Quick question on the histograph and future tech

[Kaidonni]

Does the histograph count future techs into the score shown? I'm not researching future techs, and I'm not sure if the AI actually bothers. If it does, I am hoping that the score added on by future techs is shown as I am playing the game. And if the game does show it during play, and it doesn't just add it at the very end on to the final score, then I think I have won this game I started months ago (if I could be tried by the Hague... ).

I play slowly, and have breaks. With my turtling play-style, I managed to muck things up by not really focusing on any particular victory condition (I didn't think winning meant that much this time round, that surviving on my first proper Emperor game would mean more...apparently I have a God complex and just have to win now). Recently, I started ploughing all the money I could into happiness (biggest bang for my buck, of course, tweaking lots and lots of citizens to perfection), and I've felled a major power (lots of land and population). By adding Market Places to the mix (I have all 8 luxuries, or 6 plus 2 being traded for), it has boosted my happy citizens by a lot. In fact, over the last 6 or so turns, I've gone from 29 points per turn to 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, and now 44. I need at least 44 to win (43 seems to work too, according to Excel...the nearest competitor, Rome, has 25, and I'll be several dozen points ahead quite literally, so it's gonna be close!). Apparently, according to the F8 screen, I'm getting 43, but the other graphs say 44...

Please say that the score I see the Romans with is what they actually have, and there aren't hidden future techs in there waiting to pounce at the last moment. There isn't a law of science's chance in a singularity that they can win via domination, and certainly not conquest . No other victory conditions...

Oh, and by close...this is turn 499 out of 540. Yep. But it has been fun. I am continuing my conquest, building settlers to fill in territory gaps, and since as I have virtually all the great wonders, including Longevity (+2 citizens), my population is really growing. I could have quite a few happy citizens with markets and that growth rate (I rush markets, but it only costs gold as I'm in a monarchy government).

 

[Ataxerxes]

IIRC the histograph counts future tech but it isn't worth much.

You'll get a much higher score by finishing the space ship earlier. If the game gets to that point with all AI's still alive.

The biggest consideration for final score is how soon you win. Conquest or domination gets you a much higher score because land and pop count for most of the remainder in the final score.

 

[Raliuven]

I don't know the answer to this - I would think it would show up on the histograph -there is a section for that in the score calculation.

Any chance of beating on Rome to take them down a few notches before you get to 2050AD? If you can sustain an attack and take out a few cities, that will cause his histography to falter, giving you a wider margin of error.

 

[Kaidonni]

Well, I think that Rome has no chance of getting a score much higher than 8513 or so. My estimates put me from 8528 onwards, and it's looking at least 8568 now. I don't think I could take a hit, either, or at least I don't really want to push my luck. He has ICBMs (like me), and 3 of my luxuries (correcting myself - I have 4 by myself, and 4 from the AI's, 1 from Spain and 3 from Rome) come from him. Maybe I could pump up my luxury slider further, but unless I can significantly knock out his happy citizens (my best bet), and unless I time it right and guard my borders right, it could backfire (I could reload, but then, at this point, I want to see if I can avoid that, done enough already after screwing up a few things, although never enough to be destroyed or crippled). We're both evenly matched for the most part, and he might have have built Strategic Missile Defense (I haven't, I turned off research way back, and they're the only ones with nukes other than me). I'm basically not hot on losing 3 luxuries (and if Spain has a mutual protection pact...eep!).

 

[Raliuven]

Any chance you can stop trading with him and trade with another AI for the missing three while also denying him some luxuries? It's hard to corner the market but that might have a small impact. But with a separation of 40 points, small might be enough.

 

[Kaidonni]

No other AI has these three luxuries within their territory. It's just me, the Romans, the Ottomans, and the Spanish (and the Ottomans are in no position to do anything). Well, it will be, since as next turn the Celts will be dead by my hand.

 

[CKS]

Future tech score does show up in the histograph as you learn them, but the effect is so small that it won't be noticed unless you look very carefully. Each tech earns you less than a point.

Have you irrigated all of your land? Have all your coastal cities had a border expansion and built a harbor? (You don't get points for sea tiles, but you do get points for the citizens who work them.)

 

[Kaidonni]

I've irrigated a lot of my land, yes. I believe I'm on an Archi map, so it's about 60%-70% water (sorry, can't remember more than that, started the game way back in August/July of last year). I conquered the other 'continents' with the chief goal in mind of turning them into science and taxman farms, as well as having lots of territory. The only continent to not be completely irrigated is the one I'm conquering now (I did nuke the Celts early on in the war to stop their significantly larger army from quickly reaching the coastal towns I'd conquered - it worked). I'm well on the way to having it completely irrigated, though (just need to clear up the pollution, but it's in an area with few cities anyway - my territory does cover it, though, and where it doesn't, I'm popping down new cities). The cities I do have which are in the range of 3-7 pop, they are growing quickly, have full irrigation available, and I'm getting markets down in them (yes, later on I will probably want specialists there in place of unhappy citizens, but for now the markets will massively boost the happiness in those cities).

In my newly conquered cities, I am building harbours, but mainly for the island cities (maybe these island cities are mainly going to be slow-growing, but since there are no other island cities left, next turn the Celts are dead, which means no flippin' flipping! ). The others are inland by at least one tile, and even if they aren't, at the moment irrigation more than does enough. Where those cities have run out of land tiles, or are running out of land tiles, to work, I will build harbours.

Last check it does look like I have 44 points per turn. Got to end the turn I'm on now to know for sure. Strange enough, it looks like the Romans have 24 or 25 depending on the screen (F8 or the graphs) - I thought it was 25, but at least one screen insists 24 now, even though in the past it suggested 25.

PS: And yes, before anyone asks, I railroad my irrigation .

 

[GamezRule]

Post a save, and rail everything.

 

[Kaidonni]

Oh, I do rail everything...

And after ending the turn, I can confirm I am on course for a win at 8570, the Romans a lose at 8513. Still got plenty of market places and happy citizens to make, though. Lowered the lux slider 10%, if I can get 200 more gold per turn at the loss of a few happy citizens (to contents or specialists), I can gain heaps of happy citizens quicker (then ramp the luxuries up if I wish - it's getting all the score I can now that matters). I am sort of shocked as at turn 493, I was earning 29 points per turn, now it's shot up to 44.

 

[Spoonwood]

Did you water everything?

 

[Kaidonni]

I'm well on my way to that right now. There are very few squares left to rail or irrigate in the ex-Mayan lands (the Celts conquered their empire, then I took the settlements a few turns ago) due to lots of Celtic slaves under my control. I'm plopping settlers down in that area to fill in large territory gaps.

Except for the nasty pollution belt I created with nukes (not all that large), a majority of my new holdings are irrigated. I plan to clear that pollution up and settle cities there. At last count, my score was bordering 45/46 points per turn, as I went from 6856 to 6702 at the start of turn 502. On my way to beating the Roman score now.

 

[Raliuven]

Presumably, since you have no new techs to research, you've got piles of money laying around?

Rush the cheapest cultural buildings you can in every new city - temples or libraries - or both. It will give you more land with expanding boarders - thus higher score - and if you build temples it will increase happiness (assuming you are not capped out for happiness already).

 

[Kaidonni]

At the moment I'm pumping all gold into market places (but at the crucial moment, when a city is about to grow to 9...and they are growing QUICKLY!). I will build some temples, especially in thee ex-Mayan/ex-Celtic lands, as those are prime happy citizen farms when irrigated and railroaded. The city placement is perfect for maximum pop (I don't think there'll be a square that a city can't work, and some of the best candidate cities won't intrude on the workable squares of another).

Another question. More like a riddle. Why, after trading world maps with both Rome and Spain, can I not see what they have done with their nuclear arsenals? You see, Rome is waaaaaay down the score projections by 300 or so now, as when I ended turn 502, kaboom! Rome declared war on the puny Ottomans, then Spain on the Romans (an MPP?). There was this period of nothing but ICBM/tactical nuke launch sounds. I traded world maps to see the damage, but...they haven't done a thing. Not one thing. Now, Rome has Integrated Defense, although I'm not sure they have SMD. Spain isn't that far ahead with their techs, and they might not have nukes either. Lots were launched. But no damage...

Oh, and some good news. On renegotiating a deal after it's 20-turn period, I managed to talk the Romans out of giving me luxuries FOR luxuries. Now it's just luxuries for rubber, so that means less happy citizens for them (at least more messing around with specialists, who are worth less), so less score. And they do appear to have taken a hit to their per turn score increase...

 

[The Professor]

Why, after trading world maps with both Rome and Spain, can I not see what they have done with their nuclear arsenals?

The only way to see Rome's nukes is to use the "Steal Military Plans" option on the SPY screen part of the Espionage menu. Military doesn't show up when you see a World Map

 

[Kaidonni]

No, I mean they used the ICBMs they owned (I already stole Rome's military plans, so I knew they had ICBMs). The thing is, upon buying world map information from both Spain and Rome, and even the Ottomans, there was no evidence of any damage from the nukes. Nothing at all. It's like they literally fired and forgot! Forgot that those ICBMs were meant to blow things up. Rome had around 19-20 ICBMs, also, so it's hard to see why they didn't cause mayhem for their enemies.

 

[Caseyboy97]

AIs can be morons sometimes

Like me. ( I accidently nuked my own capital once )