King of the World #14: Earth18

madscientist said:

I just noticed the play order is different from what is posted. Qin was scheduled number 3 in the first page, with Al #5.

Click to expand...

Ack. Again, that was an earlier version of the list, from back when I didn't know which came first, 323 B.C. or 210 B.C. The correct order is under spoiler tags in the opening post.

Neal said:

Ack. Again, that was an earlier version of the list, from back when I didn't know which came first, 323 B.C. or 210 B.C. The correct order is under spoiler tags in the opening post.

Click to expand...

Ah, this is excellent! So you build up Greece to prevent a Persian attack. SO just what is Cyrus expected to do with all those Immortals???? Attack the protective Saladin, or perhaps east....

I hope Ashoka has built a nice strong force of fast workers for you to defend india with! Just how long does Ashoka take to research IW anyway???? Nice job giving Cy those Immortals

I like the "Oh Boy" reference for those of us old enough to recall the TV Show "Quantum Leap". Very fitting.

In the interest of full disclosure, I edited in the "Oh boy". But that's completely how I read that bit, complete with that awesome graphic they used to show the leaps.

Dr. Neal Beckett hopes his next leap, is the leap home.

Damn, I need to break out my DVDs of that show now.

The Quantum Leap parallel is deliberate. I loved that show, and the "shift" segments are a total homage to the QL openings. Thanks for editing in the "Oh, Boy." That's exactly the line I was reaching for.

Well you could refer to the blue circles as "Al".

And rename 'Computers' tech as 'Ziggy'.

Some strange AI behaviour on display from Alexander there... building a road to nowhere? Bizarre.

That was the Evil Leaper;

Um, I just noticed something.

Julius Caesar (44 B.C.)
Saladin (1193 A.D.)

I'm pretty sure that's just slightly more than 40 turns. Intentional or not?

jamescat said:

I think the dates are supposed to represent when these leaders actually lived, not what dates Neal will play them.

Click to expand...

QFT

(The order is right, dates are for show)

Oh yeah, you're right. The dates are when the leader died. Makes sense.

I'll just crawl back in my lurker hole.

"My Lord," Ptolemy intoned, shifting nervously from foot to foot atop the Palace wall. "The oracles state that you are to conquer Egypt and Persia, even striking into India. They also state that I am to become master of Egypt. When... when do we ride?"

Alexander, still staring off into the east, started. The gaze he levelled at Ptolemy could have crumbled granite. "We have two units of Archers and one of men with clubs. We have neither Horses within our borders nor the technology to use them. We're not 'riding' anywhere for a while." The older general was taken aback by this outburst of despair from his young king. Alexander's countenance softened. "We shall have our conquests. But I am, just now, coming awake, as if from a long sleep. I have made mistakes, and now it is time to remedy them. Only with Greece standing strong will we be fit to smash our many enemies."

Neal had a sneaking suspicion that he wouldn't be around to see these Greek conquests, but he nevertheless felt he had the obligation to put Alexander into position to make an honest stab at them. Neal surveryed the landscape and made a few quick decisions.



"First, recall the Spies. Those won't be useful for another thousand years, and even then they'll be marginal at best. Secondly, while I appreciate the aesthetic of our bizarre road to nowhere, it ends now. Reassign the Workers to Mine the Copper north of Sparta."

Reports came in Stonehenge being built and of Egypt suffering more natural disasters. "Those are none of our concern. Right now all we need worry about are the needs of our people, and the Persian threat to the east."

Neal turned to Ptolemy. "I have two more orders for you:"



"We are to abandon our progress on Pottery for the moment in favor of Mysticism. We must honor the gods with a Monument in Sparta or the city and its Copper deposits will surely be overrun. And you and your men are to head east, through Turkey. You are to keep an eye on the Persian border and lay the groundwork for future settlement."

Neal suspected that, with his consciousness leaving Cyrus, the Persian overlord would return to his inefficient barbarism. Persia would cease to be a threat as all of the progress Neal had made became lost in a sea of bad AI choices. Sure enough, the rampaging Immortals Neal had assembled were apparently dispersed, and Cyrus' strategic advantage was discarded:



If Neal's calculations were correct, this would be Alexander in 1000 years. He shuddered at his name being applied to such a vacant automaton. Still, if Persia was willing to be friendly, that would only work in Greece's favor.

As news came that Yahweh had chosen his people in a far-off land, Neal made the difficult decision to hurry the Settlers in Athens:



If Greece was going to claim Turkey before Persia or Arabia, then speed was crucial.

As Europe struggled to become civilized, the Greek heroes that had met with the Persians so many years ago fought bravely in the frigid eastern tundra:



There's little that they can discover for me, and there's certainly no goody huts left, so I figure I'll let them fight until they either return as 10 XP heroes or die, frozen and alone. I'm a jerk like that.

As Ptolemy established a base camp in the southeastern corner of Turkey, CyrusNeal made his presence known:



Hmm. Perhaps Archers alone wouldn't be sufficient as a garrison. Once the Copper Mines were up and running in Sparta, Phalanxes would be a priority on the eastern front.

A quick Whipping of Sparta's second population point on a Monument, followed by the completion of the Copper Mine (with its accompanying haul of lumber) led to, for all intents and purposes, an instant Archer to hold against the Romans and Germans:



In Rome, meanwhile, precious herbs allayed Caesar's health concerns for the moment. Neal suspected that he would be experiencing any benefits to the Roman empire soon enough, so he was gladdened by that news.

In 1625 B.C., Neal founded Iskenderun in the southeastern armpit of the Turkish peninsula:



Iskenderun would need plenty of Culture to complete with the Persians, and the Arabs who would doubtless be expanding up from the south, but it claimed Turkey as Hellenic territory, and it gave Ptolemy something worth guarding.

Shortly thereafter, we found that Louis was doing what Louis does best:



The Great Wall is wasted on France, but, well, Industrious is as Industrious does, I suppose.

Rhodes was founded to solidify Greek control of the peninsula:



Rhodes should actually probably be 1SW, off the coast, but it's close enough, and it's an appropriately Greek city to found.

And the Greeks, showing their affinity for the open sea, found that Sailing came naturally to them:



By 1000 B.C., Neal had whipped Greece into shape:



Phalanxes and Archers defended the border cities of Sparta and Iskenderun, while Athens and Rhodes got by with much simpler gerrisons. Granaries were being built across the region, in preparation for many years of growth and, well, Slavery ahead.

Even the heroic Scouts had reached their goals:



They should probably be promoted as Medics and sent back to Athens, but we'll let the computer make that decision.

Neal was ready. Every thousand years, it seemed, he was whisked off to new challenges. What awaited him this time? He visited Iskenderun and clapped Ptolemy on the shoulder. "I will be leaving now, my friend." Upon seeing the shock on his general's face, he let out a chuckle. "Alexander will be Alexander again. Hopefully I have left Greece a better place than I found it. The Spartan foundries should be ready soon to pump out Phalanxes and become the scourge of the Mediterranean. Don't let your dreams of conquest die."

With that, Neal closed his eyes. He opened them to the stink of overcrowded streets and the sounds of chants calling for his head. The music and purple glow were familiar. He was back in India, but this was not the shining beacon of hope he had left in KotW #13!





"What in the hell is going on here?" Lord Asoka demanded, a sudden burst of sound and movement in the tepid, incense-filled throne room. "There is rioting in the streets! Our army consists of a single Warrior! There are Barbarians at the gates!"

A Palace attendant barely stirred from a haphazard pile of pillows. "Don't worry, man," he droned, his voice slurred and dreamy. "The Pyramids will take care of eeeeverything."

****************************************************************

Boy, oh, boy, is India a mess. It's 1000 B.C. We have a single city, no garrison to speak of, we're researching Polytheism, of all things, and we're making a ridiculous push for the Pyramids. We have all of the first-tier techs, save Fishing, and we have Pottery, Animal Husbandry, Archery, Masonry, and Bronze Working on the second tier.

I don't even know where to begin. Abandon the Pyramids and whip our huge excess population into a Settler? Research Iron Working? Where to settle? Vijayanagara? Move into Malaysia? I portrayed India's Palace as an opium den because I can't think of any other way things got this bad. I look forward to your advice.

Here's the save:

Yeah whip a settler or 2 ASAP and build some miltary. Research IW fast. Oh, and don't tick anyone off!

Too bad you didn't see this earlier and send the Greek Phalynx's off to India!!!

How can this AI be this terrible? The 'mids in a production poor city without IND or stone? Really?

Whip in some settlers and block of the subcontinent, then see what can be done to help India along. If you manage to grab Poly and get a temple in fast, at least there's a good happiness/health cap in the capital to work with. So perhaps poly is worth going for. That barb city might be worth keeping if there's a decent site NE of it, at least it'll save you a settler.

Is this REALLY what the AI does with its time?

Gee, that 20% into espionage is great. We now know that Genghis Khan is researching iron working. How nice. And useless.

Get settlers out quickly, I agree. First one might want to go SW to block the Persians. Is that immortal alone - it would suck if there is a settler there with it.

Get the science back to 100% and like madscientist said: BE NICE.

How do things look to the east? Again, I would go SW first to block, but it would be helpful to block from the east as well before settling the rest of the peninsula. Get iron working, some troops, decide what to do with the barb city, and wait for the next 'leap'.

Wow, 238 gold and more to come when you lose the pyramids as well. Wish we could spend it.

well I think we now know why Asoka disappeared so early in the Shaka game

Good luck on this one. May the Force be with you

Delurking to applaud this thread (and the entire KotW series -- great stuff!).

Too bad that Alexander didn't give Iskenderun its ancient and more appropriate name of Alexandretta.

I am flabbergasted at how idiotic the AIs are playing! What a bunch of muffinheads! Is Asoka's strategy just hide behind the city walls and use fast workers to rebuild after the barbs pillage? Why do they all have the espionage slider cranked even before spies are available? No wonder they never win the lib race.

OK, move the tech slider up to 100%. See if anyone will trade you iron or copper, even if it has to be for 50 GPT. You have a huge pile of gold, so you probably already lost out on the GW or stonehenge (or both). If you can get iron, whip as many sword as possible and take that barb city (as long as it is pop 2). If you get copper, whip axes and then a settler. Go straight for IW and cancel your pricey deal once you got it (or as soon as you can't afford to whip any more units).

Plan B) Pray for that Immortal to ride in and puts you out of your misery in two turns.

A quick post to say that I really like this KOTW (liked the other ones too). Anyways, I'd like to see how fast the ai brigs your civs back to mediocrity.

As for Asoka, I would just press enter for 40 turns ans hope that the barbarian city comes over and beat the crap out of Asoka.

Asoka in that game is like When you hit an animal on the road and it almost dies, the most sensible thing to do is to kill it, not to heal it and let it live handicapped for the rest of it's life.

However Asoka's situation is a little different, he probably went running into a parked car as opposed to getting hit by it. However I would let him die because he's such an idiot