[Mjmd #52 no players] Working on the Homestead

[Mjmd]

All 2 movers were rushed to reinforce the west, so no cav, but I have slightly more rifles than him and might as well use my stack of cats while they are still relevant right?

I've had vision of the Cairo area until very recently in regards to Mixed Drinks. Now of course I'm super paranoid. I don't think he would have sailed all the way around the world to attack Ice, but I'll use the two caravels in Jowy waters to set up a perimeter in a few turns.

I did the math and I think he had ability to build grenadiers for 6 turns pre attack? Something like that. Mind they would have to travel ect ect, and some of what he attacked me with to clean up his attack at Maple Sugar were not, but he could be switching out units now.

I had though of rush buying, but its just super inefficient. I do admit to having a weakness to gold rush buying infrastructure specifically.......

[Mjmd]

Screenshots work today!

Here are the two cities I razed. He had a frigate to kill east Galleon and I suspect west one is doomed, but going to try to pillage the nets next turn. The musket is new there, so kind of wish I had staged more west, but who knows where his patrols were /shrug.



He did have a galleon in my southern ice (assuming the 6 move one I saw earlier) and razed Ice. Pretty sure I had Frigate finishing there in one or two turns so very relevant. He then unloaded rest of the troops and deleted the galleon. Luckily I had literally just dropped a random rifle off at Low Budget. I attacked out to try to kill one of the two and lost to the musket at 63% odds, but it weakened it enough hopefully my axe I moved there can beat it when he attacks. Have two rifles reinforcing next turn.




In other news Jowy's stack that has been sitting in the same spot for multiple turns suddenly decided to move

Makes ya wonder...... Now mind I had logged in and out a lot trying to fix my screenshot issue, but still a little spooky.

Also, in other annoying multiplayer issues I found Charriu's city and it is in Cairoland not OH, so OH declared war with Charriu literally to get on the second half of the turn timer and then have justification for attacking me while I was also at war with Charriu...... Anyways, probably a mistake as I've been able to get units to defend cities using the first half of the turn.


Edit: OH is also blockading Mixed Drinks. Which stopped its Frigate production and is making it starve since it was cut off from happy resources.

[El Grillo]

Oh yeah, the CtH blockade implementation does have that nasty effect on island cities pre-Airports.

[Mjmd]

Jowy if your reading this, stop.

I actually think he was just going back to meet the rest of his army and I got unfortunate.

You know how I was trying to keep Jowy weak and how I kept trying to hit his army in a favorable exchange ect ect. YAAAAAA this is why. Inevitable 2v1 has BEGUN! 



29 rifles and 12 cannon (28 assuming 1 takes the free city)
vs 23 rifles and 16 cats, I can upgrade 1 longbow to a rifle making it 24 (reason for wealth build). I get first hit. Its going to be bloody. I'll wait until he moves outside Skags. I should kill off all the cannon as cats will bring rifles low enough. I'll then be on a hill in a city with a little bit of culture defense. Will see how much damage cats do and how much I can attack after killing the cannon. 

I could try to get some of my southern rifles up, but past Skags he can move along the hill. Plus I actually have to worry about the southern cities in 5 turns as peace with Charriu expires. I'm building a rifle in FlyingBarbarian with no barracks as I have 5 rifles down there total atm. Desperate times ect.

Good thing is that it will free up some expenses. You'll note my change in tech due to OH change. BTW OH is being active killing my scouting units. My chariot watching Cairo AT work got killed. My horse archer in Cairo land bridge will probably kick the bucket next turn. I just got 1 back there!

I've sent requests to Cairo to have him close borders with OH as his Frigates continue to starve Mixed Drinks down. I've even switched Pancakes off of statue to produce a frigate.  Also, requested AT close borders with Jowy I can trap his remaining injured army. 


I'm also doing a ton of uncertain calculus in the SW seas to keep all my cities alive, but that requires screenshot splicing and its 11:30pm. Nice thing about new tech path is airships will eventually solve this. I probably should have been going for them after Frigates anyways.


Cairo has cav and took AT capital so I expect AT to collapse fast now that Cairo has cav (I was hoping he wouldn't, but ah well). At least AT land is long away from him. Part of the reason I was able to take over Charriu so fast is we shared a long border I could attack across at different points.

[El Grillo]

Hmm, any chance OH is willing to sign peace and go after Cairo while Cairo's army is tied up in the east?

[Mjmd]

As a reminder I've razed 9 cities of Carthage and he clearly thinks I need to be slowed down. Sure he could burn every coastal city of Cairo on that side of the continent, but ya no chance. I guess I'll offer again next turn. Although it might only encourage him.

I knew this was coming. There is a reason my slow army is still over there. I just didn't expect Jowy's to be as large......

[El Grillo]

Fair enough, OH is likely to be an implacable enemy. But... while I'm feeling uncharacteristically optimistic, any chance Jowy will be content to just take some cities off of AT?

[Mjmd]

Rofl. He is usually prompt about playing his turn so very clearly going to attack me. I offered him fish for attacking AT before our charriu capital standoff. Again not unexpected. Leading civ in the middle of the map. Much will depend on how fast Cairo takes out AT. He would have the least to gain from attacking me as whatever he takes one of the others would contest. That being said if given an opening he will attack too. Nice thing about this this route is golden age is much needed!

[Mjmd]

Too lazy to PM I think we all can check the diplo screen at this point so:

AT/Cairo I'm 3rd in turn split
OH/Mjmd I'm 3rd in turn split

Ty ty

Well that answers my earlier unanswered question about just declaring on AT. Also, HE DECLARED ON AT!!!!!!!!! Separate stack or did he split current? Please have split, please have split, please have split. Tune in in 12 hours when I post the answer! 

I'm also curious how many AT cities he plans on taking. Is it just the border one to allow him better access? If I destroy his entire army will he peace out and keep going into AT, provoking Cairo?

Please have split, please have split, please have split.

[Mjmd]

UMMMMM. If your going to go all against AT why not wait 2 turns to declare on me? Why give me the extra reaction time. Maybe he has another reinforcement stack coming? He could have sent his stack through AT (open borders) at me declaring, THEN sent like 4 units at AT.


I switched around some builds after this picture. Skags started on a cat that should finish by time Jowy is there (3 turns). BerserkerHalfling switched to wealth which I should have done last turn as I doubt I'll own it in 7 turns the forge would finish. I probably should have razed it, but I thought there was a descent shot of taking the capital. Now Charriu could take it back reinstating the culture.

I have a horrible feeling about what OH is up to and I could have stopped it last turn. We will see. I'll tell you what it was next turn, don't want to jinx it. Naval SW situation has remained unchanged.

Speaking of I've come up with a better plan than building double the number of frigates than he is. I'm going to start building wealth / research when current builds are done and brute force to airships. Only other thing to worry about is OH finishing scientific method and then trying to steal whichever great person I'm not going for (great spy, which is also less beakers). Now I'm thinking of putting 1 turn research (overflow and like 40% research) into communism to guard against this, but will mull it over.

I really should have seen this coming. I mean I kind of did, but yaaaaa that 2k beakers in steam power is glaring at me. I could have also skipped corporations temporarily and just be building airships right now. I also regret some infrastructure builds vs military. All hindsight. I've never played against humans this late obviously. Against computers I've always found just getting to factories and infantry is key both for military and production edges, but they don't fight naval wars like OH! They do play a little like Jowy just with more ancient era stuff in their stacks.