[BTS] BOTM 126 First Spoiler - 1AD

[DynamicSpirit]

BOTM 126 - First Spoiler to 1 AD

Use this thread to tell us what happened in your game, up to 1AD! How are you finding the game? I know Prince level AIs can be cunning and deadly - I hope you're managing to survive...

Stop! If you are participating in BOTM 126, then you MUST NOT read this thread unless EITHER

• You have reached at least 1 AD in your game, OR
• You have submitted your entry

Posting Restrictions

• Please do not disclose ANY events or information gained post 1 AD.
• Please do not reveal your final result if that happened after 1 AD.
• Please do not discuss the location of resources that may not show up before 1 AD. (Iron is OK, coal and oil are not)
  
• Do not post any savegame file from the game. Discussions and screenshots are fine but not actual games

 

[LowtherCastle]

I had a first. Spawned two GSes for Astro. Hovering over the first bulb, it said in the lower left-hand corner that it would help research Astro but didn't give the usual calculation of beakers. I thought that was weird but I didn't second guess it. Blunder. This has never happened to me before and I've never heard of it. I clicked on the bulb, the Astro pop-up appeared, as if I had teched the entire tech and now had Astro. It then auto-vanished and voila! Zero beakers into Astro and no more GS. Then I hovered over the second GS, got the beaker calculation, clicked, partial completion of Astro, as usual. Totally Drumpfed.

GAMEOVER. Phuque that sheet. Every time I play a BOTM some kind of bs happens. I guess I'm just not cut out for this any more.

 

[lymond]

LtC...sounds like you had the 2 scientists grouped together. I think I recall that happenning to me before. Game can't handle bulbing grouped GPs even though hovering over the light bulb appears to indicate that it could.

 

[LowtherCastle]

LtC...sounds like you had the 2 scientists grouped together. I think I recall that happenning to me before. Game can't handle bulbing grouped GPs even though hovering over the light bulb appears to indicate that it could.

Actually, not. Each was in a separate city. I took it as similar to when sometimes I hover over a unit and it won't show any data about it unless I zoom out and back in again, then it will. Seems kind of like an interface problem. Anyway, whatever. My lesson is that if it doesn't show the beaker count, then do different things until it does.

 

[Minou]

LtC sorry to hear, that sounds extremely frustrating.

I myself am nowhere near Astronomy. My Warriors managed to find 4 goody huts, which yielded 3 piles of gold and 1 useless map of the southern ocean. I stole an early Worker from Justinian with a Warrior, then came back with a Chariot for a second free Worker and a little pillage gold. A bit later I tried for an actual invasion with 6 Chariots, but that was 1 shy of enough to capture the capital due to some poor rolls. I settled for grabbing a secondary city and pillaging all his improvements.

On the domestic front, teching has been at a snail’s pace due to the reliance on slowly growing cottages. I build GLH in 1320BC, Stonehenge in 1080BC, and Oracle in 875BC (CoL). Had a bit of good luck when Confucianism spread to two cities automatically a turn or so after founding. My only GP so far was a Great Merchant, whom I burned on a trade mission for a measly 700 gold (in retrospect probably should have settled him).

Almost forgot events were on but sometime after 1000BC I finally hit one that gave me 50 free beakers for Calendar. Justinian also seems to have hit a research bonus event. Guess I am lucky not to have had some of those annoying slave revolts.

As of 1AD I have 8 cities (all but 1 coastal for GLH) and am about to finish Pyramids with 3 chops having just hooked up Stone. 19 techs are in including Currency and Calendar, no Alphabet yet. In 3 turns I am planning to hit Justinian again and hopefully capture all 3 of his usable cities. I’m planning to keep him around in hopes of scoring the final few points needed for a Great General and get a couple more free Workers and maybe an old tech or two. Researching MC now and hope to make it to Optics before my GM + conquest gold runs out.

 

[LowtherCastle]

Okay, folks, turns out I was a blithering, illiterate idiot. I actually bulbed Alphabet with the first bulb. I was so convinced that I was bulbing Astro that I didnt' even notice it read Alphabet and as did the pop-up. It took Dynamic to decipher that for me. Except that he was diplomatic enough to not call me the idiot I was.

 

[lymond]

well..yay! ..at least you got Alpha for a whole scientist

are you still eligible to continue?

 

[LowtherCastle]

well..yay! ..at least you got Alpha for a whole scientist

are you still eligible to continue?

Yeah, I saved the game after "double-bulbing" so I can just play on. Maybe I will, depends on my mood. I should have teched Alpha by hand obviously and saved a lot of beakers. Whatever.

 

[Ronnie1]

Maybe not as bad as accepting Meditation in exchange for peace right before being able to bulb Astro.

 

[MarleysGh0st]

Five goody huts gave me two extensive maps of the ocean --how do those villagers sail out so far? -- some gold, and writing. I was given the Greed quest (capture the horses north of Constantinople), which looks like it will play right into my war plans, since Justinian is in the way of most of this continent. And my desire for manifest destiny was amplified by a grudge, when Justinian beat me to the Oracle by five turns.

After settling five of my own cities, I declared war on Justinian in 150 BC and captured Constantinople in 50 BC.

 

[sossos]

Okay, folks, turns out I was a blithering, illiterate idiot. I actually bulbed Alphabet with the first bulb. I was so convinced that I was bulbing Astro that I didnt' even notice it read Alphabet and as did the pop-up. It took Dynamic to decipher that for me. Except that he was diplomatic enough to not call me the idiot I was.

Sometimes I feel the same way when I pay attention to too many micros. Some big mistakes happens and it overwrite all the previous efforts on micros. Maybe we need to set a check list with only important things on it after T100.
I'm interested of your tech route. Without Alpha, you can still bulb Astro before 1AD. Are you using cast system?

 

[sossos]

I'm practicing isolation map with this game. Here are my questions before playing the game

1. Which one is better? Two GS bulb Astro or Three GS bulb Optics and Astro?
2. Does Cast System and Pacifism work in the Astro beeline?
3. How many cities are optimum on this map?
4. Any wonder is helpful besides Oracle for the fastest Astro?

I tried a new way to play in this game. I go with Alpha first but I don't research currency. Then I feel that I need markets/forges more than libraries this way. I think the UB of England is also useful in some cases now.

I captured Justin's Capitol with 4 chriots and 3 warriors, then I grow to 10 cities. I Oracled machinery at T88. However, I don't get Astro yet at 1AD.

 

[Deckhand]

5 cities, 17 population; just learned Construction. 17 bulbs per turn at 20% and not losing money.
Settling team headed toward NW copper/stone site hoping to push borders next to Greek land. (I will probably learn Astronomy before that happens).

Declared on Justinian 825BC. 7 chariots vs 3 archers. Lost 3 chariots and only damaged 1 archer. Constantinople has 60% culture with Stonehenge. Decided couldn't take it with chariots but would pillage and get his other cities. Razed them because of culture from Constantinople.
1AD and war is still going. Killed 10 archers, lost 8 (of 16) chariots. Razed 3 cities. Once mighty Constantinople has 2 pop.

Spoiler shoulda woulda coulda :

Wish we'd stayed friends until I had a catapult army ready. I could have settled NW corner long ago. Would have gotten trade income and religion spread. He'd have nice cities to take over.

Did manage to pop a great scientist and learn CoL turn before completing Oracle; used scientist for Math and oracled Civil Service 500BC. Maybe only thing I did right.