Team Info and Contacts - Banana

[sooooo]

Email sent, I will log in and offer them drama this afternoon.

[regoarrarr]

Email received from Banana

I'll respond to your email in 6-7 hours. In the meantime, can you explain the term "binary research" to me? PAL was still on Nationalisn (2263 turns) last I checked, but I'll update you when I recheck the save later.

DZ

[ruff_hi]

reply sent

Binary Research.
You only ever run your research slider at 0% or 100%. Basically, it involves moving your research slider to 100%, seeing how many turns of research you need to finish your desired tech and how much gold that will take, then changing your research slider to 0% until you have built up the required gold.

Example:
Writing at 100% will take 5 turns at -20 gold per turn
Writing at 0% will take 200 turns at +50 gold per turn

Run the slider at 0% for 2 turns and accumulate 100 gold, then turn your slider up to 100% for 5 turns.

There are lots of articles about it - search 'Binary Research' at CFC.

Ruff for Team RB

[regoarrarr]

I'd maybe add a sentence about why you do it (to get library or other bonuses) and that it typically only adds a beaker or two

[T-hawk]

Binary research was much more useful in vanilla Civ 4, since it could recover one beaker worth of rounding in every city. In post-expansion Civ 4 with fractional beakers, it can only recover one beaker per turn from rounding artifacts.

Binary research can get a few extra beakers by delaying the beaker production until more libraries and such are in place. It's really not useful economically if this effect is not leveraged.

But the chief upside of binary research especially in multiplayer is to avoid commitment and keep your options open. By saving gold for a few turns, you don't commit to your next research target yet. For example, if one of the other teams suddenly came up with Education now, PAL could switch tacks to Liberalism now without losing anything.

I don't know how much of that we want to explain to Banana or that Banana would care to know.

[Dreylin]

Banana requested Drama & Silks ... I accepted.

[Dreylin]

Oh, and a message:

Team Realms,

OK, here's the latest update:

1. Guilds. Per your request, we have switched to Guilds and it looks like we will discover it in 6 turns. Since we had some gold stored up over the past few turns, I am already able to apply what you've taught me in Binary Research 101. (For the record, I was aware of the concept, but haven't read up on it too much. Thanks for explaining it to me in detail.)

2. PAL research. Our latest observation shows PAL discovering Nationalism in 6 turns.

3. Imperio/Templars Espionage. Last turn, we devoted just enough espionage to your enemies to get their demographics. I am thinking of making a play for Imperio's research once we discover Guilds.

4. Mappage. At this time, we have witness to 8 PAL cities (and enough espionage to eliminate FOW around them), 2 Imperio cities (eastern coast of your continent, across the channel from PAL's capital), the Rabbit capital, and the Holy City of Acre. What cities do you have mapped out, if you don't mind my asking?

5. Nationalism. With only 30 turns left in our NAP with PAL, we have definitely had Nat'lism in our thoughts. In fact, our reason for wanting Drama was so that we could begin building enough Pavilions to allow us to build the Globe Theatre for the exact reasons you mentioned. When do you think you will able to resume research? We are not in a huge hurry, as we don't want to build up too early. But we don't want to be caught offguard either.

6. NAP. I am sure this goes without saying as I know you have been busy, but I would like to officially extend our NAP to Turn 165. I addressed this once before, but never got an official response from you. Please confirm this in your next email to us.

7. Iron. Due to circumstances on your continent, feel free to keep our Iron until Turn 145. Perhaps longer, depending on how decide to you utilize Guilds. We will need it and Horses sometime thereafter, so we may want to coordinate a build queue strategy so our team's need doesn't leave you in the lurch at a delicate time.

8. Future planning / PAL. Thanks for offering your thoughts on PAL. Due to their actions over the last turn, I think Team Banana has made our last trade with them unless it absolutely helps our big picture. Nothing military, of course.

9. Long term military strategy. Right now, our team is considering the possibility of sending units/spies to your continent to initiate a minor Choke strategy to one or both of your enemies in hopes of redirecting their stacks enough for you to advance on them. Is this even a possibility from what you can see? If you would like to coordinate something like this, I would need an idea of what type troops each team is advancing, your estimate of what percentage of each team's total troops you can currently see, and your estimate of what kind of power we would need to devote to be effective. This is obviously a post-Guilds, pre-Turn 167 strategy from our standpoint (aka small window!)

Since PAL and Team Banana are at peace for another 30 turns, it makes sense for our team to try to help weaken this unofficial "4-to-2" battle while we have the chance. If we beat up on Imperio/Templars enough, we may be able to get them to turn on PAL. Am I dreaming? Give me your thoughts.

Well, I am sure that's more than enough for you to take in. Drop me a line when you get the chance.

Regards,
Donovan Zoi

[Strow]

Well all i can say is WOW and we should get them to raze Templars city that is undefended ASAP. Then go into a tech trade agree and military agreement of some sort. We need someone on our side and these guys seem like they are willing.

[ruff_hi]

how about we trade maps with Banana

[Dreylin]

I have no problem with that given all they're offering.

[Zeviz]

That's great. Here are things I'd offer them:

1. To avoid having to renew NAP all the time, let's sign a NAP until PAL is eliminated, which after that can be cancelled with a 10-turn warning.

2. Map trade. (If they are offerning military help we should at least do that.)

3. If they have a chance, razing undefended city. At the same time, cancelling all deals with Imperio. At the same time, we'll send Imperio another email telling them that Banana are part of anti-PAL alliance, so they (Imperio) can either join, or fight a 2-front war.

4. Should we send them list of our best guesses of Imperio and Templar military and what we can see?

[sunrise089]

That's great. Here are things I'd offer them:

1. To avoid having to renew NAP all the time, let's sign a NAP until PAL is eliminated, which after that can be cancelled with a 10-turn warning.

2. Map trade. (If they are offerning military help we should at least do that.)

3. If they have a chance, razing undefended city. At the same time, cancelling all deals with Imperio. At the same time, we'll send Imperio another email telling them that Banana are part of anti-PAL alliance, so they (Imperio) can either join, or fight a 2-front war.

4. Should we send them list of our best guesses of Imperio and Templar military and what we can see?

1) Let's offer an NAP through turn 200. I don't want a permanent NAP, since who knows what will happen 150 turns from now.

2) How about we compromise with a screenshot of Imperio and Templar land. That way they can't pass any RB data to our enemies, even inadvertently.

3) Razing a city would be great. We definitely want to avoid any "2 front war" remarks though until there actually is one.

4) I think we should indeed send them such a list. We can take their power numbers, subtract for tech and population and known units, and tell them what must be at home.

[mostly-harmless]

1.) Thanks, 6 turns for Guilds is great.
2.) Nothing we can do about that.
3.) Imperio research intel would help.
4.) All of Imperios land, Templars land except one city. All of Rabbits land. 5 PAL cities. I don't mind sending him screenshots of all this, even including our lands. Just not a map trade.
6.) I am fine with NAP up to T200.
9.) If he can make a move at Acre, fine. Banana should not cancel trades with Imp, though. Their action against Templars should not be seen as help in our war, but an opportunistic strike solely against Templars (casus belli: broken tech trade agreement). Once they have accomplished that, they could surprise move against Calakmul.

mh

[sooooo]

If someone, possibly wearing a dark cloak and weilding a concealed dagger, can compose a paragraph on the ninth point then I can write the rest.

[mostly-harmless]

Will do.

mh