[Mjmd #60] Why even buy toys for kids?

[El Grillo]

Building the Mausoleum mid-GA does not extend an ongoing GA, unless of course you fire another GA.

[Mjmd]

T106

Thanks El Grillo!

Got HG. Note demos are from after whipping. HG really should fall earlier than this...... It real good. 3 people knew math before me. Amica was the most likely to steal as I know via GLH that also has masonry. Demo's are better...... STILL BAD. Also new city shown. Because I don't have IW I'm actually taking the weird step of farming grasslands. BTW I had 2 forests grow between it and water over history, which should allow me to 1 turn MoM. City will be fantastic later.



Good news:

-GKC declared on Jowy and razed??? a city from him. I'm assuming auto raze? Still anything to drag Jowy back.
-I may be able to start currency research next turn? If not turn after.
-SD researched alphabet. The reason this is good news is that the MAIN reason to research is to build research (we voted no on spies). IE SD SHOULDN'T be planning an immediate attack. He did settle the spot near clam I predicted.

[Mjmd]

T107

Someone remind me why I didn't leave a 2nd ring forest for Tools that Logs could have taken........ I think I expected to need 4 forests for HG and then I auto piloted when I only needed 3. Now I'm doing MoM math and its like oh ya 6 forests is the 1 turn number........... um IDIOT YOU CHOPPED THE 6TH FOREST!!!! So it might be a 3-4 turn build (working 1 mine and 1 engineer.......)? Estimated time 11 turns for forge +4 turns for MoM = 16 turns. Great person in 17 turns, seems about right! I have a scout in Amica's land as well looking for activity. I may move my other scout to Jowy soon.

Jowy has a sugar connected which is um why I'm doing math....... He did just get attacked by GKC, so hopefully some of his plans got disrupted.

SD looks to be going for a site somewhere around deer.

I turned on currency this turn. Should be in 4.

[Mjmd]

T108 because for you read stuff?

I got tech visibility on Lazteuq this turn....... Math in 5 . Man are they hurting. Maybe instead of stealing AP they should have done an early golden age. Just chucking it out there. For the record I did not mean to get tech visibility of them......  


Amica's teching something. Best place for MoM would be Catfish that I'm currently with 4 forests. Amica is probably about full up on cities though, so I could see just taking early tech lead to construction and HBR to go smack some face. Preferably on the steal all the things I wanted the hated Maya.

SD production is astounding. I'm willing to bet he is on all mines building research for currency atm. I'm still 2nd. Working on improving it. My military power is puny. I'm working on getting some org forge boosted barracks online to then start pumping.

Rome has a settler going for the gems SE of me. I don't know if it was noticed, but I left a wide birth in that area vs my encroachment on SD to the north.

I don't think I mentioned it but I'll be working on Maoi soon (finally). Should also be done before golden age.

Other random thoughts is I think Tools is producing a worker next. I'm like 1 short empire wide right now. Rocks is going go naturally build a settler. Unsure when I want to settle the northern filler. I imagine all filler should be filled pre golden age? So have to figure that out.

[Mjmd]

T113

Settled Tarkeel Filler spot. Its taking capital wheat temporarily. Named "Doors" as Tarkeel suggested Kitchen Doors earlier.

Rocks is 3 turning settlers for a couple more spots. Sticks will 2 pop whip a settler soon.

In unrelated news...... Amica is up to 18 cities!!!!! I'm honestly not sure how...... Must have really pushed north as actually has 1 less than me in their SE. I thought maybe they had 2 cities on that little jutt with the Oasis, but nope. If I settled both those spots I could get to 17...... I probably should. 1 would have to steal Boxes fish or Sticks Deer. Scout is gong south now though instead of solving that mystery, not really relevant.

SD chopped out a library to try to steal deer. I whipped a monastery turn before, so right now its his 4 culture / turn vs my 3. I have like 8 more culture on it atm. I should be able to whip my own library in time to hold it /shrug.

Both Jowy and GKC getting hit by this war it looks like. Jowy lost another city and GKC is getting triremed. With Tarkeel filler I can put pressure on Jowy in 10 turns. Also, Vikings are definetely under played. I'm jelous just looking at his 3 movers.

[Mjmd]

Amica wants a reload for a worker missclick on T114? Two possibilities. Moved into enemy fire on accident. OR more concerning is also going for MoM. I'm still like 6 turns away.

[Mjmd]

T117

Its been a second, but I honestly haven't been doing anything...... This turn I did things. Settled two new cities and whipped forge for MoM.SD is building massive amounts of either wealth or research and also got Calendar last turn. I am confused but ok with it hopefully. Jowy doesn't realize he is financial and has been lumber milling his forests so I don't think I'm scared there (I didn't see any chops on way through). Now lumber mills to then chop would make sense, but he surely would have already built if that was the case. Hopefully will have new picture in a couple turns with last two natural cities and a new shiny. 

[Mjmd]

T118

So I thought it would be a 3 turn build. I believe**** (maths) that I will have EXACTLY the hammers for a two turn build. I purposefully worked a grassland forest 1 turn on the forge not knowing if it would matter or not!


I also will have Maoi next turn. Pretty late for an Ind leader honestly. Only GKC has built thus far in his capital. The age old best city for it vs faster = better. I probably would not have chosen Sand if I hadn't been Ind to be fair.

To note 3 people have CoL (Jowy, Amica, and ??? Lazteuq???), 5 people have IW (I'm only one who doesn't), BUT no one has construction!!! Which has to be some kind of realms record right; at least recently.

Which brings me to general game thoughts before things start heating up. 

Imperialistic has kind of been a bust this game. I believe main factors were both the difficulty but also map shape. There just weren't any contested locations to race to. Also the thin crescent shape meant distance maintenance was a larger factor than a generic blob (Serdoa in PB58 explaining distance maintenance as rings from capital really made me more aware of this in my PB56 game which was a slightly fatter crescent basically).

Industrious has been weak; in my hands at least. You might say "BUT MJMD YOU'VE GOTTEN MOST OF THE WONDERS!!!!" Correct, but I've had to give up other things for them and at best they have been keeping me even. For instance some major cities like Rocks STILL don't have granaries because I delayed pottery so long to get to Priesthood. I also didn't get one of the most important wonders for this map in Stonehenge. I probably would have been better served just choosing an economic trait and trying to just get to them sooner. That being said Industrious forges have been AMAZING, which is often what defenders of Ind will point to. I would be in favor of buffing the national wonder production bonus (which I was unsure of going into this game). 

Don't sleep on SD folks. He has really been making use of creative for his economy. I realize writing this that he almost 100% was building wealth (I wasn't sure which post currency) due to all his libraries. He has actually managed his empire the best of the non economic trait civs in my opinion thus far. For instance GKC, SD, and Laz (with Stonehenge) all has good access to all the fish and SD has so far emerged as the best of the 3. GKC despite having a partial economic trait in agg and the same creative trait as SD was lagging behind even before Jowy invaded with a bunch of triremes. I really wish I could switch SD and Lazteuq. Not only is Lazteuq looking weaker, but they keep stealing my stuff!!!!!

To be fair I've been using my org fast forges to build some markets which will help me long term.

Again I've been using wonders to 'keep' up, but I do think its put a target on my head. Amica has made a couple of in game comments after I've gotten a wonder such as "congrats on another wonder". I recently sent Amica a "you go to war with laztueq and I go to war vs SD" message. Which again geographically makes sense and Amica gets the easier target. Amica did not respond. To note had a warrior down by logs just casually looking at my MoM prep.

Edit: to be fair I don't remember if I sent Amica that message T116 or T117. If it was T117 they haven't had a chance to reply yet although Van has logged in since.

[Mjmd]

T120

I got MoM to continue being relevant. Meanwhile incoming everyone freaks out Mjmd got MoM . I'm basically 2nd last in teching atm. 

Settled last two peaceful cities. FREE RELIGION SPREADS PLEASE!!!!!! Seriously I think I've gotten 2 the whole game (to be fair the one in Rocks was super important).


GKC and Jowy made peace. The two galleys heading SW in the last picture and the new trireme now headed to other sea in this picture were 100% up to nothing I swear. Seriously though I built an axe and a trireme out of Boxes which could have been building a market, so there was a cost. Poor Boxes. It has to do everything for the NW.

[Mjmd]

T123 Launched 1st golden age. Jowy launched his last turn. I'm just behind 2nd person in GNP (I'm assuming its Amica). So ya I am now relevant (I am purposefully not going to do binary during golden age). Getting construction for safety, then IW, and then top of the tree.



If you look closely you can see Rocks 3 turning The Great Wall for the GP points. Trying to chain golden ages as much as possible. Main problem is I have to really hope for odds in Rocks as all my people will come from there. So right now working scientist (will go up to two after wall) and an engineer. I'll build a temple before next GP pops. Whatever I don't get I should be able to pivot to others, but will still have a like 20% chance of getting duplicate, but shrug.