[spoilers] Commodore's 69 Techniques

[Charriu]

Well at least you have something to pop borders now

[Commodore]

Well at least you have something to pop borders now

Pop...borders...?

The plan was to make a 3x3 ICS grid, but I guess we're nearer to Caste now.

[Mjmd]

 Really hope one has a tech to help my dog's breakfast of a start.

Gotta be more specific with your requests.

[Commodore]

So what, pray tell, is a Commodore to do? The map is pretty tight but not crazily so. Players can reasonably expect to get their “first ring” cities unless they dwaddle ridiculously slow. Second ring sites will be contested in general, although obviously the vargaries of the map might affect some borders and give a few safe backlines. The tectonics script makes very E-W oriented continents, so I’m fairly certain I have a couple rivals for those plainshill sheep spots out east. I’d like to be able to scout west soon, because there’s someone who wants that direction too if its an isthmus and not a peninsula. I’m clearly pretty equatorial, so the south land could be a little safe peninsula, or it might loop into a rival’s back yard as well. Scout will start looping north and west now to see who’s up there in the main continental mass. The nice thing about tectonics being fairly predictable is that I can go ahead a make a bet that the main interior continent will be a slow place to be settled, being typically very dry and mountainous.

My starting techs are awful for this start. Need Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Fishing, Bronze Working, and Wheel just to get going here, which is why my mild annoyance with Mysticism-I actually only had two techs available for pop to not be helpful. The current timings I have look at the worker done t15, Agriculture+AH done t17 (so farm, then pasture, then mine). Fishing next would allow a work boat to hook things, but then Bronze Working isn’t seen even until t40. Going Bronze Working after AH speeds up the first settler (still a painful t33, ow) but then we’re scrambling for good tiles for a while. Not to mention the fact that fast second city there is hurting commerce until Sailing or Wheel. No point in going a second worker before settler, either, just not enough tiles to improve. I think I’m going to settle the eastern plains hill sharing cows and with lake/clam/ivory-when-popped as my default second city, but something south there might be better depending on copper/horse.

Long terms, these games have economy woes. I have a few possibilities to boost the economy…Protective and on the coast, obviously Great Lighthouse is attractive. Colossus is never a bad play on a natural map. Obviously, if stone presents itself then the Pyramids are beautiful for Spiritual. That said, I’m in the mood for something a little different. Mysticism opens up the chance for religion chasing. I think as soon as I can, I’m going to get Polytheism. After that, Priesthood is there, for temples and that, in turn, opens up the chance to Oracle…something. Monarchy is right there for wines, HR, and Serfdom, while there’s the off chance of getting Writing fast to try for an absurdly early Code of Laws for Caste System. That’s my direction, I think.

Obviously, cottages are the most important even still.

[Commodore]

I was disappointed a little on Civstats to see no score boost but I love this result.


Met a new buddy. It's...Magic Science, who gives me exactly one beaker of KTT on Agriculture, because he's starting the exact same set of of techs as me. I could have worse neighbors, but he's still not great.


That Oracle plan is looking a little more interesting...

[Commodore]

Okay RNG, you have the potential to really screw me here...

...but hey, 6-food tile. Probably one of about a dozen in the entire world.

[Commodore]

Panther wasn't much of a problem. Hut popped...
   
... okay. Informative.

[Tarkeel]

Panther wasn't much of a problem. Hut popped...

... okay. Informative.

Two new huts if nothing else?

[Commodore]

Panther wasn't much of a problem. Hut popped...

... okay. Informative.

Two new huts if nothing else?

Well, ideally, but actually Bing made it there first. 

[Commodore]

Well this is a busy little corner. Bing/Civac beat me to both huts, and led to Gavagai here, who went with an early Bronze Working. I'll take the KTB.

...and I thiiink I get another contact next turn with Mali? There's a chance its the Spanish under Nafullgroger, but I think the pink is discernable. So, more Fishing KTB no matter what, and probably some Wheel too.


Theoretical area. Khmer is speculatively "thataway", there might well be room for another. It's not a tight map, but it isn't huge either.