SGOTM3 Rome - Team Smackster

[dmanakho]

Our territory is getting bigger
@Wotan , and I wish you had more cavalry at your disposal .

Ok, we are getting closer and closer...
I am suprised how much barbarians are still left in Hadrian's hideouts.
I see there is a settler in place on Hadrians, if next player just settle where it is and leave that town unprotected. That will help to get rid of most of those barbarians much faster.

No units left on north american island, we probably should keep couple of units over there, too easy target for AI and AIs always know about all unprotected cities.

The major goal... I do agree with Wotan, we should switch from Indians to Japanese and American-Indians. Personally, i wish we could raize few Japanese cities since they are the one who bother us most sending riflemen and samurais. (so hard to kill). But since our major forces located down south, we probably should not waste time with Japs but rather keep crushing Iroquoses.

I do hope other teams will have as many troubles as we do. I hope we finish this game before i have to play again.

 

[smackster]

We shouldn't be suprised at the amount of resistance those civs are putting up. All the usual tricks we would use to slow them are not available to us. Looking back what else would we have done during this stage. We still haven't finished colonising hadrians even, and we are doing that as quickly as we can, aren't we?

I think we got to the other continent just in time, imagine if we'd got there after Rifles were available, as I feared. Looks like we just got there.

We have a number of culture expansions coming in the next 5 turns, I see many places to put settlers for more tile growth, and we just have to tough it out against the other continent. Actually as I count round tiles, I don't see enough at home really, and think we do need a little more on the other continent. Taking the large cities may be tough, so I actually think going to India might be the best bet.

Also if you trace round our continent there are many other places that settlers can be squeezed in, for example between Selonia, and Drall will give us 3 tiles, there is a city producing wealth that could rush a settler, and also Byzantium 2 to the right, a settler will give us 4-5 tiles. Also many more cities that can have temples rushed. Got to look for the best gold/tile ratio.

 

[smackster]

DeceasedHorse is up, I'm on deck, plan is that we wont need anybody else to play.

Smackster

 

[Wotan]

We still haven't finished colonising hadrians even, and we are doing that as quickly as we can, aren't we?

At Hadrians there are one settler in position right now. On coast and north of last settled position. Another next to japanese city intended to move deep into NE corner, the coast can be settled by one of the settlers still on ships.

We have a number of culture expansions coming in the next 5 turns, I see many places to put settlers for more tile growth, and we just have to tough it out against the other continent. Actually as I count round tiles, I don't see enough at home really, and think we do need a little more on the other continent. Taking the large cities may be tough, so I actually think going to India might be the best bet.

My comment on India was early in my turns, before the "flood" of Iroquois/Aztec Cavalry began and before Muskets turned to Rifles... I guess that by now India might have some appeal again. Taking "Falls" from Iroquois would limit our two southern neighbours to 1 horse, or at least pillage the tile. Also there are some territory available in the NE both within Japanese culture and just outside worth some tiles. Plenty of Settlers within a couple of moves from New Smackster so I guess we have just about all settlers needed already in play, just not in position...

I have jacked up gpt to over 600 by turning all "non-productive" cities to wealth so almost 2 Cavalry or 2.5 Temples rushed per turn during my turns.

 

[Wotan]

I see there is a settler in place on Hadrians, if next player just settle where it is and leave that town unprotected. That will help to get rid of most of those barbarians much faster.

No need to leave it unprotected, besides the most northern Settler (next to japanese city) should move for 3-4 turns eastward to gain more tiles as several settlers on ships can handle coastal settlements. Barbarians are melting avay pretty fast and the Cavalry we have committed to this theatre will not be able to go anywhere else during this games final stages so let them kill of any barbarians stupid enough to come locking for trouble.

No units left on north american island, we probably should keep couple of units over there, too easy target for AI and AIs always know about all unprotected cities.

There are so many ships in the north returning Cavalry to the island is a piece of cake if any AI ships should come sailing by our northern shoreline en route to that island. We will have ample warning.

 

[smackster]

All quiet on the DH front. I'm going out tonight (whatever next) so will wait until I get back and play 5 then if he's not turned up.

smackster

 

[DeceasedHorse]

I got it. I will post the report tonight most likely.

 

[smackster]

Glad you got it, just got back myself and didn't really fancy playing now, as I'd have to be up until 4.00am or something again.

Note that we have not had a single skip in this game, which is really impressive.

smackster

 

[DeceasedHorse]

Preturn: No changes.

IBT: The Japenese kill an elite cavalry in Artaxta, losing one riflemen. They also found Suo on Hadrian’s Wall for no real reason. Three Aztec and two Iroquois cavalrymen move out of the fog near Caesaraugusta. The Aztecs land a Jaguar warrior in our core.

Turn 1: Dispatch the silly Jaguar Warrior with a Cavalrymen. Destroy Suo and found a total of two cities on Hadrian’s Wall this turn. Destroy all visible enemy cavalry units, but Wotan Jr. is tragically slain in the battle. Use income to rush a couple of cavalry over in (former) India. The Siege of Niagra Falls begins as our armies begin to pick off riflemen; the slow healing rate of armies means that this may take awhile. Kill three Japenese riflemen threatening our holdings with no casulties.

General Mapstat reports that we hold 59.1% of all territory; we need roughly 250 tiles to win.

IBT: Lose three cavalrymen fighting defensively, kill one Japenese riflemen and one Samurai. Iroquois frigates bombard roads running along Hadrians wall with little success.

Turn 2: Convoy a bunch of settlers and a couple of cavalrymen across Wotan’s Middle Passage. Rush some barracks in fmr. India to speed up the healing process. Defeat two Japenese Riflemen and one longbow. Germanicus, the great navigator, rises from the dead in the midst of heated cavalry battle along the Iroquois front. Use him to rush the Military Academy in Antium; I’m not sure whether or not armies get an additional attack/defensive bonus in PTW or not. Domination is now 60.1%.

IBT: Aztecs drop off a Rifleman and a Longbow in our core. No fewer than nine enemy cavalry ride out of the fog in the south; 4 Aztec and 5 Iroquois.

Turn 3: Warlord RegentMan is defeated in the northern wastes of Hadrian’s wall. With his defeat, the total elimination of the barbarian hordes cannot be long behind. Niagra Falls, uh, falls to one of our cavalry armies and is razed to the ground. One source of horses eliminated, 2 remaining. I think that it is probable that the Aztecs are importing horses from the Iroquois, so if we can take out one more source we can stop the flow of Aztec cavalry permenatly. Defeat the Japenese marines with some difficulty. Defeat almost all of the enemy cavalry currently visible. A lone cavalrymen begins the assault on Kolhapur, as the Indians are left with spearmen defenders now.

IBT: lose a caravel to a Japenese Galleon. Two cavalry armies are lost in a series of catastrophic battles when the Aztecs and the Iroquois launch a massive combined assault on our southern position.
Caesaraugusta almost falls when the army inside is killed. Five enemy cavalrymen remain visible. The Japenese move three riflemen south.

Turn 4: Kill the Japenese riflemen, lose one cavalry. Capture and raze Kolhapur. Continue the war against the Iro/Aztec cavalry horde; take two casulties. Two cities founded this turn. Domination reaches 61.8%, with 163 more tiles needed to win. We may be in serious trouble, however, if the Aztec/Iro cavalry attack again on the IBT in the same strength.

IBT: Caesaraugusta falls. The $##@#$@ Indians are now building cavalry; one company spotted advancing on Ravenna 2. The Japanese land a riflemen/samurai pair near Mos Eisley. There are no defenders in range.

Turn 5: Continue battles with enemy cav. Found Fort Neccessity near the ruins of Niagra falls.
I cannot see any way to save Mos Eisley. Domination threshold is at 62.2%; we need about 150 more tiles to win. Progress has been slow to the constant stream of enemy cavalry and our own lack of strong defenders. We may need to start building cannons for defensive purposes again soon. In hindsight, I should have just used the leader to form an army; however at the moment he popped we had four full armies and not very many spare cavalry. I did not expect to lose two of them; gotten spoild due to Conquests, since I doubt the AI would even have attacked our armies under conquests. Also note that we can run 4-turn research at about 50% science; if we are unable to breake our enemires soon we may need to research to rails and possibly riflemen. Our main difficulty is the same as its always been: Our supply lines are just too damn long, even with move 3 units and Magellans speeding up the process.

 

[dmanakho]

No, we cannot start research when we have just 5% left until domination...
We need to rush cavalry as much as we only can, one last jump is all we need, rush cavalry right on the new continent, use all money that we have,
sell all temples/cafedrals in all cities that expanded it's size, they won't shrink back...
We need a one last final push!!!!!

I also do suggest to rush walls in all border cities, that helped me a lot during my turns.. Walls only cost 80 gold.

EDIT: We may want to create a new line of ship hopping south to the original one..
This way we should be able to deliver cavalry closer to the frontline.
We may want to use 2 hope system to do that in one turn. Do we still have enough caravels?

 

[smackster]

Germanicus, the great navigator, rises from the dead in the midst of heated cavalry battle along the Iroquois front. Use him to rush the Military Academy in Antium; I’m not sure whether or not armies get an additional attack/defensive bonus in PTW or not. Domination is now 60.1%.

No bonuses for Armies in PTW, so they are not very useful. I like to build say one or two armies as they can run through the enemy territory without being attacked (whey they are green), but as I said before, 3 Cavalry is stronger than one Cavalry Army.

 

[Wotan]

Use him to rush the Military Academy in Antium.

Pleae help me out here, I cannot see any reason what so ever of building this??? What is the reason?

No research now please, we are 5 turns from victory I hope? Will check out the save now.

 

[dmanakho]

Pleae help me out here, I cannot see any reason what so ever of building this??? What is the reason?

What's done is done and we won't use military academy for sure.
it would be better if built on new continent just for pure cultural purposes.

@Smackster, Please do sell all the temples in all cities that expanded their territory. it will help us with few golds... we nead each and every penny we can collect at this moment.

EDIT: I believe it will take more than 5 turns to win, but if Smackster manages to pull our victory, he will have to provide me with his address... I will send him a beer keg

 

[Wotan]

@Smackster, Please do sell all the temples in all cities that expanded their territory. it will help us with few golds... we nead each and every penny we can collect at this moment.

very good idea! (Kicking myself for forgetting this)

 

[smackster]

I'm on it, selling libraries, temples, etc

These turns may take some time

 

[dmanakho]

I won't go to bed tonight until i see you report...
I hope you are not going out second night in a row...

 

[smackster]

I'll post turn by turn, but I'm afraid I am going out, but playing now. Buts its taking a long time just to sell the infrastructure, I just want enough cash to rush another Cavalry.

 

[Wotan]

Well, this game is not going as well as I had hoped. Not enough cultural expansion in the next few turns to help us reacxh domination. We have 19 settlers at the moment! Stop bulding them, only build them in frontline cities if needed to speed up city placements. We have roughly 75 tiles to gain from cultural expansion on original continent/Hadrians. "Forcing" cities within enemy territory is one way to go. I guess we will not really need so many more enemy cities raised to have enough territory for a win. Need to get a few settlers south for this though. Almost all of them are in Artaxata2.

@DeceasedHorse: I have some constructive critisism re. your city placements. You seem to stop short of the optimum placement with cities. Tile-StealersVille would have gained 3 more tiles from Punjab if placed 1 tile further west.

I mentioned in my report not to use the settler next to the japanese in the northern part of Hadrians to build a city on the coast but to move it into the corner (E/NE) to make full use of the territory and to wait for the settlers on ships off the coast to settle the coastline. You would have had about 20 more tiles covered(almost double that after cultural expansion) Now it will take another 8-9 turns before the location is settled and cultural expanded so it is lost to us. You would also have been able to put one in SE of present location of Sotha Sil.

At the stage we are in this game tile counting is imperative to win ASAP!

And finally, what is a Worker doing clearing a jungle on the new continent???? He will be done in 21 turns!!!! Those workers need to build roads nothing else and only where we have no poad connections. So the Worker North of Gamorr is also wasted!!! building a road where we already have plenty of roads.

 

[smackster]

@DeceasedHorse: I have some constructive critisism re. your city placements. You seem to stop short of the optimum placement with cities. Tile-StealersVille would have gained 3 more tiles from Punjab if placed 1 tile further west.

I think Indian culture expanded, that is why its called tile stealer, the settler there goes west, to steal those back, I have to disband tile stealer then settle

 

[Wotan]

I think Indian culture expanded, that is why its called tile stealer, the settler there goes west, to steal those back, I have to disband tile stealer then settle

Nope, I had a settler heading there to settle within indian territory, on the tip of the land. DH settled one short in 1240AD. Maybe he does not know you can settle within another tribes culture, and if so he will now know you can.

BTW, Smackster, if you rush anything make sure you rush units in cities near Mos Eisley as it will fall. I am surprised DH did not do this since they will fall after japan take Mos Eisley. And do the rush in two actions to keep cost down, first a 10 shield unit at 8gps then to the full unit at 4gps for the rest.

Edit: I had a look at worker actions on the old continent. Loads of them on long term projects for some obscure reason. Just cancel those actions and either join cities or... Just do not let them keep clearing jungles in 20 turns or so... It is utter waste!!!!!