[spoilers] Commodore is strategic in Pitboss 74

[klops]

if people travel too fast, their heads might explode
(that's actually something, a couple people believed 100 years ago)

regarding plemo and the hut...

Antarktis is bigger than expected, maybe even worth 3 towns if there are more resources

[Commodore]

Combat 1 rather than Nav 1 on the GG Galleon?

Yeah, this wasn't something I hit with the GG fresh...it was already C1 from Bing Battles and I needed something quickly. No regrets now, as 4.4 definitely defends against a caravel (3 strength) better than just 4.

Antarktis is bigger than expected, maybe even worth 3 towns if there are more resources

Well, I just settled in such a way as to preclude a third city.

I'm generally okay with not perfectly maximizing every single spot for these overseas cities. There's not the time to perfectly grow every single city into a perfect little flower; what I'm looking for is any spot with a decent solo food supply and at least a couple forests to chop...that speeding up is important.

[Commodore]

Another 48 hours, another turn trickles in. RNG, you gonna compensate me?

Acceptable. It's no education or gunpowder, but 400 beakers is still worthwhile...


It has to really suck to fight Vikings with negative naval technology.

Fortunately...

... Operation PYFT is looking forward to having better boats:




Six more good cities here, and a filler or two. Now the older eyes can feel free to critique the dotmap.

[DaveV]

Since you called my bluff, I guess I have to comment on the dotmap.

You said already you're not trying to cram in as many cities as possible. Do you have an easy source of culture? Most of those cities are pretty weak without a border pop.

It seems the map has given you a choice between whales or fish. I've often found whales to be a very welcome source of happiness in my FfH games, but I know they expire in the more reality-based version of the game, and there are more options to keep cities happy. Although it seems unlikely to me that you'll ever pop 3rd ring borders to be able to work the whales, orphaning a fish tile is probably the greater sin.

It might be worth settling Diplomacy just to have a site with some production capability to produce garrisons. I assume you'll have to defend these cities pretty strongly at some point when an enemy can set up a forking attack against most of them simultaneously.

[Commodore]

You said already you're not trying to cram in as many cities as possible. Do you have an easy source of culture? Most of those cities are pretty weak without a border pop.

It seems the map has given you a choice between whales or fish. I've often found whales to be a very welcome source of happiness in my FfH games, but I know they expire in the more reality-based version of the game, and there are more options to keep cities happy. Although it seems unlikely to me that you'll ever pop 3rd ring borders to be able to work the whales, orphaning a fish tile is probably the greater sin.

It might be worth settling Diplomacy just to have a site with some production capability to produce garrisons. I assume you'll have to defend these cities pretty strongly at some point when an enemy can set up a forking attack against most of them simultaneously.

I have some plans in the near future that will really help the culture situation...Caste System (allows for Scientist/Merchant/Artist hiring without buildings) plus Mercantilism (no foreign trade routes, but gain +1 specialist per city)...so not only are borders easy to pop, but even 3rd-ring is surprisingly cheap. Caste also supercharges workshops, so production is a lot easier on grounds permitting them (so not ice/tundra). 

Which is the problem for those Antarctic cities...tundra hill mines will work okay for lighthouses/granaries/courthouses I guess, but that ice fish village needs slaving to get anything out at all. It might not be a viable settle until Kremlin Universal Suffrage.

[Commodore]

I'm sure you are all most interested to read how the Paya Plan Paid. Well, hello to my German readers particularly interested, as YOU are well aware, four defenders are freshly available in here now, so no dice.


On the opposite side of the world, looks like the barbarians spawned archer defenders, so a bit of a tricky bust. On the plus side, these are not even remotely a threat. Wonder if this thing spawned due to an oil blue circle.


The RNG didn't completely mess me up with the great person spawn so I am not too upset with how this turn turned out. I just need to get myself some pacifism and I will be able to launch a very productive golden age that should see me quite close to Communism by the end with any luck.


Turn 151 questions for any of you? Obviously, I have peaceful means of expansion so I know I don't have the thrilling tactical ins and outs that some people have while I just attacked the center of the tech tree with vim and vigor. I think my empire is pretty.

The complete lack of any super city is interesting to me on this one, I really am not used to being in a competitive position without something that appears in the top five screen. Sad wonders, except I guess the Temple of Artemis just gave me my third GP at the perfect time.

Demographics are telling a very nice story right now with regards to crop yield and GNP, the manufacturing has at least been somewhat fixed as well. The power is actually better than it looks in some ways, galleons don't have massive power ratings but they are huge when no one else has any way to answer them, and only a few people actually even have optics. I am hopeful that this will be a very productive golden age up ahead.

Ask yer questions and I'll answer.

[Mjmd]

Assuming communism is for Kremlin fun?

[Commodore]

Assuming communism is for Kremlin fun?

Kremlin, Great Spy for GA #3, and probably State Property for a while until the Great Person production can manage to land Creative Constructions/Mining Inc/Sid's Sushi options.

[Thoth]

I'm sure you are all most interested to read how the Paya Plan Paid. Well, hello to my German readers particularly interested, as YOU are well aware, four defenders are freshly available in here now, so no dice.

That's unfortunate.

I wonder how that might have happened. 

[Commodore]

Annoying, but nothing for it. Plemo has a caravel scouting my New World, so there's no world where I'm comfortable with him having southern coastal ports anymore. Tarkac is about to get relief from these fleet pressures.

BIG relief, with any luck.


I'm going to tattoo the CtH cheap buildings on my inner eyelids. First I was Phi and neglected Monasteries. Then I was Pro and missed Markets. Now I'm Fin and forgot Banks. Big oops. These are going to be a huge boost in the half dozen cities I put them in, stupid of me to delay Banking this long.


I'm prepping for the golden age. Blitzkrieg is my poor man's GP pump for now; worthless capital Civilization actually has 157/400 in the pool so it'd be easy to get something out of there ASAP, then we have the choice between here and the increasingly abused Bismarck (smaller, but 50/500). I think I'm actually going to slow-roll out of here for the 600 GPP...if I don't mind annoying Tarkac too much, that means its probably the Great Artist for Golden Age #3. Staying in Pacifism/Caste after the golden age will help.

...in the future I think I'm going to ignore Bing's settled GG and make War at Sea a GP pump. Very nice food available, high health cap, the works. I'm sad to not be able to Moai this and make it a naval super-city, but it's about investment...just need to be size ten and can run 7 specialists. I might consider temple and grocer if I look at dropping Caste, because then it'll be a mixed pool of interest. 

I love this era of Civilization 4.