RR8 - God in Suburbia

[r_rolo1]

Ok, finally had time to post again ... just to say that I have little to say, since things are going by the script fairly well

And yes , OBs are allowed, even if to make religious spread easier . In fact i was considering adding another exception to the no deals rule, that I think is needed: allow us to ask the AI to change religion I think this one makes sense

@ nocho... Mind-Machine Interface? The tech that gives 'copters ? We could use some in here

 

[nocho]

@ nocho... Mind-Machine Interface? The tech that gives 'copters ? We could use some in here

If our new team member can legally make gunships fly around in the BCs I wonder why we're even contemplating getting CoL from the Oracle.

 

[Silu]

Oh. Funny how I missed that part of the rule, especially considering it's written with such a big font!

 

[Thy_Spellcraft]

In fact i was considering adding another exception to the no deals rule, that I think is needed: allow us to ask the AI to change religion I think this one makes sense

Definitely a good idea!

 

[Jerrymander]

I got it, I got it. Last night was my last final, and in keeping with college tradition, I got plastered beyond all recognition. I'll play this today.

And... sadly, no, I can't make Gunships in the BC's... yet. Mind-Machine Interface is a tech in Alien Crossfire that blows the water out of every other tech. Cloudbase Academy and the Cyborg Factory and drop pods?

---

Let Antium grow to 3, started a Settler. 1520, we got Priesthood. I started on Monotheism. Not sure if I should have chosen Writing instead for the Oracle's free tech... But no one has Judaism and Genghis founded Hinduism, so this doesn't look like a particularly religious bunch. At 1480 HC got Alphabet.

1400 saw us getting the Mids. I didn't revolt to anything because I think it might be better to get our Settler out from Antium faster, and I don't know if HR or Rep would be more prudent, so I've left that to whomever is next. I didn't end my ninth turn.

As it stands, we have the Pyramids complete on this turn, but we're still in Despotism. Ragnar and Capac both have Alphabet; Ragnar doesn't have Myst (or Masonry) and Capc doesn't have Poly. I prechopped 3 forests which would knock 4 turns off of the Oracle in Rome. Both Writing and Monothesim can be research in 9 turns. Coupled with one chop in Rome (and +3H from growing), this will make the Oracle finish in 9 turns as well. (I think)

Antium has a Settler due in 3 turns and a Scout in the queue with one turn left. I explored a little more in the southwest with the Warrior, but I left the other one fortified. Rome has a Great Person in the next playset, likely a spy, but maybe a prophet. I sacrificed a goat to the RNG gods, so we'll see.

Looks like with Rep we might be able to turn the 3rd city into a minor short-term prophet farm.


State of the empire:

Tech situation:

Wow... Those didn't resize very well. :/

 

[r_rolo1]

Ok, looks good... no one can build the oracle as far as we know, so that one is somewhat safe... for now that is. Getting the Mids is pretty ok as well , btw

Next player ( me self ) will probably not have much to do besides sticking to the plan ... or , at worst case, pull the prechop safety valve and pick Monarchy or MC for the oracle .... BTW do we want to make it Mono->Writing or Mono->Pottery->Writing? I don't feel a big urge of getting Writing ASAP as it is ( with no knowledge of anyone that even has priesthood ), so maybe a little detour is not as bad of idea at all ... or alternatively we might trade for writing: ATM HC will acept trade for it at a aceptable fee ( Poly + priesthood ) and we might be able to get something better of other people if Alpha spreads around...

About making a mini GPP farm out of our 3rd city... not sure if that is even feasible, given that we will have a assorted mix of 8 GPP out of our cap just from the wonders... I don't see any way of our third city compete with that before the 2nd GPP gets out... btw , GP in 4 turns, as posted inj errymander's report : 56% GP , 46 % GSpy , 2 GE ATM and will not change much until the GP gets out ( ok, the odds of a GE might get a little higher ... ). I know what to do with a GP with this variant ( and no, Silu, is not settling ), but if we get either a GSpy or a GE? ... Given that we will run Rep for atleast quite a while, setting seems like a decent option in both cases, but either a infiltration or a wonder rush ( say, ToA or even the AP ) can be considered.... Ideas?

Just a final reminder: this game has events on, so be careful with our minimum money stock ... forest fires can definitely be a PITA

Anyway, I'm up, Thy is on deck.

P.S BTW Besides Thy, no one expressed feelings about my aditional exception to the no deal rule....

P.S II

And... sadly, no, I can't make Gunships in the BC's... yet. Mind-Machine Interface is a tech in Alien Crossfire that blows the water out of every other tech. Cloudbase Academy and the Cyborg Factory and drop pods?

Someone got my pun ... sort of In Vanilla SMAC ( never played Alien crossifire, just by acident ... ), MMI ( the "blind acronym" ) gives 'copters ( or was choppers? I always confuse both when I don't have the game in front of me ) and drop pods ... for those that haven't played SMAC, imagine that something like BtS Mil Trad giving blitz gunships and opening a promo for all units that allows them to paradrop in a 8 tile radius

 

[nocho]

Hey, a report! I missed that the whole day as the post was edited. :|

Looks good. I'd say settle the GSpy, save a GE for something wonderful. Definitely go rep.

I'd trade for writing if possible, but only shortly before Oracle finishes.

I have no "feelings" for the new exception but I think it's a good proposal. Btw, I understand that any deal an AI comes up with (in a religion we have no shrine of) must be turned down, right? Besides OB, I guess they won't spontaneously offer to change religion...

And no, I didn't get that pun... Civ is the only computer game I ever allowed myself, apart from minesweeper maybe.

 

[Jerrymander]

Hey, a report! I missed that the whole day as the post was edited. :|

Oh, woops. Noted.

Someone got my pun ... sort of In Vanilla SMAC ( never played Alien crossifire, just by acident ... ), MMI ( the "blind acronym" ) gives 'copters ( or was choppers? I always confuse both when I don't have the game in front of me )

It's copters. : P

also @rr: I said it "might be". I noticed that its cow and dry wheat, which are both subpar, but its better than most of the other places. :/

 

[Thy_Spellcraft]

Took a bit deeper look at the save.. To get writing from HC via trade while teching Mono sounds ok for me. So I'd chop the prechoped forests into oracle, trade for writing and take CoL as planed. And I'd even send the missionary to Joao..
And techwise we should go Agri --> pottery after Mono!

About micro: change the grassmine <--> querry with antium and work the two grassmines in rome instead of the plainhill and quarry to grow this turn. And I'd rather rum 0% for a turn or two instead of running 80-90%. The rounding-"profit" of the will come in hany this early in the game!

 

[Silu]

We can trade for writing without the shrine? What CAN'T we do without them?

 

[Thy_Spellcraft]

We can trade for writing without the shrine? What CAN'T we do without them?

Ok.. you're damn right!!! So we need to decide whether to get CoL or Jud.. In that case I'd definitely take CoL as this would leave us a free missionary!

 

[Silu]

More on the actual topic, if our only Oracle opposition really is the possibility that GK went PH, I'm fine with Mono->Agri->Writing, more so than Mono->Pottery->Writing which is also a possibility. Agri gives Pottery a discount and gives our workers stuff to do. I don't see a rush to Pottery being warranted.

And Aye to the rule change. We could have it so that we can only bribe them to OUR religion though, though I'm fine either way.

Oh, and I can't wait to settle some GProphets in this game!

 

[nocho]

Duh, no trading for writing, this trade rule is easy to forget indeed!

Shouldn't we go writing directly after mono leaving agri/pot until after writing? This way we can finish the Oracle sooner to take CoL and hence run a lesser risk of losing it.

 

[Silu]

Either way works for me, it's a small tradeoff between worker use possibilities and wonder safety

 

[Thy_Spellcraft]

Do we want oracle to get CoL or do we want it for generating 2 free priest points or do we even want to risk it for the additional failure gold?
In case we want CoL I'd go the "save" route: skip Mono for writing right now and get oracle the turn writing comes in!
Otherwise let's speed up Mono to get Jud while finishing oracle..
In case we want to risk oracle I'm fine with delaying it til mono and writing are finished.

I'm not that sure that only GK might be an opponent to the race.. We cannot see bismarks tech situation at the moment so he might as well be on the way and he could surly beat us to it!

So as we want a religion and the gpp from oracle I'd go the first route 'cause I rather have courts and a free missionary than only a crap tech we do not really need at the moment!

 

[Silu]

Yeah, delaying it is a bit of a gambit, but gambits are fun if you win them! To be honest, I think GK is the only opposition - AIs are discouraged from the religious path after the first religions are nabbed. But you're right in that it's possible anyhow. Maybe Mono->Writing after all... Dunno I'm fine with straight Writing, Mono->Writing and Mono->(Agri/Potlari/Writing), it all depends on how daring the turnset player feels!

 

[Jerrymander]

I'm not that sure that only GK might be an opponent to the race.. We cannot see bismarks tech situation at the moment so he might as well be on the way and he could surly beat us to it!

Touché. Bismark doesn't strike me as a religious path guy, though.

 

[r_rolo1]

Touché. Bismark doesn't strike me as a religious path guy, though.

I tend to agree with that... but i'm not seeing GK going priesthood so much as that

it all depends on how daring the turnset player feels!

Are you asking me if I feel lucky ( punk ) ? Well, I think it is possible to take CoL out of this, but requires a little of luck with the AI tech choice ...we got a bunch of religious good for nothing AI ( well, except HC and even HC is not exactly the more religious focused AI in this game ... ), so i feel tempted to try.

Anyway, I will probably play and post today.

 

[r_rolo1]

Well, the game starts with someone wanting to trade with us:

Spoiler :

For Poly, for heavens sake Anyway, my dear Inca friend, firt get one of our non-existant religions , then we can talk about that .

The germans were a little more pratical:

Spoiler :

With this I can agree.

Our GP was a GP ...

Spoiler :

This went on ice for a while

Spoiler :

... and the GP misteriously became a money making machine In hindsight I should had saved it for confu, but there was no assurance I could get it from our gambit [/mild spoiler]

HC came knocking on our door again...

Spoiler :

Even if the rules allowed giving in to demands for people in HC conditions, I would say to him to eat grass as well

And then the second part of our gambit came on:

Spoiler :

So, we are in the classical age, but don't know how to farm Anyway i ended the set here. Some intel:

Spoiler :

I marked a spot in the eastern wastelands as a possible city site. It is far from very good, but we are not exactly in position of being extremely picky.

The missionary of confu is marching to Portuguese lands, but that is just because it is the closest foreing civ of the confu holy city. Feel free to change that, as well as change the builds of the cities, given that now we have a good set of buildings to get ( courts, libs, temples ... btw we need to get monasteries along the road ).

Copper is now inside our borders, so we should mine it ASAP ( I have a worker marching to the spot, the others are in route to pasture our city #3 cow ).

Anyway, the double gambit worked ( and it should had been a close call to get mono in time, given that biz already had it when he got alpha some turns ago, most likely via trade ). Now, what to tech next ? I think it is obvious that we need to do some backfiling, especially Agri and Pottery, but we can't waver much, because biz might be teching Theo

A roster:

r_rolo1 - just played
Thy_Spellcraft -UP
nocho - on deck
Silu
Jerrymander

 

[nocho]

Looks excellent, we have all wonders we we're shooting for, 2 religions and room to expand. Is this really emperor?

Indeed let's get some military before anyone gets funny ideas.

because biz might be teching Theo

How would that be possible if he still doesn't even have mysticism?

Guess we need meditation quickly for the monasteries. Or do we switch to OR? <looks at civics screen> What? We have no civic whatsoever adopted? Why not go rep, slavery, OR for instance? Or do we want to wait for a GA? I'd rather start spamming missionaries soon, so want at least OR.