[Mjmd #52 no players] Working on the Homestead

[vanrober]

I've been meaning to ask this, but how do people take screenshots of multiple stacks at once?

I like to take one screenshot of each stack while highlighting them with Alt+S so that I can easily keep them straight. Then I choose one screenshot to be the "base" image, and I open that along with each other screenshot one-by-one in Paint. Typically I pick the one with the stack in the lower-left of the screen so I can leave that unit hover box in place. I select the units box from the secondary screenshots, then copy/paste it into the base image, move it to the spot I want, then draw a straight line to the stack it matches with. I think it mostly works. If you check my PB53 thread, you can see a pretty clear example of it in recent pages. Once you get the hang of it, it's really quick to do.

I use powerpoint instead of paint. I ll try next time with paint to se if its easier.

[El Grillo]

Pindicator has to know you’re close to rifles, he can see from the tech trading screen what you’re able to research. He’s an experienced player, he wouldn’t miss something that big.

[Mjmd]

I mean lurkers know, but there is also a missionary. 100 h for gold for 8 turns. 40 hammers to deny me a sheep for 3? I dont get it.

Its possible he wants me attack sooner rather than later. But he has more cities many of which need some time to recover. Plus it puts troops on my border. Not sure. Find out after the game I guess.

[Mjmd]

He actually placed 1 back to give it some more room. My norther spy I think discovered the why! There are AT LEAST 3 triremes moving through a canal he built in his mainland from when he had to conquer SD island. I'm assuming he wants to send some of those and caravel down along my coast. (I of course moved the northern spy to an aweful tile on accident afterwards so don't have a picture, but here is new city). I am currious why not move them to inner lake through Cairo, other than I can see it? Well saw it anyway! Hopefully can start building my own caravels in 5 turns. War is possible in 7. Engineering will be done in 2, I'm just letting Jowy discover first again. My breakeven with forbidden done went up by about 5% to 65% from 60%. 

Whipped 5 cities this turn. Also put up a bunch of signs on when to whip for future. 

Knights started east. There are more rifles in queue than Pin has knights currently; not all will be done by time he could declare war but its fine. I'll declare war as soon as knights get back from east, which should be right around time of second wave of rifles. Mind some of the cities won't get a second rifle in queue. Low production cities might get put on extra spies in case current ones get caught or cats.

Edit; took a specialist out of Pancakes, so GP generation in 6 turns. Lets me grow Pancakes in 2.

[Mjmd]

Grrr I HATE BEING IN THE MIDDLE!!!!!!!
Because Charriu decided to make a stand in one of the stupidest places possible Jowy has been able to get rifles into his stack faster than I had wanted. Charriu can't retreat and just let him take it. Meaning I'm expecting about 10 rifles to my 5 (Jowy has actually been whipping pretty heavy).

So decision time and it has to be this bloody turn if I want my cats back to help out against Pin / just invade fast and hope.
Do I leave this dagger at my back or try to do something about it and hope he doesn't stab me once he is done with Charriu......... My stack would consist of 5 rifles, 20 knights, 10 cats, and 2 random elephants. About 7 turns from now somewhere around Charrius capital. I just don't see Jowy not invading me while I'm busy with Pin is the issue........ Jowy does have alphabet, so its not even a guarantee it would work as i would think he has spies? Maybe he forgot about them; ya never know. Jowy did send me a happy for happy trade.


Just to make things worse, who wants to bet Pin will get a great engineer soon for Taj?

[El Grillo]

I don't have any strong inclinations here, but I'll leave you with some questions:

How much of Charriu's army is actually defending Juvenile Wizards? Considering how long it's taken Jowy to make as much progress as he has, do you think you could let him slowly chew through Charriu while you fought pindicator? What is Charriu researching?

[Mjmd]

Nothing relevant vs rifles. He is far behind in tech. I looked at his capital, he probably has the same amount in his capital as well. He could mop up whatever was left I assume if I decided to go try to disarm this dagger.

The thing is it is going to take me a lot longer to get through Pin than it is Jowy to get through Charriu. Now it is possible I could build up a second army to defend the east. My production is much higher than his and I have a golden age coming.

2nd question is do I go for cav or cannon if I think Pin is going to GE the Taj for denial? Cav are the run over Pin faster plan. Cannon is the defend vs Jowy plan. Also, technically Cairo I guess. Have 3 turns to decide that, but kind of the same question.

Also, assuming I go after Pin, do I take some Charriu cities or let Jowy slow walk around for a sec and have excellent vision on them?

[El Grillo]

How much progress do you expect to be able to make against pindicator with a single war within a single generation of military tech? On the eastern front, how about trickling in a couple of rifles to fortify in Charriu's capital as top defender, in combination with trying to broker a peace between Charriu and Jowy? Is unit gifting banned?

[Mjmd]

I have 0 expectations vs Pin. I'm at the best tech gap and its clear he is not going for better military, but instead to deny Taj.

I think I'll go after Pin and abandon Charriu. I can leave some rifles in the east and decide if I want to garrison his capital when the time comes. Kind of sucks because I already signaled him I would help, but I needed Jowy's army to be farther from his borders and to have less rifles!

Does mean I have to give up on Taj (again pretty sure its lost based on Pins tech). Will go steal after optics. Also, puts me on the track to Assembly line, which is all for the good.

No but neither has it been allowed in forever. I would just fortify them in his cap I guess. That would give some more time possibly. Jowy's rifles do have nice charismatic upgrades.

[El Grillo]

Sorry if I'm missing some information, why are you giving up on the Taj just because pindicator is researching Nationalism? He could just be on his way to Military Tradition which would make sense for his next unit upgrade. Do you know or suspect that he has a Great Engineer? I'd say if there's even a small chance you think you could build it, you should try. Letting him get the GA with all of his newly acquired cities rebuilding infrastructure would be a tough loss.