Gilgamesh of Sumeria (Deity Fractal)

[BornInCantaloup]

I'm game for low sea level, runaways and potential for loss are exciting!

I believe this is the start you requested :

Spoiler :

Fractal, Low Sea level, everything else standard.
Handpicked AIs :

Spoiler :

Washington, Napoleon, Suleiman, Isabella, Ragnar, Catherine.

I specifically wanted Napoleon and Ragnar, because they're the AIs with the most attack courage in the game. I'm interested to see if they go lemmings with their units and if xp can be farmed.
The other AIs are there to balance the field.

Quick thoughts (Prepare to LIVE) :

Spoiler :

Gilgamesh dies hard and has a strong early game.
There is no trick with the start ; I want the early game decisions to be sensible and not luck dependent (e.g. : where to settle).
With Low Sea, I want a strong hammer start and this is one (barbarians can be mean without the extra AI).
As with any Fractal map, exploration should not be neglected, at least once early survival is ensured.

Everybody and their little brother are welcome to participate, share in defeat or victory, high hopes, perplexity and ruined plans.
Please keep spoilers under spoilers.
Good luck, have fun !

 

[krikav]

I have just started BOTM237 and will play there for a while now, but will get to this soon enough!

 

[sampsa]

T0

Spoiler :

- A beeline to Alphabet ? There can be a really quick Library, here. Can we skip Mining ?

Skipping mining-BW feels very logical for me, too. Fast library perhaps even leading to an academy is enticing. To me, 2NE looks obvious.

 

[soundjata]

Can't talk about T0 sorry

 

[soundjata]

You must be talking about the infamous Maceman rush

Or that elephants are a good weapon to catch AIs while they are still expanding ?

 

[krikav]

Low sea level isolation is no joke...
At least this is a strong start!

Tired of the BOTM now, will play abit on this one.

2N2E looks obvious, but 2N or 2N1E are also plausable.
PH is self explanatory, claims alot of fogged area which might hold incredible riches (or desert).
The other two give you dryrice+coastal or a impressive collection of green hills...


*Edit* nwm 2N, that loses out on the cow.

 

[krikav]

Went NE with warrior.

Spoiler T5 :

There is marble.
Gilgas courthouse is down at priesthood, which can be nice if you do a crazy REX.
It's possible to just farm floodplains+elephants, they are all acceptable 4yielders.

Myst->Poly->Priest and start playing with failgold and possibly oracle something?

Or go hunt->AH first to unlock the power tile, check for horses and improve the elephants properly...

Do we even farm the floodplains? One? Pottery is close too... Looks like nice islands!

 

[krikav]

Spoiler T33 :

Warrior went up and reached the coast, then went south. Killed a wolf and then I parked on the rice. OK fogbusting location and to prevent jungle growth.
Tried to be conservative and went hunt->AH, farmed one floodplain.
Very strong second city spot in the west with rice+cow+horse+fish.

At AH i realized I forgot to add barb techs. Added it then but have only met warriors so far obviously...
I figured natural production in capital and creative warranted early writing.
Met washingtons fishing boat T16, early sailing could be good.

Tempted to go BW now to see if I have copper... getting vultures would open up possibilities.
With cre libraries, commerce can come later.

Think I'll leave the marble for aestethics, too many other strong possibilities to gamble for oracle I think.

 

[soundjata]

So far we're on the same pace @krikav

Spoiler :

But creative libraries don't provide any commerce...
Only a science multiplier and a couple of scientist slots.

So Aestetics and Glib maybe can help us bulb a couple...

How about spy economy through ziggurats and... A spy city maybe ?

 

[krikav]

Yeah, Ziggurats can be a life saver if you REx like mad, but other than that they are not really relevant.
An early GSci can be settled for some early beakers too, I think it might be best here, this capital doesn't scream academy, and if it needs one it can be done later. First GSci comes so early that the beaker boost is kind of significant.
The hammer is also nice.

Jungle is nice, a buffer toward the AIs. Already have room for quite a few cities here!

Spoiler T39 dotmap? :

Went fishing after writing, second city can get a workboat in no time with all those hammer tiles, and getting the fish online is important too!
Happycap dictates that a helper should be settled in the south to offload cow/floodplains soon, good thing that city also gets a clam of it's own.
Barb galleys could become a major pain here... :|

Not iso... not even semi-iso!
Archery next I think... Barb pulse must come soon and that could be brutal!

 

[soundjata]

T55 including BW...

Spoiler :

I went very conservative : make warriors and build those close helper cities asap.
Writing this turn. Can sailing wait for after aesthetics?

I have improved capital 6 best tiles only. the rest is chopping and roading.

As settler #4 is on route to west fish (settle on horses?), I'm building settler #5 for copper because like krikav said, libraries can come later.

Best defense, impenetrable wall of warriors

edit: oh and yay no pottery

 

[soundjata]

I'm pretty sure you can do that.

Spoiler :

Sailing, I believe, should be a delay towards Aest. Even more so Fishing + Sailing.
It is a delay towards settling the islands, though. So we can weight those against each other.
Tsk tsk. It's all the more conceivable for you to skip those tech that you have uncovered inland settling spots. Keep in mind unlocking trade routes (coastline) will/could/should help a fair bit.

It's very interesting how you went so packed with the first 3 cities. I would only do that with extremely early Pottery and a Bureaucracy plan. I kinda wonder why you didn't go for horse/cows/fish as a 2nd or 3rd. Scouting maybe ?
Uruk isn't that food rich to warrant such sharing, is it ?

Spoiler :

Yes I didn't scout the west coast early. Warriors are focused on the jungle.
I tunnel visioned quite early on city 2 and 3 spots.
I occured to me (monty island) that these kinds of 3 tiles to capitol cities are 100% good whatever tiles they share / add...
For example my city 2 was settled sooner than krikav's and immediately had a good tile to work (+4food)

 

[Gwaja]

Interesting map.

Spoiler :

At first, it almost fooled me thinking I may be isolated, but the super large jungle made me think otherwise. So I reckon the AI on this continent started really really far away and the early hindrance seem to be jungle and barbarians.

 

[Gwaja]

Spoiler :

Completely avoiding the jungle, I see 4 cities on the continent plus the optional 5th on the small island that has 2 seafood conveniently placed due to us being Creative. After that, it's a careful balancing act of reasonable expansion into the jungle with hopefully a good trade for Iron Working. Ragnar seems to be super aggressive on this map, and it seems as though he is not being shy about waging war long distance.

I absolutely hate developing large jungle area myself. I'd rather take it from AI after they clear out the jungle into a nice large chunk of grassland, but it seems as though I may have no choice. Otherwise, I will just be turtling in the corner.

 

[soundjata]

I've played to T83
A couple of choices are behind us
(scout heavy)

Spoiler :

We've followed BIC sensitive advice, diverting 30 (one warrior + 1 scout) along both coasts.
It seems like a continent map and we're on the "big one"
It could be that the north east part of it is all wild baba territory (XP farm)
The Ottomans can't expand peacefully and can't wage war vs Americas (pleased)
This is not ideal...

We have OB with everyone and -1 with Ragnar because he asked I stop trading with Was}{iton and I declined.

There is a jungle between us ma dude & I am Giggles the defender of Hell on earth (low sea)

I've prioritized > in capitol. Now finally Uruk is chilling on 2 scientists like city 2 and city 4.
Those hammers (including every BFC forest) went into a barracks, 3 vultures and a settler for island city.

City 3 was ill managed, working a lot of 3 yield tiles.
It contributed a worker, a workboat and a galley.
Now it is getting basic infra (LH + Lib)

Research path was obviously the big decision.
I think sailing > Aesthetics was ok

Game is still open : cataphants are on the table (bulb math) or a marble kind of line but with some safety net (hill city in Ragzy face?)

Illinois

The economy is a little bit tense but still positive: +6 + 18 per turn.

Barb city raiding economy ?
Also I can totally imagine doing 6 ziggurats (540) as that would increase the espionnage from 4 to 16 (I mean x4 permanent bonus )

Great scientists being prepared

Edit: Actually Ragnar just settled right in my face

 

[krikav]

T63 (Sailing)

Spoiler T63 :

Went full growth after the settler was finished, trying to rush a library in the capital and get up in size.

Second city finishes workboat neatly! Good job city!
Archery was certainly overkill, I have seen almost no barbs.

Even after Ragnar finishes TGW, I still see no barb onslaught.
The map is telling me to get chopping.
Finding a coastal connection to ragnar seems hard, the scouting warrior I sent in that direction got lost and I shortly started to pay supply, so I deleted him, can't afford to pay 2gpt for his services.
Sending a scouting workboat north instead. A nasty barb city has spawned on my way to Washington.

T63, sailing is in, but I still have no traderoutes. :'(
Got a nice city with copper and green cow and later gems.

Trying to rush out a pair of GScis... maybe bulb math and gun for currency? Cities are stagnating on max pop since I have no knowledge of pottery.. so no whipping for me.
Unsure if I should go pottery now... or if I should aim for something higher and hope for trades.
Ragnar is evil and won't trade until he is pleased though, and gifting him a city would upset washington. This is hard. :|

Thinking of settling these cities, the banana spot might be contested but the rice/fish isn't.
Banana is a nightmare to get up to speed though, fish city could be productive really quick.
The banana hill is super sweet to have as a turtle-shell in case ragnar gets some ideas though.

Maybe MoM would be a fun target? Capital could do it easily, have sailing already and could bulb math.

 

[krikav]

@BornInCantaloup

Spoiler :

The fool doesn't seem to have any coastal cities on that side. Sailing looks kind of bad now... but I think it was a OK call.

 

[soundjata]

Tech path

Spoiler :

I think Calendar (and banana city short term) are traps. How are we going to justify the commerce and worker turn sinks (zero forest in here how do we even grow)

In some deity games, I've had success with this beeline (Aest. > trade for Alpha > Currency > back to Lit & Music) and I think I want to try it here. It works when the AI tech pace is slow.
After Music, Cuirs are just a few techs away
In the meantime we have to deal with the Hindu Block (Ottomans + Americans) and I'd hate them becoming friendly.
We also need to deal with Ragnar. He's willing to be bribed on Sulei but Alpha + Aesthetics is not enough...

Of course an earlier (and successful) war would be more elegant.
Cataphants is the next power combo and it could work if:
- Our neighbours don't start plotting and massing units too soon (can't control)
- They keep expanding and spreading their army thin, which is the current state of affairs for Wash and Ragz who are both at 13 cities ~T90.

In any case, I wouldn't beeline construction and I think currency is a crucial short term target.

edit: btw Illinois bounty

Spoiler :

was 42

 

[krikav]

Spoiler T98 :

a workboat found Nappys border and isabellas boat, looks like they are on a separate but huge continent.
Now I have nice traderoutes! It was a mistake to consider sailing a mistake...
Settled the bananatown just in time it seems.

Got alpha from Bella with two turns into it for HBR, then I got IW+Myst from Suelliman and gave HBR to Ragnar which bumped me up to pleased! Woo hoo!

That was good, because just a few turns later, Ragnar starts to plot, but now I'm more confident that it's his worst enemy Washington and not little me who is such a nice guy who hands out free tech.
Bella finishes another wonder and it takes a few turns more until my sense of urgency kicks in, she is for sure about to become a beast...
I close traderoutes with her and hope that will stop her from benefitting from GLH too much.

Now I revolt to HR+Slavery... Never got around to do that switch.

T85 Bella asks me to join the war that Nappy declared on her and it's here that I wise up, close borders with her and gift nappy HBR so he can more easily put her in check.

T87 I get math for alpha with wash, and workers go chop more workers who go chop more workers... need workers for the jungle.
T92 I get calendar for HBR+IW+Priesthood with washington, only to realize I haven't improved the marble.

The lack of cottages is taking their toll and my techrate is bad even with offshore traderoutes and a settled GSci. I try to inch myself to currency to fix that.

Spoiler T98 situation :

When I finally get to currency, almost everyone already has it.
Oh well, can't complain about tech trades this game. Have gotten almost everything.

If only confu would spread to me too, I would perhaps be able to get Ragnar friendly and get his goodies? Or maybe I have taken too many hits with worst enemy trades already.

8 workers.. is that enough? Maybe.
Gotten granaries up lately too. Very late pottery and even later slavery made that super late. Could be behind alot in production.

Nappy providing the bulk of the traderoutes. Vive la Fance!

Currency was a huge boost. Think I will make a try for GLib now.
Just spawned GSci #2, should he do an academy in capital where I settled the first? With GLib that might be justified? Or bulb compass?

3 workers are helping out Nibru who got the fish stolen. The workboat which was on it's way there netted the southern clam instead.
A settler at 22/100 is close to start decaying in capital, but that will have to wait. 3 workers will chop forest for MoM there, growing one pop on barracks now while I catch some overflow in Kish.
Ragnar is moving a stack toward Washington, so war is imminent.
I'm tempted to whip units, land overflow into aestethics wonders and see if I can piggyback abit.

 

[krikav]

@soundjata

Spoiler :

I think I'll agree with you. Calendar is hard to justify. I got it for "free" now and I'm very happy about it. But I do think currency is the way to go. Seeing multiple possible offshore traderoutes kind of makes that super important.
I'm not sure about warfare here really, the timings seem to be quite different from what I'm used to.
I'm not boxed in with 3 cities, reaching construction super early and attacking 6 city foes.
Here it's slower and the targets have a dozen cities.
I do think I'll start whipping some vultures and HAs though, utilize the overflow and check for dagger opportunities. And if not... the units are still useful later on.