640 AD: UnO's insane proposal

[UnOrthOdOx]

Nothing new to report other than I set research to currency (10 turns) our sience is at 40% and steady, so I'll just go into my radical proposal.

Here is a shot of our north, and the best remaining city site there.

<img src=http://apolyton.net/upload/thumb/800/20498_North0006.JPG>

And here is our south, with 2 remaining sites.

<img src=http://apolyton.net/upload/thumb/800/20498_South0025.JPG>

The 2 red sites are my proposals. The blue site might eventually be better there, if we can wrest the wheat from the Horde.

As you can see, our finances have been in better shape. The demographics show AC more than doubling our efforts in every category except production and military.

We don't have enough worker. And, we have 2 neighbors who are expanding. One to the south who's still building military and thinking I'm not noticing.

However, right now, our biggest draw on the economy is military units.

There is also an island off to the northwest we could colonize, but it would likely only have 1 fish resource as it's unlikely we'ld be able to hold the other from Sarantium's previously built up culture.

So, I am proposing we get out 3 settlers ASAP. As in, uh, 2-3 turns from now. Pop one each from AB, FS, and Lima. Along with a worker from Zulu.

These settlers will immediately proceed to settle in the 3 locations.

The most southern red site would have access to 2 gems, we'ld windmill the hills around it, and it could share the sugar with Echo.

The one North of Echo would end up taking over the gold from FS, allowing FS to focus fully on hammer production. Together, these 2 cities take high commerce tiles away from our production centers and allow us to better build buildings to capitalize on the commerce.

The northern city has a corn, and wil be getting cottages and windmills to maximize both growth and commerce.

Yes. Short term, our GPT is going to suffer from this drastic expansion. Our BEAKERS per turn will not, however, as already most are coming from scientists anyway. Long term this is THE fastest means of growth available.



To take it to an even more insane extreme, we can have 4 settlers AND a galley in 4 turns from now. This option would TANK our production. But, there are few buildings left, and we don't need the units in the immediate future. It's worth considering.


So, if you would.

Do you favor 3 settlers?
4?

Or a more conventional growth pattern?

[OzzyKP]

I'm not sure why there is such a rush to settle interior city sites, especially sites, like the western one, that don't really have much going for them. I say settle south now, and if anything look to move further south to claim more territory from the Horde (unless we've been locked in from some treaty. Something on a hill that we can defend well against their eventual next invasion.

The northern spot looks ok, but I don't quite see what the rush is. Maybe after currency, or maybe later than that.

The western spot... I really don't see the point in settling there under any circumstance. I also don't favor settling on that little 1-2 tile island.

For the southern city spot, I favor the blue spot. I think we can definitely compete for that corn.

[UnOrthOdOx]

What is the rush?

The rush is, we need to become as competetive as possible for when contact with the other continent is made. That means people, and cities. By making more cities now, those cities will be better built up than by slowly adding them one at a time. The only thing we will lose by making them all NOW is a little tech rate, and a lot of production in the short term.

We have the tech advantage locally, already. And continuing at the current pace is not gaining any ground globally anyway. We don't need the production right now either, as a military contest in the short term would only advantage us.

Yes, it's unconventional, and if we were leading or even CLOSE to the other continent, it wouldn't be a question. Right now, however, we're utterly and hopelessly behind in every category except military strength and production, where we are a close second in each for the time being, but losing ground there as well.

More cities is neccessary. More cities faster mean more LARGE cities faster. You don't see the rush, I don't understand the point in waiting in the current circumstances?


As for specific sites:

The advantage of the western site is that it can work the gold instead of FS.

Right now, FS is working the gold. It doesn't add to the hammers much, and gives FS +7 gpt. That GPT is not being utilized to it's fullest as FS is, and should remain, primarily a troop producer.

We either need to get FS a library, market, and assorted unneeded buildings as we get the techs (which we won't be able to consistently once it goes back to unit production), or we need that gold worked somewhere dedicated to gold production. Even a Library and Market in FS make little sense as the only gold it makes is from that gold and a few from tiles that happen to be along the river. That is where the western city comes in. Work the gold, share a sugar, and suddenly it can work 4-5 cottages as well. That's a decent income city that can focus on libraries and markets.


The corn site to the north is nothing terribly exciting, but would eventually be a nice gold producer, or even shipyard with a couple mined hills.

The red site to the south has the advantage that it doesn't NEED to fight for anything, is much better from a defensive position due to not being quite so close to the border, and would still have the same potential as the blue site. Remeber, that is the Horde capital that's making that culture. I question our ability to fight for that wheat, especially if the Horde settle wisely near the border as well.

The blue is also more likely to piss off the Horde. Which may not be all bad.

As for the Island, it's a unique spot. We'ld settle on the grass, and have 2 fish and a hill, or 1 fish and a hill if Sarantium get's the culture going. It's not great, I admit, but it can make a fair few boats, provides more culture pressure on Sarantium with a theater, and could serve as a distraction or a launching point for invasion on Sarantium at a later time.

And it's likely to piss off Sarantium. Which may not be all that bad.

[rush]

3 settlers are fine.

You have good reasons to support your proposal, so it can't be insane. As long as our military can protect the existing and new cities from the Hordes, I don't see any problem building the cities for the future.