Surrounded by Insanity

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Mumpulus

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Starring (in order of appearance):
  • CommandoBob as André Dobob [size=-3](last name)[/size]
  • Optional as Platoon I [size=-3](anagram)[/size] and Mont à Poil [size=-3](anagram with an added 'M')[/size]
  • ansar as Ansar
  • Northen Wolf as Chaîne des Loups and Louvetaux
  • AndrewN as André Dobob [size=-3](first name)[/size]
  • Aabraxan as Braxa and Anābarāx [size=-3](anagram)[/size]
  • Sashie VII as Septime le Sachant
  • Antipodes as Colonel Contrepied
  • Sharwood as Général Sablebois [size=-3]("shar" is Chinese for sand)[/size]
  • Quintillus as Quentin le Petit
  • darski as Napoléon d'Arsqui
  • vmxa as Wi Em Xi'a
  • capnvonbaron as Cápnopilli [size=-3]("von" = "of" = "no-", "pilli" means noble in Nahuatl)[/size]
  • M60A3TTS as Mogātteš [size=-3](no tanks yet, so transliterated to "MGOAETTS", then anagramed)[/size]
  • Mathias as Mont Matthieu
  • kingfire87 as Feu Royal
  • TheOverseer714 as Bailli
  • CivRulesAll as Vilas le Cruel [size=-3](anagram, added "le")[/size]
  • Own as Propre De Gaulle
  • Northern Pike as Miršukur [size=-3]("mir" = north, "šukur" = spear in Sumerian)[/size]
  • Daeron as D'Artagnan [size=-3](will have to wait until gunpowder for appearance though)[/size]
  • 7ronin as L'Ordre des Sept Chevaliers
  • ChaosArbiter as Sun Tzu
  • boardinfailboat as Barque Faillant
  • undertoad as Courant d'Arrache
  • Meteor Man as Guy Météore
  • Ivan Dolvich as Jean d'Aulvitch
  • Bucky Rea as Ruant Monnaie
  • ThERat as Roger Le Rat
  • templar_x as Décime Templier
I kept a complete kill tally until turn 151:
  • 39 losses (2 armies on defense)
  • 13 units made to retreat
  • 1 unit retreated
  • 407 wins
  • 46 promotions
  • 600 catapult hits (28 on defense)
  • 311 catapult misses (7 on defense)
  • 33 ZoC hits
After that, I just continued counting elite wins and leaders:
  • 141 elite wins
  • 13 leaders (4th, 43rd, 49th (rushed HE), 59th, 69th, 78th, 82nd (rushed Pentagon), 87th, 95th, 105th (rushed FP), 107th (rushed market in Épices), 109th (rushed market in Cité Interdite), and 124th elite wins)
 
France; a lake, a cow and a BG, looks good. No luxuries and 2 volcanos, ouch.

Eleven non aggressive AIs on a Pangea map (Standard Map size?).

Looks like an easy AW game, but I am sure I am missing something.
 
I'll be following once again.
 
A reply to the speculations above...
CommandoBob said:
Eleven non aggressive AIs on a Pangea map (Standard Map size?).
Looks like an easy AW game, but I am sure I am missing something.
Click to expand...

The map size is large (it says so in the screenshot too ;)), so that's even "easier" than what you assumed. But I expect this game will turn out to be anything but easy. I've tried several large pangaea AWEs already, and succeeded in getting only one to a winning position (i.e. rails and AIs not too far ahead). That game had a corner start, with only one early contact. I was able to do an early rush on that contact, and cripple them before I got a second contact.

This game will play out very differently. Like Optional said, it's the "central start" part that will make things very, very difficult.

Let me restate the concept for this game:
Mumpulus said:
It will be AW again, but I'll try to take away everything that worked in my favor in my AWD Standard Pangaea game:
- I'll select a large pangaea so there are more opponents to fight
- I'll reduce AI aggression to the minimal value, in hopes of seeing less AI-AI wars (that should work, right?)
- I'll select a civ without early spears and archers
- I'll look for a start in the middle of the map, so that I'm immediately surrounded
- The above settings will imply that I'm not going to try for the GLib
Click to expand...

The implications are:
  • More opponents means more units to fight off. More land means that they may not all reach me very soon, but they will eventually, and long before I'm really ready for all of them. Once I am ready, the larger landmass will imply more work to beat all AIs, giving them the opportunity to develop more fully.
  • Reduced aggression should reduce the number of AI wars. I'm not sure about that, it's possible that setting only applies to AI-player behavior, but it can't hurt. Fewer AI wars means more war on me.
  • No early archers and spears means that I can't expand as rapidly. I often gamble a bit and found a new town with a single spearman defender. But I'm not going to do a similar gamble with warriors for defense. Combined with the expected early contacts, I'll have to build several warriors before I consider a settler. There will be no food gambit like in my first story, not even though I have those two cows (or three if Ansar's fog gazing skills are well developed).
  • Earlier and more numerous contacts, and a central location, implies slower expansion even after I acquire knowledge of bronze working and warrior code. I'll need more units to deal with the higher number of attackers, and I'll need more units to deal with the multiple fronts I'll be bound to have.
  • With such a pressing need to have a lot of units early on, there's no way I will be able to take a town out of the loop and produce 20 units less to build a wonder instead. No GLib means a very tough AW game with a very long period of uncertainty about the win.
So, in a nutshell, what I expect of this game is a lot of early contacts, slow expansion, rapid encroachment by other civs, an early tech hole and no catching up until the very end. I'll have to slowly slug my way through using inferior units, with a lot of tactical play and a lot of meticulous planning. Just my cup of tea. :king:
 
Looks like fun, for a given value of 'fun' :)

You do have one huge advantage over the AI, they can't use armies. Are you going the whole hog and not use armies?

Without the GL I'll bet you will miss the 'capture a city and gain a tech' rule that was in Civ and CivII :lol:
 
Historians generally agree that the French people are the direct descendants of a single, strong band of nomads called the Parisii. Around the year 4000BC, the Parisii's wanderings had brought them to the fertile valley south of the Lac de la Solitude. It is believed that the lake was given its name because of the barren lands that lay north of it. Archeological evidence shows that the Parisii had traveled through that vast region of plains and desert for many years before finally arriving at the location where Paris is now.

The most important archeological finding is that of cave paintings depicting the eruption of one of the volcanoes, most probably the Mont des Dieux (Gods' Mountain).


[size=-2]Detail of cave painting, depicting an erupting volcano, ca. 4200BC, Caves d'Ancêtres[/size]
​

Geological studies have revealed that there was an important eruption around 4200BC. That may have set off the cultic worship of the two mountains by the Parisii, which in turn may explain why they traveled so far to reach them. It is certain that the two volcanoes played a central role in the spiritual life of the Parisii. They established their very first city in very close proximity, regardless of the dangers they were evidently well aware of. The strong-willed ancestors of the French people obviously desired to be close to the gods.

The enclosed valley south of the lake was home to large populations of cattle. Their presence was undoubtedly an important reason why the French people started flourishing very soon after settling down in the valley. Writings dating back as early as 1000BC show mention of the name Valbovin (which may most readily be translated as "Valley with Cows"), demonstrating the importance of these animals to the French people. It is still the name of the area to this day.


[size=-2]Geographical map of central France[/size]
​
 
The Parisii established a permanent settlement and called it Paris. Most of the tribe came together in the city, and around the year 3950BC its population must already have numbered around 10,000.

During the first years after the city's founding, the people were mostly still active as fishermen, a craft they had perfected during their travels along the shores of Lac de la Solitude. The French people have always been commercial, and soon the "Parisiens" developed extensive trading activities, generating a substantial income. In fact, the French were creating the biggest commercial output of all major civilizations at that time.


[size=-2]Map of the Paris region, showing estimated activity,
commercial output and production around 3950BC[/size]
​

As we well know, the French are a fierce people. We have been continuously at war with all other civilizations on this earth since the first moment we met them. The thought of war has always been on our people's minds, even when our ancestors had only recently settled down. The ancient city's production was geared to training and equipping warriors. Most likely, all commercial riches were dedicated to support the sages and their aides in their efforts to develop bronze working, so the French warriors could be equipped with better weapons.
 
It wasn't long before the Parisiens started domesticating some of the cattle. That meant that many of the fishermen had to learn how to be farmers. The process took some time, and because of that, commercial activity declined drastically. The French people seemed convinced, however, that becoming farmers promised the best future for them. The myth of Ansar and his sixth labor, herding the cattle of Braxa, probably originated around this era.


[size=-2]The cattle of Braxa, French pottery found near Bovin, ca. 1150BC, Musée André Dobob[/size]
​

From around 3900BC, the French gradually started to work the plains south of Lac de la Solitude. A part of the Parisii tribe had been left there to work the plains and develop a system to draw irrigation from the lake. The French people were not only commercial, but also industrious. After about a hundred years of work, the system already started to take form, and would support the Paris farmers even more.


[size=-2]Map of the Paris region, showing estimated activity, commercial
output and production around 3900BC. The city's population was around
12,000 at this time, and was starting to rise even more rapidly.[/size]
​
 
Even in their efforts to farm the lands, the French's sense for commercial ventures didn't wane. French workers started constructing a road as soon as the irrigation project was finished, connecting Paris with the outlying farms. The road would not only increase the city's income again, it would also allow faster movement for the military troops that were being trained.


[size=-2]Map of the Paris region, showing the increased food production
resulting from the irrigation works that were finished around 3850BC.
The city's population was around 15,000 at this time.[/size]
​

Once the road was finished, the worker party was sent to les Champs d'Ansar to prepare more irrigation for future farmers. Paris was growing rapidly, and would soon have a need for more produce.

By the year 3750BC, the first band of warriors finished their training. The citizens of Paris were certain they could defend themselves even without the presence of their finest fighters, so they decided to send the warriors out to explore the world and bring back knowledge of the surroundings. They were given the order to circle the lake, traversing le Mont des Dieux, then to cross les Plaines des Ancêtres towards the southern mountains.


[size=-2]Map of the greater Paris region, showing the first leg of
the path followed by the first band of warriors, dubbed Platoon I[/size]
​
 
While Platoon I was sent out to explore, the city council thought it prudent to start the training of a second warrior corps.

Meanwhile, the population of Paris had almost tripled since the city had been founded 300 years earlier, and the people were becoming restless.

Several methods have been used throughout our history to appease les citoyens. During very long periods, no costs were spared to provide entertainment to the masses. The acquisition of luxury resources has always been a high priority of our rulers. But in the early stages of our development, appeasement was done forcibly.

Seeing the rising unrest, the city council decided that the second group of warriors would serve to oppress any insurgencies against their rule.


[size=-2]Map of the greater Paris region, after Platoon I has crossed le Mont des Dieux.
Paris' population has reached 27,000 by now, and is becoming restless.[/size]
​

As the city's population grew even larger, the council was able to dedicate additional resources to the group's training. So it was that the "Gardiens de la Ville" (Guardians of the City) were established around the year 3600BC.


[size=-2]Map of the greater Paris region
Paris has grown significantly, and the Gardiens de la Ville corps has been established[/size]
​

The people were told that the warriors would remain to protect the city against threats from the outside. In reality, these warriors were tasked with killing anyone who would oppose the rule of the city council, or in any other way disturb the peace.

The next project the city started on was to construct barracks. As the research on bronze working progressed, the French sages had determined that better training was another way of improving the quality of the military.

The Parisii workers were just about to complete irrigation of the farmland they called les Champs d'Ansar. That would allow Paris to grow at an even faster rate. About one hundred children would be born every year for the next fifty years. This fast growth explained why Paris was still among the largest cities in the world at this point, even if it was founded slightly later than all the other great capitals, and even if all other civilizations seemed to have some unexplained advantage in growth and production.
 
The most important of the ancient stories in French mythology recounts the exploratory trek of Platoon I, under the command of Septime le Sachant. The story explains why our people have been at war with the world for more than five millennia.

In the ancient time, a child was born deep in the forests south of Paris. It is unknown who the boy's parents were, but most sources say that he was a child of the gods. He was left in the forest under the care of a pack of wolves. The spices that are found in the forest were put there by the gods to make sure the wolves would remain docile and take proper care of the infant.


[size=-2]Aerial photograph of the Forêt de Septime in autumn. Mythology assigned the
splendid coloration to the presence of the spices within the trees and plants.[/size]
​

When the boy came of age, he started his journey, which took him past Paris. The expedition of Platoon I had just started, and they met this wild man on the plains southwest of Paris. The warriors found that the man didn't understand a single word they said, and he uttered only strange sounds that didn't make any sense to them at all. On his bare chest, he had seven scars that looked as if they had been inflicted by some wild animal. The warriors named the wild man Septime.

The platoon wanted to take Septime to a nearby family of farmers, so that they could care for him. The warriors had long passed the most outlying farm already, and would have to travel back seven days. Nevertheless, the warriors would not leave the young man there, so they started back.

During the seven day travel, Septime started picking up the warriors' language amazingly fast. He displayed a wisdom and intelligence that the warriors had never seen. When the sixth day came, Septime could explain where he was from, how he had survived in the forest and how he came to Valbovin. He even told the men about the spices in the southern forest, and how they have a soothing effect on any animal or person who would eat them.

Septime continued to tell his life's tale, and did so so compellingly, that on the seventh day the platoon called a halt. The entire group of warriors sat amazed, listening to this young man who hadn't known a single word of their language only seven days earlier. They heard more of the forests to the south, the mountains to the west, the plains to the north, and the desert to the east. Septime promised them to show them all these lands and more. And so it came to pass that Platoon I elected Septime their leader. Impressed with his knowledge, they called him Septime le Sachant.

Septime told his men that the way to gain wisdom was to meet the gods. Instead of merely circling the lake, they would have to reach the summit of le Mont des Dieux.


[size=-2]View of Mont des Titans (left) and Mont des Dieux (right), from across the Lac de la Solitude[/size]
​

Septime told his men that the way to become strong was to endure the trials of the long trek across the northern plains, and to cross the desert under a scorching sun.

Septime told his men that the way to become invincible was to climb to the highest mountain in the world. The snow capped peak lay within the mountain chain that Septime called the "Chaîne des Loups", in honor of the animals that had raised him. The smaller range to the south, he called the "Louveteaux".

When the men reached the highest point, they could see the entire region they had traveled behind them, and in front of them the ocean and the end of the world.


[size=-2]Geographical map of central France. The track of Septime le Sachant's journey is marked.[/size]
​
 
As Septime and his men reached the summit of the world, they became truly invincible, and the rest of their people with them. The citizens of Paris were immediately struck with an insatiable lust for more power. As the city grew, the governor tasked some of the younger citizens to go work on the Mont des Dieux, to maximize production.

The Gods were not pleased with such insolence. They struck Ansar, who had been living a secluded life on a mountain, with a plague that rendered him insane. Ansar turned against the French people, and against Septime and his warriors. He joined a people called the Aztecs, and passed on his insanity to all of them.


[size=-2]View of Paris' commerce, production and food output after the city reached 60,000 inhabitants.
Ansar and Septime are pictured to the right.[/size]
​

Septime and Ansar fought on the mountain tops for many decades, but neither hero could gain the upper hand. It is thus that the plague of Ansar was allowed to spread among all people of the world, except the French, who were defended by the hardened Septime le Sachant. And it is thus that the entire world has gone insane, and bent on destroying the French people. The only way the French would survive, is by conquering all other civilizations. War was declared on the Aztecs, and would be declared on any other civilization that would be encountered in the future.


[size=-2]Paris at the start of the Aztec war. Growth was emphasized again,
the barracks would still finish by the year 3200BC.[/size]
​
 
Sashie VII said:
Things are looking up, since we know now that one front is the sea.
Click to expand...
Things still looking up after that last update? The Aztecs came from ... the sea. :lol:

I played ahead quite a few turns before selecting this start, so I actually knew for sure that I would get early contacts (first one on turn 12), and bogies coming in from all directions. Things will start to heat up even more very soon. I'm not even sure that I'll be able to survive the initial onslaught.

That's it for now, don't know yet when I'll have a chance to update again...
 
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