Strategies to Use in This Game

[Bloody Monk]

It's also a good way to hide things like the sleeping of boats in cities when there is much unexplored sea needing to be uncovered around the Capital.

More sharing of information will always get my vote.

Monk

[cavebear]

We originally tried to model the game on real life (democracy games being a new idea at the time). The player-President had the most information (from all the game saves), the Ministers had some (from the current game save), and the Citizens had less (the screenshots and polls). It was more a structured hierarchy than a peer-group collaboration. We had concerns that visitors would examine the current game file, play ahead (or cheat) and reveal information we shouldn't have.

This time, we are experimenting with more information for everyone (mainly because there are fewer of us and we are more comfortable about everyone staying honest). It is still a bit hierarchal, though.

About the Caravel in Apolytonia... Having just lost one to unprovoked attack, I wanted to make sure we had one available to carry the next Caravan "somewhere" (Giza probably, unless the westward Caravel finds rich friendly cities). We already know that there is nothing to find within 7 tiles of Apolytonia (an initial condition of the map), so it did not seem useful to explore while the Caravan was being built. I didn't build the Caravan before the Caravel because I wasn't sure that we would have a new trade commodity by the time the Caravan was completed (and I sure didn't want to end up with a Food Caravan).

[Sparrowhawk]

Originally posted by Bloody Monk
It's also a good way to hide things like the sleeping of boats in cities when there is much unexplored sea needing to be uncovered around the Capital.

I assumed this was a joke aimed at the succession gamers where this is a common practice that is often frowned upon and ridiculed by the other players...but when I checked out the save I see that we DO have a sleeping caravel in our Capital . I cannot fathom why this would be? If it is waiting for a caravan to be created, then couldn't it explore the area around the city while it waits? and if you don't want to cause the unhappiness and leave it in the city...why sleep the unit? It is too often forgotten (even if only for one turn) by left sleeping. It seems lazy to just sleep it so that the unit does not have to be dealt with every turn (the press of the spacebar).

/me

[cavebear]

We already know Apolytonia is surrounded by 7 tiles radius of ocean, so there didn't seem to be anything worth learning in the time it will take the Caravan to be built. And it was just completed, so I thought it could stay there one turn while the Citizens decided whether to risk it or wait for the Caravan. I put it to sleep because I will know to use it when the Caravan is completed and was (yes) too lazy to want to hit the spacebar each turn.

[Bloody Monk]

cavebear,

Still haven't experimented with intelligence gathering by using "Find City" for the AI cities that have built wonders, I'm guessing.

Here's a hint: Zimbawe is above the horizon to the North.

Sleeping units while waiting for ___ is a waste of time and risks forgetting they are there. Is it so hard to hit the space bar?? And if the boat is waitng for a camel to build, could it not explore for half the build time and still get back in time to carry off the camel?? The bit about fear of losing another boat is not worthy of you. Brace up!!

We will have to risk much in this game, or so I think.

Monk

[cavebear]

Correct, I have not been trying to explore the map using "find city". I didn't think it would provide much useful information at this point. We can assume that most of the map is overrun with AI cities. I consider we were quite fortunate to find empty land on our first attempt. My initial exploratory assumption was that "toward the ice" would be our best shot at empty land, and that worked out.

Do you want me to attempt to construct a map of our world using all the tricks available? I can and will if requested to do so. But we also have some participants who frown on that, so I have not done so. There are many opinions to balance.

I will repeat that there is no danger of me forgetting about the Apolytonia Caravel. On the other hand, if you want me to activate it in port so that it blinks at me each turn, I will do that next session. If you want me to explore with it while the Caravan is being built, I will do that, too. When we are able to attack cities with Wonders, I will make sure to know where they are then. They are not exactly going to change locations between now and then.

My vague sense of the game is that the ocean north of us is filled with actively fighting civs with serious sea-power. We have seen the little that crosses northern Apolytonia; we haven't seen any south of us that I recall later. I don't see a reason to attract their attention, yet.

I take risk when it seems worthwhile (like not having defenders in most of our colony cities). The value of revealing open ocean north of Apolytonia does not seem to me to be worth the risk of losing the new Caravel.

Certainly, we will want to explore north some day. I just don't think that need is upon us yet. But, as always, I will TRY to to do what the Citizens desire.

[rjmatsleepers]

Originally posted by cavebear

Do you want me to attempt to construct a map of our world using all the tricks available? I can and will if requested to do so. But we also have some participants who frown on that, so I have not done so. There are many opinions to balance.

I for one do not wish you to do this - I'm not entirely comfortable with ministers "using all the tricks". It's not quite playing ahead, but it's certainly obtaining more information than our noble leader provides. But I guess I lost that discussion a long time ago.

Originally posted by cavebear

I will repeat that there is no danger of me forgetting about the Apolytonia Caravel. On the other hand, if you want me to activate it in port so that it blinks at me each turn, I will do that next session. If you want me to explore with it while the Caravan is being built, I will do that, too. When we are able to attack cities with Wonders, I will make sure to know where they are then. They are not exactly going to change locations between now and then.

Since the only one who will play the next turn is you (our noble leader), it seems to me that you can leave units asleep if that's what you want.

Originally posted by cavebear

My vague sense of the game is that the ocean north of us is filled with actively fighting civs with serious sea-power. We have seen the little that crosses northern Apolytonia; we haven't seen any south of us that I recall later. I don't see a reason to attract their attention, yet.

I take risk when it seems worthwhile (like not having defenders in most of our colony cities). The value of revealing open ocean north of Apolytonia does not seem to me to be worth the risk of losing the new Caravel.

Certainly, we will want to explore north some day. I just don't think that need is upon us yet. But, as always, I will TRY to to do what the Citizens desire.

You appear to me to have made a good attempt to follow the citizens wishes after a discussion that got very complicated and covered a lot of territory. I think the purchase of gunpowder was very worthwhile, although I agree it was a pity we didn't have less in our kitty when we met them. The loss of the caravel was a setback, but not a disaster.

And I enjoyed reading the log by the way.

RJM at Sleeper's

[MrWhereItsAt]

Originally posted by cavebear
We have seen the little that crosses northern Apolytonia; we haven't seen any south of us that I recall later. I don't see a reason to attract their attention, yet.

A Zulu 'Clad moved from West to East north of Poly in 1610AD under the reign of MrWhereItsAt the Idle, and in 1650AD a Celt Frigate did the same thing.

[cavebear]

Originally posted by rjmatsleepers

I for one do not wish you to do this - I'm not entirely comfortable with ministers "using all the tricks". It's not quite playing ahead, but it's certainly obtaining more information than our noble leader provides. But I guess I lost that discussion a long time ago.

I would not be real happy "using all the tricks" either. That's not my style of game. I just wanted to say that I would do things if the Citizens wanted me to.

Since the only one who will play the next turn is you (our noble leader), it seems to me that you can leave units asleep if that's what you want.

I will try to remember to activate the Caravel, just to be safe.

You appear to me to have made a good attempt to follow the citizens wishes after a discussion that got very complicated and covered a lot of territory. I think the purchase of gunpowder was very worthwhile, although I agree it was a pity we didn't have less in our kitty when we met them. The loss of the caravel was a setback, but not a disaster.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I HAD felt pretty good about the session when I was finished. I realize now that starting Colosseums in most of the colony cities was a mistake. I wasn't "stopping" building cities, just trying to get some structure built and grow the population to celebration time so we could then build more Settlers and establish more cities. I guess my timing of events was off. Not spending our gold faster was careless of me; I regret the error deeply. I simply thought there was more time and I was wrong!

And I enjoyed reading the log by the way.

I'm no Shakespeare, but I try to add some humor and interest to the report when I can. I know I enjoy reading reports when others put some effort into it, so I try to do the same.

[cavebear]

Originally posted by MrWhereItsAt


A Zulu 'Clad moved from West to East north of Poly in 1610AD under the reign of MrWhereItsAt the Idle, and in 1650AD a Celt Frigate did the same thing.

Thanks, MWIA. I thought I recalled reports of Celt ships, but I could not recall the details. Based on your reports of the ships, we were correct in our expectation of finding the Celts to our west.