V1 - Not Afraid Of Mansa

[Bede]

I see it, will pick it up later (9:00PM EST) and play it tomorrow.

@the gang - as a favor to the older, grumpier member of the team who still has a 17' monitor running 1024x768- if you crop your screenshots to 800x600 before uploading then they will stay in the frame and readers don't have to scroll to read your logs. says thanks

 

[T_Raccoon]

i cant crop i dont have a program that will allow me to crop and gimp is way too complicated

 

[Bede]

i cant crop i dont have a program that will allow me to crop and gimp is way too complicated

Google "Irfanview" and download it. It is a really handy and small and free utility that let's you manipulate screenies but has very limited editing (about all you can do is add text boxes). It even has a nifty batch processor built in to resize and or change resoutions or file types. It is small enough that it doesn't take much memory so I can even run it behind Civ and have had no problems with it.

 

[T_Raccoon]

ill check it out then thanks

 

[Bede]

Due to sudden computer failure I am off games until I get it fixed

Please skip until I check back in.

It happened when I went to power up to play this set, sorry!

 

[vovan]

Hope you get over the computer woes soon, Bede.

Also, I just noticed I never posted this, but Firgeis PMed me, and sadly he had to abandon the game due to RL issues.

Any way, I PMed IceLion to see if he can play now.

Roster:
1. Vovan - On Deck
2. Rem -
3. T. Raccoon - Just Played
4. Bede - Skipped until computer fixed
5. IceLion - Up Now

Vovan

 

[Bede]

Back on the air, I'll take the skip and stay in the rota.

 

[vovan]

Alright, I got a PM from IceLion, asking to be on perma-skip for now. I'll be playing my turns shortly.

Roster:
1. Vovan - Up Now
2. Rem - On Deck
3. T. Raccoon - Just Played
4. Bede - Back In

Skip Until Further Notice:
Firgeis
IceLion

Vovan

 

[vovan]

[0] 25AD - Taking stock of the nation. Firstly, cancelled the units' auto-move orders. Next, checked out the demographics: it looks like we are last in military. May be a good idea to fix that before attacking Catherine.

[1] 50AD - Rheims is founded on Blue Dot, and starts on an Obelisk.

[2] 75AD - Taoism is FIDAL.

[3] 100AD - Catherine wants us to adopt Hereditary Rule. No, we are doing fine with Representation, thank you.

[5] 150AD - Settler is built in Paris. Work starts on Archer. Library is built in Lyons, work starts on Barracks.

[6] 175AD - Paris builds archer, starts one more. Also, a Great Engineer is born in Paris. I put him to sleep for now. I think when we discover Alphabet and trade some techs around, we might find a better use for him - either discover some tech that we don't already have, or maybe build some wonder (though for that, we can probably use our own cities, since we are industrious).

[7] 200AD - Tours is founded at Red Dot. Starts work on an Obelisk. (And puts our research rate at 30%).

[8] 225AD - Paris builds archer, starts axe. Orleans builds Granary, starts Library.

[9] 250AD - Lyons builds barracks, starts Spear. Buddhism spreads to Cote d'Ivoire.

Pardon the lack of screenies. I'm a little bit in a hurry today.

 

[vovan]

Roster:
1. Vovan - Just Played
2. Rem - Up Now
3. T. Raccoon - On Deck
4. Bede -

Skip Until Further Notice:
Firgeis
IceLion

Vovan

 

[T_Raccoon]

30% holy crap we have to fix that quick we need to take out Catherine before she takes us out with a more technologically advanced army. I also forgot about us being industrious i guess the best use for our engineer would be to found a tech but what tech is the question.

 

[Bede]

Just took a look at the save. Catherine is not that big a threat as as she lacks both Copper and Iron, so not much to fear from there.

Skip the library in Orleans, it is not making enough commerce to justify it and having the scientists we would be able to employ there working cottaged plots would give a greater benefit down the road. Put it to training axemen.

Put the scientists at Paris back to work and also start training axes there. Alphabet in 11 turns is plenty and get the population growing so we can get some more hammers and some more cottaged fields worked.

Get a camp on the ivory at Cote d'Ivoire pronto, that's more commerce and happiness.

Use the Engineer for Metal Casting if you want to build forges. They won't help happiness but will help production in the high hammer towns.

I usually don't bother with Archery units until I can train crossbows, axes and spears are all you really need and I'm not sure you need spears unless your opponent is coming with mounted troops and Catherine has elephants so some of those might be useful if Construction is out there but that does not appear likely.

 

[T_Raccoon]

Catherine doesnt lack iron or copper cause i saw an axeman in one of her border cities. She might be trading with the chinese. Either way i think we should attack her ASAP cause once she gets Construction we may be screwed.

 

[Rem]

I'm gonna need skip, I've got the flu, so I'll be out for at least the rest of the weekend, sorry for the short notice

 

[vovan]

OK... In that case, Raccoon is up again.

Hope you feel better soon, Rem.

Vovan

 

[T_Raccoon]

I forgot to post a got it post sorry wont happen again.

Pre turn: I have the archer outside Catherine’s borders move into her territory to check out whats defending those cities.

Turn 1: First I check to see what we can trade with Catherine if anything. She has spices that shes willing to trade but only for our one piece of stone so no deal. I wasn’t sure if my main focus is to build up our military for invasion or to fix our economy. Our economy is doing bad, real bad. I’m playing a monarch game with tokugawa (no not GOTM) and I’ve conquered myself a big empire and still at 80% research with -36 deficit but with 700 gold to compensate all through conquest and trading obsolete technologies maybe we can do the same in this game to fix our economy. Oh and who keeps building cottages on plains tiles no more of that.

Turn 2: OH NO! our research went down to 20% and still at a deficit. We’ll be at 10% in two turns, something needs to be done.

Turn 3: Christianity was founded who knows where and that’s about it. I checked the foreign advisor and realized that Catherine is missing iron but not copper.

Turn 4: We get bumped to 10% with a +2 gpt so that’s good. We finally got iron hooked up so we can build swordsman now.

Turn 5: Nothing important happens this turn. All military units being built are being sent to Cote d’Ivoire so far all we have as an invasion force is two spearman and an axe man with another ax and sword coming up in a few.

Turn 6: I find two science specialist in Paris so I switch them to work commerce tiles. Catherine found a new city and has iron in her territory its not mined yet though or hooked up.

Turn 7: ZZZZZZZZZZ

Turn 8: We got Alphabet and I open up the tech foreign advisor screen. First I see that Catherine and Qin are 4 techs ahead of us. I decide to trade Mathematics and 160 gold for alphabet to Qin and horseback riding and 30 gold to Catherine for Alphabet. After that little bit of tech trading I realize we are a whole 7 techs behind. The 160 gold will fix our economy problem for the moment though and will give us the cash needed to build up an army to invade Russia and extort some techs from them before they become too advanced.

Turn 9: ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Turn 10: Nothing too exciting happens this turn but as my last act as ruler I ask Qin to help us out and give us Priesthood and he agreed. That little piece of tech trading has revealed other techs we do not posses and we’re horribly behind in tech. I bumped research to 30% and were running -6 deficit.

Im kind of in a hurry right now but i think we should research CoL for the courthouses. If we're going to invade Russia we're going to need them. There cities arent that well defended either so i think catapults arent all that necessary. We have several cities not being able to build anything but military units so conquest is the best way to go i think with courthouses build in all cities.

 

[Bede]

Got it on the plate for tomorrow.

Get ready for warfare.

 

[Bede]

Turn 135 (500 AD)
Imhotep teaches the French people how to work metal in forges and Paris and Cote d'Ivoire start same. Cote d'Ivoire will also start the Colussus as soon as I can get some axe wielding workers handy.

Paris begins: Forge
Cote d'Ivoire begins: Forge
Research begun: Machinery at zero spending
Rheims begins: Work Boat to work the fish
Lyons finishes: Swordsman
Cote d'Ivoire grows: 5
Tours grows: 3
Tours's borders expand

Turn 136 (520 AD)
Lyons begins: Swordsman
Lyons grows: 8
Tours finishes: Lighthouse

Turn 137 (540 AD)
Tours begins: Library
Rheims's borders expand

Turn 138 (560 AD)
Trade Metal Casting to Catherine for Calendar to open up some luxuries for the commerce and growth in the capitol and the obelisks have done their work.
Tech learned: Calendar
Catherine is poaching and has founded Yakutsk in the Central Valley

Turn 139 (580 AD)
Orleans begins: Forge
Paris grows: 9
Paris finishes: Forge
Orleans grows: 4
Lyons finishes: Swordsman
Rheims finishes: Work Boat

Turn 140 (600 AD)
Paris begins: Swordsman
Lyons begins: Swordsman
Cote d'Ivoire finishes: Forge

Turn 141 (620 AD)
Cote d'Ivoire begins: The Colossus
Paris finishes: Swordsman
Orleans finishes: Forge

Turn 142 (640 AD)
Paris begins: Spearman
Orleans finishes: Swordsman
Tours grows: 4

Turn 143 (660 AD)
Orleans begins: Spearman
Paris finishes: Spearman
Orleans finishes: Spearman
Lyons finishes: Swordsman
Cote d'Ivoire grows: 6
Rheims grows: 3

Turn 144 (680 AD)
Paris begins: Axeman
Orleans begins: Axeman
Lyons begins: Axeman
Paris finishes: Axeman
Cote d'Ivoire finishes: The Colossus after applying the whip and two forest chops.

This should make all our coastal cities a little more financially useful and working coast tiles where feasible does double our income, feeble as it may be.

Tours finishes: Library

Turn 145 (700 AD)
Paris begins: Spearman
Tours begins: Granary

We should be ready militarily to take a bite out of Catherine. Train axes and spears as Catherine has horse archers running around. But her garrisons are mostly archers. Swords should get Cover or Combat promotions, Axes City Raider and Spears can go towards Combat or Cover or Melee.


I would be inclined to run research towards Optics and caravels rather than Currency, or even better, the cultural technology leading to Military Tradition. Trying to keep up with Financial nations by researching financial techs is not the best play. The cultural techs are cheap and can make valuable trade bait.

 

[Rem]

I'll be ready to go for my next turnset, although, a quick summary of what has happened (from skimming it looks like war with Catherine?) would be very helpful, on account of I'm still quite busy and would rather spend my time playing civ rather than reading about people who play it

 

[vovan]

Guys, I'm sorry, but something cropped up, and I need to leave town for a week or so... Please skip me until I get back. I'll try to get back to this as soon as possible.

Rem, take it away.

Vovan