GR17 - AWE vs 30 civs

[vmxa]

On map of this size, I suspect most just do not want to add the extra work to go around and find optimal places to add workers. If you do not have rails you will have to try to rememebr what you have already set in motion as they will not even get to the town for some time.

The other thing that is not used much is planting forest to chop them in totally corrupt towns to speed up that build. Again, this would require more micromanagement, while you already have a 150 or 200 battles to deal with and tons of other workers task.

 

[Greebley]

I seriously doubt we will find any more luxuries on our own continent. There is a relation between the number of civs on a continent and the number of lux. The relationship doesn't seem to be exact so another lux is possible, but given the number of civs on our continent, the odds are fairly strongly against finding another.

We have to go elsewhere to get another lux I expect.

My statement about not merging workers wasn't supposed to stop skimming and merging. My real hope was to have a goodly number of workers ready when we got rails which didn't happen. I would have been more happy if we had 4x the number of native workers that we currently have so we can get the rail line up quickly and start improving core and science towns.

Note that improving grassland tiles can also fix happiness issues mentioned. Fewer citizens supporting more scientists means less unhappiness. Not that we want to merge until we get our rails up and running.

 

[vmxa]

Merging is going to be so far off for us. We will be busy railing for a very long time. We maybe could slip in a one here and there for a good break point, but we have more work than we can get done.

I suspect you are correct we would need a big break to find another lux on this landmass. Worse though is any invasion could easily face bombers at this rate.

 

[Northern Pike]

The other thing that is not used much is planting forest to chop them in totally corrupt towns to speed up that build. Again, this would require more micromanagement, while you already have a 150 or 200 battles to deal with and tons of other workers task.

Yes, this is an excellent technique but most players are never going to use it consistently. It's particularly useful as a way of getting transports built in distant ports late in the game, when (as so ridiculously happens) ground forces using rails have far outrun the navy.

 

[Greebley]

I am having computer issues - my comp has started running so slow I can't do anything on it at all. NP, If markh finishes before I post that I am ok, then go ahead and take the game. Hopefully, I will have something by the time you finish even if I have to purchase a new machine.

I can post at work like I am doing now - but not on weekends.

If anyone knows of solutions/things to try as to why the comp is running slowly, I will read the forum later today. Note that this effect happens in safe mode, so I am concerned about the hardware itself - though I am not sure if a program/virus could be sneaky enough to affect safe mode.

 

[ThERat]

I had many issues with computers, but this is something weird, running slow even in safe mode...did you run dxdiag or other stuff to check your hardware?

 

[Greebley]

That is something I would like to try - testing out all the hardware. A check disk ran ok, but I haven't done a full diagnostics yet.

I also looked at the web and there are "registry fixer" programs that I might try (if I can get a copy to my computer and if I can get it to run). Not sure how much of the registry is used in safe mode (if any). Its going to be a boring weekend I expect watching my comp not do anything or do it at glacial speed.

 

[ThERat]

hope you can solve this issue fast...computers can be damn annoying if they don't do what they are supposed to do

 

[vmxa]

Spyware can make things run slow, just not sure if safe mode would affect that ro not. If you have the OS disk as a last resort I would format the HD and start from scratch.

Run an antivirus and antispyware app agaisnt any files you copy off before you resotre them. I had to do that for my friend once, not a big deal for me as I have done many installs from scratch. Just time comsuming.

 

[Northern Pike]

NP, If markh finishes before I post that I am ok, then go ahead and take the game.

OK, I'll do that if necessary. Good luck with your problem.

 

[gmaharriet]

lurker's comment: Greebley, have you tried running SpyBot Search & Destroy or a similar program? It's fixed my machine when it started running slowly. Here's a link to the download site, just in case you don't have it already. http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

Good luck!!!

 

[ThERat]

markh, any progress so far?

 

[markh]

IBT : some landings at the usual spot

1) 1560AD : raze Eindhoven,but there is no settler available to settle a new city

IBT : almost lose an MDI army to dromon attacks
no landings this time

2) 1565AD : we have a direct connection to the front by train, cleaning up the mess there is easier
the front turns into a more blueish colour. I like it.

There are just a few Roman and Dutch units left. This will give us room to expand again.
Although we have to find some razeable cities first. There is only one in view.

found New Piedras Negras

IBT : All dromons are moving out of our waters

Alexander starts Universal Suffrage

3) 1570AD : all front cities are connected to the railroad system, so shuffling of cannons, trebs, acts is very comfortable now
start railing in the core

IBT : the usual annoying frigate bombarding
it is getting more quiet at the front now, just a few new units arrive

4) 1575AD : as the front is a little more quiet I release some cav armies to search for enemy cities.
There is even not enough work for our bombarding units this turn

IBT : lose a cav army on city defense. Did not notice that there was a cav in range.
New landings at Nara

5) 1580AD : clear the landing, that area is almost connected to the railroad system, too
raze Groningen, found New Uaxactun

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/47099/GR17_1580AD.zip

 

[Greebley]

Well my computer is running incredibly slowly but it is running. I am going to give it a try - I managed to start civ.

I got it for now at least.

 

[Northern Pike]

1575AD : as the front is a little more quiet I release some cav armies to search for enemy cities.

Excellent--we definitely needed to do this.

I got it for now at least.

OK, noted.

 

[Northern Pike]

After looking at the save, I've come around to Greebley's opinion that we should head directly for SciMeth/ToE, starting a pre-build right now. We can survive without infantry and artillery for the moment, since we aren't under too much pressure. OTOH, this has very much the look of a game in which we could be beaten by the UN if we don't get ahead in tech and build it ourselves.

 

[ThERat]

with Greeks on the other continent and starting US, I agree we should head for sci methods just to be safe to grab ToE. We can't afford to miss that and we don't want to face bombers when we land on their continent

 

[vmxa]

We are going to face bombers anyway. If we wanted the ToE so bad, why not calculate the timing and and get the pre up in time? we are only talking about one extra tech (RP).

It only beocmes a problem if you try to do RP and IND before Sci Meth, if at all. Give me the choce of RP or IND in this type of game and I will wait a bit for the extra production. Won;t need it as bad with inf/art and faster workers.

I am happy with or without the ToE as it will not break the game either way.

The UN is no threat. When was the last time you saw the AI build it first? They do not even beat you to in Sid games. You simply steal as many techs as you need to get there when they do and use your pre to beat them to it.

We would stop losing some of these armies, if we have infantry. We could be more aggrssive with workers and not lose them or need armies to cover them with infantry.

With arties, slowing down frigaes AND we save armies again and make cavs useful or more useful as we can hit units farther away and kill them on the cheap.

I had socres of units two tiles away and could not ping them, unless either I covered the cats or put them at risk. Many times neither was an option as they could not move in range.

 

[Greebley]

I have played to 1620 and should post tomorrow.

I went for the Prebuild - We are behind in science and so I don't want to miss TOE - both because it boosts the AI two techs and costs us the two most expensive techs (atom theory, Electronics - both are more expensive than tank tech IIRC)if we miss it. I think with TOE we will be on par with the AI around the modern Era tech wise - without I think we will be having to fight an AI that has Mech Inf 2 techs earlier while we were 2 techs behind.

No Sapahi - English destroyed Otto.

I am hoping we can land on the other continent before the AI has tanks - I think it is doable if we deny the AI TOE and continue to make progress vs the AI on our continent.

BTW, there is a size 1 island - so we may want Marines - and Espionage when we can get it in 8-10 turns for the two needed techs (i.e. more science farms are needed) - I think we will be able to afford to do this.

We have 23 turns on the prebuild (med in 7, RP would be 16 turns, SM should be 16 or less turns. Though we are running a big deficit and may not be able to maintain it (OTOH, with rails our science farms can grow faster).

We now have between 50 and 60 workers, IIRC - about double. I have been building them in corrupt towns along with settlers (plus the free workers from max food cities).

 

[Northern Pike]

That sounds good.

[The rest of this is a cross-post with Greebley, and addresses Vmxa's post.]

I agree of course that various tactical problems will be easier when we have infantry and artillery, but those aren't game-breaking issues, whereas the UN can be. Obviously we've had different experiences, but I don't think a UN loss can simply be dismissed as a danger in AW. In an earlier Greebley game as the Persians, which seemed much more safely won than this one does, it very nearly happened to us.