Tip: Max Path to Search By

[vfb]

Before things get too confusing, let's talk about "mount A4:0", because there actually is a possible E4 site in the mountains (The Factory).

Sorry Max, "mount A4:0" means not only are there no unique A4 sites in the mountains, there are no non-unique A4 sites either. So you can searched manually with an Eagle King to A3 in the mountains, and not bother looking for A4. (unless the province is both 'mountains' and 'plains').

"mount E4:1" means there is exactly one unique site that's possible in the mountains. And no non-unique E4 sites either. So if you found "The Factory" in a different province already, then you don't need to bother searching the mountains (or any province actually) to E4.

Of course, it may be more efficient to spell site search to find the E3's, depending on what stage the game's in etc.

My numbers are about optimizing searching because it's likely that in the early game at least, you've run around with a mage manually searching some sites, but probably not to level 4 in many paths.

This is especially true in the water. It's a waste to go casting Dark Knowledge everywhere if you've already peeked around with a D2, because there's nothing higher.

[MaxWilson]

Sorry, vfb, I guess I'm still not getting it. Does "mount E4:1" mean 1 unique site can occur in the mountains? What would it look like if 1 site can occur but it's not unique? What about 2 unique sites and 1 non-unique?

Thanks for putting together the table. It's the sort of thing I've wondered about while perusing Edi's database, but have never done any analysis on.

-Max

[vfb]

MaxWilson said:
Sorry, vfb, I guess I'm still not getting it. Does "mount E4:1" mean 1 unique site can occur in the mountains?

Yes, there is at most one unique E4 site that can occur in the mountains. If it's already in any other province then it can't appear in the mountains. There are no non-unique E4 sites in mountains. There is at least one non-unique E3 in mountains.

Except for one H4 site, all level 4 sites are unique.

What would it look like if 1 site can occur but it's not unique?

I wouldn't list it. That's why A3 appear but not E3, because a non-unique E3 site can appear everywhere. That's why H is not listed for most provinces -- there's a non-unique H4 site that can be found everywhere except sea/cave/deepsea.

What about 2 unique sites and 1 non-unique?

I wouldn't list it.

Thanks for putting together the table. It's the sort of thing I've wondered about while perusing Edi's database, but have never done any analysis on.

-Max

No prob! It's the sort of thing I like to micro in the game, so I can afford to kit out a thug. Then I send him on some ridiculously impossible mission completely unsuited to his capabilities and get him killed.

[Tifone]

Seems a winning plan

[Edi]

This sseems a nice complement to the data in this thread.

[vfb]

Thanks Edi! I've been away for a bit, and I had lost track of that one. The stats I listed are pretty much the same as the data there, but I just broke them down by terrain type.

[Edi]

You're welcome. You can find that thread and many others linked from the Strategy Index sticky.