Optional
Deity
Ah, okay, sorry, I had scanned your log for a reference, but hadn't expect this info at turn 8 of your log. I assume you made the actual switch earlier.I probably write way too much, but this was in my log. We can probably get them both done before Legalism, but I was just playing it safe.
The stone works would of course have sped up the temple, some people don't realize that a stone works not only adds a hammer to every stone, but also one in the town centre. Getting a stone works in first would have made everything after easier.
But I also mention changing builds because I like to work towards a rule that players don't switch builds lightly. It's new to me, in Civ III you simply couldn't do it without complete loss of the hammers, in Civ 5 you now can, but I'm not fond of it in an SG. Mostly we are switching builds because we are having a slightly difference preference, which is simply always going to happen in a team.
The save I got had 2 unfinished builds in them, a library in Maung Saluang and a water mill in Sukhothai. I finished those builds and passed on a clean save, but already our save is collecting unfinished builds again.
I like to suggest a rule that we only change a build because of changing circumstances, for instance we get an unexpected war declaration against us, or a new build option comes in.
Or perhaps a rule that if we abandon a build, we at least have to finish another one.
We shouldn't do switching builds as easily as switching citizens. Unfinished builds are lost hammers as long as the building doesn't get finished, and it commits players who have to play later. If you get a save with lots of unfinished builds, you more or less have to finish those builds and forget about making choices of your own, or the hammers will get completely lost at some stage.
I believe a rule of not switching builds because of just a different preference will keep things simple and also leave us more free in the end.
I also wrote a piece 'What is a Succession Game' yesterday, where I warn against switching builds. I hope I'm not living on a planet of my own? I'm certainly open to comments from others on this.
I'm not criticizing any person in particular by the way, I hope that's clear. The players playing now haven't got much to do with this. I would have said it earlier or later anyway.
Back to the current save, I'm not sure it's great to keep a scientist hanging around for a long spell. Why not have him discover the most expensive tech available just now? I see that's not a tech that means a lot to us now, but we need all techs anyway, and the exact timing of Chemistry will probably not be that essential. Some longbows will do before artillery.
Chemistry is still 6 techs away, that's a long time for a scientist to be useless and just costing maintenance. Maintenance is a constant constraint when in military campaigns on higher levels.
Also our workers are at the moment just costing maintenance, by the way. 3 of them are working on a 5-stretch road to a 2-citizen town, which isn't economical yet, the other 2 are working on trade posts that we won't be working in the foreseeable future, with so many river-farms not even being worked yet. I suggest to disband at least one worker.
Between Notre Dame and Porcelain Tower it's Notre Dame that is the most flexible build. I agree with NotSure that if we plan to sweep across the map it's the best one.
If we stay on our own sub-continent, which would mean not going for domination, but diplo/science, then Porcelain Tower might be better - with putting money in RA's, of course.