AU207: Big Planet - Strategy, Spoilers and Comments

[Arrian]

minke,

Yes, you can. I've done it in other games.

-Arrian

[minke19104]

2 Granary river cities would prolly out-REX any other AI there.. nice..

[Konquest02]

I think you can get a settler when you pop a hut by culture, but not when you're founding a new city, as you settler founding this city is still active when you pop the hut.

This is why I moved before founding my city, but got barbs instead of a settler... In fact, I think I popped 5 or 6 huts with barbs (I lost the count after 3 in a row... )

Still, my game is going pretty well, as the Babylonians have built the Colossus two turns before I take Babylon with my swordmen... Talk about timing!!

--Kon--

[Arrian]

You will never get barbs from a hut you pop by building your city in 4000bc. At least I've never seen it, and I've done it a lot.

I got 25 gold from that hut. In fact, that's what I got from most of the huts I popped. Several 25 golds, warrior code, and a few barbs.

-Arrian

[Nor Me]

A couple of turns later, my scout got Warrior Code. I recalled a debate from another thread about the possibilities of archer rushes on a huge map. If I'd actually met the Babylonians at that stage, they might not have held out that long but as it was, I set Moscow building a Granary as usual.

When I found out that they were much closer than anyone else, I canged my mind and that granary became a barracks .

on a side note, I've been practicing archer rushes as the Germans, Romans and mil/rel civs on standard maps recently and I've not been able to get them right. From certain positions they're effective but the trouble is that you need to know which direction to send the archers in fast. It's just too risky. If you pick the wrong civ and are unlucky, you are simply in trouble. Without an archer rush, I'm left with no early advantage from my traits. I might actually have to seek all your help on that.

On the other hand, I can archer rush with all expansionist civs, although the ones that are militaristic as well are obviously the best by some way. Expansionistic civs can judge the situation faster, get all the required tech and don't have to build as many (if any) settlers.

Anyway, enough of that rubbish, back to the game. The latter proved decisive. As well as my 3950BC settler, I got another far to the NW. Although it was too far away to contribute production, it meant I didn't have to pay upkeep for my units for longer.

The Babylonians sent out their offensive units too early normally a human rather than an AI weakness. While a couple of archers took out their warriors in the open, a regular archer, a scout and a consript warrior were able to capture a couple of workers and pillage the improvements around Babylon. I lost the consript to counter attack .

Emperor, Bowmen and the consequent GA slowed things down a bit but in the end the AI cannot cope with a player who builds no settlers. They had several bowmen wondering around but a spearman on a mountain will usually be untroubled allowing me to go straight for their cities. OK I lost a few units; as you can see I had to take Ur with a spearman but I expected more resistance.

It's 1675BC and the Babylonians have respawned (giving me the usual couple of slaves and 100 gold). I have 7 cities even though I've only built 1 settler. I also have the usual expansionist tech lead. With plenty of room to expand into, I don't see this game as being too hard. Oh well...

[Nor Me]

Originally posted by minke19104
2 Granary river cities would prolly out-REX any other AI there.. nice..

But nowhere on the river has both food and production without a lot of improvement and I'm not industrious.

Originally posted by Konquest02
This is why I moved before founding my city, but got barbs instead of a settler... In fact, I think I popped 5 or 6 huts with barbs (I lost the count after 3 in a row... )

2 settlers, an advanced tribe (whatever they're called), 5 techs and a conscript warrior in a useful position just south of Babylon.

Still, my game is going pretty well, as the Babylonians have built the Colossus two turns before I take Babylon with my swordmen... Talk about timing!!

On the other hand.

[Arrian]

Some screenies:

[Arrian]

The frontier...

[Konquest02]

Dom: Can you tell on what the barbs are set? I think I have quite a lot in my game (not only in goody huts...)

I'm mad at the Mongols, they built the GL 2 turns before me... I'm left with few choices:
1- Build FP (187 shields lost)
2- Build Colosseum (277 shields lost)
3- Build Harbor or Library (307 shields lost)

I could build the Great Wall, but it would trigger an unwanted GA since I have captured the Colossus. This city is located at the NE (keypad 9) of Arrian's Heliopolis. I think this is a bad spot for the FP.

What should I do...?

--Kon--

[Dominae]

Originally posted by Konquest02
Dom: Can you tell on what the barbs are set? I think I have quite a lot in my game (not only in goody huts...)

SPOILER WARNING!

Barbs are set on Roaming. I believe it feels like there is a lot of them because there is a lot of land mass.

I'm mad at the Mongols, they built the GL 2 turns before me... I'm left with few choices:
1- Build FP (187 shields lost)
2- Build Colosseum (277 shields lost)
3- Build Harbor or Library (307 shields lost)

Option 4: "You want a piece of me?!?!" Use the Shields to build a very expensive military unit, that will spearhead an attack on the evil Mongols.


Dominae

[Konquest02]

lol... I can do option 4 without wasting those shields... I am in fact currently thinking of a plan to kill that lousy mongol leader... what's his name again...?

[Nor Me]

Arrian, are those screenshots from 900BC?

I'd be impressed if you did manage to attack the Germans with WCs through that jungle.
Don't you risk them expanding into the jungle but being slow to connect up their cities?
Or maybe they could hold up your army by pillaging outside cities you've just captured.

In my game, the Babylonians have moved into that jungle . I can't see all the map but it looks as though it might be possible to attack the Germans from the SE navally. At any rate, some galleys taken through the W chockepoint around to the Zulu's west coast would be useful attacking north at least until rail because of the weird geography. If I'm lucky, I'll aim to settle any unclaimed jungle there to aid this.

[Arrian]

The frontier, 520AD:

[Arrian]

Nor Me,

Yeah, those shots were from 900BC. The above shot is from 520AD. See Buto? It has ~35 War Chariots in it, plus some horsemen, swordsmen, 2 elite warriors, and some spearmen.

El-Amarna has a few more WC's, and there are a smattering of WC's & Horsemen en route to Buto.

Most of the civs on the continent have hit the middle ages. Germany has not. Besides, I'm waiting for Knights at this point.

I have built the Great Library, captured the Oracle (Babylon failed me... I shoulda hit them earlier and lost to a bowman like I said I was gonna... damn), built the Hanging Gardens, and am poised to snag Sun Tzu & Leos within 2 turns of each other. No one has Monotheism yet, but I'll have it first, in 2 turns.

I'm roughly halfway through my GA (triggered by the HG, since I had possession of the Oracle).

Babylon is toast, I wiped them out. Since then, not a shot has been fired on the continent.

Things have been far too peaceful. Sssssoooon, my ppppreciousssssss. Soon we shall have 75 Knights. And then they will pay. Nasty, tricksey, false AI!

-Arrian the mad

[BigDork]

Hi everybody...

Well I have the next three days off from work so I hope to get some play time in. I'm really looking forward to giving this a try.

BigD