Experiment 626's Solo TDG

[conquer_dude]

I would (If you truly are) afraid of Arabia, build up coastal defenses and block them out with ships. If you control your whole continent you couldn't be beat.

I see you ahve larger size cities. Until wars get a little less tense, I would pumb out settlers until the cities are exhausted til about size 3, then build military, improvements, then repeat. This way you'll double your gold and production with more cities and the continent is yours.

Otherwise, you're doing great. Can't wait until you Korea down!

 

[BuckyRea]

Agree with Conq-dude. Your people are good at makin' babies, but they're not letting them move away from home soon enough. You're the Americans, dagnabbit! Quit living in large family units already!!

 

[carmen510]

You are teachng me new techniques. Great work with this!!

 

[CommandoBob]

I wouldn't worry about a culture flip from salem - not while it's garrisoned.

Flipping can only happen when A) some of the 20 tiles in the city radius are in another cultures cultural borders or B) you have foreign citizens in your town.

B) is irrelevant, and you only have 3 tiles in Korea's cultural boundaries. At best, I think that's a 3% chance, but you have a large garrison, so that should keep the flip from happening.

No, not quite.

A garrison is not a flip-preventer. It can be but is very expensive in the number of units needed to stop the flip.

Here is what MapStat says about the flip chance for Salem in 350 BC:

MapStat - Flipping 350 BC

Salem can flip but the chances are very low.

The numbers are already percentages. And while percentages can be hard to read and grasp, in everyday terms the chances of Salem flipping are less than 1 out of a thousand. Now here is the rub. To reduce this chance to zero, or at least 0.000%, will take 5 or 6 non-artillery military units.

If it does flip, the current garrison is gone. No more unit support, no reimbursement from the new government of your former city, no changing of loyalty. Just gone.

In pratical terms, Salem's flip is so low that it is not an issue. It is when the numbers move to the other side of the decimal point that I get worried.

(So of couse, having told you not to worry, Salem will flip to Korea on the first IBT! )

 

[Experiment 626]

Originally posted byconquer_dude

I would (If you truly are) afraid of Arabia, build up coastal defenses and block them out with ships. If you control your whole continent you couldn't be beat.

As already mentioned, I probably won't have to deal with Arabia until the Middle Ages or so . . . I'll wait.

I see you ahve larger size cities. Until wars get a little less tense, I would pumb out settlers until the cities are exhausted til about size 3, then build military, improvements, then repeat. This way you'll double your gold and production with more cities and the continent is yours.

The Optimal City Number for this map is 20. I already have 14 cities (plus however many that I 'acquire' from Korea. I don't want Corruption to get completely out of hand. (Actually, I should probably try to find a good place to build the Forbidden Palace.)

Otherwise, you're doing great. Can't wait until you Korea down!

I'll do my best!

Originally posted by BuckyRea:

Agree with Conq-dude. Your people are good at makin' babies, but they're not letting them move away from home soon enough. You're the Americans, dagnabbit! Quit living in large family units already!!

Yeah, my people do breed like rabbits, don't they?

Originally posted by carmen510:

You are teachng me new techniques. Great work with this!!

Thanks, carmen510, and welcome to the thread.

Originally posted by CommandoBob:

In pratical terms, Salem's flip is so low that it is not an issue. It is when the numbers move to the other side of the decimal point that I get worried.

(So of course, having told you not to worry, Salem will flip to Korea on the first IBT! )

Oh sure! Jinx me, why don't you?


Which is better: CivAssistII or MapStat?

I'd also like to take this moment to thank those of you who rated this thread a 5-Star SUCCESS!

very much!

 

[sneakyg]

MapStat. CivAssist is nice but IMO it takes up too much CPU and is kinda slow, but then again I'm not running such a great system. Personally I like MapStat more, but that might just be because that's what I've always used.

Anyway, great story, keep up the good work. This is amazingly in-depth...

 

[AutomatedTeller]

yup. I had not looked at the save and I thought he had *all* of his strike force in Salem, which would definitely have been enough to keep it from flipping.

Not that it really matters - he was gonna declare - if it flipped, he would just take it back

I use CivAssist - never used MapStat.

I think it was because it was the first one I found

 

[Experiment 626]

Originally posted by sneakyg:

Anyway, great story, keep up the good work. This is amazingly in-depth...

Thanks, sneakyg, and welcome to the thread.

Originally posted by AutomatedTeller:

yup. I had not looked at the save and I thought he had *all* of his strike force in Salem, which would definitely have been enough to keep it from flipping.

The Attack Force isn't in Salem. It's on the square NW of the city center, so if SAL flipped, would I lose my entire Attack Force?

I loaded my savegame into CivAssistII, and checked to see how many units I would need to have garrisonned in SAL to reduce the flip chance to 0. Are you ready for this number? 11 (Eleven)

In all probability, I will play the next 10 turns on Tuesday. Any more advice for the nOObie?

 

[CommandoBob]

The Attack Force isn't in Salem. It's on the square NW of the city center, so if SAL flipped, would I lose my entire Attack Force?

I don't think so. The city changes color and any units in the city are gone forever to everyone. The city radius of the city is now someone else's and not yours, but the units are still yours. So they are limited in how far and fast they can move, subject to diplomatic issues. If an ROP is in place, then your units can move as fast as ever. If not, then no road bonus.

But, since we are talking about Korea, if Salem flipped and you declared war the next turn without moving any of the Attack Force, you take the rep hit for having units in Korean territory when you declare war.

I loaded my savegame into CivAssistII, and checked to see how many units I would need to have garrisonned in SAL to reduce the flip chance to 0. Are you ready for this number? 11 (Eleven)

MapStat and CivAssistII do not always agree on this number. When it comes to examining flip chances and garrisons I consider only four numbers: one, two, three and too many.

I use both MapStat and CivAssistII, just in different ways. My machine is older and for some reason CAII will not work properly when the game is on. That is, I cannot toggle between CivIII and CAII. So while I am playing I use MapStat. It is not as pretty as CAII, but it works better for me when playing.

I use CAII between SG turnsets to examine things in more detail, like beakers of sciece per turn or how many units are needed to make sure that when the palace jumps it lands where I want it to.

MapStat is good about telling you about your current situation. CivAssistII does that also and lets you play with what-if scenarios. I personally prefer how CAII handles and displays RCP information to what MapStat Ring's does.

CAII has more eye candy than MapStat. I have found that I prefer MapStat because for what I want to know during a game I want to be able to see at a glance. MapStat presents its data in a spreadsheet that takes up about 75% of the desktop. Initially, I despised MapStat because it was not as pretty as CAII (which was silly of me but it is the truth), but once I had to use it I found it to be very handy and worthwhile.

And as always, this is what works for me. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Experiment 626]

I will definitely be playing the next 10 turns tomorrow (Tues) unless of course I get called into work.

I will check this thread before playing.

Any last suggestions?

 

[AutomatedTeller]

have fun!! kick some korean butt! long live the ancient americans!!

 

[Marsden]

I've been thinking it over, and although I don't think you need an alliance with the Maya, it would probably be beneficial. I'm looking forward to your complete conquest of the land mass.

 

[Experiment 626]

*****

In order to speed things up, (not to mention saving what’s left of my sanity), there will no longer be a City Summary at the end of each turn.

Again, if you see BOS = SPEARMAN -> SWORDSMAN, that means that Boston has produced a SPEARMAN, and will produce a SWORDSMAN next.

If you see Dopey = Road (2T), that means that Dopey has begun building a road, and that it will take 2 turns to complete.

If you see WSH = pop 8, that means that WSH has grown to pop 8.

To keep everybody up to date on City’s abbreviations, here they are going into Turn 111:

WSH=Washington, D.C., NYC=New York City, BOS=Boston, PHI=Philadelphia, ATC=Atlantic City, CAM=Cambridge, CHA=Charlotte, JAM=Jamestown, BAL=Baltimore, SAL=Salem, CON=Concord, RCH=Richmond, ATL=Atlanta, and TRE=Trenton

As always, when a new city is added, I give you the abbreviation.

Also, if a Worker or Military Unit only moves in a turn, I won’t mention it, unless it’s important.

*****


IBT:

WSH = SPEARMAN -> SPEARMAN. PHI = SPEARMAN -> SPEARMAN. ATL = Worker -> Worker. Order is restored in CAM. Cultural Advisor tells me that ‘The Koreans are building the Pyramids’.

NYC = pop 7.
ATC and SAL are about to grow.

CivAssistII tells me that I can buy Map Making from Korea.


Turn 111 (330 B.C.)

The new SWORDSMAN (‘CONAN&#8217 joins the Attack Force. Lady + the Tramp = Road (2T). Doc + Sleepy = Clear a Marsh (6T). Donald + Daisy = Mine (2T). The new Worker (‘Thumper&#8217 joins Bambi. Lilo + Stitch move to and Mine (2T). The QE II docks in BAL, and is disbanded for 3 Shields. The new SPEARMAN joins to protect the Attack Force. The Nina continues on its way, and in the distance, sees a border!

Micro-Management: I lower the SCI slider to 40% to maximize Gold.

We will learn The Republic in 2 Turns.


IBT:

CAM = CATAPULT -> Wealth.
ATC = pop 5.
SAL = pop 4.
CON + WSH are about to grow.

CATAPULTS are renamed thus: ‘FIRE ONE!’ has become ‘FIRE 01', etc . . .

Micro-Management: I lower the SCI slider to 30% to maximize Gold.


Turn 112 (310 B.C.)

The new CATAPULT (‘FIRE 05!&#8217 joins the Attack Force. Cinderella = Irrigation (3T). Goofy + Pluto = Mine (2T). Cruella = Irrigation (8T). Bashful + Happy = Road in Forest (2T).

The Nina approaches the unknown border. Our neighbor is FRANCE!

I open Diplomacy with our new acquaintance. Joan d’Arc seeks friendship, but is Cautious. The only tech that she has that I don’t is Monarchy. No thanks. In order to keep this trip from being a total waste of time, I establish an Embassy in Paris for 45 Gold.

The Republic will be learned next turn.


IBT:

We have learned The Republic! I readjust the SCI slider back to 50%, and pick Literature.

The Domestic Advisor wants to know, ‘Should we encourage a Revolution?’ With great trepidation, I tell her, ‘Yes! Let the Revolt begin!’ WSH, NYC, BOS, PHI, ATC, CAM, JAM, BAL, and SAL immediately RIOT! I give them all entertainment.

CON = pop 2.
CHA is about to grow.


Turn 113 (290 B.C.)

Mickey + Minnie = Mine in Mountains (18T). Lady + The Tramp = Clear Marsh (16T).

5 more turns of Anarchy.
We will learn Literature in 50 turns.


IBT:

Order is restored in WSH, PHI, ATC, CAM, JAM, BAL, and SAL.

NYC and BOS are still rioting! The little ingrates in BOS destroy the Granary!

CHA = pop 4.
RCH is about to grow.


Turn 114 (270 B.C.)

Donald + Daisy and Bambi + Thumper = Road on Marsh (3T). Dopey + Snow White = Road (3T). Lilo + Stitch = Road in Mountain (9T).

4 more turns of Anarchy.
We will learn Literature in 27 Turns.


IBT:

Order is restored in NYC and BOS.
CHA is rioting! I give them some entertainment.
RCH is about to riot. I give them some entertainment before they riot.

RCH = pop 4.
TRE is about to grow.


Turn 115 (250 B.C.)

I trade The Republic to Korea for Map Making and 3 Gold (all he had).

3 more turns of Anarchy.
We will learn Literature in 26 turns.

WE HAVE ENTERED THE MIDDLE AGES!


IBT:

Order is restored in CHA.

In the middle of all this Anarchy, my people admire my achievements so much, they offer to expand my Palace. This is only my 2nd expansion.

TRE = pop 2.


Turn 116 (230 B.C.)

Everyone is busy with their assignments, so nothing happens this turn.

2 more turns of Anarchy.
We will learn Literature in 25 turns.


IBT:

Nothing.


Turn 117 (210 B.C.)

BOS is about to starve. Donald + Daisy and Bambi + Thumper clear a Marsh (8T). Grumpy + Sneezy = Mine on Hills (6T). Goofy + Pluto clear a Marsh (16T).

1 more turn of Anarchy.
We will learn Literature in 24 turns.


IBT:

Starvation at BOS.


Turn 118 (190 B.C.)

THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC IS ESTABLISHED IN 190 B.C.!

Micro-Management: I go around to all my cities, and reassign citizens. I change CAM’s production from Wealth to a Settler.
I adjust Sliders to 20% SCI, 10% LUX, and 70% Tax to offset The Republic’s insane Unit maintenance cost.

Snow White + Dopey = clear Volcano damage (4T).

We will learn Literature in 5 turns.


IBT:

WSH, NYC, BOS, PHI, and ATC RIOT! I give them each some entertainment.

CHA = CATAPULT -> Settler.
CON = Worker -> Worker.

Domestic Advisor tells me that Chichen Itza (Maya) has completed ‘The Temple of Artemis’.

Culture Advisor tells me that ‘Arabs are building The Great Wall’.

Domestic Advisor tells me that ‘Mecca (Arabia) has competed The Pyramids’.


Turn 119 (170 B.C.)

I trade Philosophy and 120 Gold (lump sum) to France for Literature.

Cinderella = Road in Mountains (6T). The new Worker (‘Huey&#8217 moves out. The new CATAPULT joins the Attack Force.

I change my Research from Literature to Feudalism.

We will learn Feudalism in 20 Turns.

IBT:

Order is restored in WSH, NYC, BOS, PHI, and ATC.
WSH = SPEARMAN -> Library.
PHI = SPEARMAN -> SPEARMAN.
ATC = CATAPULT -> Scout.
SAL = Barracks -> SPEARMAN.

Cultural Advisor tells me that: Maya is building The Great Lighthouse and The Mausoleum of Mausollos, the Koreans are building The Mausoleum of Mausollos, the French are building The Great Library, and The Arabs are The Great Wall and The Great Lighthouse.

Domestic Advisor tells me that Seoul (Korea) has completed The Hanging Gardens.
CivAssistII tells me that I can sell Literature to Korea and Maya, and The Republic to France and Arabia.

Arabia and France have entered The Middle Ages.

ATL and BAL are about to grow.

Diplomacy: I trade The Republic to France for Monarchy and 72 Gold (lump sum, all she has). Arabia has nothing to trade me for The Republic (not even Gold), so no deal there.


Turn 120 (150 B.C.)

The new CATAPULT (‘FIRE 07!&#8217 moves to join the Attack Force. Lilo + Stitch = Mine in Mountain (6T). Doc + Sleepy = Road (1T). Huey = Road in Forest (4T). Bashful + Happy = Irrigation (2T).

We will learn Feudalism in 19 Turns.

End of Set of Turns: 150 B.C., 321 Gold (-8 per turn).

Arabia, France and I are all in The Middle Ages.
Korea and Maya are still in The Ancient Era.


Here is the Playing View:

Here is the World Map:

Here is the Information Screen:

Here is Arabia at 150 B.C.:

Here is France at 150 B.C.:

Here is Korea at 150 B.C.:

Here is Maya at 150 B.C.:

And here is the savegame:

View attachment Lincoln of the Americans, 150 BC.SAV


As always, your comments, suggestions, and advice are greatly appreciated.

 

[Marsden]

I think you are going to need to get started on Korea soon, otherwise abandon the idea until later. They will be entering the middle ages soon and when they do they will (33% chance) get feudalism free, which will give them pikemen (if they have iron, I couldn't tell from the shots) Pikemen are much better defenders than spearmen, causing the amount of swordsmen required to almost double. Although your use of catapults will help in this regard, they, too, will soon be obselete with the discovery of engineering and trebuchets. You also might want to plan two wars, one to take out the capital and eastern flank of Korea, then a cease fire to calm down the war weariness and rebuild losses/upgrade and then the second war to finish them. Then, hopefully, you will be in good position to strike into the heart of the Maya and destroy them.

Don't hate me because I'm bloodthirsty.

 

[Experiment 626]

If CivAssistII is accurate, Korea doesn't have Iron at all! On Turn 121, I'll use my Embassy to Investigate Seoul and that city that's threatening to CF SAL.

Originally posted by Marsden:

You also might want to plan two wars, one to take out the capital and eastern flank of Korea, then a cease fire to calm down the war weariness and rebuild losses/upgrade and then the second war to finish them.

How many cities would you say make up the Eastern flank?

Should I have had the war before I switched to Republic? This unit maintenance-per-turn cost is insane!

 

[Eltrai]

I would get that war going post haste. Take as big a chunck as possible before you need to slow down. If possible keep pushing before WW becomes an issue, try to keep up building more troops as you push through their territory. You may be able to do it in one shot but, two should not take too long.

Also, make sure to push out troops. You want to be in a good position to finish off the rest of your land mass as soon as you finish with Korea!

Good Luck and get going!

 

[Experiment 626]

As I'll be going to war next turn, I'll start the next set of turns tomorrow (Mon). I'll check in here first tomorrow when I get home from work in case of any last minute advice.

Edit: I've played the first 4 turns of the set, and I've founded another city. (Providence). Could anyone suggest names for cities that were around in the late 18th/early 19th Century?

I'm not at war yet, because I realized that I was out of position. The Attack Force has been divided into 3 factions. Each with a specific goal.

BE AFRAID! OPERATION: CERBERUS IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!

 

[Marsden]

I'm not at war yet, because I realized that I was out of position. The Attack Force has been divided into 3 factions. Each with a specific goal.

BE AFRAID! OPERATION: CERBERUS IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!

Just be careful about splitting forces. What logically seems like enough might not work. For example: your target is a town with 2 spearmen. Anywhere from 2 archers(unlikely but possible) to 5 swordsmen (should overkill).

I just love the way you name everything. It shows a very high level of interest in not just the game as a game in itself but almost as a rpg type.

BTW, cool name

 

[Experiment 626]

Here's a quick overview of OPERATION: CERBERUS:

The white line is ALPHA FACTION which is the Four Horsemen. Their objective is to capture (or raze) P'yongsong, Manp'o, and Pusan.

The light blue line is BETA FACTION which consists of the Four Musketeers (SWORDMEN), 2 Spearmen, and 3 Catapults. Their objective is to capture (or raze) Namp'o, and then rendezvous on the Spices with GAMMA FACTION.

The red line is GAMMA FACTION which consists of everyone else. Their objective is to capture P'yongyang (thus eliminating the Culture Flip of SAL), and then rendezvous with BETA FACTION at the Spices for an all-out assault on Seoul.

We will try very hard not to raze Seoul as they have the Spices in their radius. We'll send a few Workers into the war zone as soon as it's (relatively) safe to connect the Spices to WSH, which will hopefully alleviate the civil unrest that's plaguing my Empire at the moment.

I don't think that my people were ready for The Republic just yet.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

I like the plan! I think it may be too ambitious - for instance, I dunno that 4 horse are a good bet to take a town with 2 spears in it, if any of those do have 2 spears. The retreat capability of the horse means that sometimes you need more to take a town than you would, say, archers - though more of them will survive.


And you have towns on wealth - is that because you need the money because of unit costs? If you don't *need* the money to stay alive, I would change them to military, infrastrucutre or settlers, because you *will* be taking losses. Your core should almost never be building wealth, and certainly not this early. Maybe fringe cities, but not the core.

if it's unit costs that are killing you, disband some warriors you used to have for MP duty, or something. If the worst thing happens (all your attacks fail), the unit costs will solve themselves and you will *need* those swords built fast! if the best thing happens (you lose no units, at all), you can switch them to infrastructure or disband them later or something.