
Loss of Bronze-Working
AI Unit support set at Emperor Levels

Obviuously Worker to Cattle to see if moving the Settler SW would bring in any BG.

And check F10 to see what monster UUs we can expect. 1,1,3 Jaguar Warriors? 3,1,2 War Chariots? 3,4,1 Numidian Mercenaries?

worker to irr cattle for sure. also we can see some coast/lake E.
let's hope for coast, so there will be chance to send some curraghs to explore, reach another continent and get contacts.

well, maybe 4.2.2 gallic swords? or 5.2.1 immortals? 4.1.2 MWs.... we shall see.

well, maybe 4.2.2 gallic swords? or 5.2.1 immortals? 4.1.2 MWs.... we shall see.

Something like that, in any case I suspect our own continent to be filled with tribes that have a strong ancient UU, like Greece (hoplite 1.4.1), Carthage (num merc 2.4.1), Rome (legion 4.3.1) and Persia (immo 5.2.1). Once we get to the other continent, we will find funny stuff like France (musketeer 2.6.1) and the Dutch (1.5.1).

Looks like we're going to need a lot of catapults . . .

Actually I'd expect the Gallic Warriors to be 3.2.3 and Legions to be 3.4.1. It's 3.2.3 Gallics I'd worry about most - that's hideous.

(Or what about Elite War Elephants with 7 hps? Regulars with 5 is bad enough....)

And how do you handle totally off-the-wall UUs like Dromons or Conquistadors? Probably not have those civs in the game, I guess!

It looks like Predator won't be too bad. I mean, how can missing BW be a handicap? Every AI will be researching it for us from the off anyway. Dare I say it, but losing Masonry would be worse.

[Edit]
I like the look of settling SW anyway - regardless of whether or not that water is fresh or salty, I'd rather not have it in my production radius. But worker->cow is the ideal start anyway.

Should be enough shields anyway for a 6-turn factory in Despotism, in Republic looks like size 5-7 6+8, 7+9, for a precise 4-turner without any BGs.

Agreed on losing Masonry would be worse. Unless there's a nasty twist somewhere, trading for BW would be easy.

In a (only) Monarch game, I wonder how many of those UUs will actually come into play. We'll likely outpace everyone in research quite early, so taking out for instance France before musketeers and Netherlands before swiss mercs doesn't seem infeasible. Indeed my biggest "worry" in this game is that we will win before Sipahi come into play. Hopefully the "few more challenges" will ensure that we get to play with all ours favorite UU. :D

Niklas has a good point, so I don't think we have to fear panzers with 4 movement :cringe:

I suspect Hoplites, Legions, and Numidians, oh my, as usuall. Gee, do you think there will be Americans with their fearsome F-15s? What about Portugese with their dreaded Carracks? How could you give the Cossak a plus anything?

I'd settle in place and irrigate the cow. I'm not big on Moses, but that's probably one of the reasons I'm third rate in Xotm so if you're new remember what I always say, Don't do what I do, I'm crazy."

BTW, Ottomans start with Bronze and Masonry, so what does this mean?

Conquest-Class Bonuses:

Give you a leg up on the AI: Sipahi set at 10-3-3.
Masonry for Free
50 Bonus Gold



Free pottery, right?

Do Industrious Civs get a bonus shield in their city centres at size 7 (regardless of if it's built on a BG or other tile with at least 1 shield)?

Yes, they do.

Should be enough shields anyway for a 6-turn factory

Sure, but with Raging Barbarians, a few extra shields can't really hurt.

Do Industrious Civs get a bonus shield in their city centres at size 7 (regardless of if it's built on a BG or other tile with at least 1 shield)?

Yes, they do.

I'm pretty sure they do not. The bonus industrious shield doesn't kick in until size 13.

I'm looking at a 6-turn Archer-Settler factory in Despotism. From sizes 5-7 the shields for an Archer aren't a problem; it's the 30 shields in 3 turns for a settler that is. So BGs are kinda handy, but knowing there's a bonus shield in the city centre at size 7 as well means 1 less BG is needed, I think.

6-turn warrior+settler is always on, but it does waste a lot of shields.

... so I've made a few changes to create a little more "challenge". :D

That sounds ominous.:eek:

What, like no ponies on our side of the pond? :mad: :cry:

If you want to bring funny in the game, just place Persia, Celts, Iroquois at the continent and give them iron and horses.

Persia I would not care about, Immortals would still have 2 def. They die just as easily as spears when attacked. Same with Iros. MWs are still just as vulnerable to being attacked.

But 3-move GWs? That I don't want to meet. Even 3-move Jags would be nasty but at least the Aztecs don't build many of 'em.

Spain with 3/2/3 Conquistadors, no worker would be safe from 9 tiles away. Riders with 4/3/4 stats are kinda scary. How about Samurais with 4/5/3 stats? The MoW with 5/2/6 stats would even terrorize Ironclads, no one could touch them until destroyers. 4/1/2 MW's, boy there are lots of nasty twists possible. I will play just to see....

..

BTW, Ottomans start with Bronze and Masonry, so what does this mean?


...
Mental block (happens more and more! :) ), confused Ottoman and Korean civ traits. So we'll give Ottomans Alphabet instead - the least I can do after all the "other" changes ... ;)

Regarding the other civs and their UU's, it wouldn't be much "fun" if you couldn't get to experience these more powerful units now, would it?!? :p So I've made sure they have decently easy access to required resources (part of the map tweaking I mentioned), and that they are generally available early. (No Germans or Americans, etc.) It IS Monarch level, so these changes just make things a bit more challenging.

Probably gonna do open class,
and settle in place, unless my worker finds something good moving south.

Extra-powerful unique units?!:eek: :eek: :eek:

Jag warriors with 3 movement, anyone?

I am guessing we get SOME AA UU's, but not a lot. Even conquest class would be tough if you had to deal with 3.1.2 war chariots. Can you imagine trying fast conquest with a 1.1.4 hoplite?

This will likely be very, very difficult.

I am guessing we get SOME AA UU's, but not a lot. Even conquest class would be tough if you had to deal with 3.1.2 war chariots. Can you imagine trying fast conquest with a 1.1.4 hoplite?

This will likely be very, very difficult.

Depends if there are any 5.2.1 Immortals around to help fight them on your behalf ;)

I guess this will be a fun game.
Time to download the save.

I guess we're talking about UUs because somebody would win before sipahi appears. Starting in the center of the continent, concentrating each kind of luxure near its civ, and placing more rivers on the AI's territory would cause need of sipahi.

So I've made sure they have decently easy access to required resources (part of the map tweaking I mentioned), and that they are generally available early. (No Germans or Americans, etc.).

Traditionally, making resources easy for the AI to hook up has had to mean putting the resources underneath AI capitals. After all, when you are as dim as the AI, nothing is easy. :)

Looks fun. Hopefully I'll have time to play it.

By the time Siphai come along, the only dangerous UUs will be other cavalry replacements, so wars shouldn't be too difficult. What will be tough though the AA/early MA without Siphai.

Is no-one else worried about hordes of Enkidus?