SQ1: Google Earth

[Tone]

Turn 10 - the loss of those 2 guys seems to have been enough to spark level 1 war weariness. Our whole (developed) empire riots.

At the risk of being a bit anal, I've just looked at the save and it's not level 1 WW but level 0. We were benefiting from war fever (level -1) before then. BTW if this does happen again, you can catch the rest by zooming in on the first town that riots and then scrolling through the rest to employ clowns where needed before they also riot.

This deterioration in happiness is still enough to make me wary of renewing the MPPs for another 20 turns. I'd suggest that you play it by ear, cacelling the MPPs and taking peace when you feel it's right with two of the three civs, if our allies continue to fight.

Who are we going for next? IBM are the most backwards, so maybe we can get a few tanks and take their source of oil (with ivory as a bonus) by attacking DB2 before they can get those Deep Blue panzers out? I'd suggest raze and replace as the cultural pressure will be pretty high. I really think that we need PTs with the other two though before we do that otherwise we'll have 3 civs attacking our landing site.

In some ways a safer option is to attack one of our current allies but we risk a dogpile happening if they are still at war with the other three so in the current situation I vote for IBM.

 

[choxorn]

I think you guys can conquer the world so go for it!

 

[Tone]

I'll have no chance of playing on either Monday or Tuesday so if I do come up in the next 48 hours please skip me.

 

[Andronicus]

I had been thinking of IBM as first target too
Hope to look at the save tonight and plan best approach

 

[Andronicus]

Had my look at the save and I have a few queries
why are we building libs in many corrupt towns in the south. I presume it is for cultural expansion, but for cities like Analytics and RAINMAN expansion will only give us extra sea tiles not land tiles to keep out AI settlers. Its too early to push culture expansion for domination limit surely? Workers and settlers would be much more valuable to our current needs (or even arty).
We can hire many specialists in these corrupt towns. Currently there are many 0 or 1 food tile being used - this is a waste. Some towns are size 6 and wasting lots of food (Turner Broadcasting has 10fpt wastage and can hire 4 taxmen. I found places for 32 taxmen including Mapquest and Singing Fish which would continue rioting without specialists.

A look at possible landing spots for an invasion fleet (which still needs to be built (? tanks + inf + arty). How about the mountain adjacent PowerPC. After surviving the initial onslaught we can then move to hill 1 north and settle giving a good base for removing IBM's oil (pilage with a suicide cav) and start razing cities. Any thoughts. Its late so I wont start to play till tomorrow.

 

[choxorn]

Time to go on the path of destruction:


Resistance is Futile!

 

[Andronicus]

Further thought on the matter and the following is my plan
Cancel mpp's as soon as they expire
Peace with Sun and Linux as soon as north isle and home continent settled to prevent AI settlements
Cont war with IBM unless WW hits
Build up invasion force fo planned assault on IBM
Be prepared to adjust plan to invade Apple or Yahoo should they stab us in the back after mpp cancelled
If attack on IBM prepared according to plan, consider MA or MPP with Linux and / or Sun 2 turns prior to D-day to draw IBM's troops northward and prevent potential 3 civs worth of units launching on our landing force

Comments?

 

[choxorn]

Is that an exploit or not?

 

[Sima Qian]

@Andronicus - I like the plan, but are you sure you can do that in 10 turns? Then again, you did surprise me with how quickly you took out AOL, so I'm ready to be wowed again.

@choxorn - I don't see any reason why it would be one. It's not like we're abusing the game mechanics or anything like that.

 

[Andronicus]

@Andronicus - I like the plan, but are you sure you can do that in 10 turns? .

I think that would require Googlers on steroids

No I was merely suggesting a plan for the team towards our goal of world domination. I think my turns will be settling the empty spaces and preparing an invasion force. I suspect we will be attacking with tanks with arty support and infantry to protect. Will play this evening after work

 

[Tone]

Plan sounds fine to me, but I don't understand one thing. Why are you going to cancel the MPPs asap? Wouldn't it be better to let them run until we are ready to take peace with the other two?

We do not have to renew the MPPs-just let them continue to run. This way if any of our allies take peace before we are ready to accept peace ourselves, the MPPs will drag them back into the conflict if we are attacked and increase the chances of them grinding to a halt with Communism. We will also get a better deal for our PTs if they are at war with more civs. I therefore suggest that we only cancel the MPPs on the turn that we take peace with Sun and Linux but if I am missing something please let me know.

(What's the exploit, choxorn?)

 

[Andronicus]

My intention was to get peace once opportunities for AI settlement on our continent and on northern isle prevented.
I guess it depends on whether on balance we are better off at war at that time or not.
You are absolutely right there is no point cancelling the MPPs prior to peace and of course not cancelling them at that time will result in us being forced to break that peace treaty
So yes I am agreeing with you

 

[Andronicus]

Played half my set - I wont be able to complete until Thursdaty so if someone wants to take over thats fine, otherwise I'll play the other 5 turns then
Quiet turns with only 1 battle (we kill a Linux battleship returning redlined from action against Yahoo). Starting to amass troops to deploy overseas - have collected arty from north isle, have another 15 arty on home continent and so far 10 tanks (tanks and settler in Googlplex). I make it 11 turns till we land in AOL lands with another 8 turns to build up the invasion force with troops able to load from our SE tip for the 3 turn sail across to IBM. We learn flight in 6 turns, so a rushed airport (or worker created airfield -can you make these in vanilla) will allow quick re-inforcement as we should be able to have a few airports up and running by then

Turnlog
Preturn
do a bit of MM
no response to my query of why we're building libs in south so I switch some to settlers and workers where I dont see much territory gain from expansion

IBT
Yahoo decline to renew MPP, so do Apple
Redmond, Analytics, Mirabilis, Sketchup, Weblogs Inc, Web Accelerator, Calendar settler -> worker
PageRank, Pack, AdWorker, New Menlo, New Mountain View worker -> worker
Menlo, Desktop arty -> arty
WebSearch, GMail inf -> inf
Fedora Cove lib -> harbour
Our spy in Helsinki has been captured

1) 1255AD
New GMail settled
cut science back to 70% to maintain positive cash flow, still motorised transport in 3

IBT
IBM pillage - otherwise quiet
Build inf, arty, settler and worker
Propaganda campaign upsets citizens in Scholar - have to hire a clown

2) 1260AD
Peace with Sun - get Motorised Transport for 166g -> flight in 9
switch some builds to tanks
New Groups, New Maps settled in the south

IBT
Sun transport approaches northern isle
Build 4 tanks, 3 arty, destroyer

3) 1265AD
New Local, New Mobile, New Froogle all settled on northern isle and New Finance on home continent (further settlers planned for next conquored continent)

IBT
Page Creator factory -> duct
sink redlined Linux battleship
Build an inf

4) 1270AD
1 lux is worth 80gpt to us
Trade Sun spices for furs, silk, gems + 14gpt

IBT
CNN duct -> lib
RAINMAN lib -> worker
Picasa bank -> rax
Build 1 arty and 5 tanks
Another successful propaganda attack on Scholar - this time need 2 clowns and taxman

5) 1275AD
Collect most of our arty and some inf from northern isle
Spy in Yahoo (couldnt afford one in Linux or IBM)

 

[choxorn]

(What's the exploit, choxorn?)

It's not really an exploit- but it is a bit exploitative of the AI's behavior.

 

[Tone]

It's not really an exploit- but it is a bit exploitative of the AI's behavior.

I'm still not sure what you are referring to though.

Is it the stance on MPPs? If so, then I disagree. It's a deal that either party can cancel after 20 turns. By signing such a deal, there are benefits and risks. You take them both on when you sign the deal.

Is it the signing of an alliance to draw away troops from where we intend to attack? Well, this could happen in real life and also this is nothing that the AI would not consider. Have you never been at war with a distant enemy and then found that they have got one (or more) of your neighbours to ally with them against you? What happens to your troops then? Is it more of an exploit to have a dummy landing that draws troops away from your main target (particularly if it draws them into foreign lands that they do not have a RoP for?) or is that good military strategy? Is it less dubious when the AI has railroaded, so that any of their troops can get to the real landing spot in one turn?

I guess that we all have different views. As far as I'm concerned in an SG; if the team agrees, then it is fine.

 

[Andronicus]

Have played till 1300
Unfortunately notepad went kapoot when I tried saving at 1285, fortunately nothing much happened before then except for some trading I captured on screenies

We are now in modern ages and are at war with Yahoos
Still at war with IBM, but at peace with Linux

Yahoo are at war with everyone except Apple and along with IBM are behind the rest techwise by flight, motorised transp and rocketry. We have established a secure base on Yahoo's island and razed our first city (Local)

It's late so I'll post full report with piccies in the morning.

Should be a fun turnset coming up taking over Yahoo's island

 

[choxorn]

well- maybe it's not explotative. I don't know.

 

[Andronicus]

Prev report was up to end 1275AD, as mentioned I lost my notes from then till end 1285 , but fortunately have piccies
1275AD
IBT
Linux learns flight
1280AD
We still have 4 turns to learn flight, Linux and Sun have gpt to spare and Linux will quite a lot for peace
so ...

trade with Linux ...

get free rocketry, get money back

... with interest

no-one else has money to spend
we are still at war with IBM who are in commie and are still (I think) giving us WH
IBT
Apple now has flight and rocketry (did they learn it or extort it from Sun? - certainly they had no money, gpt nor techs to trade with and diplomatic relations did not change in interturn )
Lots of WLT(CEO) days thanks to Linux's dyes
1285AD
Building lots of tanks
Transports have taken most troops from northern isle (leaving what I hope is enough to handle sporadic landings - can build an airfield if we need to get troops there in a hurry - if vanilla has airfields?) and are en route to IBM going down our east coast - just realise was 2 turns shorter by west coast from northern isle but not opportunity to load up as late. Anyway too late now.

 

[Andronicus]

IBT
Linux and Sun sign MPP (both remain ar war with Yahoo)
CNN lib -> market
Mountain View hospital
Print & Desktop airport -> bomber
Source of oil at Googleplex exhausted (we still have 3 more, but now Linux has 1 )
We lose insense and large gpt payment from Yahoo, no active deals left with them , and our transports happen to be just off their coast at a nice spot for settling on their iron hill

1295AD
decrease science and have to hire 3 specialists (Menlo Pk as size ? 15 and 2 cities grown but not yet with markets) to keep lux at 0%
Decide to change plans

Land settler with 2 inf + 21 arty on iron, land 11 tanks, 4 eCav + 10 inf on mountain adj Local
Suddenly find increased happiness (? WH when we were the ones to dow?) so put specialists back to work

IBT
Pollution * 2
Sun and Yahoo sign peace
Sun dow Yahoo lol: gotta love those MPPs)
Scholar airport -> bomber
Page Creator bank -> rax
New WebSearch lib -> uni

1300AD
Settle New Scholar on iron hill
@ Local our forces are overkill - kill 3 inf + 1 cav, no losses, 1 promotion, 3 slaves (raze it)

 

[Andronicus]

Roster Update

tupaclives
Andronicus - just played
Tone - UP
Sima Qian - on deck