[SPOILERS] Land of Chaos - HitAnyKey

[HitAnyKey]

Yeah pretty much.

Just remember to check "Random seed on reload", so that if you save and reload you get different results

Got a few tests in. The results weren't great, but it seemed even with 0.4% odds of an unpromoted archer vs his Combat I, 25% Fortified on a Jungle Hill Archer....more than half the time it was damaged enough for the sword to be able to kill it without also having to use up the promotion I have available for it. I'd rather not have to give it Combat I in order to kill the archer so that I can hopefully in the future give it City Attack instead.
Now this is all only if plako doesn't move the Archer back home upon seeing that it now has an a Sword & Archer on one side, another Archer on the other side, and a Axe & Spear not too far away.

Also, with his talk, I decided I better just whip the Settler. As much as I'm trying to get the population of my capital and other cities up high, I can't let him beat me to that region. If I don't have issues with protective units not being in proper places at the right time, I should be able to settle the city in 3 turns if my calculations are correct.

I was also really hoping Sunrise & Elkad would log in tonight before I had to go to bed, so that I could maybe even log in before plako and take the risky move of trying to kill that archer (doing the suicide archer --> sword method). But that won't be happening, since I'm tired and it's already late. And plako is in a different timezone than me, so he'll be playing while I'm sleeping.

[AutomatedTeller]

You might have to offer him a free walk out - unless he goes south, he's dead if he steps off that tile, and if he goes south, the axe will still be able to pin him jungle soon.

At least here, he can take a unit with him.

[HitAnyKey]

And that's what I should have done, because I obviously have the worst luck in the world. Lost THREE units (2 archers & a sword) trying to unseat that archer and it's still at 2/3 health. WTF?!
Once I started, I just had to keep going. My first archer did no damage whatsoever. In the dozen or so tests I ran, the archer at least did SOME damage every time.
Now plako's gonna have an archer that's gonna get massive XP just because I wanted to try to kill one of his units finally.
And now I needed to whip out my chariot and alter some of my other productions to get out military faster than I needed to before so that I can have enough protection out there for the settler. I really did not want to whip Dragon's Mouth, as that city needs to grow for utilizing all those improved tiles around it.
Because of this stupid turn, I just dropped from 4th in power down to 11th. I really do suck at combat tactics. Oh well. I should have just gone to sleep.

[HitAnyKey]

Well I know I am now totally F***ed. I truly have no idea what to do now. If I hesitate I know for a fact that plako will get a settler over to either the Iron (most likely) or down to the fish. And that’ll essentially lock me out from getting a city in that area. But if I get my settler over there ASAP (which I’m still not even 100% I can do in 2 turns because of those stupid attacks) my only defense for a little while will be the Axe & Spear. And the Axe will most likely need to get put onto the Iron while the workers work it. Tthat is, if plako doesn’t manage to double move me this time (which he seems pretty good at usually) and take them with his archer (which he can probably promote massively, capture the workers, and even with losing the 25% fortification bonus I STILL won’t be able to kill).
I’ve whipped out a Chariot from Dragon’s Mouth so that will rush over, a Sword up in Hard Knocks will be complete in 3 turns, and if I get a chance to log in before the turn flips I suppose I now need to change the production in PoD from the library (which a forest chop was going to go into) to an Archer or something that will make it get built in 1 or 2 turns.
But in either case, even if I get this city settled, I have a feeling it’s going to be tough to keep. Plako will most likely go full force trying to get that Iron.

Which is the worst case scenario? I build the city, which plako then causes grief around (and maybe tries to attack)? Or plako gets a city built in that area and my settler has to go elsewhere, such as north to my barren wastelands? I know if he doesn’t try to go after those workers, that his archer will probably sit on that hill forever. So with that being the only hill in the immediate vicinity of where the city would be, it loses access to a potential mine (only being able to use the Iron mine when built). But I’m currently still leaning towards trying to get a city over there, since I think I may be more screwed if he gets one there first.

I suppose an alternate option is to not go that far east. Is there another tile (that gets the iron in the city’s first ring) that might be more suitable? I wasn’t able to get a picture taken last night since I was so frustrated at my stupidity, but right now if you look at the prior picture my 2 workers are 1 tile east of where they were (they will insta-road that tile next turn) , and the Axe/Spear are standing on the Iron. I hit the button too fast, and realized after the fact I should have left the spear un-moved in case plako moved the archer towards the workers, as then I could move the spear onto them to protect them.
Should I maybe consider just dumping the settler into the jungle north of the Iron and moving the Spear back there? I didn’t want the city there originally because it overlaps too many other things, plus it fully opens up the area SE for plako to get the Fish site (a city right on that southern forest….it gets two fish). But is that my only option at this point? Thoughts on a city there vs a city on the east side of the Iron?
My settler is currently in Mt Whacko. So with the workers insta-roading, next turn the settler could move right onto the jungle north of the Iron. And the turn after I could have the city planted.
Otherwise, settler moves onto the Iron with the Axe/Spear and the following turn the city could get settled on the river tile 1E of the Iron where I was originally planning.

I know the first tile is safer, quicker, and if I can get a monument & library built fast enough, it’s culture will try to fight for the Gems. Actually, before I even start thinking about this….will the game even let me settle on that spot? It’s only 2 tiles from Rotterdam, and I think I recall that a city has to be 3 tiles away. If that’s the case….then I truly have no idea of what other alternatives I have other than settling the city 1E of Iron.

Please, begging for a little guidance here. I need to find a way to fix my stupidity. I know that's a tough task, but I need to at least try. Even if I leave myself open to being steamrolled by plako.

[Rowain]

It’s only 2 tiles from Rotterdam, and I think I recall that a city has to be 3 tiles away. I

Yes a city needs to be 3 tiles away from any other city (except IIRC if its across sea).

[HitAnyKey]

Yes a city needs to be 3 tiles away from any other city (except IIRC if its across sea).

That settles it then....I'm screwed. I messed up in a big way. Me, and my damn impatience.
If only I had waited to deal with that archer until after I had built my city.

[AutomatedTeller]

I recently looked at plako's thread, so I can't give any in-game guidance. I will give some general advice:

You did something you thought would be good and it turned out badly and now you feel like you made a mistake. A bad result can come from a good process. Maybe it was a bad decision, maybe it wasn't. it worked out about as badly as it could have.

That said - you still have escorts for a settler, so if that's a high priority for you, you can still get it out.

Some other lurkers should give some thoughts, though. I'm guessing I have little credibility right now

The main thing is that that was a setback, but probably not a disaster. You still have your cities and no one is attacking you

[waterbat]

Well, you have an iron. You see that plako just got iron working and it heading that way, so that is probably "his" iron. I think you have to expect him to fight for that resource area. So its fight a bloody battle over a resource you already have, or concede it... for now?

I agree with AT though (also have no credibility), its not a disaster at all! There's a lot of jungle in that area - perhaps there is better land in other directions for you to take?

[HitAnyKey]

Let the insanity commence!!

I'm sure plako will take my 2 workers, I needed that road to get my settler over there. But if he does, he has no way to get them home easily.

To the east of Bunny Foo Foo (the northern spear) he has an archer & a chariot protecting a worker that is obviously going to get a mine on those gems.
Last turn I whipped out both the Chariot and the new Sword. Sadly the chariot is one tile short of being able to protect the workers. The other sword will head SE to come help with whatever he can.

Right now, it all depends on what plako does. I'll log in after he plays to grab another screen shot and let ya'll know my actual plan for next turn. Since I can't actually make a plan until I know what he does.

[AutomatedTeller]

Huh - that's a bunch of archers plako is moving there. Mr Pokey can cover the workers, right? I don't think you want them out there on their own...