RK-07: Sid Meier's Janissaries!

[pholkhero]

pottery first for 2 reasons: early cottages, and we start w/both pre-reqs, thus a cheaper Pottery and even earlier cottages ~ it's not much, but an early commerce advantage will work out well. I remember in Teers02 when we did a similar thing w/Musketeers it was a LONG haul to get to Guns.

we could go 1 SW ~ one less FP, but we've got 3 (would support 1.5 scientists cottaged!) ~

also, 2N of the clams is in the water

 

[Meatbuster]

Crud.
I should get to sleep now before I say more stupid things like settling on water.

 

[Eshnunna]

Mmmh, nice starting spot, very flexible.
Only 2 food + FP in BFC could mean happy resources in the woods under the fog. We'll see.


My 2 cents bout the settling spot:
- Settling 1 SW is more powerful early on (same access to food, more high hammer tiles), but has 5 not-so-useful coast tiles in BFC.
- Settling in place will lack a bit of hammers early on, but the 4 tiles under the fog that look forrested (hills? can't see on the screenshot). We an have late game production with lumbermillz or a lot of slavery/chopping and a veery nice cottage spammed area.

Another point to take into account is the jungle SE of the start position. I'm not too familiar with the Lakes map, but since we are in the Northern hemisphere, the area N & NE should be the more settlable immediately (esp. with having to trade for Iron Working), so settling SW makes sense in order to claim more land southwards, and expanding towards nortt, except maybe 1 city near the clams (immediately conected to capital through water).


Overall I'd go SW, for a power start, fast expand (cheap workers with mined hillz) or if lucky axerush the neighborhood.

 

[Jet]

Lurker's (TM):

Squinting at the start save (not really a spoiler),

Spoiler :

The tile north of the settler is a hill and if you look close you can see that the one north of that is too, as is, I believe, the tile E-NE of the settler, which means that in-place flosses bits of rival capital tiles from between its teeth before breakfast!

You left out Masonry (for Hammams) (edit: as Eshnunna said) and Mysticism (for Monuments, although atheism would be apropos!)

 

[Eshnunna]

Mmmmh, suckz that I'm at work for another 6 hours or so... I'd like to check the hill-or-not issue from sth else than a screenshot... I took the N tile for a forrest plain!

If Jet's right about the second hill we indeed should consider settling in place.

Not being on the coast isn't a big drawback on a lakes map w. (esp. w. only 1 water tile in BFC)


EDIT : I just noticed the old trick that "Plot indicator rotation no longer gives away your location on the map (north-south hemisphere)" in version 2.08, so my point about us being north of the equator doesn't work anymore...

 

[Meatbuster]

Thanks for your posts. Playing first 40 now.

 

[Meatbuster]

OK, I will authorize Masonry as a required detour (after Math) otherwise it would be too tough without Hammams. Which means we can (optionally) build 'mids, since we're likely to be in a specialist economy.

Going to play 41 turns to start. Not a no-cottage challenge, since I went with Pholk's "Pottery First" start. (We have tons of floodplains, why not?)

Turn 1:
Settle Istanbul on the flood plains site, 1E of start.
Get Scouts from a hut, they will be useful.
Start Worker (18) and Pottery (15).



Turn 3:
Talk to some natives and they give us... another Scout! Lucky!



Turn 4:
Meet Augustus Caesar... and he's friggin' nearby. We need an army soon.
Now, we are definitely going to expand to the west first.
Get 24 gold from a hut.



Turn 6:
Meet Brennus.
Get 79 gold from a hut.

Turn 7:
Get maps from a hut.
Spot Brennus' location... also uncomfortably nearby, on the South end.



Turn 10:
Meet Napoleon, a certified backstabber.
Fortunately, he's quite far.



Turn 11:
Scouts get experience from a hut.

IBT: Scouts beat Lions. Hmm... sounds like a baseball game to me.

Turn 12:
Other scouts also get experience from a hut.

Turn 13 (3610 BC):
Augustus Caesar adopts Slavery!!!

Turn 14:
Meet Isabella.

IBT: Scouts kill 2 lions, not that it matters since they're already at 5XP.

Turn 16:
Meet Montezuma. Okay, that's the second backstabber on this map.

Isabella and Monty are really close neighbors. I certainly hope they don't get along.



Turn 17:
Istanbul: Worker -> Granary
Scout stops in uncomfortable location.

IBT: Scout beats Wolf.



Turn 18:
Meet Alex, the third backstabber on this map.



Turn 19:
Napoleon founds Buddhism.

Turn 21:
Warrior kills wolf.
Get 39 gold from a hut.

IBT: Scout beats Wolf.

Turn 22:
Research: Mining -> Bronze Working
IBT: Warrior beats Wolf.

Turn 23:
IBT: Scout beats Panther.

Turn 27:
We have encircled the globe, but where's the Circumnavigation bonus? Guess there's none on Lakes, eh?

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

[Meatbuster]

Turn ??:
Meet Cyrus, huh... is he a backstabber too? Coz if he is, that would be the fourth.



Turn 33:
Hinduism founded by Brennus.
Spot Alex's land.



Turn 31:
IBT: Scout beats bear.

Turn 32-41:

 

[Meatbuster]

Whoops, forgot to resize the screenshots.

Ok here's a proposed plan. Capital size 4 then Settler. Whip Settler when 2 population remaining needed. Go up to size 3, build worker manually. Build warrior in new city.

The following is a map of our area. Bronze Working is not yet in (but 3 turns left), so should set up a dotmap once Copper is visible (or not).

Furrie (or Bede if Furrie wishes to skip since it's the weekend), feel free to play until Bronze Working is in, then let's debate on where to settle.

We definitely need copper, because I don't exactly feel secure with at least three backstabbers + Augustus Caesar on the map.

1. RK (just played)
2. Bede (up for 30)
3. Furrie (on deck for 30)
4. Eshunna
5. Pholkhero

edit: Furrie requested a perm-swap

 

[Bede]

Augie is much easier to get along with than his great uncle Julie, and Julie's not that bad. Make him a friend and he is a friend for life.

With all the food we have in the capitol I would be careful chopping trees and use the whip instead, otherwise we appear hammer short unless the forest is hiding some hills.

Will pick this up tomorrow, after Furie or before, depending.

 

[FuRRie]

God, i'm behind RK again?
Can't Bede just always play before me?
(So Bede it's your pick, i'll play after you)

 

[Meatbuster]

Ok then you and Bede are swapped permanently.
And Furrie, if you remember I did put you 4th spot in RK-05

 

[Bede]

Got it and playing tonight. Dispatches later.

 

[Bede]

Picture

File

Here be Copper (and cows and silk and ivory)

Will play on until settler equipped, then wait for comments, suggestions, direct orders.

Currently in anarchy, will start research on optional hunting for camps on the elephants.

, Brennus

This is the turn after the Slavery anarchy ended, just a little more grist for the mill

 

[Meatbuster]

Good ideas, except we won't have fishing (until the optional Alphabet)...

Right now I don't know what to do, so just do what you think is best, Bede...

 

[Bede]

Fishing Who said anything about trout?

It's the elephants I was dreaming about. Never mind! Construction ain't on the path.

I will take up the Hunting/Archery option though, with concurrence from the team. From bows and arrows to musketballs.

Anybody here ever visited The Armory at the Kremlin? There are some gorgeous gem encrusted Ottoman muskets in the collection right next to the Faberge eggs. Gifts to Peter the Great IIRC. Wonder how accurate they were.

 

[pholkhero]

probably as accurate as muskets were back then ~ if you need to hit the side of a barn at 10 paces, nothing better for it! if you need to do it at 11 paces, though...well, can't help ya there

 

[FuRRie]

I'm unsure what to do with Vienne, grabbing to top Copper for now to get rid of Brennus for now seems doable, we can remove/gift the city away in a later stage wen it costs us too much.
We really do need that site that you suggested. It can give us both Military and economic advantage.

 

[Meatbuster]

Well, I thought Bede settled Vienne because of the clam... well we'll be able to work said clam eventually...

 

[Bede]

Well, I thought Bede settled Vienne because of the clam... well we'll be able to work said clam eventually...

Brennus, not Bede, settled Vienne. I'm still heading for the either the waystation or X