Kuro's Bizarre Adventure (Kuro spoiler thread)

[wetbandit]

Musings:

Seven took a city from HAK, he is presumably to the west or northwest of HAK. Calendar before currency may be a mistake, but I have good tiles/specialist slots to work. Ivory is online in 6ish turns, less if another FW can make it over.

Hoping to get OB from Douglas Quaid. He's worth another +5 commerce a turn if he accepts. I'm not concerned about giving him or anyone else other than Gawdzak routes at this point.

[wetbandit]

T84 in brief:

This island is full of agricultural goodness and maintenance costs.




Cities re-branded with topical news in mind:




Turn Down For What? Maintenance.

[wetbandit]

Taking this as the game disapproving of the name changes.

[wetbandit]

Hey Brother, can you spare some GPT for my thoughts on the game? What's that? Yes, you're right that my thoughts aren't worth 1GPT, so you can have them at cost.

Here's my spiel on my worries about my economy and overexpansion. First, crop yield is great. I don't miss many meals myself, so I'm glad that the virtual citizens get to eat plenty. I actually do generate quite a bit of commerce, just with the hideous millstone of maintenance:




100% science on calendar gives a healthy GNP. I suspect that the top GNP of 144 must be a pre-req tech, but even with that, I'm in danger of seriously falling behind on tech. I'm 9 turns away from calendar and seriously thinking about switching to currency, just to open up wealth and the extra TR. With two island cities, the extra TR is worth 22 commerce. That brings me back to near 50% by itself. Wealth builds and market whips (currently only +1 happy with ivory) will solve many problems. I'm stagnating at 30% breakeven. Scientists will help, for sure, but this is a position from which I should be "Winning More," not trying to tread water as I am now. Jungle growing over the sugar makes calendar less attractive as well. I have four techs in some order of priority:

Calendar: Previously 3 happy, now 2 thanks to the jungle growth. Iron Working is not close, thanks to the 30% issue. Hooking up Ivory next turn, but still need more happiness to take advantage of CY.
Currency: Good lord do I like money.

22 commerce is no joke, plus wealth, plus the potential for extra commerce through foreign TRs.

Meditation: Oh hey, I have a religion! I'm terrible with exploiting an early religion as I am perpetually in love with the top half of the tech tree. Monasteries provide a marginal research boost and enable culture and happiness in the multitude of cities that I have. My name is wetbandit and I like to gamble (and lose) on free religion spreads.
Iron Working: Opens up the jungled sugar and pigs on the island. Mined iron tiles are more valuable with Productive.
Code of Laws: hahahahahahahaha ETA T130

I would love to expand on that Ivory island, but any more expansion will really drag my tech down.

[wetbandit]

This is a wonderful island.




Not sure if Douglas Quaid would have planned to colonize that island, but I imagine that retep will try and do so. He was very aggressive with colonization in PB11. Fortunately, the eastern half of the island doesn't have the prime spots that the western and central parts do. Other downside of retep taking over is I imagine that my OB trade with Egypt will be cancelled ASAP as Egypt gleans no benefit from the deal at the moment.

This is alarming.




I really only have the gold city to defend on the Gawdzak front and, fortunately, most of my token military is there.

[wetbandit]

Microed commerce extensively to get currency next turn, that's gotta be worth a lazy report.




Marble may yet be in my future.

After a week of civ-malaise about my crappy GNP, Currency instills my game with hope and meaning.

Now with gold!

Shot didn't take, but Mack is on 4 luxs (and in HR). He's also top population and land among those I've met, which is everyone except Parkin, haram, Gavagai, and GermanJoJo. In other unhappy news, Gawdzak just landed the Pyramids. I didn't expect the mids to go quite this late. Gawdzak has managed to land two primo wonders, expand to the extent that he has, and have a large power rating. At least he'll have the target on his back.

[wetbandit]

Two turns in one day might mean two reports, at least until Gawdzak logs out as he blocks me.

Currency is quite the panacea. Prior to currency, I would make ~33 gold at max tax, now ~98:




The TRs are great, but I also get to do things like this:




Before burying the lede too much, that 270 GNP is nuts. My GNP at 100% research is about 230 on calendar. I suspect it is Mack, possibly Parkin. Gawdzak's GNP hasn't been high recently, according to graphs, but with the turn lag, his graphs should show if he's hit that high now.




Seven finished the MoM this turn, making marble less of a priority. I think I'd rather settle on the fur, unless there's seafood on the southern coast.

I toyed with running two scientists in Texlahoma to generate a GP with a ~5% scientist chance. I figure it's not worth the aggravation and can wait two more turns.

[wetbandit]

It's not Gawdzak.

Have trade routes with most of the world, I see Seven has hooked three calendar resources. He's the only other player I've met who isn't in HR/Rep or has wine. We may have similar starts. I will meet Gavagai next turn.

Two turns is calendar and a shrine.[/spoiler]

[wetbandit]

Big turn 'round these parts. Shrine founded, only 6 gold for the time. Future Moai City founded next turn where that warrior is, followed by a second city on the eastern island in two turns. Missionary spam begins next turn. I'd like to get Gawdzak Hooked on Hinduism.

[wetbandit]

Some empire-wide shots for T100:








The discovery of calendar means that the minimap annoyingly bisects my empire gives me two happy. A third, sugar, is available at IW. Cities will grow a bit more and I can finally plant some new cities after the overexpansion blues. Founding the Moai city had a net negative of 8gpt at 100% tax. 13th city will go 3S2E out on the island.

In light of maintenance costs and acknowledging my religion, tech will go Monotheism-Monarchy-Code of Laws. Ideally, I would like to keep this a 1-turn revolt, however, the 13th city will put me over the threshold provided that this is set for a standard map. HR for the extra happy and OR for extra help with the courthouses.

Although circumnavigation is not available, the early deprivation in the form of a 1-move scout caused some prioritization on rectifying that. I've made 7/10 contacts and have some information about the rest of the world:

Seven has razed a city of HAK. Landed MOM, only other person with calendar whom I've met.
Mackoti has also razed or captured a city(ies) from Gavagai. All while leading in Pop. Mack is 14% of world pop. He has 13 cities, I will settle my 13th next turn.

Future Moai City.



Slow's galley has been here for about 4 turns. I'm glad to see this 3-move galley on the south side of his land rather than the north side towards my island.



After this current set of techs, I'd hope to have a marble city founded, either to the northwest or on the HAK/Slowcheetah continent to help with buildings on the top half of the tree. I am considering trying to build the AP, but I don't think I will be able to build it in a reasonable amount of time, at least in timeframe in which I could reasonably land Theo.

Demos