[BTS] BOTM 177 - Shaka - Starts 10 June

[DynamicSpirit]

BOTM 177: Shaka of Zululand.

[img=right]http://gotm.civfanatics.net/civ4games/images/botm177civ.jpg[/img]

This time you get a chance to conquer quickly, with fast-moving impi's and a pangea map. But don't get over-confident: Most of your opponents also have pretty fast-moving units. Besides, impis struggle against axemen!


Game settings:
Playing as: Shaka of Zululand
Rivals: 6 AIs
Difficulty: Prince
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal
Options: No goody huts
Victory Conditions: All enabled

Map settings:
Map: Pangea
World Wrap: Cylindrical
Mapsize: Standard
Climate: Temperate
Sea level: Medium
Map latitudes: -90°S to 90°N


Shaka is Aggressive and Expansive, and you start with Agriculture and Hunting.

The Aggressive trait gives free Combat I promotion for melee and gunpowder units and double production speed of Barracks and Drydock

The Expansive trait gives +2 health/city and +25% hammers for worker production and double production speed of Granary and Harbor

Unique unit: Impi (replaces Spearman)
The Impi benefits from: free promotions: mobility, and 2 movement points. This compares with the Spearman which has: 1 movement point.

Unique Building: Ikhanda (replaces Barracks)
Besides the usual benefits of the barracks, the ikhanda acts as a mini-courthouse: It gives -20% maintenance costs in the city. However, it takes more hammers to build than the barracks: 60 instead of 50 hammers.

Starting screenshot

This is the start of the game (click for a bigger image):




Note that in this game, any espionage-culture victories will be counted as cultural victories.

To Enter the Competition:

This competition will open at 00:01 am on 10 Jun 2019, server local time (UTC-6:00). From that date and time, you'll be able to get your chosen starting save >>>here<<<.

Submit the save after your victory (or defeat) here, by 10 Jul 2019.

Here is a link to a list of the differences between Vanilla, Warlords and BtS.

Software Versions

Windows: This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Civ4 Vanilla or Warlords), patched to version 3.19, and with the BUFFY mod version 3.19.005 installed. You can download the BUFFY mod here. Players using Windows Vista or Windows 7 are encouraged to read the notes on Vista fixes here.


Macintosh: This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Civ4 Vanilla or Warlords), patched to version 3.19, and with the Mac BUFFY mod version 3.19.003 installed. You can download the Mac BUFFY mod here.

While playing...

Remember - for your entry to be accepted, it MUST be your first attempt to play this game, and you MUST NOT replay any turns. If you make a mistake while playing, you have to live with it, learn from it, and carry on the game without replaying.

We will open 'spoiler' threads during the month for players to discuss what happens in their games. Do not discuss any details of your game outside those threads.

 

[Deckhand]

Thanks for the game.
Move scout SW S to hill to see if we gain anything by settling SW.
Looks like we gain rivers and a hill. Looks like a good capital for either cottaging or production.

 

[Powerfaker]

Pretty fast-moving => that must be the Indian fast worker ?? Impi's sure like fast moving units.

I'll take the bait and try to conquer with Impi's. Hopefully there's copper around and no AI's with protective trait or archer UU's and hill cities...........

 

[WastinTime]

Thanks for the game.
Move scout SW S to hill to see if we gain anything by settling SW.
Looks like we gain rivers and a hill. Looks like a good capital for either cottaging or production.

I feel like SW is the mostly likely spot your gonna settle: given the increase in river-hills, other river tiles, and more unrevealed tiles.
You'll do it even if your scout spots nothing exciting, right?
So, for that reason, I think I'd move the scout N, then NE. That way you can see 4 tiles and if they're Corn, Wheat, Gold, Silver, or all of the above, you move the settler north or NE.
I know...these hand-crafted starts never have resources where they're likely to be orphaned and make players angry, but in a normal game, I'd have to look there first.

 

[lymond]

Yep, agree with WT. Basically set on an idea of where you might settle and then see what you might lose. The exception to that might be when you don't see the food resources at all.

That tile 2N1E of the settler is a tad perplexing. My first instinct is that the tile is forested, but maybe not. Could be tile forest bleed (e.g. see tile 2S1E of settler)and I suspect the tile might be a hill as well. My eyes could be playing tricks on me.

But 1SW seems logical for what looks like a decent bureau cap. Too bad the corn is thirsty.

 

[LowtherCastle]

If we're going to overthink this, then maybe move the settler SW first. That exposes the river.grass tile and reveals the two hills to the SW. Then decide whether to scout sw-sw or n-w or (n-nw). Why? I'm thinking that settling 2W might be more interesting than settling anywhere NE.

 

[LowtherCastle]

Remind me, does settling SW join those two rivers, even though you'd think you need another road?

 

[lymond]

Pretty sure you'd need a road, LC

 

[Fippy]

Shaka Shaka Zuuluuuu
Will someone conquer all AIs with Impis?

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Remind me, does settling SW join those two rivers, even though you'd think you need another road?

In BtS, being diagonally opposite the source of a river doesn't by itself normally count as riverside. Therefore the tile SW of the settler would be riverside to the northern river, but not to the southern river. Because of that, I would think that @lymond is correct, and you'd also need a road on a tile that is adjacent to the Southern river to be able to connect the two rivers together.

 

[High King J.J.]

Should I once again remind you that you only get +25% for worker production, this is BotM, not Vanilla or Warlords. Maybe I won't.
Impis, ?

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Good call @High King J.J.. I've fixed the game announcement.

In other news, the game is now running and I've even already created the spoiler threads!

 

[Deckhand]

(playing the game) looked up Expansive in wikipedia, saw the +25% and thought of HKJJ's reminders. Thanks for the consistency.

 

[krikav]

Some promotions are nice as they can do miracles when carried over to other units, but this mobility promotion doesn't help that much with that...
Or, mech-infantry?

 

[Fippy]

..but it helps with worker stealing etc.
Like almost everything that Shaka has, Impis are fun. In some way they are a perfectly designed UU, makes you think.

 

[lymond]

I like Impis too. And one day Impis grow up to be Riflemen.

 

[krikav]

Not meaning to devalue impis in any way, they are great fun and a superb UU, just focusing on the promotion and how it carries over here.
Rifles have only 1 movement, so the mobility promotion is useless to them.

Contrast this to Oromo warriors or Berserkers, their promotion retains alot of use even after upgrading.

 

[lymond]

Ah yeah, you are right. The 2 moves doesn't carry over. I think when I play Shaka I often have several heavily promoted Impis and GG Impis that have Morale as well, becoming Pikes and Rifleman later.

 

[krikav]

Thats an interesting idea!