The Deity Challenge Lineup - Game # 3 - Persia

I don't reload really that much, but I do reload after a misclick or something similar, where my brain simply backs up.

I played this map peacefully, adcarrymaokai, but you have to be realistic about certain AIs. Here are some tips for dealing with this situation:

1. Oda is by far my least favourite neighbour, and whenever I spawn next to him, my BO changes 100%. I build a lot of archers...

2. ...some just to stand around waiting for his carpet, trying to block it from reaching my borders...

3. ... some to go after barb camps so I can ally CS which effectively multiply my army...

4. I also took Machinery before Education so I can be sure to deal with Samurai, which I know he'll get eventually.

there are other things you could do: give him gifts, etc. but basically, if you play this challenge, sharing a continent with 3 completely untrustworthy psychopathic expansionist warmongers, you will need to build an army, and use it to keep your empire safe. It's all very well building buildings, but if you can't protect them, what use are they?

I'd say that before T100, the only buildings you DEFINITELY need are libraries and granaries. Not hard to fit in a bunch of archers in between those.

I knew Oda would come for me, but his army was just moving around in circles near Samarkand, and then he declared war. Next, he made peace with Dido and Dow'ed me on his same turn, so I had to reload the turn before and pay him to DoW Suleiman while he was still at war with Dido. I learned my lesson from that, so I bribed him to DoW Dido once things started looking bad for Suleiman. Another reason why I was taken aback was all green modifiers: my religion, research agreement, declaration of friendship, tra-la-la. Time to add Oda to Dido's backstabby camp.

I generally reload when I get a surprise DoW from an AI but want to play peacefully. I simply did not feel like fighting Oda, though looking back at it, I would probably have a much better chance now than in the first replay because Samarkand is easy CB target on flatlands, and after liberation it would become my dedicated ally and a buffer zone. But then again, Samurais are very deadly and they get the Bushido UA, which makes them too strong.

I hit t164 Industrialization, and I am rushing to Flight to deal with Samurais. But first, I should probably research Astronomy and meet other civs for WC. I feel slow on tech, but oddly enough, the AI's are moving even slower. Hagia Sofia on t120, Machu Michu on 160, something like that. Nobody entered Industrial.

Last religion was founded recently, as well. If I had known that converting a faithless continent were so easy, I would have picked something like World Church or Pilgrimage instead of the mainstream Tithe. That would give me plenty of faith to spam-but musicians in case I needed them. Right now, my fpt is low, and after missionary "spam," I still have room to build Mosques and Pagodas. Also, looking forward to Aesthetics Golden Age.

I have pretty much converted my continent, but now it's time to deal with Kameha's prophet spam. Thankfully, my religion is deeply entrenched, so it will be difficult for him. Used Liberty GE for Pisa, and Pisa GE for Sistine Chapel, which I generally don't build. The plan is to hit Futurism and start spamming GWAM. Pisa, National Epic, Garden, Aesthetics Opener, and Arts Funding (need to hurry up with WC!) should give like what, 133% increase in great artsy people generation? Sweet. And my baby warmonger steps will go better with Autocracy, I feel.

Futurism is a fun way to win but you either need to hit Ideologies really early and win before the AI has amassed much culture (too late for that in your game) or you need to use heavy war to smash their culture. On Deity, that is. You will not will a CV any other way.

"Really early" means when? I am still hellbent on using Futurism in this game, so I will give it a try.

Before they get to the Industrial era

Well, no one has entered the Industrial Era in my game... the AI's are slow. But I also haven't started on Guilds.

I'd estimate anywhere sub 150 would be fairly fast

If I go for aerial conquest, what land units do I need? I take it, artillery won't do much? Just cavalry and lancers? Riflemen?

Well, this game is gonna suck. Like... I thought this is gon be ez-pz with bombers, but bombers are pure crap. Why do they take damage attacking land units? Like what the actual hell?? How does Infantry attack bombers? And then Oda rolled out his carpet.. H O L Y C R A P. His soldiers are also very strong because of Honor and promotions. He already ate most of the City-States on the continents. Jesus lord help me please.

I've never successfully won a DomV starting as late as I think you did. You need to grow your empire by getting a few capitals under your belt before the Modern Era. The reason DomV is often the quickest VC is because your empire grows in overall power much more quickly than with peaceful play. Why not replay and set yourself the goal of taking out Oda before he reaches Samurai?

Well, I wasn't going for Domination.. I was going for Autocracy CV... but.. by the looks of it, I might have to kill Kamehameha... and probably everybody else, at this point. I am very very slowly taking Japanese cities and reducing his army. Going to liberate Dido and sell her cities to her back.

I have range logistics repair triple bombardment Bombers.

So I sold Tokyo to Poland for 5gpt, and then Casimir paid 10000 gold and 100 gpt plus luxuries and oil for Kyoto. Works for me. I can use this gold to buy battleships, carriers, take out Kameha and then launch an attack on Casimir himself.

Ok, I think I failed. The game is still not over (lol), but it looks like Casimir will get a SV. I just can't get my tourism up (it's terrible), and I am just kind of late at everything. The war with Japan consumed all my time, and things like "cultural heritage sites" were passed, sigh. I then milked Casimir for 10000 gold deals and bought a navy, but I doubt I will be able to remove him from the game in time. And honestly it's just become a drag.

I think I will retire from this one and try a Liberty-Piety "small" play (though it's hardly small with Liberty) to get a Diplomatic win. Liberty to build an army and actually deal with Japan's DoWs instead of reloading. I can also cheese it with Charitable Missions, and Liberty GE for Forbidden Palace. I can just fill out SP trees because Ideology is not that important for peaceful Diplo.

consentient said:

I've never successfully won a DomV starting as late as I think you did. You need to grow your empire by getting a few capitals under your belt before the Modern Era. The reason DomV is often the quickest VC is because your empire grows in overall power much more quickly than with peaceful play. Why not replay and set yourself the goal of taking out Oda before he reaches Samurai?

Click to expand...

you can do 3-4 city stealth/xcom turtle till turn 300 (earlier of you tech fast) and then snipe all capitals in under 20 turns ... In my first video Polynesian LP I illustrate this - only I started the war faster than usual due to favorable map conditions ... (risk is to lose to science run away if you wait too long) ...

http://forums.civlovers.com/showthread.php?t=509214

Sure but that's a science game. Not a 'real' DomV.

Just as Futurism is either a 'science game' by hitting Autocracy really early, or an aborted DomV in which you smash the AI but avoid taking all the capitals (like me in DCL #4).

And to return to adcarrymaokai's play through, he struggled with the peaceful play (that would have been necessary for an XCOM turtle) specifically because he didn't deal with the warmongers on his continent.

Yes. Considering all my reloads, I got something like 7 DoWs from Japan. Basically, every time he made peace with someone else, he DoWed me the same turn.

I played some more to turn 350. Looks like I just can't influence Poland at this point, and it's really all my fault. I could have hit the Internet early instead of going for Combined Arms (lulz). I also made the mistake of bribing Poland against France and Polynesia. I counted on Cult of Personality tourism bonus, but stupid Kameha passed Cultural Heritage Sites, so the more cities Casimir conquered, the higher his culture soared. If I hadn't bribed him to go against Kameha and his wonders, I would have had a better shot.. maybe. Just all in all, bad play from me on multiple accounts. I do hate that Civ is so dependent on science, but I just need to adjust to that.

I have a t160 save, and this is where things started going downhill because I went Flight/Biology and warred with Oda's carpets and was taking cities for another 60-80 turns instead of teching for tourism, but I don't think I am going to replay it. I will start over from t0 and learn how to deal with Oda. I think I will build 7-8 archers and head to Construction straight up and try to liberate Samarkand if he takes it. Not sure how I will handle Samurais, but I have to try, after all.

Turn 288 Diplomatic victory

ROFLMAO. Oda Dowed me on t50, lost a bunch of units and agreed to peace on t56. This wasn't scary at all. Perhaps, I could have waited with peace and whittle his army down even more, but there is hardly a point for both of us to war, since the natural barrier is too strong.