Outside the box. Shred the box.

[iggymnrr]

Toying some with a tiny settler map for space victory. Colosseum quest came up. If that has a free golden age with Zeus it fired when I didn't see any pressing need for biology or state property. Monuments hadn't expired. That may mean the GP in Communism isn't needed so one less tech. Downside is that this is a trial run so no record attempt. Building Zeus after factories ...

 

[iggymnrr]

Finished a test run on tiny settler. Mining Inc + Std Ethanol. Compared to a Mining Inc + Cereal Mills game, Mining Inc. was founded 18 turns later but teching finished at the same time. That's lightning fast. Robotics was even substituted for Refrigeration. But tech speed was too fast. Spaceship construction was going to take 6ish turns longer. Since tech was producing 7500+ BPT that's a 45,000 beaker loss. 10 labs only cost 7500 hammers so the space elevator (with fusion GE) does have a point. Labs can come as a prelude since thrusters can be started and labs built elsewhere as needed. Both labs and the space elevator multiply lumber. 10 cities can easily have 7500+ hammers from trees ...

 

[iggymnrr]

I'm about to abandon an interesting attempt on tiny settler. Map was probably bad from the get go but that went unnoticed until cities had to be gifted due to culture. And fewer cities than expected got settled too! National Epic might be done away with completely as that got built by factory for the last (3600) GP. No problems with GPs as Asoka. A lot of cities were pop 4-8 as Apollo was commissioned. Granaries might be done away with too. (slight exaggeration) Estimated launch would be 70 AD which is very good for so many problems. Except I forgot to start building the Apollo. There might be a plan B but the record requires a pre-1 AD launch.

 

[iggymnrr]

Finished a 260 AD space win on tiny settler. I used Frederick to counter the recent 300 AD game by Pacal. The ending went smoothly with the space elevator.Only one tech remained after the last golden age ended and that took 1 turn. The last part also took only one turn. So that is a 1 TAE finish. Freddie produced an extra engineer to go with the one from fusion. The space elevator was thus double engineered. Otherwise the game was nondescript. There was no available gold, gems or silver for a long, long time. But the only non-GA anarchy ended in 2240 BC. That allowed for, representation, bureaucracy, caste and OR. Then 13 turns of scientists finished metal casting in no time and produced a scientist for an academy. No slavery at all. Wonders needed to finish in order for granary production to commence. 5 golden ages as the Sports League fired. Not bad.

 

[iggymnrr]

Taking aim on Duel setter space colony with Darius in the rain forest.1st trial 17 cities were settled with a fraction of a tile to spare. No aluminum. 3 more cities were settled and gifted with religion. Another one was settled to steal an aluminum tile. Aluminum roulette. Revolts are keeping things in flux. Launch time appears to be ~350 AD. That's assuming domination doesn't trigger. But ... 18 cities is doable. Currently I'm using only 9 GPs with no academy. An engineer is on hand for possible space elevator use. But ... that could have gone for a golden age instead of teching communism. (Apollo probably won't finish before labs are built.) Also, the last scientist was somewhat useless so an academy is doable. The last 5 scientists spawned over the course of 16 turns. Food is not a problem on this map. (Probably not a good idea to found a capitol with brown cows and two jungled pigs.) Standard Ethanol is worth between 72 and 120 BPT.

Oxford is problematic. Culture press is severe. Universities need to be built in secondary cities behind the lines. (I built my universities with factories.) All in all not a bad attempt to feel out the map. Ideal start is probably going to be one with 4 hut settlers and 2-3 workers. This one had 3 settlers and 2 workers. Capitol was founded on turn 7. If only there was a spare settler to go back to the starting location ...

On turn 20 a city was captured with a religion ... Madrid. Maybe it was turn 30 ...

 

[boogaboo]

So... you challenge my record...!
Hopefully, I learned a lot since then

 

[iggymnrr]

So... you challenge my record...!
Hopefully, I learned a lot since then

Yep! A long time ago I tried that settler theory fight with Darius v Pacal and Darius won. That was before discovering the power of Standard Ethanol. The ending is very fast. Can't resist.

 

[iggymnrr]

Testing out the space elevator both ways. It seems to be worth it or no worse than a wash. Tech speed is just too fast. Curiously, it is build-able in every city. Does a rain forest make it so? I believe highlands limited it to a few of the bottom rows. (Hm. With 17 cities ... Ironworks and 1 engineer may do the trick.)

 

[iggymnrr]

I discovered a neat trick. Clicking on a city but then going to the tech screen instead of the city screen lets a person view the number of turns for various builds by mousing over them. Nothing like finishing Apollo and finding which cities can build engines fastest before even having the engine tech.

 

[iggymnrr]

I did some testing with both Mehmed II and Darius on a duel settler marathon rainforest. Either can reasonably have 5 cities by turn 35 and have them grow a bit to begin a hard REX around turn 75. The goal is 15 cities by 2150 BC. Not bad. Of course more courthouses than granaries will have been built. But with 15 workers that's pretty good. Meanwhile I accidentally played an epic speed game for awhile. Wow. The 2x marathon worker cost is harsh on expansive and fast workers. Instead of a 45 base turns, workers cost only 30 turns. That's like giving every one 15 free turns.

 

[iggymnrr]

Submitted a 420 AD duel settler space with with everyone's top choice, Mehmed II. It was three turns shy of the record. Four turns were spent in a late civics switch also. Map was a touch food lite which slowed down the hard REX at the start. And it slowed down the academy too. Settlers were getting built from pop 3-4 cities. One city spent 50 turns building a settler working just 3 cottaged flood plains. All cottages grew into towns and were almost all put down to aid the hard REX. It was nice having cheaper workers and granaries coming out of REX mode. Cheap courthouses also went up ASAP.

I was planning to try Frederick and Darius this weekend with maybe another Mehmed II attempt. Frederick may be best as an early golden age or bulbs on the Mining Inc. path are useful and more doable.

 

[boogaboo]

So... my record stands!
I'm guessing you'll break it at some point, but I do have plans on improving it, although it will take a long time to get to that slot, as I am now on Noble doing tests...

 

[iggymnrr]

So... my record stands!

I do remember trying to break Dynamic's 460 BC game with Elizabeth and failing...

REX ended with 16 cities and 2 more came later with corps:
Mining Inc ->44 hammers
Standard Ethanol -> 80 beakers

Space elevator was either -1 turn, even, or +1 turn. The last golden age ended with 3ish turns to go so but as a forest multiplier there may not have been enough to warrant it. So probably evenish.

 

[boogaboo]

It was always a hard record :|
I always think Ethanol is great but comes too late to use, but I haven't used it in a while.
My record was with State property... if I do it again, it will be with corporations. 44 hammers is good - near the edge of what's possible on duel.

Any game that beats Dynamic's record is a very good game

 

[iggymnrr]

I always think Ethanol is great but comes too late to use, but I haven't used it in a while.

With bulbs ready for Physics/Biology/Electricity the time line went:
590 BC: Mining Inc.
210 BC: Standard Ethanol
120 AD: Launch

That looks like 3ish golden ages. The general path from Mining Inc looks something like: Mining Inc>factories>Ethanol>Apollo>labs>docking bay/robotics>engines>etc. It's not hard to calculate the finish time for the space elevator. Ideally a forest or two should be on hand so the engineer from fusion can finish it on the turn.

With Mining Inc beginning to crush the tech tree, bulbs may be better before it. e.g. education, chemistry, constitution.

 

[boogaboo]

I rarely bulb now.. Scientists become 2 academies. A first priest goes for the shrine.
Engineers are for Mining and if I have another then Wall St. Merchant for Sushi.
All others go to the GAs

 

[iggymnrr]

Arghh!!! I just accidentally won a game with Frederick. I was about 5 turns + construction faster than the Mehmed game. A war had just finished with Joao. And then ... an automated chariot accidentally passed through the undefended gifted city. Conquest win. One city had 4 pigs, 2 rice and bananas. So no problem with getting a scientist. Oh well.

Scientists become 2 academies.

Pre-Mining bulbs will get to mining faster. Post-Mining bulb speed is less important.

 

[boogaboo]

Never accidentally won by conquest.
Domination and power outages I know.
Other known game killers : Orace by someone else. No great engineer.

 

[Noble Zarkon]

An accidental conquest win, that's quite something lol, I did it once when I culture flipped the one remaining AI civ whilst aiming for a Time victory.

 

[Pangaea]

An accidental conquest win, that's quite something lol, I did it once when I culture flipped the one remaining AI civ whilst aiming for a Time victory.

Ouch! Hopefully that wasn't 2 turns from the end or something.