ALC Game 21: Zulus/Shaka

[Sisiutil]

All Leaders Challenge Game 21: Zulus/Shaka
Played with the Beyond the Sword expansion pack


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Pre-Game Thread
Round 1: 4000 BC to 2750 BC (50 turns)
Round 2: 2750 BC to 1200 BC (62 turns)
Round 3: 1200 BC to 155 BC (51 turns)
Round 4: 155 BC to 460 AD (41 turns)
Round 5: 460 AD to 1220 AD (63 turns)
Round 6: 1220 AD to 1565 AD (66 turns)
Round 7: 1565 AD to 1610 AD (9 turns)
Round 8: 1610 AD to 1704 AD (20 turns)
Round 9: 1704 AD to 1740 AD (18 turns)
Round 10: 1740 AD to 1814 AD (37 turns)
Post Mortem

Starting Position (this post, below)

The idea of the All Leaders Challenge is that I'm going to play a game with each of the Civ IV leaders. With the help of all the posters who participate, I will attempt to make the most of the leader's unique characteristics: traits, starting techs, unit, and building. Aside from the leader, the other game settings are (mostly) kept constant for the sake of comparison. I will post the saved game files, screenshots, and status reports here as the game progresses. Everyone then has a chance to chime in with their strategy ideas, or voice their frustration (or glee) when I make a mistake.

Everyone is invited to offer opinions and advice, and to make your own attempt at playing the same game. But if you do play a "shadow game", I kindly request that you refrain from posting spoilers--i.e. any facts or even hints about the map, opponents, and so on--before I'm there myself. I'm trying to play the game as authentically as possible.

In this ALC game, I'll be playing as Shaka, leader of the Zulus. I'm playing the game using the new Beyond the Sword expansion pack, its latest patch (3.13), and Bhruic's unofficial patches as well. The difficulty level is Emperor, the map is Inland Sea, and the speed is Epic.

Here is a more detailed look at the initial game settings.



Here's the starting position:



Not spectacular, but not bad. I've got some hills, rivers for the health bonus and potential cottaging, forests for chopping, at least one flood plain (probably more), and an irrigated grain tile. Furs are nearby and could be claimed by a later city. It would be nice if there was copper on one of those exposed plains tiles, but I won't hold my breath.

The Scout should probably go north, then NW.

 

[Hackapell]

not the greatest start, and your scout is too far away to really provide any good intel. You my have to spend some time looking for a good capital, as there's no obvious place for it.

 

[popejubal]

If you can find a luxury resource nearby (even at a second city site), then this will be a decent starting position. Trees to chop. Floodplains. Food resource. Plenty of production balanced with decent food (I'm assuming at least one more flood plain in the BFC once you settle somewhere).

Since you are certainly not going for a religion, it might even be worth moving the scout 1N and then either 1W or 1 some other direction if there is another hill 1 space away and then move the settler 2 NW.

If you do move back to your original spot to settle, then that would be a "lost" 2 turns, but you pick up a lot of intel on the surrounding area and have a much better chance for a starting position that is actually good for this game instead of being what the computer decided is good.

 

[DMOC]

I suggest settling in place; tundra is around here and if you move the capital, you risk gaining some tundra (by the way, how is the floodplain there so close to tundra?).

Research will obviously be Mining/BW/Wheel

Start with a worker first as your scout can do the exploring necessary.

 

[URSExelcior]

Good luck.

 

[BARBEERIAN]

I'd move the Scout 1N > 1NE and see what it reveals. Depending on what's up I'd be tempted to move the settler 1N or 2N. Looks like more rivers up there for Cottages and Levee bonus, and nothing special in the south part of the 'current' Fax-X.

Regardless of where you move go worker first. Shaka's expansive, plus you've already got Agri for the wheat. Then pump a few scouts/warriors for fogbusting until the first settler. I usually go worker > scout > warrior x2/3 (depending how much time until growth. I'll do the extra warrior if the city will grow shortly) > settler.

 

[Inspector Dex]

I'm excited to finally following along with an ALC game "live" as it were. If you settle in place, I'll be interested to see how you deal with the possible food shortage. You might have to farm some of the floodplains.

 

[VoiceOfUnreason]

I'm not too impressed by the mid-game production of this location, so I would be considering settling the capital either one east, or one north. The scout is actually in a good position, as he can identify what you would lose to the west, and the terrain to the south seems clearly identified (though there might be a resource hiding in the trees; I'd be happy to gamble that if we lose something like deer, that they will eventually feed a second city to the south).

So first use the scout to identify the remaining tiles in the west (and that northern tile you would lose if you moved east).

Based on that info, you can settle at once, or hop east or north east. Directly east allows you to settle there if that turns out great, moving northeast (onto the wheat) gives you another look at the north to choose your landing tile.

Given the terrain, the original game plan (Mining, BW) looks pretty reasonable. You are Expansive, and have the option of a 3H tile right away, so you can train that first worker with a one hammer bonus (13 turns instead of 15). In the current location, you have no bare hills to mine, which I think would leave you briefly idle after the wheat is irrigated. So training a scout before the worker may be reasonable - if so, my instinct is to push it out fast, rather than trying to be cute and grow the city at the same time.

Once the worker is done, max growth while using the trees to produce what you need, and find your targets....

 

[TRJS]

Settle in place. I always do.

Obvious scout move already suggested. 1N then 1 wherever.

Warrior, Iskhanda, worker perhaps.

Let the fun begin.

 

[Commodore Nate]

Hey, long time lurker, first post to get in the middle of this thread.
Hm, I'd say move your scout onto the forested hill at 1 northeast to see if moving the settler 1 northwest is viable; could get that wheat in the first culture expansion.
TRJS' build queue sounds pretty good, so I'd say go with that.

 

[d.a.oconnell]

There may be some resources up north once you actually settle. Like you said, there is opportunity here for production... don't let the tundra scare you away.

 

[uncarved block]

Thank you for going with one of my favorite maps. The discussion and choices made might help my game more than all the previous 20 ALCs combined. Good luck-- you might well need it.

I predict the number of units killed in the post game wrap up will be much higher than usual. Have to remember to check it out once the last save is posted.

 

[KmDubya]

Long time lurker here. Thanks for this great series, I've improved much by reading them.

I vote for settle in place for the below listed reasons.

1. Moving will delay settling.

2. Tundra is to the south and possibly to the west, no reason to add tundra to the capitol.

3. The two exposed plains will likely have horses, copper or iron in them. It is a crime to settle on any of them, especially prior to when you can see them.

4. Settling on either of the hills also will stunt your long term hammers. You want a sustained attack that will last for thousands of years, not a single quick rush. An early single bonus hammer is not worth a chop and a future mine.

For the first build I vote for worker to irrigate the wheat and then either scout or warrior to escort the first settler.

 

[Mesousa]

Move the scout. And soon, so that the first, limited knowledge part of the discussion about where to settle doesn't become unnecessarily long.

Are the options in the screen shot all you used, is this a game with tribal villages?

 

[Monkeyfinger]

Move settler 1N.

The terrain to the south you give up for doing that is crappy, no loss there. Looks like you give up a couple floodplains by settling 1E, don't do that.

 

[rupertmonkey]

Move the settler 1E and put down roots. Gives you an extra forest to chop over settling in place and gets the game under way quickly. Good luck. I'm looking forward to it, because I've never gotten Shaka to work for me. I'm not vicious enough.

 

[TM Moot]

Moving settler 1N should be worth losing one turn.

First off though, scout 1N and then 1 elsewhere (poss 1NE).

Also, building a scout first isn't a bad idea on a largely land filled map. Always helpful to know where our neighbours (*victims*) are...

 

[patagonia]

I'm not too impressed by the mid-game production of this location, so I would be considering settling the capital either one east, or one north.

2S and 2S1E both look like hills to me (based on the screenshot), so production won't be too bad. Unless there's a hidden food resource, you'll probably even need to farm the floodplains to work them.

I'd be inclined to settle in place and stick with VoU's advice about working the forested plains hill while building scout > worker and researching mining > bronze. The sooner if you can find out there's copper out there, the better.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Since the scout only has 2 moves if you move it N or SW, and I can't see anyone arguing for moving SW, I'd move the scout 1N, post another screenshot, and then everyone can debate where to move the scout for its 2nd move. Otherwise we'll end up with 10 pages of discussion again...

Looks like 2 more floodplains in the darkness to the NW, I think settling in place would be OK. But move the scout and post another screenie!

 

[Coast]

Settle 1N of your settler location. More irrigatable tiles, connected to two rivers.