Okay, I've got a bit enough of this games the other teams are playing. If Gow would cooperate, we can get to ToE in 9 turns from now(720 AD). But the price they and / or ND are asking might seem too much. So allow me to put all our options in one thread, so we can choose and have it done with.
First of all some statistics: we're running at little over 600 bpt, -50gpt, at 80%. we can research electricity in 5 turns (it is 3360 beakers), and have a rough 250 gold in cash. we need 4 turns for the 2400 beakers of SM, but will burn 200 gold doing so. Medicine is the same cost, BTW, so we can get that in 4 turns as well... on our own, without anybody's help, we will need 13 turns to the ToE, and 150 external gold.
OTOH, with one turn 100% tax, we can currently make 408 gold. Every turn we delay our quest, we can give 408 gold to GoW, should we need it.
Tech situation: ND does not have Magnetism. Lego has just researched Magnetism. Vox has neither Magnetism or ToG, but can get to the industrial age next turn. We will then know what they got as a free tech, and can be 100% sure if we can do it ourselves, or need GoW's help.
A lot will depend on Vox's free tech, which Lego can receive next turn. Worst case, Lego is on Steam right now, and will receive Medicine. That will mean they can get to SM in 12 turns. On our own, they beat us by 1 turn. Second to worse case, Vox will receive steam, and hands it to Lego, which will thus lose one turn beaker investment. That will get them to SM in 13 turns, by because of the turn order, they can finish ToE before us. All other cases, they can not beat us if we refuse GoW's 'help' (note, there are not that many cases left: only that Vox receives Nat as their tech, or doesn't share their tech with Lego)
Basically, I see these 4 options:
1. We do it alone. We will need 150 gold to do it, but I'm sure we can somewhere find this. IOf necessary, we put all our cities on Wealth for a couple of turns, or start to sell buildings. There is a risk that we will not get it, a risk that is quite large if Lego is planning their game well (and I see no reason to believe otherwise).
2. We sell Steam to GoW and ND for hard cash. We will need another 500 gold to be able to diminish the eta of electricity by 1 turn, do Med in 4 turns, and get SM in time. We get there in 12 turns, so the risk of losing to Lego is still there, but smaller. Their only option to beat us is if they are working on Steam, and receive Med from Vox.
3. We get GoW to do Med for us. At the latest, they have to deliver it to us in 7 turns (we have it accepted in 7 turns, so 6 turns for them). Lego can't beat that, unless GoW sells Elec to them as well.
3a: we provide the cash. We can send them 800 gold, in 2 turns and still be on schedule
3b ND delivers the cash.
Maybe there is something else I'm missing.
My option is the following: We demand an exact ETA from GoW, and work from that. If they can not sell us Med in less then 7 turns, we better do it ourselves. If they do, we ask them how much they need in cash. We can go to 800 gold, so if that's waht it takes, we pay. If they need more (I don't see how), ND has to be negotiated with.
Let's start from this, and before sending anything to ND, deal with GoW.
DeepO
First of all some statistics: we're running at little over 600 bpt, -50gpt, at 80%. we can research electricity in 5 turns (it is 3360 beakers), and have a rough 250 gold in cash. we need 4 turns for the 2400 beakers of SM, but will burn 200 gold doing so. Medicine is the same cost, BTW, so we can get that in 4 turns as well... on our own, without anybody's help, we will need 13 turns to the ToE, and 150 external gold.
OTOH, with one turn 100% tax, we can currently make 408 gold. Every turn we delay our quest, we can give 408 gold to GoW, should we need it.
Tech situation: ND does not have Magnetism. Lego has just researched Magnetism. Vox has neither Magnetism or ToG, but can get to the industrial age next turn. We will then know what they got as a free tech, and can be 100% sure if we can do it ourselves, or need GoW's help.
A lot will depend on Vox's free tech, which Lego can receive next turn. Worst case, Lego is on Steam right now, and will receive Medicine. That will mean they can get to SM in 12 turns. On our own, they beat us by 1 turn. Second to worse case, Vox will receive steam, and hands it to Lego, which will thus lose one turn beaker investment. That will get them to SM in 13 turns, by because of the turn order, they can finish ToE before us. All other cases, they can not beat us if we refuse GoW's 'help' (note, there are not that many cases left: only that Vox receives Nat as their tech, or doesn't share their tech with Lego)
Basically, I see these 4 options:
1. We do it alone. We will need 150 gold to do it, but I'm sure we can somewhere find this. IOf necessary, we put all our cities on Wealth for a couple of turns, or start to sell buildings. There is a risk that we will not get it, a risk that is quite large if Lego is planning their game well (and I see no reason to believe otherwise).
2. We sell Steam to GoW and ND for hard cash. We will need another 500 gold to be able to diminish the eta of electricity by 1 turn, do Med in 4 turns, and get SM in time. We get there in 12 turns, so the risk of losing to Lego is still there, but smaller. Their only option to beat us is if they are working on Steam, and receive Med from Vox.
3. We get GoW to do Med for us. At the latest, they have to deliver it to us in 7 turns (we have it accepted in 7 turns, so 6 turns for them). Lego can't beat that, unless GoW sells Elec to them as well.
3a: we provide the cash. We can send them 800 gold, in 2 turns and still be on schedule
3b ND delivers the cash.
Maybe there is something else I'm missing.
My option is the following: We demand an exact ETA from GoW, and work from that. If they can not sell us Med in less then 7 turns, we better do it ourselves. If they do, we ask them how much they need in cash. We can go to 800 gold, so if that's waht it takes, we pay. If they need more (I don't see how), ND has to be negotiated with.
Let's start from this, and before sending anything to ND, deal with GoW.
DeepO
Comment