ALC Game #9 Pre-Game Show: Playing as Huayna Capac

[FoolontheHill]

Test game (Moonsinger's strategy):

Monarch-Continents-normal speed-normal settings.

I gave up a starting spot with several calendar resources and wandered with both the starting settler and Quechua. Found Mansa and settled right next to him in 3560BC (so several turns spent wandering). He of course has skirmishers, so I figure I'm toast. Build barracks and then 4 Quechuas. Take them straight to Timbuktu and attack. I needed the two to one advantage, but captured his capital (20% defense). He had built another city so I built more Quechuas and captured that one in 1560BC. Thus ends Mansa.

So, in 1560 I have three cities (as many as any of the AI have (checked in worldbuilder)) two captured workers (didn't steal, got them from city captures) and a nice tight empire. I'm somewhat surprised by this. I'm a little behind on tech, and I don't think I would have much chance for an early wonder, but it is an interesting way to rush. In the right situation, I think it could be quite advantageous.

I had no chance at the early religions, but it is actually a pretty good position at this point.

 

[Jet]

I'll be looking to counter that AI research advantage with Financial's commerce bonus--that means I'll also want to research Currency for Markets and Guilds for Grocers fairly early too, I should think.

You may build Markets and Grocers in shrine cities and in cities with a proven need for the health or happy. You may build eight Banks, and you may build Wall Street. Other than that, you may not build cash buildings. Now finish your squash, corn and beans.

 

[Sisiutil]

I don't think these 2 things are compatible. I suppose it's not impossible, since the AI tends to prefer Buddhism, but if you waste 5 turns before founding your capital, you've got no chance at all of founding Hinduism if an AI wants it and slim chance even if an AI didn't want it.

Well, DUH. I shoulda known that. This is what I get for listening to all the cooks gathered around the pot.

At any rate, everyone keeps saying "it depends on the start", so we may as well get on with it. The game thread is now underway. See you there!

EDIT:

You may build Markets and Grocers in shrine cities and in cities with a proven need for the health or happy. You may build eight Banks, and you may build Wall Street. Other than that, you may not build cash buildings. Now finish your squash, corn and beans.

Sorry, but that doesn't make much sense to me. Huayna is Financial. I'll be going the cottage economy route. Shouldn't any city with a few cottages or more get all three of the commerce multipliers to maximize their economic output?

 

[Jet]

I think you'll be at high research and will tend to either have few hammers or be better off building military.

 

[Dr Elmer Jiggle]

You may build Markets and Grocers in shrine cities and in cities with a proven need for the health or happy. You may build eight Banks, and you may build Wall Street. Other than that, you may not build cash buildings. Now finish your squash, corn and beans.

I've heard this sort of thing before, but I don't find it to be very realistic in my own games. Sure, when your economy is doing great and you're at 90% to 100% on the science slider, you're right that markets aren't doing a whole lot for you. On the other hand, when you've overexpanded and are stuck at 40% on the science slider and still losing money, markets are a great way to dig yourself out of the hole. Obviously the real solution is to not get myself into that situation in the first place, but I find that it happens more often than you'd think.

 

[Gozert]

Sorry, but that doesn't make much sense to me. Huayna is Financial. I'll be going the cottage economy route. Shouldn't any city with a few cottages or more get all three of the commerce multipliers to maximize their economic output?

Banks, Markets and Grocers are not commerce multipliers, but only wealth multipliers. This is a big difference since commerce affects both research and wealth.

When you're running 100% Science you're not getting any benefit from these buildings unless you have a shrine and/or The Spiral Minaret and/or run Prophets and/or Merchants.

 

[gdgrimm]

Banks, Markets and Grocers are not commerce multipliers, but only wealth multipliers. This is a big difference since commerce affects both research and wealth.

When you're running 100% Science you're not getting any benefit from these buildings unless you have a shrine and/or The Spiral Minaret and/or run Prophets and/or Merchants.

All very true. But depending on what style of game you're playing, you won't be running 100% research for anything longer than Ancient Era.

If in a CE economy, I generally use an 80%+ research in the green as a sign to expand -- either peacefully or militarily. So I end up playing most of the game in the 50-80% range. That still means prioritizing research buildings over wealth buildings, but it still makes wealth buildings useful.

 

[Welnic]

Also markets are happiness aids and grocers help health. But then the original poster on this topic did say that.

 

[Gnarfflinger]

When I played HC in Vanilla, I researched Pottery first, then emphasized imperative worker techs. The idea was that I could cottage spam as I grew to exploit the Financial trait. I usually got one civ out from a Quecha rush, and then knew where my Bronze was for the second war.