[BTS] Notes on marathon Space Colony

[Wednesday]

Usually 30-40 minutes per turn, although turn 148 took several hours. Turn 163 will be very long too: I've got to plan next 15-20 turns and make some important decisions.

Just planned some failgold. It seems almost too easy, could be a sign that I got it wrong. Another tech I must have before I start first golden age is Calendar. I could spend 20-25 turns waiting for a miracle, that is AI researching it for me. But my GP farms will soon need some happiness boost to keep growing.

Spoiler :

 

[WastinTime]

Have you considered preserving that hut next to the pigs to try to get free Astronomy? I think there's a 10-20% chance of getting a tech--I can't recall exactly. And then you can try to narrow down the possible techs that can come from it with some planning.

 

[Wednesday]

Have you considered preserving that hut next to the pigs to try to get free Astronomy? I think there's a 10-20% chance of getting a tech--I can't recall exactly. And then you can try to narrow down the possible techs that can come from it with some planning.

There are a few cons:
1. Narrowing it down to just Astro requires two useless techs: Drama and HBR.
2. HBR also prevents me from building war chariots - perfect strike sacrifices.
3. I like the 3-food spot with 3 forests. It can grow to size 14 while trade routes are still relevant, or become a decent GP farm.
4. I dislike the gambling aspect of it.
So I did not bother calculating the odds. It is more interesting on Terra where you can usually find 5+ huts on the other landmass.

 

[Wednesday]

Triple food islands are great but you would not give to your vassal, would you? Here is the perfect home for my first vassal.

Spoiler :

Failgold is coming on fine. I expect 5000+ gold with Paya, then MoM and Parthenon about 3000 each.
Paya is under construction in Lisbonne, Oporto will expand borders on the next turn.

Spoiler :

Key GP farms are doing well with 16-19 food surplus. I will have to make more new AIs soon to keep them happy.

Spoiler :

 

[Wednesday]

I have a problem. Gandhi fancies himself a warmonger. If it were a couple of spears here and a few swords there I could deal with that, but 6-8 units per city is too much. Lure tactics probably will not help much: he won't make peace quickly if I suffer significant losses. I can get Construction in 3 turns and whip some cats (HG coming soon)... But it is a detour from Banking and missing the latter costs hundreds of beakers per turn.

Spoiler :

De Gaulle has built a monument in Reims and will soon steal the corn from Paris, which is currently working on a GP for the first golden age. I looked through screenshots and it was not there on turn 155, thus I have until t186, unless he gets some culture boost. Reims with 7 forests (not counting one in Gandhi's terrotory) and a war chariot whip could build MoM. I probably should capture it before I finish the HG (in 4 or 5 turns) anyway, so it does not take forever to grow to size 2.

His other city, Tours, has 10 forests. I can use it for Taj or Kremlin. The latter also requires forge and some overflow, so there is a good reason to take these two cities before I deal with Gandhi.

Spoiler :

 

[Wednesday]

In the meanwhile, my other army converges to Washington. I gave Lincoln Monarchy, if he adopts HR, I will attack next turn. If he does not, I will try CoL. Philadelphie is junk but it would steal tiles from Washington, and I also need to recapture Atlanta before I finish the HG. I will soon need a galley here, preferably super galley, and very luckily, another great general is coming.

Next target is Cyrus (orange). His workers building a road towards a city he recently settled somewhere in the north are tantalizing.

Spoiler :

 

[Wednesday]

Last time I looked Elizabeth did not have many units, but she's got iron. Curiously, out of 13 AIs I have scouted out three had BFC horses, two had iron and one - copper. Anyway, she is very probably third AI which will be difficult (unpractial) to crack without siege. Another way to go about this problem is to take out Lincoln, De Gaulle, Cyrus and perhaps Beth. That should not take more than 16-18 turns (turn 190-192). First GA starts on t200, Banking also t200 or a bit later. Then I can get Construction and Engineering, should not take longer than 8 or 9 turns. Then Philo to have something innocent to trade with Mansa; he should finish CS by this time. I can spend 25 turns from 190 to 215 creating new AIs. Then I get CS from Mansa and switch to slavery for five turns (215-219), whip some trebs and maces and roll over the remaining AIs.
I have questions:
1. Can it possibly be good, not conquering anything for 20+ turns?
2. How am I going to get CS from Mansa peacefully if he is already at -2 with me? I can gain 3 more points for religion and if I use only De Gaulle to create colonies...
3. Isn't it too early for a slavery window? This is likely to be a huge problem.

Spoiler :

 

[Wednesday]

1. Can it possibly be good, not conquering anything for 20+ turns?
2. How am I going to get CS from Mansa peacefully if he is already at -2 with me? I can gain 3 more points for religion and if I use only De Gaulle to create colonies...
3. Isn't it too early for a slavery window? This is likely to be a huge problem.

1. The alternative costs for early Construction are about 1000 beakers (Mercantilism delayed by three turns). How much am I going to miss by capturing several strong cities 20-25 turns later? Probably more than 1000 gold/beakers.
This alone is enough to seriously consider the Construction route first.

I need 3 catapults per city, that is 9 for Gandhi.
Orleans can whip 2.
Paris can build one with a chop.
Guimaraes can whip 2.
Nicomedia - 1.
Lyon - 1.
Hastings - 1.
Thessalonica - 1.
Oporto - 1.

I also need 10-12 war chariots per city, so I will have to attack him with both armies and skip Philadelphie. The usual skullduggery is in order: city gifts to lure some defenders and workers out and CoL to get Gandhi into Caste just before the attack.

 

[Mitchum]

The usual skullduggery is in order: city gifts to lure some defenders and workers out and CoL to get Gandhi into Caste just before the attack.

Interesting. Is the gift city one of your productive cities or a junk city that you just settled? I'm guessing that it has to be somewhat close to his empire or he won't accept it. Then, do you take the city back before he gets defenders into it? I've never tried this but it sounds like an interesting ploy.

 

[Wednesday]

Interesting. Is the gift city one of your productive cities or a junk city that you just settled? I'm guessing that it has to be somewhat close to his empire or he won't accept it. Then, do you take the city back before he gets defenders into it? I've never tried this but it sounds like an interesting ploy.

There are enough junk cities for any purpose. If you look at the Washington screenshot, you'll see three Greek cities that used to be American. I took them and immediately gave them to Justinian. He created a colony (Alex). So these cities have already changed hands more than once. Soon I will move Alex to a temporary home and make De Gaulle create another colony, then repeat it with another AI.

Of course, there are more such cities. I will take back several cities just before I finish the HG. Some I will keep, in others I will just whip away one extra pop and use them again for creating colonies or temporary gifts.

After the HG Nicomedia will whip a catapult, then I give it to Gandhi. I recapture it and keep it size one until Sushi. I see no point building a granary and growing this city when it's got only dry rice for food. It will take forever to pay back and I'd rather Thessalonique used this rice, anyway.

Hastings will whip a missionary and a catapult. It has good food and two forests. After recapture it will get a granary with two chops and grow.

Spoiler :