Ducki Does C3C at Emperor

[Theseus]

Originally posted by ducki
No matter, I currently and raping and pillaging the impudent Aztecs with Knights and Cavalry, grabbed his GLib city, picked up Education for free and am about to open a can of Black-hole-dark on Maya. I've spent the Aztec War years building nothing but Cav from my 4(?) barracks towns and nothing but Musket and Cannon/Treb from my non-barracks towns(between border-holding culture and happiness builds). All this during a Leo's triggered GA - confused me for turns, then I remembered I'd captured Pyramids and Mausollos from Brennus. Duh.

Anyway, this start is a good step up from Monarch - don't _plan_ on any wonders if you're new to Emperor, but hope for them. I'll try to remember to take a screenie and post a current save so Theseus can see how far I've come.

[heavy mechanical breathing]

You are my son, Ducki.

[/End heavy mechanical breathing]

[ducki]

I knew you'd get a kick out of that. It still feels a bit weird at first, but eventually it's habitforming. I mean, how can you not like a stack of cannon so big that you just fortify all but one so you can wake them up when you get your cavalry and muskets across the continent?

Unfortunately I sidetracked more than the thread and will just have to start again. This time, though, it'll be more comfortable.

[Theseus]

I'll put this up in Must Read in a little bit... I have to figure out how to make the link go to the right post in the discussion of Pumps.

I've been a way a little bit, so just caught up on this thread... great stuff, guys.

[ducki]

It can wait, Theseus. If I don't gather all the good stuff in one place in a week, you can use the "link" link at the top of the relevant post(s), but, as much as I like attention, I'd rather try to compile it into a more focused format with a link back to here for those that prefer to read all the gories.

Come to think of it, I don't really like attention.

[ducki]

This one surprised me

I didn't think it would work until I got the irrigation to that plains(or mined the other grassland) but with an extra step of Micro-management, this exact tile improvement arrangement can generate 4-turn settlers. For those that are playing along at home, "per turn" when speaking of settler pumps should be read to mean "per turn average".
This one depends on the "new pop-growth forest shields" though and you must micromanage both size 5 turns. No safety net here if the governor goes on holiday or decides to adhere to the laws of physics.

This is fun, in a puzzle-solving sort of way. I always was a sucker for Encyclopedia Brown.

If anyone else wants the 4000BC sav let me know. If I'm the only one playing the "build a pump" game, it's still a fun game and good practice.

[Theseus]

Re: This one surprised me

Originally posted by ducki
This is fun, in a puzzle-solving sort of way. I always was a sucker for Encyclopedia Brown.

Second Battle of Bull Run. Red flag in front of a dog.

EB ROCKS!

(I truly brought up EB with my fiancee this evening)

[ducki]

When my wife had my little prince, my mom dug up and delivered my old EB hardback collection(mising one book) from when I was 9 or so.

[furrykef]

Originally posted by Theseus
Sorry for sidetracking (catching up on a lot all at once), but this is the first I've seen this reported... one can get an SGL from the free Philosophy tech?

Getting Philosophy is the most reliable way to get an SGL, it seems to me. Another reason Philosophy is a bit too strong.

- Kef

[Theseus]

Kef, is that confirmed somewhere then? The free tech can generate an SGL?

[ducki]

If so, ToE just got even stronger. Can you imagine the thrill of getting two free techs and then a super-lucky RNG for two leaders?

[steven8r]

I have yet to get a SGL. I've played several epic games and have been the first to several techs--including Philosopy a couple of times. I've even managed the ToE--still haven't seen SGL. :'(

I don't think anything's "overpowered"
(except, perhaps the 4-turn Settler Pump)

Steven

[ducki]

I don't know of anyone that doesn't badly want ToE so they can slingshot to Hoover. It's just so strong that everyone does it. When everyone does it, it's overpowered.

At least that's my definition. Or rather, an interpretation of my definition.

[furrykef]

Originally posted by Theseus
Kef, is that confirmed somewhere then? The free tech can generate an SGL?

I wouldn't say it's confirmed (EDIT: now I would; see next post), I just note that I often get an SGL upon hitting Philosophy. That's hardly a confirmation especially since I've only completed the beeline about 5 times so far.

It would be hard to check for sure, because you can't see if you got an SGL before you get the second tech (I think, anyway). If somebody gets two SGLs upon reaching Philosophy, that'll be a dead giveaway...then again there might be a hard limit against getting more than one SGL on the same turn. (If there isn't, there probably ought to be.)

Maybe I'm just lucky when I get SGLs for Philosophy, but unless they hardcoded it as a special case (which, if they did, they haven't mentioned...but then, their documentation sucks), I don't see why the Philosophy tech can produce an SGL and the bonus tech with it can't. Though they may have had the foresight to code it in, I don't know.

- Kef

[furrykef]

I am happy to report that I found a way to confirm that the bonus tech after Philosophy can generate a SGL. My solution was simple. I simply used the editor to make every advance give a bonus tech. Well, this worked strangely because you start with two techs, so starting the scenario automatically gave me everything (without even asking me what to research next for each advance), and no SGLs (but I did have CPU opponents at the time, which may have been the problem). So I just edited it so Bronze Working and Alphabet (the starting advances of the Greeks, who are Scientific) didn't give free techs, and played the Greeks with no rival civs. I researched Pottery, which allowed me to get every advance. I ended up with 3 SGLs, thus confirming that the bonus techs can generate SGLs.

Here's a screenshot of right after the mega-advance:


I have also attached the .biq I created just to prove it definitively. All you have to do is research an advance and just hit Enter a bunch of times.

Firaxis: the editor is overpowered.

- Kef

[Dominae]

Thanks for the test, furrykef!