The Emperor Series #02: Washington

[Gwaja]

Welcome to the 2nd game of "The Emperor Series" hosted by... ME! ^_^

The idea came upon as a gathering point for any players interested in having fun or improving their games on Emperor level maps. Sharing of ideas, suggestions, advices, and criticisms are welcome and appreciated here.

I ask that everyone, including myself, give the community an update of our experiences in spoiler tags, except for the very 1st discussion on where to settle our capital city at the start of the game. Feel free to be as detailed as you want.

Preferred Checkpoints:

Turn 100
1 AD
1000 AD
Liberalism
1500 AD
End of Game

Please note that "Choose Religion" setting is turned on for the variety in dominant religions differing from game to game.

Okay! Let's get started! Ready to school the Emperor AI? ^_^

Here is our leader this time around:

Spoiler :

Our Game Settings:

Spoiler :

And here is our starting position:

Spoiler :

Hmmm... only rice as a workable resource at the start, with the other being spices that won't be workable until Calendar. At least we are river side though, and there are lots of hills around as well as some forests for chopping. Very interesting.

NOTE: I think Sitting Bull was generally quite unpopular with many players, so hopefully our founding father Georgie gets a bit more love this time around!

HINT: This start is NOT isolated or semi-isolated. It may look like it at first, but with a slight bit of more effort, that initial impression will dissipate. I am sure you guys know what I mean, don't you? ^_^ Well, I haven't looked at the map myself, but it's been verified by a reliable source. So, let's have some fun, shall we? ^_^

EDIT: Since the upload feature is down here at CFC, I have uploaded the save file to MediaFire. Download HERE!

 

[TCMIV]

Post the save

I'd probably go SE with the warrior, SW is also possible but it looks like east has better land. Probably SIP either way, maybe 1 SE if the warrior sees anything.

E: Problems with the forum uploads today I guess?

 

[Gwaja]

I thought I uploaded it, but I guess it didn't go through. I tried again, and it looks like uploading isn't working right now. Ah well, no matter. ^_^ We can talk about the starting position for a while I suppose. The Sitting Bull game is being wrapped up, and I am just about to finish it tonight also, so that should give some time for some to catch up!

If you guys are too anxious for the save, contact me via e-mail or MSN Messenger, and I will send you the file.

 

[Benginal]

I thought I uploaded it, but I guess it didn't go through. I tried again, and it looks like uploading isn't working right now.

Confirmed. The upload feature isn't working atm. The mods are on it.

We can talk about the starting position for a while I suppose.

I think the best play is to move the warrior 1SW and look for more food. One rice tile is not a lot. But I don't want to move too far away. Being expansive gives us an extra 25% on workers. So I want to settle so that we can work that forested plains hill. This will give Washington (1 + 3)*(1.25) = 5 which gives us a 12 turn worker.

It looks like the southeast has 2 flood plains, which will not have a food resource on them, and the southwest has a riverside plains tile and another flood plain. So I'd be inclined to settle one south east and get the plains hill in the small cross along with some flood plains and grassland hills. Buro cap all the way.

 

[Mylene]

Heya,
i would probably take the gamble and move 2E onto the PH if the warrior finds nothing good.

If there should be nothing at all, no sea food, i could move back to the gras tile SE of the starting position which looks like the best place otherwise.
But yip i would take this risk, the west looks bad cuz so many hills are useless with no food, so not much to loose i'd say.

 

[Benginal]

Heya,
i would probably take the gamble and move 2E onto the PH if the warrior finds nothing good.

Ooh. Good idea. It only uses a turn too, so definitely worth the time to go take a peek. Plus, you can then still get 4 -> 5 early hammers by working a forested plains tile. Although if we have fish we might want workboat first and then things could get hairy. .

 

[Gwaja]

I think the best play is to move the warrior 1SW and look for more food. One rice tile is not a lot. But I don't want to move too far away. Being expansive gives us an extra 25% on workers. So I want to settle so that we can work that forested plains hill. This will give Washington (1 + 3)*(1.25) = 5 which gives us a 12 turn worker.

It looks like the southeast has 2 flood plains, which will not have a food resource on them, and the southwest has a riverside plains tile and another flood plain. So I'd be inclined to settle one south east and get the plains hill in the small cross along with some flood plains and grassland hills. Buro cap all the way.

Hi Benginal! Thanks for continuing the ALC series. ^_^ Good read on your games so far.

Heya,
i would probably take the gamble and move 2E onto the PH if the warrior finds nothing good.

If there should be nothing at all, no sea food, i could move back to the gras tile SE of the starting position which looks like the best place otherwise.
But yip i would take this risk, the west looks bad cuz so many hills are useless with no food, so not much to loose i'd say.

Hey give yourself a break from Deity and come join us! ^_^

I like the SE of the starting position too. 2E definitely looks like coastline to me, but I always get unlucky with seafood. But yeah, lot of hills with little food... but something tells me that due to lack of resources around the capital, some more may pop upon researching certain techs.

Ooh. Good idea. It only uses a turn too, so definitely worth the time to go take a peek. Plus, you can then still get 4 -> 5 early hammers by working a forested plains tile. Although if we have fish we might want workboat first and then things could get hairy. .

Gah... I am generally so poor with workboat starts!

 

[Gwaja]

Note: If you guys don't like this start particularly, I can get another map before the upload feature comes back up. Since nobody really knows due to not being able to see the save, we won't lose out on anything. I say this because somehow, I have a bad feeling about this capital.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Rice sucks but it's a playable start as long as the surroundings aren't too harsh. If people don't like it they can always move a bit.

edit:

Play the map.

Yes, but first the host has to be able to upload it .

 

[vicawoo]

Play the map. Though the blue circle might indicate some food resources.

 

[GKey]

Blue circle often points to the coast.
Start location looks really poor, but it's very likely that copper/horses will appear in BFC to compensate. We don't want to find out later that we settled on grassland riverside copper?
There might be food on one of these unforested tiles up north.
If warrior finds nothing, I'd move settler north to check, or just SIP.

 

[QuixotesGhost]

Start doesn't look too bad to me. 3 Grassland Hills make up for the lack of food. But the lack of 6 or 5-yield tiles will hurt the initial expansion. I wonder if Stonehenge might be useful here to grow a little bit longer, particularly since Washington is Charismatic.

 

[Kid R]

Capital food is so important, if and when the save comes up I will definitely burn a turn if the warrior doesn't find anything south. The screenie appears to show a FP to the west of the ridge

 

[Gwaja]

Yes, but first the host has to be able to upload it .

Welcome! ^_^ Love your videos. I've been watching your Boudica game.. that notoriously unusual map where you start at the bottom of the landmass with all that jungle in between... and no rivers to speak of!

GAH! The upload feature isn't up yet... I hope it comes back up soon.

---------

As for the start,

There has to be some kind of copper, iron, horse, or something of that nature in the BFC. This capital just seems like one of the poorer starts that I have seen in a while, and when that does happen, usually the copper/iron/horse/etc are hiding somewhere in the vicinity.

But that shouldn't matter. I am hoping that there is at least a floodplain or two as many of you mentioned, if not some food resource. Also another tricky thing is that it seems likely we are close to coast on two sides, and if that's the case, some caution should be made to make sure that we don't render any seafood tile useless due to 2-tile city placement rule.

 

[Gwaja]

File uploaded at MediaFire. Link provided on the first post at the top.

 

[Mylene]

For the capital it doesn't matter so much for me if it has the strat ressource, what i care about most is the ability to speed up the start. Plains hills or other 2h tiles are perfect for that.

 

[dualmaster]

Loaded up the save and peaking at the fog to the east, there is definitely water east of the plains hill. Can't tell if it is ocean or lake. Maybe look for seafood?

 

[TCMIV]

Played to 25ad (I've never been able to stop at the right checkpoints )

Spoiler :

Moved the warrior SW as I saw what looked like flood plains that way. Land looked decent so I moved the settler 1SW and settled without burning a turn.

Spoiler :

Land looked good for cottaging so I went TW->pottery->mining->BW. Worked out well as I found BFC copper and quickly had FP cottages running. Got sailing next and settled the second city by the fish/clams/sheep/rice. Met GK soon after this via his workboat.

His continent seemed to be on that small bit of visible land to the SW, so I eventually got a workboat over there. Continued settling good sites slowly, teched to math and chopped a lot of early infrastructure, then went currency and CoL (founded Confucianism).

I'd met Justinian at this point and he was at war with GK, so when GK sent a settler to the SE of my land I couldn't resist killing the archer escort when it passed right by my axeman. Kept my land clear for further settling (though I decided to hurry it a bit more now).

Soon met Quin, Izzy, and Gilgamesh, all Christians. Traded a bit with them giving up calendar for some techs I'd skipped (IW, Hunting, Alpha, Masonry, and some gold).

Left of having just finished Civil Service.

Pics

Spoiler :

Shot of the northern land

Southern land

and Tech.

2 settlers on the way, I'd really like to finish up settling asap even if the land kinda sucks, probably be focusing on settlers/workers for a bit. I got 1 GSci with a second on the way, first built an academy but the second will probably bulb philo. Running a mix of cottages and specialists for now, and early currency for some decent trade income.

Also got peace later with GK, so no harm done yet.

 

[Capellan]

To Liberalism

Spoiler :

I won Lib in 1440 AD, which seems late? I'm no Emperor expert (just moving up from Monarch in fact) but I'd have expected it to go earlier.

In any case, SIP. Wheel, Pottery, cottage spam while teching for BW. Bronze in capital is nice.

Explored island. Held off barbs - warriors and archers only - with axemen. Met Genghis, who founded New Sarai in SW corner of my landmass. Made nice with GK and also with Gilgamesh when I met him. Fake war with Justinian in support of the Khan.

Eventually spread to my whole landmass except New Sarai. Just started building maces when GK declared on me and sacked my latest city. I quickly built up maces and cats and stomped his troops in the field, then took New Sarai.

When Printing Press for cottage boost, then towards Liberalism. Tech situation seemed good. Gilgamesh declared on me, but tried to amphibiously attack my big stack of maces. No losses for me, plenty for him. Gave him gold for peace.

Relationship situation:

Izzy is WHEOOHRN, but lacks Compass, let alone Astro, so not too worried about a significant threat there for the time being.

Tech situation looks good:

My current tech plan is Guilds/Banking/Economics/Democracy. Then a big civics change - US/Eman/FS/FM/FR.

After that I'll probably go for rifling and industrial techs. My current power level is about half that of the AIs, but only Izzy is plotting anything, and as I said ... not too worried about her yet.

Thoughts or comments?

 

[dualmaster]

To 1AD:

Spoiler :

Saw flood plains to west, so I settled 1SW. Scouted land and realized we were on an island so I decided to go Great Lighthouse. Khan later shows up and we have foreign intercontinental trade routes which is superb. With currency trade routes, each new coastal city starts with +12 just from trade routes. Currently have 7 cities down with room for 2 more. The land isn't great, but it will do:

Land:

Spoiler :

We only have 1 lousy resource. At least we're Charismatic. After worker techs, I went to Alphabet and was able to back trade for IW, religious techs, and most importantly Monarchy. I specifically avoided hunting, so I am currently spamming warriors for a big boost to my happy cap under HR. Without this it would be tough to grow the cities.

Tech:

Spoiler :

I have a monopoly on currency. I'll probably wait for someone else to get it and then trade for math. No one has founded Confucianism so if I get lucky I'll found the religion in 3 turns. I'm also about to pop my first GP which will most likely be a merchant with a smaller chance of being a scientist. If it's a scientist I'll bulb Philo. I noticed that no one has metal casting, so if it is a GM I'm thinking about bulbing MC and building the colossus (a nice boost since I'm working a lot of coastal tiles). I may even be able to get copper online for a quick build.