HNDY04 - AWD - Grumpy Old Men of AW

[barbslinger]

Lets make #1 there 1 NW of the center tobacky. We probably want to see what is under the fog in the SW before we can see where cities will go there. What do you think of 2 cities on the lake?
Also, I think we should wait on the choke. I don't see us losing the race to it even if it is the 4th or 5th city and getting productive 1st ringers will help more.

 

[barbslinger]

Handy04 – 3000BC –

Preturn – Well, diety. So the Ai has about 3 cities and 6 techs by now. We’re heady for masonry in 11 which I may or may not see. I swap to granary in 9 which will drop to 7, I think, when mine completes. Even lower since a pop ill be added next turn.
IT – Mine completes. We have growth.
[1] 2950 – Granary in 5, growth in 10. I moved endiku to face only one warrior. Moving both EW’s to bust more fog.
IT – zzz
[2] 2900 – zzz
IT – zzz
[3] 2850 – zzz
IT – Road completes.
[4] 2800 – Move to road and mine next bg. Granary will complete with zero waste. Just luck.
IT – Barb attacks, we win without a scratch but no promo.
[5] 2750 – Begin mine.
IT – Granary completes. Set to rax in 7.
[6] 2710 – Masonry in 4 at 70% and breakeven. The AI, if any must be S of us.
IT – zzz. Barbs are fortified.
[7] 2670 – Coasts are coasts. No more land to look at except NE of wine and deep south.
IT – zzz
[8] 2630 – Fog busting.
IT – zzz
[9] 2590 – Same. Can’t move slider for cash.
IT – Masonry>Alpha
[10] 2550 – There is no more land past the wines. All that is left is south and not looking good. We may be alone. If we are perhaps we should go for Glib and prebuild next to the lake. The forests are good shields and we can irrigate for growth and merge workers.

 

[barbslinger]

Also, disregard my dotmap. I can't see the bg's from the picture at work. :crazyeyes: That's the last time I attempt that.

 

[Yom]

If we're alone, we should go with a less dense build (not 3 tiles apart) and should DEFINITELY build the GL. I can't imagine how we'd keep up in tech otherwise. We may want to build a couple dink boats after Ur finishes its barracks, settler and escort.

 

[Greebley]

Ya, I am more inclined to go for the GLib as well since we have no opponents. I would make this a top priority; we will be way behind otherwise and the game will be much more difficult

 

[barbslinger]

We may want to build a couple dink boats after Ur finishes its barracks, settler and escort.

This would be fine for suicides. If there is a path across that the AI can use I would steer clear. It would be nice to expand unencumbered and then use the GL to blast our way ahead.

 

[Greebley]

I am very leary of exploring until we get bigger. A suicide Galley only works if there is NO path across which is hard to judge and unlikely on a tiny map (with GLighthouse). I suspect the AI will cross soon enough to settle our lands.

I would rather not build much military yet. Just basic defense. Lets grow first.

 

[T_McC]

HNDY04 - Won't Anybody Be My Friend?

2550 BC (0)
Let's see ... we're alone on an island. There is one (count 'em, one) bonus food tile on the island, and it is about 5th ring to our capital. We do have two lux and cheap spears so we should be able to keep the populace appeased fairly easily. I think this start calls for a pseudo-gambit, where we push workers/settlers much heavier than military.

Ur is working the proper tiles, and it grows to unhappiness next turn. I think the Barracks will complete in 2, not 3.

2510 BC (1)
Bump lux to 10%, Alphabet in 43 now.

I think I'll build a settler after the Barracks, we need some more unit support.

2470 BC (2)
Would you believe the advisor suggested we build Wealth in Ur?

I'll go for a settler timed for growth to size 5, and work a different tile to get another light bulb.

2430 BC (3)
Nothing.

2390 BC (4)
Road completes, start on road to new city.

2350 BC (5)
Nothing.

2310 BC (6)
Settler completes, science turned down to break-even.

2270 BC (7)
Settler in position.

2230 BC (8)
Sumer founded, starts the Pyramids. We're going for the Great Library here. City will have 4 BG when cities are founded around it. Adjust sliders and Alphabet is due in 21.

2190 BC (9)
Nothing.

2150 BC (10)
Ur completes an Enkidu. The lack of food is really a pain, the city is still size 3.

Final Notes:
The only bonus food we have are the city squares adjacent to the lake. Those cities should produce workers for us, and improve the lands around the other cities to build military or infrastructure. This is a lousy start, but if we're left alone until Astronomy we can win.

Ur should not produce any workers, its the only place we can reasonably build settlers for a long time. Ur can also build enough Enkidus for the entire empire. I think the cycle will be 3 EWs and a settler in 10 turns.

Once we get a couple more roads and mines on the tobacco tiles, it will be an MM-fest between Ur and Sumer. We don't need to build 14-shield EWs.

 

[handy900]

On a side note: Every time I see that picture in the first post, I think it says "Fart Luck".

yeah - fart luck, fast luck, we'll take either.

Would you believe the advisor suggested we build Wealth in Ur?

I hope this guy is advising the AI also.

I'm up for Glib since we are now playing as Australia.

But, Do we want to explore so the AI will start building boats & send units our way? Other wise, no leaders for us. Since they are so bad at naval landings, we may get leaders this way we could use to rush FP & HE. If we get the GLib, we'll get MM and can send an army overseas to pillage the AI. Also, if we make contact early we may get a tech or two from trade. Wait too long & we'll have nothing to offer. Also, if we wait too long, we won't even know where to insert the pillaging army. So, I think exploration & making contact for leader fodder may actually help us here. Thoughts?

EDIT If all 3 civs are on the other continent, a pillaging army sent over on galleys could really tip this game our way. it will take a long time to win, but pillaging would ensure we have an excellent chance @ the win. Seems like even more reason to explore now while we can. I don't fear their naval landings very much given our 1/2 price spears.

If we don't have iron to upgrade our spears, that's gonna get bloody. We'll need a lot of cats. I hope we get either horses or iron. If we have neither, it's going to make it way hard! END EDIT

Roster:
Handy
Slinger
T_McC
Greebley <-UP
Yom - MIA with laptop issues.

 

[T_McC]

Another shot at a dot-map:

I think the next settler should head for the lakeside dot, and start to build some workers. We do need to put two cities on that lake, and may have to squeeze in three.

In the SW, I'd just as soon burn the desert and leave the hill for mining, but we're only going to get 1 city/turn unless that hut pops a settler. Even on Deity it might be worth going for it, we can hold both high-ground spots with vet Enkidus that don't have anything better to do.

 

[Greebley]

I think we should make the blue dot just north of the lake our GLib location. It is the only one that can grow past size 6 which improves our chance of bringing home the great library. It has a lot of BG so will make a very good wonder town.

[edit: got it]

 

[handy900]

I think we should make the blue dot just north of the lake our GLib location. It is the only one that can grow past size 6 which improves our chance of bringing home the great library. It has a lot of BG so will make a very good wonder town.

Yes - chop a temple to get all those BG in the city borders & start a pre-build.

 

[barbslinger]

I think we should explore after we get 5-6 down. Our prebuild for GL, Zeus rolling, and a core with wines in. Right now I would wait on a dinky. Settlers, WORKERS, enkidus. I would also barb farm with the enkidus and horses when we get them. Leave some fog in the far SE so we can monitor the AI tech pace somewhat and farm some gold.

 

[barbslinger]

I like the blue N dot for the GL too for the reasons Greebley mentioned. We can prebuild with both. One for GL and one for Zeus. Palace and pyramids. As soon as we get math we can swap the current palace prebuild to Zeus. It can't have that many shields in it and being above size 6 may help get the GL sooner even with the delay. For the hut, before popping it, make sure all builds are off settlers and military. It will increase the chance of getting a settler or a tech.

 

[T_McC]

If we try to have 2 cities dedicated to building wonders, we'll have 1 worker until our 4th town is settled. Which is an excellent recipe for losing.

The town already settled cannot grow beyond size 6, but it can work 6 BGs at size 6. [3 of these are already mined!] On the inherited IT it can poach a mined BG from Ur, as 7 spt does us no better than 5 spt in Ur. Once we go for the settler out of Ur, the MM is more tricky.

Either way, the important thing is that somebody has to start spitting out workers. It may be worth a Granary somewhere if we can get to 5-turn workers instead of 10.

 

[T_McC]

Yeah, after looking at it, it's probably easier to try for the G.Lib in a lake city. The blue dot can get 5 BG's and a forest at size 6. I may not build a Temple there, though. A) We don't have Ceremonial Burial B) For the same 60 shields we can double our growth rate. We really aren't set up well to merge workers into a Wonder city without it being an all-or-nothing gambit.

 

[Greebley]

Edit: Dumb joke removed

Preturn: As we sort of discussed I change everything. I switch our capitol to a Settler and Sumer to a worker.

My plan is to found our "wonder city" and then plant a city to the North to expand borders rather than going for a temple.
I will probably oscillate science so we stay near 10 gold.

IBT:

2110 BC: Going to explore the last of our isle.

IBT: Settler->Settler

1990 BC: Meet the Barbarian twins

1950 BC: We lose pathetically vs a Barbarian.

IBT:

1910 BC: Found Lagash which can be our wonder city.

IBT:
Sumer: Worker->Barracks

1870 BC:

IBT: Settler->Enkidu

1830 BC:

1700 BC: Madrid builds the Colossus, and I bet I was supposed to stop at 1750 BC. That is a problem with the turns when they are so short.
Build Kish on the gold hill

Notes:
I would concentrate our workers around the wonder city at first simply to keep up with the growth of the city. Kish does not need immediate improvement as it is going for another worker to help get our economy going.

We have a nice number of BG!

Good Luck Yom (your comp is currently working right?)

 

[Greebley]

Here is a picture of our land. I am going for the famous AW farmers gambit.

 

[handy900]

Last I heard Yom's CD was still not working. I saw him post that it was broken in a PTW SG he is in. If Yom misses too many rounds it may be best to drop from this game & pick it up later. It's hard to come into the middle of an AW game.

I can't play until Satruday night, so Slinger - if you want to swap with me & play on Friday that's fine. Either way I plan to pick it up Saturday night.

Roster:
Handy <- up Slinger
T_McC
Greebley
Yom - MIA with laptop issues.

 

[T_McC]

Not sure about the Barracks in Ur. Do we need another troop producer right now? I'd think about a Granary, so we have a 2nd potential source of settlers and a less-painful place to build workers.

Watch for the last-turn to growth trick at Lagash. You may be able to work the forest for a cheap shield. (Likely not this time, but maybe on the 2->3 transition.)