Paradigm Shift II: Queen of Culture

Right, this challenge is to win 6 different ways (domination, culture, UN diplo, space race, religious diplo, conquest) with the same leader each time (Catherine of Russia). I choose the map type but then take the first map the RNG gives me. All games will be standard size, normal speed, 6 random opponents. I play with the HOF mod, not Bhruic's patch, so you need to download that if you want to shadow the game. The victory condition is chosen before I pick the map type and generate the map.

The first game was played at prince level with my "normal" victory condition, domination. It was also a chance for lots of smutty BDSM/dominatrix gags (perhaps I should say jokes instead, gags aren't just jokes for dominatrices!). However, the game was a bit of a cakewalk despite making some dreadful blunders (although walking on cakes isn't that easy, believe me, I have tried). I put up a poll, in which I voted "stick to prince", but the majority chose monarch so that is what I will go for.

This game, I must win via cultural victory (which is 50000 culture at normal speed). Can I do it?

I've PM'd r_rolo1 to see if he can do a prince version of the save for anyone who wants to shadow the game.

Settings:



Leader, she is currently number 1 in the "who is the hottest civ babe" on the BtS forum. I prefer Boudica myself, although I have never played with her or been unfortunate to have her pressing tight against my borders.



And the start...



First impressions, pretty bad. On the coast and we don't start with fishing. I'm thinking build another scout, tech fishing, then bronze working at the moment. Forests everywhere means there won't be any metals in the visible tiles in the BFC.

Here's the (monarch, HOF mod save)

ParadigmShifter said:

I prefer Boudica myself, although I have never played with her or been unfortunate to have her pressing tight against my borders.

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'pressing tight', eh? Innuendo much?

hey you got two clams man
clams
freakin clams
god i love seafood starts

I really hate the UB of Russia. I don't recall ever building one. Too bad they don't have an uberculture building, like 'Orthodox Church' for Temple or summat.

Leader traits:

Creative - not really a big advantage in cultural games, it's only +2 culture per turn. It does help with getting resources hooked up quickly though. Another bonus is half price libraries and theatres. I also get half price colosseums which I can't see myself building (happiness won't be a problem in a culture game, I can use the culture slider and trade my happiness resources away).

Imperialistic: +50% production of settlers, good for peaceful expansion. I'm aiming for 9 cities, 6 at the very least, 12 at most. 9 cities will enable me to build a cathedral in each legendary city for every religion I can spread. +100% great general emergence. This will be pretty useless in a cultural game, the best I can probably hope for is an early rush providing a GG which I can then use as a medic.


Starting techs: Hunting. Get those scouts exploring, looking for huts. Dib-dib-dib! Mining. Probably the best tech to start with, one step away from bronze working for chopping, slavery and axes of evil. No food techs though, and no fishing.

UU: Cossack. Can't see it getting any use in this game, even in the domination game I only used 1, that was my medic which I upgraded at the end.

UB: Research institute. No chance of building one of these.

More random thoughts.

Wonders. I'm trying to limit wonderspam because it is more educational that way I think. In the first game I was limiting myself to 2 world wonders per era, but in the end the only important wonders were the pyramids and the great library. I also built the maussoleum and the Taj but they weren't important at all (right at the end).

Pyramids are pretty good for cultural games though, with representation an artist is 4 beakers and 4 culture, and I'll be running alot of artists in this game. Also, one or two great engineers can mean rushing wonders later.

I won't be building the great library, I only want a couple of great scientists.

Oracle is another possibility, if I can build it in a production (non-legendary) city. I don't want Great Prophet pollution to my artist pool, but taking code of laws for a religion would be nice.

Other than that, it will be mainly great artist point wonders. Parthenon seems like the best one to get. Statue of Zeus/Mausolleum aren't bad either, they are both +10 culture.

Sistine chapel is the big one in BtS, it's now much better than it was in vanilla and warlords (+5 culture per state religion building).

Notre Dame I will probably give a miss.


Civics: Slavery, obviously, then organised religion if it is safe to adopt a state religion. I'll have to manage the diplo situation carefully. At some point, change to pacifism and caste system for many great artists. Free speech is massive. Mercantilism or free market are also good (merc as soon as I get it, free religion when going max culture slider).


Tech path: Music is an early target for the free artist and cathedrals. The earlier I can get drama the better, my theatres could double in culture after 1000 years. Liberalism obviously, for free speech. Nationalism (from liberalism preferably, could take printing press though) for the hermitage is big too. I'll probably skip founding early religions, going instead for code of laws and philosophy. I'm hoping to get at least 1 religion from a neighbour as well. If that doesn't happen, maybe divine right is on the cards.

Jerrymander said:

'pressing tight', eh? Innuendo much?

I really hate the UB of Russia. I don't recall ever building one. Too bad they don't have an uberculture building, like 'Orthodox Church' for Temple or summat.

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I'm guessing you didn't read my first thread then

The UB is fantastic for space race games (which will be game #4), a great library in every city, plus +25% research and +50% spaceship part construction! It doesn't last for very long though.

ParadigmShifter said:

I'm guessing you didn't read my first thread then

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I read parts.
Notably, 'those' parts, heh.

So! no dominatrix innuendo's this time round eh? I'm not sure I'm going to follow the thread now!

I don't mind the start, although as you said not starting with fishing is a bummer! Looking forward to see how you play this one, I like culture victories but never pull them off very effectivley.

I hope rolo comes up with that save! I may have a go myself.

Good luck

Why slavery? I usually find caste system better in culture games so you can run unlimited great artists.

OK, a big hand to r_rolo1, he has come up with the goods re: different saves. I haven't opened any of course, wouldn't want to spoil the fun. It's a .rar file so you will need WinRAR or something like that to open it I think.

Anyone got any ideas about moving the scout? 1E seems best to me, settling in place seems the only option at present.

BalbanesBeoulve said:

Why slavery? I usually find caste system better in culture games so you can run unlimited great artists.

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Slavery early on to build culture buildings quickly. Caste ASAP though, I agree.

How can you justify sinking those early hammers into a 2nd Scout? Especially given the fact that you started on a coast, chances are it won't even net you one extra hut; by the time it's done you will usually have grabbed all nearby huts and/or run into a neighbor who grabbed all the ones you couldn't get to. And even if you are lucky enough to get an extra hut with that extra Scout, you're almost guaranteed to get money, maps, or yet another Scout. Is that really worth delaying your whole game?

This is just a general rhetorical question. It's hard to imagine situations where I would want to spend precious early hammers on a Scout. I basically need to be landlocked, and have a strong reason to believe there are no other civs even remotely close to me. In other words, Large Pangaea with 5 civs or some such custom game.

Well, a worker has nothing to do until bronze, and can't build a workboat until fishing. A warrior is OK as well though.

InFlux5 said:

How can you justify sinking those early hammers into a 2nd Scout?

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ParadigmShifter said:

Well, a worker has nothing to do until bronze, and can't build a workboat until fishing.

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That about sums it up.

It's not just about goody huts. I suggest turning them off; they're about as strategic as the random, typically game ending barbarian invasion event.

I don't see what he's delaying by building a scout. He'll have a better knowledge of the surrounding area once he starts leveraging the two food resources and the "sea" of forests should he build this scout.

As Paradigm points out himself, he's also at a loss for other things to do.

I'm guessing Moscow will be getting the Moai Statues? That's one ugly start, though I think there'll be something in the fog to your right.

ParadigmShifter said:

Forests everywhere means there won't be any metals in the visible tiles in the BFC.

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Is this part of the map generation script? Or did you miss the non-forested tile 2E of the Settler?

I spotted the non-forested tile 2E of the settler, that's my only hope for a strategic resource. That's why I'm thinking of moving scout 1E (probably 1SE then 1N though).

In the words of Sisiutil, "goody huts make the game more funnerer".

EDIT: Moai Statues look good, but add great prophet pollution.

Ok, I moved the scout 1SE1N. Not good. Have a cow and more seafood, but can't get a boat there unless there is a way around without moving the settler 1E, making a canal city, and losing the 2 clams. Grrr.



EDIT: It isn't a fresh water lake to the East though, so there should be a way around.

EDIT: It isn't a fresh water lake to the East though, so there should be a way around.

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Not necessarily... if a body of water ( enclosed or not ) has 10 + tiles or has more than 3 ocean tiles it ceases to be of fresh water......

Well, we'll see. I can always build a fort after maths anyway, that would be a first

Anyway, settling in place seems the only sensible option.

I don't think the starts looking so bad now, you have an extra seafood, plains cow, plenty of forests for chopping plus a few hills for early production. Also access to wine is nice.

My main concern with this start is whether you are going to get blocked in. I find that these patchy coastal starts always lead to some AI trying block me, or atleast make it harder for you to block of a nice wedge of land for yourself. So maybe Rexing early is a priority? I it depends if there are rivals in the near vacinity.

Darn! The Nobles club game has started now so I don't know if I'll be shadowing this right away, I hate playing two games at the same time. Still I can read your reports to see what mistakes you make and then have a go!

Alrighty then.

Cathy Queen of Culture - round 1 (to 2760BC)

I settle in place and start building a scout.



First tech has to be fishing.



After 1 turn of building the scout I adjust worked tiles so that he will be finished just in time to build a workboat.



The scout finds stone nearby, and what looks like France.



NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!



Yep, Grandma Suryavarman again. He was so much fun in the last game. Let's hope his capital isn't on a hill this time.

Fishing is researched, so a workboat after the scout. I start researching bronze working.



I put max hammers into the boat so it is finished quickly.



2nd scout finds a hut, it gives me 46 gold. Buddhism is founded as well.



Looks like Egypt over here...



But first Sitting Bull turns up, he is on the land I can see to the Northwest of my capital, over the water.



I'm not very good at guessing countries from the colour of their borders...



Hmm. Who said a cultural victory was a good plan? 2 dangerous neighbours.

A bit of excitement.



The scout takes some damage but I want to keep exploring so I don't let him heal just yet.

This is where Bull is.



Bronze working is researched, the only source is right next to Shaka. Super. I start on animal husbandry.



More danger from lions. The scout survives without a scratch though.



After building the workboat I built a worker. Then I go for another boat.



I chop this forest to speed up the 2nd boat. After it builds, I decide to start a settler next. The worker starts building a mine after the chop.



Animal huhsbandry is in, so I think the settler will be going 1S of the horses. The scouts will have to fogbust for the settler.



Culture map. Sury has me blocked and Shaka looks like he is trapped by my culture as well. He isn't going to like that I guess.



That's where I stopped.

EDIT: And here is the save.

ParadigmShifter said:

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

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It just had to happen didn't it! I wonder if Sury will turn up in every single cathy game! Looks like your stuck in the middle here, Shaka on one side and Sury on the other! Not the best situation for a culture victory.

Gulp! I said I was going to have a go at this! Might have to think again now