Experiment 626's Solo TDG

[Marsden]

Build up your military. Four swords and four horses will do nothing except get you into trouble. You want to be trouble.


You have eight spears and are building three more. Switch two cites to Veteran swords, if possible. Spears are needed to defend, but they are poor attackers. And the AI respects attackers more than defenders (but I think you already know this fact).

Your first two battles will be the biggest. The first, to deny horses to Korea, will be more critical than bloody, but the battle for the capital is going to be ugly. Not only do you want to win the battle, you need to have enough troops to handle the counter attack.

If you were to attack now, the horses could be taken, or at least denied, but I would expect the cost to be half of the attacking force. That is, of the 4 Horse and 4 Swords (8 units total), once the battle is won, I expect that only 4 of them will be undamaged. Four offensive units will not take the capital.

Perhaps it is overkill, and better players will have to decide that, but I would aim to have at least 10 vSwords before starting the war, maybe even 12. However many swords will be in the initial assault, the number of horses should be about half of that number. Horses can scout and pester, but they cannot attack as strongly as the swords.

Once Seoul is yours, the rest of Korea is easy. Not bloodless, but the stacks will not need to be as tall; perhaps only 4 swords, 2 horse and 1 or 2 spear for each city. The spears will stay to defend, of course, as would any wounded units. Undamaged units would continue to the next city. Core production should be able to keep the front supplied with fresh troops especially if we you conquer roaded cities.

Excellent! I couldn't have said it better if I tried!


And I don't think it's overkill, but don't let your chance pass you by getting ready too long. It shouldn't happen here. For example; concentrating on having 15 swordsmen instead of 10, but in that time the enemy upgrades to pikemen, causing you to need at least 20, but by that time they might have muskets, which you must now upgrade at least to midieval infantry or longbows and so on. In other words don't let opportunity pass you by because your still "getting ready", but don't attack unprepared because that will lead to defeat. It is one of the most difficult decisions to make, but its the most important as well.

 

[Experiment 626]

Thanks, CommandoBob, for giving me a lot to chew over.

Originally posted by Marsden:
In other words don't let opportunit pass you by because your still "getting ready", but don't attack unprepared because that will lead to defeat. It is one of the most difficult decisions to make, but its the most important as well.

Forgive the noob question, but exactly how do I know when the time is right to attack? Is there some sort of formula that I can follow?

Btw, Marsden, did you get your PhotoBucket account up and running?

 

[AutomatedTeller]

ahh, the terrible question... how do I know...

well, you could always spend some money to investigate the city you are going to attack, see how spears are in it as a garrison. Figure 1.5-3 swords per spear, just to be safe. If it's on a hill, or you have to attack across a river, you will need more. if it's bigger than size 6, you will need more.

Am guessing that Seoul will have 3-4 spear, but I don't know that.

 

[conquer_dude]

Very good! Looking for the next update!

 

[Experiment 626]

Originally posted by AutomatedTeller:

well, you could always spend some money to investigate the city you are going to attack, see how spears are in it as a garrison. Figure 1.5-3 swords per spear, just to be safe. If it's on a hill, or you have to attack across a river, you will need more. if it's bigger than size 6, you will need more.

YES! Use my Embassies (and the Civ3 Combat Calculator) to see what I'm up against. BRILLIANT!

Am guessing that Seoul will have 3-4 spear, but I don't know that.

I'll let you know.

Originally posted by conquer_dude:

Very good! Looking for the next update!

As usual, I'll play the next set of turns on Tuesday.

Keep those comments and advice coming, folks! It's greatly appreciated.

 

[CommandoBob]

Forgive the noob question, but exactly how do I know when the time is right to attack? Is there some sort of formula that I can follow?

"That, my dear, is the $64 dollar question!" (WC Fields, I think)

And there is no hard and fast answer, no magic formula and no secret insight.

What is left is the decision: to attack or not.

Simple, easy and far reaching.

If 'Yes', then other questions about attacking follow: who, where, how much, etc. If 'No', then other questions need to be asked.


This Situation
I think here the war with Korea has two big parts. First, to deny horses to Korea and to capture the capital. Second, mop up the rest.

After Seoul is captured, depending how messy it was, could be a good time to ask for peace to allow you to build up the military and take Korea out in a second war.

Aim for the 15 swords or so that Marsden mentioned before you attack. As it gets close to that number, check the tech tree for any new military improvements that could happen soon, say in five turns or so. Use MapStat or CivAssistII to see what techs Korea has. If Korea has just learned Gunpowder a few turns before you attack, you should still carry the battlefield. A handful of muskets will fall to swords, but the time needed to build muskets means that you will only face a handful, if any, and only in Seoul.

In most cases, and I think this situation is one of them, there is not a single 'best' time to attack.

Bad Analogy
Some medicine must be taken with food; otherwise you get an upset stomach and needless discomfort. When the medicine is taken does not matter (in broad terms), what does matter is that it must be taken with food. Unless the medicine is scheduled every 6 to 12 hours or so, the timing of the medicine is not that critical. Nine in the morning, noon and six in the evening will all work just fine.

The same is true here. Starting the war in 15 to 20 turns (just numbers, not advice) is fine. Which turn, 15 vs. 16 or 19 vs. 20, is normally not critical and generally just fine tuning (one more unit here or there).

The decision to attack (take medication) has been made. The time/turn to attack (ingest the medication) has some flexibility and can be adjusted.

 

[Experiment 626]

OFF-TOPIC

You know, Marsden, this question (How do you know when the proper time is to attack?) could be the very thing to kick off your proposed new thread about Combat.

All you'd have to do is to Copy and Paste both of CommandoBob's excellent posts (with his permission, of course) to get the party started, so to speak.

Just a thought.

Oh, I'm sure that you've thought about this already, but I think that you should start the new thread in the 'Strategy and Tips' sub-forum.

Oh . . . and CommandoBob? A standing ovation for both of those posts.

Edit: I will play the next 10 turns tomorrow (Tues). I'll stop by here to check to see if there is any last minute advice before playing.

 

[Marsden]

One more thing that occured to me is not just the number of your troops but their location. If you have 12 swordsmen standing on that hill outside the Korean border it would be better than having 17 spread all over the empire 5 turns away from the front.

Also, maybe not too important here but, make sure you tell the Koreans your coming first by declaring war like a polite conquerer. Make sure you do not have ANY troops inside enemy territory, then contact them by clicking on one of them or the F4 screen or Diplomacy, and declare war, then cross the border and paste them. If you walk in undeclared and attack without warning your reputation as a treaty breaker will make things harder, not impossible and maybe not that important in this game but it's more advantageous to maintain good diplomacy with the others, even if you plan to eventually kill them someday.

Just one more thing, not an actual suggestion, but a thought just to get you thinking about these things, once you declare war on Korea you can ask the Mayans for an alliance against them.

 

[Experiment 626]

Originally posted by Marsden:

One more thing that occured to me is not just the number of your troops but their location. If you have 12 swordsmen standing on that hill outside the Korean border it would be better than having 17 spread all over the empire 5 turns away from the front.

A stack of Death it is!

Also, maybe not too important here but, make sure you tell the Koreans your coming first by declaring war like a polite conquerer. Make sure you do not have ANY troops inside enemy territory, then contact them by clicking on one of them or the F4 screen or Diplomacy, and declare war, then cross the border and paste them. If you walk in undeclared and attack without warning your reputation as a treaty breaker will make things harder, not impossible and maybe not that important in this game but it's more advantageous to maintain good diplomacy with the others, even if you plan to eventually kill them someday.

Absolutely! Make nice, declare war, and then wipe them off the face of the Earth!

Just one more thing, not an actual suggestion, but a thought just to get you thinking about these things, once you declare war on Korea you can ask the Mayans for an alliance against them.

Oooo! I like it! It might cost me some gold or a tech or something, but that is definitely something to think about.

Well, I'm off crazyeye: ) to play the next 10 turns. Wish me luck!

 

[CommandoBob]

Make sure you do not have ANY troops inside enemy territory

Not just land troops but boats also need to be outside the territorial borders of your intended victim.

Once you say, "Hey, I'm coming to beat up on you." then you can beat up on them all you want. Just no Pearl Harbors, or you take the rep hit.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

The nice thing about getting another civ in on an attack is that the AI is just terrible at handling 2 front wars. Not that the human is a lot better - a 2 front war is just hard - but the AI sucks.

You could even declare, bring in the Mayans, wait a turn, then move in - on the assumption that the Mayans will distract your target and displace his more mobile troops away from you, so you have a clear shot at his cities.

Or you can just attack, too

 

[Sima Qian]

The other nice thing about getting Maya to ally with you is so that they can't ally together against you

 

[Marsden]

The alliance thing was just a suggestion. I don't think it would be necessary in this case. But one of my best "tactics" is to ally with another power against a common enemy, only to attack the former ally after the war is over.

Advantages to allying with Maya: 1. help against Korea, 2. distract Maya from expansion, AIs at war don't build as many settlers, 3. what AT posted about a two front war.

Disadvantages to allying with Maya: 1. They will concentrate on more troops, this is the flip side to 2 above, less settlers but more troops, 2. They might capture some Korean cities, which will weaken Korea but strengthen them.

So you can decide, I'm sure there are more reasons than I listed, but these are what I thought of.

 

[Marsden]

Tuesday 's gone with the wind. Where's the next ten turns.

The only pink one I didn't mention. D'oh

But don't be afraid of Arabia. They can't even get to you until the late Middle age. By then Korea and Maya will be a memory.

 

[Experiment 626]

Well, the next 10 turns are in the books (or the noteboook, I should say).

Originally posted by Marsden:

Notice in the picture of your unknown neighbor, (looks like France, Inca, or China BTW)

Thanks to the brave crew aboard 'The Nina' for making it across to the other continent, I now know who the 'Mystery Guest' is, and it ain't France, Inca, or China. It's ARABIA, and, according to CAII, their Aggression level is HIGH! This game just got a whole TON more interesting, and I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I now have one civ of each Aggression level: Korea is Low, Maya is Average, and Arabia is High! Knowing my luck, the only other civ that I haven't found yet will be Germany.

Originally posted by CommandoBob:

Not just land troops but boats also need to be outside the territorial borders of your intended victim.

I will make absolutely sure that no units (land or sea) are in Korea's territory before I declare war, and rip their lands from their cold, dead hands.

Originally posted by AutomatedTeller:

The nice thing about getting another civ in on an attack is that the AI is just terrible at handling 2 front wars. Not that the human is a lot better - a 2 front war is just hard - but the AI sucks.

You could even declare, bring in the Mayans, wait a turn, then move in - on the assumption that the Mayans will distract your target and displace his more mobile troops away from you, so you have a clear shot at his cities.

That's not a bad idea. When the cat's away . . .

Originally posted by Sima Qian:

The other nice thing about getting Maya to ally with you is so that they can't ally together against you

Now THAT would be a big plus!

@Marsden:

Your post about the ads and disads of allying with Maya is very astute. On the one hand, Korea will send some of their troops against Maya. On the other, Maya could get stronger. I have a ways to go in building my Attack Force before I entertain the idea of attacking Korea, but with Arabia in the picture, I'm just not sure anymore if it's a good idea to attack at all.


Thanks to all of you for your advice. I'm very grateful.


Like I mentioned at the top of this post, The next 10 turns are done. The pics are taken, cropped, resized, saved, and ready to be uploaded.


I haven't begun typing the Journal Entry yet. It's late, and I have to work tomorrow. I will try my best to get the Entry done, the pics uploaded, and the Journal Entry posted tomorrow.

Until then, sports fans, get some . Good night!

 

[Experiment 626]

Sorry for the double post . . .

Here we go . . .


*****

As typing these long-winded things are starting to get to me, I’ll be as brief as possible.

Also, 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 101:

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.


*****


IBT:

The Lusitania is sunk by the Barbarian ship!
BOS = SPEARMAN -> SWORDSMAN
ATL = WORKER -> WORKER
The Revenge of The Minnow SURVIVES!
NYC and CAM = pop 5 (each).
ATC, PHI, and SAL are about to grow.
(The SWORDSMEN are renamed, as promised).

Turn 101 (530 B.C.)

New Worker (‘Bambi’) moves to build a road. The Tramp joins Donald Duck. FAMINE moves to block the Mayan Warrior. Grumpy moves to continue the road. The QE II continues on its way. The new SPEARMAN heads for JAM. Cruella = Irrigation (8T). Goofy moves up the road. Stitch moves to join Lilo. The Nina continues on her way.

THE REVENGE OF THE MINNOW ARRIVES ON THE SHORES OF THE NEW CONTINENT!

Our mystery neighbor is ARABIA. Their leader is Caliph Abu Bakr, and he is annoyed at me. Looking to curry his favor, I present him with 1 Gold. He accepts, but is still annoyed at me. Arabia now has 1 Gold total, and that I have 3 techs that he doesn’t.

City Summary

Barracks: NYC (P5/G5): 3T
CATAPULT: PHI (P5/G1): 4T; ATC (P3/G1): 6T
Curragh: RCH (P2/G4): 5T; JAM (P3/G8): 13T
Granary: SAL (P2/G1): 4T; BAL (P3/G8): 21T
SPEARMAN: CAM (P5/G4): 2T; CHA (P2/G3): 6T
SWORDSMAN: WSH (P7/G2): 1T; BOS (P5/G4): 8T
Worker: CON (P1/G2): 2T; TRE (P1/G5): 5T; ATL (P1/G10): 10T

We will learn The Republic in 13 turns.


IBT:

The Mayan Warrior retreats from the JAM area.
WSH = SWORDSMAN -> SWORDSMAN
PHI = pop 6.
ATC = pop 4.
SAL = pop 3.
CON and WSH are about to grow.

CivAssistII tells me that I can trade with Arabia, and get Construction. I get Construction, he gets Currency and 219 Gold (L.S.).


Turn 102 (510 B.C.):

The new SWORDSMAN (‘D’ARTAGNAN’) joins the Attack Force. Marge (renamed ‘Minnie Mouse’ or ‘Minnie’ for short) = Road (2T). Grumpy = Road (2T). The Tramp helps Donald build the road (2T). Pluto = Irrigation (3T). Bambi = Road (2T). Goofy moves down the road. The Nina continues on its way. The Revenge of The Minnow begins exploring the coastline of the other continent. Doc and Sleepy = Auto Road to TRE. The SPEARMAN arrives and garrisons in BAL.

City Summary

Barracks: NYC (P5/G4): 2T
CATAPULT: PHI (P6/G5): 2T; ATC (P4/G10): 5T
Curragh: RCH (P2/G3): 4T; JAM (P3/G7): 12T
Granary: SAL (P3/G10): 2T; BAL (P3/G7): 20T
SPEARMAN: CAM (P5/G3): 1T; CHA (P2/G2): 5T
SWORDSMAN: WSH (P7/G1): 1T; BOS (P5/G3): 7T
Worker: CON (P1/G1): 1T; TRE (P1/G4): 4T; ATL (P1/G9): 9T

We will learn The Republic in 11 turns.


IBT:

CAM = SPEARMAN -> Aqueduct.
CON = Worker -> Worker.
WSH = pop 8.
CHA is about to grow.


Turn 103 (490 B.C.):

Bashful = Road (2T). Happy = Road (2T). The New Worker (‘Snow White’) moves to a new square. Goofy joins Pluto and helps Irrigate (1T). Dopey and Lady both move to improve ATL. Stitch helps Lilo with the Road (2T). Cinderella moves to another square. The Revenge of The Minnow and The QE II continue on their respective ways. The Tramp moves to join Lady.

City Summary

Aqueduct: CAM (P5/G2): 17T
Barracks: NYC (P5/G3): 1T
CATAPULT: PHI (P6/G4): 1T; ATC (P4/G9): 4T
Curragh: RCH (P2/G2): 3T; JAM (P3/G6): 11T
Granary: SAL (P3/G9): 1T; BAL (P3/G6): 19T
SPEARMAN: CHA (P2/G1): 4T
SWORDSMAN: WSH (P8/G10): 2T; BOS (P5/G2): 6T
Worker: TRE (P1/G3): 3T; ATL (P1/G8): 8T; CON (P1/G10): 10T

We will learn The Republic in 10 turns.


IBT:

NYC = Barracks -> SWORDSMAN.
PHI = CATAPULT -> CATAPULT.
SAL = Granary -> Barracks. (I know that this breaks the rules, but, once the War starts, I want a city with a Barracks as close as possible).
Cul Adv says that ‘Arabia is building The Statue of Zeus, The Hanging Gardens, and The Colossus’.
CHA = pop 3.
BOS, CAM, and RCH are about to grow.


Turn 104 (470 B.C.):

The CATAPULT (‘FIRE ONE!’) joins the Attack Force. Cinderella = Road (2T). Dopey = Irrigation (3T). The Tramp = Road (2T). Bambi = Mine (4T). Minnie = Mine (4T). The SPEARMAN arrives and garrisons in CON. Mickey joins Minnie, and helps with the Mine (2T). Snow White = Road (2T). The Nina, The Revenge of The Minnow, and The QE II continue on their respective ways. The SPEARMAN arrives and garrisons in JAM.

City Summary

Aqueduct: CAM (P5/G1): 16T
Barracks: SAL (P3/G8): 10T
CATAPULT: ATC (P4/G8): 3T; PHI (P6/G3): 4T
Curragh: RCH (P2/G1): 2T; JAM (P3/G5): 10T
Granary: BAL (P3/G5): 18T
SPEARMAN: CHA (P3/G10): 2T
SWORDSMAN: WSH (P8/G9): 1T; BOS (P5/G1): 5T; NYC (P5/G2): 5T
Worker: TRE (P1/G2): 2T; ATL (P1/G7): 7T; CON (P1/G9): 9T

We will learn The Republic in 9 turns.


IBT:

WSH = SWORDSMAN -> SWORDSMAN
RCH = Curragh -> Curragh
Cul Adv tells me that Maya is building ‘The Hanging Gardens’.
BOS = pop 6
CAM = pop 6
RCH = pop 3
NYC and TRE are about to grow.


Turn 105 (450 B.C.):

The new SWORDSMAN (‘EL ZORRO’) joins the Attack Force. Sneezy moves to the Hills. Lilo and Stitch = Mine (6T). The Pinta sets sail. Pluto = Road (2T). All ships continue on their respective ways. The Revenge of The Minnow is renamed ‘The Minnow’. Bashful = Mine (4T). Happy helps Bashful (2T). Now that JAM has a defender, FAMINE rejoins the Attack Force.

City Summary

Aqueduct: CAM (P6/G5): 13T
Barracks: SAL (P3/G7): 9T
CATAPULT: ATC (P4/G7): 2T; PHI (P6/G2): 3T
Curragh: RCH (P3/G10): 8T; JAM (P3/G4): 9T
Granary: BAL (P3/G4): 17T
SPEARMAN: CHA (P3/G9): 1T
SWORDSMAN: WSH (P8/G8): 3T; BOS (P6/G5): 4T; NYC (P5/G1): 4T
Worker: TRE (P1/G1): 1T; ATL (P1/G6): 6T; CON (P1/G8): 8T

We will learn The Republic in 8 turns.


IBT:

I build an Embassy with Arabia in Mecca for 39 Gold.

CHA = SPEARMAN -> CATAPULT.
TRE = Worker -> SPEARMAN
NYC = pop 6


Turn 106 (430 B.C.):

Cinderella = Irrigation (3T). Sneezy = Road (4T). The new SPEARMAN moves towards RCH. Goofy joins Pluto. Lady and The Tramp move to a Bonus Grassland. The new Worker (‘Daisy Duck’ or ‘Daisy’ for short) joins Donald. Nina and Pinta attempt to cross the Ocean. All other ships continue on their way. Mickey and Minnie = Mine (2T). Snow White moves to join Dopey.

(Micro-Management: I changed BAL’s production from Granary to SWORDSMAN. I also changed CAM’s production from Aqueduct (I couldn’t afford the maintenance) to CATAPULT.)

City Summary

Barracks: SAL (P3/G6): 8T
CATAPULT: CAM (P6/G4): 1T; ATC (P4/G6): 1T; PHI (P6/G1): 2T; CHA (P3/G8): 8T
Curragh: RCH (P3/G9): 7T; JAM (P3/G3): 8T
SPEARMAN: TRE (P1/G10): 20T
SWORDSMAN: BAL (P3/G3): 1T; WSH (P8/G7): 2T; BOS (P6/G4): 3T; NYC (P6/G5): 3T
Worker: ATL (P1/G5): 5T; CON (P1/G7): 7T

We will learn The Republic in 7 turns.


IBT:

My Gold reserves are dangerously low, so I sell Code of Laws to both Korea and Arabia for 178 Gold (L.S.) and 174 Gold (L.S.), respectively. I took all of the Gold that they had.

ATC = CATAPULT -> CATAPULT.
CAM = CATAPULT -> CATAPULT.
BAL = SWORDSMAN -> SWORDSMAN.

The Pinta is lost.

CivAssistII tells me that PHI is wasting food.


Turn 107 (410 B.C.):

The two new CATAPULTS (‘FIRE TWO!’ and ‘FIRE THREE!’) join the Attack Force. Bashful and Happy -> new square. Grumpy moves to CON. Donald and Daisy = Mine (2T). Goofy and Pluto = Irrigation (2T). Dopey -> new square. Lady and The Tramp = Mine (2T). The new SWORDSMAN (‘INIGO MONTOYA’) joins the Attack Force. Scar -> new square. With a Scout watching the frontier from a Mountain, PESTILENCE rejoins the Attack Force. Doc and Sleepy move to a Forest. Nina makes it to the other continent. All other ships continue on their way.

(Micro-Management: I switched PHI’s citizens around, so that it has Zero Growth.)

City Summary

Barracks: SAL (P3/G5): 7T
CATAPULT: PHI (P6/G-): 1T; CAM (P6/G3): 3T; CHA (P3/G7): 6T; ATC (P4/G5): 7T
Curragh: RCH (P3/G8): 6T; JAM (P3/G2): 7T
SPEARMAN: TRE (P1/G9): 19T
SWORDSMAN: WSH (P8/G6): 1T; BOS (P6/G3): 2T; NYC (P6/G4): 2T; BAL (P3/G2): 15T
Worker: ATL (P1/G4): 4T; CON (P1/G6): 6T

We will learn The Republic in 6 turns.


IBT:

WSH = SWORDSMAN -> SWORDSMAN.
PHI = CATAPULT -> SPEARMAN.
Cul Adv tells me that ‘Maya is building The Pyramids’.
Bal and JAM are about to grow.


Turn 108 (390 B.C.):

The new CATAPULT (‘FIRE FOUR!’) joins the Attack Force. The new SWORDSMAN (‘ROBIN HOOD’) joins the Attack Force. Dopey = Road (2T). Doc and Sleepy = Road in Forest (2T). Grumpy = Mine (4T). Bashful and Happy = Road (1T). Mickey and Minnie move to CAM. The SPEARMAN arrives and garrisons in RCH. All ships continue on their ways, but Nina finds that all coastal squares are in Arabic Territory.

City Summary

Barracks: SAL (P3/G4): 6T
CATAPULT: CAM (P6/G2): 2T; CHA (P3/G6): 5T; ATC (P4/G4): 6T
Curragh: RCH (P3/G7): 5T; JAM (P3/G1): 6T
SPEARMAN: PHI (P6/G-): 3T; TRE (P1/G8): 18T
SWORDSMAN: BOS (P6/G2): 1T; NYC (P6/G3): 1T; WSH (P8/G5): 3T; BAL (P3/G1): 14T
Worker: ATL (P1/G3): 3T; CON (P1/G5): 5T

We will learn The Republic in 5 turns.


IBT:

Caliph Abu Bakr (Arabia, Annoyed) wants to know why we have units in their territory. We apologize, and promise to move the offending units out of their territory as soon as possible.

NYC = SWORDSMAN -> SWORDSMAN
BOS = SWORDSMAN -> Wealth
BAL = pop 4
JAM = pop 4
BOS is about to grow.


Turn 109 (370 B.C.):

Cinderella -> new square. Scar = Road in Forest (12T). Dino, Jr. (Scout) moves to the Hills 2 sq. NW of PHI, so that WAR can rejoin the Attack Force. The new SWORDSMAN (‘BEATRIX KIDDO’) joins the Attack Force. Cruella moves to the mountains near CHA. Goofy and Pluto move to improve TRE. Lady and The Tramp move to clear the Marsh. Donald and Daisy move to improve a Grassland. Snow White joins Dopey. Mickey and Minnie move to improve a Mountain. Bashful and Happy = Mine (2T). The new SWORDSMAN (‘XENA’) joins the Attack Force. The QE II changes course, and heads for BAL. The Nina moves out of Arabic territory. The Minnow continues along the coastline.

(Micro-Management: I switch CAM’s citizens around, so that it has Zero Growth. I change RCH’s and JAM’s production from Curragh to Wealth. Right now, there are no coastal squares for me to land on without trespassing. I raise SCI slider to 60%.)

City Summary

Barracks: SAL (P3/G3): 5T
CATAPULT: CAM (P6/G-): 1T; CHA (P3/G5): 4T; ATC (P4/G3): 5T
SPEARMAN: PHI (P6/G-): 2T; TRE (P1/G7): 17T
SWORDSMAN: WSH (P8/G4): 2T; NYC (P6/G2): 5T; BAL (P4/G10): 13T
Worker: ATL (P1/G2): 2T; CON (P1/G4): 4T
Wealth: BOS (P7/G31); JAM (P4/G10); RCH (P3/G5)

We will learn The Republic in 4 turns.


IBT:

Dom Adv tells me that CAM has lost all productivity. I change one citizen to an Entertainer (I tried to change it to a Scientist, but that didn’t alleviate the problem).

Cul Adv tells me that ‘Arabs are building The Pyramids’.

BOS = pop 7

ATL and NYC are about to grow.


Turn 110 (350 B.C.):

Cinderella = Road (2T). Mickey and Minnie = Road in Mountain (3T). Doc and Happy move to clear Marsh. Donald and Daisy = Road (1T). Snow White and Dopey = Irrigation (2T). Sneezy = Mine (8T). All ships continue on their ways.

City Summary

Barracks: SAL (P3/G2): 4T
CATAPULT: CHA (P3/G4): 3T; ATC (P4/G2): 4T; CAM (P6/G-): -T (rioting)
SPEARMAN: PHI (P6/G-): 1T; TRE (P1/G6): 16T
SWORDSMAN: WSH (P8/G3): 1T; NYC (P6/G1): 4T; BAL (P4/G9): 12T
Worker: ATL (P1/G1): 1T; CON (P1/G3): 3T
Wealth: BOS (P7/G30); JAM (P4/G9); RCH (P3/G4)

We will learn The Republic in 3 turns.


End of Set of Turns: 350 B.C., 374 Gold (+1 GPT).

*****

CivAssistII Data: I am 1st in Gold with 374 (Korea=20, Maya=7, Arabia=1), 1st in Cities with 14 (Korea and Arabia=11 each, Maya=10), 1st in pop with 57 (Korea=30, Maya=28, Arabia=14), and 2nd in Land with 154 (Korea=172, Maya=146, Arabia=61).

I am in the lead, tech-wise. I know 17 techs (Arabia=16, Korea=15, Maya=12).
I can sell Philosophy to all 3, Construction to Korea and Maya, and Code of Laws, Horseback Riding, and Currency to Maya.
I can obtain Monarchy from all 3. (But I don’t want to, do I?)

I have 58 Units: (V=Veterans, R=Regular, and C=Conscript)

11 SPEARMEN (Mostly V, some R)
10 SWORDSMAN (V=ATHOS, PORTHOS, ARAMIS, D’ARTAGNAN, EL ZORRO, ROBIN HOOD, AND BEATRIX KIDDO. R=INIGO MONTOYA and XENA. C=MOE.)
4 HORSEMEN (All Veterans=WAR, FAMINE, PESTILENCE, and DEATH)
4 CATAPULTS
3 Curraghs
22 Workers (20 Americans, 2 Slaves)
4 Scouts

*****

Here is the Playing View:

Here is Our Place in the World:

Here is the Information Screen:

Here is Arabia at 350 B.C.:

Here is Korea at 350 B.C.:

Here is Maya at 350 B.C.:

Here is the savegame:

View attachment Lincoln of the Americans, 350 BC.SAV


Once again, all suggestions, comments and advice are greatly appreciated.



On to your posts:

Originally posted by Marsden:

Tuesday 's gone with the wind. Where's the next ten turns.

Patience, Great Sensei. I've had a busy couple of days, and this is the first chance that I've had to type it up and post it.

Originally posted by Marsden:

But don't be afraid of Arabia. They can't even get to you until the late Middle age. By then Korea and Maya will be a memory.

And then the will fall. Arabia -> <-me

 

[Marsden]

Things look good, but be careful, see how Korea and Maya are creeping south around your western flank? Also, Korea's cities have grown larger and their culture now covers our proposed attack route over the hills.

What does your Military Advisor (Biff) say now about your strength?




did you see my game?

 

[Experiment 626]

Originally posted by Marsden:

Things look good, but be careful, see how Korea and Maya are creeping south around your western flank? Also, Korea's cities have grown larger and their culture now covers our proposed attack route over the hills.

I just hope that SAL doesn't Culture Flip to Korea. I'd lose my Attack Force. Should I move my Attack Force back just in case that happens?

What does your Military Advisor (Biff) say now about your strength?

Biff says that my Military is strong compared to each of them.

did you see my game?

No, I haven't. This is supposed to be my day off, but, late last night, I was told by my boss to come in today. I'll check your game out just as soon as I have a chance to.

Time to get ready for work. In the immortal words of Lupin the Third, 'Toodles!'

 

[AutomatedTeller]

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.

a couple of suggestions:

You have 3 turns left on republic - what happens if you move the slider down a notch? Do you still have 3 turns left? If so, move it down - it will help the treasury. This is something you can start doing when there are 3 or 4 turns left on a tech - see if moving the slider will still get the same amount of time, because it helps the treasury out, and *that's* always good.

If the mil advisor says you are strong in comparison to the others, it's time to kick some butt.

About AI agression levels: I wouldn't worry about it, particularly if you are planning on taking them out anyway. Aggression is a pain if you want to be peaceful, but can actually help if you want to start a war, cause you might be able to get *them* to declare on you, which gives you war happiness!

 

[Experiment 626]

Originally posted by AutomatedTeller:

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.

Actually, I have only one SPEARMAN garrisoned in SAL. The Attack Force is just outside the city, but within the city's raidus.

Only a 3% chance you say? Those odds make me nervous.

You have 3 turns left on republic - what happens if you move the slider down a notch? Do you still have 3 turns left? If so, move it down - it will help the treasury. This is something you can start doing when there are 3 or 4 turns left on a tech - see if moving the slider will still get the same amount of time, because it helps the treasury out, and *that's* always good.

I don't quite remember, but I think (there's that word again) that if I lower the SCI rate, it bumps up to 4 turns or something.

If the mil advisor says you are strong in comparison to the others, it's time to kick some butt.

I just need to build 6 SPEARMAN to protect the stack, and garrison in captured cities.

About AI agression levels: I wouldn't worry about it, particularly if you are planning on taking them out anyway. Aggression is a pain if you want to be peaceful, but can actually help if you want to start a war, cause you might be able to get *them* to declare on you, which gives you war happiness!

So the odds of getting Korea to declare war on me are pretty slim, isn't it?

Should I get the first American-Korean War out of the way first, before switching to The Republic? Or just say 'Darn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!'?