[Mjmd #52 no players] Working on the Homestead

[Mjmd]

Your wish is my command! Seriously if you want to know something ect let me know. I'm sure I'm missing loads. Note: Time hasn't built a barracks yet, I just was finishing a chop from a worker that is waiting for barb city to be captured and most efficient use of chops is on stables or settlers. Maple Syrup will do a stable before that horse archer finishes next turn now that I've gone to organized religion. All of the granaries have chops incoming (old barb city evaporator had to move this turn due to a barb, I probably should have taken the odds against as it will probably just move to the cow next turn instead of attacking city and I'll have to take odds then and it means granary won't finish before that city grows; may be an avoid growth scenario, will see). Market will be whipped next turn now that I'm in organized in French Toast. If I've done math right Pork Chops will be whipped in two turns (organized saves a pop of whip or a million turns of production here). Will be saving gold until then.



Are you saying reckless rexing and hoping no one calls you on it is a bad thing. Never would go wrong  . But seriously Pin is busy with SD. You'll also note my dot map does not have me settling cities right up against him although there are cities that could be placed. Mr. Cairo also has a city right near Pin; might be an island, but still probably some tension there. Mr Cairo is the MOST likely to attack, but I very specifically settled defensively, did not kill his warrior, and he has a very nice jungle city in there to settle still. I have started moving units up that way just in case (and needed to to capture barb city anyways). Charriu just declared war the opposite direction against the strongest UU of the era, plus a lot of his power is in archers and walls. I should have taken a picture, but I saw ATs stack from when he was fighting Jowy. Mainly Holkans, most of them with woodsmen promotions (I think he had 3-4 woodmen III  !!!). I imagine he will want to jump in on the Jowy Charriu war one side or the other.

At full tilt metal casting will be 2 turns, construction 3. Currently 12-13 turns. That is without shrine with market / library at pork chops, so lets say 12.

BTW did you see the Protective vs financial discussion for CtH. Everyone seems to be thinking protective is stronger. Meanwhile I'm sitting here at 3rd in GNP at 0% tech rate. I am only 2nd with it on. Unsure who is tops atm. Mind there is some Stonehenge culture baked into that.

Edit: AT just did one 2 pop whip, and two 1 pop whips, but he has enforced peace for a bit with Jowy, so maybe after Charriu? He could just be expanding though, who knows.

[El Grillo]

Huh, the BUG F1 interface has some details I'm not familiar with, and unless I'm blind does it not show religion? Getting the shrine up will be nice indeed, but it can also paint you as an attractive target. Given the state of the world where it sounds like multiple players are running around with big armies, I'd probably play it safe and go for Construction first before Metal Casting.

[Mjmd]

I actually had to crop it as for some reason it isn't same size as base. I think I can add other categories as well. There was a dizzying array of options. Basically Hinduism is in all 7 eastern cities. 6 natural spreads in my territory; handful elsewhere. Really surprising, chance to spread is based on distance from holy city and in PB51 I got 2 natural spreads and had a lot of cities closer that I had to manual spread too. I probably won't go nuts spreading it manually, but certainly Evaporator where I'll be building Mausoleum and the production cities once I go to settle those western ones. Their foods are in 2nd ring and they have a million forests to chop, so works both ways.

Mr Cairo is like 1.2 my strength; I'm even with Charriu and AT. I'm going to be producing units or stables most places until forges. Maybe I'll send my chariot into Mr Cs lands to make sure he doesn't have a stack coming and to check for bridges before turning on tech. I'll also check trade screen for calendar resources. His GNP has been pretty low. Obviously Pin if he turned around his army and marched it all the way back to my lands could be an issue, but I suspect he will continue the SD war. SD has pyramids and more importantly the GLH. I think my scout is approaching that front.

BTW I'm starting to think circumnavigation isn't available until optics. I think there is an ocean in between eastern and western sides, which means of course I am in the middle position and have the most neighbors. It also means it would be REALLY REALLY bad for Pin to wipe out SD as he would have a safe flank. Hopefully SD can hold another 20-30 turns.........

[Mjmd]

Sadly game is on a break while Pindicator goes hiking; very jealous. Anyways here is a MEGA report. So it doesn't get lost in the wall of text I got my shrine this turn for a nice 12 base gold (15 with market in place). El Grillo; will send you a PM with my pw if you want to hop in and take a look in the next 5 days. Did decide on metal casting although I have 5 days to second guess that. I've noted in east west empire shots which cities will be getting forges near term.

Here is a world map. I always love seeing maps. 

So obviously Jowy and SD have the safest back lines; however they also probably weren't given a ton of room to expand. Jowy actually probably got lucky getting to 9 thanks to my war with Charriu. Im guessing Pin has some lakes helping separate him from SD and that the lake I'm seeing next to Mr Cairo goes up a ways. Pin I'm assuming was my mirrored ish spot, but then expanded all one direction with conquest allowing SD to take a couple more spots than Jowy got. I'm reading that Jowy should attack Charriu, SD should be attacking Pin. Which he probably realized after he started building two wonders..... Note there is insanely rich jungle between old Gira land and SD that was probably supposed to be contested he could have tried going for first, but maybe he thought Gira would hold out longer started whipping right before Gira really started falling and then felt like he was committed.

Other notes is that Mr Cairo has actually out expanded me over the last 10 turns. We were both at 10 now he is up 14 to 13; mind I have 2 more coming. AT and Jowy have placed one each (assuming Jowy might have 1 filler left max). Charriu hasn't placed any since turn 100 when he got HG. Assuming he is lowest land area. Pin and SD have only added one each and since that battle I saw aftermath of and I don't think they have grappled again. Jowy and AT have been doing a lot of whipping. Mr Cairo had 1 round of whipping, but with all his expanding I think I'm atm although he has construction.

You get weird sideways shots again because again I just have to zoom way too far out otherwise. Readers feel free to skip city descriptors. East:

-Maple Syrup and French Toast have CONSTANTLY been switching the cow. French toast gets unless Maple Syrup needs to speed up growth. Both are mixed cities although Maple Syrup won't get a market for a while. Both will be producing units for a while. Maple Syrup will be whipped every 10 turns until it has some more non river cottages. I think French Toast is done being whipped barring an emergency.
-Pancakes has faithfully been producing units and then 2 pop whipping settlers every 10 turns. Will be getting a forge.
-Pork chops: is a MONSTER. I'll be cottaging two of the plains tiles probably and getting a forge after market just for the happy..... It really can't produce units without whipping and I don't want to whip too much, but it just keeps having excess pop!!!! I have and will be minimizing still; however a two pop whip for walls is probably going to happen just so I can get the overflow to help the market along.
-Salmon has been producing a couple settlers and now a couple of missionaries, its just ok. Won't get a market or forge, but after next missionary will just produce some units ect. Will let it grow into two scientists although it also has the incense that needs improved next.
-Cornbreads whipping days were never numerous, mediocre border city will not get forge or market either. Just produce military slowly, maybe 1 pop whip missionaries later. I just plan on producing 3 atm.
-Low Budget; will get library and market ..... slowly. Resource city not much to say.
- I cut it off in both screen shots, but only city I really want to settle soonish is my future Maoi city on island; main cost is not the settler but rather the galley to get over there....... 

West:

Mr Cairo settled a canal city, but unsure why he didn't place 1 west (down in picture) and fort over to share the crab. I'm assuming that is an island city with at least 2 food, which seems to be a map norm.
-Time got a nice boast when borders popped for sheep allowing it to produce a settler. After barracks finish will produce units short term; will get a forge eventually.
-Few Trees - hasn't gotten a lot of worker love as its essentially a filler city I settled just to get over that direction. Will eventually have A TON of non river cottages. In the meantime will probably whip out workers and produce some MP archers; not the worst city I guess.
-Buckets - I settled for Marble and a fish shrug. I do want to get a worker over there soonish mainly to chop out a work boat for southern fish city and then one for itself, then a granary, then marble..... Ya worker over 'soon' even though i settled first because it wouldn't need a worker IMMEDIATELY   
-Sap (copper sheep city) - just popped out of anarchy and took sheep. Going to be a nice commerce city with all the river tiles.
-Evaporator (double cow city) -this city is why I'm going for forges first. Also, these next 3 cities are ones missionaries are due for. I want to whip the forge here ASAP which means starting it ASAP, and that will probably be its only whip unless its growing into unimproved tiles. Will be a nice mix city. Everything will be cottages except the hills next to it. Grassland river hill will be improved soon. I did 1 turn the pasture there this turn when border popped. Those 4 workers will start roading towards next two cities. Also, after forge I think I'm still going for Mausoleum..... if it hasn't fallen by then. Only Jowy has both Calendar and marble. If I don't get that I will save forests for some future wonders.
-Both the crab and fish cities down here are my next to be settled. Both production cities. They will farm the riverside grasslands they have that aren't sharable with other cities. Both will go granary into forge (both chopped out). Chop all forests not belonging to evaporator to get both of them up and running as military centers ASAP.

Tech path after Metal Casting and Construction will be a typical knight b-line.

Questions comments shoot away. I have 5 days to answer! Maybe I'll do a brief thing on making Maple Syrup like Ruff does with his wood projects while we wait.

[Mjmd]

Got done writing all my city stuff and realized I never posted demo's and graphs lol.

Demos: food and gnp good; prod and power bad. I do want to note I sent a fish for fish trade to both AT and MR Cairo. Both accepted; not that that means jack. Mr C did just expand a ton and I think AT has other more porous borders to look at. Pin is at war with SD and obviously shouldn't turn his back on SD before he finishes or severely weakens him. Charriu I think is #6 in power and again lots of archers and walls baked into that. I can see one of his eastern cities bordering Jowy and he has more defenders than my border (that I can see).

Graphs:Not shown production which Charriu is SPIKING in for some reason. Recently building walls? He hasn't been whipping although I have seen him building mines. Does NOT have construction. His food did go down, wondering if he switched some food tiles to mines, possibly built wealth. All bad guesses probably.

[Mjmd]

Posting for reload screenshot. The settler that was supposed to go SW I missclicked the COMPLETE opposite direction....... Should have gone down to fish city. I've never asked for a reload for a missclick as usuallly its like a 1 turn I guess I'll live with it, but this was a frustrating one. Obviously I do did not intend to go to where the 3 is.....

Speaking of frustrating barb city popped so I can't place the crab city right away...... Mind workers are still roading to that spot so its not too bad and I can raze in a few turns hopefully with 2 axes and horse archer. Now mind that barb city is actually in an ok spot, so I could settle 1 S for crab city wait for it to grow and take. Both food is in second border pop, but a good city. El Grillo Thoughts? Obviously that cow is in Pins 2nd ring as well. Me and my very thin military right up against Pin? Ya I'll probably raze for goodwill. I still need like 25-30 turns. BTW SD sent me a copper for copper trade. Assuming he wants help with Pin. Either he doesn't know I'm last or 2nd last in military (didn't check yet this turn) or he is pretty desperate.

[El Grillo]

I’d probably opt to raze and resettle on a hill. Sorry I haven’t been more talkative but I’ve been way busier than anticipated this past week.

[Mjmd]

To resettle I would also have to move my crab hill spot 1s, which isn't the worst. I guess I could resettle it in like 10-15 turns when I have more military. Obviously if he settles it, then my border city is less secure because its no longer on a hill.... hmm... I'm inclined to play it safe, but I like your idea too.

Anything you want to see while I'm logged into imgur already? I'm going to 1 turn rest of construction this turn.

Jowy got a merchant and launched a golden age. SD got a great spy and assuming will do same.

[Mjmd]

Hmm maybe I should have kept the missclick. Pin had a woodsmen II axe on the horse evidently in picture above moved onto the hill and I had kept my axe in my culture to save 1 gpt. So he decided to capture the worker and settler; which is interesting...... Definitely costs to having no military. Worker is actually a harder loss than the settler. Settler I can replace in two turns. I do want to note here that the no military isn't on purpose, I just don't have production cities in the east other than Pancakes. That is part of what the far west is supposed to fix. If Gira had this area I would have like 2 production cities; although I guess I could have turned French Toast into one thinking on it. It is a much better mixed city though especially since religion popped there that market is making bank.

Anyways I offered peace for 80gp. He can get workers out either way, but saves him an axe and I don't really want a war for a bit. There is definitely something stirring in the East. AT and Jowy declared and peaced. Started cats in some cities. Once current rd of horse archers gets done will start some elephants. Also found a couple of Cairo cats with my scouting chariot near his capital. Possible they are just central.

Edit: with this act of aggression did decide to move settler for crab city down one. Will then try to get that other hill city once my military is built up. I can still go back on this next turn if I decide differently.

[Mjmd]

Feel like an idiot; put another worker where his woodsman II axe could take and delete. Phah. He sent me a 7gpt offer at start of turn which I took. Demanded another 35g after I realized. Definitely on my hit list once I get rolling. 1st I need to build a small stack to take care of this blatant WTF?? I saw Charriu placed a city and I was wondering if it was down in the region to claim the beaver. I did not expect that spot..... I assumed it would be 1E. I don't know how I'm supposed to take this other than to build a stack to go kill it.



Also, stupid barb city and galley. rench Toast borders are expanding in 2 turns making anything spawning there impossible.