[BTS] News BOTM 138: Monty, Monarch, starts 1 Sept

[DynamicSpirit]

BOTM 138: Montezuma of the Aztecs

[img=right]http://gotm.civfanatics.net/civ4games/images/botm138civ.jpg[/img]

It's time for you to become that peace-loving, tree-hugging, pacifist, Mr. Montezuma. Montezuma likes jungles, which is just as well because you're playing in a tropical climate. To get you started exploring, besides the usual scout, you also start with a jaguar AND a workboat. Only for exploring, mind, not for any evil conquering, because you know peace-loving Montezuma would never approve of that! Just to make sure, lest you get any ideas of using the workboat to try to capture any AI capitals, be warned that the AIs start with extra defensive units. By the way, unlike most hub maps, it is possible to circumnavigate this map with your starting units. Fairly easily, I'd say. Have fun!

Game settings:
Playing as: Montezuma of Aztec
Rivals: 6 AIs
Difficulty: Monarch
Starting Era: Ancient
Speed: Normal
Options: No random events
Victory Conditions: All enabled

Map settings:
Map: Hub
World Wrap: Cylindrical
Mapsize: Standard
Climate: Tropical
Sea level: High


Montezuma is Aggressive and Spiritual, and you start with Mysticism and Hunting.

The Aggressive trait gives free Combat I promotion for melee and gunpowder units and double production speed of Barracks and Drydock

The Spiritual trait gives no anarchy and double production speed of Temple and Cristo Redentor

Unique unit: Jaguar (replaces Swordsman)
The Jaguar benefits from: base strength = 5, requires access to nothing, free promotions: woodsman1, and 35 hammers to build (on normal speed). This compares with the Swordsman which has: base strength = 6, requires access to iron, and 40 hammers to build (on normal speed).

Unique Building: Sacrificial Altar (replaces Courthouse)
The sacrificial altar is cheaper than a courthouse (90 vs 120 hammers) and has a unique benefit: Besides the lower maintenance costs of the courthouse, it reduces the period of unhappiness following pop-rushing to just 5 turns. Which potentially makes slavery incredibly powerful. Obviously, peace-loving Montezuma would never countenance such cruelty, so in the true spirit of the game, I imagine you'll also wish to avoid those kinds of tactics.

Starting screenshot

This is the start of the game (click for a bigger image):




Note that in this game, any espionage-culture victories will be counted as cultural victories.


To Enter the Competition:

This competition will open at 00:01 am on 1 Sep 2017, server local time (UTC-6:00). From that date and time, you'll be able to get your chosen starting save >>>here<<<.

Submit the save after your victory (or defeat) here, by 1 Oct 2017.

Here is a link to a list of the differences between Vanilla, Warlords and BtS.

Software Versions

Windows: This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Civ4 Vanilla or Warlords), patched to version 3.19, and with the BUFFY mod version 3.19.003 installed. You can download the BUFFY mod here. Players using Windows Vista or Windows 7 are encouraged to read the notes on Vista fixes here.


Macintosh: This game MUST be played in Beyond the Sword (NOT Civ4 Vanilla or Warlords), patched to version 3.19, and with the Mac BUFFY mod version 3.19.003 installed. You can download the Mac BUFFY mod here.

While playing...

Remember - for your entry to be accepted, it MUST be your first attempt to play this game, and you MUST NOT replay any turns. If you make a mistake while playing, you have to live with it, learn from it, and carry on the game without replaying.

We will open 'spoiler' threads during the month for players to discuss what happens in their games. Do not discuss any details of your game outside those threads.

 

[lymond]

Aaaaandd..it's another Monty game (although I will say the WIII Jag is interesting)

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Aaaaandd..it's another Monty game (although I will say the WIII Jag is interesting)

Well, according to my records, last time we played as Montezuma in a BtS game was BOTM 75 - in February 2014! So I think it's about time you had another chance. He has featured more recently in vanilla and Warlords games, but the pre-BtS jaguars aren't nearly as good, so not quite the same thing.

 

[High King J.J.]

With huts and barbs on we should be able to gain exp on Jaguar to level 4 fast. Now just to decide where to settle? At least we have decent scouting ability available. Jag goes west and then decides where to continue. Scout goes south and decides where to continue then. WB will then decide which way it goes. Only then I will start agonizing over settling on dry rice or wet dyes. Settling on food is heresy, even more so with a slavemaster leader. Dyes will take forever to develop but that means losing coastal access. If no seafood is found I may go for an inland capital. On second thought send WB west and then decide where to send Jag. East looks too deserted to make it attractive direction to explore first.
I foresee a Zeus with the ivory and maybe some skirmishes to make use of it. With my luck our neighbours will have machine guns to discourage forceful expansion or maybe mechanized infantry with city garrison 3... at the very least they will have some longbows and who knows maybe tech to make more.
Does anyone know if giving the Jag with W3 also a medic increases the healing to 15+10=25%? I'd guess it won't but has anyone tried? If W3 (+15%) and medic3 (+15%) were cumulative that would make it a super healer worth wasting a warlord on.

 

[lymond]

W3 and medic promotions do stack.so yeah, it is worth it

I see 3 options for settling at the moment..all of which give some bonus...on the dyes, on the PH, on the elies.

scout should check coast to the S

I kinda like on the dyes, due to the super sugar tile which makes up for the lost hammer from PH or phants

I inclined to give Jag the cover promo next and use him to choke someone. WIII is very powerful against archers in forest, and cover would most likely ensure success as he further accumulates XP.

Settle on dyes, straight to AH and then BW or POT, with no loss of worker turns.

Zeus is great for fail gold.

I'd send wb east. Jag can immediately move 2 tiles NE and SE to get a view over that coast and likely head that way. First key is finding the Spoke.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Just so people are aware (although I'm sure most of you already know):

• Settling on either the plains hill or the plains-ivory gives an extra hammer in the city tile
• Settling on the dye gives an extra commerce in the city tile
• Settling on the rice or pigs gives an extra food in the city tile
• Settling on a flood-plain irreversibly destroys the flood-plain, so you just get the usual 2F/1H/1C in the city tile.

• A unit with medic1-2-3 AND Woodsman3 should (if my tests are correct) heal other units on the same tile 40% (plus whatever healing that tile gives), and units on adjacent tiles 25% (plus tile healing). And yes, that is a very powerful healing combination.
• This compares with a unit with medic1-2-3, which will heal 25% (plus tile healing) on the same and adjacent tiles.

Tile healing depends on who control's the tile's culture: It's 10% on neutral tiles, 5% on enemy tiles, and (I think) 15% on your own tiles, 20% in your cities, though I'm not certain of those last two figures.

 

[WastinTime]

Woody II is a great worker-stealer. Especially when it's on a 5 unit instead of a warrior. Not a very peaceful strategy tho.

 

[High King J.J.]

Sea level: Medium

Actually Sea level: High

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Actually Sea level: High

Thanks High King J.J. It is indeed High. I've just fixed the starting post.

To everyone: Sea level in this game is High. (Was previously mistakenly given as medium)

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Spoiler threads are up (getting them in good time after the very late BOTM 137 spoilers!)

 

[Deckhand]

Just to make sure, lest you get any ideas of using the workboat to try to capture any AI capitals, be warned that the AIs start with extra defensive units.

Is that even possible? Can a workboat sail into an empty city and capture it? Scouts can't. Humbaba artillery can.

... that would make it a super healer worth wasting a warlord on.

"wasting"?
Maybe I'm doing it wrong. About all I use my great generals for is super healers. Always first, usually second, then settle third as instructor.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Is that even possible? Can a workboat sail into an empty city and capture it? Scouts can't. Humbaba artillery can.

For clarity, I was joking. I'm fairly sure you can't capture a city with a workboat (although I admit I've never actually tested it so there's a remote possibility I'm wrong)