Who can make it to the new world? Turks?

[Flavius Gonzo]

I haven't yet had a campaign last long enough to get the world is round thing yet, so I've been planning in my current Turkish campaign for my last few provinces to be new world.

But, I read here today somewhere that you need to build the highest level of Port available to get there. It seems that the Turks can only build up to Shipwright... does that mean that I won't be able to build the boats capable of sailing across the atlantic?

[Shahed]

I'm not sure as I have'nt gotten that far yet. I think you can build ocean faring vessels like the Baghla (sp?), after gunpowder or thereabouts.

[Wizzie]

You can only build Dockyards after gunpowder is discovered, as they produce the first canon-wielding ships. I presume you can't build the next level of port until the "World is Round" event.

[Flavius Gonzo]

Excellent. I wonder how the Americas will look after a few Turkish Conquistadors land in the New World.

Around what turn does the World is Round event occur? Or does it depend on certain things that need to happen in the campaign?

[Wizzie]

From a quite glance at the descr_events.txt file it would appear to happen around 1400-1408AD. That would be around turn 160+ (playing at the standard 2yrs/turn).

[Shahed]

Cool. Thanks for clearing that up.

[Flavius Gonzo]

Gah! Turn 160!!!

Is it just me, or do Gunpowder & the New World seem to come ridiculously late in the campaign? Man, I really want to pick up my remaining 15 settlements usuing Gunpowder units and at least partly conquering the new world. But this means I need to spend the next 90+ turns playing defensively or seiging/sacking/abanoning settlements.

I think my next campaign, I will definitely look into modding the game so that this happens much sooner.

[Shahed]

You think that's bad. I'm playing 2 turns/year. Once I arrive at Marrakesh I hope I can mod the Mongols in to arrive then. I just can't wait for muskets and canon ! weeeeeeeeeeeee !

[dismal]

Gah! Turn 160!!!

Is it just me, or do Gunpowder & the New World seem to come ridiculously late in the campaign?

Given the campaign spans 1080 to 1530, and recalling that Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, late seems reasonable. In the game you can probably get there by 1420 or so.

[Flavius Gonzo]

Yeah, my point on the timing was less on the historical aspect and more on the playability.

It seems to me, that regardless of what strategy I try to employ, I always end up expanding way too quickly. The difficulty for me seems to be this: even if I try to avoid any conflict with other factions, one of them invariably attacks me, leading to a full scale war. Economically, it's always better to pump everything into the war and destroy or cripple the other faction quickly. Waiting around during costs a lot in upkeep and you're missing out on trade rights, etc. Furthermore, the cities you capture early in the game are almost always better off than ones you conquer later.

Militarily it also often makes sense to grow quickly in the game. If you destroy an AI stack defending your own city it usually makes sense to push forward into the mostly defenseless city the AI army just left behind, rather than waiting and letting them build up a bigger garrison and having the extra city to recruit more cannon fodder.

So, when I'm playing, I feel like I'm constantly incentivized to expand quicker than I'd like, and damn it's a lot of turns until Gunpowder & The New World.

[Mandos]

Don't Worry about getting there before your campaign ends. Just go ahead and get 45 provinces to win, then keep playing. Make it your personal goal to take over the entire map! That's what I've been doing anyway...

[Flavius Gonzo]

That is an option. But I find that by the time I get to 45 provinces anyway, the campaign becomes a total chore. Fending off continual badly planned AI assaults, moving govenors every turn, making sure I don't forget an agent sitting around doing nothing, etc, all that makes turns take too damn long late in the game.

I was just reading somewhere else about modding the game to make these events happen earlier, I think that's in order for me next campaign.

[dismal]

So, when I'm playing, I feel like I'm constantly incentivized to expand quicker than I'd like, and damn it's a lot of turns until Gunpowder & The New World.

Yes, I agree, the New World is really more of a novelty than something that's part of a game winning strategy. But, then, it's a Medieval era game.

Perhaps the next game will be the era of colonization.