News: COTM48 Pre-Game Discussion!

[civ_steve]

COTM 48: Byzantines!

Ratcheting up the difficulty to DemiGod we'll revisit one of the early civs we played just after C3C was released - the Byzantines. Archipelago setting should give the Dromon some play, but with 60% Ocean, and one less civ than normal, there's plenty of land to dominate, er, settle.

Civilization: Byzantines
Rivals: 6 pre-selected
Barbarians: Raging
Difficulty: DemiGod
Land Form: Archipelago, 60% ocean, Standard map.
Geology:5 billion years old, Wet and Temperate.
AI Aggression: Normal

Conquest-Class Bonuses:

1. 
   4 Bonus Spearmen AND a Bonus Settler
   Pottery for Free
   100 Bonus Gold

Open-Class Bonuses
None

Predator-Class Obstacles:

1. 
   No BronzeWorking
   Dromons cost increased 10 shields
   All AI Aggression increased 1 level

 

[Più Freddo]

How about skipping the Granary for once?

Eight-turn or six-turn should have less impact than the 60 shields on this location: low on shields and probably crowded early on.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

Figure a 10 turn factory if you don't have a granary and use the two FP and a 6 turn if you do build a granary and use the FP. So, if it takes 12 turns to build the granary, then you catch up on the 3rd settler, plus you get settlers out faster after, you get more commerce from the larger city, plus once you are out of space, you have a worker pump.

I think the granary is the right choice. Especially as it looks like you have a couple of forests to chop to speed it along.

 

[Marsden]

Are the Byzantines not coastal because of a customised starting location? I wonder if were on an island.

 

[denyd]

It looks like the Byzantines have replaced the Iroquois as the "Tribe the GOTM Admins don't like". Both GOTM starts for the Iroquois were on Diety (the first without horse access ) and it wasn't until COTM 21 that they actually had a chance to gain a victory.

Both games featuring the Byzantines have been at Demi-God and in Game 1, they shared an island with the Indians who had a great starting point. In this game, they are likely on an island, but have no immediate access to the ocean where an early curragh might allow them to setup early tech trades.

I'll probably give this one a try when I finish the current GOTM (time permitting). It's unlikely that the Republic slingshot will work, but I will probably research Writing -> Philosophy and take Literature (Map Making if I can get pottery somehow). Worker will go SW looking for a better site.

 

[MarleysGh0st]

Barely getting a win at Emperor level earns me a chance to play DemiGod, huh? Those of us about to die, salute you!

I'll move the worker to the sugar and settle in place, unless that turns up a better site.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

I didn't even notice that they didn't give us a coastal start. That's a bit of a disadvantage on Demigod. Given that, I'd bet a lot that there is a FP wheat in the fog somewhere.

 

[Più Freddo]

Figure a 10 turn factory if you don't have a granary

I see three FP's, so eight turns. You are right about the forests, but chopping and irrigating can't be done simultaneously with only one Worker. When you have a food bonus, you can irrigate it and then chop, but with three FP's...

And you can chop towards Settlers, too.

 

[PaperBeetle]

I think I can make out another sugar 2SW, and an oasis ESE. Both these tiles are essentially bgs under despotism, so that would take care of the shield shortage. But it still isn't enough for a 4-turner I guess, as working the floods takes up so many precious citizens. How about a 5-turner?!

 

[AznWarlord]

Archipelago and no Coastal start? Ouch.

 

[Paul#42]

How about a 5-turner?!

Should work...
Yippieh, Micromanager's heaven!

 

[mercenary mike]

Ok, Im going to do it
Lets see how far I get with only five days to go.