[SPOILERS] TheArchduke creates the final empire as Macedonia

[TheArchduke]

I will probably do a city by city overview on turn 100 as soon as the Harbour Site is settled and expansion phase #2 is complete. I should have more information on Valetta and my surroundings by then because I have been quite focused and distracted by this long war.

[CFCJesterFool]

You get to do some buildering after all. Good Job!

[TheArchduke]

Thanks.

We switch civics for the +50% cavalry, as we need 2-3 more hetairoi to patrol our newly extended borders.
Both will be chopped in both capitals next turn.

   

Why?

   

Barb crossbowmen are not okay.

   

In the south I kill 2 archers of Valetta. Hopefully I can snatch that city before the CS upgrades to Crossbowmen.

[TheArchduke]

With 2 new hetairoi chopped out this turn and on barb duty, things should be more secure. We will do with 2 in the north and 2 in the south. The 2 warriors will rush south to join our army which is enroute to Valetta.

   

And soon 5 more GG points in the north, and perhaps a plundered pasture.

   

Turnpace has picked up considerably, expected with 3 players I suppose.

[TheArchduke]

2 more turns last evening. Wow.

Things are getting peculiar.

Turn 96, nothing much to report:

   

Turn 97

With another 5 GG points we get a 3rd GG, and the 4th GG is again Medieval/Renaissance.

Wow, this is getting silly thanks to my ludicrous rate of GG point production.

Which means we want him. Emperor K is on 22 turns to him, I am on 25. I will actually finish the project in Urteau.

Apart from that those australian cities had a real growth problem. I need to spend 160 in the third ring to get a rice to Mantiz off the ground.

   

Barbs at my capital, managed to kill the crossbowmen but hey what else is new?

   

And my main problem, Persia has 444 milpower and the gold to upgrade. I need to fix my economy and race through Valetta, pronto.

   

Population and citywise he is lightyears behind me by now.

[TheArchduke]

Hectic evening, not too many screenies.

We strike Valetta, kill barbs and start chopping forests into galleys (overflow into harbours)

   

   

[TheArchduke]

Shamelessly trying to make my situation look better then it is, I will make a bit of an overview over the new macedonian empire one turn late.

First of all, lets get this turn report underway.

We conquer Holstep(former Valetta). Initial.

   

Final.

   


And our second overflow chop galley nets us a trader and some way to a third harbour (counting the ones in Austrex and the one in Holstep.)

   

[TheArchduke]

The strategic situation could be better. Basically my one trick pony has run its course, successfully conquering another civ. But thanks to an early setback Poland has ever been under pressure and looks like it will buckle soon. Thanks for building a 4th city for Persia, thereby bringing your possible persian province conquest to 4 cities.

   

Persia has 624! milpower to my 358 and Poland´s 234. Poland will not hold, unless Persia is heavily invested on my border due his knowledge of my approach, but even with my new science and culture rates, a mass upgrade to knights is about 6-8 turns away.

The eastern entrance to Persia seems to have seen the founding of a new frontier city right next to a presumably lake. A wise choice.

   

Stats:

Macedonia: 44 27
Persia: 32 29
Poland: 17 11

This is the city overview:

   

Given a polish conquest, I am only 2 cities ahead. My 2 CS conquests.
And so if Persia conquers Poland this will become a 2 way race, one I have feared for the last 50 turns or so.

Persia with its multitude of bonuses, and Macedonia, my dear one trick pony.

But not all is lost. I have 3 GGs and by running 2 projects and killing barbs with Hetairoi wherever I can, I may snatch number 4 for an insane 4 GG boost to Knights and Crossbowmen.

If this tally would be 1 GG for Persia and 3 for me, the DotF would nullify that advantage.

So I am in a bit of a pickle. So what is the plan here?

Great Persons.

   

With 2 harbours and 2 more chopped out, I will take control of the inland sea for good.

1st: I will found a religion as well down the line with crusade.
2nd: I will concentrate on Great Admirals and not Great Merchants
3rd: I will focus Scientists and get a leg up there
4th: Get Geneva and Hongkong under my suzerain control (need a great writer for one and a trade route for the other.
5th: Maybe conquer Granada, every bit helps, but it is a damn frost ball.
6th: Upgrade to Knights and put the hurt on Persias eastern flank.
7th: make a 2nd settler push upon getting my rank 2 government.

[TheArchduke]

Massive images incoming, overview of my cities.

First, the NORTH.

Luthadel, the crown jewel of the empire. Will once again forego infrastructure builds, look at the campus, ey, planned since turn 30 and get a GG project going.

   

Chakath, the long overdue Harbour Site, was my first city site I planned out. Its an excellent natural harbour protected by the twins and will galley chop a harbour, poor production and food rates will make this a small but important city. You can see why I did not settle this spot but very late.

   

Felise is more of a filler city with mediocre tiles and not much else. Still, I can imagine it getting productive soon enough, needs an aqueduct and worker love.

   

Valtroux, if I had scouted here a bit more, I would have sacrificed 5-6 turns and attacked Australia later. So probably for the best. A monster if I can get it off the ground, especially in science. Aqueduct is a priority here, a worker out of Luthadel should descend on it as well.

   

[TheArchduke]

The Middle Empire consists of

Urteaux, the worker bee, silently churning out units and encampments and not much else. A commerce and culture hotspot thanks to all the coffee.

   

Austrex, woefully low on production, offset by the monument and granary build by the CS. A harbour was chopped out and this is my preferred VA site in the future.

   

Chardees, the river valley city will need a worker to get going as well.