GOTM 36 Pre-Game Discussion

[Butzull]

I'll be in on this one. Could be interesting/embarrassing as I'm still quite new to the game and I've never played higher than Regent before...so I'll be looking at hints and suggestions in this thread very closely.

I should win COTM5 tonight and submit tomorrow, but I've found my attention wandering quite a bit and not really pushed hard and strong at my goal, I got away with it on that level but won't be afforded such luxuries here. I also want to keep a proper detailed log this time, I didn't for the COTM and wish I had.

At first glance I'm thinking SW for the coast and immediate cows, with the second city targetting the river between the three BGs and will decide on the type of victory after seeing the lay of the land (although honestly I'll settle for any with the jump in difficulty.

One quick question though, I came to the game straight into C3C. Am I better off playing PTW or Vanilla, and what are a couple of really important differences between C3C and the earlier releases that I should be aware/wary of.

Thanks in advance,

Butz. groucho

 

[ainwood]

Am I better off playing PTW or Vanilla

PTW is easier to get started in for the GOTM, because for vanilla you need to install a lot of add-on graphics packs to give you civs equivalant to PTW.

and what are a couple of really important differences between C3C and the earlier releases that I should be aware/wary of.

Thanks in advance,

Butz. groucho

Here is an excellent post by SirPleb which outlines most of the differences, albeit from a focus of moving the other way (from PTW to C3C).

 

[Butzull]

Thanks, that was just the tonic!

Butz. groucho

 

[gozpel]

After COTM5 where I got 6 cities by 1000bc , I intend to go back to my idea of spawning like a maniac. My first priority might be to whack my best recorded 1000bc result of 22 towns, I will try for 25 this time. Of course it all depends on how much land there is and if we have a neighbour, so I might change my mind long before that date.

My initial gameplan is to send the scout east, to check out the river, settler SW to settle by the cows and worker to the BG and he will irrigate the tile. First city will build scout and worker and then the race is on. Granary with a chop or 2 is essential. What's outside the first town's borders is essential for a 4-turn settler factory and/or as I hope a 4-turn settler/warrior factory.

I will create a nice tight ring and then just plop down towns where I see them fit as always. I never worried about corruption and "perfect" town-sprawl, this time my worries are neighbours and how much land there is to grab.

And of course, raging barbs might destroy my intentions.

Research will be 100% on Writing -> MapMaking. I know this is Emperor, but with a couple of extra cities I should be able to cut a few turns on full research. This may also change if we meet someone else soonish.

ainwood is way too tricky to figure out and I have no idea what setup he made to totally crash my game plan.

We might lack resources (again) or have too many neighbours or too little land, or all of it. I actually feel I will be tricked because of those cows, but will stick to my plan for as long as it is possible anyways.

After all, I would really love to be left alone on an island for once and have no pesky rivals to compete with.

It's too early to say what winning condition I should go for, but I'm way overdue doing a decent conquest/domination game and when I think of it, I got no diplo/space awards either. Just them silly cultural ones, so I have to take a different path this time.

Emperor gives me the challenge again and I'm waiting for the save very impatiently.

 

[klarius]

Research will be 100% on Writing->Map Making

While I normally also go full towards writing, I think in this game min on writing is better.

[living calculator mode]
You need more than 6 beakers per turn on emperor to get below 40 turns.
I think we will stay below this at least before the river is settled (around turn 20 earliest, if not playing crazy).
If we don't meet anybody else we also will need a bankroll to allow then 100% towards MM.
[/living calculator mode]

 

[Tone]

I'll be in on this one. Could be interesting/embarrassing as I'm still quite new to the game and I've never played higher than Regent before...so I'll be looking at hints and suggestions in this thread very closely.

I think that with two cows on an archi map, this is the game to step up with. We have a really powerful starting position and most (all?) of our neighbours will be on a different landmass so they won't be able to threaten with much strength in the crucial early phase of the game.

I'm planning to get that settler factory up and running asap, the bg fields by the river will produce the early barb hunters and escorts (until the factory becomes a warrior-settler combo) and I just need to make sure that there are plenty of workers to deveop land and connect up luxes and resources.(There are some out there, aren't there ainwood?) My first GOTM was a step up to Emperor level and I learnt loads from the game and loads more afterwards in the spoilers. Best of luck, Butz!

 

[Tone]

If you are where your profile says you are, or anywhere further west it *was* up when you left for work this morning. It went live at 9:30 PM BST yesterday so it's had 24 hours to accumulate 54 posts. Two posts an hour isn't bad

I guess I was walking around in my sleep yesterday! The pregame discussions have been very popular recently. Well done to the GOTM staff for reading the mood of the participants so accuratly.

 

[klarius]

We have a really powerful starting position and most (all?) of our neighbours will be on a different landmass so they won't be able to threaten with much strength in the crucial early phase of the game.

Don't be so sure about that.
Maybe Bismarck is just lurking in the fog with his free archers (2) and spears (4).

Generally, if we have a neighbor, we have to be very careful with them.
Even the 6 warriors an easy civ gets on emperor are quite a force.
In most cases they don't attack, but don't annoy them to much.

 

[Randy]

Generally, if we have a neighbor, we have to be very careful with them.
Even the 6 warriors an easy civ gets on emperor are quite a force.
In most cases they don't attack, but don't annoy them to much.

Those 6 warrior will most likely remember what I did with my first 6 warriors on these last few games. I guess turn-a-bout is far play.

 

[Tone]

That's true, but I'm not averse to a bit of boot licking whilst there are good sites to develop. Tribute demands? No problem! I'll pay whilst I'm developing land and building up my military graduly. The AI rarely attacks when there is space to settle and establishing embassies and regular deals should even keep Germany or the Aztecs sweet for a while. (Oh dear, I think I've just set myself up for the earliest conquest defeat with these comments!)

It could be more difficult if we are on an island with one other (aggresive) civ but I still maintain that with two cows, we can get a great start that will offset any initial bonus and the production bonus that the AI gets and at least they'll keep those barbs in check. For those out there that have never played at this level before, my advice is don't expect to boss the early stages and keep the AI sweet until you are ready to pounce. This looks a great time to give it a go!

 

[gozpel]

While I normally also go full towards writing, I think in this game min on writing is better.

[living calculator mode]
You need more than 6 beakers per turn on emperor to get below 40 turns.
I think we will stay below this at least before the river is settled (around turn 20 earliest, if not playing crazy).
If we don't meet anybody else we also will need a bankroll to allow then 100% towards MM.
[/living calculator mode]

Don't underestimate the roads, when they finally comes to effect. Usually I DO build roads first, but this scenario will force me to get irrigation to town first. I might build 2 settlers before the granary, I've done that alot and it works well.

Everything depends on what happens during the first few turns, I can change my mind as often as my wife (well, nearly as often)

And just for your interest, the difference in having 2 or 3 towns early, is pretty much all it takes to cut a couple of turns of research. And I don't want any gold in the kitty in a game like this.

So now klarius: Turn off that "living calculator mode" and let me play this game as I want to play it. I'm not listening to you anyways!

j/k - I do appreciate your explanations, but as you have seen, sometimes logic is better than maths.

 

[Redbad]

I was thinking about a 20k culture for this one. Settling 1 SE would eventually result in a capitol with 29 shields at size 12 with things visuable in the starting image (2 cows, 4 hills, 4 bonusgrass, 2 forests and citycentre). On the downside I have to make a switch for the settler factory from my capitol asap. Building a settler immediately and settling 3SW from the capitol. This city gives at size 4 6 shields (1 wet cow, 1 mined cow, 1 bonusgrass, 1 grass and citycentre minus 1 corruption) the first turn, second turn 8, third turn 7 and fourth turn 9). Again with things already visuable. Somewhere around 10 AD the settlerfactory should have lost it’s usefulness and the capitol can inherit the cows and the bonusgrass. One other downside is that the capitol has to build an aquaduct and would be producing a considerable time at size 6, with some 12 shields. However you can’t be at the river and have both cows in range. Starting buildingorders for the capitol could be something like: settler, temple, granary, great lib, lib, hanging gardens, aquaduct, colosseum, cathedral, …. I am not sure however that I can build both great lib and hanging gardens at emperor level.

 

[Zild]

GOTM 36 will be my first GOTM, and I must say that the chance to play England will make it all the more sweet. Victory will be mine! Well, probably not, since I've never played Emperor level...

I won't (read "can't") talk tactics without embarressing myself, but I've never been afraid to do that

I am very tempted to move NW before settling - I just have a hunch that I will be needing the extra defence. Or maybe there's gold in them thar hills? Something's telling me to at least check it out with the scout, and a move W with him could even reveal some information south of those cows...

If not NW, I shall be going SW for the coast and cows, not to mention the forest (To chop or not to chop? That is the question...)

I may squeeze out a ship as early as my research allows - being the only contact between enemy civs may be vital given the enhanced trading difficulty at Emperor.

And I definitely think Bismark will be waiting somewhere...

Oh, and if I do happen to go NW, that will make it London by the sea, which is what the call Brighton (which also happens to be in the South Downs (hills)). Expect a name change

 

[Renata]

And I don't want any gold in the kitty in a game like this.

Agreed. It'll just get taken away by the barbs anyway.

I'm not too concerned about falling behind in tech due to lack of funds. I have at least two very powerful likely trump cards. The AI is so bad at exploration that I'll probably be able to trade on at least some of the contacts, and I'm also likely to be the first to maps. Even if I'm not, my world map will be worth much more if I'm out exploring before anyone else is. The faster the galleys are out, the more likely it is I can turn that advantage into techs and cash.

But we'll see.

Renata

 

[Civgeek]

If the water to the west is fresh water (i.e. a lake), does that allow irrigation through a city settled adjacent (i.e. SW from the start)?

 

[Renata]

Yep.

But if it turns out to be a lake, I'll be very surprised.

Renata

 

[solenoozerec]

Am I allowed to jump my palace to other islands?

 

[AlanH]

Only if you have or build a second core near it. There was a discussion here when we decided to ban the "remote Palace in Hawaii" exploit.

You can see a list of expoits allowed and banned in GOTM here.

 

[Xevious]

But if it turns out to be a lake, I'll be very surprised.

You won't be the only one.

 

[Mistfit]

1.) No Iron on our island
2.) No horses on our island
3.) 3 furs all in the north (tundra)
4.) No other lux on our island
5.) 200 tile island
6.) We are not alone
7.) Biz and X-man share our little foothold on the planet
8.) All goodie huts will be behind #7
9.) Our island will be completely surrounded by Ocean no coast
10.) I will find a way to mess up the worlds easiest Settler factory

Ok Some of those sound a bit out there. But I will guess that 1 resourse will be missing and #10 will come true.

@Dianthus: How's that Over Water Trading tool coming?

I have never completed an Arch' game. I might just have to try this one.