SGOTM7 - Team tao

[mad-bax]

SGOTM7 - Team tao

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Map Parameters
Playable Civ - Ottomans
World size - 80 wide by 80 high. (Small)
Difficulty - Deity
Landform - Archepelago
Barbarians - Roaming

The map is handbuilt, and therefore may not have a standard configuration.

Please visit the following links to ensure that you are adequately prepared for this game. The SGOTM Reference thread contains all the files and links you need to install the small mod for PTW/C3C and rather larger mod for vanilla. There are test saves too so you can check your installation.

The GOTM Reference Thread.
SGOTM Reference Thread.
Upload Save to Server
Download Save from Server


This Months' sponsored variant is Always War Deity (AWD) the rules for which are as follows.

1. You must declare war on each Civilisation by the end of the turn you make that contact.
2. You must remain at war with each Civilisation until the end of the game, or until that Civilisation is destroyed.
3. You may trade with a Civilisation on the turn you make contact and before declaring war, but you may not establish any embassies.
4. No turn based (gpt) deals are permitted.
5. You must win by Domination.

Note: PTW and Vanilla players are not permitted to leader rush Great Wonders Before the year 1000BC for this game.

 

[tao]

Welcome back on board everybody. Will we stick with our order:

tao
Sabre
Furiey
Tone
Keath
Renata​

or did we learn some reason to permutate?

Let me also start with a confession. I never did AWD before. IMHO the start is important. Shouldn't we plan our first moves with one of the spreadsheet tools? Experience tells that we play the turns relatively fast and thus can well afford some planning time in the beginning.

 

[Tone]

It's great to be back, team!

I've never done AWD either Surely MB has given us a kind start though?

I really enjoyed the discusions and ideas that were bounced around in the last game so I'll second the planning time suggestion.

 

[Renata]

Planning will be essential, I think. I learned a few things playing COTM11, but I'm not sure how applicable they'll all be. I hope Sabre has some insight from GOTM-whateveritwas.

I'll be back later; my fiance needs the computer. See you soon!

Renata

 

[Furiey]

Checking in, and SGOTM3 is the closest I've come to AWD so a little planning may well help.

 

[Sabre]

Checking in.

Count me in as an AWD rookie too. Luckily, we've got an archepelago start so we have a chance of building up a core before all the frenzy begins. In my AW Rome attempt in the last GOTM I was buried under a massive assault from three civs. Using tons of Spears, Legions and Walls I managed to survive and scratch out a core. I had conquered Egypt, had Greece on the ropes and just gotten Knights when my interest kinda fizzled out. We shouldn't have to face anything like this.

I'm ok with keeping the lineup the same. Everything seemed to go pretty smoothly last game.

Some early strategizing - We will probably want as many cities as we can to support a huge army, but like last game we have a pretty expensive UU. What I was thinking is we might want to tightly pack in towns early so we can build and support a large Horse/Knight force (if M-B isn't sadistic enough to deny us the key resource ). Once we've carved out more territory we could whittle down some of our core towns with Workers-Settlers to free up space for quicker Sipahi construction from larger towns.

With the two sheep and plenty of shields, we should be able to get a 6-turn Settler factory out of the capital. I don't think we should count on getting Pottery from an early enemy, since I can't imagine we'd have more than one neighbor, so we should probably plan on researching that first? Afterwards, if we aren't pressed for Swords or Horses, heading straight to Monarchy (unless we'd like to do another all-Despot game? No?). When I started losing interest in my Rome game I experimented a bit and tried Republic. War weariness was absolutely brutal. Republic's trade bonus would be nice since we'll be doing mostly our own research but I just don't think it's possible until we have a bunch of luxes.

Later on, I'll make an attempt at a spreadsheet plan on our opening moves. If anyone else wants to also, it'll help to compare ideas and plan our best path. Tao, when the save becomes available could you show a screenshot of the starting area around the capital? I don't think there are any goodies in the fog, but it would help to know all the available tiles when planning. Is there any objection to starting where we are? It looks pretty good right there. I'd imagine our first Worker moves would be irrigating and roading the sheep.

It's great to get rolling on this game. I've been looking forward to it and I'm pretty sure that between this and the Diety GOTM, my COTM game won't get finished.

 

[Sabre]

Has anyone else gotten CivAssist II yet? It's pretty impressive. Too bad we didn't have this last game as it looks to be a micromanagers dream.

 

[tao]

Has anyone else gotten CivAssist II yet? It's pretty impressive. Too bad we didn't have this last game as it looks to be a micromanagers dream.

Yes. Very cool (and slow in my Vitual PC emulation). But an impressive peace of software and an excellent tool. However, the trades and diplomacy features won't help us much.

 

[Furiey]

yes, an excellent tool, and running well now I've reinstalled it with the updated version.

The cites close enough for troops to move between them in 1 move seemed to work well in SGOTM3.

Looks like we need to install another mod, so I'll do that today.

Offa has done a spreadsheet that looks like it would be useful for the opening moves. I started one very similar a long time ago, but his is much tidier.

 

[mad-bax]

No. There is no new mod for people who have played SGOTM before. If this is not clear in the reference thread I'll change it.

 

[Furiey]

Thanks mad-bax, one less job

Did you find the city screen resources? I had to e-mail you as your PM was full.

 

[Tone]

Offa has done a spreadsheet that looks like it would be useful for the opening moves. I started one very similar a long time ago, but his is much tidier.

Could you provide a link please, Furiey?

 

[mad-bax]

Yes, and I have included them in the download pack. I used them in GOTM43 too and credited you there. The only diffierence between the new and the old download pack is that pcx file. Once things quieten down I'll change the reference page and inform everyone of its availability.

I forgot to thank you Furiey. I apologise for that... I've been so busy though that is no excuse.

 

[Furiey]

It's in the Strategy and Tips forum, but a long way down now here.

edit: no worries mad-bax and thanks for the credit, I just wasn't sure if you'd found them.

 

[Renata]

Just wanted to let you know I probably won't be able to contribute much until Monday night. Busy today.

Renata

 

[tao]

I (only) had time to download the save and look at the starting position:

We have 2 sheep (2/2/0), which will be 3/2/0 if irrigated; IMHO undisputed.

As starting builds I suggest 2 warriors, 1 for exploring the immediate neighborhood, 1 for MP.

And minimum research on iron working.

 

[tao]

I couldn't resist a fast peek on coming home. Sogut is founded on the spot and there is a 3rd sheep. This means we can build a 4 turn settler factory pop 4-6. That would be a great help.



F10 shows our victims to be India, Zulus, Arabs, Persia, Vikings, and America.

Zulus, America, Arabs, and Vikings are expansionist and know pottery. Should we hope for an early contact? It's a small world, after all. Or do we go for pottery at max before iron working?

 

[Furiey]

That's a powerful starting position.

Small archipelago world yes, but another of mad-bax's non-standard maps. Perhaps a tortuous route between civs. If we do find the iron and get Swords early will we be able to capitalise on that, or will we be forced to keep a tight empire anyway due to the unit start advantages of the opposing civs. Not really sure what to suggest - Deity is beyond my experience.

 

[Tone]

Zulus, America, Arabs, and Vikings are expansionist and know pottery. Should we hope for an early contact? It's a small world, after all. Or do we go for pottery at max before iron working?

That's a difficult decision to make. Min research will enable us to store up the cash to allow us to buy pottery before declaring war but how early do we need that granary to ensure that we expand sufficiently fast? I think that 6 rivals (sorry, 'victims' ) on a small map should mean that we meet someone who has it soon enough so overall I'm tempted by min IW research but it's a close call.

Then again maybe I'll post again in a couple of hours to say that I've changed my mind!

 

[Renata]

If this is a true archipelago, we may not have a neighbor we can reach before mapmaking. (Or, if mad-bax was feeling creative, perhaps by standing on a hill and hollering across the water.) So I would not count on being able to trade for anything, really. If contacts are delayed enough, our starting techs will be worthless.

On the other hand ...

Look at our opponents and their starting techs. 4x pottery. 3x warrior code. 2x ceremonial burial, masonry and alphabet, and only 1x bronze-working. With us having masonry and bronze-working, we're holding techs that should have some trading value. Even at deity, monopoly bronze-working and masonry could pick up pottery, CB or WC, even if alphabet might be out of reach. So maybe he did give us neighbors, at the very least of the 'shout across the water' variety. We should keep an eye on those little tags of land we can see from Sogut.

I assume we want to try for the Great Library? If so, we're going to have to plan to have literacy and a primed-to-go prebuild by about 500 BC.

As far as what to start with -- well, granary or not, we're going to want the capital to grow to size 5 before spitting out a settler, I think. I don't want any of those sheep tiles to go to waste. So I guess the question is what we do in the meantime.

I'm thinking on it -- back later.

Renata