I usually play GnK on deity, but for BNW I opted for the second highest setting. As many other here I chose the Shoshone and immediately began with my traditional opening of scout, monument, worker, archer.
I found France to be my closest neighbour on a smallish continent and anticipated some sort of early aggression. For some time, 100 turns or so, he kept to himself, content to share kind words of sweet affection. The wooing lasted until I, being a greedy bastard, decided to place a city near Salomons Mines thus stealing it just before he was about to place his third city in the proximity.
Then all hell broke loose.
Unbeknown to me France had secretly amassed a huge army against which I stood no chance of survival. He bumrushed my newfound city that had nothing to protect it save a solitary pathfinder and a newly bought archer. His first wave of warriors and archers was enough for me to realize I was beat.
I decided to quit that game, chalking it up as a clear, and quite deservedly so, loss due to me being unable to adjust to the new conditions.
New game, same nation. Standard speed, this time on emperor (6).
Totally different experience. It started out a little chaotic, closest neighbours being Spain, Holland, the Incas, Germany and Pocahoncha - in order of distance to my capital. I'm currently on turn 299 and during that time our continent have been ravaged in perpetual war. Everybody periodically hates anybody, and I have had a hard time keeping my small tech-lead and been navigating the diplomacy game like a drugged up rat in a maze made by cats.
We are currently in 1858 and I expect to be attacked any time soon by that Inca-fellow as he has done several times before against both me and our closest neighbours. I tried my best to just get along, even sending caravans to him instead of the much more lucrative spanish.
We have just finished a joint war against Holland that got eradicated in the process, but ever since I captured Amsterdam our relationship have been at best guarded and right now he is hostile.
Luckily my new best friend, the kind ruler of Germany, with whom I share a long history of happy lux-trading, have promised that he'll cover my back if any shenanigans were to happen. He is placed on the opposite end of the Incan empire, and I hope my defensive pact will make the coming war more manageable.
All in all: I found a great diversity in the two games and look forward to the end-game which I suspect will be me trying to get a spaceship in orbit against the Ottomans who clearly are going for diplo throug world congress and Germany who I give an outside chance if they manage to munch up the Incas from the rear in our forthcoming war.
I'm pretty sure I will win in the end, I almost always did in GnK anyway when I had a lead in the midgame. But I'm curious to see how much of a race it will be.
Btw Spain have so far established 5 cities, Germany at least 4 as I can see, so they certainly doesn't just stop at 3.
I found France to be my closest neighbour on a smallish continent and anticipated some sort of early aggression. For some time, 100 turns or so, he kept to himself, content to share kind words of sweet affection. The wooing lasted until I, being a greedy bastard, decided to place a city near Salomons Mines thus stealing it just before he was about to place his third city in the proximity.
Then all hell broke loose.
Unbeknown to me France had secretly amassed a huge army against which I stood no chance of survival. He bumrushed my newfound city that had nothing to protect it save a solitary pathfinder and a newly bought archer. His first wave of warriors and archers was enough for me to realize I was beat.
I decided to quit that game, chalking it up as a clear, and quite deservedly so, loss due to me being unable to adjust to the new conditions.
New game, same nation. Standard speed, this time on emperor (6).
Totally different experience. It started out a little chaotic, closest neighbours being Spain, Holland, the Incas, Germany and Pocahoncha - in order of distance to my capital. I'm currently on turn 299 and during that time our continent have been ravaged in perpetual war. Everybody periodically hates anybody, and I have had a hard time keeping my small tech-lead and been navigating the diplomacy game like a drugged up rat in a maze made by cats.
We are currently in 1858 and I expect to be attacked any time soon by that Inca-fellow as he has done several times before against both me and our closest neighbours. I tried my best to just get along, even sending caravans to him instead of the much more lucrative spanish.
We have just finished a joint war against Holland that got eradicated in the process, but ever since I captured Amsterdam our relationship have been at best guarded and right now he is hostile.
Luckily my new best friend, the kind ruler of Germany, with whom I share a long history of happy lux-trading, have promised that he'll cover my back if any shenanigans were to happen. He is placed on the opposite end of the Incan empire, and I hope my defensive pact will make the coming war more manageable.
All in all: I found a great diversity in the two games and look forward to the end-game which I suspect will be me trying to get a spaceship in orbit against the Ottomans who clearly are going for diplo throug world congress and Germany who I give an outside chance if they manage to munch up the Incas from the rear in our forthcoming war.
I'm pretty sure I will win in the end, I almost always did in GnK anyway when I had a lead in the midgame. But I'm curious to see how much of a race it will be.
Btw Spain have so far established 5 cities, Germany at least 4 as I can see, so they certainly doesn't just stop at 3.