Ok to go past "goldilocks zone" during Orcs?

[Arayla]

Looking for facts and/or advice here concerning the goldilocks zone.

I am currently in the beginning of Orcs. Have started producing Orcs at a good rate, so I've already cleared all the provinces necessary to proceed to Woodelves. I'm itching for more space though. I know I have a little extra space in my city, but I have plans for that already.

Until now, I didn't go more than 5 provinces beyond what would be required to enter the next chapter. Does this still make sense now that the halflings chapter rewards players who have scouted beyond the GZ? Pros/cons?

 

[Ashrem]

It's never not okay. Moving outside the "Goldilocks zone" only does two things:
1) Makes fighting harder
2) Makes negotiating more expensive.*

If you have the ability to make orcs for negotiating, then you can be fifty provinces over your total and all it means is you are paying more to negotiate or fighting harder battles.

* Orcs is a special case. If you hit the top end of the orc-free zone and don't have orcs to negotiate, then fighting is your only choice. They appear in the 11th ring.

 

[dikke ikke]

Looking for facts and/or advice here concerning the goldilocks zone.

I am currently in the beginning of Orcs. Have started producing Orcs at a good rate, so I've already cleared all the provinces necessary to proceed to Woodelves. I'm itching for more space though. I know I have a little extra space in my city, but I have plans for that already.

Until now, I didn't go more than 5 provinces beyond what would be required to enter the next chapter. Does this still make sense now that the halflings chapter rewards players who have scouted beyond the GZ? Pros/cons?

Yes, when you reached orcs it is 'safe' to leave the GZ, the expansions you get in the tech three and the required provinces are most of the time not enough to make good progress, so from orcs you can scout as much as you want

 

[Arayla]

Thanks!

Scouting next province now ...

 

[DeletedUser3821]

Yes, when you reached orcs it is 'safe' to leave the GZ, the expansions you get in the tech three and the required provinces are most of the time not enough to make good progress, so from orcs you can scout as much as you want

Just watch out for the "nose bleed" zone ......

 

[DeletedUser2334]

I've always exceeded the GZ, partially because there was no GZ when I first started playing. I think I'm at >400 provinces now, so fighting is an impossibility and I cater all my encounters. However, this gives me much more room in my city for manufactures (and other things). Long story short: I prefer to cater and not fight, so I'm way outside the GZ. If you still want to fight in provinces, don't get too far outside the GZ.

 

[Risen Malchiah]

What I found interesting is that I have stayed within the GZ the entire time, never exceeding the provinces required for the next chapter. I am now about to start Woodelves and have yet to see an encounter that needs orcs. But I prefer to fight 90% of the time so making sure the fights are winnable is important to me.

 

[Ashrem]

I am now about to start Woodelves and have yet to see an encounter that needs orcs.

Your status has no affect on it.Orcs are required to negotiate in ring 11, regardless of how and when you get there. All that matters is if you are expanding in smooth rings. There are about 220 provinces in the first ten rings, so you don't need orcs until #221 if you scout evenly.

 

[Risen Malchiah]

Sweet. I've got about 30 more provinces before that. My 20k orcs are piling up. I guess I can save my supplies for a bit.

 

[Mykan]

I've always exceeded the GZ, partially because there was no GZ when I first started playing.

While I have grown to disagree with the whole GZ concept the issue faced now always existed previously it just had a different appearance. There were always stages in the game were some people had to cater. This is more universal now so it comes across more obvious.

Looking for facts and/or advice here concerning the goldilocks zone.
Until now, I didn't go more than 5 provinces beyond what would be required to enter the next chapter. Does this still make sense now that the halflings chapter rewards players who have scouted beyond the GZ? Pros/cons?

I would argue there is no such thing as a GZ and it is even more impossible to define. I have a town that is in halfings and kept close to the chest requirements (a little above) and it is now surrounded with "blutopia" (almost entirely very easy, blue, provinces. Yet I also have a town in chapter 3 also within the chest requirement with very hard, red provinces everywhere. By most definitions both are in the GZ yet both have polar opposite experiences with combat. Inno has given us clues to where they expect us to be and they balance the game around this, but this is an expectation not a rule, your strategy has to decide what is best for you.

What does exist is a point where you can fight and a point where you cannot. How far you scout comes down to several factors that all relate to you and your style of play and preference.
The more you scout:

• The more catering costs increase
• The more scout times increase
• The more difficult fighting becomes
• The more difficult certain quests during events can be - Gain x relic, scout x province, etc.
  
• The more bonuses certain wonders get
• The more benefit seeds in halfling chapter get
• The more expansions you get

If you don't care for fighting than it simply comes down to your preference of cater costs, events and scouting verse the benefits from wonders/seeds. If you like to fight you still have to factor in the other things but bottom line is if you decide you wish to continue exploring just keep going until fights get too hard for you and then slow down or pause for a tech or two and then keep going.

 

[DeletedUser2334]

While I have grown to disagree with the whole GZ concept the issue faced now always existed previously it just had a different appearance. There were always stages in the game were some people had to cater. This is more universal now so it comes across more obvious.

I don't remember a time where I had to cater prior to the major battle reboot. Perhaps I would have reached there eventually, but I remember being able to win provinces and then not being able to win provinces due to the battle system change.

What confuses me now, is that tech expansions are shrinking while the available city expansions are increasing. I'm a ~ top 50 player in Arendyll, way outside the GZ, but still have 10 unattainable city expansions. If as a top player I am not able to attain the max city size and development, who is? Or is this simply the new normal for city building, and we'll never be able to grow our cities to the max possible?

 

[SoggyShorts]

What I found interesting is that I have stayed within the GZ the entire time, never exceeding the provinces required for the next chapter. I am now about to start Woodelves and have yet to see an encounter that needs orcs.

Also worth noting is that you will require orcs to cater in tournaments once your squad size is over 1250. Which happens in early woodelves or mid halflings depending on how many squad techs you skip.

What confuses me now, is that tech expansions are shrinking while the available city expansions are increasing. I'm a ~ top 50 player in Arendyll, way outside the GZ, but still have 10 unattainable city expansions. If as a top player I am not able to attain the max city size and development, who is? Or is this simply the new normal for city building, and we'll never be able to grow our cities to the max possible?

My guess:
1. There needs to be something for diamond buyers to get that other players can't or else they'll spend less money.
2. Perhaps the spots available to expand are greater than the expansions you get so that you have some choice as to which way you want to lay out your city (wide vs tall)

 

[Risen Malchiah]

Also worth noting is that you will require orcs to cater in tournaments once your squad size is over 1250. Which happens in early woodelves or mid halflings depending on how many squad techs you skip.

I started skipping optional squad sizes during fairies and only went back to do them while waiting for loot to unlock orc AWs. I wish I didn't because after completing 2 of the ones I skipped, it seems that this week's tournament is vastly more expensive to cater. I'll continue to skip them as often as I can from now on, but I'm at 996 now so it's inevitable that I'll hit 1250 at some point.

 

[SoggyShorts]

I started skipping optional squad sizes during fairies and only went back to do them while waiting for loot to unlock orc AWs. I wish I didn't because after completing 2 of the ones I skipped, it seems that this week's tournament is vastly more expensive to cater. I'll continue to skip them as often as I can from now on, but I'm at 996 now so it's inevitable that I'll hit 1250 at some point.

Yeah I'm kicking myself for every optional SS tech I ever unlocked. Basing tournament costs and troop counts off of your squad size is a garbage system imo. By skipping techs a player in chapter 11 can have smaller fights and lower costs than someone in chapter 9.
It should simply be chapter based.

 

[DeletedUser2334]

My guess:
1. There needs to be something for diamond buyers to get that other players can't or else they'll spend less money.
2. Perhaps the spots available to expand are greater than the expansions you get so that you have some choice as to which way you want to lay out your city (wide vs tall)

Soggy,
good thoughts.
1) I have 8 more premium expansions left to purchase. If I bought all the expansions at their current crazy price, what happens with the next chapter, there aren't enough expansions available to keep up with the next row/column of expansions?
2) I've heard this argument before. If this is true, then I wish Inno would be far more explicit with their game strategy. I would have likely made different long-term choices had I known that premium expansions would be price gouged, tech expansions were going to be reduced (not increased) as chapters progressed, and that my overall city growth would not continue to expand according to the availability.

I'm likely just frustrated that Inno seems to be stifling city expansion and growth rather than making it an enjoyable challenge. Keep fighting the good fight I guess...