SGOTM 12 - Xteam

[Cactus Pete]

Some cities will be shrinking for two turns, I don't think it's a problem! Looks that way to me too.

Roose has 5 naval units in the New York bay that can be upgraded to destroyers
Exactly.

You got it from me! Good luck.

Thanks, any advice regarding civic-change spy missions?

BTW, Griff, can you tell me what I'm missing regarding the Windows update option change?

 

[zamint3]

The other thing that plays into this is the ratio of the EP's FR has versus what we have against him. If we spend a lot of EP's, then I believe it makes his missions less expensive in EP's, so he can conduct more of them.

SCT's paper states that:

City specific missions have a standard EP base cost (e.g., the cost for inciting revolt is 500 EPs), while the base cost for stealing a given tech is 150% of the beaker cost of that tech.

The final EP cost of a spy mission can be lower or higher than the base cost. The final cost is calculated in a two-step process. First, a subcost is calculated from the base cost using the following % adjustments:

Stationary Spy: -10% per turn, up to -50%

Trade Route with Target City: -20%

Own State Religion is Present in Target City and You Own that Holy City: -25%

Distance Penalty: varies, but typically +10% to +30%

In the second step, the subcost is increased or decreased based on the total number of EPs ones own Civ has earned over the course of the game relative to the total number of EPs the target Civ has earned over the course of the game. This adjustment can range from a cost decrease of 50% to a cost increase of 50% or more.

If this is correct, spending our EPs should not matter!?

 

[leif erikson]

Thanks, any advice regarding civic-change spy missions?

It is done exactly the same way as you did performing counterespionage. Send the Spy to an enemy city, sit in it until the next turn, and then click on the spy missions button and bring up the spy options you can perform. If you cannot perform the mission, it will not show in the menu. In that case, wait a another turn as the price comes down 10% per turn if you are stationary in the city (until you reach 50% cost, then it stops changing). As long as we have enough EP's, you have a shot at accomplishing the mission, although I am unsure what your percentage chance will be. If you can perform the mission, the game should tell you what your chances are.

BTW, Griff, can you tell me what I'm missing regarding the Windows update option change?

Go to Control Panel, then System and Security, then Windows Update and then Change Settings. You should find a rectangle that will provide a drop down menu if you click on the arrow at the right end of the rectangle, and it will offer you the opportunity to select "Download updates but let me choose whether to install them". Select this option and you should no longer suffer restarts when you least expect them.

edit - xposted with z3

If this is correct, spending our EPs should not matter!?

Yes, you may be correct.
I thought it was the ratio of what you had versus a specific civ?
I wonder why they have the ratio in the EP panel? Unless that ratio is total points versus each other civs total points? Could be, since we have avoided Courthouses, we have produced very few EP's.

 

[Grifftavian]

BTW, Griff, can you tell me what I'm missing regarding the Windows update option change?

With the Control Panel > System and Security screen open (see screen shot from previous post) click on the link that says "Turn automatic updating on or off".

This will open the Windows Update > Change Settings Window shown in the attached screen shot. Under Important updates, there is a drop down box, with the options shown in the attached screen shot. If you've never changed the setting, the default setting is the first (recommended) option. On my Windows 7 Laptop, I'm using the 3rd option, which is highlighted in the attached screen shot.

Hope this helps!

EDIT: cross-post with leif

 

[zamint3]

Well I read the Sevopedia, see screenshot:

and then I hovered the mouse over Roose and he has 4311 EPs available against us atm.

 

[Cactus Pete]

Well I read the Sevopedia, see screenshot:
View attachment 278983
and then I hovered the mouse over Roose and he has 4311 EPs available against us atm.

And the consequences or potential consequences of this are what?

Got my update option checked. Couldn't have done it without the help.

Where would you suggest that I send a spy to get a civic change?

Ready to play in a few hours. Is that OK?

 

[leif erikson]

Got my update option checked. Couldn't have done it without the help.

Where would you suggest that I send a spy to get a civic change?

Nearest enemy city to our borders.

Ready to play in a few hours. Is that OK?

Green light from here. The espionage piece is not critical to our success from where I sit. As long as you can run a counterespionage mission every 10 turns and have a spy in each hammer critical city (including the capital), we will have done most of what we can do afaik.

Good Luck!
haka...

edit - sorry, forgot this part.

And the consequences or potential consequences of this are what?

That he has a lot more points with which to run spy missions against us and more opportunities to be successful. The above still stands, just have to hope he doesn't get a critical part or a hammer building in a key city.

 

[Cactus Pete]

Playing now. Will post interim report before retiring tonight.

 

[Cactus Pete]

Interim Report for turns 295 and 296: Played slowly, as had never fought a scrubbing war before and had to figure it out as I went along. So far, so good.

IBT: Satellites>Composites; FR completes Versailles

T295:

Begin docking bay in Rostov
Get 25 from FR for map, declare war on America, and deploy forces accordingly
FR's 4 transported units turn up just SW of Guangzhou, so eliminate them, loosing an artillery piece in the process
Sink frigate and 2 SotL
Destroy source of uranium on Indian mainland
Take a deep breath and press Enter . . .

IBT:

We are now the worst enemy of America
Furthermore, spies are about in our lands and destroy the harbor at Tianjin as well as a farm and a plantation (nothing critical, could have been much worse, of course)
FR uses his airships to weaken our navy and succeeds in sinking a frigate and a galleon, while incurring similar losses, but surprisingly makes no effort to deal with our forces now on his mainland

T296:

Destroy last source of uranium, breath easier
Note that an ironclad has been built in NY and couple of seals elsewhere
Note a Chinese settler has disembarked on the Indian mainland, but don't think it's a problem if he settles
Sink 2 galleons, a SotL, and a frigate
Move units, pillage (including about 65 gold), and scrub
Make note to self to build 2 more spies to try to change civics and reduce unhappiness


This seems harder than just taking cities. Wish WW were not an issue.
Be happy to get some feedback, but right now I just need to play a few more turns, and it will be at least 16 hours before I can get back to it.

Interim save: http://forums.civfanatics.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=279005&stc=1&d=1295081330

 

[zamint3]

It looks like you got it all covered and we have plenty of time to scrub.

Note a Chinese settler has disembarked on the Indian mainland, but don't think it's a problem if he settles

It might be a problem if he settles in that area, his culture could take some of the unscrubbed American tiles and we would have to declare on him again, I suggest you scrub there ASAP.

There's one worker building a railroad near Delhi, I think he should go scrubbing.

 

[Frederiksberg]

Looks like everything is right on track

Are you aware of the uranium source NW of Miami?

Perhaps move the infantry around the Chinese settler - you never now where they will be transported when he settles.

There are a number of places where we are growing cities using water tiles. I think we should stop working those 3gpt water tiles and instead hire 6bpt scientists. Tech is over in 7-8 turns so no use from growth. Perhaps build some more science? It would be nice if we could burn all gold during the next 7-8 turns. Do we really need more airships? We have 10. I would rather build some science.

 

[Grifftavian]

Where would you suggest that I send a spy to get a civic change?

You can go to the Espionage screen, select Roosevelt, and see the cost of performing the various espionage missions in each of his cities. See the attached screen shot from your latest interim save. Currently, the least expensive city to perform an Influence Civics mission is Detroit, and we will not have enough Espionage Points to attempt it for at least four more turns.

 

[leif erikson]

Looking good CP.

Can Roosie use uranium to power his ships before he has Fission?

Keep up the good work.

 

[Frederiksberg]

Can Roosie use uranium to power his ships before he has Fission?

No. He doesn't have it yet?

 

[leif erikson]

No. He doesn't have it yet?

I knew he didn't have fission, I wasn't sure about uranium use prior to fission.

btw, did you see the maintenance thread post by Alan? 5-days remain until deadline.

 

[Mad Professor]

btw, did you see the maintenance thread post by Alan? 5-days remain until deadline.

No time to waste...

 

[Cactus Pete]

Can Roosie use uranium to power his ships before he has Fission?

NOW you tell me.

Was thinking about changing civics in other civs. Is that possible, or does our lack of esp points with them prohibit it? Really could use an answer to this in the next 8 hours.

Very much aware of the uranium near Miami, but it seems a moot point now, unless FR researches Fission soon.

Also aware of need to scrub where Chinese culture might spread, but hadn't thought about transport possibility.

I anticipate loosing some more units in the IBT and am a bit concerned that WW will rise and may need culture slider, and we will lose a good deal more per turn once we start building casings, so have been restrained in burning gold. Intend to re-think that after this IBT and I start building casings. Will be easy to utilize the gold quickly just by switching gold builds in various cities to research builds.

Switiching airship to gold, and will look to switch some water tiles, but for this turn at least will put on merchants.

Z, think that RXR will speed transfer of workers from Houston area and is worth the worker turns.

 

[Frederiksberg]

We can influence civics with a spy in Birmingham for 786 points. We only have 2 so it would require that we put all points on Churchill for 5 turns. Perhaps worth a try? The same mission in Leeds cost around 1000 points.

 

[leif erikson]

NOW you tell me.

Had I fully understood, I would have told you earlier. Seems you were under the same misunderstanding as I was.

Was thinking about changing civics in other civs. Is that possible, or does our lack of esp points with them prohibit it? Really could use an answer to this in the next 8 hours.

In checking, all the civs are in emancipation except De Gaulle, who is in slavery.

We currently have 2 EP's with Churchill and need 786 (not sure if this includes the 116% bonus we have to pay - which would equal 912 EP's) while we are making 173 per turns. We would have to run 100% on Churchill for 4 to 5 turns before we could afford to make the attempt.

For Roosie, we have 832 and are set at 100% against him. To influence his civics requires 2,262 EP's, so we have to wait 9 turns to have enough EP's for Roosie.

For Gandhi, we have 2 EP's with him and need 1,008, requiring 6-turns on him.

With Mao, we have 0 EP's and require 1,242 to make the attempt. This would require 8-turns at 100% against Gandhi.

A couple of things, the numbers of points required do change over time as points change and actions taken by the AI occur (extreme example would be using a Great Spy to infiltrate our city).
Also, we can reduce the cost by having the Spy wait in their city for up to 5-turns, reducing the EP's required by 10% per turn to a maximum of 50%. The Spy has a chance of being detected.

Worth playing with if you choose to do so.

 

[zamint3]

I anticipate loosing some more units in the IBT and am a bit concerned that WW will rise and may need culture slider, and we will lose a good deal more per turn once we start building casings, so have been restrained in burning gold. Intend to re-think that after this IBT and I start building casings. Will be easy to utilize the gold quickly just by switching gold builds in various cities to research builds.

We do have some exposed units , but it's not easy to predict what the AI will do.

I think we can afford some unhappiness, and we only have 7 turns of research to do.
We can probably not do Genetics in 2 turns anyway, so in 4 turns we can use the culture slider.

For Roosie, we have 832 and are set at 100% against him. To influence his civics requires 2,262 EP's, so we have to wait 9 turns to have enough EP's for Roosie.

In Detroit it's only 1392 EPs (two turns ago it was 1116 EPs).