SGOTM 08 - Trash Team

[ese-aSH]

I may be wrong but I think the only point in 0/100 research is to be able to research a tech much faster (there's also the 'not loosing 0.2 beaker / turn', but this is irrelevant) when in research mode.
This is really usefull when you need to rush a tech nobody has and plan to exchange it (and then, getting it faster means AI are unlikely to get it before you)

 

[stuge]

Looking good.

 

[pigswill]

That went pretty much as planned. Got the research slightly wrong. Had 2 turns at 100% and 2 at 90% but got construction in 4. I disbanded the warrior down south near the barb village, money was very tight and he'd have perished to barbs anyway.

We're researching HbR very slowly. Once we've captured the first zulu city we should have some cash to increase the research slider. I've sacked the scientists in cottage city to let it grow to pop 6. Please rehire them once its grown in three turns.

A barb galley turned up in the south:

We survived (0.7/2) and limped away to heal. Trash House is currently building another galley. As well as barb galleys Shaka had at least one that's sneaked out to sea somewhere.

I totally messed up the screeshot of the defenders (and forgotten the name of the city. Its actually um something). Shaka's got 3 archers, 1 or 2 axes, 2 impis and a chariot defending iirc.

Here's our Stack of Dumb:

Its worth considering that the impis and chariot could get to the iron in one turn. Maybe detach an axe and a spear from the stack to defend it. Should be a reinforcing cat available as well

Here's Portugal:

The save: http://gotm.civfanatics.net/saves/civ4sgotm8/Trash_Team_SG008_BC0075_01.CivBeyondSwordSave

 

[remconius]

Good turnset, Pigswill!

Looks we are ready to attack. With the current stack I feel we can start the war. Crip, go ahead and lead us into war...

Roster (10 turns per turnset)
-Pigswill
-cripp7 (UP)
-Remconius (on deck)
-ese-aSH
-jadex
-Blastoidstalker
-Stuge
-KingMorgan
-chopster

 

[KingMorgan]

Looking good, Shaka here we come!!

 

[cripp7]

Got it! looks good pigswill, I'll work up the PPP today. Probly still go the war build until Shaka is no more. which cities are the main keepers besides the capital and uMgun(need to rename that!)

 

[remconius]

In the nature of this game we need to check if Shaka has any wonders or holy capitals.

If not then we just keep the best locations that are not too far from our capital.

 

[ese-aSH]

keep Ulundi, keep uMgungundlovu
our stack is already quite cool, we only need more cats now.

did you noticed joao already got 6 cities (at least). This awfull grabber (IMP/EXP) is not a military fan : he is quite easy to take down.

it seems shaka has stacked in uMgungundlovu, so we need to defeat him here at the lower cost. IMHO we require 8 cats to make it proper (3 suicide, then xp for the 5)

We already got enough swords (in my game I rarely build more than 5 swords ) - we wont get 8 CR3, so better fight always with the 4 same swords until we hit CR3.

build some archers too, taken cities must be defended, and leaving raider units behind the front is no good idea.

 

[cripp7]

keep Ulundi, keep uMgungundlovu
our stack is already quite cool, we only need more cats now.

did you noticed joao already got 6 cities (at least). This awfull grabber (IMP/EXP) is not a military fan : he is quite easy to take down.

it seems shaka has stacked in uMgungundlovu, so we need to defeat him here at the lower cost. IMHO we require 8 cats to make it proper (3 suicide, then xp for the 5)

We already got enough swords (in my game I rarely build more than 5 swords ) - we wont get 8 CR3, so better fight always with the 4 same swords until we hit CR3.

build some archers too, taken cities must be defended, and leaving raider units behind the front is no good idea.

We don't have archery, axes would work.

Pre-PPP

Trash House finishes galley, starts on axe.
CC grows for 3 turns then hires 2 egg-heads and keeps building cats
Holy Boot cat>cat>axe

going to move an axe, spear, cat to cover the copper incase impi's get any ideas
about when to add monastaries, or just keep up army build.

 

[stuge]

I'd raze that and found a new city to grab the rice, fish and cows, assuming the cows aren't taken up by Ulundi. Alternatively, we could build a filler city later to grab the fish.

 

[pigswill]

Good idea stuge .

I'm pretty sure Ulundi's south east of there. We'll have plenty of other candidates for Moia, marble city for starters.

If we finish off Shaka we run the risk of Jo thinking he's got a monopoly on techs and refuse to trade (assuming one of us gets alphabet eventually). Maybe trim him down a bit, certainly pinch Ulundi, then finish the job once we've found some new trading partners.

In the meantime military is the way to go.

 

[cripp7]

PPP

Run science at 30% until the 2 egg are hire then bump to 60%

Trash House
T1-2 finish galley which moves to support wounded galley, 10 overflow axe (t3) cat (t4), spear (t7), cat (t8)

Cottage City
T1-3 grow
T4 hire 2 eggs, cat in start cat (5t)


Holy Boot
continue cats every 4t


TH 2t-axe/sword 3t-cat
CC 4t-axe/sword 5t-cat
HBC 3t-axe/sword 4t-cat

I really don't want to whip CC because it'll lose the egg-heads, at least until HBR is in at end of this turnset. the axe/spear to fill in for the iron protectors. Once the other 2 cats come up at t4 that would make 8 sword/ax/spear/5 cats. Should be enough to take uMgun. But as stuge pointed out, razing Umg and settling the rice/fish/cow. Ulundi's borders wouldn't be a problem once it's taken

 

[remconius]

Hi guys, AlanH just posted this message in the maintenance thread:

NOTICE TO ALL TEAMS

Most teams have submitted one or more saves showing signs of small reloading incidents. I have not been sending out specific warnings in these cases, but if this behaviour continues, I may have to start doing so.

I do not want to have to police this game like an Olympic drugs detection agency. If you want this competition series to continue, shape up and play to the rules:

No Replaying, and No Playing Ahead of the active player.

Contact me by PM if you have to replay any of the game due to a crash. That's the only excuse for doing so. And make sure you have autosaves set for every turn in order to minimise the replay in this case.

Not sure if he is referring to any players from Trash Team, but just in case:

Make sure you dont play any turns ahead and that you dont replay any turns when playing. We had one person expelled last time after the had played ahead several centuries.... Simple reloads are also not allowed at all!

You can only open the save and look around, then close the save.
When playing you can only play each turn once (whatever happens)

 

[remconius]

Good plan cripp, do you think we can declare already in your turnset?

 

[cripp7]

On turn 2 once the stack is green, sure and have the other cats/axes following to catch up while the stack is healing in uMg. Question still is to keep or raze that city as stuge stated.

ese, jadex, blast, king, chop... where are you guys!?!

 

[KingMorgan]

Hello i'm here. I'm not bothered if the city is raised or not, it's a good spot for defending and do we want to lose population? If it's raised we can place citys for the fish and also in the SE below shakas capital for the cows and fish.

Ref: warning from alan, i did save the first turnset and reload from that save as i had accidently pressed enter when checking the save, personally i would have considered it to have been 'replaying turns' if i had continued from the save of the turn before. so i felt it best to save and play on from the save later rather than replay that one turn.

Remi can you clarify for us, are we allowed to save during our turnset, say if a major incident occurs and we want guidance from the rest of the team can we save then continue?

 

[ese-aSH]

keep or raze, I dont know...
who wants to make a dotmapping upon the zulu empire considering we are sure to keep Ulundi ?
yet uM... is a good strategic location, it will block our land from hostiles + it would allow N/S for boats and if we raze it it will take some more time to heal.
but it is not ideally placed, it make us loose the fish...

if you decide to raze, prepare a settler first to settle ASAP (our 3 city empire is too weak ! we know CoL, we must expand now)



@KM : of course you can save during a turnset, but then you must restart from this latest save

 

[KingMorgan]

thanks ese.

Thinking about it, maybe keep the city. We can add a fishing village later.

 

[cripp7]

I'm going to play either tonight/early friday morning. If I raze uMg, it takes 5 turns for a settler. would whipping for 2 for max overflow to units and fast regrow

 

[pigswill]

I'd declare on T1 and move stack SW apart from axe and spear for iron. On T2 2 cats can bombard reducing defence to 4%, third cat kamikazes(or even survives) and we attack. Every turn we delay to build units is a turn that Shaka is building units, he's probably got smaller cities but he's got more of them and a production bonus.
Raze Um, start building a settler the turn we capture Ulundi (coz by then the war should be basically won and we should have enough of a stack to finish him off).