The Five Year Plan
If only I could figure out how to play it in less time than that!
I'll skip most of the initial analysis this time. Let's just get to the crux of the situation.
General impressions
Techs
Still Need: Nuke Fission, Nuke Power, Laser, Superconductor, Fusion
Could use: Stealth, Labor union (Guer.)
Space ship
- We only need 5 more techs to complete the spaceship (not inlcuding any off-paths)
- We do not have the resources (Cash or carvans) in hand to quickly build the spaceship.
- Fastest ship is 33-8-8-1-1-1 (5.7) 29-7-7-1-1-1 takes one more year.
Add a few more cities so that if we have time to prepare caravans (waiting for apollo) we will have enough cities to build the fastest space ship in one turn. We actually have just enough cities now. But a couple more would add insurance in case of disorder, war losses, etc.
Threats
- We are highly vulnerable to losing a city and/or a tech at Leptis Magna and especially Leo's Canal (more important, strategically) if cease fires are broken.
- Egypt presents moderate threat near Lisht/Abydos, and Way2Egypt.
- Mongols present minor threat at Khanbalyk, but present "opportunity" as well.
The Plan
(1) Shore up (potential) war fronts. Improve defenses. Add counterattack capabilities.
(2) Build caravans - deliver for science and gold. Any delivery over 200g is a good delivery. Store up foods and low-payout freights for space ship.
(3) Transports - to deliver goods more quickly (no turn wait after airlift). Primarily betwen home and Carthage, America, and Llangollen island routes. Southern routes would need too many new boats at this late stage of the game. Use airports for them.
(4) Airports to improve long distance transport of caravans and to improve trade payouts.
(6) More spies. Preferably vet. Diplomats are obsolete. Get rid of other obsolete units as well
(7) Shield production improvements. Only in cities where it can make a significant difference and help crank out caravans faster and/or cheaper.
(5) Engineers - to improve shield production, manage pollution, help growth where appropriate (see #8)
(8) Growth improvements - only in cities where it can have an impact on sheild production or repeating trade payouts.
(9) Improved military on home continent to appease TheViking
The plan in action
1854 (Turn 0)
Not much we can do with units here at the start, but we buy lots of stuff and change several production orders.
1855 (Turn 1)
Inter-turn
- Babs develop Combustion
- French nearly complete Bach
- French cavalry dies attacking rifle in fort near Next2France
- Egypt unit moves toward Way2Egypt.
- Egypt explorers cross paths along south pole, indicating they have probably circumnavigated
- Americans develop Guerrilla warfare
- Americans start Apollo
- Americans break cease fire (uh-oh!) - attack leos - 3 or 4 cavalry, plus cannon attack Leo's Canal. Battleship absorbs most of the blows, is very badly wounded. 1 AT killed, the other AT badly wounded.
- Carthage develops Nuclear Fission (Hmmm...)
- Carthage ships, units dance around, but do not attack our transport, or Leptis Magna this turn
- Mongol destroyer seen E. of Pauly Shore Theater
Start of turn
1 Temple, 1 marketplace, 1 harbor, 1 Factory, 1 aqueduct, 3 colosseum, 1 sewer, 1 airport, 1 offshore platform, 6 freight built, 2 Spies (Way2Egypt, NextToFrance)
Walls built in Leptis Magna and Leo's Canal (a turn too late). 2 Engineers, including Issus (City Disbanded)
Research: Complete Plastics, Start Nuclear Fission
- Armor kills remaining American Cannon at Leo's canal. (Vet)
- Recon around Leo's shows no more immediate threats around city.
- Spice freight near Leptis parva tries to get out of Carthage (for better demanding city on different continent), but way is blocked. Heads to mountains, hoping to escape next turn.
- Spy from N.of Cart set ashore in carthage -investigates cities:
- * Malaca (Supports cruiser in port, building another, has 3 defenders plus cruiser, transport, engineer)
- * Gades supports 3 artillery, cavalry and rifle in the field Map indicates they make up much of the force toward Leptis Magna, plus part of the assemblage on the coast east of carthage. Only has 2 defenders.
- * Kabul supports many units, mostly along north shore. 2 defenders, building marines
- * Carthage supports many units, has 4 defenders, building bank.
- Talk to carthage - They demand 100g. No. Egads, they declare war! What shall we do?
- Spy steals tech. We'll take any tech (since they only have one that we don't). Hey look, we get Nuclear Fission. Weren't we just starting to research that? Spy escapes to Leptis Magna, which is just a fine place for her.
- Cannon moves out of mountain fort and kills Cavalry/Marine stack NW of Panormus
- Vet cavalry rides out from St. Louis to kill Carth artillery on mountain E of caralis.
- Armor comes up from Leo's Canal to kill Marine west of St. Louis.
- Musketeer moves up from Old River to Mountain fort, just in case
- Saint Louis front is now clear except for a Rifleman next to our Mountain fort.
- Saint Louis will go into disorder next turn due to two units in the field
- Spy goes back around to Leo's canal, she walks out to peninsula to the north of the city, Sabotages Carthage cruiser. Spy returned to Leo's Canal
- Just to show there's no hard feelings with the Carthaginians we deliver Khanbalyk Silk to the fashion mavens of Panormus for 208g
- Transport goes past Panormus rather than head back in an attempt to avoid carthage cruiser, destroyer. Diplomat unloads N of Leo's in case ship is sunk
- St. Louis Vet cavalry disbands in Big Production - the rest of city production will complete Armor
- N. of Cart cruiser heads south to protect Leptis Magna or do other mischief later
- swansea cavalry disbanded in Leo's canal toward Armor.
- Muddy Gardens Wine to Dinas Powys (d-512g)
- Diplomat disbanded at dinas powys, armor rushed.
- Diplomat disbanded at Old River, Spy rushed.
- Diplomat disbanded at Swansea. Production will complete it.
- Illauntanig Salt to Cannae (nd-347g)
- Cardiff Hides to Buto (nd-440g)
- DRAT! :rant: - apparently the onset of uranium demand with Fission makes Aberystwyth no longer demand oil. Reroute to Nocol2
- Holy $#!+!! Aberystwith SUPPLIES uranium as well!!!! RB freight (disband diplomat) [dance]
- Put Abydos freight onto boat, trying to get to Besancon
- Can bribe french engineer for 684g
Nah.
- French diplomat spotted by engineer SE of NextToFrance
- Disband diplomat in Khanbalyk toward Spy, more shields to complete this turn
- Disband crusader in Bokhara toward Armor, RB
- Rush Bok Acad to 40s, then disband Dragoons toward howitzer (production will finish)
- Disband crusader in Cannae toward howitzer. Production will finish
- The only land units in mongolia are an armor in Khanbalyk and a freight in cannae. This will change next turn.
- Investigate Asyut (1 defender, building cavalry), Buto (3 defenders, building cannon), Pithom (1 defender, Building Destroyer)
- Egyptian rifleman sabotaged, Spy returned to lisht
- Dragoon sabotaged at Way2Egypt, meaning it shouldn't make 2 moves next turn. Spy returned to city (never actually left), guaranteeing city will not be empty if the following fails (which it shouldnt)
- Rifleman in Way2Egypt kills dragoon easily (vet)
- Airports are unbalanced between north and south. Airports rushed from scratch in Abydos, South Place
- seven freights set sail from Llangollen Island (Abyeryswyth gems stay behind to be airlifted)
- Leo's Canal Oil to Nocol2 (d-654g)
- Public Library oil to Quickie (d-178g)
- Northern Whales Salt to Leo's canal (nd-156g)
- Airlift Aberystwyth Gems to Illauntanig
- Airlift Beaver Dam gold to Rhondda
- Airlift Iona Silk to Cunaxa
- Airlift Quickie Gems to Cannae
- Airlift Newton's Figs Salt to Lisht
- Set taxes to 4/3/3 with several extra einsteins hired to complete tech this turn
- Rush Transports in newton figs, Nocol2, Durrow to complete 2-way ship chains
- Just realized ship chain to america is screwed up. Will be able to reach Washington, but not Chicago and beyond
- Buy lots more stuff
1856 (Turn 2)
Inter-turn
- Babylonian destroyer sinks transport south of Dijon
- Rheims builds Bach's cathedral
- Egypt gets machine tools from french
- French sub sinks transport with silk NW of grenoble
Should have known better
- French acquire space flight from americans
- Egypt gets mass prod from french
- Egypt ironclad sinks transport NE of Way2Egypt. Eh, it was badly wounded anyway
- Americans get fission from carthage for combustion
- Carthage gets space flight from americans
- sabotaged Carth cruiser barely kills transport
- Carthage rifle dies attacking mountain fort
- Mongols get Plastics from us!!!!
Start of Turn
11 freights built (including Aberystwyth Uranium), couple spies, 4 airports, 2 offshores, 1 engineer, 1 Colosseum, 1 harbor (or something like that)
Start Nuclear power. Complete Nuclear Power, start The Laser
Mongol fun. I had intended a war to get Trade to Karakorum, but the mongols stealing Plastics from us also required a response.
- RR from Khanbalyk to Tabriz completed.
- Spy checks out the scenery: Tabriz has 2 defenders, supports four.
- Well I'll be
Taking road around Tabriz shows us the little
French city of Bayonne nestled between Tabriz and Karakorum.
- Bayonne has one defender, with mongol rifles nearby.
- I guess we need to be a little more creative. So much for delivering trade goods to Karakorum this turn.
- Howerver, we can take advantage of the fact that there's a fort next to Bayonne on the tabriz side - No Unhappiness there!
- Bok Acad howitzer takes out AT at Tabriz - vet
- cannae Howitzer kills rifle at Tabriz
- Tabriz captured, 295g plundered. Keep marketplace
- Yippee! taking tabriz killed the rifle next to Bayonne.
- AT at Bayonne killed.
- Bayonne captured 22g plundered, city razed.
- Park armor on hill fort next to mongol Rifle.
- Mongols want to talk. NO. Senate supports continued action!
- Investigate Nishapur - only defender is an Artillery - AT being built.
- Armor kills mongol artillery, Razing Nishapur.
- Since there is no longer a threat north of Tabriz, move 2nd armor to fort W of Bokhara incase Mongol Rifle goes that way.
- Hopefully that will keep Mongols from sharing (plastics) with the French.
- N. of Cart Spice van reaches safety near St. Louis
- St. Louis Armor moves to fort S. of Leo's Canal (making St. Louis less unhappy)
- St. Louis cannon also moves back, ending disorder
- N. of cart gold van dumped off from transport N. of St. Louis.
- N. of Cart cruiser moves around E. of Carthage toward wounded ironclad that could hamper transport there.
- Oh cool! I had forgotten, Nuclear power gives extra movement - side note: my ship chain to america will work this turn after all!
- Dinas powys Armor to fort outside Leo's
- Big prod Armor to fort W. of St. Louis
- Airlift armor from Leo's canal to NextToFrance
- Restart celebrations in Ford Exped. to crank out another settler soon
- Activate rifle near NextToFrance, french talk. Senate ok's further action
- French diplomat killed
- Spy recon tells us Marine and rifle are approaching from the southeast, Rifle approaching from the East of Dijon. Rifle, Fanatic SE of dijon
- Dijon has 2 defenders (Fanatic, rifle), supports 2 fanatics, 2rifles, marines, engineer. Map indicates these are basically the units I see. Building fanatics, has barracks.
- Rush armor to deal with approaching units
- Aberystwyth has 3 freights that can be delivered for nice payments this turn. Since it can't use all its forests, change one to Plains for higher base trade (Using engineer draining Fig swamps)
- Aberystwyth Uranium transported to Leo's canal. Rather than irrigate land outside our cities, a couple engineers from the main island come over to help out around Big Prod, etc.
- Aberystwyth Uranium to Leo's Canal (d-1616)
- Aberystwyth Silver to Washington (d-720g) (Leo's canal trade was minimized, so uranium supply restored in Aberystwyth)
- Northern Whales Silk to Philadelphia (d-420)
- Llangollen Gems to Chicago (D-852)
- That gives a total of 3606 beakers. That is more than enough to complete current tech. Hold off on other deliveries this turn unless cash needed
- Rush another (uranium) freight in Aberystwyth from scratch before I forget.
- Set taxes to 70/0/30 since we can't learn two techs. We'll cash in more trade next turn for next tech.
- Einsteins hired in New Sybase, Muddy Gardens to ensure tech completed. Other cities will change excess workers to Bean Counters.
- Move freights around
- Airlift N. of Cart Gold from big production to Lisht
- Airlift Reno Silk from Beaver Dam to Cannae
- Airlift South Whale Silk Cunaxa to Dinas Powys
- Airlift Illauntanig gold to Rhondda
- Airlift New Sybase hides to Ormuz
- Airlift Muddy Gardens hides to Abydos
- Airlift NoWoW Wine to Aberystwyth
- Airlift cardiff Hides to south Place
- Spy goes out from Way2Egypt. Based on recon, don't actually see neighboring Egypt city, but the only other place the city could be and still use the Silk is GL-sheild square at 29,103
- Buy about 4000g worth of stuff.
- Reset ship chains
- In an effort to make Viking happy, NoWoW archer is returned home and disbanded, and armor is rushed
- A few of the Partisans from P Shore theatre start sailing toward other cities. Again, we can only hope The Viking will be pleased
- Investigate: Asyut supports rifle, cavalry, defended by rifle. Building engineer. Buto supports 3 rifles, at, 2 eng. Defended by 2 rifle, AT. About to complete artillery
- Egyptian cavalry unit sabotaged. Spy captured
(Had to split because I write way too much stuff)
) can start. Also having a few dozens of stealth fighters will be fun.
Need to make sure that the major cities (particularly Cardiff) have SDI.