Inherited Turn - 2190BC
Look around, everything looks fine. Military advisor is warning about barbarian tribes near Makkah however.
We know 7 civs, leaving two that we haven't heard from yet.
Our score of 92 puts us just ahead of India, and well behind everyone else
All 5 cities on the Top 5 chart are at size 1, so the AI just popped a bunch of settlers. We'll run out of room before too long. Our population of 5 is #1 in the world, but we're already losing the land battle (8th).
Hit enter....
Realize that someone turned on speedy AI movement, as I watch them go flying by. Barbarian appears next to the scout that is just west of our mountain range.
Carthage Settler shows up on the cluster of 3 Wool between our two civs.
While looking at the preferences, I noticed that someone had the gov on by default. Unless we're also going to automate all of our workers, and just sit back while the computer plays both sides for us, the governor should NEVER be on. I also turned on the animate friend/enemy moves, so that we can see what the other civs are doing.
1. - 2150BC
MM Makkah to produce the Settler next turn, as it grows as well.
Plant the settler where he stands, as a 5 ring city won't hurt if we go with 4 later.
Diriyah founded, producing 2/2 food/shields, so start on a quick warrior to defend against the pesky barbs.
Move western scout4 further west away from the barb.
Scout2 near the soon to be Carthage wool heads towards the great dark frontier.
South-Southwest scout3 finds spices near the horses down there.
Far west scout1 heads down the penninsula to see if any civ ended up stuck down there.
Conscript warrior exploring in the northeast finds some Iron half a dozen tiles northeast of Delhi.
All civs are still broke. Egypt is the wealthiest with 25 gold ( I wonder where that came from
), but we'd be selling short if we traded.
9/1/0, 199 gold, +11gpt, Writing due in 32.
IBT - Carthage settler moves north out of our view, but will likely settle on the northern wool.
2. - 2110BC
Makkah completes settler. Size 3, growth in 3. 5 spt, so start warrior, due in 2.
Medinah complete worker. Size 1, growth in 7, 1 spt, start worker due in 10.
Worker at Medinah finishes irrigating the flood plains.
Settler starts west for the olives. Warrior moves with him, no need to raise lux.
Scout2 heads south, spots a 6th! wool near Carthage. They already have one hooked up.
Scout4 heads west some more, finds a nice city spot on the west side of that lake north of Carthage.
Scout3 continues south, lots of plains/desert.
Scout1 continues down the penninsula.
Our intrepid warrior hacks his way through the forest northeast of Delhi.
Newly built worker2 moves onto desert goats to road them for the extra cash.
Worker1 starts irrigating the second flood plain near Madinah.
No trade opportunities.
IBT - Barb warrior moves towards Delhi
3. - 2070BC
Conscript warrior blunders his way through the mountains, and ends up next to another pissed off Pictish warrior.
Scout1 explorers what is likely a dead end penninsula.
Scout4 is working through the jungle north of Carthage.
Scout2 finds some goats south of Carthage.
Scout3 finds a pair of warriors, luckily on the first move, and quickly about faces.
Is it just me, or is Carthage loaded? They have 6 wool, dyes, fresh water, goats, iron, horses and some really nice bonus grassland. If we don't watch out, they'll become a monster. They've already irrigated 10+ plains, and roaded their country. With all the hills wool around it, Utica will become a monster, with a number of tiles producing 3/3 food/shields (in Republic).
We need to cripple them soon. Of course, they have a monster of a UU, and both their cities are on hills.
Trading goes nowhere. Persia picked up 25 gold, so the camps are definitely out there.
IBT - 2 Spanish warrior go barb hunting, an unescorted Zulu settler follows our scout down the penninsula, and another barb arrives near Delhi.
4. - 2030BC
Makkah builds Warrior, start on Settler. Due in 6, growth to size 4 in 1. 5spt.
Newly built Warrior fortifies in Makkah.
Scout2 finds some Olives near Egypt, but lots and lots of desert.
Conscript finds the Ocean.
Scout4 is discovering more jungle.
The penninsula near Scout1 turns out not to be one, but just a large lake. Discovers on the coast near Zululand.
Scout3 wanders the trackless desert, and discovers a cluster of 3 goats.
Spain has 1 gold, and is down Pottery, The Wheel, Iron Working and Mysticism. She is Cautious.
India has two workers and 10 gold for trade. He is down Masonry, Pottery, The Wheel, Iron Working and Mysticism. He likely doesn't know anyone else to still have his 10 gold and be down so many techs.
I trade Masonry and Pottery for *both* workers and his 10 gold. Those were our least valuable techs, and we pick up to slaves, so I feel it was worth it. There is no way we could've made that had he known anyone else.
Slaves start working on a road towards the hilly goats and Diriyah.
9/1/0 240 gold +10gpt, Writing due in 29.
IBT - Zulu scout shows up east?! of Makkah. They likely know everyone if they already have scouts coming back from the east.
Barb warrior on the outskirts of Diriyah's cultural bounds, but will build in 1.
A pair of barbs head towards Egypt/Carthage.
5. - 1990BC
Scout2 heads away from the not so friendly barbs.
Scout1 circling back towards unexplored territory.
Scout3 still looking in the desert.
Scout4 exploring near the Spanish lands.
Conscript is running from the barbs
France has a worker, but they want Mysticism, Pottery + gold for it, so I decline.
IBT - Barb near Diriyah decides to head towards the warrior/settler that are about to plant.
Barb shows up southwest of Madinah.
Uskudar planted next to the close horses on the southeast. We'll have to grab the far south ones.
6. - 1950BC
Diriyah completes warrior, starts warrior (due in 5, growth in 5).
Newly built warrior fortifes in Diriyah.
Worker1 and worker2 both finish their tasks, head to Makkah to improve it (this could be a 4 turn settler factory eventually).
Scout1 will try and slip through the Zulu lands towards the unxplored.
Scout2 exploring south hoping to find the Romans.
Scout3 finds the southern ocean, and what could be a decent fishing village site one day.
Scout4 clearing jungle.
Conscript wandering.
No trades.
IBT - Both Spanish warriors redlined while killing barbs.
Barb near Diriyah can't decide what to attack, and heads back towards Diriyah.
Zulu scout moving down the mountain range to our east.
7. - 1910BC
Damascus planted next to Olives. Starts warrior, due in 5, growth in 10.
Scout1 discovers that the Zulu have Furs hooked up.
Scout2 finds the Southern Ocean as well, so the Romans may not be south.
Scout3 working his way along the coast.
Scout4 finds a several square clearing of grassland among the jungle.
Conscript plodding along.
France learns Iron Working.
Ottomans and Persia are even with us techwise, but both are broke, so likely researching at max. We're still at 9/1/0, 274 gold, +14gpt. Due in 26.
IBT - Conscript brutally murdered by barbarian warriors.
Before he died, an Indian settler/warrior combo was spotted heading for the Iron near them.
Barb movement, but they haven't attacked us yet. Looks like they're heading to pillage near Makkah.
8. - 1870BC
Warrior4 steps out of Diriyah to lure the barb back that way, and away from the workers who we can't protect just yet.
Madinah changes from worker due in 2 to warrior due in 2, as we need defense.
Scout4 discovers that the clearing is pretty large, and has running water.
Scout2 searching the dark.
Scout3 has the misfortune of running from one barb, and ends up ending his turn next to another.
Scout1 working his way through the nicely roaded and mined Zulu lands.
Slaves begin Irrigating plains near Makkah.
Egypt has learned Iron Working.
Persia has an extra 25 gold (52). Still even on techs.
Carthage has horses hooked up (colony).
Spain picked up 25 gold (26).
IBT - Scout3 is killed.
Barb warrior heads south down the western mountains towards Makkah.
9. - 1830BC
Makkah completes settler, starts warrior. Size 3, 4fpt/5spt. Growth in 3, warrior in 2.
Settler heads east to the spices. No escort yet, as there is a barb 2 squares from Makkah, and we don't want it pillaged.
Diriyah warrior tries to lure the barb to attack him.
Scout2 finds some goats in the fog, but no Rome.
Scout1 is walking through the forest.
Scout4 finds some dyes next to the grassland clearing in the thick jungle west of our civ.
Spain has learned Writing! We are up Communications with Egypt, India, Zulu and Ottomans. Also up Pottery, The Wheel, Iron Working and Mysticism. We have 24 turns to go on our research, so a trade would help quite a bit.
I can get Writing for communication with Ottomans and Egypt, Mysticism, Pottery and 18 gold. I want to keep India isolated for now, so no communcation with him, and I'd like to keep Iron and Horses hidden for as long as possible, so I don't want to trade them. This is a little stiff to pay for at 2nd rate, so I hold off for now. Persia is probably researching this at max as well, so they should have it in the next turn or two. Everyone else is broke, so I can't even buy it and hope to trade it.
IBT - Barb warrior moves next to Makkah, threatening the city along with the workers next to it.
Barb moves next to Madinah.
10. - 1790BC
Madinah completes warrior, set to warrior, due in 5.
I take a gamble, and our warrior in Makkah kills the barb warrior.
Newly build warrior from Madinah heads to escort the settler.
Diriyah warrior heads back towards home.
Scout2 has cleared most of the southern fog, so the Romans must be in the far south east under the Ottomans.
Scout1 and Scout4 meet up and find some more dyes in the jungle.
Persia doesn't have writing? I would've thought they would research/trade it last turn. Everyone is still broke, so we can't trade for it.
The trading is the same as last turn. It's not worth buying Writing when Spain has a monopoly on it. If there were civs flush with cash, sure, but not with only Persia having money, and them likely researching writing anyways, so we'd get shafted in any trade.
315 gold, +13gpt, Writing in 23.
I'm hoping to let Makkah grow a little, and be a 5-7 settler factory. At that size, it could produce the requisite 8 shields per turn, and working both flood plains, produce the 5 food per turn. It'll take 20 turns to get the land improved though, but it can be done.
The save
Here are the pics (all are 1600x1200):
Zoomed out of our land
Zoomed out west
Our pitiful homeland
The Mighty Egyptian and Carthaginian land