News: COTM42 Pre-Game Discussion

[civ_steve]

COTM 42: Portugal

Level goes up to Emperor as we play a 'vanilla' continents game as Portugal. Most settings are set to the central position. Should be a nice 'standard' game.

Here is the COTM42 game info:

Civilization: Portugal
Rivals: 7 pre-selected.
Barbarians: Raging
Difficulty: Emperor
Land Form: Continents, 70% ocean, Standard map.
Geology:5 billion years old, Normal and Temperate.
AI Aggression: Normal

Conquest-Class Bonuses:

1. 
   You get a bonus unit - a Curragh to explore with
   Knowledge of Warrior Code
   50 bonus Gold

Predator-Class Obstacles:

1. 
   AI Bonus support raised to DemiGod level
   Don't Know Pottery
   All AI's start with a bonus Musketman for defense

 

[Paul#42]

Quite a challenge for the very special #42!

I miss a river, research will start slowly. Not sure if missing Pottery is a too big obstacle...

The scout will probably head north first to look for a food bonus.

 

[Più Freddo]

Quite a challenge

You can say that again! Musketman!? You could bet on finding them in the open and taking them out with Horsemen in masses, but you could also find them fortified in cities on hills. On the other hand, for Continents we'll need to research Chivalry in any case.

I miss a river [and]Pottery

Bad, bad for the research rate. And a Granary fits so fine here with all the BGs and Forests. That Scout had better find Pottery fast! Perhaps we can put some lumber into a Curragh or two in the mean time?

 

[Più Freddo]

Both The Colossus and The Great Lighthouse will alone trigger the Golden Age.

 

[eldar]

Not touching Predator, not that I normally would at Emp anyway. Settle in place unless the scout finds something nice up north.

Whip out a second scout, then a curragh, hopefully will have a better picture by then but probably a settler to time with growth to size 3.

 

[Red Horse]

This should be fun. I’ve never played Portugal before. Not real confident on emperor yet so I’ll play open class.
I assume that’s not fresh water, but the site should provide nice early production.
Settle in place. Scout to the north, worker SW.

Barbarians: Raging

 

[Niklas]

Looks like more water to the SW. I'll play predator, but I don't expect to go for a military VC with those muskets around. Hmm, wonder if I have the tenacity for a 100k or milk run. I would have prefered a small map for that, but I take it last month's game was a deviation from the norm?

eldar's starting builds sounds like what I would do as well, unless something exceptional shows up in the fog. Scout-curragh-curragh most likely.

 

[Elear]

Wait, wait, you are considering a milk run but don't want to bother going for a military victory? How does that work anyway?

Anyway, this game looks fun, raging barbarians!

 

[Niklas]

I'm not saying I can't go for a military VC, I'm saying that it will be difficult to compete for a military fastest victory if you play predator. And I don't want to play open, so I'll look elsewhere. Of course I will still kill most of my opponents, but not as fast as a player playing Open would.

 

[PaperBeetle]

I assume that’s not fresh water,

Good point - if it was a large lake, I don't think we would be getting a bonus curragh in Conquest Class.

 

[Red Horse]

Good point - if it was a large lake, I don't think we would be getting a bonus curragh in Conquest Class.

Though it wouldn't surprise me in the GOTM.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

Portugal is seafaring, and SHOULD start next to the ocean, though I think they have started spain out on a lake.

But that's, given that it's continents, that's almost assuredly ocean.
send the scout out, warrior, chop a curragh, granary?

 

[Più Freddo]

Of course I will still kill most of my opponents, but not as fast as a player playing Open would.

I'm not so sure. That's one (1) Musketman per tribe, and most likely it will be sent out away from the capital together with a Settler. With a little bit of luck, you could leave out those seven cities until the end without losing tempo at all.

 

[Paul#42]

I'm not so sure. That's one (1) Musketman per tribe, and most likely it will be sent out away from the capital together with a Settler. With a little bit of luck, you could leave out those seven cities until the end without losing tempo at all.

I'm rather worried of the disadvantage a slow research of pottery will impose on the predators. Without any river or food bonus, that will easily take some ten turns extra to Republic or Map Making.

 

[Kool Keith]

Haven't played a game in a couple months, but I'm in!

Do I dare try for Predator class?

EDIT: With the DG support, does that mean the AI would get an extra settler?

 

[PaperBeetle]

No, support just refers to the number of units that the AI doesn't have to pay upkeep on.

 

[Kool Keith]

I see. Thanks.

 

[civ_steve]

Yes, the Bonus unit support means the AI will build more units, making them a little tougher to attack AND delaying the start of Wonders.

I've been giving the AI a couple of Pikes in recent GOTMs, but at Emperor level the AI get several units to start the game already, so the 2 Pikes isn't as much of an impact (vs lower levels). So I opted to put in 1 Musket instead, going for a more difficult defender to add to the starting AI mix.

Save files are now up!

 

[TheOverseer714]

I will settle in place, but may end up palace jumping if scouts find a food rich area with a river. Looks to be a FP, desert or plains square to SE, so I may send scout that way. My build order might be scout, scout, warrior, curragh. I saw nothing about goody-hut removal, so scouts may actually be handy.