The current game I am playing is Noble level, temperate, standard map, snaky continents, 18 civs, no tech trading allowed, domination/conquest victory, epic length!
I started out just to the North of the equator. A couple of hills, marble, plains, nice place to start a production capital. Rome is founded. Exploring my continent: to the North, expansive desert with a couple of grassland and plain tiles - two plains / hills - decent place to found 2 cities. To the South, jungle, jungle and more jungle. Wait, a hill with gems! But the rest looks like Amazon without the river.
No AI's around me! Lucky? Perhaps! I have a fairly large island to myself, with room to found 4 more cities. Although these 4 cities will be slow growing, my production will be excellent in Rome and decent in other cities. Made contact with Peter of the Russians in the North-West, his island / continent is one tile away from mine, so I can see his border. Peace, brotha, even Open Borders, by the time you send your Galleys to my island, it will be all colonized!
Amuzing, my island looks like a boot of Italy, even turned the same way. I see 2 tiles of jungle (probably a small island) to the East of the heel, and some coast to the west of the toe (Sicily?).
Some time pass, I colonize my island, and send out a galley to explore. The island to the east of the heel is only 3 tiles of jungle, no point to colonize since I already have a city right across that is going to use 2 of the tiles. The coast that I called Sicily turns out to be a single jungle/grassland square with 3 clams all around! Perfect place to put a fast-growing city, although where I am going to get production from there, I have no idea. Wait, I can always buy later on!
6 cities are founded! Wait, what is it? I found Christianity! Immediately it spreads to Moscow! What??? I need a Stonehedge in Rome to produce a prophet ASAP, so I can capitalize on my Vatican! I explore more with my galley, Russians have a large island to themselves right to the North-West with 4 cities on it, and a small cold island to the North with 1 city. Japanese are to the North East - with the 3 cities on the cold island, and Greek are to the West with a large island. I make open borders with my close neighbours, since I plan to use them as allies to spread Christianity to as well as protect sea routes to my entire North-West to East border.
Finally, prophet materializes in Rome! I immediately send it to build a holy shrine to collect money. Rome now is building galleys and missionaries. I am 1st in score among my few neightbours.
Snapshot to the near future! Christianity is spread to every city in Russian, Japanese and Greek empires. Having made contact with all civs, I am 3rd in score after Gandhi and Montezuma. Rome is the most cultural city in the world due to the production and quick building of many wonders. I am 1st in culture, but 3rd in pop and 6-7 in GNP and production...
To my far South, German and Malinese Empires lay each on their own island with 3 cities. Malinese have 2 more islands with 1 city each, but those islands are cold and useless.
I see a nice island to my South between me and Germans/Malinese with 1 grassland square and 3 hill squares with 1 iron. Nice place to found a city, and perhaps a staging point for invasion? hehe... Too bad it is unreachable by galley. I start my research towards Galleons.
I build a settler and convert my 7-8 galleys to galleons - but what the hell? Indians already got to that island! This ruins my long-term plans. Yet by that time, Rome built a small but strong musketman / praetorian army with a few catapults. I declare war on Indians, feeling confident I can protect my island with my army / navy and dispatch an invasion to that small island. Only one longbowman protecting it, so I raze the city and build my own.
After being pissed at me for a while, Gandhi realizes he can't get to me with Russians, Greek and Japanese guarding the invasion routes, he gives up and a peace treaty is signed. I don't mind fighting Gandhi for world dominance, but now is not the time. A peace treaty is signed. By that time, I spread my religion to Spanish (1 city-state on the island) and all 3 German cities. Yet German neighbours Malenese refuse to let me convert them, so its time to launch a holy war.
By that time, my economy is booming, and although I am still 3rd in score, my science rate is 100%, I get wicked production (organized religion), little upkeep (state property), super-factory Rome (bureaucracy) and happy people (representation). I get +30 gold per turn thanks to Christianity!
Off go my 7 Galleons to invade Mali - 6 catapults, 8 grenadeurs, 6 musketeers and a great artist! Longbows and crossbows are no match for guns and their Northenmost city falls within 2 turns, and other 2 cities within 12 turns. I culture-bomb the middle city and the island is mine! A perfectly executed blitz with Nazi precision. I lose 6 catapults, 2 musketeers and 3 grenadeurs defeating their entire army, so I let Mali live with their 2 worthless islands.
Now with 11 cities under my control (the only square not under my control on the jungle-island to the east of the heel had oil on it so I built a city there), I can concentrate on catching up with the score and further strengthening my already-booming economy. I research ancient techs I previously ignored (1-2 turns) each and quickly leapfrog Montezuma and Gandhi into first leading by 100 points.
I build Broadway and Rock-and-Roll and sell my hit singles for gold per turn. My economy is generating +70 gold / turn with 11 cities and 100% science rate!
Little did I know that my Christian friends Germans were plotting behind my back all this time to take Mali from me. Perhaps they thought I was weakened while taking the island? Before I know they unload 2 Cavalry, 6 riflemen and 2 catapults near the middle city on Mali island. I immediately switch my civics to nationhood (drafting units)/Universal Suffrage(buy units). I defeat their puny invasion with my elite units left over from Mali invasion, losing only 1 grenadeur. Really, they only did me a favor, since Berlin was my next natural target due to the proximity to Mali. Now I can destroy their little empire without other civs being angry at me for starting a war. My only minor concern is their numerous frigates, since I only have galleons. But that's more an annoyance really. Berlin is to fall next under Rome's might!
To be continued...
I started out just to the North of the equator. A couple of hills, marble, plains, nice place to start a production capital. Rome is founded. Exploring my continent: to the North, expansive desert with a couple of grassland and plain tiles - two plains / hills - decent place to found 2 cities. To the South, jungle, jungle and more jungle. Wait, a hill with gems! But the rest looks like Amazon without the river.
No AI's around me! Lucky? Perhaps! I have a fairly large island to myself, with room to found 4 more cities. Although these 4 cities will be slow growing, my production will be excellent in Rome and decent in other cities. Made contact with Peter of the Russians in the North-West, his island / continent is one tile away from mine, so I can see his border. Peace, brotha, even Open Borders, by the time you send your Galleys to my island, it will be all colonized!
Amuzing, my island looks like a boot of Italy, even turned the same way. I see 2 tiles of jungle (probably a small island) to the East of the heel, and some coast to the west of the toe (Sicily?).
Some time pass, I colonize my island, and send out a galley to explore. The island to the east of the heel is only 3 tiles of jungle, no point to colonize since I already have a city right across that is going to use 2 of the tiles. The coast that I called Sicily turns out to be a single jungle/grassland square with 3 clams all around! Perfect place to put a fast-growing city, although where I am going to get production from there, I have no idea. Wait, I can always buy later on!
6 cities are founded! Wait, what is it? I found Christianity! Immediately it spreads to Moscow! What??? I need a Stonehedge in Rome to produce a prophet ASAP, so I can capitalize on my Vatican! I explore more with my galley, Russians have a large island to themselves right to the North-West with 4 cities on it, and a small cold island to the North with 1 city. Japanese are to the North East - with the 3 cities on the cold island, and Greek are to the West with a large island. I make open borders with my close neighbours, since I plan to use them as allies to spread Christianity to as well as protect sea routes to my entire North-West to East border.
Finally, prophet materializes in Rome! I immediately send it to build a holy shrine to collect money. Rome now is building galleys and missionaries. I am 1st in score among my few neightbours.
Snapshot to the near future! Christianity is spread to every city in Russian, Japanese and Greek empires. Having made contact with all civs, I am 3rd in score after Gandhi and Montezuma. Rome is the most cultural city in the world due to the production and quick building of many wonders. I am 1st in culture, but 3rd in pop and 6-7 in GNP and production...
To my far South, German and Malinese Empires lay each on their own island with 3 cities. Malinese have 2 more islands with 1 city each, but those islands are cold and useless.
I see a nice island to my South between me and Germans/Malinese with 1 grassland square and 3 hill squares with 1 iron. Nice place to found a city, and perhaps a staging point for invasion? hehe... Too bad it is unreachable by galley. I start my research towards Galleons.
I build a settler and convert my 7-8 galleys to galleons - but what the hell? Indians already got to that island! This ruins my long-term plans. Yet by that time, Rome built a small but strong musketman / praetorian army with a few catapults. I declare war on Indians, feeling confident I can protect my island with my army / navy and dispatch an invasion to that small island. Only one longbowman protecting it, so I raze the city and build my own.
After being pissed at me for a while, Gandhi realizes he can't get to me with Russians, Greek and Japanese guarding the invasion routes, he gives up and a peace treaty is signed. I don't mind fighting Gandhi for world dominance, but now is not the time. A peace treaty is signed. By that time, I spread my religion to Spanish (1 city-state on the island) and all 3 German cities. Yet German neighbours Malenese refuse to let me convert them, so its time to launch a holy war.
By that time, my economy is booming, and although I am still 3rd in score, my science rate is 100%, I get wicked production (organized religion), little upkeep (state property), super-factory Rome (bureaucracy) and happy people (representation). I get +30 gold per turn thanks to Christianity!
Off go my 7 Galleons to invade Mali - 6 catapults, 8 grenadeurs, 6 musketeers and a great artist! Longbows and crossbows are no match for guns and their Northenmost city falls within 2 turns, and other 2 cities within 12 turns. I culture-bomb the middle city and the island is mine! A perfectly executed blitz with Nazi precision. I lose 6 catapults, 2 musketeers and 3 grenadeurs defeating their entire army, so I let Mali live with their 2 worthless islands.
Now with 11 cities under my control (the only square not under my control on the jungle-island to the east of the heel had oil on it so I built a city there), I can concentrate on catching up with the score and further strengthening my already-booming economy. I research ancient techs I previously ignored (1-2 turns) each and quickly leapfrog Montezuma and Gandhi into first leading by 100 points.
I build Broadway and Rock-and-Roll and sell my hit singles for gold per turn. My economy is generating +70 gold / turn with 11 cities and 100% science rate!
Little did I know that my Christian friends Germans were plotting behind my back all this time to take Mali from me. Perhaps they thought I was weakened while taking the island? Before I know they unload 2 Cavalry, 6 riflemen and 2 catapults near the middle city on Mali island. I immediately switch my civics to nationhood (drafting units)/Universal Suffrage(buy units). I defeat their puny invasion with my elite units left over from Mali invasion, losing only 1 grenadeur. Really, they only did me a favor, since Berlin was my next natural target due to the proximity to Mali. Now I can destroy their little empire without other civs being angry at me for starting a war. My only minor concern is their numerous frigates, since I only have galleons. But that's more an annoyance really. Berlin is to fall next under Rome's might!
To be continued...
