[SPOILERS] Toute ma vie, je me suis fait une certaine idée de la Corée

[MYKI]

Apologies for the sparse reporting. The sad truth is that there's not a huge amount to say in the early turns once you've lost your scout. Unless you're really good, I guess.

Well here it is...




New things:

1. Second worker
2. Double chopping a settler
3. Finishing my warrior (next turn)
4. Expanding to two population by building a fishing boat around the settler

[Gavagai]

What turn do you expect your settler to come out? How large will be you capital by that point?

[MYKI]

It's turn 23 now, and I'll have fishing next turn. Settler production is eight hammers per turn. Two chops is 40, and if I take two turns of building a fishing boat my city will pop to two and I can whip it back down to one again for another 30 hammers. Then I need five turns of production on top of that, so I reckon the settler will be produced in T30 to settle on the plains hill on T33. My capital will be at one, but then I'll knock out the fishing boat and things should start to improve. Not massively impressive, I'll grant, but I also have two workers and a warrior.

[MYKI]

So all going to plan. I even have a mine 1E of the capital, and am about to build a farm on the river between Seoul and the soon-to-be City 2. I think. That or another mine 1NE of the capital, and I really can't make my mind up.

But anyway, what I came here to share with you for (that's an inelegant phrase, isn't it - that for which I came here with you to share? but i digress) is that Barry Lyndon was first to Hinduism. So he is a) weaker than would have been reasonable to assume and b) a riper fruit. So this pushes me further into the going for it camp.

[MYKI]

So I did this graph. It's of when people in PB13 built their second, third and fourth cities (I was bored in an airport, alright?). I have left out those who didn't say which turns they achieved this feat. I also left out Bacchus, because losing your second city throws stuff out a little (poor Bacchus). Also, a lot of people gained their fourth city through conquest, and I counted that.

It has taught me two things:

1) I need a bigger dataset to make a graph look meaningful.

2) I'm feeling quite good about getting my second city out next turn (T32). The only problem is, a review of the early turns of PB13 made me think that perhaps getting an early City 2 isn't that important after all. Often, for example, a late City 2 leads to an early City 3. But I need copper to kill Barry Lyndon (is this still a good idea?). And instinctively getting the first three cities in early feels like a good idea. Snowballs etc.

Anyway, here I am at T31:



The game continues...

[MYKI]

It is done.



The daringly-named Mine de cuivre has been built. Two workers will start working on the copper mine next turn, and there is a warrior fortified on it for good measure. Until it can start doing axes, the city is working the new river grassland farm and building a barracks (not least for the culture benefit).

Some questions with which I'm wrestling:

1) Is this Barry Lyndon thing a good idea? I still think it is, but PB13 and Gavagai both suggest otherwise. But I wanna.
2) Is my dotmap too compressed? Obviously I have no culture bonuses, so it seems alright. Lots of food sharing. And I would imagine the game will be pretty much decided by the time their lack of space becomes an issue. Along a similar line, is 3 then 4 the right order? Gold would be nice.
3) What shall I do after the Wheel? Sailing for Project Barry Lyndon is my current thinking, followed by Granaries for granaries and Hunting for spears.
4) I want to whip lots, but should I be making the most of MYKI's charisma and going vertical?
5) Going for wonders in a 33 player game seems like a fool's errand, even though I'm industrious. In taking this line, though, am I missing some beautiful opportunities?
6) In one turn I will have completed my workboat. What should the capital do next? It looks like it's going to become my main production city. There are two medium-term objectives: 1) whip out a settler and 2) build the galley for Project Barry Lyndon. But I need other stuff to build while I grow, and before copper is hooked up and I have sailing. Do I go barracks? Or scout (I'd love to know what's to my W - there's likely to be someone quite close). Or warrior for scouting?

Those are the questions with which I'm wrestling.

[Commodore]

General lurker, but a few "broad advice" strokes:

1) Is this Barry Lyndon thing a good idea? I still think it is, but PB13 and Gavagai both suggest otherwise. But I wanna.
2) Is my dotmap too compressed? Obviously I have no culture bonuses, so it seems alright. Lots of food sharing. And I would imagine the game will be pretty much decided by the time their lack of space becomes an issue. Along a similar line, is 3 then 4 the right order? Gold would be nice.
3) What shall I do after the Wheel? Sailing for Project Barry Lyndon is my current thinking, followed by Granaries for granaries and Hunting for spears.
4) I want to whip lots, but should I be making the most of MYKI's charisma and going vertical?
5) Going for wonders in a 33 player game seems like a fool's errand, even though I'm industrious. In taking this line, though, am I missing some beautiful opportunities?
6) In one turn I will have completed my workboat. What should the capital do next? It looks like it's going to become my main production city. There are two medium-term objectives: 1) whip out a settler and 2) build the galley for Project Barry Lyndon. But I need other stuff to build while I grow, and before copper is hooked up and I have sailing. Do I go barracks? Or scout (I'd love to know what's to my W - there's likely to be someone quite close). Or warrior for scouting?

1. It's not optimal, but if its fun it is fun.
2. No such thing as too compressed! Pack 'em in and share.
3. Pottery delay means cottage delay, too.
4. Either is useful, but if you wanna whip, granaries my son.
5. Forges and national wonders, woo.
6. Yes!

[Gavagai]

I never suggested that attacking BL is a bad idea. Nor that it is a good one.

[MYKI]

Thanks for the input, both of you. Now in a massive dither between pottery and sailing. Pottery probably delays Project Barry Lyndon by five turns (this is a guess), so I'd be attacking Ponyville or whatever just after T60. Hopefully by then he will have built Stonehenge and NO UNITS AT ALL. Especially not chariots.

But on the plus side the two axemen would both have City Raider One. And all in all it's more sensible - if I can manage Project Barry Lyndon without wasting quite so many of these crucial early turns it will be a good thing. So I am now researching pottery, but reserve the right to swerve to sailing at the last moment.

[MYKI]