[Spoilers] Cometh the Messiah - Varn Gosam and the Malakim

[Ilios]

Remember the first spawn on any Barrows/Ruins is just going to fortify in place

Agreed, but however unlikely, it is possible for a Ruins to spawn a Lizard on T0, and another one on T1, allowing one of them to move on T2.
Again, highly unlikely, but this HAS happened to me in a single player game. And no, in that game I didn't leave a warrior inside the newly found capital. Which meant that said returning warrior was just in time to watch the Lizardman sack my capital...
FFH can be brutal sometimes...

As for spoiling your lurkers with dotmaps on T1, agree that riverbend Rice and Incense does make blue site very nice indeed.

Yes, and I love it how Blue dot only overlaps one tile with Helios, and four roads will connect the city, meaning units from either the capital or the new city will only need two turns to move between cities. Instant river connection. Unique Feature inside the BFC, increasing the new city's happy cap by one. The lovely Incense resource...
Too bad its Rice won't be improved till Bronze Working...

now that I've read through what both of Ilios and PB wrote in other threads, I'm officially intimidated.

There is no need to be, trust me

For exemple in the bones general area

Loved the way you put that!

And as you said Old Lion, what's with all the mountains? (Mountains, Gandalf!)

Seven Spirits, dear mapmaker, you do realise that we will not be able to improve those mountains until we discover Griffonbackriding?

[Ilios]

Alright, slight change of plan...



I now plan to head straight to Calendar after Agriculture.

Reasoning:

It just doesn't feel right to spend those precious early beakers just to improve one lousy tile (Wine resource).
Now if the BFC was full of forests, then I would probably have to go Crafting -> Mining to get rid of them and build improvements like farms and cottages. But I've got two floodplains, and at least 5 river grasslands I can improve, meaning I can skip Crafting/Mining for the time being.

Calendar allows me to improve Calendar resources obviously, but more importantly, gives me access to the Agrarianism civic:

• + 1 food/farm
  
• - 1 hammer/farm
  
• + 1 health
  

This means that floodplain farms will yield 5 food. Farm a grass river as well, and I'll be at a healthy 10-food surplus at size 3.

This is important in the early game, because then a grass river farm will be as effective as a plains hill mine when building settlers/workers.

My worker should finish the second floodplain farm around the same time I discover Calendar.

Revised Research Plan:

Agriculture -> Calendar -> Exploration -> Mysticism -> Crafting -> Mining

Subject to change...

Game mechanics question for knowledgeable lurkers:

I've got a worker build at 48/50 progress. I have a three food surplus and am making three hammers (3/3).

How does the overflow work here?

Two food is used to finish the worker, one food is lost and three hammers overflow?
Two food is used to finish the worker, one food is added to the city's food box, three hammers overflow?
Something else?

Mind you, this is not a cookie-earning contest, I'd really like to know.

[McClure]

Game mechanics question for knowledgeable lurkers:

I've got a worker build at 48/50 progress. I have a three food surplus and am making three hammers (3/3).

How does the overflow work here?

Two food is used to finish the worker, one food is lost and three hammers overflow?
Two food is used to finish the worker, one food is added to the city's food box, three hammers overflow?
Something else?

Mind you, this is not a cookie-earning contest, I'd really like to know.

If the mechanics are the same as base Civ4 (and I have no reason to believe they are not), no food would be added to the box and the excess food is converted to hammers on overflow. Meaning, you would get four hammers overflow from the worker build.

This is the mechanic taken advantage of when using the "Build the Pyramids with food" strategy with a FP-rich capital.

[Square Leg]

Correct and how to build the globe theatre! Micro-ing overflow in food rich cities is quite fun!

[pocketbeetle]

Mind you, this is not a cookie-earning contest, I'd really like to know.

*Knew the answer but refused to reply*

[Ilios]

McClure, Square Leg, thanks for clearing that up!

PB, who needs cookies? I've got some nice gift-wrapped virgins on ice, only for my loyal lurkers...

In other news, it would seem we've hit our first speed bump, and I will not be getting the save before Friday...

Oh well, guess I'll just have to fill this thread with mindless spam until then!

[Ilios]

First contact:



That is really close...
If the others are as close as us I expect some very early border tension in this game.

Obligatory fancy greeting:

To the lord of the travelling people,


After crossing through the Gap of Dawn, our foreign ambassador Dan'yel has informed us that he has stumbled upon a scouting party belonging to your proud nation.
We hope your representative was shown proper respect, and has offered the Malakim's hand in friendship.


Highest regards,


Ilios, High Counselor to Varn Gosam, Lord of the Light


Out of character: "Yo, what up?"

I was planning on swinging south around the mountain range, but as you can see, that way is blocked by the Balseraph border. We'll see what diplo brings up - Serdoa won't mind if I declare on him to pass, right?
I'm curious to see what Serdoa will do with his warrior, pull back or move forward...

As you can see, the elves and the Lanun still haven't founded their capital. I suppose Amelia is looking to found a coastal site, but I'm not sure why uberfish is moving his settler around. Elves can make pretty much any site productive.

Demographics:



Meeting Serdoa has given me access to his graphs. He's still at 14 GNP (which includes 4 culture), so who the hell is already at 17 GNP? It has to be either the Luchuirp or the Calabim, both financial. Founding on a riverside resource and working a riverside resource gets me to six commerce. Eight from the capital gets me to fourteen. Two from culture gets me to sixteen... Hmmm...

It better not be the Calabim, its not like they need the best starting position to do good in this game.

[pocketbeetle]

Wow that is very close.

Blue dot still as planned or are you rethinking?

Meeting Serdoa has given me access to his graphs. He's still at 14 GNP (which includes 4 culture), so who the hell is already at 17 GNP? It has to be either the Luchuirp or the Calabim, both financial. Founding on a riverside resource and working a riverside resource gets me to six commerce. Eight from the capital gets me to fourteen. Two from culture gets me to sixteen... Hmmm...

So if you can't reach 17 GNP with your figures, what does that mean?

[Old_Lion]

about land expansion :
there are 44000 points, meaning 44 tiles used by the 6 opponents.
two have 0,
one has 17
and the three other share 27, so 9 each.

the guy at 17 is therefore coastal with 4 water tiles, and is alone in this case for now. And he probably is perpentrach

--

and the 17 GNP figure... proably means there is a unique feature involved ?
no calculation here, just wild guess.

EDIT :
If the clowns are coastal, it may mean they lack room for extension on the side you can't see....

[Ilios]

Blue dot still as planned or are you rethinking?

I've been contemplating settling some sites to the east, but have decided against it for the moment. Red dot (Crabs/Sheep/Gold/Incense) cannot be made productive at the moment, and having seen the land between the site and Balseraph lands, I cannot see Serdoa founding there right away (unless HE founds red dot, right next to my capital...)

So if you can't reach 17 GNP with your figures, what does that mean?

about land expansion :
there are 44000 points, meaning 44 tiles used by the 6 opponents.
two have 0,
one has 17
and the three other share 27, so 9 each.

the guy at 17 is therefore coastal with 4 water tiles, and is alone in this case for now. And he probably is perpentrach

There could be some lake tiles, but yeah, you're probably right, thanks for that information!

and the 17 GNP figure... proably means there is a unique feature involved ?
no calculation here, just wild guess.

Hmm, can't think of a unique feature other than Dragon Bones that gives extra commerce.

If the clowns are coastal, it may mean they lack room for extension on the side you can't see....

That would be... unfortunate...