COTM 26 Pre-GameDiscussion

[ainwood]

COTM 26 - Carthage

Civilization: Carthage.
Rivals: 7 pre-selected.
Barbarians: Raging.
Difficulty: monarch
Land Form: 'pangea', 80% ocean, standard map.
Geology: 4 billion years old, cool, arid

Conquest-Class Bonuses:

1. Start with a worker and spearman.
2. Numidian mercenary attack strength increased to 3.

Predator-Class Equalisers:

1. Numidian mercenary DOES NOT start golden age.
2. AI cost factor 'increased' to emperor level.

 

[eldar]

I foresee at least two moves for the settler! (And can a volcano erupt in the 4000BC-3950BC inter-turn? If so there may be some very short games...!)

SW-SW, probably (picks up the fish after expansion, gets the wheat for initial pop burst). Still, looking at no fresh H20 and a couple of lame tiles (volcano, desert) in the 21.

 

[IronJeff]

I think there is a grace period on volcanic activity. Similar to barbarian activity.

 

[Paul#42]

Predator-Class Equalisers:

1. Numidian mercenary DOES NOT start golden age.

I do not consider this a handicap...
An appropriate handicap would be: Any unit's victory starts golden age

 

[denyd]

I'm thinking of a W-NW to get the BG to start with and then send a future settler to SW-S of the original start to be a worker/galley factory. Research as usual for the Repblic slingshot (Writing->CoL-Philosophy). As usual I have no idea of a victory condition. I don't really like NM as there are either an expensive Hoplite or an expensive archer. I'm expecting to find the Greeks to the NW to cutoff easy expansion, so after we become a Republic, getting to the SE will be a priority. There had better be iron on those mountains (Archers vs Hoplites :suicide: )

 

[Chamnix]

I'm a little concerned that the land form is 'pangea' (in quotes). I suspect we may not be on the main land mass, and our island may not be very big or productive. It may be another game of get off the rock as quickly as possible.

Worker south (possibly to improve the wheat for the first time of several), settler west then probably south. Research Writing of course.

 

[scoutsout]

As tempting as it might be to get the city founded quickly by going to the hill SE... I'll not do that. In the last COTM I had a captured Greek city that was planted right next to a volcano. When the volcano erupted, the city became a rockpile... and I had a lovely little gap in my empire as I was trying to close in on the domination limit.

I've had some volcanos slop orange stuff on the map in some personal epics, but that was the first time I've ever seen a city reduced to rubble by a volcano.

 

[D'Artagnan59]

I agree. This handicap is not that good. It's more like a benefit from an early GA.

 

[DBear]

I'll end up going 2SW. I dare not go farther, I remember the last time I saw Carthage in a GotM. Started on hills, so looked for better land--and kept looking, looking, looking....til I quit after 20 turns.

 

[Più Freddo]

I do not consider this a handicap

Maybe not. But for fast military games it will a bit more difficult to time a Golden Age in the early Middle Ages. We'll need to capture The Great Wall, The Pyramids or The Hanging Gardens -- who builds these themselves? -- and then finish The Colossus, The Mausoleum of Mausollos or The Great Lighthouse afterwards.

Capturing a seafaring Wonder and building The Hanging Gardens could be an option. Or building The Colossus, capturing an industrious Wonder and then building any other Wonder. If we're on an island.

 

[Più Freddo]

I'm thinking of a W-NW to get the BG to start with

There's a Fish tile SW of the BG. But is the Desert tile "W-NW" on the coast? Remember, coastal tiles give one extra commerce as city center for seafaring tribes.

 

[socralynnek]

Hmmmm, where's the picture gone?

Maybe ainwood will add fresh water in ? ;-)

 

[Twonky]

Hmmmm, where's the picture gone?

Maybe ainwood will add fresh water in ? ;-)

Ah, good to hear you cannot see it as well, I was beginning to think it´s just me. It seems to affect all pictures on the uploads-server, so I guess the problem is to be found there.

 

[Paul#42]

I can see it

 

[ainwood]

The GOTM server is down - hence no picture.

People who have it cached may still see it though.

 

[Abegweit]

The Numidian Mercenary thing clearly cuts both ways. In a normal game, its main purpose is to cause a GA. With this change, you might use one or two to protect your sword stack. All in all, I would say that it's a handicap, especially as I usually prefer horses to swords. Depends mostly on the resource situation though.

 

[Mirc]

Not another game with bad start... I think I'm going to play a little to see how it turns out... I'm new to GOTM and COTM and what game I will have to play! (well, I didn't have time to play the current ones...)

 

[Più Freddo]

With this change, you might use one or two [Numidian Mercenaries] to protect your sword stack. [...] Depends mostly on the resource situation though.

You mean it could be an indication of a Horses shortage?

NMs in the stack are particularly good for those pesky red-lined defenders and saved-for-last Archers/Longbowmen (with their two fingers in the air). If you don't have Horses.

 

[WackenOpenAir]

Can't see any pictures in the first post

 

[WackenOpenAir]

I do not consider this a handicap...
An appropriate handicap would be: Any unit's victory starts golden age

No, it is a handicap.
Normally the competetive players would never build defenders. The numidian therefore is a convenient UU. It is something you'd never build, now you just build 1 for activating your golden age when you want. Nothing would be lost in the fact that you can't use them before you are out of despotism.