I’m still a ‘noob’ and this is my second GOTM [contender class].
I started by settling one square SE in 396o B.C. I took a little different approach perhaps, by researching fishing first, emphasizing coins for beakers until I had finished while building on a worker. I then changed to Animal Husb while I built the workboat. This allowed me to grow to size 2 while building a workboat instead of a warrior. I think I then alternated warrior/worker to finish the first worker and grow to size 3.
Decisions, decisions … the Keshik question was finally resolved by a campfire vote of my military leaders that the HBRiding path would require just too many early research beakers. So, I went Mining>BW>Pottery>Writing>Alpha. I had second thoughts when my ‘what to my wandering’ Scout’s eyes did appear?, but more cows, copper and eight tiny reindeer … oh wait, those are horses … and they weren’t there a few moments ago when my scout was through … (finished AH research in 3280 BC).
Like my post last month, I have a few questions along the way that I hope someone will help me with about the game this month [thanks again to Mighty Dwaarf for your help with my April GOTM questions].
Firstly, did it make sense to start with fishing to build a workboat while I grew? [I think Ronnie1 did something like this above in his post].
Second question concerns early {and later} fogbusting. How much was too much on this map? As I came to realize on this continent, there would be times I would feel lonely… and if it weren’t for my enemies the Barbs, I might go days without human contact. One thing I did early-on in the SE of the map from my capital and south of the stone site, was to manually move my scout between two peaks which allowed him to “see” quite a few squares over a two move period. Question #3 is does this manual movement actually reduce barb fog or am I kidding myself and wasting time? It seemed to work here until I whisked my scout away on a Galley for world exploration.
I had finished BW around 2680 and had several good sites picked out. My real contenders were the horses, Cows and now copper, or the gold that appeared to the West. I decided to go west and founded Beshbalik circa 2o8o on the forest sq S of {two!} gold hills, which come to find out gave us two seafood resources as well! It would help my economy earlier. I revolted to Slavery ca. 224o.
That made founding my third city, Turfan, 1NE of the copper my next objective achieved circa 1500 (i.e., also 1SW of horses, 1NW of cows). Now with city maintenance AND unit supply away cost, I re-evaluated my fogbusting warriors around and still don’t know if it is cost effective to have them out there. The experience that they gain would be useless to my empire unless I paid to upgrade them later, and for a long time I would just be happy to have them as “portable happiness warriors” once I revolted to Monarchy (not achieved until 150 AD). Aside: Several mentioned losing scouts. Maybe I was just lucky, or maybe… I have a method I have used with Scouts which I haven’t seen mentioned anywhere. I simply try to move them one square on clear terrain, look for Barbs, and either stop in their tracks-“wasting” their second move factor, if not sure, or back up even, if there are barbs. Since they can outrun most barbs (not panthers, maybe), this makes them {at least} equivalent to Warriors in speed of exploration, and they can often move two squares safely. Wouldn’t work in the jungle to the north or woods all the time, but sometimes there is a ‘clearing’ or ‘meadow’ allowing some leeway. Except, even with Warriors, and the woodsman II promotion allowing surplus woods/jungle movement factor, this can also work sometimes. Take my chances very early, then slow down. Panthers are the worst coming out of nowhere with the two square movement. As another aside, I sometimes team a Scout with a warrior and explore similarly. But, when I actually stack them, it seems that the Barbs start sending out pairs too? Luckily not in this game. The Barbs are like the Borg in Star Trek, they adapt quickly. Borg and Barb, both starting with a “B”, both having the third letter “r”, coincidence? I think not !
After Alpha for trading ( I still hadn’t met any neighbors) I researched MC for those forges (happy faces are here again!). I think it was circa 725 BC before I actually knew for certain Washington was on my continent (or anyone) and that I wouldn’t be expanding here indefinitely … into the void. I planned my first attack on America and found Philadelphia first. It looked like a good place to raze … er, ahh, I meant “raise” the kids. As a noob I almost forgot to check resources around Philly, but did, and found it had Iron, so I changed the plan along the route and kept it. I got a cease fire (Wash poss hadn’t met anyone else, and at any rate wouldn’t give me anything for a peace treaty. Question #4: I think it is correct that AI civs will not trade with you until they have met at least one other civ; I assume that would also apply to peace treaty negotiations – that they could not give you a tech for peace? )
Ca. 275BC my scout scouted … {deleted reference to something that happened in ‘a far away land’} Question #5: Is it wrong to trade with the first civ you can – I had no idea of the lay-of-the-land diplomatically, and would later find out he was, of course, someone’s worst enemy – hey, aren’t we all? I figured by way of rationalization (and since I had been deprived of social company all game) that if I waited, s/he might research them himself and deprive me of the opportunity. S/He nor Wash neither had alphabet at that time.
I hit half a million population for the Mongols about 225 BC., and captured Philly ca. 150 BC. Learning he already had horse archers was a blow; I did make accidental use of a technique I have seen quoted in threads somewhere. I captured a worker, and accidentally moved him to the wrong square. The horse archer came bolting out of Philly to capture him right back, which allowed my attack to succeed that turn! I remembered the thread, and when I captured the worker back in Philly, I sac’d him again, leaving him exposed out from Philly to decoy that horse archer one turn, since otherwise, it would have been very easy for Wash to counterattack and take Philly right back the following turn. Either way, whether that second worker sac was necessary or not, it allowed me to consolidate Philly’s defenses that move, and wait for a cease fire. Thought you might like those tactics …
I tried to “chop” out almost all barracks and granaries, saving forests for said cause. It just seems that I was getting ‘double’ for my chops on the unique buildings for Genghis, isn’t that correct?
My armament in the first war was was primarily axemen with a variety of promotions along with a 3rd level Spearman with two medic promotions after the initial combat I (one from barracks and one from battle). I also threw in a chariot or two. Now, for my next performance, I started adding to my Spearmen (for the HArcher’s), and would hook-up iron for Swordsmen (as well as much-needed jungle clearing). And I finished researching Construction for those wonderful Catapults (too late for first war but I’d have a bevy of them in my arsenal next time around).
Now I would begin on Monarchy research. Question # 6: When you get that early unhappiness in oldest cities, before forges and Monarchy for HR, say …, and there’s no good way to deploy workers to limit growth, does anyone recommend turning off growth via “avoid growth” button? As a noob, I didn’t realize that unhappy citizens didn’t just hang out on the corner and cause no problems; they also eat food resources resulting in things like… well, ah.. gulp… starvation and such.
I met more neighbors in about 125 AD {deleted reference to something that happened ‘in a far away land’ } and traded my new friend, to get Poly & Cal, in exchange for Priesthd & Med, I think my notes say …
Scientists… GP’s … Question # 7: when did the rest of you start dedicating (or when should we) a scientist in your cities? I built no wonders … I didn’t found my stone city until late, and it is going after ‘low-hanging fruit’ of the “Hanging Gardens” – pun intended … so I haven’t generated ANY GP yet by 500AD. If you have a cottage that isn’t being worked, do you forego at some early point working the cottage and put a scientist to work, or do you try to build population to work max available ‘good’ tiles first?
Last ah, that’s next-to-last question, #8: As I prepare for war with Wash again, I am looking for things about war efforts and in particular, War Weariness (how many turns does it take it to dissipate between cease fire/peace treaty and the next war? Or does it just pick up wherever you left off – e.g., it wasn’t a problem in the first war, but …. I have seen it in other games become quite troublesome), and that foolhardy notion of some conquered peoples [“Don’t they know when they’ve been conquered” from Gladiator] of “We yearn to join the mother-home-world-land”. Question #7: I assume the way to deal with that “yearnest-ness” will be to add culture generating buildings, or religion, etc. Is that what eliminates that yearning, or is it automatic with the passing of time, or do you just have to pick out a couple of rebel-rousing malcontents and execute them to get the populace’s attention? [after the proper trial and judicial proceedings, of course … via coverage by CNN, et. al. ]
I have trailed in score and demographics ever since such data has been available. Narrowed the edge some, but still trailing.
Well, I got started on time, nearly, this month, and am looking forward to finding time to finish this GOTM before too long. Last month, the month almost ended for me before the GOTM ended, because I started so late.
Thanks in advance to anyone answering my ‘noob’ questions and I enjoyed everyone’s post immensely as my learning curve is still enormous.
Best to all,
Adama, Military Leader of the last remnant of the Human Race
is only really "perfect" when the health cap is only slightly above the happy cap. That's how I thought about it in the early game, anyway. I skipped the pyramids because of this.
I did build a road through the jungle to facilitate the footsoldiers, but I had intended on having a roving band of Keshiks pillaging while the infantry slogged up to the border before striking the first city.
