COTM 23 pre-game discussion

[Gyathaar]

COTM 23 - Worst start ever?

Civilization: Korea. (You have red color, otherwise the map ended up with 3 Civs with very similar colors)
Land Mass: Your worst nightmare...
Map size: Standard.
Barbarians: Restless
Rivals: 7 (Greece, Inca, Sumeria, Maya, Celts, India, Netherlands).
Difficulty: Warlord+ (some AIs have been given extra starting units, otherwise standard warlord difficulty)
Climate: Evil.. Just plain vicious..
Other: Iron and Saltpeter have fixed locations. Huts give workers instead of settlers.



Conquest-Class Bonuses:

• Start with Warrior Code. (In addition to Bronze Working and Alphabet)
• Start with an extra worker (located in same place as settler).

Predator-Class Equalisers:

• Start without Bronze Working.
• Scientific trait removed.

The map itself will be your worst opponent in this game...
Since this is just warlord difficulty the AIs are there just to make speedbumps.. or..?

Edit: since the download server is down, and you cant see the normal image link.. here is the image attached:

 

[Redbad]

perhaps settler north

 

[juballs2001]

if there is land north... i fear that the goody hut is the closest hospitable piece of land... hope there is more north

 

[Redbad]

I hope that vulcano doesn't erupt right away

 

[Gyathaar]

I hope that vulcano doesn't erupt right away

It cant erupt before you get a chance to move (they also start to smoke a turn before erupting I think)

 

[Redbad]

(they also start to smoke a turn before erupting I think)

That sounds just like yours truly

 

[Chamnix]

The question would seem to be which way does the worker go. I think he goes north and ignores the goody hut - what are we going to pop that's so valuable?

Here's my guess on the map - we are alone on our "island". There are essentially 2 places to settle - by the goody huts to the east, or in the center by the fresh water fish and the marshlands. I think our starting settler goes to the fish/marsh because Gyathaar is enough to have the other location not even have enough food to produce another settler. We will have to settle there later to build a boat because our capital will be landlocked.

 

[Più Freddo]

The question would seem to be which way does the worker go.

Getting the hut would cost four turns if the rest of the analysis is correct. For a Tech or Worker it's worth it. For 25 gold, maps or nothing it's not.

What if we have to clear a Marsh before even settling?

I think our starting settler goes to the fish/marsh because Gyathaar is evil enough to have the other location not even have enough food to produce another settler. We will have to settle there later to build a boat because our capital will be landlocked.

Seems reasonable. But I see two Hills and a Whale by the goody hut. Should take us to size three once we've cultural expansion.

 

[Chamnix]

For a worker, yes, it would be worth it, but can we pop a worker while we have a settler on the map? For a tech, I still think it can wait. If we are alone, it's not going anywhere, and if we're not alone, we can beat any first tier techs out of our neighbor.

I don't think we have to clear marsh before settling - it looks like tundra SE and SW of the fish which would be fine for settling on.

You're right about the whale - I guess even Gyathaar has his off days.

 

[azzaman333]

wow, this start appears even harder than the Babylon Warlord GOTM. Not sure what to do yet, but i definately wont be going for any high risk moves after last month, where i sent my galley off into the water to the W and drowned with my settler.

 

[coole shaman]

landscape

That’s a rear start.
With your settler and worker.
Its too a rear landscape.
With mountains and vulcan’s.

Is it a 1 April joking ??
with match mountains an vulcan’s.

 

[7Losses]

Yes my guess would be an April fools joke.

 

[coole shaman]

It cant erupt before you get a chance to move (they also start to smoke a turn before erupting I think)

volcano

Move your settler 1 tile
See you a other volcano this smoking
And than erupt.

 

[Obormot]

If i get my cow in cotm22 that'll leave me with just the 100K award. Going for 100K culture on such a map may be interesting (i'm not joking because on a normal map having 200 ICSed towns and poprushing stuff each turn is just not fun). So i hope it's not an apil fools joke.

My guess is that our fixed iron is on the mountain next to the volcano, so that we'll have to build 2 roads on mountains and a colony to connect it, and when the volcano blows we'll have to clear the pollution to reconnect it (assuming our culture will already expand us by that time and the colony won't work anymore)

 

[azzaman333]

Well, its on Warlord... so it might be real.

 

[Più Freddo]

For a worker, yes, it would be worth it, but can we pop a worker while we have a settler on the map?

Ooops, I guess not. Perhaps it's even worth it to wait for capital foundation and then pop?

For a tech, I still think it can wait. If we are alone, it's not going anywhere

But once we've built a unit the odds of popping something good go down. Sure they'll still be good at this difficulty level, which reduces the incentive to move the Worker away from the Settler. But on the other hand we also scout regardless of outcome of the pop. I still have an itch.

we can beat any first tier techs out of our neighbor.

Surely that's much more expensive than four Worker turns.

 

[AlanH]

Well, its on Warlord... so it might be real.

Please don't assume that another map will arrive before Apri1. It isn't going to happen. Gyathaar really is your guide this time around.

 

[Redbad]

What makes you say the workers turns are wasted? For all I know settling on the hill near the whale is preferable to settling on tundra near the fish and being land-locked.

 

[Più Freddo]

For all I know settling on the hill near the whale is preferable to settling on tundra near the fish and being land-locked.

Yes. That's about what I had in mind when I said that there's also some scouting involved in going eastwards with the Worker.

Moving away from the Settler rather than towards it does involve a risk of having to retrack some steps. We still have no clue to what is hidden in the middle of the map north of the foggy mountain.

 

[Redbad]

Climate: Evil.. Just plain vicious..

Seems irrelevant with all those mountains