Lonely Hearts Club, BtS Edition, Chapter XXXV: Elizabeth

Explored all the land mass, only 1 coastal tile still in fog.



I moved the Capital 1 West, as it picks up the grassland hill as a workable tile, 3 hills, 4 food, Great production/Heroic Epic city.

Preliminary city sites, will move Capital inland for cottaging purposes/Maintenance reduction.

Tech's I went Hunting/Animal husbandry/Bronze working. Need the scout to pop the huts, better results, and Cow's won't make cultural boarder till I tech animal husbandry anyway. No immediate farming possible. Initial warrior eaten by a Panther, after getting ambushed by another Panther on Grassland, I panic promoted (mistake) and as such lost 1/2 healing. 1st hut popped for a........

Off to pop some more huts now.

Not only does my Scout run into a lion and lose, very next turn, I complete the pasture on the pigs, with my 3 workers. (build 1, build 2nd till 1 away, adopt Bronze working, chop/whip out 3rd)

VERY NEXT TURN, a Massive termite colony, over runs the pasture and destroys it



I'd just moved the free worker towards the cows, now he come back to rebuilt it....better get some better rolls later.

God dammed barbs archers.
2 appear 1 after the other and beeline London.

I take on the first with my popped warrior, he wins...well 40% culture, I'd expect so, but at 0.9 health, I whip an archer for back up.

Next archer attacks, and WINS!!!!!!! 40% CULTURE. ok I can accept that, its now 0.5, it attacks again, and beats my warrior....

CRAP!!!!!!!!!!1

that I won't accept, Mah, so I reloaded....low odds losses AGAIN.....I'm Plagued by them..... BAh

A PESTILENCE ON YOU ALL, may your chooks turn into Emu's and KICK YOUR DUNNY DOOR DOWN..........muah hahahhahahhahahahahaha

I guess third time is not a charm.

1W for hill mining goodness. Mysticism ---->BW

3700 We have galley access to another land mass via a border pop.



3300 Another one to the NE, no border pop needed there.

2200 I get beat to judaism by 1 turn, although that wasn't the priority .

1650 Oracle completed, we take...theology.

675 I only have 2 cities but I have a shrined religion

70 AD we have a christian AP.

370 AD we meet KK across the ocean using our border pop. He's buddhist and for now I'm christian, but it's ok. I'm headed to Bur soon and when I get lib/go FR it will be lights out hopefully.

490 Meet hannibal and izzy. We escape worst enemy status with izzy by going back to NSR. At least the AP hammer bonuses still count. Theocracy FTW here!

580 Hannibal proves the world is round!

From here it was just judicious trading, and carefully managing favorite civics. I was in theocracy without a state religion. Izzy liked me a lot for this, and because I had no budhism she didn't ask for religion changes. KK likes bureaucracy which I'd be running anyway. Those two alone were enough for a win, although Zara also likes theo. I teched education, got pasted in the lib race, still traded education around to more backward people to get optics more quickly, then made short work of spreading the faith.

Here's how we get the diplo needed in this one:











The AI who liked me the least was hannibal, which would have been dangerous (he was even WHEOOHRN) except that wang kon was his worst enemy, and on the same land mass. I'm much better at this now than I used to be, diplo manipulation just feels laughable these days. By the way, if I didn't wonderwhore, got to about 11-12 cities, and played otherwise the exact same way, I'd have been in the tech race with just basic cottage spam. I'd probably have still lost lib without some form of bulbing (which I don't like in isolation), but it doesn't really matter. Just takes longer to catch up. At the same time, that just means the trade whoring comes later.

It seems like as long as you don't get yourself killed, the game isn't so bad on immortal (assuming you can get enough cities)

Round 2

And may your children be afflicted by your Pestilence as well. Muah hahahhahaha

Enough of that, So I reloaded, the cheating barbs, spread out and attacked in same turn, but this time my Archer prevailed.

I build my 4th city, over by the Pigs/stone, with another archer fog busting my capital city site. The hut, guarded by the archer who killed my scout, pops for POTTERY.......I'm now building the Oracle with the aim of taking Metal casting.

2 other cities settled are the dual clams/wheat and a filler to take the 2 clams from London, as it can work all 3 grassland hills, pig/cow and be +2 in food at 6 with 1 unhappy.

YEAH BABY

Didn't take a screen shot, I'm sure you know what it looks like.

Just a quick note, if a barbs guarding a hut, it won't move off it, so your workers are safe to road about it, just make sure there's suddenly not 2 of them while its been in the fog, as the 2nd WILL come off the hut.

4 cities, plan for 6 on western side of mountains, then rex to the East.

Oracle built in 1310, on the turn I could whip for 2 pop, didn't pre chop tree's, mistake, onto the GLHouse, and Pyramids now. I want GLHouse, Pyramids, good if get, but I'm trying to learn to do without, losing 1 food with 49 in bin...under 40 for GLHouse so ok. Stonehenge and Great wall went rather late, but having no marble sunk me and no pre chopping.

930 BC I whip the great lighthouse for 2 as I had 1 unhappy already for whipping...muah hahahaha
Peasant...Pheasant Hmm Poultry for Dinner. Immediately raised the slider from 30% where its fallen due to deficit research, to 50%, start on mids, while researching iron working to eliminate the jungle and set up cottaged capital city, move capital under Bureaucracy.

450 BC Pyramids BIADL, oh well...I tried. As I said, I need to learn. Missed CoL's as well, but continue on, should go for Aesthetics, but probably shot there too.

360 BC I meet Kublai Khan, and I have a Heart attack...WTF????. I then look and see it was a cultural border pop....PHEW............ he's to the NW of my dual clam/wheat city.



60 BC Hanging gardens are built...ahh crap...heh heh...oh well.. onto Shwedagon Pagoda. I MUST BUILD THIS...I have no religion, and going to whip a scout to explore Kublia's lands as I can reach them...

70 AD FINALLY the Temple of Artimius IS BUILT.. OMFG..I was only in it for the cash.

150 AD CHICHEN ITZA is BIADL. I got in a sum of 2 turns for cash..heh heh heh, same turn I chop out last of Statue of Zeus...HA.. Take that.....

200 AD pop Iron in London's BFC...Hmm settle in place and have 2 iron mines, Plains and grassland hill... Oh well...I wanted to pop a resource, just wrong hill, keep trying.

250 AD, seems like the Great Artist is gone from music, as no Artist wonders built as yet, and I doubt Culture wars.

290 AD Toaism is founded. Come on Shwedagon Pagoda. “Points hand into face”

380 AD Economy crashes back to its true position, as my deficit cash has run out. 19/turn, with some spy points thrown in. Hagia Sofia just built. Non wonder building cities hire some Scientists. Science now jumps to 33/turn...

320 AD, I finally get around to exploring that island, and it had MARBLE..and Kublia Khan as the resident stem head. Stupid me, opened boarders, and I can't explore his, as my culture doesn't reach far enough, but he can reach coast from his culture. Now I'm really stuffed...bad play. As well, I've only now just realized I haven't mined the gems in my culture...STUPID.




530 AD I lose the race for the Shwedagon Pagoda... I cash in, I now realise I could have built the Great Library now, with the MARBLE.

545 MoM is BIADL...Yeah like I care. Metal casting is due in 5 turns, deficit research at -44 gold/turn, cashed in for over 1K for Shwedagon pagoda, BUT I WANTED IT..

Kublai's settled a 2nd city, on MY CONTINENT...crap...Canceling open boarders and going to take both when I get time, as garrisoned by Keshik's only. MUAH AHHAHAHA...



595 AD I miss the Parthenon, AGAIN stupid MARBLE miss

620 AD GL is BIADL...Need I say it again.

700 AD I only now just realize, that if he can reach me, I can reach him I'm an A grade moron. I'm building 2 settlers to take land, then open and explore



720 AD Confucianism spreads to my land, AND ITS THE APOSTOLIC PALACE RELIGION

725 AD I meet Izzy, founder of Confucianism, and ITS HER RELIGION. So who else is there?? GG's being born again...


In the attached screen shot, you can see what I traded metal casting for, with Asthetics and metal casting for Construction and horseback riding to Kublai to gain WAR ELEPHANTS. Izzy gave me Monotheism and Alphabet for Metal casting, as she just gained Aesthetics.



780 AD I do a 4 turn revolution to hereditary rule, Bureaucracy and Organized religion. I'm also racing Khan galley, and I assume settler to my Pigs/bronze site, as it has 2 Villages from the barbs as well.
Ha ha, Khans galley is CHASED AWAY by a barb galley... GO BARBS GO. I now have 4 Trireme's awaiting Khan.

830 AD I make a 2nd trade to Kublai, as Izzy has just gotten civil service, I trade Civil, aesthetics and Lit for Feudalism and Currency. She's just teched or stolen that as well. Interestingly, Kublai has the option to declare war on Izzy open, but I'm not quite ready to take him off my continent. Building War Elephants and Spear's, couple Cat's and I have 3 swords, one has opened up the Heroic Epic for me, taking down a barb city.

905 AD I declare war on Kublai khan, take 1st city, auto raise, guarded by 1 Keshik, WAR ELEPHANTS RULE. 2nd turn of war, Apostolic Palace Resolution, “Stop the war against Khan”, OMFG... I defy...GET OFF MY LAND KHAN. Damm Izzy, won't declare either, has it in white, and has majority of land. Khan is going for machinery, No way your getting x-bows against me.
Khan had just completed a camp on my 3 ele's site, I had to declare. I have ELEPHANTS ONLY.
Muah hahahahhaha

915 AD I take Samarkand, No auto raise, even though size 1, must be because its grown past 2 previously, Units went on strike that turn, losing 12 gold at 0%, I adjust some tiles and end up +ve at 10%...



Defy, Sminfy



925 AD I meet Zara , Buddhist stem, I take an instant dislike to him, Stupid buck teeth, I want to kick them in, right after I kick in Izzy and Kublai.

1020 AD I had to retreat from Khans continent, as he had a stack of Keskik's, and I only had 4 injured war Elephants. He'll offer peace, for 120 gold, and increase on his first offer, I'm inclined to take it, but I'm waiting for an Apostolic Palace Resolution, so I can vote yes, stop the war.

For the cost of 4 war Elephants and 2 swords (threw them away really), I've taken 2 cities,1 more auto raised, captured 2 workers, Copper mine, Pastured sheep, 1 village, Marble Quarry , and received 2 villages from the Barbs as well, at no cost. Trouble is, I'm now at 0%, falling behind the tech's. Zara has enough on his hands, I have to assume he's at war at home, as GG's are being born. Izzy is Pleased with me, but won't give any help.

Really my war with Kublai's achieved all I set out to, I just want to get rid of Apoc palace anger , I don't want a string of “give city x back to Kublai khan”. Oh yeah, would you believe it only spread to London about 4 turns BEFORE I started my war, whipped a court house there for 4 peep's.




Anyone got any ideas as to where to from now;

1)Make peace, defy any give backs, and work cottages.
2)Send in more troops, bad Idea I feel.
3)Vassalize myself to Izzy... MUAH HAHAHAHHAHA
4)Bigger cities, grow the cities, that's a given...







Any ideas, encouragement or just some plain abuse as to my stupid play, is welcome and needed.

Played nearly 2 yr's now, and still, do stupid things like above :

First of all, you can tell that the land mass where KK/Izzy is exists in the 3000's BC. In my spoiler I identify this existence in 3700 BC, and that was on epic rather than marathon. The way you can tell (I even included a screen shot) is by having tile yields on. As you can see, Ocean with commerce normally only extents one out diagnolly, but at that area of the island it extents two out diagnolly! That's an obvious sign of more land, but you have to know to look at yields to notice (I just play with them on, actually, and there are other tricks that it can be used for such as pillaging metal you don't know exists yet techwise).

In your game, your tech is in fairly foul shape, but if you can keep from getting DoW'd by a more advanced/powerful AI, you can right the ship. The solution, as you guessed, is cottages but probably not JUST cottages. Now, since you're a bit behind you have to weigh where bulbing will take you. If you can bulb to the point of tech trade brokering, do it. There's no research muliplier like mass tech trading! It multiplies beakers by well over 100% typically, so take advantage. If that's not possible, cottage as per DaveMCW's guide. It's a little late in the game for that now, but I don't see a way for you to get tech otherwise. Do abuse trade routes (get open borders with KK if you can). Note that to get trade routes with him, you need YOUR CULTuRE to cut across the ocean so that it touches his coast. In your earlier screen shot, you've not accomplished this (I put a city next to the pigs which clears the gap on 1st pop), although it seems you managed since you ultimately invaded him. Regardless, get OB because trade routes will help you a lot this game if you can get them.

Can you trade calendar? I suspect in the year/difficulty you're on the answer is no. Research something you can trade at all costs.

Now's a good time to mind favorite civics. Izzy and zara BOTH like theo (see my game for how abusive this can be), and KK likes bureaucracy. You can probably get him to pleased even now (though he still declares at pleased, you can get OB at least).

You have a bit of a long haul here due to the tech backward-ness, but you can probably make it as you have enough cities. Get the multipliers in (not at expense of cottages), grow cottages, bulb to trade if possible, otherwise just raise raw science as much as possible and research techs the AIs don't/won't have. Once you're up to tech parity or better you can think about invasions or other victories. It's marathon at least so you have some time.

But above all, keep the AIs as happy as possible, because fighting with backwards units is only fun if you're REALLY huge.

Also I know about the coastal route 2/3 gold trick, I just never got a work boat out to look, kept thinking about it, never did it.

2nd, well, stupid open boarders, and not watching, asleep at the wheel.

Cottages, I've cottaged all the grassland, some plains, some workshops. I just don't have population to work them.

I've bulbed 1/2 of Education, planing to bulb other 1/2 in 20 so turns, when next PURE sceintist pop's out.

Really My problem is POPULATION. I've whipped too much, hangover from the Farm economy.

Trouble is, as soon as I trade off Education, I'm going to fall behind again. How long can I hold it. I haven't checked paper, as I just got it, and bulbed 1/2 education, might try for a circumnavigation with trading maps..

So its a 2/4 split on other continents, first 3 religions went to them, so they are 3 different (I hope)

I'm inclined to take peace, just wear the Apostolic anger. Trouble is, Izzy put up a 'stop the war with Khan' first up, but she's pleased with me now..so..Hmm

theocracy, good point, I'm building mainly troops, for offense/defence.

HA, I have 1 archer in most cities, none in others....

I'm still Peed about the slow rex...and no work boat...stupid and stupider.

Thanks for insight. I'm inclined to hit them with Pikes/Elephants, but I fear will be out dated by then. Spam Uni's and Libraries, Markets as well.

1480 win , Apostolic Palace again I assume.

Ah ok you're doing better techwise than I thought. You can probably get some mileage out of education then.

Yeah a major disparity between a food/spec whip city and a cottage city is you want to max cottage turns. I used to whip them too, but I've learned not to (not only does DaveMCW tell you not to whip away cottages, but Snaaty also points this out somewhere in his emp+ guide). Working cottages to grow them is top priority unless commerce is so obscene that you instantly improve research by whipping which is incredibly rare.

Now that I'm looking again your city sizes really are small. Even when running specs, you wouldn't normally whip away powerful tiles like food/hammer specials, right? Actually, it's technically inefficient to even whip away grassland hill mines (at all pops). Your cap is at a minimum enough to support pop 7 cap and 6 elsewhere with just hunting/BW. With religion and HR you should have numerous cities in double digits by now (whipping starts getting pretty weak after pop 6 or so unless you have the kremlin or something). I think it's size 6 where plains hills are more efficient, and only a little after that where you can actually work caste workshops or plains forests more efficiently!

Another adjustment going from more specs to more cottages is that you cottage early. If you're expanding quickly the limiting factor is commerce. A lot of people value gold/gems/silver for their raw commerce yield, but actually 2 riverside hamlets beat that. The true value in these resources is that in addition to the admittedly useful initial research boost, they power additional in all cities, and early. Once you have 2-3 cities the bonus overtakes the raw commerce already, and is even more marked as the empire gets larger. Anyway, working cottages can lend much more horizontal expansion if done reasonably early. My capitol dictates somewhat what I do in terms of which cities I settle first, but usually after a good site I pick a commerce site and this gets cottaged ASAP.

Emp is a jump (actually, after prince they all feel kind of hard to jump). The earlygame REX can be pretty important since you have to play it much tighter as you move up (the rate I play at has allowed me to SPAM games and climb difficulties very quickly, which blends my experience with different difficulties pretty well). If you don't have a lot of early commerce tiles (in this case all you gots are financial seafood and gems, really), you have to start using those cottages. The land here is pretty good for it though.

KK beat me to some of my land too, but this is because I went wonder crazy with a very slow/tight build to oracle theology around 1650 BC. As you guessed, this was an AP win for me (actually in 1405 ), although the "again" is rather suspect as it's my first LHC AP win in quite some time! Most have been UN or dominations lately, but the jump to immortal has me catching up in tech later than before (I still need to start bulbing sooner, trades are so huge at high difficulties and the sooner you get to tech trade point the sooner you can catch up/overtake), so I'll probably spam some AP wins for a while getting my feet wet like I did with EMP. No way in hell would KK get a single city on my landmass if I went my usual barbs on Gwall settler/cottage spam or some such. Most of the land would be settled in the BCs or early ADs (easy with the two resources), and of course I'd border block . But, for AP you need to either vassal someone (yeah right with my tech pace beelining the damn thing) or get people to friendly, and closed borders don't help. Besides, having him friendly meant his pop = votes for my victory anyway .

I find it interesting that you can NSR theocracy and get the zealots to friendly while not in their religion (and if you don't have it yet, they'll never ask you to convert!). I abused favorite civics to hell on this map. This is important. Theocracy may actually help science more than FR on this just because it will prevent WFYABTA from both zara AND izzy if you cater to them. Unlimited tech trading is pretty sweet. You can't get EVERYONE to like you but you can get the important people or people who might declare to do so, and that's huge.

Not much of checkpoint 2 but I have met Kublai so were not isolated. Other trouble is he can reach me but I can't reach him so I'll have to start building a lot of military.

First off a map of the island.





Decided to settle 3 W to pick up the forested gems (take it that was a Christmas present ). So early research was pretty quick. I decided to go for the GLhouse asap although in hindsight it would have been much better to get a second city up earlier. Tech path went BW/Sail/Mas/Hunt/AH then Myst/Poly/Priest/Writ/Mono also managed to build the Oracle and took CoL (could and probably should have taken Theo ). IW in there late on. As my next cities were going to be built in the jungle don't know why it took me so long to research it. One of the reasons I've reached 100AD with only 4 cities (3 very small) although a mass settle of the island is planned and try and see if there is anything on the North island.

At least I will be able to tech trade now, well at least when Kublai gets Alpha (I know he isn't isolated as he is Buddhist and didn't found the religion).

On to the rest of checkpoint 2.

I've decided to try an AP game. I don't like domination games with war possible post-astro only. I usually skip the religious path and backfill later. This time, with isolation and no barbs, I focused on religious techs and wonders. Main goals was to get 1 or 2 religions for diplo manipulation, a GPriest to bulb Theology and possibly a shrine.

Awkward tech path:

agriculture - ah - mysticism - bw - meditation - priesthood - polytheism - masonry - monotheism - monarchy - writing - theology (bulbed) - wheel - pottery - hunting - alphabet - aesthetics (researching now)


3975 - London founded 1W, first building is a workboat. Research on Agriculture.

3825 - Map from a hut

3625 - Agri-->AH. Hinduism and Buddhism FIDL.

3475 - Exp from a hut.

3350 - Workboat-->worker

3250 - 70 gold from hut

3200 - AH-->mysticism. I want SHenge for an early prophet.

2875 - Myst-->BW. London starts building Stonehenge.

2550 - BW-->meditation. Copper revealed in the NE barrens. Switch to slavery.

2350 - SHenge completed-->settler:



2225 - Meditation-->Priesthood. I want the Oracle, wich I usually ignore completely.

2000 - Priesthood-->polytheism. London starts building the Oracle.

1950 - York founded-->worker. Short term goal for York is to work those gems and help the economy. Long-term it will be a prod city:



1650 - Polytheism-->masonry. Poor tech options from Oracle, due to weird tech path. Monarchy looks like a good choice, but I go for Iron Working. It requires some 30 turns now and I have a lot of jungle to chop:



1550 - First Great Prophet sleeps for now. Will bulb Theology.

1425 - Masonry-->monotheism. Judaism still not founded yet. I may get beaten to it, but no big deal. York worker-->workboat.

1250 - London settler-->worker

1200 - Nottingham:



1175 - I'm the first to Monotheism and Judaism is founded in York:



The Great Prophet will bulb Monarchy? So I have to research it. Research rate looks better now, with York's gems.

775 - NE island explored:



600 - Monarchy done and the Prophet will bulb Writing now. I really need to learn bulbing paths. Second Prophet born in London. Sleeps for now. I hope to found Christianity in Nottingham, wich is a better city for a shrine than York.

445 - Writing done and I finally can bulb Theology. Christianity, as predicted, is founded in Nottingham:



Researching the Wheel now.

425 - I convert to Judaism and London starts building the AP. The second prophets builds Christian shrine in Nottingham:



350 - Wheel-->pottery. Very late, I need cottages at Nottingham, research rate is pitiful.

275 - Pottery-->hunting. Need this for jumbo happiness.

230 - Hunting-->alphabet.

185 - Confucianism FIDL.

70 AD - Alphabet-->Aesthetics. Thinking about the Shwedagon Paya. May be useful later for diplo manipulation.

85 - Hastings:



130 - Jewish AP completed:



I switch back to Christianity, wich may be auto-spread by the shrine. Judaism will be used for diplo.


I have the tools to get an AP win, but a very pathetic empire:





Priorities now are cottages and more cities. I'm thinking about a filler fishing village at the double clam spot, a city at the pig-copper spot (that fish is in a very bad position) and maybe a moai city on the little NE island.

I'll try to make London a GS farm, but the pool is contaminated by SHenge and Oracle.

Confucianism went kinda late, so I don't think I will be so terribly backward, especially if I make London a good GS farm.

Working on the AP victory in this round.

Techs: aesthetics - literature - currency - CoL - sailing and archery (Kubilai) - compass - MC - machinery - optics - construction (Kubilai) - CS - philo (bulb) - hbr (Isa) - paper - edu - liberalism - guilds - printing press (bulb+trade) - feudalism (Kubilai) - gunpowder - nationalism - constitution - democracy

250 - Taoism FIDL. 3rd prophet settled in Notthingam.

385 - Canterbury:



640 - GS builds academy in London.

745 - 263 gold from Great Library failure in London.

760 - Kubilai shows up? Caravels already? Nope, he still doesn't have sailing:



Further inspection reveals oversea culture contact:



And Coventry:



820 - Open borders with Kubilai.

860 - Trade with KK:



870 - Switch to Caste and OR.

1010 - Another GProphet settled in Nottingham.

1260 - Kubilai settles marble island:



1280 - And I quickly found Warwick to fill my island:



1290 - Next AI:



Both Isa and Kubilai are buddhist and I want them friendly, so switch to no religion. Hopefully Isabella will find a way to spread Buddhism to me.

1305 - Isabella wants some cash as tribute and I accept.

1310 - GS bulbs philo.

1365 - All AIs met. Wang is Zara's vassal and Hannibal is Cathy's vassal. I'm so utterly backward it isn't even funny:









1395 - Kubilai proves that world is round.

1400 - Another prophet settled in Nottingham.

1425 - I'm still waiting for Isa and KK to ask me to switch to Theocracy and Bureau, without success. So I switch anyway.

1495 - Isabella finally is the first to Liberalism. I was getting there in 10ish turns.

1525 - GS bulbs part of printing press.

1540 - KK wants help vs Zara. I accept, and Kubilai is friendly.

1716 - At this point judaism is spread to everyone, but I'm still missing a few votes. I need to spread it to 2 more mongol cities. Sadly, Isabella is still pleased. On the bright side, I've spread it to the most marginal cities (small population-->less votes) of Cathy, Zara, Wang and Hannibal, so I hope Kubilai's votes will be enough.

1734 - And finally:






Pitiful demographics:



And score:



I don't even post a tech screenshot. Everyone at the end had 5-7 techs on me. Frigates, rifles and grenadiers vs my muskets and caravels. Needless to say, everyone could have wiped me out in less than 20 turns. But luckily they was fighting each others all the time.


I had to gift a missionary to both Isabella and Zara, as they was in Theocracy. At some point I've lost a couple caravels and missionaries to Zara frigates.
The main problem was my caveman status. I had absolutely nothing to gift Isabella to get the "our trade blabla" bonus. Fav civic and resource bonus wasn't enough. Luckily Kubilai asked for help vs Zara, and that pushed him to friendly.
Buddhism spread to me would have made things A LOT easier, netting me the shared religion bonus with both Isa and Kubilai.

The smart move was spreading Judaism to the smallest possible cities of 100% un-friendly people, keeping their votes low.

Anyway, I think I'm getting the hang of this whole AP business.