GR8 - Phoenix Rising

[ThERat]

they mainly attack cities first unless you pull in too many units into a city. This is a little difficult to predict, but experience will tell. I had only 2 attckes on EW in that wall and both survived.

Another good tactic to draw away units is to pull away an EW and they would try and trail it.

 

[Heroes]

I can't help laughing at the EW great walls!
Let me see what to do then ...

 

[Greebley]

Well played ThERat.

For my turn, swords would target the wall if one was next to it, but otherwise went for cities. One problem I had was insufficient units to complete the wall which meant units wandering to try to get inside the wall (and constantly shifting it)

Given the report above it sounded like that AI was targeting cities on ThERat's turn as well.

My comment above means that I was wrong - Lagash was the most targetted city. They would even walk around to do so.

I was just idly curious if we had put Lagash on the Hill as was suggested whether they would still target it.

I also agree the wall is vital. This way we can build mines and keep them. We had only 2 left when my turn started, Not that we had much choice on this, I really didn't have enough unit for a proper wall even on my turn and before my turn we had to defend cities or lose them.

However, now that we got one, it would be nice to keep it. Note that we want to keep the entire thing intact if possible. Units won't attack the cities if there is a hole in the wall

Of course the enemy units may still break through no matter how much we try to protect it. if so we may have to fall back to trying to save the cities long enough for peace.
Roster:
Greebley
ThERat - Just Played
Heroes - (play to 570 BC) Up
Northern Pike (play to 370 BC) On Deck
MeteorPunch (play to 170 BC)
Obormot (play to 10 AD)

 

[Heroes]

Preturn: THERat, I love the EW walls, thanks!

Our glorious units include 5 workers, 11 archers, 20 Enkidus, total 36, costing us 12 gpt (!) ... I guess we need to found more cities, otherwise we will behave like some sid AIs, who build so many units that their science stops.

Spain put a city Pamplona north to Kish, showing us several tiles' information, but no iron there. Too bad, we cannot build a city at the "red circle" river hill now, otherwise it would be flipped by Pamplona. I must raze it at some time ...

The only reasonable positions for new cities, except ICS, are on the south hills. We need to assign 3 or 4 Enkidus to accompany the settler. Well, ICS looks also good now, it contributes to the great wall and reduces unit upkeep. I change Ur to settler.

A Spain galley is coming ...

MM the crown and taxman to scientists. A scientist earns 3 gold, a taxman 2, that's why scientist is always better than taxman whenever we are doing research. Hire 2 science guys in Lagash and change its productions to Enkidu, because it now has 5 citizens, but doesn't have 5 productive tiles to work. Math due in 10 turns at -1 gpt.

Change Bad-tibira to settler. This city cannot be permanent, so it's not good to build infra there. After knowing math it will produce cat.

IBT: Spain wants peace, no way before you give up 2 irons! Her 2 regular swords retire in Kish (2-0). The galley drops 2 regular swords near Bad-tibira. A Hittities warrior shows up in the south.

750 BC (turn 90 in F8):
Hittites has 21 (!) cities, the highest score and biggest area (9%) so far. We own 1% ... They have 1 horse and no iron. Declare war to King Mursilis.

The 2 dropped swords cost us 1 archer (4-1).

IBT:
Spain veteran sword kills our elite EW flawlessly and promotes, damn (4-2) ...
Spain drops 2 regular swords new Ur. But we kill other 7 attackers (11-2), and a friendly Korea horse gifts us our 1st MGL Lugalzaggesi!

730 BC (91):
Lugalzaggesi makes our 1st army, filled with ... EWs. It will be used to tackle the elite sword for now and escort settler afterwards.

Clean the 2 landed swords (13-2). Finish off a redlined horse outside Umma using an elite archer (13-2), escort him with an elite EW.

IBT: We kill 7 attackers (including the evil elite sword, thankful to the glorious army), lose 1 EW to an archer in Sumer (20-3). A road tile linking Umma is pillaged.

710 BC (92):
Our settler is done. The army is healing, so I send the settler to do ICS.

IBT: Because I moved some EWs to escort the settler and reinforce Kish, every one becomes happy to find a hole and no attack happens.

690 BC (93):
We pay 17 gpt for unit ... Then I found Agade, it drops to 12 gpt. Use the army to kill a 2/3 jag, sorry, there is no hole now.

IBT: Kill 8 attackers, but lose 1 EW in now separated Umma (28-4).

670 BC (94):
Near Sumer, army kills a 1/3 jag, archer kills a 1/4 horse (30-4). Escort archer using an elite EW. Send a vet EW towards Umma.

IBT: Kill 2 attackers (32-4). Spain drops 2 swords near Ur again.

650 BC (95):
The 2 swords cost us 1 archer again (34-5).

IBT: Kill 2 attckers (34-4). Spain drops 2 regular swords near Bad-tibira.
Aztecs drops a horse near Kish. Korea spear pillage the road near Umma.

630 BC (96):
Clean all the 3 marines (37-4). Kill 2 redlined horses near Kish (39-4). Army kills 2 archers near Sumer (41-4).

IBT: An archer suicides in Lagash (42-4). Viking lands an archer near 2 workers roading forests.

610 BC (97):
Send 2 EWs to protect workers. Hire scientists where archer is due, so that math is due in 1.

IBT: The landed archer impales himself to EW (43-4). 2 brave Hittites warriors try to attack Lagash and of course die (45-4). Hittites drops a 3MC (it looks too cool, like a huge catapult! ) near Bad-tibira. 2 Korea horses attack an EW in a bulge of the great wall, too bad ... but our EW wins both and is promoted (47-4).
We learn math! Then set to writing.

590 BC (98):
We beat these bastards so dearly that 4 of them would like to PAY for peace, except Carthage (4 NMs just enter our territory) and Hittites (for good reason). So I decide to go for writing, because 1. embassy brings many tricks to play; 2. we could possibly monopolise literature and do some good trade; 3. 40 shield lib will be very helpful to us.

The cool looking 3MC doesn't do a scratch to our archer (48-4). Change production to cats. Send army to reinforce Kish, because 3 Spain swords and 1 Korea horse are in position to attack. Writing will be due in 12 turns with +3 gpt, hiring 5 scientists.

IBT: 13 invaders suicide to army and EWs (61-4). Cowardly Spain spears retreat from Kish after seeing their swords' death. Celts finishes the Hanging Garden, Ottomans finishes the Great Wall.

570 BC (99):
We have 3 cats. The busy army goes to Lagash, which is being surrounded by 11 Viking archers. Move a EW from Sumer to Lagash, then move a free EW to Sumer. The other free EW is too far away, I leave him unmoved.

Having enough mined tiles, Ur can be a 4-turn settler factory now. But where to found new cities?

We'd better keep Umma's pop as 3, hiring a scientist. If it becomes 4, we will have trouble in finding enough food. I think the general rule to hire specialist is to assure that all the worked tiles are improved.

Good luck, Northen Pike!

 

[Heroes]

Our "Chinese" civ under protection of the Great Wall ...

I can only see 2 places to build new cities: the red and blue rectangles. Otherwise the new city will be in danger of culture flip. Too bad, those bullies have already sieged us. Let's raze all these cages after 10 AD ...

 

[Heroes]

How does the great wall work?

It seems to me that AI units will attack our city if the city is at corner of the wall, as the current situation. I once put an EW on the BG near Agade, hoping to control that tile, then he was attacked. What happened is that Agade became not a corner. Then I retreat him back, attackers go to Agade happily. I am suspecting whether we can link Umma by roading a straight line, since that will fulfil my proposition.

We need to expand, even in ICS way. Mathematically, a round's area goes like its radius square, while its perimeter goes like its radius. So in general, the bigger area we control, the fewer units (relative to number of cities) will be needed to build the wall.

 

[Greebley]

Good turns, Heroes.

I agree with your analysis of the wall. They go for cities unless the unit is next to them.

Yeah, my hope was to be able to get something for peace - perhaps even techs. To this end, building more military to make us appear more powerful may even get us tech and gold.

Looks like we will be able to survive to 10 AD.

Roster:
Greebley
ThERat
Heroes Just Played
Northern Pike (play to 370 BC) - Up
MeteorPunch (play to 170 BC) - On Deck
Obormot (play to 10 AD)

 

[Heroes]

The current international situation:

Aztecs has 1 iron (!) and 1 horse, Spain 1 (?) iron. What happened? Aztecs robbed an iron from Spain? I would love to hear that ... But maybe it's just Spain sold an iron to someone, which is awful.

Viking has 1 horse, Korea 1 horse, Hittites 1 horse, Carthage 1 iron and some wines.

We have neither iron nor horse. We own 1% of world area and 3% of world population. Nevertheless, Aztecs is willing to give us 400+ gold for peace, Spain writing or riding, Viking burial, Korea riding. Hittites feels insulted for peace, and Carthage doubted. Looks like we will gain something when peace becomes possible ...

 

[Heroes]

I agree with your analysis of the wall. They go for cities unless the unit is next to them.

No, they go for cities unless the unit is next to them AND not defending. So it's pretty safe to use this tactic, but the wall bricks can hardly move.

 

[Obormot]

Good work! 30 turn left for us. I think we should found some more cities at ICS to increase support cost. It seems to help in defense too.

 

[Heroes]

BTW: It's as if we are playing football (soccer). You know, sometimes the players of a team gather to make a human wall ...

 

[Northern Pike]

Great report, Heroes.

I've got it, but I won't be able to start for at least fourteen hours, so there's no need to check in every thirty minutes.

 

[Greebley]

I was noticing the red town would be in cultural conflict.

 

[Heroes]

I was noticing the red town would be in cultural conflict.

Emm, yes, after the purple and green borders expand ... Must raze them ...

 

[Heroes]

I was noticing the red town would be in cultural conflict.

I suggest we still settle there for now, because:
1. It's in a good location in the long run;
2. There is no danger of flip currently;
3. If those AI cities' border expand, we can always disband it;
4. If we get a MGL, it's good to rush the Heroic Epic there. We are not in hurry of a 2nd army, so HE is not bad.

 

[Heroes]

In the 28 turns ahead, we will have more and more units, and upkeep will be huge. I seriously suggest to raze some AI city (Pamplona!) to build our city ...

 

[Northern Pike]

370 BC, beginning of turn

 

[Northern Pike]

Sorry if I've slowed down the game. Just a very busy weekend.


570 (0): I switch Ur from a settler build to an Enk. We don't have enough units to garrison one extra city right now, so a second settler seems premature.

Ten Viking archers die attacking Lagash, though our Enk army is reduced to 1 HP. Elsewhere we go 5-0 against the Aztecs and Koreans (15-0).

The Aztecs and the Vikings begin Sun Tzu.


550 (1): At Lagash we defeat a Carthaginian warrior but lose an Enk to a Numidian (16-1).

We kill a Jaguar Warrior at Umma and two Korean horsemen at Kish (19-1).


530 (2): We can get away with attacking a Spanish settler/spear team outside Umma, so we do (20-1), and acquire two slaves.

A Numidian dies attacking Lagash, and two Korean horsemen fall attacking Kish (23-1). But the AI starts attacking our wall, and we lose two Enks and a worker, defeating one Numidian (24-3).


510 (3): We restore the integrity of our line, destroying two Viking horseman and a Numidian but losing an archer (27-4).

We take another Spanish settler/spear team near Umma, but this time it costs us an archer (28-5).

We repel three trivial attacks at Kish, Sumer, and Lagash (31-5). The Spanish have put together a worrying mini-SoD rather than just attacking at Kish, though.


490 (4): Two Viking archers die attacking Sumer, but they wear down the garrison, and later a Jaguar Warrior kills a redlined Enk there (33-6).

An Aztec archer dies attacking near Umma (34-6).


470 (5): We're able to make the Spanish mini-SoD retreat with catapult bombardment, after which three Spanish swordsmen from a different stack die attacking Kish (37-6).

Elsewhere we go 5-0 against scattered attacks, including one by a 3MC (42-6).


450 (6): We take down another Spanish settler/spear team, this one next to Sumer (43-6).

We defeat eight attacks on our cities, most made by the Koreans (51-6).


430 (7): We repel five assorted attacks (56-6). I was hoping for a great slaughter at Lagash, but for some reason most of the adjacent units (Hittite and Viking) moved away. It wasn't because our army was in the town.


410 (8): We defeat six attacks on our cities (62-6). But a Spanish sword/spear stack decides to attack our wall instead, and though the Enk fights heroically, killing two swordsmen (64-7), there's now a hole in the wall just SE of Kish occupied by three spears and two swords.

The Persians build SoZ, so we shouldn't have to worry about Ancient Cav, anyway.


390 (9): We're able to close the hole, bombarding and destroying the Spanish stack without loss (69-7), though our army loses 10/14 HP.

We get four Spanish slaves captured around Umma back to our main position.

The RNG turns on us a bit, and we lose two Enks to the usual long-odds attacks on our cities. We repel eight other attacks (77-9).


370 (10): Thirty-four elite victories, thirty-one of them defensive, didn't produce a Great Leader this turn.

 

[Northern Pike]

The save is the position at the beginning of 370 BC, so effectively I've only played nine turns. My apologies, but I started having technical problems, and I decided it was better to post than to spend hours trying to play one more turn.

We've got a full coastal defense up--all combat units or workers performing legitimate tasks, Greebley --and we mustn't create any holes in it. Enemy ships sail past our coast every turn, and landings would quickly wreck our position. When the worker roading a coastal forest near Ur finishes that job it'll have to be replaced with a combat unit.

We have a settler in Lagash, but I don't think we should use it before 10 AD. We should survive until then, but holding the cities we've already got won't be trivial, especially since the Hittites are now getting seriously involved in the war. We'll probably see MDI before long.

Our army could easily be destroyed if used to hold cities; it came within 1 HP on my first interturn. Using it to make sure the AI won't attack an important non-city tile is often better.

We're basically fine as long as the AI hammers at our cities, but the unpredictable attacks on our wall can create problems.

Our research rate is down to 10%, but we're on track to discover Writing before 10 AD, which is all that matters. But it's close, sixteen turns versus nineteen, so we need to keep an eye on this.

 

[Northern Pike]

The Hittite host: