Settler #2: Actions once hut is popped

[mordhiem]

So, we pop the hut, what after that? My thinking is to send it south along the coast with a view to settle somewhere there, although close examination of the specials pattern will probably help us decide this better. Starlifter! Use your powers of special prediction and tell us where to send it!

 

[starlifter]

Depends on the outcome of the hut. If a unit comes out, the settler can return to the capital area, roading along the way. If an archer, it would be nice to see a radius of two beyond that hut, then road back. Roads are the key. A road to the 2nd city site needs to be ready when the Capital cranks out the 1st settler. Roads are also key to defense against Barbs (and AI). Land & Sea Barbs will not come until turn 16 at the earliest.

If there is a really juicy spot to settle, then maybe make a 2nd city & get a NON setter later.

PS, I did not vote, at least until the hut outcome is known.

 

[Leowind]

I would vote for South, but I would rather be able to give our pres some general guidelines and not specify actions that really need to consider info we do not yet have (what we get out of the hut and what we find around the hut). It is always nice to keep a NON settler around, but I don't know how to weigh that against getting a second city earlier. I usually build cities first and then road between them. Starlifter, can you explain your reasoning for wanting to road first?

 

[starlifter]

Starlifter, can you explain your reasoning for wanting to road first?

Sure. Its because we have 2 settlers, the tile is grassland shield (esp. with water access), and the NW and SE sites are excellent locations for the 1st city, given what we know. There is no way we are not going to use this terrain (e.g., we are not going to wander off and not have cities in this area until after Explosives). It costs 1 day of movement to mount a tile, and 2 days to finish the road. We save a settler-day, and have a guaranteed 4-resource tile with trade regardless of the outlying (black) areas.

So in essence, we are getting a "free" move by having Settler#1 on the grassland shield to build the road. It will not cost a day in teh future for a settler to slide out and irrigate it, either (once it is roaded).

And finally, at Raging Hordes, roads are key for defense & leader killing.

Of course, later on, roads increase trade & reduce empire corruption (if the road is the "correct" path, that is).


The alternative to not roading is to move and build immediately, or send Settler #1 out exploring. Both those are pretty much long shots. The former is not sound, due to lack of visible trade tiles. The latter has potential to "pay off", but the odds are against it, esp. when weighed against the loss of production when moving without rivers or roads.

 

[Leowind]

sorry, I don't think my question was specific enough. I meant, why would you have settler #2, the one going to pop the hut, road his way back to the capital as opposed to continuing to explore? As I've thought about it, I think I know, but I'd still like to hear your answer (and for the benefit of all who may read this)

 

[Leowind]

Okay, maybe this is micromanaging our leader, but we'll be sure to move to the grassland square, then to the hut, not through the forest, right? that way we'll uncover one square on our way to the hut.

 

[Zwelgje]

I'd like to see the settler improve some terrain around the capital, it's good for quick growth. When we get a unit from the hut it can explore around and maybe uncover a nice spot for the second settler to build a city.

 

[starlifter]

sorry, I don't think my question was specific enough. I meant, why would you have settler #2, the one going to pop the hut, road his way back to the capital as opposed to continuing to explore? As I've thought about it, I think I know, but I'd still like to hear your answer (and for the benefit of all who may read this)

Oh, you mean that one. Depending on what comes out of the hut (e.g, unit), Settler #2 might need to be the one to uncover the key terrain at the 2nd tile from the hut, so we can know the special and hut patterns for this map. Once we see what we need, the settler should road its way back because we need the roads, the new city-founding settlers produced by the Capital and other cities can hurry to their founding spot, defense, diplomat movent, and becase there will be a lull before any additional improved terrain is needed around the capital. The settler should be roaded back at the capital and have at least one irrigation done before Monarchy.

Setters are very inefficient at exploring, as they have only one movement and are best used improving terrain. A warrior can be used for later hut popping (and not a big loss if barbs kill it).

If there is a suitable (i.e. juicy, like river & grassland) terrain, that 2nd settler may be better off founding a 2nd city & doubling our science output.

Typically, a NON settler (either original or from a Hut) is ideal to improve the terrain, set defenses, and road the key SSC trade routes in the core empire.... and if our settler comes back after (or shortly after) the hut pop, it should road along the way (which only adds 2 days to each easy tile move).

 

[Serutan]

Like Starlifter, I don't think it's useful to vote until we know
what the hut contains.

 

[Serutan]

Now that the hut has been popped, I voted South (Really
want SE). Since we're near the bottom of the map, the
Horseman should explore the vasty areas in the northerly
directions, and the settler move SE with a view to finding a
build site

 

[Angelscotboi]

I voted to go south to. South looks like it could be a good place to settle a second city? Just a thought.

 

[Duke of Marlbrough]

I would prefer North.

Since we know we are at the bottom of the map, we will have more exposure to new cities going North. If we go South and have no more land, then every settler that is produced down there will have to spend extra turns moving North to be able to make new cities. If it is already North, it is closer to where the potential new cities are going to be built.

Although another city south would be wanted, I think we would get better exposure if we went North. The Horseman could explore ahead of the settler and help find a suitable spot for the city. If it went South, it would need to scout for itself, which is a waste of turns for a settler. Settlers should either be making improvements or building cities, not exploring.

 

[duke o' york]

I totally agree with Duke. We should send the second settler north so that we have a better base for expansion. We can fill in whatever land is to the south of us from settlers produced by the capital when we found it. I'd like to use the second settler to found a SSC so that we can get started on it as soon as possible - this city need not produce settlers so that we can maximise science production. The sooner we get the first two cities founded then we can use troops built by the capital to enforce martial law in the SSC while it builds the Colossus and build settlers to colonise the areas our horseman will uncover. I just hope that we can discover some special terrains or some more huts soon so that we know where all the specials will be (I suspect that Smash has made them all grassland on our continent so we'll have to work out which squares to transform by the hut pattern).