Map Trading Again

Shiber · October 7, 2002, 05:09

We have 5 towns in Uber Isle. At the current pace we'll have covered all of Uber Isle except for the small plains area in 26 turns, or less if we rush one of the temples. If another civilization settles anywhere in Uber Isle they'll be easy to flip since:[list=1][*]Every civ either admires our culture or is at least impressed with it.[*]They will have weak garrisons (they'll bring one garrison unit with them on the galley and most likely will not build a second garrison until it's too late).[*]Their city will be relatively close to our capital and very far from their capital, unless it's the Russians. In other words, the Capital Distance Factor will be very high, which is greatly in our favor.[*]We can culturally take several of their 21 city tiles, thus speeding up the process.[/list=1]
More information about culture flipping is available in the thread entitled Culture Flip Formula.

Anyway, I am saying this because I believe it is time to sell our maps again. As I explained above, we'll have most of Uber Isle covered in the near future, and additionally any towns that any AI civs establish on Uber Isle can be easily flipped.
I'd like to lay out my current "map whoring" (we should really make up a new name for this) plan:

Phase I

Trade TM for WM with Russia.
Trade TM for WM with Persia.
Trade TM for WM and 2 gold with Babylon.
Trade TM for 1 gold and WM with Iroquois.

Phase II

Trade WM for 16 gold and WM with Aztecs.
Trade WM for 14 gold and WM with France.

Phase III

Trade WM for 2 workers, WM and maximum gold with Greece.
Trade WM for maximum gold (at least 28) with Rome.
Trade WM for maximum gold (at least 31) with Germany.
Trade WM for maximum gold (at least 42) with England.

Profit
Minimum Revenues: 142 gold, 2 workers and possibly additions to our WM.
Projected Revenues: 150 gold, 2 workers and some additions to our WM.

Comments, suggestions and opinions are welcome!

Donegeal · October 7, 2002, 05:21

I still feel we should wait until we atleast have a settler on the way to the last city site. Either build in on the Island, or the one from Tomestone.

Meshelic · October 7, 2002, 05:28

By the time we get that last settler down there no other nation will really have had much of a chance if they did plan to settle the area.

I like the potential profits to be made however.

Shiber · October 7, 2002, 05:51

We'll be pretty tight on money if we execute this plan. I strongly suggest that we do both.

BigFurryMonster · October 7, 2002, 06:39

Maybe we can trade for Maps from a Civ that is exploring the seas. This way, we can estimate the location of the Lost Civs better.

Shiber · October 7, 2002, 09:52

* Shameless bump *

E_T · October 7, 2002, 12:47

I would like to save our WM for a possible trade for contact with one of the lost Civs. Rome, Greece & possibly the Aztecs are looking for a way to the other lands. They should contact them soon. The price for contact will be extreme, so we should save it for then.

E_T

Togas · October 7, 2002, 12:56

I definately support a future Mapwhoring plan, but I'm not sure that this next chat is the time. But I will keep it in mind.

Tech prices are now absolutely scary, and they will continue to climb the charts if we have nothing to offset the price. A lux plus our WM might help us cut a few coins off the price of Astronomy and Gunpowder. I'm going to keep the map as an option. The only certainty is that if we trade the map once on any turn, we need to trade it to everyone else on the same turn to get the most value.

AND if we do trade it, this plan does seem like the best way to go about it. First filling in the map, then selling it off for max value.

--Togas

Shiber · October 7, 2002, 13:30

I don't know about using maps to get discounts on tech.
Luxuries are different because you get gpt for luxuries and the AI you're dealing with has a limit to how much gpt it will give, and it's often lower than the actual value of the commodity so using luxuries to get discounts on tech is in most cases the only way to get the most out of the luxury.
However, maps are different. Maps cost hard cash (by no means will an AI agree to a gpt deal for maps), and they don't cost much either. I doubt using a map in a tech trade would lower the price of the map more than than the AI would agree to pay for it in another trade.

joncnunn · October 7, 2002, 14:45

I've had some good exprences using Maps to get discounts on techs.

I'd like to see the last settler built and in route to the last city site before trading as well.

Shiber · October 7, 2002, 15:23

joncnunn, I've never experienced that. If you have any saves that show that throwing maps into a tech deal give you more of a discount than the money you'd get for selling them separately I'd be glad to review them.
Regarding the last city site, if we see an AI ship approaching we can always hurry a settler in one of the cities and send it to the last site. In any case I see no actual risk involved since any towns that an AI civ builds on Uber Isle, we can quickly flip.

History Guy · October 7, 2002, 15:51

Shiber, this is most certainly a good plan, and one that should and must be acted upon. In the process, as noted, we'd not only own the most accurate and up to date maps on Earth, but we'd also gain large amounts of gold and slaves. The plan is worth following through. I'd like to see Plan Shiber acted upon at the earliest possible opportunity.

joncnunn · October 7, 2002, 15:59

Shiber, that was in my previous game in a horrible starting location. The reason for the discount for a tech was that when I discovered them, my map was worth more gold than they had in their tresury.

I hate sharing an island as small as Uber Island is for any turns even if they flip quickly.

Rushing seems to currently need so many people present that chances are the game would have to be halted if it looks like it's needed. We can avoid taking actions that increase risk of a game stoppage needed.