Ok, just a partial turn report at this stage, we're at a critical juncture now...
(IT) 400AD: We can indeed use the "Big Picture" screen to go to the domestic advisor and change the city's production on the turn the invention is discovered, but...by turning science to 100% we can get the tech in 2 turns instead of 3. Since it will give us a substantial advantage if we can get a monopoly on the tech, that's what I do.
Stormrider: Switching Boston from a worker -> Marketplace was a bad move. That city was set up to keep on building us workers, with excess workers being merged into our other cities. Chicago is stuck at size 9, due to grow in 14 turns. Atlanta 8 & 13 turns. Cincinnati 7 & 12 turns. Ditto for many of our other cities. We need lots more workers still, and Boston is the best place to build them. I'll switch it back to a worker once our marketplace is done.
Banks should be taking priority right now. I switch Cincinnati & Destroy to banks instead of horsemen.
I don't know why Baltimore is building a courthouse - it's just across the lake from our Forbidden Palace. Switched to a market and changed configuration around to grow faster.
Houston is changed from a barracks to a courthouse.
Meanwhile, Seattle is building a marketplace and one turn away from completing it, when it's stuck on size 6 without an aqueduct.
Now, we should do some more trading: I send Incense to the Ottomans for 18gpt. Ivory and Silks go to Germany for 20gpt.
I notice that Germany, France, the Iroquois, and the Ottomans have reached the Industrial Age. Don't worry, we'll get there soon.
Other than all that, our empire looks in pretty good shape
(1) 410AD:
Washington Bank -> Worker. It's at 12 and full food box, so we'll peel one off.
Seattle Aqueduct -> Marketplace.
The Iroquois complete Magellan's.
Our Incense deal with Babylon for 11gpt expired. I get a much better 18gpt from the Iroquois.
Workers merged into Detroit to get it to size 12. I have some workers prepare to merge into Miami and St Louis just as soon as they build marketplaces, which is next turn.
(2) 420AD: We get Economics. The best price for it is from France, of course, Physics and Metallurgy for it.
Everyone is up Theory of Gravity and Magnetism...except for Hammurabi, who doesn't have Magnetism.
We send Saltpeter and Economics to Bismark for Magnetism.
Then we send Economics and Magnetism to Hammurabi for Theory of Gravity, and we are into the Industrial Age!
Now hmm...some have steam power, some have medicine. Babylon has steam power but no medicine, hiawatha has medicine but no steam power.
Let's see, I trade Economics + 1300 gold to Hiawatha for Medicine.
Then I do something a little bit unusual....I go and trade backward Japan Economics and Medicine for Iron. Why? Our deal selling our only iron to France is about to expire in 2 turns. I figure that with Steam Power, the price of Iron will skyrocket. I bought it off Japan *before* we got it, and then I'll be able to essentially resell it to Japan at a higher price. Yes it's mildly risky, and yes it means there'll be a 2 turn window in 20 turns time during which we won't have iron, but that's offset by getting iron right now. Hopefully we have coal too
Then we go and get Steam Power from the Babylonians for Saltpeter + Medicine + 600 gold.
Hmm...we don't seem to have any coal, and no-one else has any to spare!
Now we make some money back by selling Steam Power to Hiawatha for 1300 gold + 10gpt. Economics goes to Osman for 18 gold + 20gpt. Then I decide to trade Japan Steam Power for Democracy, mainly to improve relations.
Washington Worker -> Knight.
Boston Market -> Worker.
Miami Market -> Bank.
St Louis Market -> Bank.
Every man and his dog starts building Smith's, but we have it due in 1 turn
I survey the map for coal. None in our territory. The Ottomans have one source: two cities in from the border. They have already started building rails. Tempting, very tempting. Our military advisor says that compared to them we have an 'average' military.
The Japanese have some hooked up, and some more in their territory, in northern jungles. Maybe we'll have to sign a RoP with them, go and hook it up for them, and then buy it off them. But gee, the Japanese road network is just appalling.
I investigate Salonika, the first city we would have to go through. It is garrisoned by...two regular spears. A source of coal would be a powerful asset in this game.
We have to strike now! A few turns, and Nationalism will be upon us. We have nine knights and three horsemen. Switching some banks, I can get another two knights next turn.
Compared to us the Japanese military is strong. The biggest danger in this war will be Japan coming into the war against us.
We have a gpt for incense deal with Osman, and a deal for which he is giving us gpt. Breaking the deals and attacking him is dastardly, and will give us a reputation hit, but it's definitely not exploitive. I think we're going to have to live with the reputation hit.
I start upgrading troops, ready to both attack and defend. I don't think we're even going to have enough troops to try to take Mugla, the Ottoman desert city: We're going straight for the coal, and that's it.
(3) 430AD: We get Smith's. Great work Borealis and others in setting this up!
Philadelphia: Smith's -> Knight.
Wines and furs deal expire. Houston is the only city that can't handle it, and riots.
Some other civs just got Military Tradition, including the Ottomans. Cavalry it is then, if we still want to attack. With cavalry, we can take the cities we want on the first turn of war. Then it'll be a matter of suing for peace. Japan does NOT have MT as of yet.
It appears that the Iroquois have 2 sources of coal, but are trading one source to the stupid French who have two sources, but neither hooked up. Once Nationalism comes in, we could sign an MPP with the Iroquois, attack France, and force Iroquois into a war with them, allowing us to buy the Iroquois coal.
Ok, this turn has gone on WAY longer than I expected, and I'm going to have to finish it tomorrow. I've posted this partial turn report so that we can have a discussion on what we should do.
Main options are:
- attack Ottomans
- help the incompetent Japanese road up the coal and buy it from them
- instigate a war between France and the Iroquois and then buy coal from the Iroquois
- sit tight and hope we get coal at some point
Option 1 is looking the most appealing to me at the moment. It's risky though, risky indeed.
We can buy MT off France for around 1400 gold, leaving us with around 800. We could have 14 cavalry ready to attack within 3 turns. We have an 'average' military compared to the Germans and Ottomans, but 'weak' compared to the Japanese.
We're currently making 459gpt, of which 100gpt is from other civs.
Shillen was sure right about there being less strategic resources! What to do, what to do? I know I'm meant to be the most experienced player here, but I'm not sure!
-Sirp.
- four new techs on my turn, I think, and was it five on Borealis'? Yowza. I agree with the others and say definitely not to bother buying democracy - we could probably buy Physics plus metallurgy for the same price.
I was pondering the arrival of economics the same turn as the palace pre-build last night and was sort of hoping the next player would chance slowing down the prebuild in order to have the brokering opportunity before economics devalued, but obviously speeding up the tech aquisition is even better.
