Egypt - The Newest Kingdom

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Anthropoid
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Egypt - The Newest Kingdom

Post by Anthropoid »

Thought I'd try an Egypt AAR to try to figure out all the new interface elements and game features in SRCW. All my SR experience so far has been starting and restarting as Egypt in SR2020 and playing for 1 to 5 years so I figured it would be a good place to start and give me an excuse to ask questions that you guys might be sufficiently entertained to answer :D

I'll even see if I can master screen caps (if one of you technical geniuses help of course :D )

Settings:
Scenario-all default, except Random Events High
Military-all default, except Nuke penalties Medium
Game- all default, except Allied victory
Victory-Complete

The nukes and allied settings I hope will make the Blue-Red competition and my role as a growing "White" sphere a bit more interesting. Goal is to survive, figure out the game, and if possible 'win.' Since I've got Complete set, and it seems unlikely I'll endure late game tedium to actually 'win,' I'll entertain some house rules on victory if that seems prudent. Was considering maybe something like one of the following:
1. Conquer all of Africa and all land for 100 miles around the Mediterranean, or
2. Win the Space Race (seem unlikely but I'll see)
3. Have the largest standing army on the planet + largest treasury + more allies (or maybe sphere depending on how that works in the game) than the next largest + be at peace for at least five years continuous and have a healthy economy (out of debt basically)

First order of business is to get oriented with my starting OOB, diplo relations and to turn off all automation.

Finance Minister is locked out of taxation, spending and bonds.

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Hmmphh, screen caps not so hard; lotsa clickies and pasties though . . .

Having played a bit for a year to see the dynamics I'm redoing now and I'll try to spice with a good amount of screen caps. Using Paint and finding that pretty awkward. I got Adobe Pro so maybe I ought to use that.

As I noted in the pre-edited post, Egypts economy seems pretty 'tight' so I'm taking a different tack on this 'real' playthrough.

Setting research to nearly zero for the time being, that might help with getting my economy up and running.

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Based on the starting settings, Egypt is pretty solidly self-sufficient on water, food and minerals and just barely on industrial and military goods. I'm locking Minister out of all product controls, and setting all auto/bulk sales to zero, and purchases to zero for everything that I seem to be able to produce myself. Domestic markups are being set at 69% for the products I produce in excess, and 140% or 200% for the ones I will need to import for the time being.

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For the time being I'm going to set all auto-sales to 0% and just stockpile stuff and focus on state-department trades with key friends and prospective allies.

Does the Bulk Sales price level set the price for Auto-Sales?

In the interest of being somewhat prepared to defend myself, and also to reduce overhead a bit, I'm emptying out the barracks at Alexander, and deactivating it as well as the Naval Fab and a few of the superflous airfields. No point in paying for those facilities when I don't really need them. I'll keep a solid garrison of 2 Inf, 1 Arty, 1 AT at Alexander

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My first attempted trade something; few tens of thousands of water for about a 400% markup to Saudi

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In SR2020 as Egypt I found that selling food, water and consumer goods to Saudi was a pretty foolproof way to make money so maybe that will work out in SRCW too.

As of Oct 11, 1949 I see I have some pretty serious shortfalls on Timber, Oil, Consumer Goods, Electricity. I'm going to lower my Industrial production to just the bare mininum above what I need, and then see about raising my Infrastructure spending to try to ease this burden. Based on my 'test' restart, I know that my economy cannot sustain any real building projects (at least not without going into debt; which I'd like to leave as a last resort BTW, I'm not seeing the manual 'take out bond' control, and also, why no tutorial in SRCW?)

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Notice I'm pretty 'tenuously' self-sufficient on mineral ore so I'll set a modest rate of auto exporting on that. Hope I'm setting this up right; not sure if the bulk amount and the % surplus fight with each other or not. I'm guessing the min price applies to the auto sales "Surplus %" as well as the Bulk sale and my goal is to slightly undercut world market. Maybe not a good long-term plan as it may well lower world market price, but I can always change it later

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Oct 25, 1949 just about have my early military redeployment complete:

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I've basically emptied out my peripheral barracks (Aswan, Marsa Matruh), put at least one Inf in each close combat node that I think is somewhat vulnerable (I've yet to see the AI do an ampibious attack on north Egypt but better safe than sorry; I don't like to use Garrisons as they deplete manpower, cannot entrench and are generally not much cheaper than weak infantry it seems and for less punch, or at least that was my conclusion in SR2020. Anyway, just the ability to entrench I think is worth using leg infantry primarily).

My economy seems to be stable and slowly growing treasury without taking out any debt so that is a plus. Next steps will be to start growing my economy solidifying my relationship with Saudi, and seeking out additional allies and trading partners. Eventually I guess if I want to grow in techs and military quickly I'll need to choose either Red or Blue but for now I'm going to entertain staying White.

Late Nov 1949, I've got my economy stabilized, and Treasury in the green even without any debt. I've got a sizeable portion of my military deployed defensively and the rest are in Cairo in the center. Research is nearly turned off, consumer goods and timber are needing to be imported which is bad long-term. Also my DAR is dropping rather precipitously so I'm going to visit my social expenditures and see about improving that DAR

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Late Nov 1949, my first facility construction a Supply Depot in Cairo. Have to say, at least for Egypt at the start the econ seems pretty well 'balanced,' in the sense that expanding is not exactly a cake walk. Now that I've raised some of my social spending a bit, probably just barely enough to shore up my DAR, I'm in the red on the Treasury by about $8M per day.

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One last ADDIT I'll make to this second post and then leave it for a while until I get some responses or something interesting happens. Seems to be a good bit of market price fluctuation, meaning that there is a lot of micro-adjustments to make on commodities I can export and those I need to import. So I've unlocked those products and told my Minister to maximize profit. Seems to be working.

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Spring 1950, my first gear trade several millions worth of plans from Uncle Joe. Not necessarily inclined to lean red or blue at this stage, but since my closest conquestable neighbors are either an American puppet state (Israel) :D or English colonies (Sudan and Libya) I figure leaning USSR to start is not a bad idea

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First military fabrications: a couple of arty designs I just purchased from the Russkies

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And my initial build queue, couple transports to carry leg infantry and some mountain infantry. Idea for initial build is to buttress my Sinai defenses, then I'll start to build up something like an offensive force with the expectation of eventual conflict with Israel.

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Hmmm, that is weird that the Uncle Joe .gif and the Lab Fab Queue one are showing up wider. I selected the 640x480 for Message Boards option in Image Shack. Appreciate if anyone has any helpful comments on the screen caps. At this point I just kinda did a bunch and no idea if it makes the AAR any better or not.

Okay, so that REALLY should do to get this AAR going. No more ADDITs to this post!

Appreciate if any of you guys have any feedback or can answer any of my questions. I won't promise this will be a 'to the bitter end AAR' but I am enjoying it so far and using it to learn the game (as my Xmas holiday dwindles to an end :-( ) so I'll keep it up for a while at least.
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Anthropoid
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Re: Egypt - The Newest Kingdom

Post by Anthropoid »

Damn, this is addictive . . .

Feb 1st 1950. First supply depot is done in Cairo bringing supply in capital hex up to 74%. Started an airfield to boost it at the center a bit more. Once that is done I'll think about what industrial/commercial facilities to think about building for profit purposes

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Holy DMZ this is a bit ahistorical!

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Korean War OVER within less than a month and NK Evaporated!

Given the settings I have, and the fact that I did NOTHING to intervene, I think that may indicate that the other recent threads about "Blue Always Wins" and all Blue allies piling on in Korea needing a bit of patch attention or modding.

March 10 1951: North Vietnam has ceased to exist.

Seems like there is a need to rebalance things in the Sandbox mode a bit and weaken the Free World Powers' response to the SE Asian Communist sphere. I would think this is largely accounting for why Blue has been observed to always win.
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Re: Egypt - The Newest Kingdom

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Gearing up to invade Israel within the next 6 months

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As I started to deploy along their border, their active staff went up to about 27,000 (mine is presently around 57,000) but then it dropped back down. I figure once I have 75,000 active, and have spent several months on relatively high salaries/training I'll be ready to take them out. Not sure the repurcussions I'll face but ah well, c'est la guerre!

Few questions that I've developed as I've progressed:

1. Is it not possible to just "buy back" bonds?
2. Apart from clicking unlock on buy bonds by the minister I don't see a specific "issue bonds" button
3. I'm interested in courting the USSR as an ally but they will have none of it. This cannot be right; the USSR is not interested in bringing me into their sphere!?

Conquest of Israel June 17 1952; got bored :D Alalalalalalalah!

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June 18, 1952 Israel Crumbles

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June 19 1952 Israel Continues to Crumble

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The best Defense is a good OFFENSE!

June 20, 1952 Israel is Annexed into the Newest Kingdom

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Okay America/Soviet Yurnion! How do you like me now!? :P

Ohh! One free conquest and only "MEDIUM" risk of any retaliatory wars!? Whatever balancing there needs to be on the FWP steamroller activity in SE Asia, etc., I DO like that blitzkrieg on one little ol' neighbor seems to be fairly forgiveable?!?

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Re: Egypt - The Newest Kingdom

Post by number47 »

Anthropoid wrote:Korean War OVER within less than a month and NK Evaporated!

Given the settings I have, and the fact that I did NOTHING to intervene, I think that may indicate that the other recent threads about "Blue Always Wins" and all Blue allies piling on in Korea needing a bit of patch attention or modding.

March 10 1951: North Vietnam has ceased to exist.

Seems like there is a need to rebalance things in the Sandbox mode a bit and weaken the Free World Powers' response to the SE Asian Communist sphere. I would think this is largely accounting for why Blue has been observed to always win.
Are you playing 7.3.1 version of the game? In dosen games I played, it was always NK that evaporated the South Korea HUH And in 7.3.1 NATO forces don't intervene in SE Asia (France are the only one fighting the NV (NV+China)). Also, I must correct my post in "Blue always win" thread as I was refering to sphere shift not actual wars.

Oh, almost forgot, nice AAR! :wink:
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Re: Egypt - The Newest Kingdom

Post by Anthropoid »

Yep 7.3.1 !

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number47 wrote:
Anthropoid wrote:Korean War OVER within less than a month and NK Evaporated!

Given the settings I have, and the fact that I did NOTHING to intervene, I think that may indicate that the other recent threads about "Blue Always Wins" and all Blue allies piling on in Korea needing a bit of patch attention or modding.

March 10 1951: North Vietnam has ceased to exist.

Seems like there is a need to rebalance things in the Sandbox mode a bit and weaken the Free World Powers' response to the SE Asian Communist sphere. I would think this is largely accounting for why Blue has been observed to always win.
Are you playing 7.3.1 version of the game? In dosen games I played, it was always NK that evaporated the South Korea HUH And in 7.3.1 NATO forces don't intervene in SE Asia (France are the only one fighting the NV (NV+China)). Also, I must correct my post in "Blue always win" thread as I was refering to sphere shift not actual wars.

Oh, almost forgot, nice AAR! :wink:
Okay; well if there is not a consitent pattern in the NK evaporation, then I guess it was just a 'weird luck thing' in my case. I'll soldier on and see what I can do in a world minus the SE Asian minor Commies!
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Re: Egypt - The Newest Kingdom

Post by Anthropoid »

I had sprinkled in a few questions in my AAR above, so in the hopes someone might answer I'll synthesize them here and leave it without any clutter:

1. Does the Bulk Sales price level set the price for Auto-Sales?

2. Is it not possible to just "buy back" bonds?

3. Apart from clicking unlock on buy bonds by the minister I don't see a specific "issue bonds" button

4. I'm interested in courting the USSR as an ally but they will have none of it. This cannot be right; the USSR is not interested in bringing me into their sphere!?

Also one 'observation/suggestion' on the game balance.

Spring 1953 (half a year after conquering Israel) my treasury was up around $3.2B. Nobody likes me anymore, and nobody will even consider an Extradition treaty even for my entire treasury.

Nonetheless, I was able to purchase:

From the Soviets--> $1.7B in societal techs (refrigeration, etc.)

From the Yanks--> $250M in airplane designs (marked up to ~$650M IIRC)

While it certainly makes the game more dynamic that the AI is seemingly _always_ willing to trade designs for the right price, I don't think that that is very realistic. If Egypt had conquested Israel in 1952 I doubt the U.S. would have traded _anything_ with them.

Maybe it would be too harsh, but just an idea: if the human declares war with an AI's ally then perhaps a 5 year moratorium on all diplo? Plus, if the human conquers an AI's ally maybe 5 additional years of unwillingness to trade techs, treaties or designs?
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Re: Egypt - The Newest Kingdom

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Sept 1, 1953. Uncle Nikita trades me $1.7B in Techs for around $1.53B . . . silly shoe-bangin' potatohead statesman . . . :D

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. . . stay tuned Bat Pyramid Fans, more to come . . .

I do appreciate how there NEVER seems to be enough electricity in SR games. Seems realistic. Seems like those Hydro plants take forever to finish . . .

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Nov 19 1953, treasury is back up above $3B: time for another big Tech trade with the Reds!

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The World Economy seems to have more or less stabilized so I have all my products locked out again, which I prefer. I periodically check the products I export to insure my min price is just below market and keep the % at about 50 to 75% depending on the commodity.
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number47
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Re: Egypt - The Newest Kingdom

Post by number47 »

Comments in red:
Anthropoid wrote:I had sprinkled in a few questions in my AAR above, so in the hopes someone might answer I'll synthesize them here and leave it without any clutter:

1. Does the Bulk Sales price level set the price for Auto-Sales?
- don't think so. All sales are done considering "Market Price" price. Even the bulk sales of scarse resource will not sell for a price higher than "Market Price"...
2. Is it not possible to just "buy back" bonds?
-It is not possible. You have to use your minister for operating bonds.
3. Apart from clicking unlock on buy bonds by the minister I don't see a specific "issue bonds" button
-see above (number 2.)...although Fistalis made a mod where he brought the bonds trading option back...
4. I'm interested in courting the USSR as an ally but they will have none of it. This cannot be right; the USSR is not interested in bringing me into their sphere!?
-it takes time to do it. Trade helps the most so keep buying techs or resourses from them. Also sign with them treaties that you can as all treaties improve relations and bring you closer to them. Also befriend their allies. Third party relations mean alot, as well as your sphere association (being red helps a lot :D ).
Also one 'observation/suggestion' on the game balance.

Spring 1953 (half a year after conquering Israel) my treasury was up around $3.2B. Nobody likes me anymore, and nobody will even consider an Extradition treaty even for my entire treasury.
-your war with israel was unjustified so all UN members dislike you (or like you less) at the moment. Since israel was in blue sphere, your relations with blue countries took a huge hit while it did not make such an impact on red sphere countries (moreso, it probably improved them :-) ). Your better option would have been to wait for the October 1956 when Israel is scripted to attack you :P
Nonetheless, I was able to purchase:

From the Soviets--> $1.7B in societal techs (refrigeration, etc.)

From the Yanks--> $250M in airplane designs (marked up to ~$650M IIRC)

While it certainly makes the game more dynamic that the AI is seemingly _always_ willing to trade designs for the right price, I don't think that that is very realistic. If Egypt had conquested Israel in 1952 I doubt the U.S. would have traded _anything_ with them.

Maybe it would be too harsh, but just an idea: if the human declares war with an AI's ally then perhaps a 5 year moratorium on all diplo? Plus, if the human conquers an AI's ally maybe 5 additional years of unwillingness to trade techs, treaties or designs?
-I like your suggestion on this matter but you should suggest it to devs in development subforum. :wink:
Last edited by number47 on Jan 13 2013, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Egypt - The Newest Kingdom

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Thanks so much for your kind answers Number47, as always!

Having observed this "world automatically shifts to US. Sphere 'bug'" I think I'm gonna hold off on SRCW till a hotfix or a patch to fix that is released. It kinda spoils the game that one of the AI adversaries is just by default 'winning,' though I am not sure what will happen in a game where 'Complete' victory is set. I suppose if all regions to Blue Sphere then that equals 'Complete Victory?'

Fantastic game, but does seem to need a bit more polishing and balancing.
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Re: Egypt - The Newest Kingdom

Post by number47 »

Anthropoid wrote:Thanks so much for your kind answers Number47, as always!

Having observed this "world automatically shifts to US. Sphere 'bug'" I think I'm gonna hold off on SRCW till a hotfix or a patch to fix that is released. It kinda spoils the game that one of the AI adversaries is just by default 'winning,' though I am not sure what will happen in a game where 'Complete' victory is set. I suppose if all regions to Blue Sphere then that equals 'Complete Victory?'

Fantastic game, but does seem to need a bit more polishing and balancing.
You are welcome :-)

Sphere is important only in "Sphere victory" setting (winning vise) not so much in other settings but it kills the role-play side of the game :-( (and ruins some other things too). If it is a bug as we suspect, it will not take BG long to fix it as this happend onece before just the sides were reversed (everyone running to the red sphere :lol: )
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Re: Egypt - The Newest Kingdom

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Hmmm, it must not be too much of a 'reset' then if it was working opposite before!?

That makes me wish I could figure out what bit of code was controlling it and do a mod fix of my own . . .
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Re: Egypt - The Newest Kingdom

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Anthropoid wrote:Hmmm, it must not be too much of a 'reset' then if it was working opposite before!?

That makes me wish I could figure out what bit of code was controlling it and do a mod fix of my own . . .
Well, it was some time before...can remember was it 7.0.1 or 7.2.0...anyway the reson for this happening again doesn't have to be the same. :wink:
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Re: Egypt - The Newest Kingdom

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So basically, with Complete Victory set, and assuming the inexorable shift to Blue Sphere continues, I will soon find myself a white power in a predominantly Blue World and with one large Red 'superpower' (deprived of all its minions) . . . hmmm, could be interesting to continue.

Just kinda disappointing to find that the cold war is being 'won' by default so quickly in a game that is focused on the Cold War! :D

In truth, the dynamics of the Cold War must be one of the most difficult to represent in a strategy game. Several years ago, there was a great mod for Civilization 3 Conquests called "El Justo's Cold War Mod" or something to that effect. A bunch of us (must've been 8 or 10 of us) played that mod in a play-by-email for a couple of years! Given it was primarily intended to be for SP, and that this was the first real MP playthrough, it was remarkably well balanced, but in the end, the basic structure was really not suitable to represent the Cold War.

Because the allied powers could not really work at cross purposes or double-cross one another, we on the Blue Team quickly realized we had nothing to lose by closely sharing information and planning together. We then (quite unrealistically) initiated some wars to cripple the Soviets and then when the "Mid East" power (played by El Justo) protested we put him in his place too; seems like I had ever hex (squares) in Israel garrisoned with a nearly max number of the strongest West German infantry and he protested that too as he asserted it was somehow a breach that the Israelis would allow West German troop designs in Israel :D

In the end, we scored a resignation from our Red/Neutral opponents after about two years of PBEM after we launched a surprise attack on Eastern Europe and took them out within a couple of 'turns' (months if I recall in that game). This game is orders of magnitude better than that clumsy attempt to represent the Cold War era using the old Civ 3 Engine; but I think it might still suffer the same fundamental problem that most strategy game engines suffer when it comes to representing the Cold War --> in reality, the Cold War was 'won' by never going 'hot' and the accumulation of economic, political, cultural, and arms race competition over decades finally led to the USSR crumbling. Because of the inherent bias in strategy games on military theatre strategic actions, it is natural that the actual dynamics of the cold war are perhaps difficult to represent in a fun game.
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