The Immortal Mad Scientist
- Thread starter madscientist
- Start date
NihilZero
WHEOOHRNY
Don't make Rolo the magician come in here and tell you why that doesn't work...
(I always thought the circles knew that too, but apparently they don't)
In my opinion, plains hill baby. Either way, it looks like a tricky start.
dirtyparrot
Upholding Brannigan's Law
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2005
- Messages
- 1,841
I would move 1NW first and see if you see anything interesting. If not move, either move 1NE (if it's a hill) or 1E.
madscientist
RPC Supergenius
The Immortal Mad: Local Exploration and Settlement.
Mansa was a little perplexed by the terrain, as no apparent foos source was available except for a lake and a few floodplains. "Surely there must be something of use for the Malinese peoples to use".
So the warrior moves south while the settler goes west and then south. Mansa looks with great anticipation
One wheat with a distant sheep resource. Nothing great although ealry agriculture looks promising. Eager to start and not wanting to become the roaming malinese Mansa founds Timbuktu on the plains hill.
Early commerce, fresh water, 1 irrigated wheat and the extra hammer. Good enough, the Malinese works the floodplains, researches agriculture and begins building a worker which will go many years faster since we are on the plains hill.
Things move along well as the savages, sorry primitives in teh local hut supply Mansa with 67 gold. A lust glitter's in the Mali leader's eye and he cares less that the noble warrior meets a grim ending exploring the next hut.
With the knowledge of agriculture know Mansa become bold and researches Bronze Working hoping for a copper resource in this uninspiring capital area. While researching another spiritual leader is met.
The leaders exchange pleasentries, pledge undying loyalty, and leave waiting to backstab the other leader at the most opportune time.
With BW complete Mansa looks out his window to find.
No copper in the big fat cross. In fact
No copper is found at all although those Jumbos to the NW look promising for future wars and current hapiness.
Mansa takes a rest to ponder what to research next.
Pottery to exploit those floodplains right away?
Hunting/Archery for the powerful Mali Skirmisher?
Animal Husbandry for horses and a late chariot rush of Saladin (wherever he is)
Iron Working for a more serious rush?
Sailing/Masonry and chop out the Great Lighthouse?
Meanwhile a settler is being built and possible city sites are
Minimum Mansa can erect 5 strong cities, and likely a few more into the northen jungles.
What say you all???
Mansa was a little perplexed by the terrain, as no apparent foos source was available except for a lake and a few floodplains. "Surely there must be something of use for the Malinese peoples to use".
So the warrior moves south while the settler goes west and then south. Mansa looks with great anticipation
One wheat with a distant sheep resource. Nothing great although ealry agriculture looks promising. Eager to start and not wanting to become the roaming malinese Mansa founds Timbuktu on the plains hill.
Early commerce, fresh water, 1 irrigated wheat and the extra hammer. Good enough, the Malinese works the floodplains, researches agriculture and begins building a worker which will go many years faster since we are on the plains hill.
Things move along well as the savages, sorry primitives in teh local hut supply Mansa with 67 gold. A lust glitter's in the Mali leader's eye and he cares less that the noble warrior meets a grim ending exploring the next hut.
With the knowledge of agriculture know Mansa become bold and researches Bronze Working hoping for a copper resource in this uninspiring capital area. While researching another spiritual leader is met.
The leaders exchange pleasentries, pledge undying loyalty, and leave waiting to backstab the other leader at the most opportune time.
With BW complete Mansa looks out his window to find.
No copper in the big fat cross. In fact
No copper is found at all although those Jumbos to the NW look promising for future wars and current hapiness.
Mansa takes a rest to ponder what to research next.
Pottery to exploit those floodplains right away?
Hunting/Archery for the powerful Mali Skirmisher?
Animal Husbandry for horses and a late chariot rush of Saladin (wherever he is)
Iron Working for a more serious rush?
Sailing/Masonry and chop out the Great Lighthouse?
Meanwhile a settler is being built and possible city sites are
Minimum Mansa can erect 5 strong cities, and likely a few more into the northen jungles.
What say you all???
to the north, you screwed yourself royally with moving, and pure luck ya got at least a wheat.
madscientist
RPC Supergenius
Now, Now the wheat actually gives me 1 extra food plus only 1 tech away from improving. The cows can be captured with a Banana/Cow/Jumbo coastal city.
Actually I thought it played out fairly well and while I lost 1 turn moving I can get a worker built 5 turns faster (settling the plains hill) thus grow faster than if I settled in place.
The southern most city will be weakewr but I can settle it later anyway as the AI won't go there.
Actually I thought it played out fairly well and while I lost 1 turn moving I can get a worker built 5 turns faster (settling the plains hill) thus grow faster than if I settled in place.
The southern most city will be weakewr but I can settle it later anyway as the AI won't go there.
More exploring. Seafood south and that city looks a lot nicer. Or if there's good land to the east or to the other island west, those could be good expansion spots.
I'd probably settle city 1 south, so that both specials are in the BFC. Well, actually I'd decide after scouting around there more in case it's better to settle off the river to get an extra seafood.
I'd probably settle city 1 south, so that both specials are in the BFC. Well, actually I'd decide after scouting around there more in case it's better to settle off the river to get an extra seafood.
Where did you meet Sal - did his scout come from the north? That appears most likely based on your screens, so if that's the case, I'd probably settle north first for blocking. Maybe City 2 1S to still be coastal yet get fish & cow, and then city 3 to claim jumbos - that would then block the land to easily settle a couple more at your leisure.
There is also more land east that needs to be settled. I like sailing/masonry GLH based on this map - looks like some prime islands nearby. You may need some warriors to spawnbust though if you're going to delay AH (1N of the capital seems likely to be horse - I'm 99% sure it's a resource, and figure it's more likely horse than iron).
There is also more land east that needs to be settled. I like sailing/masonry GLH based on this map - looks like some prime islands nearby. You may need some warriors to spawnbust though if you're going to delay AH (1N of the capital seems likely to be horse - I'm 99% sure it's a resource, and figure it's more likely horse than iron).
Fleme
Obey the Kitty!
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2003
- Messages
- 1,205
Have city 2 go 1s. It'll have fish + cow and good production. Overall it's a great spot. As far as the jungle goes, try to block properly. Go for 1N of the elephant lake. Elephants are an ok tile to start with once you've cleared the jungle and all that green makes for good cottaging ground. Then another city 2S of the Banana.
You should explore that tiny isthmus to the northwest as soon as possible to rule out Saladin coming from there. BnS does quirky features like that and if you're lucky you can block him out and have all that jungle to yourself.
More on the topic of BnS, you can't miss with the GLH. There are bound to be intercontinental trade routes and there are bound to be a lot of them. If you're tremendously lucky and you're alone with Saladin on your island and he's actually coming from an easily blockable location, you should block that and head for the GLH. As far as early military goes, Skirmishers to me are favorable over Axes and occasionally it's worth it to head to archery first. I don't mind your justification for BW here as you can always use it to chop but considering that you might want to try on that GLH, you'll need some fogbuster warriors for protection at least.
You definitely don't want to do a rush against an opponent who's not only protective but whose whereabouts are also a mystery. Saladin is easy to get along with and I'd just focus on landgrabbery.
Cottage all over city 2's river to pay the bills.
You should explore that tiny isthmus to the northwest as soon as possible to rule out Saladin coming from there. BnS does quirky features like that and if you're lucky you can block him out and have all that jungle to yourself.
More on the topic of BnS, you can't miss with the GLH. There are bound to be intercontinental trade routes and there are bound to be a lot of them. If you're tremendously lucky and you're alone with Saladin on your island and he's actually coming from an easily blockable location, you should block that and head for the GLH. As far as early military goes, Skirmishers to me are favorable over Axes and occasionally it's worth it to head to archery first. I don't mind your justification for BW here as you can always use it to chop but considering that you might want to try on that GLH, you'll need some fogbuster warriors for protection at least.
You definitely don't want to do a rush against an opponent who's not only protective but whose whereabouts are also a mystery. Saladin is easy to get along with and I'd just focus on landgrabbery.
Cottage all over city 2's river to pay the bills.
Moving to the PH seems to have turned out pretty well!
Looks like the whole southern area is spawnbustable with a couple of warriors, and the three barb warriors that came out of the tribal village might actually spawnbust to the north preventing archers from coming for a little longer. So I'd say skip archery but make sure to build plenty of warriors. Maybe think about archery later if Sal is miles away and no horse turns up.
Also you can delay the wheel and pottery for the moment and prioritise sailing and masonry. Mansa can get decent commerce from coast, at least for a few turns, then as Fleme says plop down some cottages after that.
All speculative though with the amount of scouting still to do.
Looks like the whole southern area is spawnbustable with a couple of warriors, and the three barb warriors that came out of the tribal village might actually spawnbust to the north preventing archers from coming for a little longer. So I'd say skip archery but make sure to build plenty of warriors. Maybe think about archery later if Sal is miles away and no horse turns up.
Also you can delay the wheel and pottery for the moment and prioritise sailing and masonry. Mansa can get decent commerce from coast, at least for a few turns, then as Fleme says plop down some cottages after that.
All speculative though with the amount of scouting still to do.
Mikehendi
IDHEOMHRN
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2008
- Messages
- 461
Yay, another Mad Scientist game! 
Lurk lurk!
Summarized:
If not on river, game tries to add lake in first ring (starting north of starting spot, in clockwise order if I'm not mistaken)
If that fails, it tries to add a lake to the 2nd ring (and indeed, there's one in the 2 ring in the south.
Now, this may not be too interesting, but what IS interesting, is that this means that there's a resource on the grassland tile 1W of the original starting spot!
Lurk lurk!
Summarized:
If not on river, game tries to add lake in first ring (starting north of starting spot, in clockwise order if I'm not mistaken)
If that fails, it tries to add a lake to the 2nd ring (and indeed, there's one in the 2 ring in the south.
Now, this may not be too interesting, but what IS interesting, is that this means that there's a resource on the grassland tile 1W of the original starting spot!
Well, it turned out ok, since cow's not so great and wheat's available. I didn't like the move either - it was fairly obvious that the food would be north.
City 2 should be 1S, ofc.
I'd go for GLH here. You'll need Fishing for the second city anyway. Archery's a waste, as I think it can be fogbusted with warriors.
City 2 should be 1S, ofc.
I'd go for GLH here. You'll need Fishing for the second city anyway. Archery's a waste, as I think it can be fogbusted with warriors.
madscientist
RPC Supergenius
Just for the record, I was willing to move back if I did not find the wheat. I went 1 W, then 1 S. It would have been another lost turn if the wheat was not there but I figured MAnsa can catch that up being FIN and SPI.
And I agree with Mikehendi that there is likely a resource due north of Timbuktu, either horses or iron. Thus my dilemma on what to research next with a settler due in 14 turns??? Going north for the cow/seafood city is good but requires a border pop, so maybe even a run at mysticism may be in order. I agree Pottery should wait though.
Mysticism > Fishing, IMHO. Maybe you could just whip the settler to speed up the border pop a bit.
Edit: alternatively, you could settle a city with food in the first ring, so it's more immediately useful. Pig city with AH (to also reveal horses, hopefully) sounds appealing.
Edit: alternatively, you could settle a city with food in the first ring, so it's more immediately useful. Pig city with AH (to also reveal horses, hopefully) sounds appealing.
Archredbeard
Warlord
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2009
- Messages
- 132
I will use this opportunity to say many thanks to Mad for all those nice games.
I've learned a lot from watching, also inspired me to try diff approaches (aka trying to play the given map
)
Then I give my 2 cents on Skirmishers!!
I tried a game as Mansa, after reading how immensely tough they are versus Barbs
So, I put on raging barbs and prepared.
Long story short, i lost 5 yes, FIVE Skirmishers to unpromoted archers, one even attacking my forestdvelling Skirmisher across a river. Guess he was taking a nab at the campfire or sumthing........
After that kill, i went completely insane and made a new game with Good Ol Julius, and my rage with Praets would take no end ...........errrm, point is, that I have later seen a Skirm in a new game eat 3 axemen in same round.
He was on a forested hill, but still
Well, I would tech Archery pretty soon anyway, Mad is not me, and dont loose Skirmishers to archers
I've learned a lot from watching, also inspired me to try diff approaches (aka trying to play the given map
)Then I give my 2 cents on Skirmishers!!
I tried a game as Mansa, after reading how immensely tough they are versus Barbs
So, I put on raging barbs and prepared.
Long story short, i lost 5 yes, FIVE Skirmishers to unpromoted archers, one even attacking my forestdvelling Skirmisher across a river. Guess he was taking a nab at the campfire or sumthing........
After that kill, i went completely insane and made a new game with Good Ol Julius, and my rage with Praets would take no end ...........errrm, point is, that I have later seen a Skirm in a new game eat 3 axemen in same round.
He was on a forested hill, but still
Well, I would tech Archery pretty soon anyway, Mad is not me, and dont loose Skirmishers to archers
madscientist
RPC Supergenius
The Immortal Mad: Horses and Arabs
As the citizans of Timbuktu worked on creating a settler party Mansa considered the next technology to research. So many to choose from but warriors only go so far, so
Animal Husbandry
Was researched next leading to
Right in the Big Fat Cross. The Malinese people see a flash of red in Mansa's eye and draw back in fear as their leader contemplates rushing the Arabs. But the land is good and the Arab's home has not been found yet. Best to continue expanding for now.
The City of DeJenne is settled where Mansa'a advisors suggested
Keep the Fish and cows in the same city. While they can be split, it is best to build fewer stronger cities for now. The concepts of Mysticism are then contemplated as Saladin has adopted a religion but honestly Mansa likes the idea of monuments of his greatness displayed in all cities.
AS Timbuktu starts producing some fogbusting warriors and the worker roads and pasturizes the local equines, the Mali citizans on the borders come running to Mansa declaring that
THE GREATEST LEADER OF ALL, BY POPULAR OPINION HAS SHOWN UP
Mansa is truely awe-inspired and is quite glad to have chariots roaming around.
Meanwhile many other citizans come running saying that
THE WEAKEST LEADER OF ALL, BY POPULAR OPINION HAS ALSO SHWON UP
Nevertheless, the same respect is shown to both leaders as the Malinese exploring chariot attempts to locate the Arabs.
A very interesting and potentially valuable blocking region. Coast, Rice and 2 gems. Mansa quickly instruct Timbuktu to begin the next settler as Mali researches Pottery and Fishing.
And while the fogbusting chariot shows NO Arab settler coming towards the rice gem location, Mansa takes no chances and
Whips the settler in Timbuktu
Meanwhile our chariot explore a little more, popping a goody hut for more disappointing results.
The chariot defeated one of the irate barbarians but it's wheels fell of to the second. A new exploring chariot is to be built.
Finally the settler reaches the target location and Kumblai Seha is founded
Hopefully this is the only way of passage for the Arab. And to establish a trade route to this city quickly Mali researched
Now Mansa is left with an interesting decision, what to research next AND build next
Choices are
1) Masonry for the GLH but that requires a lot of hammers from Timbuktu.
2) Iron Working to mine the gems in the jungle for a lot of commerce.
3) Hunting/Archery because frankly I just don't trsut these leaders enough to rely on chariots.
4) Writing for the last of the big three early economic techs.
A last view of the land
So do we gamble and try for a chariot rush of protective Sal? Do we do the GLH thing? Do we focus on Iron Working so we can REX peacefully? (just how odd does that sound.
There we are folks, what next!
As the citizans of Timbuktu worked on creating a settler party Mansa considered the next technology to research. So many to choose from but warriors only go so far, so
Animal Husbandry
Was researched next leading to
Right in the Big Fat Cross. The Malinese people see a flash of red in Mansa's eye and draw back in fear as their leader contemplates rushing the Arabs. But the land is good and the Arab's home has not been found yet. Best to continue expanding for now.
The City of DeJenne is settled where Mansa'a advisors suggested
Keep the Fish and cows in the same city. While they can be split, it is best to build fewer stronger cities for now. The concepts of Mysticism are then contemplated as Saladin has adopted a religion but honestly Mansa likes the idea of monuments of his greatness displayed in all cities.
AS Timbuktu starts producing some fogbusting warriors and the worker roads and pasturizes the local equines, the Mali citizans on the borders come running to Mansa declaring that
THE GREATEST LEADER OF ALL, BY POPULAR OPINION HAS SHOWN UP
Mansa is truely awe-inspired and is quite glad to have chariots roaming around.
Meanwhile many other citizans come running saying that
THE WEAKEST LEADER OF ALL, BY POPULAR OPINION HAS ALSO SHWON UP
Nevertheless, the same respect is shown to both leaders as the Malinese exploring chariot attempts to locate the Arabs.
A very interesting and potentially valuable blocking region. Coast, Rice and 2 gems. Mansa quickly instruct Timbuktu to begin the next settler as Mali researches Pottery and Fishing.
And while the fogbusting chariot shows NO Arab settler coming towards the rice gem location, Mansa takes no chances and
Whips the settler in Timbuktu
Meanwhile our chariot explore a little more, popping a goody hut for more disappointing results.
The chariot defeated one of the irate barbarians but it's wheels fell of to the second. A new exploring chariot is to be built.
Finally the settler reaches the target location and Kumblai Seha is founded
Hopefully this is the only way of passage for the Arab. And to establish a trade route to this city quickly Mali researched
Now Mansa is left with an interesting decision, what to research next AND build next
Choices are
1) Masonry for the GLH but that requires a lot of hammers from Timbuktu.
2) Iron Working to mine the gems in the jungle for a lot of commerce.
3) Hunting/Archery because frankly I just don't trsut these leaders enough to rely on chariots.
4) Writing for the last of the big three early economic techs.
A last view of the land
So do we gamble and try for a chariot rush of protective Sal? Do we do the GLH thing? Do we focus on Iron Working so we can REX peacefully? (just how odd does that sound.
There we are folks, what next!
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