Emperor Pacal - lousy neighbors.

[Fibonacci1123]

I started up a game which I meant to play offline, but I decided I would like some advice on the situation.

Settings are Emperor, normal, continents, no huts, no events, choose religions.

Here's the start:

Spoiler :

I'm not happy about the food situation, but I count 9+ cottages and 16 , so it is a very good Bur cap. I decide to SIP and burn the GH.

Played to 2240BC

Spoiler :

I meet Zara and GK. Not the two neighbors I want.

Tech went Ag > Hunting > AH.
Horses pop in Mutal's BFC and I decide to rush on of my neighbors. I go the wheel and BW.

Builds: worker, warrior, worker.

Here is map around Mutal:


Notice Zara's culture immediately to the north of Mutal.

Here area GK's cities. Karakorum is 10 tiles S of Mutal. Both of GKs cities seem to be on flat land, but he has copper.



And the world view:



Mutal itself:


Mutal could have 14/turn with 0 surplus right now.

My question is what to do.

I don't want to chariot rush through the hills, so my target is GK. Does a chariot rush seem best? or should I try to REX and stop Zara?

I don't want to delay the rush, but I want to block Zara. Should I chop a settler and grab the gold NW of Mutal?

PS sorry about the lack interface, it does not show up in full-screen mode.

 

[Fibonacci1123]

The saves:

View attachment 319916

View attachment 319915

 

[vranasm]

looks like interesting map for elepults

pigs, rice, gold city 2

if you could pigs, stone (south west) city 3 depends on GK

fish ivory city 3

cottage capital

 

[MrKlew]

I'm far from an expert, but I'd definitely grab the gold, Zara will definitely grab it if you don't and with him that close and with gold that sounds like trouble to me. Pigs/gold/clams looks good to me. Could you get the copper in there too? I can't tell. Personally it looks like Ghengis is a bit far for an early rush, I'd either rush Zara or wait for elephants/cats as vranasm suggested.

 

[ecuwins]

Yeah, settle the plains hill for the pigs/gold. Then HA rush Zara. GK should join the fun, he asked me.

 

[Fibonacci1123]

Thanks all for the advice.

Spoiler :

I have horses in the BFC and I don't get to rush anyone

But, I have elephants in the BFC I get to rush Zara

Tech pottery > writing. Then towards construction.

I will produce two quick settlers and get the gold and the pig/stone/copper. Then the fish/ivory and the rice/GH more leisurely. After that I will settle in for the elepult rush.

Dot Map - North:


Long term 1E would be better for the gold city, but I think I should put it where it can work the gold without a border pop. It will also be better able to protect the gold from Zara's culture. Fish/ivory can work some cottages and scientists and blocks Zara.

Dot Map - South:


Pigs/copper will actually have 19/turn at pop 6. The rice city will only have 14, but that is a catapult every 3 turns.

 

[Heathcliff]

Be sure to scout out Zara when you get writing, if he is boxed in, which it looks like he might be, he might dow you before you get construction.

A way to avoid this would be to go for an early alphabet and bribe them to war against each other. Both of them are bribable.

I dont like that rice-city "prod14" it looks foodpoor to me. Better to grab the pigs SE of capital as your 4th city. Why not 1N of the pigs.

 

[Fibonacci1123]

Played until 920AD. Honestly I am embarrassed to post this, I think I played poorly, but here it is anyway. Any comments are welcome.

Spoiler :

Actually, I played until about 850BC when GK DOWed me. I was too focused on building up infrastructure, so I didn't have enough military. Especially not enough axes. His SOD takes my capitol . I reload...

This time, I get a better balance of military. I still get DOWed by GK, but I have enough troops that there is no real threat. I even get a GG out of it.

Tech is slow, even with FIN+gold. I got Alpha, which I think was a big mistake. I made some small trades, but nothing on the Construction line was available, not even Masonry. I couldn't time a GS right to bulb Math. I should have just gone for HBR and given up on the jumbos...

Anyway around 1 AD I start my "rush." GK won't be bribed to attack Zara, and I can't leave him at my back, so he is my target. Elephants and Cats work like a charm. Cities fall easily, with minimal casualties.

The first problem is that they are slow. The second problem is more subtle. GK has 8 cites (or so), but apparently his goal was to corner the market on tundra and ice. Only 2 of them are good, 3 more are ok, but badly placed. The others are useless. So for the effort of taking 8 cities, I get paid back with 2 good, developed cities. Not a great ratio of payoff to effort.

I finish off GK in 980AD. I have seven cities and room for about 6 more. In 980BC, I like this position, in 980AD I feel way behind. I suppose I should settle my land and play catch up.

The one bright spot was that even though I didn't get CoL until the early ADs, I founded a religion (Bud since I play choose religions). Zara and I are now happy Buddhists together, although he still won't even trade Priesthood. BTW Zara is researching Feudalism.

Here is the Mayan core of my empire:


The Mongolian colonies:


The unsettled East:


World View:


Zara has a fair amount of land, but it is mediocre overall:



Demographics:


Cities:




View attachment 320101

 

[strijder20]

I'm not an experienced player, but you are probably doing fairly well - you are ahead in score from Zara while having less cities, so you are probably ahead in tech. On top of that, you are somehow ahead in power so he won't attack you either for the moment. You can easily place a lot more cities on your continent, tech to something good (cuirassiers?), take Zara out and win by having the land of three players.