Micro Challenge VI !

[kossin]

Micro Challenge Central

After another long(er) hiatus, the 6th instalment is here! I know I said at one point it'd only be granaries, but I figured this'd be fun and I didn't have to invest much time

Yes I'll get around to posting the solution to #5 even if a lot of information was given already. It takes time and I don't have that much of it

I'd ask for spoilers to be used so that nothing is given away too easily. You're free to talk about anything else though.

Be advised that you may find answers if you look at spoilers...

Micro Challenge VI

You are Gandhi. [Civ Illustrated]

​

This is your cooked start.

Spoiler :

A few relevant techs have been given for the task at hand: Pottery, Monarchy, Fishing, Agriculture, Optics, Genetics, Bronze Working.

Contrary to Shaka, Asoka likes gold. He likes it so much he wants hordes of it and will not budge the gold slider from 100% !

The challenge: complete the following tasks:
Normal : accumulate 3200 gold by turn 93.

Spoiler :

Hard : accumulate 3500 gold by turn 93.

Spoiler :

Nightmare : accumulate 3750 gold by turn 93.

Spoiler :

Alternatively: on what turn did you reach 3750 gold?

If you leave the tech choice on Writing, you'll be done once it is researched...

Settings
Not really important but events are off.

Difficulty
Normal should be rather easy even if you automate.
Hard should be a bit more challenging... I think.
Nightmare... is it even possible?

Spoiler :

This is my one lazy attempt without reloading. With better optimization, it's definitely possible to reach 3700. 3750? Maybe . Or maybe I'm very wrong and it's possible to go to 3800+

Solution
Thanks to pomthom for his generous time in providing a turn-by-turn detailed solution.

 

[pomthom]

Let's try this.

Spoiler :

We're Gandhi BTW...

 

[rfcfanatic]

My first attempt didn't go well. Went full-mode cottages from the beginning, except building 4 farms at size 6 or 7 when realizing the city didn't grow quickly enough to work all these cottages. The result - 2829 gold - misses by far even the Normal goal.

I never liked riverside farms, because I've considered them waste of good cottage land. I'll try them now.

 

[pomthom]

Got Hard goal on 3rd attempt with 71 /Turn. 168 short for Nightmare level

Spoiler :

Reached 3750 @turn 96

Spoiler :

There must something I'm missing...

 

[rfcfanatic]

The 2nd attempt - 3523 (70/turn).

Spoiler :

I built 4 farms before I started cottaging. Just like the last time, the city didn't grow larger than level 15.

 

[kossin]

We're Gandhi BTW...

Ugh, thanks.

 

[rfcfanatic]

Tried completely different approach and finally got 3898 (106/turn) by T93.

Spoiler :

Turned slider to 100%, beelined Civil Service and adopted Bureaucracy (T49). Only then I switched off slider.

Didn't whip anything, not even Library. I tried to do this several times earlier, but it was counter-productive and didn't help me to Civil Service sooner. Also, I didn't run any specialists (tested with Caste System merchants earlier but without success).

Built again 4 farms. 3 of them before cottages. The last farm came after 3 or 4 cottages. At pop 12-13 I hit the happy cap. Because of Warrior production was slower than city growth, I used the "avoid growth" as long as being 1 turn away from Warrior.

 

[rfcfanatic]

3916 (106/turn)

Spoiler :

Basically same approach, but this time I built 4 farms in the beginning, let one Worker to pre-build cottages on them and gradually finished the cottages when I hit the happy cap.

 

[terriFyer]

This sum b.itch is too fu__cking hard

 

[rfcfanatic]

4016 ! I thought 4000 was impossible, but I did it

kossin, thanks for the very interesting challenge!

 

[kossin]

Ah, I see I was wrong once again, well done rfc... I'll modify the gold amounts when I get another shot at it to get some numbers.
EDIT: Gold slider shouldn't be moved. See OP.

 

[Ric]

4207 gold

Spoiler :

 

[rfcfanatic]

Well done, Ric You crossed the 4000 milestone by solid margin It seems that have to keep on trying this

 

[CrazyAntics]

Hit the hard goal with 3583 on turn 93, with 3721 (+69) on turn 95. Very surprised.

Spoiler :

First try! I hit the hard goal, based pretty much on the hunch that 4 farms would be enough to grow into the happiness and health we had provided. This turned out to be spot on, but of course had I done math instead of just winging it I would've saved about 8 turns of one unhappy face. Anyway, gameplan ended up being 4 farms + cottages until size 8, then switch off most of the farms to angle for timing warriors and growth. Probably going to try one more time, but of course, once I read others spoilers I'm sure someone will have done something much cooler.

 

[RJM]

Ah, I see I was wrong once again, well done rfc... I'll modify the gold amounts when I get another shot at it to get some numbers.

I thought we weren't allowed to change the gold slider!

 

[RagingHordes]

Another great challenge! Well done, kossin!

 

[Ric]

I thought we weren't allowed to change the gold slider!

Guess I didn't read the original post thoroughly enough... scratch my previous entry then

New attempt done properly 3711 gold on t93, would have passed the 3750 on t94

Spoiler :

 

[kossin]

I thought we weren't allowed to change the gold slider!

That was my original intention but seeing the attempts I thought I had not written it.. hmm, so I don't have to do anything then

 

[rfcfanatic]

I'm sorry, but I didn't understand that changing the slider was against the rules.

 

[rfcfanatic]

3596 so far without touching the slider.

By the way, this challenge is to prove that Slavery is an useless peacetime civic. No matter what they say. It only hurts commerce. It hurts it badly. I'll stay away from peacetime Slavery in the future.