Emperor Domination

[lasombra]

couple of questions since its my first succession game:

no spying, right? we can look at the save but don't try things and give advice upon the findings

how does it work with the screenshots?

I'd also recommend 20 turns for the first player and 10 from then on

 

[futurehermit]

^^^please avoid going ahead. You can look at the save, but try not to play forward from where we are. Don't post spoilers. Basically, feel free to look at the save and discuss what is available from the save

Screenshots you need to use a program like photobucket (search for it in google or another search engine). It's pretty straightforward. If you need help with it, I or someone else can help you.

I am ok with 20 turns for the first player as long as the first player checks in with us 1/2 way or so to give us a sense of what the terrain looks like?

I need a skip, i.e., I cannot go first. I can't play today and will be on a minivacation until Friday. I trust you guys can discuss what is best for the first and second rounds. They're short and not much happens I am happy to go last or be inserted wherever we are at when I get back. Please follow the 2 day "got it" and 3 day "played and posted" rules to keep things progressing smoothly. If you need a skip, please just say so Thanks!!! and good luck!!!

 

[lilnev]

Yeah, I agree on settling in place. It'll be a production powerhouse early. Later it can grow into towns, unless we don't find a better spot for the GL (this isn't ideal, but it could be done. In that case, the NE will get added, the grasslands farmed, and the Palace probably moved).

AH-Fishing-BW.
Worker-warrior(should have time before Fishing is in?)-boat-settler. City should be size 3, working Cow+Clams+mine, while building the settler.

At that point, hopefully the Wheel if we've got metal or horse to connect. Else probably Archery. But we'll see where we're at.

With those mines, we should be able to avoid early chopping. I'd like to save the trees for a possible wonder-rush. In any case, let's keep them until after Math if possible. Likewise, as long as the happiness cap is just 4, keep your whip-hand light. Simply working the mines will be superior pre-granary, and I think still competitive post-granary. When the happy-cap goes up to five, whipping will be a bit better.

And I agree with lasombra (is that a capital i or a small L?) about the first player or two taking 20 turns.

peace,
lilnev

 

[Galileo44]

So is the plan AH-->Fishing-->BW while producing Worker-->Warrior-->Fishboat? And I assume we decided to settle in place. If we need someone to play, I think I can today.

 

[Giaur]

Let this game start. Move at least the scout ...

 

[lasombra]

doesn't matter if capital L or small l

so then let the 2nd in line start the game or if he doesn't care anymore what about you Galileo44

let's get this going...

 

[lilnev]

If we need someone to play, I think I can today.

vra379971 was next on the list, but we haven't heard from him. So go for it, Galileo. Pop some good huts for us.

vra, speak up and we'll give you the second slot. futurehermit should be back after that, so we'll put him third, then get back to the list in the first post with me in the four-seat.

peace,
lilnev

 

[Galileo44]

The Beginning of Time: 4000BC-3600BC

Turn 0:
We move the scout SE-SE and found our glorious city!

Oooh! Stone! Me likes.
I start a worker and begin researching AH.

Turn 1:
Scout pops hut for Scout #2.

Turn 2: move scout

Turn 3:
Meet Alex from the east!

Turns 4-10 Move scouts, no more huts though.

Maps:

SouthWest:

North East:

We have Gold and Sliver and Elephants near yay. But alex is very close to the east. We should get a city or two soon in the east.

Will post save soon.

 

[vra379971]

Will go next.

 

[lilnev]

Oooh, Elephants! Me likes. We'll need to kill Alex quickly. Pray for Copper.

I think city #2 should span the Gold and Rice, either 5E or 6E of Berlin. It would be nice if there were more/better food specials, but I guess unirrigated Rice will have to do. At first, we can just grow it to size 3 for Rice +Gold + a mine, and it'll contribute decently to both the economy and the war. That means Mysticism for a chopped monument.

City #3 works the southern Rice + Elephants, though I'm not sure just which tile. This could give hammers early, and eventually cottage a bunch of grasslands? More of our city sites look hammer-intensive than either food- or cottage-intensive. And city #4 goes SW of the Wheat to reach the Fish. Probably scientists here with the option to run a bunch of mines in wartime. Unless we switch the ordering on 3 and 4, perhaps depending on which looks more likely to be stolen by an AI. Eventually we'll want a city just S of Silver, but that's a ways off. Of course, this could all change when we find the Horses and Copper, eh?

peace,
lilnev

 

[Galileo44]

Here's the save:

 

[Galileo44]

Before seeing the copper/horses/iron, this is my preliminary dotmap. It might be really wrong though.

and

 

[druidravi]

Hmm.. nice start .You could get the stone in 2nd border expansion . I think pyramids is viable here with se economy. While alex maybe a dangerous enemy he could be your only trade partner for a long time. I suggest trying the gs lightbulbing to get to liberaism and taking astronomy as free tech. If this is continents map it could be that the other continent might tech faster than you due to trading. Relegious spread screen could help you determine if your rivals are all in a shared continent.

You can shift that gold+rice city 2e to get a couple of silk as well to avoid wasting a city just to get silk online. Copper is going to be very important if no copper go asap to iron working. Horses arent going to last against Phalanaxes. You can with some axes and spear fight a defencive war with alex accumalating exp and gg points while teching ahead. Later in midgame when you contact other civ's you can leisurely deal with alex when he falls behind. Tech is more important and falling behind tech can cost you more if you both are left in a isolated continent.

 

[cabert]

I'll bet my shirt that there are some fur or silver not too far from where you are (tundra start sucks, but happiness resources should be in not too distant places, and you already have the techs for those).

We have Gold and Sliver and Elephants near yay. But alex is very close to the east. We should get a city or two soon in the east.

phew, I saved my shirt

gold and silver = MC slingshot ?

 

[futurehermit]

Hey guys, I'm back

Nice first round. I can't believe we have gold, silver, ivory, and wine. Very nice! I like the dotmapping so far, but what about claiming that wine come monarchy???

It seems to me like we will want construction sooner rather than later...elephants + catapults have a very long lifespan (pretty much until civs start getting engineering for elephants and until you upgrade to cannons for catas).

War with Alex seems inevitable. If no copper we should probably get to construction asap. Rushing with chariots is a possibility I guess if we can prevent him from hooking up metal (phalanxes!!!). In general, even with elephants and cats we will have to be very wary of his phalanxes if he gets them going...

I'm happy to go 3rd as long as vra will be playing right away?

Good start so far!

 

[Giaur]

Hint: ctr+b to hide the fog of war

I am for placanig second city 5E to capital. You won't grab Silks, but they come late enough that your borders expand enough.

Alex is definitely to close. He must be crushed, no matter of everything. Remember that this topic carries proud name: "Emperor Domination". Chances of beiing on isolated island are small. Besides no matter of being on isolated island or not, we grab Liberalism quickly. It's to early to say more. And stone definitely must be used.
My proposition is as follows. Example. There are 3 things we want to have:
Pyramids
Collosus
Good Military
On this level would be difficult to have three of them, so we throw away one wonder, cause military must be strong. It's my own rule called "2/3".

 

[lasombra]

ok good first couple of turns...

I'd say stay with our research path as planned (fishing and BW next) and settle 2nd city at least one east of the red dot, although as said by others copper or other metals are a priority. so let's see what bw reveals otherwise east of the red dot.

as about the pyramids: sounds good to have but I think it depends on our relations with alex whether we should pursue them. priority should be to keep him down or if we can get him to friendly/pleased tech trade with him until we meet others and then take him out.

I don't see what we need the collossus for.

liberlism astronomy sounds like the way to go.

just my 2 ct

 

[lasombra]

we could settle the blue city east of the rice and grab the wine that way.

settling the red city one east of the dot gets the tundra out of the fc and the silk in.

 

[futurehermit]

I like 1e of the red dot as well...depending on what further scouting to the south reveals, 1 ne of the rice might be better than 1e--allows working of ivory tile and less junk tiles...I like the yellow and green dot cities, but later of course. So Giaur do you still have more turns to play? Will vra play next or will I be inserted in 2nd?

 

[johnny_rico]

What about getting the stone online and giving it to Alex? He's philosophical so he might build the pyramids for us, similar to the reasons we want to build them, scientists. It's a risk, sure, but if we scout him out and find he has a good production city, he may give it a go. Unless the consensus is we'll be at war with him before he could get the pyramids built anyway.

I'm an emperor rook, so I don't have a good cutoff date in mind as to when the pyramids 'needs' to be built. However, it seems that trying to build the pyramids will leave us lacking in military? Also, if we're looking at using HR to boost happiness, are the pyramids necessary?

I also like the sites for cities 2 and 3 and agree that it is ok if the stone quarry is not in any cities BFC. I also don't think it is important if the silk tiles are in any cities BFC, so long as our cultural borders capture the resources for cash trading. It looks like we'll have plenty of happiness.

With any luck, Alex will build a city in the right spot claiming the silver and deer which we can take later.