After my frustrating decision to abandon my Emperor level attempt, I thought long and hard about my particular playstyle and mistakes I made. I've decided I need to make some changes, not the least of which is including RCP rather than just ICS everywhere like I have been.

I also picked up some bad habits while I was beta testing for Conquests. Since the Conquests versions I was playing were not yet perfected (as is the point of beta testing), I explored the game for the unbalanced corners and abused them heavily.

So, I'm starting off from scratch on Chieftain.

Map Settings: Huge - Wet - Warm - 5 Billion Year - Sedentary Barbarians with 8 AIs.

I'll post screenshots and data as soon as I get to a 10ad/Middle age I like.

I will again be the Chinese.

I have a 10ad game I'm going to play on with. I think I have an RCP layout, but am not entirely sure (I don't fully understand the full mechanics of that yet). All my current Settlers are headed towards my ICS sprawl. I have one city cranking a Settler every four turns and the rest churning them out fairly fast.

My ring layout isn't completely proper yet because it's centered around my FP and I haven't had occasion to jump my Palace yet, but when I have a GL handy, I will.

I'm basing my RCP layout on this graphic by ILoveToast from the RCP thread:

And this is a screenshot showing my use of cities in the 3 and 5 positions:

It's now in the 800ads and I just cakewalked England to her oblivion in a laughable four turn war that cost me all of two units. Here's the mimimap:

Or maybe here (it's late):

RCP and ICS combined? I have always want to try that. I'm looking forward to see your result.:)

The ICS is somewhat obvious from the latest minimap, isn't it? It wasn't until I took out England (no razing this time) that increased my city spacing to 2 tiles rather than 1. I was in danger of hitting the 512 city cap before my Domination limit.

From your mini-map, I also noticed that you have plenty of empty land awaiting to be filled. Since territory means score, you may want to fill up those empty space first and get as close to the domination limit as possible, then come back and fill the rest with cities in between. Basically, expand as fast as you can, then come back to the ISC after reaching the domination limit.

You're absolutely right on that point, Moonsinger. I think I started packing them in that tight out of habit from playing my last several games with many more than 8 AI. I also forgot how slowly the AI expands of Chieftain (meaning room available).

I have started spacing my Settlers better since, although watching 100+ of the units trudging slowly across the pangaea is starting to cause me some yawns. Fortunatly the screaming pillars of smoke that are Korea and Arabia are maintaining my enjoyment...

Much to the envy of the real world, I will never again have any trouble with the Arab world or Korea. I'm also over halfway to the Domination limit on tiles acquired. The eastern armies (all Riders) are regrouping just south of Persia, and I have all my newly constructed units gathering north of the Iroquois.

I'm also clipping through the techs at 4/5 turns a piece and should have steam power within 25 turns. I really really want those rails, but it may be a few days due to work schedule.

Just curious, but what's the date in your game right now superslug? For reference, you know....

Yeah, I guess I should have posted that, huh? The minimap above is from my last turn, 1070.

I'm now in the early 1500's. The AI is reduced to one city that I occasionally raid with Elite units to go GL fishing. I got a second one for another Palace jump and a third to rush Smith's. I'm generating over 2000gpt and cash rushing Marketplaces, Aqueducts, Hospitals and Harbors. I'll eventually get to Banks and Stock Exchanges. I've abandoned research (cut off at Sanitation/Replaceble Parts) but TOE will give me access to Wall Street.

Score is 2000+ and rising with over 200 turns of milking to go.

I'm not going to spam up this thread too much with milking updates, but I'm now in the 1600's and have finished rushing Marketplaces. I'm now focusing exclusively on rushing Aqueducts, Hospitals and then Harbors. Everything is irrigated, and I'm dumping my natives back into the general population. My slaves are on pollution duty only.

It's too early to make score predictions, not until I cap out on that.

EDIT: I'm also generating 4000gpt.:goodjob:

What spam? :confused: ;)

Just keep us posted man, we're curious...
Do you have any idea yet, if you'll get EMan's 7000+ score?

Originally posted by Darkness
Do you have any idea yet, if you'll get EMan's 7000+ score?

I honestly don't have any idea. My score is 2500+ and there's still 200+ turns left, but with population left to grow, I have no idea what my average will be after I cap on that. I'll try and have another marathon session tomorrow to get to the pop cap, I'm just as curious as everyone.

For now, I can sleep content with the knowledge I'll finally finish a game that will qualify for any of the lists!:rolleyes: :D

I just completed my 12 hour marathon and still have over 200 turns to go. I still don't know, but it looks like it's going to be close...

You can estimate your final score by using SirPleb score calculator (in the Utility Forum). Please note that you will usually end up with a higher score than SirPleb's estimate. What can I say...he is optimistic...like me.;)

I use the score calculator religiously but haven't wanted to quote it yet. I don't think it could give an accurate prediction until the rate of score change between turns was constant, which it's not since my population is still growing. If anything, I thought because of that it would give inflated projections, not lower ones?

If this is opposite the truth, I'm all ears and eager to hear why (as it would mean I have a better shot at Eman).

BTW, in 1798, the cacl puts my 2050 at 6600 or so.

Originally posted by superslug
If anything, I thought because of that it would give inflated projections, not lower ones?

For me, it has always been giving me a lower projections. I think it has something to do with my style (since I usually delay the construction of the hospital until a few turn before I enter the modern age).

PS: In my recent emperor game, around 1300 AD, it projected 32K but I ended up with 38K.:)

I may have a deflated projection then, because I still have a number of hospitals to go, probably a few hundred. That'll take a few turns, although not many. I'm up to 7000gpt.

I'm in the middle of a shift at work, but I just had an idea that might could net me some more points! My cities along my coastline are packed in almost individual tiles apart, meaning the coastal tiles themselves are already incorportated under my domination limit.

So my idea is this-after I'm done rushing all my hospitals, I should start rushing temples in those towns. I'll get border expansions a few turns later, but the expansion will be into deeper water that shouldn't trigger Domination, right? I mean only coastal ones count, IIRC. Those towns all have granaries, aqueducts, harbors and soon hospitals. I'm potentially ignoring food tiles I can get for 'free'.

That is an option, however be very careful you don't get accidental extra coast tiles inside your borders. Don't forget to sell them again after you've got your expansion...
Sea tiles do not count towards the domination limit, that's true.

My simple rule for using the coastal tile: Unless I can grab an extra sea or ocean tile for every coastal tile, I would try to avoid them. Since 1 coastal tile + 1 free sea/ocean tile = 1 grassland. Because it 's usually very tough for coastal cities to grab 1 extra free sea/ocean tiles. For example, usually we have to grab 5 coastal tiles in order to get 3 extra free sea or ocean tiles (5 coastal + 3 sea/ocean = 16 food and 5 tiles count toward the domination limit). On the other hand, it much easier to find 4 plains and 1 grassland which also give a total of 15 foods and 5 tiles count toward the domination limit. Therefore, I usually ignore most non-core coastal tiles (coastal tiles that not near my core cities) these day.;)

I probably should have stayed off the beaches, but I do have almost a hundred cities packed in like sardines there. I've posted a visual aid for what I was thinking about below. With a temple, I could have the town going from having just the X coastal tiles, to also having the Y deeper water ones as well. Given the dozens of towns packed in like this, it might be enough to put me over Eman's score...(of course even if I do I wouldn't be #1 very long :cry: )

I wonder why the edit page won't let you attach pictures...

Heh, who needs sleep?! I'm trying to finish the game today...
EDIT: Not possible to finish today, oh well.

My game year is 1884. My score is 4621, with a projection of still around 6650. Hospitals are rushed, so population is growing. Longevity and Cancer are under construction, which will also help. Now I have the ever fun task of abandoning some towns on bad terrain to resettle on better terrain while staying under the Domination limit...

I'm almost done with my game, but something happened that I've never seen before, well kind of. I've had plenty of games where I reduced the AI to only one city, but in all those one city turns, they have never called me up and demanded I give them Iron! Actually, under those circumstances, they've never demanded anything...sheesh.

Originally posted by superslug
called me up and demanded I give them Iron!

:lol: Gotta admire the pluck of that AI.

:cry: :mad: :( :eek: :confused: :rolleyes:

Congrats superslug! :goodjob:
You've made the list (at no 3, at least until CB submits his game)...

Thanks, Darkness. I am very happy to finally have finished a game all the way through, but I am not happy with that score.

So, try again... :D
Maybe on a different level as chieftain seems to be attracting a lot of interest lately.

I'm trying monarch level next. Last night I already rejected at least 50 starts, and when I get home from work I'll be going at it again.
I'll start a new thread with a screenie of my start if I find a start I like enough to play it (at least until 10 AD)...

Try again? I've already rejected a bunch of maps. I've got my eye on Monarch too, but I don't know if I'll do a thread this go around...

Originally posted by superslug
Try again? I've already rejected a bunch of maps. I've got my eye on Monarch too, but I don't know if I'll do a thread this go around...

Why not? I thought that was an excellent idea. It keeps everyone informed and it's nice to read other peoples ideas and their progress in their games. Besides, if everyone playing HoF games had a thread on their game, it'd give me warning if my scores are in danger of falling out of the HoF.

And lastly, it makes this subforum a lot more lively and fun...

Originally posted by Darkness
Why not? I thought that was an excellent idea.

It is an excellent idea, I'll probably just wait until I've covered some ground in the game first before I open a thread. I don't always know by 10ad if I'm going the distance. I have a very bad habit of quitting games...which is one of the reasons I couldn't get into GOTM...well, that and the deadlines.

Aeson, even though I have no idea why it wouldn't be legal, I'm just assuming it's okay that I nuked all my own cities on my last turn.

Congratulations on your third place Superslug!:goodjob:


PS: I just abandoned my Chieftain game.

@Moonsinger: Why? Bad map? Bad progress?

Originally posted by Darkness
@Moonsinger: Why? Bad map? Bad progress?

The map wasn't too bad, but I have made so many mistakes with my cities layout etc. However, I may come back to it later because I think I could turn it around. After all, I did get a Great Leader around 200 AD which I'm saving him for rushing the FP later (probably the only leader I'm going to get at this level).

Originally posted by Moonsinger
Congratulations on your third place Superslug!:goodjob:


Thanks! Although CBee has already knocked me to fourth it's great to finally be in.