Cities:
- 3950 BC Entremont
- 2850 BC Alesia
- 2190 BC Lugdunum
- 1700 BC Camulodunum
- 1700 BC Richborough
- 1350 BC Verulamium
- 1100 BC Gergovia
- 800 BC Augustodurum
- 510 BC Agedincum
- 310 BC Eboracum
- [210 BC Verulamium Settler-abandoned, Burdigala founded to replace it]
Tile-improvement and build-orders:
Roads and irrigation took priority over mining for most of the early phase of the game, since most of the first-founded towns were growing fast and I wanted the newborn citizens to have improved tiles to work. Because the Luxes were well out of my initial BFCs, and on highlands, I did not hook them until I had towns nearby and Worker-pairs to spare for it. Until then, to keep the peace, I generally built an Axe, a Worker on the first growth to Pop2, whipped a Temple out once a town had put 10s in the box and regrown to Pop2+ a second time, and used LUX%=10-20, or Geeked unhappy citizens when nothing else worked. I also built a Gran in Entremont, to knock out Settlers every time it started getting unmanageably unhappy, but still regrow quickly.
Military was initially kept fairly minimal, but my Axes had a lot of bad luck vs barbs (especially during the uprisings), so I was mostly building replacement Axes, and Workers and Settlers during the early phase, with the occasional Rax. I deliberately left the Iron unhooked so I could build Axes for cheap mil-pol and Barb-hunting, and hooked up the Horses first so that I could field fast-attack units that were cheaper than GSwords, to fight barbs, and ward off any DoWs made by AICivs before I was ready for my GA.
Exploration/ Diplomacy:
- 2590 BC Meet Romans
- 1990 BC Meet Maya
- 1575 BC Meet Ottomans
- 1200 BC Meet Portuguese
- 630 BC DoW Ottomans (in the hope that they'd make some alliances and break my GPT-payments)
- 590 BC Ottomans sign MA with Maya (thanks!)
- 530 BC Ottomans sign MA with Portugal
- 430 BC PT signed with Maya
- 390 BC Refuse tribute-demand from Romans -- they DoW
- 290 BC PT signed with Portugal
- 250 BC Meet Inca
General policy in the Ancient Age was to keep the peace and trade for techs until I had a decent base built up. However, by around Turn 60, it was clear that there wasn't a lot of good land, at least at my end of the map, so I gave up on the idea of a 100K win -- which left Dom/Conquest. So even before the Romans DoW'd, I had already started upgrading the Warriors I had left, building Raxes, Horses and GSwords, and moving them to the landbridge connecting my section to the 'mainland'. I signed a PT with Osman in 230 AD (he paid me!), and my GA began in 210 AD, when I auto-razed Lutetia. I plan to use the GA shields to build/upgrade as many GSwords as I can (using the disconnect/reconnect trick if need be) before I get Feudalism. Once I get it, I'll revolt, then finish rolling over at least the first couple of AICivs at minimal SCI%, maximal TAX% for upgrades. The Romans already put themselves in the firing line, Smoke is next, then Osman and Henry. I'll probably need Chivalry/ Knights by the time I get as far as the Inca, though.
Techs/Wonders:
I didn't bother trying for the Republic-sling because I didn't think I'd get it (my mistake, obviously). I went for Bronze+Iron first to see if I had any Iron available, then prioritised first the cheapest techs to research, then the one(s) that the AICivs I'd met hadn't yet got.
- 3300 BC BronzeWork
- 2390 BC IronWork
- 1990 BC Masonry
- 1700 BC WarCode
- 1550 BC Wheel
- 1400 BC Myst
- 1225 BC HbR
- 1200 BC Alph bought from Romans
- 1025 BC Portuguese build SoZ
- 875 BC Poly
- 850 BC Writing+Maths bought from Ottomans, Philo bought from Porties, Mapmaking bought from Smoke
- 800 BC CoL bought from Romans, Currency bought from Mayans
- 730 BC Mayans, Ottomans and Porties enter Middle-Age (pretty sure they swapped their techs for Construction, which Osman wouldn't sell me)
- 710 BC Inca (still uncontacted) build Pyramids
- 690 BC Persians (still uncontacted) build Oracle
- 490 BC Portuguese build MoM
- 470 BC Russians (still uncontacted) build ToA
- 470 BC Lit (as bargaining chip)
- 450 BC Maya build GWall
- 430 BC Romans (obtain Construction and) enter Mid-Age
- 250 BC Construction bought from Inca, we enter Mid-Age
The Ottomans got Engineering as their freebie, but all the AICivs spent their first 25-30T of the Mid-Age researching Republic (and/or presumably also Monarchy), and then revolting, so I'm actually not that far behind them, tech-wise. I may try extracting Republic for a PT (which I'll then break) before they can start running away from me (taking their cities should also help...). I'm researching Feudalism, currently due in 17T at SCI%=80, but I can/should slow that down to put upgrade-cash in the bank, and give me more time to get a SunTzu prebuild going. I'm seriously considering adopting Feudalism as my next government -- although Ducts are cheap for the Celts, Settlers and GSwords/Maces are cheaper. So if my towns are going to grow fast but then stall at Pop6 anyway, I might as well have the high free unit support, the ability to whip stuff, and no WW. With max 2T Anarchy per revolution guaranteed, I can always go to Rep later, if I need to earn more cash/ do more research.