Turnplayer Thread #2.

[Sullla]

Granary and barracks are our only building options. Hopefully it won't be too long until we get Writing and libraries from PAL.

Only other choices are units. We don't really want to build settlers or workers, because the goal is to grow the capital at the moment from size 4 to size 5. I guess we could build another archer... but is that really a better option?

It's not that the granary is a high priority, more that we have nothing else to build at the capital currently, so might as well get it out of the way now.

[Zeviz]

The earlier we build Granary the better. We also want to complete Barracks before Copper is connected, but it will take some time for our Worker to get there and to build mine and road.

How long (including the chop) will it take to build Granary, and how long will it take for Barracks? Can we complete both by the time Copper comes online?

[Sullla]

Holy smokes! I check CivStats right before going to sleep (after 1am... ) and the game is actually up! Plus a new turn has started.

So I went ahead and moved the all-important Cape convoy another tile towards their goal. Hopefully Imperio will move their holkan any direction other than SW, which will allow us to sneak past unseen. If their unit does move in that direction... well, too late to stop us now. I also went ahead and whipped the work boat at China Beach, as planned.

Demographics and screenshots will have to wait until tomorrow morning.

[mostly-harmless]

IMPERIO SETTLER 3 TILES AWAY FROM CAPE COPPER!!!!


Now what?

Both our settler and their settler are the same distance from Cape Copper.
If Imperio has not scouted the Crabs, they might not plan to go all the way to the hill tile.

Also, I believe Imperio has not yet spotted our convoy.

Seeing, that our diplomacy is not exactly helpful with them we need an urgent decision about what to do.

Options:
1. Settle original Cape Copper in three turns. (two turns for moving, one for settling). This is now a very unlikely option I believe.
2. Attack Imperios Holkan (currently on the tile with our scout). We have an archer and a warrior against one of their Holkans. Then found Cape Copper. Possible, but not a very good option in my book.
3. Settle next turn on tile 1N. Loosing the crabs and lots of sea tiles, gaining more desert tiles, but having a good chance of beating Imperio to the spot. Twin Peaks location needs to be reviewed due to overlap.
4. Settle next turn on tile 1NE (on the horses). Loosing the crabs and access to the sea trade route, but gaining additional food resource (rice).

I think it has to be either 3 or 4, as I don't see us getting to Cape Copper now. Even with 3 or 4 we have to be ultra quick and beat Imperio, logging in right after the turn starts, as Imperio might consider settling on the tile the Holkan (and our scout is now) grabbing copper, horses, cows & rice and being a fresh water city.
Here we have a slight advantage, as I do not think Imperio is aware of our convoy, but will be suspicious of the lingering scout.

Bummer, we now have a workboat. I believe we should still aim for a galley asap to get the scout ferried over to the other continent.

Input and discussion, guys, and quickly.

EDIT: And while I was typing this, Templars just razed Barb City.
EDIT2: @ Sullla; Imperio finished mining the second gold hill. We will probably see this in their GNP graph next turn.

mh

[regoarrarr]

I vote for settle 1N. Can we tell if Imperio has moved their settler this turn already?

[Sullla]

Dang it. Just needed a couple more turns to get there...

Well, as far as settling goes, we have no choice. The city must go 1N of the current position. I seriously doubt we can beat Imperio to the hill tile we wanted, and we certainly don't want to start a war with them right now. Founding NE on the horses is a non-starter, because then we have to run a road all the way over there and protect it in order to get access to these resources. So it's no choice at all. The spot isn't even that bad from a pure tile yield perspective - it's the loss of hill defensive bonus that worries me.

Don't bat an eye over moving first at the beginning of next turn. I just won't end our turn and will sit around in-game when the turn rolls over. We'll move first, not least because Imperio doesn't even know they're racing. Boy will they get a surprise next turn!

There are actually two other issues for the team to discuss for the next turn:

- Thanks to help from a forest chop, Airstrip One finishes its granary next turn. What do we want to build next? My preliminary suggestion is barracks, for lack of much else to build.

- China Beach similarly just whipped the second work boat (which we still need, to clear the sea passage to the east). What do we want to build next? Granary seems likely, although we can also go with lighthouse if desired.

Pretty eventful turn! From five days of no activity right into the fire.

EDIT: And regoarrarr, yes they have. That settler was not there when I logged in late last night.

[mostly-harmless]

Barracks in Airstrip One sounds fine.
Assuming we go for a galley in the Cape Copper replacement (need a new name), Granary sounds good, as we will probably use China beach to whip out future settlers (?).

mh

[T-hawk]

Wow, that's an interesting development. I'd say they're definitely aiming for either the holkan's tile or 1S of it. Either spot collects all the resources they know about plus fresh water; they're essentially equivalent and both block us from the cape. And either spot can be settled next turn.

I'd have to say we can't attack; archer and warrior vs holkan is hardly a sure thing. But if we settle first, our archer gains the city defense bonus, and the holkan won't beat both units that way.

I vote for #3, 1N from our settler's current location. We'll need the sea trade route to keep the copper connected to home. The rice will take forever to reach and improve and work -- this city's purpose must be to secure the copper, not to worry about food growth.

Finally, there does exist an option #5: quietly concede the area and settle elsewhere.

[sunrise089]

1N is the clear play...we can't delay and settling off the water is crazy. At least we got lucky that the 1N tile wasn't forested.

Can we still grab the crabs with another city, or is that resource just out-of-play now?

[Kylearan]

Hi,

I vote to settle 1N as well, even though that will most certainly mean diplomatic relations will deteriorate significantly. It's not like starting a war, but almost so.

T-hawk's option #5 would be the best option diplomatically, but given our poor starting location we need to take risks (again), IMHO.

-Kylearan

[sooooo]

Er, I guess we settle 1N. How quickly can we get a second archer into the city? I'm tempted to delay the (currently useless) granary in Airstrip 1 and change to build another archer in the capital. For more backup. Thoughts?

Also, we should probably settle 1N as soon as we can in the turn in case imperio want to settle on their holkan's spot.

[sooooo]

I guess we could have suspected this scenario from Krill's question of when will the settler arrive. I kind of thought about that but stupidly didn't mention it.

[ruff_hi]

Imperio just signed a non-aggression pact with us. So, settle 1N and don't worry about the lack of protection. We have this shiny little piece of paper that will protect us.

[mostly-harmless]

I would not worry too much about the diplomatic side. Keep in mind that the longitude of Cape Copper and the new city is exactly in the middle between Mutal and Airstrip One. It just appears to belong to Imperio because of the fjord and their more expanded borders.

As far as I know there is already a second archer on the way currently around Twin Peaks area. Two archers and a warrior should be fine. We will get 20% defense bonus 10 turns after settling from culture. By then we will probably have connected copper and can start a spear or an axe and have the population to emergency whip it.

Even knowing about the settler earlier would not have changed much. Surely we would not let our settler race ahead unprotected?

mh

[Sullla]

From the Imperio diplo thread:

The Imperio team are agree with the terms of the pact.

We considerate the pact singned in this moment.

Sorry for the lag in the answerd, we are searching a better embassador to
speak with your team in english. My level is so bad and many part of the
team was very busy.

MiTH of the Imperio.

Pretty nice timing, hehe. We're covered now until at least turn 120, unless Imperio decides to backstab, in which case no one will ever trust them again.

Also, as mh said, there is a second archer on its way to the Cape, three turns behind the convoy. Given our C&D analysis of current Imperio forces, their military consists of 2 warriors, 1 holkan, and 2 more 4000pt. units (either holkans or chariots, likely the former). They are not going to be winning against 2 archers + 1 warrior, fortified in a city, plus cultural defenses, with that force.

We should probably go for Masonry and put city walls in there in the not-so-distant future, however, just to be more secure.