TGOM 02 - The Grumpy Old Monk and the Ancient Crone go to Alpha Centauri

[gmaharriet]

I definitely agree with you, Brad, about Steam Power. I only asked on the taxmen, because I'd thought the farms were for scientists, but they've been set as taxmen since they first became established. Since I inherit the turns from Bede, I have to assume he's had a reason for their being set that way. I don't know if our GA ending changes his preference.

 

[Ansar]

lurker's comment: ummm, im off my civ computer, so can anybody post Persia's core of cities?

 

[gmaharriet]

lurker's comment: ummm, im off my civ computer, so can anybody post Persia's core of cities?

Here ya go.

 

[Admiral Kutzov]

little disquisition

i thought igor was illerate?

in reading the posts, you're all getting too caught up in the tactical thinking. what's your strategic goal?

Igor most humbly suggests u think about lux.

 

[gmaharriet]

in reading the posts, you're all getting too caught up in the tactical thinking. what's your strategic goal?

Igor most humbly suggests u think about lux.

Um, I am thinking about lux, AK. We have 3 locally, importing 2, and there are dyes in Sparta if we hang onto it.

Strategic goal is building a spaceship, but when the tactics (for me anyway) are so foreign to any of my experience, it's necessary to give them much thought. If this were my personal game, I'd probably make peace with everyone, play defensively and focus on research. Well, ok, maybe I'd nibble away at my neighbors' borders, but I have NO idea of what to do with the situation miles away from home in the deep jungles and totally surrounded by one civ who is hostile and another who'd probably like their old city back. I've stared at the map for hours, and have no idea of what to do next or how to do it, but I've got plenty of butterflies in my tummy.

 

[CivFan91]

lurker's comment: Well, gmh, I d/l'ed the save and took a look. I noticed a Persian city not far from your borders. After building up military just a tad, I'd kick them off the continent. That will deal a heavy blow, I deem. After Magnetism, you could use Galleons to transport military forces. As soon as you can, get more Alliances into play. I know you cannot right now (I tried my negotiating charm, but that didn't work) but it is helpful. Use outdated units to pillage improvements around cities you plan to raze. As for Science, you are doing excellently for Emperor. Take advantage of every AI weakness you can, and you're set! For example, governments that do not have Fascist desires will not go there in resesarch. As you know, I assume. I don't think you don't know this, just offering advice as a fan of this game.

 

[gmaharriet]

@CFCFanatic I know you mean your comments to be helpful, but if you look back at Bede's post #337, you'll see that he has a plan in mind to take care of the Persians. We are well aware of their new city on our continent and I'm sure it will be handled in due time, but it is hardly our top priority at the moment.

I strongly suggest you study the previous posts, Bede's in particular, before making suggestions that don't fit the situation. As it is now, you are merely muddying the waters. Why don't you see if nerovats will take you as an additional trainee in his game?

 

[Ansar]

lurker's comment: thanks gma for the map.when did the Spanish/Zulu War begin?

 

[General Mayhem]

Probably sometime before we met them.

 

[Bede]

*whispers* "Got it." Yikes! I've looked at the save file.

Be cool. Think carefully (you are already) and play deliberately.

You had mentioned gifting Sparta back to the Greeks earlier, but now it looks like you want to keep it, right? It's a very high flip risk to the Greeks, and we have no gold for rushing culture or anything else there. If we continue to take previously Greek cities (only one I can see is Thermopolae) from the Babs, I don't think we'd have much military to retake Sparta (or do we even want to?). It would sure be nice to hang onto those dyes though.

Much depends on the strength of the Babylonian response to our incursion. I only saw on cavalryman on the road into Sparta so my assessment is that they are weakened. Strike south toi Eridu and burn it first

If Sparta goes back to Greece then buy the Dyes from him

Thermopolae is large. Do we have enough forces? Also, once our ROP with Egypt expires in 2 turns, it's going to be harder to get reinforcements down there. Do we just build up troops in Sparta until we have enough for Thermopolae or start with what we've got? I don't recall how long our ROP with Greece has to run, but won't we be trapped in the south when it runs out? We're a long way from home.

The RoP with Greece has at least ten turns to run so for right now our access to their road net is secure.

Also, if we're building up troops along our current southern border to fight either Egypt or Greece, what do we send farther south and what stays near home? I don't have much experience at wars planning.

Except for an over strength garrison in the Sticks most of what we have is already south. All new production should be sent south using a new outpost town as a waystation.

There just happens to be a settler in Caughnagawa for that purpose.

Edit: town should be 1NW of the circle.

That town will also make a good launch point for a little "ethnic cleansing" in our southland when the time comes. The Egyptian towns have not expanded their borders so no culture has been built yet or if it has it was less than ten turns ago so we should be able to pinch the roads to east and west.

How do we drive a wedge between the civs on the other continent?

As soon as the lux deal with X-man ends we can open hostilities over there. I am undecided at the moment whether to ally with Shaka and Abe against X-man or with X-man and Shaka against Abe. A lot will depend on the relative strengths of the opponents over there.

If we are going to research the lower half of the tech tree, I'd like to go for steam power. Our GA will have just ended at that point, and I feel a conflict because our income will drop. We will likely need more gpt AND more beakers. Do we change our current farmer tax collectors to scientists? or are they more valuable collecting gold to pay for research?

Steam is the most important of the IA techs. The citizen assignments will have to wait for an assessment of our income when the time comes. Scientists are the "fine tuners" for research, not the drivers, so you use what you need to get the best result.

Play to the end of the Egyptian alliance (2 turns I think) then stop and let's evaluate the situation. Much depends on how hard Hammi comes at us in that ttime.

 

[gmaharriet]

Thank you! I'll play after work tonight.

 

[Bede]

@ Harriet, very important, turn "Always Renegotiate Deals off

 

[gmaharriet]

@ Harriet, very important, turn "Always Renegotiate Deals off

Will do.

 

[eotinb]

I've stared at the map for hours, and have no idea of what to do next or how to do it, but I've got plenty of butterflies in my tummy.

I know the feeling you describe. At some point, just jump in and do what you think is best. I found that giving your reasons in the turn log helps others see your train of logic and leads to better criticism. Not that you aren't already doing this. And don't sweat too much -- you've been doing fine. Mistakes are to be expected and learning from them is the whole point of a playing in a game like this (as opposed to lurking in other games). And in 10 turns at Emperor, you'd have to try pretty hard to screw things up so badly that they can't be fixed.

 

[Admiral Kutzov]

for discussion only - what happens if u put the settler one SE of the circle?

 

[Ansar]

lurker's comment: actually Admiral, i was thinking about that too, i mean really, still on the road path, and its on a river.

 

[scoutsout]

lurker's comment: I caught something Bede said earlier in the thread regarding the lower part of the research tree...

Brother Bede, I was wondering if you intend to research medicine on the way to ToE, or if you planned a detour to Sanitation for Hospitals...With your team goal of an early spaceship win, and Bede's skill at using specialists, I think you guys ought to consider building some hospitals in this game.

If I may share an experience I had: I recall milking one of the earlier COTM games (I think it was a lower level Hittite game).

After running all but one civ off the planet and claiming ~65% of the world, I shut down research completely and settled in for a milk run. I irrigated and railed every flat tile in the empire and built hospitals all over the place to maximize population (and score). Once all the tiles were being worked I had no choice but to hire specialists. By the time I hit the late industrial era I was running my luxury slider at 100% (with positive cash flow into the treasury from taxmen) and Motorized Transportation was a 6 or 7 turn tech - just from the scientists, with no libraries or universities anywhere. (Cultural improvements were sold off to prevent cultural expansions that would trip the domination limit....)

@Team: You guys are in for a fun and memorable game. I enjoyed reading about your experiences with the Barbs. I don't know why that grumpy old monk is so fond of barbarians.

@Bede: No, I have not forgotten playing whack-a-barb in the jungle with Roman Ancient Cavalry, nor have I forgotten emptying Torananga's garrison at Kyoto...

Back to my lurking...

 

[Admiral Kutzov]

@ team, read the post above. be the post above. he's not grumpy and not a monk.

@scout - u back our just lurking?

just to be contrary -
hospitals lead to pollution
they make u put your cities too far apart
some other smuck will research sanitation
on emperor, it will be over by the time u need them

u all know i'm an idiot right?

discuss what u r gonna do with cops and engineers and why one is better or worse than the other

 

[Ansar]

lurker's comment: for me, cops are gods, they really help speed up production.

 

[General Mayhem]

Depends on the city. If its corruption heavy and shield rich, then go with cops, if its shield poor go with engineers.