GOTM 38 Pre-Game discussion

[Renata]

I'm allergic to not sending out explorers at all from my first city. I've tried it on Monarch, and it took me the whole ancient age to catch up in tech; I also had much less cash on hand than I could have at that point. Granted that was a while ago and not in competition games; I could probably do a bit better now. Still, though, something like warrior-warrior-granary (via prebuild if necessary) looks good to me for this game. With an industrious worker we should be able to have sufficient tiles improved to get the settler factory going almost as soon as Beijing gets big enough. Might build two settlers back-to-back then do a barracks. I think we'd need one more bonus-grass to manage a 4-turn settler/warrior pump, right? Size 5 city+cowirrigated+4bgmined = 4f + 10s. There are only 3 bg in the starting tiles. 6f/8+2 shields on the second turn including growth, then could work almost anything to get 10f and 20s in the next two turns at size 6.

City2 is definitely going somewhere it can make use of one of the bonus tiles on alternate turns. Doing that in GOTM37 was incredibly powerful -- I had 46 pop by 1000 BC (granted 5 of that was from a hut-popped town); I've never come close to that before. Still peeved I couldn't finish.

Renata

 

[klarius]

I think we'd need one more bonus-grass to manage a 4-turn settler/warrior pump, right?

You can run the combo factory already with the tiles you see.
Irrigate both the cow and the wheat.
Start with size 4, 6 food in the box working three mined BG and the cow. Growth will pick a forest (at least if you block the wheat with the second city).
So you have 10 sh for an immediate warrior.
Two additional mined regular grass allow then 9-11-10 sh for the settler.
Additional benefit is that the second city gets the wheat every second turn.
But another BG would for sure be easier to manage

Edit:
Well slight miscalculation , ending up short for the settler. Better look out for another BG.

 

[denyd]

This games seems a lot like COTM7 - Both at Emperor with Mil/Ind tribes and upgraded mounted UU's (Knight & Hussar). I thought the plan was to have the COTM & GOTM provide a variety of game levels.

Aside from those little complaints, what a fine start, a cow, wheat, river and a couple of BG in the initial ring. The only problem will be keeping the populace happy. Time to get out the COTM7 playbook. Minor expansion, kill a neighbor with AA units, expand to their area, repeat in MA, repeat in early IA and late IA, then complete continental conquest, Check domination limit and decide whether to go for Space, Diplomatic or Domination based on available time.

 

[horragoth]

@denyd: but the starting bonuses look good for 20K in capital, which was not exactly the case in COTM 07. Despite the traits being the same, I think the map settings have more significant impact on the game experience, e.g. I had a very different feeling in COTM 07 and XOTM 01 and they were both played with Austria.

 

[Erudine]

Maybe the Cotm7 is supposed to be a "hard" or "crowded" start. This start looks very favorable... having 2 similar civilizations with very different starts might be a nice demonstration of the power of the start location.

 

[Tubby Rower]

Ainwood, What mod-pack do you use for the screenshots?

 

[Tone]

I think we'd need one more bonus-grass to manage a 4-turn settler/warrior pump, right?

Sorry, you're correct. We are one shield short unless there is another bg out there. I must have got over-excited! Surely there's got to be one more bg out there either in the fog or under a forest!

 

[ainwood]

Ainwood, What mod-pack do you use for the screenshots?

sn00pys terrain - have never used anything else (aside from standard).

 

[MOTH]

Any expert fog gazers out there? I see a slight purple discoloration near the river bend 2 SW from the start? Could this be Wine?

I am tempted to move the settler West 1 tile as this will allow for 2 more cities clustered arround the Cow and Wheat allowing for 3 initial cities to be balanced growth wise.

Then again, I am trying to think about how to speed up my game this time around. I am considering a loose 5CC game, in which case I would want widely spaced cities.

 

[Markus5]

You might be right! Wine to the west. Well, we'll know when Bejing is planted.

I hope this is a nice holiday present.

 

[MikeH]

I'm allergic to not sending out explorers at all from my first city.

I agree, that's why I queried Wacken's post, although he's a much better player than me so he'll probably be proven right.

I'm the gregarious sort, I want to get out and meet people.

And then kill them.

 

[MOTH]

I was just working out my build plan without any wine, but assuming that we get 1 more BG. I will build: warrior, settler, granary, settler, barracks, worker. This brings me to turn 34 at which point it will begin working as a settler/warrior pump. The second city should be settled on turn 16 and start with workers, a baracks, and some warriors (not necessarily in that order).

 

[solenoozerec]

I'm the gregarious sort, I want to get out and meet people.

And then kill them.

OK. I won't send you my address

 

[Tubby Rower]

I was just working out my build plan without any wine, but assuming that we get 1 more BG. I will build: warrior, settler, granary, settler, barracks, worker. This brings me to turn 34 at which point it will begin working as a settler/warrior pump. The second city should be settled on turn 16 and start with workers, a baracks, and some warriors (not necessarily in that order).

I guess no additional information for us. Come on, throw us a bone.

 

[MOTH]

I guess no additional information for us. Come on, throw us a bone.

No forest chops at this point as I figured I needed to irrigate the bonuses and get 4 bonus grass mined to be able to get the 10 sheilds on growth. Three turns as I finish the granary I am working the cow, mined bonus grasses, and a forest as I wanted to limit when I grew so that the food box would stay half full. Incidently, city #2 should be able to work the wheat for each of these turns (and a few others) while it grows from size 1 to size 2.

 

[Dynamic]

Any expert fog gazers out there? I see a slight purple discoloration near the river bend 2 SW from the start? Could this be Wine?

I see the purple point but can't say yet what is it. I made not simulation yet.
I think I miss the Gotm38 again because have a little free time and want to win Cotm07 with Diplo.

 

[solenoozerec]

I think I miss the Gotm38 again because have a little free time and want to win Cotm07 with Diplo.

Based on what I know about your play style, I doubt that you will win COTM07 with Diplo
I suspect that you will end with killing everyone

 

[PoorAxl]

I have some concerns about 4 turn settler factory early in the game. What about the happiness? I think that in emperor level already pop2 city has unhappy citizen and as 4 turn settler factory can work between pop4 and pop6 city, 2MP cannot solve the unhappiness, even the slider will not help I guess . There will be definitely need to connect to some luxury asap.

 

[eldar]

4-6/4.5-6.5 Settler factory, 2 MPs (eventually), will have 1 default, 2 MP'd content citizens. Yes, the Lux slider will come into play, but you're not planning on having >10% research after Pottery are you?

Still not sure if I'll research Pottery, or hope for a trade - if there are Exp civs out there, I may go Min on Alphabet (no immediate 2nd-tier techs ) and hope to trade Masonry and/or WC early on to get Pottery.

Neil.

 

[alamo]

Hmmm...looks tempting.

Maybe there are 4 hostile civs in sweeter spots just out of view...