Space-1: War While Waiting

[handy900]

I'm all for the luxuries as the primary target.

Next I'd give a slight edge to the strategy of killing off the vikings, primarily to remove ourselves from a two front war. While we are doing this our armies will be pillaging the south to soften it up for invasion.

 

[Northern Pike]

I've played most of my round, and razed Trondheim (so we'll soon have wines) and Salamanca. It may be a few hours until I have the chance to tidy up the position and do the report, though, so it probably isn't worth checking the thread every five minutes for the save.

 

[handy900]

Bacchus will be so pleased to hear about the wines.

 

[Northern Pike]

1050 (0): I wake up an elite knight in Handygusta, and it cuts down a Babylonian spearman outside the city.

IT: A lot of aggressive AI movement, but no attacks.

Niagara Falls produces settler (rushed after switch).

Veii university --> knight, Ravenna settler --> knight, Hispalis harbour --> courthouse, Syracuse library --> settler.


1060 (1): With the usual assistance from catapults, we destroy three Iroquois archers, one Iroquois MDI, and one Babylonian knight around Niagara Falls, for no loss.

IT: A Babylonian knight dies attacking Handygusta.

We discover Chemistry and begin research on Metallurgy, due in 14 turns at 50%.


1070 (2): We destroy a Spanish longbowman, a Spanish MDI, and a Babylonian knight between Salamanca and Niagara Falls, for no loss.

IT: No attacks.

An Iroquois MDI lands next to Byzantium from a galley.


1080 (3): We defeat a Spanish MDI outside Grand River after yellowlining it with catapults, but lose a knight in the process.

We destroy the Iroquois MDI outside Byzantium, an Iroquois archer and a Spanish longbowman between Salamanca and Niagara Falls, and a Viking spearman near Handygusta, all for no loss.

IT: No attacks.

Three Berserkers move adjacent to Allegheny.

Palmyra library --> knight.


1090 (4): We're able to destroy the three Berserkers without loss, though we have to make two of the attacks with legionaries.

We pick off a Viking settler/spearman team attempting to re-found Copenhagen, and a Spanish spearman near Niagara falls, for no loss.

IT: A Babylonian knight dies attacking a pikeman in the mountains outside Handygusta.


1100 (5): We begin our attack on Trondheim with a seven-catapult barrage. The city is at size seven, so just one result against the population would be excellent, but the catapults only manage to knock one HP off a pikeman. Our knight army attacks first and destroys two pikemen, an elite knight retreats against a pikeman, another elite knight destroys the pikeman worn down by the previous knight, an elite longbowman beats a pikeman, and the city is ours for no loss. I raze it.

In a replay of events at Trondheim, our eight-catapult barrage could help us tremendously at Salamanca just by reducing the population from seven to six, but succeeds only in depleting a pikeman by one HP. But there's only one pikeman in the town, so it doesn't matter. Knight army defeats pikeman, three elite knights defeat three regular spearmen, and we raze the city.

I've had good results in the past using groups of 5-10 catapults to reduce enemy cities by one population point. Whether those positive outcomes or these bad ones are more representative, I don't know.

We pick off two Babylonian knights outside Niagara Falls.

Romans 31, enemies 1 this round.

Fourteen elite victories didn't produce a Great Leader this round, a result in the worst 30% of possibilities.

 

[Northern Pike]

THE FUTURE:


We have settlers in position to replace Trondheim (right on the ruins) and Salamanca (on the hill next to the ruins). As soon as possible we should push on against the feeble Iroquois, raze St. Regis, and found a new city on the hill two tiles southeast of it (the settler for this is now two northeast of Salamanca's replacement city). Once this is done we'll have the Viking lands sealed off from the rest of the continent, and the new part of our line in the south will consist of walled hill towns which will slaughter the AI armies in the unlikely event that they're seriously attacked.

We've done such a good job of laying waste to Scandinavia that I don't think there's much left for our northern pillaging force (spearman army and knight) to achieve. My inclination would be to send these units south now, so that we can have two forces pillaging the Babylonians and the Spanish without the inefficiency of using a tremendous attack unit like a knight army in this role. At the moment the northern pillaging force is in a compromise location in central Scandinavia, so you can do whatever you want without much wasted time.

Both our spear armies are in fairly good locations to have musketmen added as their fourth units before they resume pillaging, and this should probably be done. The two knight armies should be left with their fourth slots empty until we get cavalry.

We'll soon have the hills north and south of Lutetia mined. I suspect this was overlooked because the fortress graphics on the hills concealed their unfinished state. The workers on the northern hill should next do something about the unfinished grassland tile adjacent to Neapolis.

Hispalis, Neapolis, and Cumae all have garrisons of three at present, since they could theoretically be attacked by two Berserkers from the nearby Viking galley.

Keep an eye on the Babylonian settler/musketman pair three tiles from Allegheny.

 

[Northern Pike]

The save:

1100 AD, end of turn

 

[Northern Pike]

The northern front:

Edit: Not my day technically, it seems.

 

[a space oddity]

Great progress NP.

I'm UP, but I'll play TJ01 first.

 

[Northern Pike]

The northern front:

 

[Northern Pike]

The southern front:

 

[TedJackson]

Trondheim & Salamanca gone! NP.


Ted

 

[TedJackson]

The bad news is that we have contact with the Ottomans (AI probably sold our contact) and they already have Metallurgy

Let's hope they're over the water


Ted

 

[handy900]

Very well done done N Pike!!

I agree with almost all of your "The Future" comments, especially about sending the second spear army south to pillage. I'd pillage & scout with the knight army to destroy AI production (personal preference), but if you want to use it on offense to attack, that is okay too. Pillage all of the roads around the capital of the southern civs. This kills all trade deals among civs & really hurts their happiness.

Originally posted by Northern Pike
1050 (0):

1100 (5): We begin our attack on Trondheim with a seven-catapult barrage. The city is at size seven, so just one result against the population would be excellent, but the catapults only manage to knock one HP off a pikeman...
In a replay of events at Trondheim, our eight-catapult barrage could help us tremendously at Salamanca just by reducing the population from seven to six, but succeeds only in depleting a pikeman by one HP.... I've had good results in the past using groups of 5-10 catapults to reduce enemy cities by one population point. Whether those positive outcomes or these bad ones are more representative, I don't know.

The above has pretty much been my experience with cats on offense, they seldom are worth brining along. Cannon are another story, they are worth bringing.

One benefit of bringing cats with you is they help on defense as you try to hold a city. But my preference is still to leave them behind, they slow the knights down too much for my taste. This is just my play style, it's not criticism, so don't take it that way.

 

[Northern Pike]

Thanks for your comments, handy--no criticism taken. Perhaps the occasions when I got useful population reduction out of catapult barrages were just RNG flukes.

 

[handy900]

Originally posted by Northern Pike
Thanks for your comments, handy--no criticism taken. Perhaps the occasions when I got useful population reduction out of catapult barrages were just RNG flukes.

Or maybe I'm a bad shot.

 

[Greebley]

So I was checking out the 1100 save. Some thoughts and observations.

Should we save mone for world maps? We have to declare war instantly with the Ottomans and do not have enough for their world map. The others may be in contact soon, so it may be our last chance. I am thinking we may want to tempoarily drop our science to min in an attempt to get enough cash before we get contact. If it doesn't work out we can burn the money on high science or do more pike->Musket upgrades.

Having to explore the seas ourselves while being shot down by enemy ships could get really rough. We also will not know where to best hit the AI for our invasion.

I think our money this round is best spent by establishing an embassy with the ottomans before declaring war. We can at least get capitol locations in case we need to hit the core of a strong civ.


The vikings have 9 cities and we can see 9 in the north. This is good in that it means when we clean out the north they should be eliminated. No isolated city way to the south.

The Iroquois have 5 cities so 2 we can see, 2 we can see the border of, and one unknown.

We are second in productivity and population and 4th in land area. The Ottomans have almost as much culture as all other civs combined (including us).

 

[Northern Pike]

I like the idea of going to min science for a few turns and building up our hoard of gold so we'll have as many options as possible. I imagine the last two contacts will come quickly now, since the Ottomans must know those civs.

We don't really need to be able to afford anyone's world map. If we can just get the three outstanding territory maps we'll be all right (since the Spaniards, mysterious though their location remains, have to be on our continent). We can afford the Ottoman TM, which I assume would be more to the point than paying for an embassy with them, unless I'm missing some nuance.

And Space, be careful of the Conquistadors who'll show up when you press Enter. They can strike a long way behind our lines.

 

[Greebley]

You are right. Territory map is much better if we can afford it. I should of thought of checking.

Territory map for sure then. We are obligated to declare war in this preturn right? What is the rule for "not noticing" you have contact? Declare war when you do? Are you "allowed" to never check diplomacy? (only declare war when the other civ contacts you or you see one of their units)? Or are you obligated to check diplo on a semi-regular basis? Can the next player purposefully not check diplo until we have some cash?

 

[handy900]

Originally posted by Greebley
You are right. Territory map is much better if we can afford it. I should of thought of checking.

Territory map for sure then. We are obligated to declare war in this preturn right? What is the rule for "not noticing" you have contact? Declare war when you do? Are you "allowed" to never check diplomacy? (only declare war when the other civ contacts you or you see one of their units)? Or are you obligated to check diplo on a semi-regular basis? Can the next player purposefully not check diplo until we have some cash?

The spirit of AW is to "declare war on the turn you meet a civ". For me this means when I first notice them. usually this is when they contact me, or if I see a warrior, scout or boat approach IBT. I don't check diplo every turn looking for civs, but if I notice a new one I immediately declare war. Usually the civ will contact you.

N Pike Territory map is good idea, and you are so right about Conquistadors, they are a pain.

 

[a space oddity]

Originally posted by handy900


..., but if I notice a new one I immediately declare war. ...

I agree. I will contact the Ottoman in my pre-turn. Them building up to makr war on us, will maybe be cause for a war in the remote parts when they get stronger than their neighbours.
I'll try for at least TMs.

I'll be watching the conquistadores. Thanks for the reminder. What a lucky hand in opponents, Conqs and Sipahi...

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