[Spoilers] Dreylin & Grimace TOW the line

[Dreylin]

America - Agri, Grocer w/free Merchant, Marine w/March & 1-2 First Strikes

Pro: Accelerated UB
Meh: does free Merchant make Grocer & auto-build (25t payoff at h = c)?
Con: ultra-late UU, cheap starting tech

Carthage - Mining, expensive Harbour w/ +1 TR, HA w/ +50% vs Melee, Flank I

Pro: Unchanged Numids
Meh: decent tech, how many Harbours at 100h with no acceleration will be built?

The Netherlands - Agri, Galleon w/+2Str & bonus powers, Levee also = Moai

Pro: East Indiamen on a water map
Meh: situational payback on Dike - also late-ish
Con: East Indiamen on a non-water map, cheap starting tech

England - Mining, Rifle w/bonus vs. Gunpowder, Bank w/+15% Gold

Pro: Redcoat in a no-AGG/PRO environment?
Meh: Decent starting tech, unaccelerated UB
Con: just not excited about it.

Greece - Hunting, Axe w/ bonus vs. Chariots, Colosseum w/ extra Happy

Pro: Phalanx are nice
Meh: cheap starting tech - immediately useful
Con: UB, played recently

Japan

Native America - Agri, Axe w/-1Str, +50% vs. Melee, Monument give XP to Archery units

Pro:
Meh: Dog Soldier I guess, Totem pole if building Stonehenge
Con: not building Stonehenge, cheap start tech

Portugal - Mining, Caravel can carry troops, Customs House w/ Wharf effect

Pro: Carrack on a water map
Meh: expensive UB, decent start tech
Con: played recently

Rome - Mining, Swordsman w/+1Str, Market w/+25% GPP

Pro: Praets
Meh: decent starting tech, Forum effect only likely to apply in 2-3 cities
Con:

Spain - Mysticism, Cuirassier w/defensive bonuses & +50% vs. Melee, Castle gives XP to Siege

Pro: Conquistador, expensive starting tech
Meh: Mysticism off useful research path plus no real opportunity for early religion
Con: Limited window for Citadel, also expensive

Viking - Hunting, Maceman w/ Amphib, Lighthouse gives Ships NavI

Pro: Berserker (Amphib useful on land maps also), Trading Post (Lighthouse is build everywhere)
Meh: cheap starting tech - immediately useful
Con: have played recently

Not sure that helped. Oh well, on to the next meeting and I'll think some more afterwards.

[Dreylin]

There were 7 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

Rome
America
Spain
England
The Netherlands
Viking
Carthage

I'll take that under advisement.

[AdrienIer]

I suggest you do the same with city builds and tech choices. That would make for a fun game.

[Grimace]

Looks like the RNG wants Rome.

[Dreylin]

Screw it, it's not any worse than how I ended up with my PB28 combo....

[Dreylin]

A quick SIM to t31:


Settler popped; 2 Workers; 3 Warriors; Ivory just connected; some extra Worker turns into an odd road.

Research: Hunting-Agriculture-Bronze Working-The Wheel-Pottery (in 1t). Pottery coud be AH if needed by City #2.

I imagine that a revolt to Slavery and another Worker might follow.

[Grimace]

That looks...really good.

Slightly slower settler than you'd usually want, but overall quite a good outcome. Probably want to get another settler out fairly quickly after the first, as well.

[Dreylin]

Well I on;ly ran this once, just applying what I'd learned from the previous sims, so it can probably be improved with tweaks even on this path, but I suspect the land beyond will have as much of an impact - e.g. switching up AH research instead of Pottery/Wheel if needed for 2nd city food, etc.

With this config the next Settler could come out in 4t - although I still think I'd want a 3rd Worker (2-3t) first. Of course a lot depends on where the second city is going - if we've got a seafood option, 2 of the Warriors become a Workboat and it may be possible to delay the second Worker until after the Settler.

For exploration, there's 5t before Hunting kicks in the second move for the Scout; SE is rougher terrain, so I'll probably send him that way and then circle around towards the N / NW. I suspect the second city will go this direction to share the Wheat unless a seafood option appears.

First 20t are unlikely to change, and it's probably not worth tweaking too much past that without seeing the game underway and more of the lay of the land. I'll probably work to throw together a Google spreadsheet sometime in the next couple of days for easier simming (and availability at work).

[Dreylin]

It's also an interesting comparison of the Mods that the selections here ran right down the Leader list and then came back up through the civs, where PB28 ran down civs for the first 6/9 before switching to Leaders. Not really sure whether there are implications for the relative balance of the mods, or if it's just a snowball thing of trying to secure second-third-fourth choice before it's taken.

[Dreylin]

Any thoughts on naming scheme, because I'm coming up dry.