The Immortal Challenge 3: The Gathering Storm

[Sisiutil]

I don't know if you'll need a navy this game, but you can certainly crank one out with that city if you need to.

Hmmm... it would be cool to see someone effectively use Galleys and Triremes for an early war, and this game seems well-suited to it, what with the peninsula making land-based trips to the enemy longer than usual, the many coastal cities with decent production, the canal, and so on. Not to mention the fact that Caesar has built several cities conveniently located right next to the sea.

Even with a mere 2 moves, the ships could move units to enemy coastal locations much faster than they can plod over there by land. Even if you decide not to go crazy building Galleys for your entire stack, it would still be a very efficient way to get reinforcements to where they're needed.

Go for it, aelf! Whip some Galleys, load them up, and kick some tail. Rule, Britannia! Britannia rules the waves...

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Although the higher-level players use of intense slavery suggest that Britons will be slaves in an ALC thread!

 

[uberfish]

Without calendar resources, vertical growth is pretty difficult. I think researching construction and attacking Caesar is the correct route, as there aren't enough luxuries to support large cities at this stage. Post-optics, trades with the other continent may be available (someone has to have those calendar resources.) I think it is quite likely that they will be involved in religious squabbles with all 6 religions so far founded on that side.

 

[carl corey]

I'm wondering, why do you want to trade for Calendar? There is exactly one Calendar type of resource on the whole continent if I see correctly, meaning you don't gain anything since you lose the Monuments.

Instead you'll want Masonry (for Construction), Horseback Riding (Stables) and Poly/Priesthood or Meditation/Priesthood (if anyone has Priesthood) to get to Code of Laws. All strike me as far more useful techs than Calendar.

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I'd definitely head for Construction now, and try to capture the Roman gems; they seem the most important objective.

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As for the long run, consider building walls in captured cities. They'll be doubly cheap (protective & stone) and mere (protective) archers will stand good chances against any counterattack. Later you can even consider Castles depending on the situation.

 

[kniteowl]

I Agree with Sisiutil's plan of going for Monarchy by researching/trading for Poly/Med then Preisthood then trade for Monarchy. It also opens up COLs which we need to cut down maintenance.

Dunno if the GL is built yet but if you get Poly, you can have the oppotunity to research Literature, but probably no GL in this game because, of no Industrioua trait or Marble.

We have Stone in the nearby area, what are some good Middle Age Stone wonders should we build?

Also a reminder that if you have MC, Currency, Monarchy and COLs, you can lightbulb a CS with a GM assuming we get one from Colossus.

I say use the GS from York for an Academy in the Capital combined with Bureo Civic for increased Breakers.

 

[EEE_BOY]

the AIs will have monarchy soon, they are heading towards Federalism. so construction-- code of law--marchinery--engineering , trade the rest and forget about libralism this time.

well maybe lack of religion is not that bad i think.. good relationships with other continents.

 

[EEE_BOY]

comparing the ALC 16 thread and this third immortal one, it is interesting to see that people pay a lot attention to both thread, but they reply the ALC much more and tends to shut up in this one (more people watching this thread but the number of reply is less). I think its because the immortal level game certainly beyond most of players' skills and experience.

the AI on the other continent will certainly shock us with their superior advanced technology and outnumber us with units. it is the situation we will give up in our own game, but this thread deals with this kind of things and wins surprisingly...

 

[oyzar]

x-bows eat praets.

 

[patagonia]

x-bows eat praets.

But we have no iron

 

[Chrispy]

I Agree with Sisiutil's plan of going for Monarchy by researching/trading for Poly/Med then Preisthood then trade for Monarchy. It also opens up COLs which we need to cut down maintenance.

Dunno if the GL is built yet but if you get Poly, you can have the oppotunity to research Literature, but probably no GL in this game because, of no Industrioua trait or Marble.

We have Stone in the nearby area, what are some good Middle Age Stone wonders should we build?

Only one Calendar resource in sight, and there's a happiness cap concern that Monarchy would help: Notre Dame would be the Stone wonder of choice in the Middle Ages. If the Artist from Music is possible, he could end up bulbing a portion of Divine Right to get Islam. Without a religion, Music only gets you the ability to build Notre Dame, though. So Music is really only helpful if you can get there first for the Artist.

I agree with those wondering why a trade for Calendar would make sense. It would take away the culture and happiness of Stonehenge monuments for 2 spices once you take Neapolis. And I like the idea of letting Julius build the plantation, then taking the city.

Construction is definitely the priority for elephants and catapults, and I like Sisiutil's plan for trading for Monarchy (except for acquiring Calendar.) After Construction, the happiness issue will need to be addressed through Monarchy, then either Currency for Markets and another ivory +1 or the Music beeline for ND plus an Artist for DR.

No Iron lowers the priority of Machinery for now, and I don't see an easy source of Roman iron to acquire either. You'd have to settle north of Neapolis to pick up Iron for crossbows.

 

[CivSetä]

One more vote for construction and war next. Rome is obvious target for you. And even when you are doing fine now you have to expand soon, otherwise immortal AIs easily outrun you. Rome has nice territory and probably those cities can support themselves after capture. Need CoL soon though, get it after construction.

 

[aelf]

But we have no iron

Yes. Forgot to talk about that. The nearest iron is near one of Caesar's cities bordering us to the NE. Another reason to go to war against the Roman, I suppose. But catapults and elephants should be enough to get us through the first war, after which xbows can take care of the Praetorian/maceman threat easily.

I agree with those wondering why a trade for Calendar would make sense. It would take away the culture and happiness of Stonehenge monuments for 2 spices once you take Neapolis. And I like the idea of letting Julius build the plantation, then taking the city.

Just floating an idea. I wonder how long it will be before our neighbours get MC for themselves. Calendar is one of the better trades we can get in the short term. It may not be useful immediately, but it will be soon enough. The biggest problem is the removal of the happiness bonus from monuments. In any case, we would probably wait for the border expansion in our next city before making the trade.

 

[Chrispy]

Just floating an idea. I wonder how long it will be before our neighbours get MC for themselves. Calendar is one of the better trades we can get in the short term. It may not be useful immediately, but it will be soon enough. The biggest problem is the removal of the happiness bonus from monuments. In any case, we would probably wait for the border expansion in our next city before making the trade.

But will it be useful soon enough? Visible land only has spices for plantations, unless there's something between Berlin & Munich north of the barb city. That's enough to balance losing the monuments and get +1 health from a grocer once you claim spice, but is that worth getting Calendar? Germany has two spices anyway, so you could trade for it. Beyond one workable spice, there's no need for Calendar until you want to research Astronomy. In the short term, Calendar's a dead-end.

I'm not one to ignore the traditionally valuable tech; I'm just not sure it makes sense in this case. I think trading for HBR, Masonry, one of Med/Poly, or Archery in some combination all make more sense in this case. I didn't notice the lack of plantation resources until carl corey pointed it out; it's not something one usually looks for. But with a Charismatic leader and Stonehenge, Calendar hurts.

 

[aelf]

I didn't notice the lack of plantation resources until carl corey pointed it out; it's not something one usually looks for.

I thought I saw incense or something, but you're right. This is pretty weird. Hmm...

 

[Hackapell]

I think the reason that there is only one calendar resource is because spices is spread out through all the nations. But the dearth of calendar resources is interesting...

 

[EEE_BOY]

Hold MC until u can trade it for currency and monarchy together. canlender is useless and put your effert in stonehenge to waste. but the problem is that, if u can trade for monarchy, long bows are not far away. so maybe we shall plan a quick war against rome once we get the trade done?
for long term plan, i think we shall beeline to chemstry and steel then rifling for our uu. banking also enables our UB so maybe we will go the south route and skip paper and education. we shall focus military techs in this game and trade economic ones.
construction--code of law--machinery--engineering--guilds--(banking)--gunpowder--chemstry--steel. how is this plan?

 

[EEE_BOY]

music won't help the war front. the ND wonder gives GA which is not so useful when we want an GS or GE. hammers put into units instead of wonders will transfer to more land and more resource, then the hapiness problem easily gets sovled.

the mid game religions are founded when we don't have any chance. there is a sign that we shall forget religion completely in this game, once we get free religion civic, we shall stick to that for better research and relationships intercontinent. let the religion randomly spread to our cities.

GL is out of question, i believe it will be built soon. and without marble it is too expensive. the GPP from the colossus(assume if u built it) is good if u can have a GM to lightbulb part of guilds or banking. if u get a great scientists, lightbulb part of education or go Academy.

if we expand successfully, more happiness resources will be under our controls, more and better land for cottages. we have to be warmonger if we really want any chance to win this game. so heavily focus on military tech is the way to go.

 

[EEE_BOY]

for the war plan: u can let your troops go around to attack the city in the fog which claims the pig-iron first. and then capture Neopolis and raze the useless city R..., it then creates a link through rome's core city. peace to extort some techs and build iron units like crossbows or maceman( if u get beaurocracy). strike rome's core cities next wave and build the forbidden palace in Piase.
attack germany using grenediars and finish the german with your UU. but if u take out rome , your border line with germany is very long and u will face pillagers in a long range and snick attack from both sea front, kind of busy war.
capture the only horse city of gemany first so that there will not be mounted units from north, the german has no ivory. i hope this will make your war plan against germany much more effective.

 

[Hackapell]

music won't help the war front.

Although you're right in that it's not an immediate help,thinking ahead, we will need music for military tradition. The free GA will also allow a conquered capital to get out of revolt faster.

 

[EEE_BOY]

we could trade music if we are about to research military tradition. or simply we will not use mounted units a lot. grenadiers and canons can do great job in taking cities. and the AI is so fond of getting rifleman which is counter to calvary. spend a lot time and research in this beautiful and shiny tech will probably cost this game. the AI in the other continent probably grab this GA just like they grab those religions. without the GA, this tech is useless except trading value.