The Deity Challenge Lineup - Game #6 - Byzantine Empire

Settled to the east since there was desert + river + coast. Too bad mountain wasnt 1 hex closer.

Free pantheon thanks to rel CS, double worker steal + caravan plunder from England. Thanks to FOY 4 city trad, petra on T73, hanging gardens T79.

Declared on Ormus for workers and exp farming - due to FOY starting warrior->spearman is able to tank all the fire. Eventually got 2 range logistics supply dromons from it alone, while GAD explored the other continent.

Due to lack of culture CS filling rationalism was slow as i had to drop a policy into exploration. WC founded by me and LOTP + Globe theatre were built to counter lack of culture.

Scouts revealed a lack of coastal capitals but all within 4 hex of coast so i planned for range+logistics battleships domination. Went for PS before going for artillery and then battleships.

War started with arty T188, Copen with Zeus statue falls T192, Gao T197. 3x frigates upgraded to battleships at Gao, London and york fall T206. Swim everything over to Machu, and with carriers ferrying bombers Cusco eventually falls T218. Slowly take the incan cities to get to Edinburgh (Inca moved his capital there so i couldnt get it in a peacedeal). battleships flatten Thebes in 2 turns (T225), while paratroopers+bombers take Edinburgh T226. Venice had been taken by a CS but it wouldnt have mattered since i had excess navy floating around.

I think this map could be completed even faster with just arty+frigates but I was overconservative + messed up on oxford (forgot you cant complete it when razing cities). 4 coastal cities + petra + FOY is insane.

Social policies: Full trad, exp opener, 4 rat, 8 Autocracy

Wonders: Petra, Hanging gardens, Borobudur, LOTP, Globe, Broadway, Prora

Religion: Desert Folklore, Tithe, RC, God of Sea, Happy Temples, RT. I had insane faith and actually won the religious battle on my continent for once. I could have bought a bunch of GP and converted the other continent but it was tiring enough microing an army, navy and airforce during the last 20 ish turns.

WC: WF, +3 culture to wonders. Arts funding was passed which slowed me down a bit.

Restarted a few times to get petra, first 2 times it was gone by turn 50, and 66.

Since I already know the map, I chose the city spots similar as Acken's and attempt Petra, since there is really no fun without it. Stole several workers off Geneva, and England. The LP was made before the tradition nerf, so I had to build monument to catch up on culture, and also caravan in order to catch up on science. So therefore my start time on petra was slower than Acken and also capital was smaller. But managed to settle 3 coastal expos before working on petra. Petra completed turn 75, followed by HG on 84 since nobody built it yet. After Petra, growth was insane, production was insane and it would be an easy game from there. Deleted all caravans to replace with cargo ships. Throughout the game, I would bribe to keep Denmark and Songhai busy.

4 city NC by T95, followed by CI on 106.
Education on 110

Was unable to build Sistine chapel since some civ on other continent beelined acoustics. I had to beeline Astronomy to meet other civs and do observatories. I was able to open Rationalism the turn I hit Renaissance. After that, beelined PP to found WC, constructed LtoP on 141 and took GE for later, Globe Theater on 147, used GE on Taj Mahal on 148 (saw at least 3 other civs building it).

Egypt went rationalism, and I looked at his map and saw Thebes building it, due to insane production was able to beat it despite Ramses having at least 4 turns head start.
Porcelain Tower on 154, Uffizi on 160. Delayed entering Industrial via Scientific Theory in order to theme Uffizi.

Scientific Theory 161
Worked on WF as soon as schools finished, used Oxford to bulb Electricity, then Archaeology because I wanted to get ideology soon after WF. Stopped working on WF soon after 1k hammers, easy win. Spammed some archaeologists for landmarks to maximize culture, due to only 1 culture CS on the map. Culture is a priority this game. Hermitage was completed as soon as WF ended. Next WC was +culture to WW, which was easily passed.

Next, opened exploration, after grabbing Freedom via Radio. Then Hotels, then beelined for Plastics after picking up fertilizer.

Lourve completed on 193, Broadway on 201, built Musician guild to theme Broadway.

Plastics 208, Bulbed Internet on 221

Eiffel Tower 208, SoL 216, Sydney OH 220 with natural GE, Christo Redentor on 223 with faith GE.

1 natural spawned GM used on England, 1 faith bought GM used on Egypt, sold my southern city to speed it up. Other faith GW, and GA used to increase number of great works.

Religion: DF, Tithe, bonus pantheon +hammer to fishing boats, + growth, + % production, RT

Game was over too quickly for any time for IG, so never bothered proposing it. Also no need for airports.

desert in sight with a mountain and byzantium as a leader I move my warrior closer, looks like there are few mountains so I decide to move my settler in the desert …
T3 I settle my city next to the ocean and river and forget about the mountain since this is a continent map. Settling with a hut in the border made get me +1 pop lucky I am !
A little later I will get the second pantheon of the game desert folklore thanks to both religious city states in the east.
I will steal a worker from each of them after they helped me get my pantheon, what a cruel world.
There he is a load of desert mountains so I wanna get Petra, Petra alone won me a lot of deity games although it is usually hard to build.
I will build a first settler before I reach currency, I will settle Adrianopole next to the wines, I will pick pagoda and monastery in order to enjoy this wine spot.
Petra was built on T76 by me, first wonder, hopefuly more will come ... I never had a chance to get a Cultural Victory on deity till now, guess I will choose my VC depending on wether I can get Sixtine or not.
Colossus T89 built in 6 turns only ! On T100 I got 2 food cargo going to Constantinople
Couldn’t get religious community for production bonus with reformation, I go for divine inspiration
I build first national epic and writer guild
T101 Elizabeth and Harald go into war without I need to bribe Elizabeth
T109 NC in capital
T125 Elizabeth is plotting against me, and I realize if I ever want to get a Cultural victory I need to get London and York who already have 33 defense.
T133bribe elizabeth to stop war with danemark before she take his capital
T158 hard build Tower of Pisa in 7 turns
T159 bribe Pachacuti to DOW Egypt so I can rush the globe theater for 2GPT
T162 get Architecture with oxford
T169 hard built uffizi
T172 bouddica did taj mahal before me, I beeline Scientific Theory
T181 steal Scientific Theory and buy with gold School in 3 cities
T182 I push Venise as Host of WC since I dont want Elisabeth to be the host
T190 my single allied city state has 7 coal already upgraded ! Pachacutti already picked autocraty
T202 I am the first to adopt order and bribe Elizabeth do DOW inca and Egypt, I beeline Hotels
T207 hopefully England pick order … Also 2 oil in the desert, more hammers for my Petra capital ….
T210 hard built louvre
T257, I already got 11 aluminium so I could go for science victory if I want, still 10 turns before radio …
I built rushed Eiffel Tower and hard built broadway
T266 i unlocked all tourism modifier ( static and order modifiers), I have more happinesss than all civ but it’s still not enough. I also hard built Neuschwanstein and rushed Kremlin with GE. I bribe Pachacutti into war with my friends Elisabeth to prevent her from builiding wonders
T271 rushed Christo, also little recap : Me and Elisabeth are order, Pacha is Autocraty, Bouddica and Ramsas are Freedom, the others are dead !
T276 I bribe England to DOW Ramses and Bouddica, she finally stop building the Opera of Sidney …
T285 Order has been chosen as the world ideology at WC 25 vs 15
T289 rushed opera of sidney, then use all my faith ( 7000+) to buy great scientists
T293 Elisabeth built CN Tower before me while being at war with the world …
T297 Internet !
T299 Great Firewall rushed with GE
T310 Inca revolution to order
T315 Cultural Victory, my first Cultural Victory on Deity

As a conclusion I think I shall have passed Neuschwanstein ans Kremin and beeline Internet ... I could have won several turns earlier. I also used GS to bulb for Great Firewall then changed my mind and went for Internet. That petra spot is really wonderdull, and works good with Order with all those mines !