A Civilization V AAR – Part Thwheeee!
Brant Guillory, 3 January 2013
Starting with episode 3, we’re switching to a longer format, mainly so we can finish this AAR by the end of 2013. Maybe.
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In episode 2, we picked a few fights and upgraded some dudes. We scouted around and found some barbarians. We even got our first policy. Now it’s time to quit exploring and clean up the neighborhood a bit. How will Carthage survive their first battles? Read on, gentle soul. You too, Martok.
Picking a Fight.
Our spearman is doing his level best to clear that camp, and the archer is on the way. As noted last time, the good thing about upgrading the scout to the archer is that he retains is movement bonus.
Run Away!
Meanwhile, Scout 2 is getting the hell away from that other camp to the east. Heading south to explore some and hope we don’t get blindsided with an attack out of the fog.
Crap. Crap! Crapcrapcrapcrap.
That camp just spawned another brute, and now my spearman is damaged and has an extra guy to fight off.
Archers to the Rescue!
I get in close so he has the option to plink either of the brutes. I might try to hit the guy to the east, and then let the spearman cross in front of him to clear and occupy the camp. The archer has no melee attack at all, so he can’t kill the brute in the camp and then occupy it in the same turn.
Promotion!
I’m taking the “Drill” promotion for the spearman this time. Even though we’re not necessarily fighting in rough ground right now, I usually try to give my guys the bonuses for fighting in rougher terrain, since defenders are usually stronger in the rough terrain. Now, if my civ is located in some wide open plains-filled or desert-like area, I might reconsider, but more often than not, I like the bonuses for the rough terrain better.
Exploring the Southeast.
Scout 2 cuts behind that mountain range, and finds a city-state (the dashed black-and-pink border). Not sure who it is yet, but so far no barbarians in sight.
Crossing Tactics.
My plan worked – the archer was able to plink the other brute while the spearman cleared the camp. Now, at least there won’t be more guys being spawned while I clean up the mess.
You’ll Just Die Tired.
The barbarian brute is running away. Now I gotta go and chase him. That’s just downright rude of him.
A Time to Laugh, A Time to Cry, A Time to Heal.
My spearman needs to rest up a bit, so I set him to “fortify until healed”. Meanwhile, the archer puts another few holes in the brute.
Hello there, Agent Lisbon.*
My nearby city-state turns out to be Lisbon. While maritime ones can be handy for the food they provide you really need to get them up to “ally” level for it to make a difference, and keeping your influence score high enough to stay at that level can be tough this early in the game.
*much better reference if you watch The Mentalist
Hexes! Off the Starboard Bow!
Siwtching to the strategic view, I get a chance to see what the wider area looks like, and where the boundaries are. This is a very useful view later in the game, as we’ll see in about, oh episode 32347562347 at the rate we’re moving along.
He’s Getting Away!
That brute ran out of sight, so it’s time to pursue with my archer while the spearman heals up. Plus, the extra hits the archer puts on him will help get him promoted. But that brute is headed for Carthage, and I’m not done building my warrior there yet, so the chase is on…
Meanwhile, on the other end of the continent.
Scout 2 is still noodling around out there, following the coastline so we get a sense of where the continent goes.
Hey, I got a promotion!
The archer gets a promotion, and I’m going to use it before the attack this turn, so I get the bonus, even though it doesn’t help much in this particular attack. But let’s keep plinking, and get his experience up some more. As with the spearman, I go for the bonuses for attacking into rough terrain.
Going on Autopilot.
I’m putting Scout 2 on auto-pilot, so I can let him explore without micromanaging every move he makes. This doesn’t always work out as planned, but it lets me focus my time elsewhere.
Heading Home.
Although the archer is wounded, I’m sending him to Carthage to garrison the town while he heals. It’ll also give Carthage some fire support if they come under attack from that eastern camp.
First Scorecard.
The first “rankings” appear, and I’m solidly mid-table for “busiest” people. No problem. My workers haven’t cranked up yet in exploiting my resources, so this will go up soon. I’ve been focusing on local security, so this isn’t unexpected, or a reason to panic. Don’t worry; next time you see this one,I predict I’ll be waaaaay up there.
As the World Turns.
I’ve now got a warrior in Carthage, so I can start heading toward that eastern camp. I’ve also earned my next policy, so it’s time to check out our culture.
Next Policy.
I’m going with Republic, not because I necessarily want the production boost (though that is helpful), but because my next policy (after this one) gets me the free settler, and I want to get my next city started soon.
Civ V replaced the older political developments with “policies” that roll in several different choices about how to steer your civilization. These policies have all sorts of names, but they’re pretty ornamental. So I may pick “Republic” right now, but if I steer my civilization elsewhere later, I can have an Autocratic Republic or some other nonsense. Some people are very unhappy with the reconfigured policies replacing the previous political labels for governments. I don’t much care either way. I like the ability to pick-and-choose developments, but I’m not ncessarily thrilled with the way the game requires you to finish all of one policy tree for an extra boost.
What a Wonderful World…
I normally get right to work on the Pyramids, a personal favorite to build in the Civ series. There’s just something cool about your civilization having the only remaining Wonder of the Ancient World in their capital.
But for Carthage in this game, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus makes more sense, as I get gold bonuses for working my quarries, and I’ve three resources to quarry in Carthage’s boundaries. I also get a gold bonus when I expend Great People, and with Liberty as my first policy tree, I’m expecting plenty of Great People to come along.
Finally, with Carthaginian cities getting free harbors, having workers build roads to connect all the cities is a much lower priority, reducing the overall number of workers you need. Since the big bonus of the Pyramids is the two free workers you get, it’s just extra dudes running around that you have to pay for, building things you have to pay for, that you don’t really need. And since we haven’t invented “pork-barrel Congress” yet, there’s no need to rush headlong into that disaster.
What’s next? City defenses, first steps toward a religion, and an idiot scout with a death wish.
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