SGOTM 10 - Xteam

[Capt Buttkick]

I'll hopefully have time to play tonight. If I don't, I'll post a swap request because next possible play day will be Sunday.
My wife inisists on us finishing the paint job on the house this weekend...

[scoutsout]

Originally Posted by Sir Bugsy

Can we win by domination or do we have to destroy the Barbs?

Destroying the barbs is the name of the game. If we want to be stylish about it, we could set things up so we lose a space race or diplomatic win to Theodora. Anybody up for a double-variant?

I think an ocean full of MoW and captured MoW (no unit support on those remember ) will help us in so many ways.

...and when we're ready to use Marines... we can bombard the stuffing out of the target(s). I said obsolescent, not obsolete.

@ Leif - No we don't want to wait. We need to concentrate on controlling at least a portion of the sea first. I'd choose the sea between our shore and Apache 2. Once we are sure of at least one sea lane then we launch an amphibious assault on that ivory island. It will make a nice jumping off spot for a mainland invasion.

I agree - we don't want to wait for Replaceable Parts. At the same time, we don't wan't any failed invasions or loaded troop ships lost at sea. We need to hit with enough force that we're reasonably sure we will keep what we take.

[Mistfit]

Keep in mind that with only one ship chain we can get to the Ivory Coast if the second MoW is sitting on the ocean tile.

[leif erikson]

Originally Posted by Sir Bugsy

Can we win by domination or do we have to destroy the Barbs?

From page 1 of our thread:

Originally Posted by AlanH

All victory conditions are switched on, but the winning team will be the one that achieves the destruction of the barbarian nation earliest.

Originally Posted by Bugs

@ Leif - No we don't want to wait. We need to concentrate on controlling at least a portion of the sea first. I'd choose the sea between our shore and Apache 2. Once we are sure of at least one sea lane then we launch an amphibious assault on that ivory island. It will make a nice jumping off spot for a mainland invasion.

Good, I agree, of course.

We'll need a couple of cities to pump settlers then.
This is going to be a bloodbath. Preservation of units, while inflicting maximum casualties, will be the order of the day...

EDIT - Hope things are well with the little, and Mrs., Mistfit.

[Capt Buttkick]

I won't have time today. The weather is too fine and I'm familiy tied

Swap, leif?

[leif erikson]

Originally Posted by Capt Buttkick

I won't have time today. The weather is too fine and I'm familiy tied

Swap, leif?

OK, swapped. I'll start on it tonight.

EDIT - Questions.
1. We get Nationalism next turn. I am thinking it would be faster, in Republic and in our Golden Age, to head for Electricity, providing I can trade nationalism, than to go straight to Communism. What does the team think on research strategy?
2. We have 3 MoW with another coming on line to form our first 4 ship fleet. I plan on going on the attack with them in the Zabalam/Apache2 straight. Other missions have a higher priority?
3. We are receiving 44 GPT from the Maya and one deal of 38 GPT expires in 11 turns while the second, for 6 GPT, expires in 16 turns. I will not break these deals unless someone gives a compelling reason, but I won't make any more either. I'd really like to have Lagartero.
4. Our Army consists of 28 Workers (counting slaves we have 77 workers), 2 Warriors, 1 Archer, 1 Spear, 4 Swords, 1 Horsie, 1 Pike, 3 Muskets, 27 Cavalry, 12 Cannon, 2 Armies, 3 MoW, 23 Medieval Infantry, 12 Trebs and 7 Crusaders. I plan on focusing on Rifles, Cannon and MoW, with a few Galleons thrown in. Sufficient?
5. Are we using the Military Academy as a pre-build for ToE? If not, I can't seem to find it? There are 9 turns left until Mil Academy completes!

I notice we have a lot of chopping or cleaning up of Marsh going on. It'll be nice when that completes.

Any further advice would be most appreciated.

[leif erikson]

An update.
I have played the first turn and we traded for both Medicine and Steam Power. We have two sources of coal connected, near Dover and Palenque.

We can research Communism in 5 turns, Electricity in 6 turns (CivAssist2 reports Communism's cost as 3600 beakers, Electricity as 4200 beakers and Scientific Method as 3000 beakers. So we should be able to do SciMeth in 5 turns as we are currently at 632 BPT). As I don't think we want to change government during our Golden Age, I suggest we research through Scientific Method and then, while ToE is working, we can research Communism. I started a per-build in Tiwanaku for the Secret Police HQ, but it may be premature if we're going to go Elctricity first.

OK, time to take a break while I wait to hear back from you guys...

EDIT-
Playing again, decide to go the Electricity route. hope this is right...

[leif erikson]

I know, triple post.

The game has crashed on me twice in exactly the same place.

Has anyone else had any crash problems?
The crash occurs when I try to change a Taxman in Umma to a Clown during the interturn. I'll PM Alan.

EDIT - Ok, I've sent the PM, now we wait to hear...
EDIT2 - Heard from Alan and the save has been emailed to him. Go Alan!!

[Sir Bugsy]

I'd go the ToE research route. Can you slow down the build at all? Maybe a little starvation?

[leif erikson]

Thanks Bugs, that is where I was headed until I was ejected from the game by the software...

[scoutsout]

Put our other 20-shield city on a Palace pre-build... swap MilAcad for Toe, and Palace for MilAcad. It'd sure be nice to have some additional armies along the way.... what do you guys think? Just my $0.02.

[scoutsout]

Sorry for the double-post... but how are we fixed for Universities? We'll need a few to generate beakers into the late Industrial Age...

[leif erikson]

The other small wonder available is Heroic Epic. Do we need it for Military Leaders?

[AlanH]

Originally Posted by leif erikson

I know, triple post.

The game has crashed on me twice in exactly the same place.

Has anyone else had any crash problems?
The crash occurs when I try to change a Taxman in Umma to a Clown during the interturn. I'll PM Alan.

EDIT - Ok, I've sent the PM, now we wait to hear...
EDIT2 - Heard from Alan and the save has been emailed to him. Go Alan!!

You have mail. I ran through the interturn exactly as you described it, and came out the other side in 970 AD. It didn't crash for me. But then, I'm running a Mac Saved and emailed to you.

[Sir Bugsy]

Yes we do need the Mil Academy. We'll need armies.

[leif erikson]

Originally Posted by AlanH

You have mail. I ran through the interturn exactly as you described it, and came out the other side in 970 AD. It didn't crash for me. But then, I'm running a Mac Saved and emailed to you.

I also had ScreenShotAssist and CivAssist running along with it. They have never given me any trouble before? Would you mind loaning me that Mac for about 9 more turns??

Thanks, as always, for all your speedy assistance Alan.

[scoutsout]

If we still haven't built Heroic Epic, we could use that as a pre-build for a factory. We will want to get that built... but I'd say the priority right now is our ToE pre-build, MilAcad, and factories in our non-coastal cities when we get the tech.

[Mistfit]

3. We are receiving 44 GPT from the Maya and one deal of 38 GPT expires in 11 turns while the second, for 6 GPT, expires in 16 turns. I will not break these deals unless someone gives a compelling reason, but I won't make any more either. I'd really like to have Lagartero.

Is Lagartero going to give us more than 82gpt if we own it? I presume that a lot of the Mayan income is comming from them having this town. I know it is a pain in the backside because of it's location but I really cannot see a good reason to take it from them. Will it cripple their ability to give us gpt?

[leif erikson]

Originally Posted by Mistfit

Is Lagartero going to give us more than 82gpt if we own it? I presume that a lot of the Mayan income is comming from them having this town. I know it is a pain in the backside because of it's location but I really cannot see a good reason to take it from them. Will it cripple their ability to give us gpt?

Well, first, it is contributing to giving us 44 GPT, as 38 plus 6 equals 44. Sorry my post was not clear.

While things appear to be stable, what we really do not need is a flip in that area. All the towns are low culture and low production for now. We need them for unit support and, with Communism, we may get some units out of them. And Lagartero is blocking the main road north for those units. Once we have railed to the south, it is in the way.

But, I will admit that you make a good economic argument for keeping it. We can continue to make some GPT by selling them useless techs and excess lux. Always a good thing...

EDIT - Actually, looking at things, we could allow Lagartero to stay, providing no flips happen, and sign an ROP with the Byzantines and rail through their territory.

[Mistfit]

I probably should have but did not try to set up some of our cities as worker/settler pumps... I don't know if this now has to wait til our GA is over or not but it could help in railing and unit support