NO-1: Tree huggers of the world unite

[Quechua]

I also favor skipping the GLH now, in the state our city is in now I think we could get it in about 28 turns or so by working corn and forest now, and then starving on all forest until the cow is repastured. We could also make better use of Amsterdam's tiles by whipping worker/settler in a cycle overflowing into the wonder, but this increases the turns for the GLH itself. I really hoped a decent portion of it would done by now.

I very much agree on needing workers. I would suggest whipping a worker in Amsterdam and Utrecht immediately.

I think writing is the obvious choice, and turn off research once it's complete. Alphabet, monarchy, and metal casting are all priorities in the next phase of the game, after we get our civ back on track.

One piece of good news is that Hinduism spread to France as planned.

Let me explain what I meant by not working the floodplains, this is Amsterdam in the save:

I hope this speaks for itself. Please please use the city screen when you play, this game is going to be tougher than most monarch games.

Here's the Hague:

The pigs need to be improved. We need to whip the granary as soon as possible, and then whip a lighthouse. A library when writing comes in. It might've been better to build lighthouse first (i forgot to mention that handing over the save sorry), but there's no reason they shouldn't both be done now.

I did make a mistake in which tile to road, I was just thinking about getting to the pigs as soon as I could. I wouldn't have been upset if you canceled my build before the road was done, though I don't think it would've been worth it.

Utrecht:

We didn't want to cottage the floodplain, not now anyway (the same for amsterdam). Food and hammers > commerce here. Our priorities are the fur for the happiness, and connecting to our other cities. I suggested farming the floodplain, I don't think we can spare the turns now. We don't need a barracks yet. Workers!

I think I agree with the iron city location. I wish it was possible to include the floodplain. I think go for the happiness resource location once we have spare workers to improve it, and more units for barb defense. Hopefully there's another food resource hidden.

Anyway, I'm not trying to be critical Refar, I just want us to keep on track in this game. Good job meeting the other AIs and finding iron, we need all the production we can get here.

 

[Tatran]

It's a crowded situation for someone who prefers huge maps.

I vote to ignore the Great Lighthouse and focus more on cities and mainly military.
There are 3 strategic resources we do not have, iron + ivory + horses.
I would like to have at least 2 of them.
I don't think we can snatch away the horses from Ragnar.
Other resources we do not have, sugar + rice + gold + silk.

Do we have Priesthood yet? A prophet should be our first great person.

I'm not to happy with the suggested iron city spot (there's a lot of unused grassland above that spot).
The next two cities should claim iron and ivory.

 

[Quechua]

Having the iron site north is not going to be as productive as the corn site, even if we bring in an irrigation chain down. I wanted the corn with the spice jungle cottage city too, but that city can handle being without a food resource easier (it could still be founded in the same location).

I would grab the iron site quick, Charlie is expanding pretty quickly.

I would send an archer or axe down to the rice gold site, there may be other resources there, I'd plan on that as the following city.

Priesthood-monarchy is a reasonable tech path, but the trade routes from Napoleon with writing would really help our economy out now.

 

[Quechua]

My opinion on our goals for the next turnset:

-pigs improved in the Hague, lighthouse built there
-connect Utrecht to our other cities, get the fur online
-found and improve iron city
-whip workers, build archers and axes for barb defense, jungle exploration
-explore jungle resource city and start settler
-I would go writing, build treasury, open borders with Napoleon. I think priesthood is a good second option.

 

[NoChildren]

I'm sorry but i can't play today, i got a deadline for tomorrow
so there is no way i can play until tomorrow evening so if you want to swap Tartran, that's fine with me or i can take a skip or we'll just wait until i have time to play...
it all depends on how anxious you guys are to keep this moving

 

[NoChildren]

ok, seems like no one else claimed the save, i will play in 6-12hours.

 

[NoChildren]

just played. short set. only until writing. will post save and report in two hours or so.

 

[NoChildren]

turn 117: inherited one, change amsterdam and utrecht to workers as suggested
turn 118: i crack the whip in amsterdam and utrecht. rotterdam is founded

turn 119: amsterdam-->archer utrecht-->barracks
turn 121: hinduism spreads in hague, oracle BIDL
turn 122: granary in hague->lighthouse
turn 123: amsterdam finishes archer-->worker
turn 125: i discover even more happiness resources, too bad there is no food resource around...

turn 126: rotterdams border pops, too bad i haven't got enough workers to get iron and corn online, they're busy with pigs and furs.
turn 127: our axeman finally connects utrecht to the rest of our empire, furs will be online next turn

turn 128: wang kon comes asking for open borders. i decline as he is both ragnars and nappys worst enemy.
turn 129: amsterdam finishes worker, set to build axeman so it can grow and whip another settler
turn 130: nappy demands clams, i give in of course. remember to cancel this deal later on. wang kon converts to judaism
turn 131: writing comes in, this is were i stop. a short set i guess, but i have tons of stuff to do besides civ atm.

amsterdam is ready to whip a settler as it has just grown past it's happy cap. or maybe we want to grow i one more size before we do so, that would only take two more turns. watch out for the barb south of amsterdam, it's only a warrior though, but we don't want to lose the cows. i have also seen two axebarbs in the jungle between us and ragnar.
seems like 3.17 increased barb activity. i'd like to get 1-2 cities between us and ragnar and also settle the coastal one with clams and iron near the hague. we will need a bunch of workers to clear all that jungle though...

 

[Tatran]

everyone always keeps nagging about that save, i can't understand why!

No comments required.

 

[Quechua]

Wow, I didn't realize that's all it took to connect Utrecht, I thought it didn't get sea access till the next border pop.

If it hasn't been suggested yet I favor moving the crab coastal site to include iron.

I'm usually against further growing while unhappy, but it'd be nice to see a save

 

[NoChildren]

D'oh! the save. i knew i forgot something in my hurry... i don't have access to it right now, will upload it tomorrow

 

[NoChildren]

the long awaited save!

 

[Quechua]

Nice turns. I agree we want to settle horse-ivory-gold-rice (!) now. Microing Amsterdam, I put 1 more turn in axeman, 1 turn in settler, whip. Microing the Hague I think we want to work the bare grassland for a turn or two so we can whip lighthouse a turn sooner.

I like Tatran's suggestion of Priesthood to start on a prophet. Hinduism is actually a close second for the most prevalent religion right now (16% compared to Judaism's 18%). I turn off research after that as libraries are put in place. I think I do favor alphabet over monarchy after priesthood, as we have happiness resources (and temples if we need).

I think our nearby crab coastal city is a good settle after that, I put it either on the grassland tile overlapping fp, or on the plains with two extra water tiles (I favor the second option if we are getting Colossus). Silk-pig coast looks like a good alternate spot or 3rd settle. I'm not sure if jungle cottage's best placement is still the corn irrigation site, I'm willing to give up 1 food.

If crab coastal is secure we want to open borders with Napoleon for 1 extra commerce per city - and to explore his land to see if we want to take it sooner rather than later. I think I agree with NoChildren, at the moment Wang is enemy, Napoleon and Ragnar friends.

 

[Tatran]

Here's a dotmap.
I mainly focused on flat green + resources. Plains hills are the worst tiles in the fat cross.

 

[Quechua]

I think you'd agree to move the pre-iron crab coastal site west to get the iron. In the south I was thinking more along the lines of...

I like putting the food in a decent production city with hills horse and ivory. I like having the silk be put in a coastal commerce city. And I'd trade the fresh water bonus and spices (spices = colossus water tile + 1 hammer) for gems and safely irrigatable and cottageable tiles. The line represents a barrier of jungle to keep.

 

[NoChildren]

i like the idea of placing number 4 on the lone forest amidst all the jungle giving us a couple of tiles that we will be able to farm/cottager for certain.

How are we looking for the colossus, i don't have access to the save atm, given our variant it should help us a great deal. if we are going after it it doesn't look like we're going to war anytime soon though, but that may be the best choice. i'm for peaceful expansion in the southern jungle.

also i will be OOP until monday, i might be able to come with some input but most likely i will too busy...

Roster:
NoChildren
Tatran (got it??)
Quechua (On deck)
Refar

 

[Tatran]

i like the idea of placing number 4 on the lone forest amidst all the jungle giving us a couple of tiles that we will be able to farm/cottager for certain.

Dotmaps are very time consuming.
The only problem I have with Quechua's spots they won't benefit us right now and the next turn sets.
Once the dikes come in the city spots are certainly better.

From my sologames I've noticed forests/jungles can grow like weed.
City number 4 gives us more flexibility, although it's against the spirit of the game.

Maybe I'll play tonight otherwise tuesday.

 

[Tatran]

Pre-turn
No one has enough on their hands, but with Ragnar and Napoleon as neighbours
we've to check the diplo screen more often.

Research -> Priesthood

Turn 134 (650 BC)

Turn 137 (575 BC)

We know Priesthood, Monarchy is next.
HR will help unhappiness and it's Ragnar's favourite civic.
Also, we can hook up the wines.

I hear the divine sound of forest growth.

Turn 147 (395 BC)

Ragnar has metals and adopted Hinduism.
He has founded a city near the cow + horses in the SE, but the rice is unclaimed.

 

[Quechua]

Ok I got the save, I'll play between 12 to 24hr from now.

Our economy's in poor shape (not unexpected, we've been expanding at a good rate). I'm opening borders with the Hindu club, 1 or 2 extra commerce per city from each city is nearly a 50% boost in our research rate.

A lighthouse was an important building in the Hague, I'm going to whip it right away and then a library. In all our coastal cities actually, I think lighthouse->granary->library is our prefered build order. We do want to work coastal tiles here.

I'll either found crab-iron or pig-silk with the settler provided (preference?), then it's workers. Maastricht is worker intensive so I wanted to delay it, the numbers in my dotmap were my opinion on founding order, sorry if wasn't clear. Then again Charlie might've grabbed the site, so thanks for settling there despite your differing opinion Tatran.

I'm not sure about monarchy, we've got 3 new luxuries about to come online plus temples if necessary. Right now, I'm going to shut off research as libraries are built. I'd really rather switch to alphabet once we resume, but I'll finish it unless anybody has objections.

Nice job on the temple and priest, I won't run any scientists until we get a prophet.

 

[Quechua]

And another thing... we've got a decent power rating, what do you think about switching to Hindu now? FWIW that's another point for Alphabet over Monarchy (give techs to our allies to help defend if necessary).

I'd like to hear some opinions on this before I play...