GR27 - AWE Archipelago vs 30 civs

Settings:
Map: 250x250 Archipelago
AI: All 30 opponents
Civ: Ottomans
Archipelago
70% water
No Barbs
Emperor
Extra Agressive AI.
Standard AW: Must declare war as soon as we have contact with no trades, but we can look at our opponents, their techs, etc.

Roster:
Greebley
Northern Pike
markh
ThERat
Commando Bob
There is room for one more - Experience: an AWE game or deity win would be fine.

I randomized the order, but it turned out very similar to before.

We haven't met anybody

Built Warrior, Barracks.

Given that we are near the top, there is some hope we are not surrounded this time.

Good luck guys. Here's hoping for some iron in dem hills

I would offer my services but it is probably a bit beyond me, but I will follow your fight with interest.

View attachment GR27-2270BC.SAV, end of turn

3000 (0): Istanbul spearman --> spearman.


2850 (3): Istanbul spearman --> settler.


2630 (8): Istanbul settler --> warrior.


2550 (10): Istanbul warrior --> settler.


2510 (11): We found Edrine on the river hill next to the silks. This was a difficult decision, since the immediately available inner tiles of this site aren't much good, but the same is true of all reasonable available sites.


2350 (15): Istanbul settler --> spearman.


2270 (17): I played past ten turns since we haven't met any enemies, but with WC due this IT I'll stop here to permit discussion of our next tech choice. I'd take Pottery, for a granary in the capital.

Our settler/spear team should found our next city at site 1 on the screenshot.

We'll get silks hooked up this IT.

The eastern lands:

pottery seems to be the right choice, but eventually we want to go for literature and the GLib, I think

Ya, sounds good especially with no contacts.

If we want GLib we should start it early. With this many civs, one is likely to go for lit.

The mediocre available sites dictate that we won't be pre-building the GLib in a very strong city, which is another argument for starting it early.

Just noticed the new game started. I cannot play this week and will be out of town over the weekend, so I need to be skipped or swapped.

means I am up...got it then

Pre-Turn

1. 2230BC
the lux is connected and to top things I run into a Sumer warrior that turns out to be Spanish
pottery drops to 11 though

2. 2190BC
get a spear and start an archer

3. 2150BC
found Bursa to start walls there

4. 2110BC
zzz

5. 2070BC
archer is out, settler started

6. 2030BC
exploring warrior spots a coast

7. 1990BC
chicken out and insert another spear first before the settler in our capital

8. 1950BC
zzz

9. 1910BC
zzz

IT pottery comes in

10. 1870BC
we could go for alphabet (that I selected) or iron first?

Bursa would be the best city for our prebuild I reckon, maybe we start once the walls are done

Yes, I think Alphabet should be our next tech choice. If we try for IW we'll effectively be wasting the time already spent on WC, since we don't need two offensive units.

I agree with starting the pre-build in Bursa immediately after walls there.

Roster:
Greebley - On Deck
Northern Pike
markh
ThERat - Just Played
Commando Bob - Up

Wow, two turnsets in two days.

I'll see if I can keep up the pace this evening, after NCIS.

Recap
Alphabet is the next tech.

Bursa starts a palace prebuild once its walls are done.

That looks right. I'd also switch the settler build in the capital to a granary, now that we have Pottery.

Despotism
10% Tax
80% Science
10% Luxury

19 gold, +0 gpt

Alphabet in 23 turns.

City Builds

1. Istanbul (5) settler in 3, grows in 2. (vSpear, vWarrior)
2. Edrine (2) vArcher in 5, grows in 13. (2 vSpear)
3. Bursa (1) walls in 3, grows in 3. (vSpear, vArcher)

00 Settlers
01 Workers
02 Warriors
01 Archer
04 Spear

Current Units: 08
Allowed Units: 12
Support Costs: 0 gpt

Compared to Spain we are Weak.

02 Silks connected.

Plans

Bursa will start a palace prebuild after the walls.
Suggested to switch Istanbul to granary from settler.

I'm not so sure about that. I don't think that Northern Pike is wrong, but I see something else that makes sense to me. I could be wrong and that's fine; I'll learn.

With only three cities and one discovered foe, it seems like we might have time to finish the settler in Istanbul and build our fourth city on the far side of the lake 2SW of Edrine (forest tile 3SW of Edrine). It would start on walls, of course, while Istanbul trained a vSpear and Edrine another vArcher.

The fourth city would give us a diamond shape and make our ends less exposed (since they could be reinforced from two cities).

Building this fourth city delays the Granary in Isntanbul and it (Istanbul) is next to a river, so we lose out on some rather rapid growth and the enhanced production that comes from it. In a normal game I'd build the city first, but this ain't a normal game.

Which is the better build right now, granary or settler?

You're right about the good defensive properties of a diamond formation, but I don't feel those particular benefits should determine our city locations when we're under so little pressure. I'd like to keep founding river cities, with the necessary settlers produced in the most efficient way, from a town with a granary.

Are you saying that you prefer the granary build because we're under so little pressure? I hadn't thought of that.

I agree to swap to a granary as well

btw, I guess the enemy will come from the south due to the land form