G-Minor XIV

[Denniz]

While the general Hall of Fame is an ongoing competition, we like to run time-definite competitions between updates that we call Gauntlets. Standard Hall of Fame rules (*) still apply, but any games meeting the settings will be counted towards the Gauntlet.

(*) Please read the >> HOF rules << BEFORE playing!​

Settings:

• Victory Condition: Domination (though all victory conditions must be enabled)
• Difficulty: Prince
• Map Size: Standard
• Map Type: Archipelago
• Speed: Epic
• Leader: Persia (Darius I)
• Opponents: Any
• Version: SV7 (1.0.1.332)
• Date: 1st to 15th October 2011

The earliest finish date wins, with score as a tiebreaker.

 

[Martin Alvito]

Fantastic...this gives me at least half a month to finally complete Planescape: Torment

OT: like the Inland Sea game, this will still be Immortal wars. The only difference will be that players will need to run up to Optics...which more or less implies that the winning game will hut luck Sailing. I'm picturing players researching Pottery first, then hovering like vultures over a ruin until they can try to pop Sailing...

 

[vexing]

map luck will be huge on this one.

 

[vexing]

meh, nevermind. the +1 movement during GA doesn't help embarked, which makes me doubt the efficacy of ground pounders in general, even if you get crossbowmen via ruins. i think a navigation beeline will end up being faster, though it's hard to say.

 

[mushroomshirt]

Any thoughts on low vs. high sea level? I started out thinking high was the best, but after starting a few games there is just so little land in the early game I'm almost completely stalled waiting to build / buy workboats.

Right now I'm thinking normal sea level with 3billion years for lots of production.

 

[vexing]

high is dangerous if you expect shallow water between all landmasses. low is dangerous if you want to be able to bombard capitals with boats.

i'm still not sure on the optimal path will end up being here. i tried out an immortal rifleman rush - it didn't work out extremely well, but i beat my initial run by 3 turns.

 

[Shinzon]

I'm really new to the gauntlets but I'm finding this one extremely difficult. I feel like I'm taking forever to get cities out and an army that could do anything worthwhile.

 

[Tabarnak]

I may try this gauntlet. A domination game is always less longer(time consuming) than any other type of games(well for me). Deity is too much a gamble and i'm not used to deity mechanics because i only tried 5-6 times since the last patch.

 

[Tabarnak]

on archipelago i usually start with a monument then worker build.
you'll want to start liberty -> settler.
you'll need to get a luxury tech (hopefully mining) to overcome the unhappiness from second city. after that beeline writing, your second city builds a library after either a granary or monument, and your first city builds the great library. on higher difficulties you can either go through sailing/optics to get compass, or calendar/philosophy to get theology. the philosophy route is probably going to play out better, though it's hard to say. regardless this gets you into medieval era and you can start down the left side of commerce as either 4th or 5th policy. on king it may be possible to use the GL for education as well, which opens up slightly faster ways to get to navigation, but i'll continue as if you'd bulbed compass.

when optics is done go for philosophy, and build the NC in your capital, when that's done you'll probably want to build the oracle and then hagia sophia. you should be close to finishing education when the hagia sophia completes so take a GE and rush the porcelain tower. the porcelain tower scientist bulbs astronomy, and you'll be up to 5 great scientist points in capital and maybe 15ish turns from popping a great scientist naturally to bulb navigation. you can backfill to iron at this point and build a settler to plop on a 6 iron. your second city will have been building tiremes which you can upgrade to sotls and start your killing spree.

Good general tips. I'm trying a GL start and pick Optics with it and rush buy a trireme. This allow me to research lux techs immediately. Then i build a scout then a library in second city to start NC in cap later. Meanwhile, capital may build another trireme ans some units.

I found, from my 12ish starts(some never played, too mediocre), a civ on my archipel only one time. It was with low level ocean. I think it's better with low but i'm not sure. Like you said in another thread, it may difficult to attack with boats if cities are inside land. Barbs can be a problem in the beginning too. With med. sea level, sometimes it's just too tight! I even seen a tiny island start with no room for another city.

 

[vexing]

i still don't know if the navigation beeline will end up working out better or worse than sending ground pounders early. it takes a lot of resources to get up to navigation. and the whole thing could be foiled by an inland capital

 

[Khrax]

I suggest the following: Go sailing/optics and build/buy lots of triremes and warriors as fast as possible. Then iron working and then the lux techs. You will hopefully get some techs from ruins as you will find many of them throughout the game. Choose honor as policies. If you have a good location for a second city, perhaps build a settler, but this is not necessary. Let the capital grow to 3-5, then set production focus. Take the first capitals with warriors supported by triremes. Upgrade the warriors when possible. Iron is important, if you don't get any it may be difficult. Annex the cities and let all build units. Steal workers from city states and get luxuries. Sell the luxuries if you can, down to -9 unhappiness is ok, but be careful, -10 is not that ok. (For some periods of the game it may be ok.) Build/buy some archers and immortals to supply the swordsmen and triremes. Production focus in cities. Only build units, no wonders, some monuments to get some culture, no other buildings. Try to make a second army as fast as possible and then a third. After taking the first 4 civs you should hopefully have 3 armies with some swordsmen and a great general in each (1 from policies, 2 from war) to take the 3 last civs. I think this will be a faster approach than the navigation beeline, but I am not sure. As Vexing says, it takes a lot of resources to build the wonders and get the great people you need to get to navigation. Anyway map luck will be important.

 

[Tabarnak]

Just finished a game before the ADs. It's not that easy to go through all this maze. I did make a Navigation beeline, 8 frigates divised in 3 armies made this game completely over in less than 10 turns and still 4 civs to kill. I even lost an entire army of Pikemen UU and failed to catch a civ in the beginning. Got lucky overall tho, killed a civ with only 1 tile access to land with 2 trireme, 2 swords and 2 pikemen from the sea.

But best part is...Fountain of youth, 2 CS and enough place to have 3 decent cities total on my own island! And i was put in the center of map. Med sea level. Askia found Eldorado on his island too. First time i see both rare wonders on the same map.

I don't know how you can kill everyone without Navigation at a rate high enough to make lower times. At best, i would have killed like 5-6 civs without this tech for the same timeframe. In fact, i killed 3 civs before Navigation, then 4 after.

 

[Khrax]

I haven't finished any games yet, but I think I can finish a bit before AD without navigation. If you can find all the other civs pretty fast, you can plan your routes early and save time.

 

[vexing]

i just shaved 10 turns off what i thought was an okay time. i find it a bit funny that this domination victory is a lot more complex than any other victory type would be.

 

[Mallow]

I should have finished on turn 140. But underestimated Suleiman and his minions. Probably I'll have to wait for reinforcements to arrive.

 

[Tabarnak]

The winner will be able to destroy all capitals before a navigation beeline i guess. A lot of luck is needed, but doable from what Mallow wrote. I will not retry this, but i guess i can get at least the 3rd place if almost everyone runs out of luck!

 

[vexing]

I should have finished on turn 140. But underestimated Suleiman and his minions. Probably I'll have to wait for reinforcements to arrive.

that's impressive. how many other civs were on your starting landmass, if you don't mind telling? i think that's probably going to have more impact than other things; it lets you put troops to use while researching optics

 

[Mallow]

I had Washington on my island. He went down quickly to my warriors. But I've had 2 on my island too, but then I had no navy and the barbs took care of my defenceless fleet

 

[Salomo]

I had 4 on my "island" in the game i tried. Unfortunately the island was a closed circle, my capital on the inner side and the last two oponents outside the circle way on the other side of the map.

Would have been such a nice setting if my capital had been on their side of the map. (Though turn 140 would have been out of my reach... amazing to (almost) finish that fast.)

 

[Mallow]

Since this gauntlet is all about logistics, I think having more capitals on your main island helps. I've never seen more then 3 (me included) on my island or any other island.

The dream start would be 3+1 on your island and manage to get at least mining from the hut + El-Dorado. Then you can quickly conquer your island and meanwhile research towards optics.