Turn 14 - 3480 BC

[Kloreep]

Map from end of last turn:

<img src="http://www.apolyton.net/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=4438765">

This turn we get to choose our next tech to research. There seems to be some support for Animal Husbandry given that we have a better-than-warrior military unit secured?

Longer-term, that copper tile will be great once we can get it mined. It's currently at 1 food 2 hammers, the mine will add +3 hammers for a 5 hammer tile!

[Kloreep]

BTW, one consideration on tech choice...

I'm not sure that we can get the copper to Berlin without a road. The river does not seem to count as touching the copper tile. And roads require The Wheel.

Of course, Animal Husbandry already takes 10 turns to research. Spending an initial 7 on The Wheel would put the pig pasture a further ways into the future.

[polarnomad]

Would be a pity to lose simply because a silly warrior showed up at our undefended borders, but then if roads aren't yet needed Animal Husbandry is more important. I'll set up a similar situation in the World Builder when I get back from work in the morning to see if roads are needed.

I guess the next city is a toss-up between hoarding all the copper in the region or getting access to stone.

[Kloreep]

We won't have either copper or another military tech in time for the completion of the worker, so a warrior will be our only option for a military build (and a good one I think, we indeed don't want to lose just because someone takes a chance with a warrior). We can have military, just not a unit better than 2 strength till we either hook up the copper or research Archery.

[Cptn Fancypants]

I advocated Animal Husbandry a few days ago, so I'll play devil's advocate now.

If we can't be comfortable leaving our empire's defenses to a few warriors for the next 20+ turns (the time to research Animal Husbandry, then research The Wheel, then connect our copper, and then build an axeman or spearman), then we should research The Wheel right now.

[polarnomad]

Having messed around with the world builder to set up a situation similar to Berlin with a river entering the ocean at the corner of a copper tile, it seems we will definitely need The Wheel. Copper will not get hooked up to Berlin automatically in our case.

[UnOrthOdOx]

I prefer the wheel personally. Sooner we get axes, the better. Forget about archery for now.

7 turns to wheel?

Worker in 2 turns
4 (5?) turns to mine the copper
Now we have wheel, start AH: 10 turns
2 turns to road copper, 2 turns to road 6 of the copper to connect copper.
1 turn move 6-6 to forest, 4 turns chop an axeman. That puts us at 9 turn/10 for AH. Either road that tile or move to the pigs and skip as we would get AH the following turn.

[polarnomad]

Sounds like a plan.

So, in the six available turns from when the worker is built to when we can start chopping out the axeman, shall we build a warrior?

Berlin will grow to size 2 in about 9 or 10 turns.

We are moving back the possibility of beginning to chop out a settler about 15 turns... The dilemna of security versus expansion is a tough decision, since we are crippled in our ability to expand by the very policies of the mercenary concept.

EDIT: 500th post BTW. :love: *hugs his internet family* ;)

[UnOrthOdOx]

We need at least 2 military units before we can think of building a settler anyway, we are not pushing that back.

I would say: Warrior, switch to axe in time for the chop bonus if warrior not finished. 2nd axe, aka settler escort build while we pasture the pigs, then Settler, MAYBE waiting till size 3 if we're a turn or two away from growth before the settler

[polarnomad]

Onwards to Turn 15 (http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=153028) .