Deity HUGE competition

I post the settings and the first turn of play of my new story here, and I'll start updates tomorrow.

-No more crowded: map size is Huge 160x160,
-80% Ocean,
-Wet climate, Warm temperature,
-5 billions old,
-Continents,
-Raging barbarians,
-4 AI opponents.

That is, because plain 2 vs 2 or 1 vs 1 sounds old, so getting a fifth player may mess up things a bit

-Victory: Conquest.
-Civs: Rome, Egypt, France, ZULULAND , Ottomans.
-My Civ: Rome
-End game: plain old 2050
-Civ specific abilites, Respawn AI players, Preserve Random seed, Allow cultural conversion.

- Difficulty is Deity, just with AI to AI trade set to 100 and not to 160.

Ooook, stop with that crap and on to the game! Here's my start:



A Spices luxury is already on the city tile.
Tomorrow new update. By the way, which tech shall I take first, and where shall I move my worker?

I'd 100% science to pottery then build a granary and spew out settelrs.

Yes! Another DvD-IT Story! Since the Roman Emperor Game, I was waiting and hope that you start another one! And look! The Zulus are coming back again!

cool, i'll be watching this

gunsnroses said:

cool, ill be watching this

Click to expand...

ditto.I'll be reading

I'm DEFINATELY watching this. 4 AIs? On a huge? Man, the territory to be taken over.
And the start looks purrty

Yeah, nice high production. And you can turn the forests to grasslands later for population growth.

Anyway, I think going for pottery is the right move.

5 civs on huge? I don't know how that's going to effect the pace of techs usually having fewer civs slows down the pace. However, with the size of each civ it might speed it up simply because the amount of beakers being generated per civ.

Oh and IRulErrThing is right. That start looks so good. Much better than my lovely jungle start in the crowded map I just started.

Here's the first update.
On the first turns there is not so much to say... I go on pottery, then around 3200 BC I make contacts with France and Ottomans and share techs.
I pump out settlers and start spreading and roading and working and micromanagement stuff.

We may have a pic of my Civ on 1950 BC



No, really.
I've made a map like that to have PLENTY of space.
And I already see that the Ottomans have completely choked up any possible Roman expansion on South and on East. That means one thing: wipe out the Ottomans as soon as possible.

But at the moment, my military force is composed by a lone warrior, while I constantly see Ottoman spearmen guarding happy settlers going everywhere to found new cities--stealing my territory.

On 1025 BC, things look better. My territory seems to be an énclave of the Ottoman Empire, but I could found a city near that Iron resource.



If there is Iron on my territory, that means I can link it with a road. If I can link it, that means I can train Legios. If I can train Legios, that means the Ottomans have pratically no chance of living anymore, as the precedent game demonstrates. Therefore, if I'm able to wipe out everyone with Legios, I have already won. So, if I already won, what the hell I'm still wasting my breath here?

um.



A Barbarian conscript warrior kills my veteran-fortified warrior on Rome and pillages the city. I realize the game has just started and long to be finished.
Pump out legios, massacre the Ottoman citizens and occupy their empire. Simple, isn't it?

Your lands and rivers are allready running red with the blood

Lol, owned by a barb, I think its crowded becuse of the AI start bonuses.

You'll have to create an entire army of legions... and kill them all!

Pity! This is gonna be a harsh, rude game.
I am falling behind. On all. Military, Tech, Improvements, Empire size.
I just contacted the ZULUS on 550 BC and they had something like 5 techs more than me. I have 6 cities, the Ottomans have 16 cities, the Zulu have 24 cities, the French have 25 cities. And I cannot enlarge my empire size anymore, since I am totally surrounded by the French and the Ottomans.
Little can be done to expand my influence. If not with war. Against the 'weakest' of the 3 superpowers, the Ottomans.

Ok, I may not be a master on expanding my empire with settlers very fast, but I got encircled by two AIs, how the hell could I build a fairly-sized empire?



And the ZULU Empire! CRAP!



Okey, conquering the Ottomans won't be a easy task. But I have to do it, or I am doomed.

Told you. You are going to need a LOT of legions.

You can't hope to outnumber the Ottomans, even witht the superior legionary they will kill you. You need to use catapults, at least for defense.

Yes, and you'll have to use the mountains around you. They will make a nice barricade against the counter attack. And you should be patient. Let them waste their units against your defenders, and then attack.
Imagine that for a moment: the ottoman soldiers, tired and wounded after the battle, and your own legions, falling on them like the Rohirrim in the Lord of the Rings...


Well, yes, I have a lot of imagination, but it makes playing the game so much fun.

(The more I write in english, the more I realize that I've to practice a LOT)

Yes, that's the only strategy I can adopt to have some hope to defeat the Ottomans. Or at least reduce their influence...

Good news that time anyway:

410 BC: The Ottomans are at war with the French. And the French are going to win this war.
So, why not share some battles with Joan and bring some new cities to my little empire?
This is my occasion. I have something like 10 legios (!), but the number is growing. I may estimate the Ottoman army on about 20-30 soldiers, but with the help of France I may manage to conquer some city. I hope.

310 BC

I propose a military alliance vs the Ottomans to Joan, along with Horseback Riding and 5 gold. She agrees wholeheartedly even if she is giving me a tech. Time to move right along and prepare my military. With a bit of exitation for what this deal could produce, I press the "Will you accept this deal, Joan d'Arc?" button, and the war begins.

The first turns of war go pretty well. With no loss, I manage to kill some Ottoman swordsmen and spearmen assaulting my cities. On the first kill I do



a really useful Golden Age... yay...

but, on 270 BC Joan, after conquering some of the Ottoman cities,



leaving me alone against a weakened but still powerful enemy. In the next turns, their troops mass along my borders... too many. And on 230 BC I ask the help of France.

The next turn, a massive number of Ottoman troops attack my 2 legios south of Veii, about 10 or so swordsmen. They slaughtered quite them all, but at the end they couldn't survive and got killed by their last 2 swordsmen. Honour to these heroes, may they be of example to my other great Legios.
And another good news, the Zulus are at war with the Ottomans too!
My troops stand very well against the Ottoman incursions, but I must counterattack as soon as possible. Surely not now, as things stay like that...



Afterall, things are not really impossible. They are not so that much, therefore I may attempt an attack soon, as France and Zulus keep their troops pretty busy...

I've got a tip I just learned today. Always sign alliances with gpt, so that if they sign peace, you can sign them again easily.

On 170 BC, the city of Pompeii, along with my Ivory luxury, defects to the French.

Well, I am really thinking about to restart this game. I am not pleased on this choice, but afterall, I wanted a Huge Competition, and I got another crowded game, with the difference the only crowded empire is mine. Since my first turns I got my space trapped by two civilization... I'm continuing this game some more turns, then, if no progresses are made, I will restart this crap with more fair start locations.