Nobles' Club 381: Augustus Caesar of Rome

[AcaMetis]

The Nobles' Club series started out as a way for Noble-level (and below) players to improve their game. Most of the original participants now play at much higher levels, so this has become a way for advanced players to help others learn to play better. You can play your own game at any level and with any mod, but it would be nice to comment on the games of other players and give them advice.

Our next leader is Augustus of Rome, whom we last played in NC 324; we last played the Romans under Julius in NC 319. The Romans start with Fishing and Mining.

• Traits: Augustus is Imperialistic and Industrious. Imperialistic adds +100% to Great General generation and +50% bonus to Settler production (note that the settler bonus doesn't apply to excess directly converted to ). Industrious gives a +50% bonus to all Wonders (World and National), and gives a +100% bonus to Forges.
• The UB: The Forum, a Market with +25%. A minor boost, which only few cities will truly benefit from, tied to an expensive building makes the Forum an overall underwhelming UB.
• The UU: The Praetorian, a Swordsman with a show-stopping 8, albeit at the cost of losing it's innate +10% City Attack and costing slightly more to produce (45 rather than 40 on Normal speed). Praetorians can also be upgraded directly into Rifles and Grenadiers, meaning they can be build until you've researched both Rifling and Military Science.

And the start:

Spoiler map details :

Pangaea, Temperate climate, High sealevel.

Spoiler edits :

Strategic resource swaps and unworkable fish moves.

The WB-saves are attached (zipped; they are bigger than standard saves). To play, simply download and unzip it into your BTS/Saves/WorldBuilder folder. Start the game, and load your favorite MOD (if you use one, if not, check out the BUG MOD), select "Play Scenario", and look for "NC 381 Augustus Noble" (or Monarch, etc., for higher levels). You can play with your favorite MOD at the Level and Speed of your choice. From Quick-Warlord to Marathon-Deity, all are welcome! We stuck with the name "Nobles Club" because it has a cool ring to it.

Spoiler what's up with specific difficulties :

In each scenario file you can select your level of difficulty, but that doesn't give the AI the right bonus techs by itself. Use the Noble save for all levels at and below Prince. The Monarch save gives all the AI Archery. Emperor adds Hunting; Immortal adds Agriculture; Deity adds The Wheel.

Spoiler what is demigod :

The difference between Immortal and Deity difficulty is akin to the difference between Noble and Immortal. Players eventually reached a point where Immortal was too easy, but Deity was still out of reach, and so neither difficulty provided a fun experience. "Demigod" is an otherwise standard Deity game where the AIs are only given their Immortal level starting units, in an attempt to bridge the gap.

Spoiler for players on Monarch or above :

You should add archery as a tech for the barbarians (if you don't, the AI will capture their cities very early). This cannot be done in the WB save file and must be done in Worldbuilder as follows:

Spoiler how to add techs to the barbarians :

1. Zoom in all the way so you can't see the rest of the map.
2. Use the CTRL-W key (or the menu) to enter the worldbuilder. Avoid looking at the mini-map in the lower right corner.
3. By default you're in "player" mode (look in the box in the upper right; the icon that looks like a person should be selected). You'll get a drop down menu labeled with your leader's name. Barbarians are at the bottom, so cover the rest of the list with your hand if you don't want to see who else is on the map. Select "Barbarians".
4. Select the "Technologies" tab in the box on the left.
5. Find Archery (the arrow head icon; 8th row, 3rd column from the right) and click it.
6. Exit the worldbuilder.
7. Zoom out again after the map fades, and start playing.

If you're playing at higher level than Monarch, consider also giving them Hunting at Emperor, Agriculture at Immortal, and The Wheel at Deity.

Spoiler huts and events :

Note: The standard saves have no huts and have events turned off. If you want tribal villages and random events, choose the saves with "Huts" in their names. If you want huts but no events, select the Huts saves and use Custom Scenario to turn on the option that suppresses events.

 

[AcaMetis]

Don't have time to analyse the start, but let's just say I've got a good feeling about that plains hill 1E of the settler. 2 city tiles are really good, especially for an IMP leader .

If any expert wishes to make a case for settling on the 3 city tile sugar, or something else, I'm happy to hear it .

 

[Thrasybulos]

To increase traffic, how about SOE?
Loses one Corn for the Capital, though. But more rivers, more forests.
Of course, the noob in me would prefer 1W: no bonus production for the city tile, wastes a forest, wastes a prime cottage tile... but assuming the Sugar stays farmed, that's the only expedient way to get that second Corn irrigated at some point.
(Of course, by that point it shouldn't matter anyway as we'll have run over the world with our Praetorians, but I did mention "noob", didn't I? )

 

[a pen-dragon]

I would say warrior on PH to check the east.

If that does not reveal anything that can only be obtained by settling on the PH (and is useful), there is some analysis to be done.

If this was any non-imperialistic/expansive leader I would prefer the sugar, due to being T0 and seemingly grabbing more grassland, while only losing two plains-river tiles. Also seeing two happiness resources probably means we are not isolated, meaning higher happy cap, increasing the advantage of lots of grassland.

One more key difference is early worker-turns. The PH gains can improve the wet corn on completion, while settling on sugar would need to move 1 turn, effectively loosing 3

(and again 2 from the second farm, although that will take a bit more time. After these two I do not think the lost turn matters. In both cases a mine is probably next...). One could improve the dry corn first, but that looses more food due to working a lower-yield tile. Let's say we grow to size 3, that would mean we need 46

in total. For the PH it will take 10 turns (second farm is not yet complete) (+1 from settling T1=11). SOS will only take 9.

Minor differences (barring mistakes): PH has 5 more

due to having the river corn in the first ring, and has 6 instead of 5

stored for size 4. SOS gets the settler out at least 1 turn earlier.

Food is king.

IMP changes things, but not that much that the PH is clearly better. Yes, it will gain 1 /turn for settlers, but only until the first mine is done, thus I think the difference will be small.

For completeness, if I was EXP, the PH is slightly better, because settling on it will result in a 1 turn earlier worker, compared with the sugar. Still it only works on the settler one turn later. A size 2 settler would improve the standing of the PH, but especially being IMP I do not think this is the way to go.

If wanting to settle the Ivory the warrior would need to go 1N or 1NW and check the north for food. If there is none, moving away from the corn is a mistake.

 

[chinemol]

I'm tempted to go for ivory settle. Rome starts wih no Agg, and teching it for just one corn seems a mistake, though.

Warrior 1N. If no food, then settle 1E

 

[soundjata]

I'm all for SOP.
It wins a turn! (compared to SOPH)

I like being on a river and I don't really care about the dry corn. A wet corn is good enough food for praets indeed

The only unfortunate issue with SOP could be killing a coastal city down the river so warrior 1N to check that out

Also... Wild guessing... More phants?

 

[danjuno]

PH is normally the fan favorite on here, but I'd prefer to stay on the river. Sending warrior north might reveal something to justify ivory settle, conversely sending it to PH might reveal something that could change my mind about staying on the river.

 

[sampsa]

Both traits kind of favor a fast opening though. And it's hard to be faster than on ph, agri-BW, whip some IMP settlers. IND is nice to move the palace later. That being said I don't think on ivory can be poor either, at least the 2nd city will be connected without the wheel.

 

[0urBall]

Auggy smash?

Spoiler :

With Iron and Ivory in the BFC ofthe capital, I think very much so I've played about 100 turns so far on Monarch, settled 5 cities with 2 more settlers on the way. Built the Pyramids and am gunning for the SOZ before I get catapults/Preats/Elephant and pick a victim. Most everyone hates Hatty, but I'd llike to put a curb on Justinian/Gilga/Willem before they get too large. It might all come down to who sends their religion to me. Lets see how it goes