Beta Gauntlet VI

[regoarrarr]

Hey jOe,

I'm impressed with this farm/mine strategy. 850 beakers is huge. I didn't not break 750 in my last game. Tell me more. How big is your city? I can't see where 850 comes from with no cottages.

Here's how a cottage is better than a scientist:

Scientist : 6
with let's say 200% = 18

Town + PrintingPress + Financial : 6
Bureaucracy : +3 = 9
with let's say 200% = 27

And that's a town that's not on a river.
Then don't forget the +hammer for Universal Sufferage.

Scientist is 9 beakers with Representation. And I think it's likely to be more than 200% (Library / Uni / Observ / Academy / Oxford), but that's equivalent in the 2 cases, assuming 100% science, which I've run the whole of all of my games.

Plus a scientist generates more great people, which can be added as super-specialists for another 9 bpt. Not sure which way is best, but I think I'm leaning towards farming

 

[n0xie]

#$(&#@)(&%#

Just played another game and it my pc crashed near the end. I came here to see if anyone had posted anything interesting and I just realize I forgot to tick 'no cheating'. Great. Oh well, no coal and aliminium, but still going strong on that game. It's about 1800ish and I'm halfway through the spaceship. Not bad without railroads

I have to say that score will greatly depend on available resources. If you have no stone/marble/coal/aliminium, it will set you back at least a couple of turns. I expect someone with a lucky start break the 1800 barrier. My game is close, and probably would have made it if I could have build some railroads on the forests.

I started near floodplains with some hills and some forests, so I went for cottages this time. I don't know why, but the farm strategy seems better somehow. I was taking in about 650 beakers near the end, but the other game I was way over 800 (city size 20 compared to city size 30 mind you). As this city was far less productive as my other game (I blame the missing GPP for that), I had to cut back on what to build, which resulted in me building more efficient and this time my GPP were working as they should. I mostly got scientists and the occaisional prophet and engineers ( I used one for the Partheon and have 1 saved for the space elevator).

I really enjoy these OCC games and will try once more and hopefully get coal or aliminium, and either marble or stone. At least I seem to get iron each game, which if you don't intend to build an army, is pretty useless

 

[crunch]

Bah, 1904.
I was Qin and I added 11 AI to the tiny "Great Plains". Allowed some trading early.
I had more production than beakers, so I built some research to get those techs faster. Great starting location, but, alas, no aluminium. If I hit legendary sooner, greek aluminum just outside the border would flip to me. Oh well.

 

[WastinTime]

1755 AD. launch. Looks like a 1600 finish is possible.

I started the Apollo project in 900 AD. No aluminum (again) and this time I didn't build the space elevator because I decided not to switch to Univ. suff. which means I couldn't rush buy the elevator. Seems like a waste of time to built it (esp. without aluminum.)

Just me (Qin), Mansa and the Khans.

I took some of the advice and built a couple farms. I generated a ton of Great Scientists. Maybe I'll go back to Liz and really work the GPs harder. It seems a balance between cottages and GP farms is best. That's nice; It should be that way.
I never got to size 20. I think the farming strategy breaks down if you go beyond your health limit. If I'm working a farm, I'm eating two food and one more is wasted on unhealthy. So all I get is +1 food if I have Biology, nothing pre-Bio. And who wants to rush to Biology?

 

[LulThyme]

Submitted a 1882 AD launch.
This was actually my first game past about Liberalism.
My start was really strong but I made many many mistakes because I didnt know the endgame well enough.
I think earlier than 1700 AD is possible for sure.
I think if a lot of people try this, we will get a sub 1600 AD.
I'll post some of my ideas when I have the time

 

[godotnut]

1938 with Victoria, an improvement on my last game, but nothing compared to some of these scores. I used team battlegrounds again with two Khans and Mansa. I learned that I need to a) give away all my techs as quickly as possible, and b) wait for a start with more food resources, esp corn/rice/wheat, all of which are doubled by the granary.

I built the Taj near the end because I didn't have anything better to do, and was punished with four artists for it... sigh.

Next time I think I'll try it with Liz. Thought about Qin, but since I already get nearly all the wonders that I want, I don't see much use for his wonder-building bonus.

Would some of you with the nice low end-dates let me know what kind of maps you're using?

 

[crunch]

Great plains, 11 foes, Elizabeth... 1864 AD
on Noble... doh! I usually play noble and forgot to change the difficulty. Bummer.
Noticed in the Hall of Fame after winning. My last game was noble too. Actually I was wondering why the AI was doing so well, stealing my Oracle in 1000 BC and Pyramids 800 BC. I almost restarted but then I decided to play on. I hoped to use a nearby stone but it remained outside of my borders until 1500s.

Positives:
- very strong starting location: 2 silver, gold, 4 floodplain (one with deer), sheep, iron, wheat, fur and uranium in FAT CROSS
- three aluminium cans in cultural area

I used liberalism to get Assembly Line. The only date I noted was 1390 when I started to build Apollo.

Strategy: running max scientists most of the time while trying to work as much as possible of the gold/silver I had (alas, both was not possible, perhaps I should have irrigated the floodplains...). Three cottages on floodplains, camp on deer floodplain. Decided to keep 4 forests in fat cross for some extra health.

Two military units, upgraded from warriors. One worker.

Used final scientist and fusion engineer to trigger GA.

Civics: Representation, Bureaucracy, Slavery, Free Market, Pacifism

 

[regoarrarr]

Another thought that I had is if you are far ahead tech-wise, which seems to always be the case, you could delay Liberalism. Research it till there's one turn left, then switch and research other things until you can get something really expensive as the free tech.

 

[syn]

Gauntlets are fun!
Tried this one twice, looks like 1890 is my limit though..
I think teching is the key here, cause you need to research everything yourself, the other boneheads you're playing with are of no use

@WastinTime How do you tech so fast? Do you use your GP for techs? Then you must use really clever research tree. Could you give some tips please.

 

[Methos]

Scientist is 9 beakers with Representation.

Plus a scientist generates more great people, which can be added as super-specialists for another 9 bpt.

A normal scientist specialist only makes 6 bpt with Representation. A merged scientist super specialist makes 9 bpt with Representation.

1755 AD. launch. Looks like a 1600 finish is possible.

Wow! Great job on that game! Makes me curious just how early we can finish this one. I wish I had more time so I could play more than one game every several days.

Would some of you with the nice low end-dates let me know what kind of maps you're using?

I don’t know if you consider my date on the low-end, but I have been playing a balanced map.

Another thought that I had is if you are far ahead tech-wise, which seems to always be the case, you could delay Liberalism.

This is exactly what I have been doing. I typically use Liberalism to get Radio. Radio seems a rather expensive tech that is required for several different paths. I could probably hold off and get a later one if I really wanted to.

 

[Methos]

@Wastingtime: What type of map did you use? Any chance we could see a screenshot of your city?

 

[jOe chOOch]

a scientist under rep gets +3 beakers so its actually 9. I never use universal sufferage. it wouldnt help my strat. the single biggest mistake i made at first was using GP to tech or rush. It doesnt work for me. now i use every single GP as a super spec.

Im not sure exactly how my tech rate was so high except that almost all of ny gp are scientist. I stopped building the parth and stonehedge, i may even stop building oracle just to increase the chance of a great scientist. I dont need really need the great engineers either, but i have to have the pyramids. there is nothing difficult about this strat at all. just build farms and try to work as many scientist as possible. its important however to have a 4 or 5 hills and with all the farms they are really easy to work. All floodplains and watermills might work nice too with replaceable parts.

 

[WastinTime]

I use Balanced maps because you're supposed to get Aluminum, but I keep missing out.

Regarding hills (I had none in my 1755 launch):
Grass/Hill + mine + railroad < Plains/Forest + Lumbermill + railroad
because, you also get the health bonus from the forest.

A screenshot of the end is kinda messed up because I change towns to watermills and even put some workshops on top of farms.

Teching: I go straight for alphabet (with bronze along the way). Then trade for as much as you can and go for Civil Service. I'd like to use the Oracle for CS, but it is never ready by then, so I save it for education. After Education, beeline to PrintingPress (if you're playing cottages). I delay Liberalism to use for Computers. Late game there is a big choice. What do you all think about this.
A. Beeline to Computers for the Lab. Boosts beakers and spaceship production.
B. Beeline to Rocketry to start Apollo ASAP.
C. Beeline to Industrialism for the Aluminum and factories.
From there you can go for plastics/robotics and get the space elevator.
D. Beeline Biology (and medicine?) for the farming strategy?

After you do one of these, where to next?

At the Diety level, I think it's a no-brainer. You have to beeline computers, then fiber optics for the internet. But what good is the internet for this gauntlet? It's because of this that my natural tendency is to go for computers first. Last time I chose B and started Apollo because I had no hills and figured I needed to get building early.

Great People:
I use almost all my GPs as super specialists. One artist (hopefully only 1) for a culture bomb. Sometimes the last two make a golden age like crunch said.
I should save an engineer for the space elevator, but if I get him early enough, I'd rather just add him to the city for the +3hammer +6 beaker.

Leader: Qin and Liz are my fav.
I'd love to try this playing as Mansa to see how I like Spiritual, but I want him as an opponent. I suppose I could give up financial and try Gandhi, or Salidin.

 

[regoarrarr]

Are you saying that you take Education with the Oracle? How late can you build the Oracle and still get it? I was trying to have it done by 750 BC at the latest.

My early wonder path goes Pyramids, Oracle, then maybe Great Lighthouse (+2 trade routes) and Hanging Gardens

 

[godotnut]

@crunch: what a starting position! Except for those mountains, it looks ideal. I'm trying Great Plains next time.

 

[Methos]

a scientist under rep gets +3 beakers so its actually 9.

No, they don't. A normal scientist specialist with Rep only gives +6 bpt. A super specialist scientist gives +9 bpt. I've provided a screenshot from another OCC game of mine (non-gauntlet) to show you.

As you can see it is only +6 bpt.

 

[WastinTime]

@crunch: what a starting position! Except for those mountains, it looks ideal. I'm trying Great Plains next time.

Pretty sweet, but you're in a corner. That, plus the mountains adds up to a huge lack of forests. Still, I would have liked to play that one myself.

Look at all that aluminum!

 

[jOe chOOch]

thanks for pointing that out. hmmm, i got an 1874 launch now but my strat is looking weaker.

 

[WastinTime]

Are you saying that you take Education with the Oracle? How late can you build the Oracle and still get it? I was trying to have it done by 750 BC at the latest.

My early wonder path goes Pyramids, Oracle, then maybe Great Lighthouse (+2 trade routes) and Hanging Gardens

Yea, I was doing Education with the Oracle back on the Noble level gauntlet. At warlord (and with the Khan's on top of that) you can delay the oracle for a long time. 500 BC pretty easy, who knows if they'd ever build it? Someone should try to get Computers with the Oracle

Great Lighthouse? I suppose maybe, but it gets obsoleted at some point. What about the Great Lib? Sadly that goes down with Sci Meth, but it's pretty powerful. I don't grab the h. gardens until late when I'm almost at my max size. I always pass on the Parthenon and Stonehenge.

 

[EvantheSavage]

Are you saying that you take Education with the Oracle?
It takes some work and some timing, but it can be done if no one else snags the oracle, which is usually anywhere from 1000bc or so to about 400bc IME. Education is a huge bonus if you get it for free. Its usually around twice the beakers than most other techs available at that point in the game