maartena
Oct 28, 2005, 10:32 AM
I came home last night and the game was waiting for me as it had arrived. I quickly opened the box, tossed aside everything but the CD's and started installing. After a problemless install of the game I started up!
I am a little dissapointed with the intro, it seemed to stutter a lot on my machine and it just didn't do it for me. I like the Civ 3 intro better. But oh well, you only see the intro once and then you'll hit escape every time after that. ;)
The main menu screen appears. The game greets me with an African tribal music of some sorts, which immediatly grabs my attention. In combination with the earth graphics its actually quite mezmerizing. After staring at that for a while and changing my resolution to match my monitor at 1280x1024, I start a game.
I go for a custom game, and start setting options. I decide to play on a "large" world rather then a normal size, and I noticed the option "balanced" in the continents section, so I decide to go for that since I don't know what it does. Of course I don't read the manual. ;) I soon found out that "balanced" is a 1 continent map where every civilization has been dealt roughly the same hand and no one is at a clear advantage or disadvantage. Not a bad map to start on and test the game.
I start my game and founded the glorious city of Rome. I also get presented with an explorer, so I set out and explore the area around my city. Within a few turns I find the thing that every player since civ 1 hopes for: The "Goody Hut". The hut gave me some experience so I upgraded my unit.
The first civilization I meet are the Russians. In the mean time Rome has produced Warriors and are building settlers. I intend to make sure that I take a few key areas with nice resources before the Russians get to them. On the other side I meet the Mali and the Egyptians. They seemed a little friendlier then my Russian neighbour Peter.
I gradually build up my empire and have been succesfull in getting a few settlers in areas with plenty of resources. Since I am Roman, it would be fitting to research technologies for Christianity. I am not very religious in real life, but in the game I will be a devout Catholic. ;) It takes me a little while to amass the technologies required for Theology, but eventually I am successfull in found Christianity in the city of Antium. Why it wasn't founded in Rome, I don't know, but Antium is just as good. :)
I had also set out to build the Pyramids in Rome. Then someone else builds the Pyramids. Rats. I then set out to build the Hanging Gardens. Then someone else builds the Hanging Gardends. @#$$#%!! So I build the Sistine Chapel since everyone is bugging me for Theology they obviously cannot build it yet.
I have Open Borders with a good many nations, except with the Russians. I declined their initial offer of Open Borders way back when we first met, and I have never gotten a friendly word from him since. The Russians are starting to make demands of technology. I decline.
I make a defense plan since none of my cities have more then 1 unit, except Rome. Goal: 3 defensive units in each city. Only Rome, Antium and Neapolis aren't bordering with the other civilizations, the other 6 cities around those are. The Russians are getting angry and making more demands. I decline them. And just as I set production of the 3d unit for defense in most cities, they declare WAR on me!
Oh no! I am not prepared! What is to come of my empire? I quickly change the production of all cities in the empire to military units, mostly Knights. I also move defensive units to the front line to protect my cities. The first attacks are devastating and destroy not only my lands but workers and military units traveling. My only hope now is to hold out long enough till production of more military units is done.
The first wave of attacks did not go well. The Russians attacked the city of Arebium (spelling could be wrong), and after a heroic struggle it fell to the Russians. If that wasn't enough, they RAZED a colony I had made somewhere deeper in between the Egyptian and Russian territory which was struggling for culture. I want my city back and I want revenge. My cities start popping out knights now and I have a chance to get back on the offensive.
I manage to attack all their units in my territory and destroy them. More knights are produced while my current knights fortify and heal up. The Russians now want to talk and offer a peace treaty if I give them 40 gold also.
The NERVE!! I want my city back, AND I want one of your cities before I grant you any peace, mr Peter.... and maybe I will take 2 cities just because.
4 knights assemble around the city they took from me, and with 3 knights left of which 2 are damaged I take the city back, and start to build a Musketeer because I just developed that new technology.
Time for revenge. I have my eyes set on Jekaterinenburg. I want that city. I am preparing an army of knights for the onslaught, and I know I will lose a good many units due to the cities fortification. And thats where I had to click "save game" and end my conquest for the night.
There are 4 or 5 knights fortified right outside of Jekaterinenburg and I am building more. The city has 40% on the defense it seems due to walls and 4 units inside the city - so I will need to at least double, and better yet triple my forces before I attack. I want revenge, but I want it done right. I will patiently piss him off some more by pillaging and building up my armed forces.
Rome will teach those filthy Russians to declare war on my glorious empire!!
Veni, Vidi, and probably Vici too.
Maarten, Glorious emperor of the Roman Empire, 1360 AD.
I am a little dissapointed with the intro, it seemed to stutter a lot on my machine and it just didn't do it for me. I like the Civ 3 intro better. But oh well, you only see the intro once and then you'll hit escape every time after that. ;)
The main menu screen appears. The game greets me with an African tribal music of some sorts, which immediatly grabs my attention. In combination with the earth graphics its actually quite mezmerizing. After staring at that for a while and changing my resolution to match my monitor at 1280x1024, I start a game.
I go for a custom game, and start setting options. I decide to play on a "large" world rather then a normal size, and I noticed the option "balanced" in the continents section, so I decide to go for that since I don't know what it does. Of course I don't read the manual. ;) I soon found out that "balanced" is a 1 continent map where every civilization has been dealt roughly the same hand and no one is at a clear advantage or disadvantage. Not a bad map to start on and test the game.
I start my game and founded the glorious city of Rome. I also get presented with an explorer, so I set out and explore the area around my city. Within a few turns I find the thing that every player since civ 1 hopes for: The "Goody Hut". The hut gave me some experience so I upgraded my unit.
The first civilization I meet are the Russians. In the mean time Rome has produced Warriors and are building settlers. I intend to make sure that I take a few key areas with nice resources before the Russians get to them. On the other side I meet the Mali and the Egyptians. They seemed a little friendlier then my Russian neighbour Peter.
I gradually build up my empire and have been succesfull in getting a few settlers in areas with plenty of resources. Since I am Roman, it would be fitting to research technologies for Christianity. I am not very religious in real life, but in the game I will be a devout Catholic. ;) It takes me a little while to amass the technologies required for Theology, but eventually I am successfull in found Christianity in the city of Antium. Why it wasn't founded in Rome, I don't know, but Antium is just as good. :)
I had also set out to build the Pyramids in Rome. Then someone else builds the Pyramids. Rats. I then set out to build the Hanging Gardens. Then someone else builds the Hanging Gardends. @#$$#%!! So I build the Sistine Chapel since everyone is bugging me for Theology they obviously cannot build it yet.
I have Open Borders with a good many nations, except with the Russians. I declined their initial offer of Open Borders way back when we first met, and I have never gotten a friendly word from him since. The Russians are starting to make demands of technology. I decline.
I make a defense plan since none of my cities have more then 1 unit, except Rome. Goal: 3 defensive units in each city. Only Rome, Antium and Neapolis aren't bordering with the other civilizations, the other 6 cities around those are. The Russians are getting angry and making more demands. I decline them. And just as I set production of the 3d unit for defense in most cities, they declare WAR on me!
Oh no! I am not prepared! What is to come of my empire? I quickly change the production of all cities in the empire to military units, mostly Knights. I also move defensive units to the front line to protect my cities. The first attacks are devastating and destroy not only my lands but workers and military units traveling. My only hope now is to hold out long enough till production of more military units is done.
The first wave of attacks did not go well. The Russians attacked the city of Arebium (spelling could be wrong), and after a heroic struggle it fell to the Russians. If that wasn't enough, they RAZED a colony I had made somewhere deeper in between the Egyptian and Russian territory which was struggling for culture. I want my city back and I want revenge. My cities start popping out knights now and I have a chance to get back on the offensive.
I manage to attack all their units in my territory and destroy them. More knights are produced while my current knights fortify and heal up. The Russians now want to talk and offer a peace treaty if I give them 40 gold also.
The NERVE!! I want my city back, AND I want one of your cities before I grant you any peace, mr Peter.... and maybe I will take 2 cities just because.
4 knights assemble around the city they took from me, and with 3 knights left of which 2 are damaged I take the city back, and start to build a Musketeer because I just developed that new technology.
Time for revenge. I have my eyes set on Jekaterinenburg. I want that city. I am preparing an army of knights for the onslaught, and I know I will lose a good many units due to the cities fortification. And thats where I had to click "save game" and end my conquest for the night.
There are 4 or 5 knights fortified right outside of Jekaterinenburg and I am building more. The city has 40% on the defense it seems due to walls and 4 units inside the city - so I will need to at least double, and better yet triple my forces before I attack. I want revenge, but I want it done right. I will patiently piss him off some more by pillaging and building up my armed forces.
Rome will teach those filthy Russians to declare war on my glorious empire!!
Veni, Vidi, and probably Vici too.
Maarten, Glorious emperor of the Roman Empire, 1360 AD.