NEWB2: Population

[VoiceOfUnreason]

Noble Exercise Work Book II

Population Growth with Hatshepsut

.

Our opening exercise takes place on a Lakes map (ancient era, normal speed), with Hatshepsut as the leader of the Egyptians. Again, we want to establish a simple base from which we can begin to develop a win. We'll define that base as achieving all of the following conditions:

• Founding three cities (your capital plus two more cities) -- more cities are allowed
• Three of the cities you have founded must each have 9 happy citizens
• with no citizen specialists (other specialists OK)
• and no citizens working unimproved tiles.

The object of this exercise is to achieve this "victory condition" as quickly as possible. So your "score" is the turn on which you've achieved all of these.

THE SAVE

 

[VoiceOfUnreason]

The restrictions on working citizens apply only in the three cities being used to meet the exit conditions - any other cities are allowed to work unimproved tiles, or run citizens as necessary.

Capturing cities is allowed, but a captured city may not be used as one of the three.

The victory condition requires that three cities meet the conditions at the same time - each city must have at least 9 happy pop, with improvements + slots to match.

 

[VoiceOfUnreason]

You are allowed to take a look at this general view of the neighborhood before making your first attempt. The spoiler tag is only for those who prefer to fly blind.

Spoiler :

 

[Soirana]

[*] Three of the cities you have founded must have 9 happy citizens

Three cities having 9 total or each 9 persons for 27 total?

 

[VoiceOfUnreason]

Three cities having 9 total or each 9 persons for 27 total?

27 (or more) total.

 

[DaveMcW]

Spoiler :

900BC without realizing I didn't need all 3 cities to reach 9 pop.

 

[Monsterzuma]

925 BC

Spoiler :

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/914/civ4screenshot0015.jpg

There's still room for improvement in there.

 

[essmene]

Hm. I understood this series as a place for others to improve their gameplay. I would have been interested in a discussion about build orders or research paths.

Having pigs and cows in the BFC and going for AH is a no brainer. But AH / BW / IW for popping horses / iron / copper by luck are a hard choice. (without popping the word builder).

Why did you settle where you settled and what possible candidates did you evaluate ?

 

[Soirana]

To Monsterzuma: your skeletal economy is way to skeletal this time... To pop 9 without granaries...

975BC without bothering micro to much. [so i guess with reloads from autoisaves i could cut a century or so...]


City1:

Spoiler :

City2:

Spoiler :

City3:

Spoiler :

As you see in most cases i have over 9 improvements +some roadwork done. Luckily i needed exactly one road + rivers to connect cities. Unluckily could not kept cap healthy

Techs [since one city lagged i teched Alpha]

Spoiler :

Land:

Spoiler :

As education part goes...

It is Noble. Question is not if you get Oracle, the question is what you take from it. Naturally i took Monarchy as main way to enough hapiness... I also put camp on ivory since by loosing five worker turns [4on camp, one to get on jungle] i save hammers on three warriors.

Granaries - you want to grow you get these unless you are planning some undead economy. Since i had granaries whipping libaries was not a problem.

C'mmon, guys, you can do better

Edit: Do i need to say settling on plainhill saves few turns of worker being done?

 

[Monsterzuma]

To Monsterzuma: your skeletal economy is way to skeletal this time... To pop 9 without granaries...

lol @ "this time"

My problem with granaries is that I can't fit them (Pottery) into my tech plan. Monarchy is just too important, and to Oracle for it is a waste of hammers when you have plenty of time to research it manually even without putting any sort of investment in cottages or scientists. Like you said, this in Noble. In addition, a granary doesn't come for free. It takes hammers that could have been food, and chops that could have been tile improvements.

Anyhow, here's 1000 BC.

[so i guess with reloads from autoisaves i could cut a century or so...]

Hmm... It's easy to underestimate what kind of efficiency gains it takes to speed a whole empire up by 4 turns. Would love to see you pull it off though.

 

[Soirana]

My problem with granaries is that I can't fit them (Pottery) into my tech plan.

True if you want granaries you need Oracle. selling point i also get extra food [by more early AH] and extra happy via hunting.

Oracle for it is a waste of hammers

Let me see, i wasted 150 on Oracle, 180 on granaries, 90+on libraries and still came ahead?
Oh, no yoiu beated me by one turn with your undead stinky cities...

Anyhow, here's 1000 BC.

Hmm... It's easy to underestimate what kind of efficiency gains it takes to speed a whole empire up by 4 turns. Would love to see you pull it off though.

I actually only did pilot test [oracle versus setlling gold] result was good so i posted.

I loaded my own 2200 BC [more or less] save and did some reasonable micro [and tiny bit of thinking] [probably reloading from start could top that by few turns but i am very lazy person]

Can your undead boneless economy beat this?

 

[jmas]

I'm a little late to this party. Is the NEWB2 save in version 3.19?

 

[VoiceOfUnreason]

I'm a little late to this party. Is the NEWB2 save in version 3.19?

Yes, it is a 3.19 save.

 

[Monsterzuma]

Can your undead boneless economy beat this?

Oh, I don't know. But I know I can.

 

[Soirana]

Welcome, believer! ))

Did I saw both granaries and an Oracle?

Edit: Why you wasted hammers on these?

 

[cabert]

I'm not playing 3.19 until HoF migrates, but this seems to be a good one.

HR seems to dominate here, noone tries another option?
I see gold and ivory + possible religions.
It doesn't seem to beat HR though, on the short run.

 

[VoiceOfUnreason]

It doesn't seem to beat HR though, on the short run.

That's accidentally deliberate: I think introducing Noble level players to Hereditary Rule is important, so I wanted a map where that approach would trump religions / early representation / happy resources.

That said: the map is a true one: undoctored, and with no more selection than "hey, that start looks reasonable, does a satellite view reveal any distractions?"

 

[DaveMcW]

Personally I think emphasizing HR over AH resources is misleading.

 

[Soirana]

Personally i think it is not normal that in thread meant for noble players worst guy who posted a save plays at immortal level...

 

[cabert]

Personally i think it is not normal that in thread meant for noble players worst guy who posted plays at immortal level...

I don't play immortal, except for HoF