Beyond Sid

[Bamspeedy]

PTW 1.27-Default rules, except for difficulty level

AI cost factor is 1 This means they can build temples for 6 shields, Pyramids for 40 shields, towns need 2 food to grow (growth every turn), 3 shields for a settler, etc.

Free Units at start of game for AI:
3 settlers
6 workers
18 defensive units
9 offensive units

36 free unit support/civ
12 free unit support/city

Max anarchy: 1 turn
AI to AI trade rate: 300

Percentage of optimal cities (for my corruption): 50%

Gameplan

Need to have the AI isolated from each other to slow down tech pace. Even though they have such a huge discount on growth and production, they must spend the same amount of beakers for techs, regardless of difficulty level. Without being able to trade with one another, then the initial growth spurt is the only thing to help them, after the growth spurt, then tech speed should be more reasonable. So I pick an island map. Want a map that more often than not gives crappy land (tundra/desert/mountains) to help limit AI growth potential. On these maps, there is usually some good terrain, but it is limited. So if you are the one to start on the good terrain....

Huge map
8 AI opponents (pre-selected)
80% water
island map
Cool, Arid, 3 billion

I selected civs who were not scientific or commercial. The cheap libraries is insignificant for the AI who already has such cheap discounts. There is very little difference in needing 8 shields or 4 shields for a library. The free tech is the major reason for not wanting any scientific opponents. Not allowing commercial is to help prevent the AI from having more money, that would speed up the tech pace.

I chose to play as France. Industrious is nice for faster workers, but faster workers won't help me much here. The fact that industrious starts with Masonry is THE reason I picked an industrious civ. With masonry, I can use the palace as a pre-build. Otherwise, I would have nothing to use as a pre-build. Commercial will be needed to support the insane amount of troops I will need to conquer my enemies.

Here is the start:

[Bamspeedy]

4000BC
Bam: This looks like a good spot, let's settle here.
Build a worker first, then spew out settlers.

DA (domestic advisor): Are you sure you want another worker so early? Build more cities!

MA (Military advisor): You plan to defend our civ with workers? The AI will crush us! We need to build our military! Let's build warriors!!

Bam: All of those things will come in good time. If an enemy starts on our island we will be dead anyways so building defense now is pointless. Workers are our heros now!

MA: God help us....

SA (Scientific Advisor): Sir, lets research something cool!

Bam: Ok, research writing.

MA: That's not very cool. Let's research bronze working to build some mighty spearmen. You know I heard those spearmen can stop a tank!

Bam: What is a tank?

MA: I don't know. I guess we are supposed to find out what they are in the future, though.

SA: Ok, writing it is at 100% science!

Bam: 100%?! I don't think so. Try 10-20%. As slow as possible.

SA: We need to increase scientific spending!

Bam: And how much would it cost us to research Writing?

SA: (gets out his calculator) 3,200 gold, Sir!

Bam: 3200 gold!!! That is 10 times more than regent level! In order to get that tech faster than 40 turns we would need to be producing 80 beakers/turn. I don't foresee that happening anytime soon, so go with the minimum allowed.

3200 BC

FA (foreign advisor): Sir, the Arabs have completed the Colossus!

Bam: What's a collossus?

FA: It's a big statue.

Bam: What is so great about a big honkin' statue?

FA: I guess it makes them alot of money or something, I don't know.

Bam: We're making enough money as it is, thank you.

3100 BC

FA: Sir, the Egyptians have completed the Pyramids!

Bam: What?!! Already! Geez, I don't think we could have gotten 2 bricks layed down for the Pyramids, and now someone out in Timbuktu has already layed 100,000 bricks and built pyramids reaching the sky! Good thing I didn't try building it.
<whisper> psssttt.. cancel operation 'Big Granary'.

2750 BC

FA: Your majesty, the um, the, the ah....

Bam: What is it? Just spit it out I won't hurt you.

FA: The Arabs have built the Oracle (runs and hides).

Bam: Oracle? Don't even know what that is anyways, no need to fear. Probably some big statue like the Colossus.

FA: Well, it's not a statue, but it is more worthless than the colossus.

Bam: Then why did you fear that you were bringing me bad news?

FA: The fact that they are surging ahead in techs, sir.

Bam: Techs? Who needs them.

2150 BC

SA: We have researched Writing, should we build some embassies?

Bam: With who, you idiot! We don't know anybody.

SA: What should our scientist research next?

Bam: Literature. Our people need some good books to read. They are getting tired of "1001 ways to know you are addicted to Civ".

SA: Yes, Sir!

Bam: Oh, and remember LOWEST science possible!

SA: Yea, yea, I know... I know...

1300BC

FA: Sir, the Egyptians have completed the Great Lighthouse!

Bam: good for them, so what.

FA: Well, now they can travel the seas better. They might find other civs, maybe even us!

MA: I warned you! Now they are coming for us! We have NO military! Run for your lives! (MA runs and hides under a table, cowering like a scared little boy).

FA: Well, we can try being nice to them if we do meet them. Diplomacy can work wonders for a militarily weak civ.

MA: We wouldn't be weak if I had anything to say about it!! (sarcastic)-->Yeah, we are just going to CRUSH them with our 'army' of workers.

[Bamspeedy]

[IMG][/IMG]

[Bamspeedy]

DA: Sir, I have great news!

Bam: What, did you save alot of money by switching to Geico?

DA: No, we built.....

[Bamspeedy]

710 BC-Egypt completes the Great Wall

350 BC.....



Abandon Paris later on, jumping the Palace to a new, farther away location.

110 BC-America completes the Hanging Gardens.

220 AD-Learn map making.

Send out galley and see.....

[Bamspeedy]

290AD-Contact Egypt.

She doesn't know anybody.
Establish embassy....



Trade maps and notice something on the far east side of her empire.

[Bamspeedy]

300 AD-Buy spices from Egypt for 31 gpt.

320 AD-Meet Arabia (to the west of me).

340 AD-Meet America (to the west of Arabia). Arabia and America are very close, but 2 sea tiles separate them, so they don't meet each other.

380 AD-Meet Mongols (the civ I spotted from Egypt's map).
Get from the Great Library:
Mathematics
Philosophy
Code of Laws
Republic
Construction
Hold a revolution.

420- Buy contact of the Celts from Egypt for WM, 341 gold.

430AD-Republic established. Have over 7300 gold. Rush marketplaces.

440AD-Contact Aztecs. Egypt must have met them this turn, also.
Declare war on Celts and get Egypt to fight them for horses and 4 gpt.

450AD-Now that I'm out of Aztec territory, declare war on Aztecs and get Egypt to fight them for 20 gpt.

510AD-Fuedalism from GL

590AD-Finally give Egypt contact with Mongols for 455 gold. They had cities literally right next to each other, so would have met each other really soon.
Declare war on Mongols. Get Egypt to fight them for 14 gpt.

860AD-Engineering from GL.
900AD-Invention from GL.
950-Gunpowder from GL.

NO SALTPETER!!!!!!!!!

[Bamspeedy]

MA: NO! This has to be a mistake! Search our lands everywhere! There has to be saltpeter somewhere! We Can't beat anyone with pikemen and catapults, can we?

My empire at 950AD:



TA (Trade Advisor): I found some! Unfortunately, Egypt has 1 resource and won't share any with us. She says she needs that one resource for herself. We can't trade with anyone else until navigation, or if we let Egypt be at peace with someone. But if we allow that, she could trade luxuries with them and then she will be 1 and a half eras ahead of us intstead of just half an era.

Egypt's empire at 950AD:

[Bamspeedy]

I start unloading my stockpiles of catapults and pikemen onto the saltpeter. I am currently her ally and have a ROP with her.

1160AD- The majority of her units are busy elsewhere (wars with other civs), and/or running around outside of cities. Investigate Heliopolis and see she only has 3 musketmen (2 regulars, 1 vet)in it!

Demand a tech from her until she gets furious. Using the diplomat, I try to steal a tech from her (immediately-1538 gold). It fails and she declares war. Using my 35 catapults and 73 pikemen, I capture Heliopolis! Leave 12 pikeman on saltpeter (protecting the saltpeter and the catapults) and send the rest into Heliopolis.

IBT-Resistance quelled.
Kill 1 warrior, 1 longbow
lose 1 pike to a longbow

1170- Bombard enemy units until red-lined
kill 2 musketman
1 spear
lose 2 pikes
Rush Barracks.

IBT-Kill 2 longbow
1 archer
lose 1 pike

1180-Upgrade 58 pikemen to musketeers.

IBT-Kill 5 longbow
2 musketmen
2 warriors
lose 5 pikes (on saltpeter)
Chivalry from GL
Golden age Triggered!
Egypt starts Newtons!

1190-Kill 8 musketmen
lost nothing.
Put 15 musketmen on saltpeter.

IBT-Kill 4 longbows
15 archers
4 warriors
2 musketmen
lose 3 musketeers.

1200-Rush walls in Heliopolis.

IBT-
Kill 4 musketmen
18 archers
13 longbows
7 warriors
lose 2 musketeers

1210-Kill 1 musketman.
1 longbowman

Hold a revolution (yes, in my golden age!, but I'm needing 50% luxury rate already).

IBT-kill 4 muskets
33 longbow
7 archers
11 warriors
lose 7 musketmen

1220-lost data (computer crashed when I tried to upgrade units with the upgrade button, due to being over the max # of units-you need to use 'shift-u' to not have the game crash) I kept track of the casualties in between turns on a piece of paper, but for my attacks I was just remembering them and typing it into notepad.

IBT-kill 14 longbow
1 archer

1230-lost data

IBT-kill 2 longbow
1 archer

1240-Send all catapults and 20 elite musketeers at Giza.

IBT-kill 3 longbow
2 archers

1250-Monarchy established.
Kill 2 muskets, 1 spear in Giza, capturing it and generating a leader.
kill 2 musketmen
1 spearman
1 archer
1 longbow
lose 2 musketeers

1255-kill 2 muskets
1 spearman
1 longbow
lose 1 musketeer

1260-Kill 1 pikemen, 2 longbow

1265-zzz

IBT-lose 1 musketeer

1270-start pillaging roads, setting up a 1-way 'tunnel' that Egypt will go through in order to try and reach me, but I'll bombard the units before they get to me.

1275-kill 1 musketman
1 spearman
2 longbow

1280-kill a few units (forgot to keep tally)

1285-kill 4 musketmen
lose 1 musketeer

IBT-Heroic Epic completed.

1290-kill 4 musketmen
1 pikeman
9 spearmen
lose 1 musketeer

IBT-Chemistry from GL.

1295-Kill 1 spearman
Bombard Thebes, but too many units. Can't take more than 1 hp off any unit.

IBT-Egypt caravel unloads 2 longbowmen, 1 warrior by Heliopolis. No catapults nearby, so I'll have to do it the hard way.

1300-Kill 2 longbowmen
1 warrior

IBT-Egypt sends ~70 musketmen/spearmen to 1 tile.

1305-kill 2 musketmen
1 spearmen

[Bamspeedy]

And then, the sight you never want to see.....

RIFLEMEN!

[Tacit_Exit]

DUN DUN DAAAAA!

Aargh; I hate cliffhangers.

BTW you're insane Bamspeedy ; thought about uploading a 'Beyond Sid' mod so others can join your insanity? (I know it could be fairly easily done but uploading it kinda 'formalises' it).

Can't wait for the next exciting installment

[Ankka]

Man, you're insane! Why didn't you try it out on a pangae map?

[sabo]

He didn't do it on Pangua Wiz cuz he wanted to keep the AI civs from each other. Hey Bam can I try that mod? I didn't see a link for it...

[amirsan]

Originally posted by Wizard
Man, you're insane! Why didn't you try it out on a pangae map?

Well I can say pangea is much harder than Islands from which you are protected by water but I am sure a great player like Bams will try it on Pangea. Keep up the good work Bams!

[Bamspeedy]

1310-Egypt has riflemen now
kill 3 musketmen
1 pike
1 spear.

1315-Bombard SOD

IBT-lose a musketeer and a galley (full)

1320-Golden age ends.
kill 1 caravel
22 spearmen.

IBT-lose 1 musketeer

1325-kill 3 riflemen
1 longbow

IBT-kill 1 longbow
lose 1 musketeer
See a whole bunch of units leave Thebes.

1330-Bombard a SOD

1335-Same as above

1340-Kill 24 musketmen
11 riflemen
3 spearmen
lose 7 musketeers

IBT-lose 1 galley (full)

1345-Kill 1 riflemen
1 longbowman
lose 1 musketeer
Bombard Thebes to size 1

IBT-kill 1 caravel

1350-Kill 1 rifleman
1 longbow

IBT-Theology from GL.

1355-finally with 100 catapults focused solely on bombarding Thebes I'm able to take more than 1 hp off of defenders, but not enough to knock any down to 1 hp.
Kill 1 rifleman with an army.

1360-kill 2 longbows
1 rifleman

1365-Bombard Thebes some more

1370-kill 1 longbow
2 riflemen

IBT-kill 1 caravel

1375-Same old, same old.

1380-Kill 1 rifleman

1385-kill 2 riflemen.

1390-More bombardment.

IBT-Education from GL, making it obsolete.

1395-Kill 1 rifleman.

1400-Starting to get some riflemen down to 1 hp.

1405-kill 1 rifleman.

1410-Kill a 2-hp riflemen and beneath that is....1 hp riflemen!!!
Start using musketeers (instead of armies) to attack Riflemen in Thebes.
Kill 3 riflemen and.....


By capturing Thebes, we now have control of:
Pyramids
Great Wall
Sun Tzu's
Sistine
Copernicus
Smith's Trading Co.
Newton's
Js Bach's

[Tacit_Exit]

Keep plugging Bam. Two cities down, 200+ to go!

ps:Can't wait to see what happens when the AIs get ICBMs

[Kaiser_Berger]

Mein Gott in Himmel.......attacking a beyond Sid level civ with catapults and pikemen? Insanity....and greatness...and utterly addicting! Keep up the good work..simply amazing!

[GR8Madmax]

Nice. Looking forward to what's going to happen next.

[Amenhotep7]

AIs gettin ICBMs, hmm? Can someone say prequel to SMAC?

[Stuck_as_a_Mac]

This looks interesting. As always, I bow :bows: and I wonder. Will Thebes flip? Will you go on to take all of Egypt and relocate Palace there?