COTM 23 - first spoiler - entering middle ages

[Nata]

Build order: Worker-barracks-archer-archer-archer…

Hey, that was my build order - at least it was going to be... But a few turns before barracks I saw Indian warrior heading our direction. I gifted India 2gpt just in case, but warrior kept moving towards us.

I gambled on him just exploring, and finished barracks. But next turn he stepped into our capital. It was 2710BC or something like that, with 32 Jason.

Looks like a 2nd Red ambulance heading my way.

But the game looked so interesting and I saw so little of it so of course I replayed after submitting. Vow!

I built warrior 1st and then proceed with the original plan. I took out Indians after 3rd attempt: 6 archers failed, then the 2nd wave of 7 archers failed against the same Elite Spear, and the final wave of 10 archers finally finished India.

So I broke to the outside world in 300AD and entered MA in 600AD as nobody would trade anything to me.

Interesting world, but if I played for real I would go to UN - other options seem too exausting.

 

[Abegweit]

Another posssiblilty is the AI is just too stupid to do it.

No doubt about that! The question is why, not if.

 

[TheHaze]

I try to pop the hut and meet the lovely Indians. We trade a little bit, gather for a group photograph and that should be our last friendly dialog. It is clear that Delhi has to be taken as soon as possible. Seoul is founded in the only available spot and I build warrior - barracks - settler - archers.

I decide to squeeze in a second city right next to Seoul and so Pyongyang is founded soon. Build order warrior - barracks - archers. I also build workers in between to improve the lands and build roads. They come in handy when it comes to connecting the iron (thanks) and our only luxury, the gems to the very east.

When I gather 5 veteran archers, I summon Gandhi and tell him that his time is over. Delhi is (unlike for other players) easily taken and should be my most productive city in the future.

Then follows a series of bad mistakes on my part. First I try to get the philosophy slingshot and of course I miss it (wonder information keeps popping up and I see that I am way behind). So map making has to be researched myself. Then I found city number four on the spot available N of Delhi. Stupid enough I do not see the fish and found it on the SE hill. Then I do not see the spot to the very W where we can settle and explore further. For some turns I think there is no way out of our miserable mountain prison and start building infrastructure.

So trying to get back on track. I abandon city number four and refound it on the spot where it can reach the fish after expansion. I build some infrastructure in Delhi and Seoul and keep producing military in the other cities for my first encounter with the outside world. I build cities number five and six on the two last spots on the outer mountain range.

Now I am ready for the world. A harbour and a galley are built and I send my army (not very impressive, around 5 to 10 swordsmen) over to meet the Incas. While I am pounding on the Incans, I also greet the Sumerians. Both are kind of backwards (judging from the wonder information and the techs they will not trade to me). They also have some horrible lands and I think for the time being I will stick with my capital in Seoul.

I walk over the Incans fairly easily and I already know that my next target will be the Sumerians. During the war with the Incas I manage to extort some of the techs and also trade with the Sumerians so that I finally reach the MA.

My main problem at the moment is the total lack of a strategy and that I am a lousy player with bad starting conditions. What is also very annoying is that I did not get one single leader yet. This although most of the troops I send to the Incas are elite (thanks to the barbs). This means that progress is somewhat slow as none of my units can move two steps in enemy lands.

Sorry that my notes are not really well ordered. They may even be inaccurate at some points as I did not take notes (I was too busy cursing the map designer) and this is more or less how I recall my game.

 

[Niklas]

Seoul is founded in the only available spot ...

Only available? Am I the only one to have settled two towns in the allotted starting area? Sure I was forced to settle on one of the fish (after clearing the marsh), but I figured the extra town would be worth it.

Played a fast and sloppy game up to the MA, and I don't think I'll have time to finish it. Nevertheless, I think this was a great map!!
I can't understand the complaints saying that we've been lead by the nose in our strategy. Indeed we have, up until a certain point, but the real game starts once you get out. The start is - as someone noted - intended to make sure that we're behind the AI, and to see how we can handle that. This game is thus very different from most other XOTMs we play, and a welcome distraction from the usual city placement maximisation games.

As I said I settled two towns in the start area. Both built barracks and I captured Delhi in 630 BC with 9 archers (Offa's simulator said >90% capture chance at 9), although it took only 3 to do the job. Guess I was playing it a bit too safe...
In 450 BC the barbies on the outer ring uprise, signalling the beginning of the MA (alas not for me). In 330 BC I had Republic established, thus greatly improving the productivity of my three towns. Second guessing the map designer, I sent archers to be offloaded at various points along the outer ring, with emphasis on the far west, and sure enough there the only possible place of contact with the outside was. In 170 BC I had cleared enough barbies to step to the far end and meet the Incas, who had all AA techs already (so much for my rush towards Lit for trading).

In 90 BC - 50 BC I settled three towns on the ring, running Seoul as a 4-turn settler pump. First galley was rushed and sailed out in 30 BC, and my first desert town Cheju was founded in 70 AD. I sailed around the ring, sending archers across whereever I could. In 150 AD, one of them meets the Sumerians, who are also MA already. I then decided to buy my way into the MA for gpt, while building up swords for an invasion of the Incas.

As I noted previously, I don't think I'll have time to finish this game.

 

[TheHaze]

Only available? Am I the only one to have settled two towns in the allotted starting area. Sure I was forced to settle on one of the fish (after clearing the marsh), but I figured the extra town would be worth it.

My account was not so precise regarding this, but I also put in a second town there after clearing the marsh. However, I am not really sure if this was worth it.

 

[EsatP]

I think 4 turns for settler and -2 citizens too big price. Better IMHO - 8 turns +2swordsmen, no lost citizen. And let 2-3 swordsmen captured 2-3 cities, before will be killed. It is more optimal way on this map.

 

[Taxpayer'sMoney]

I think it's interesting to see that despite many of us taking a very similar strategy (archers, then Delhi) there are very different levels of success. I limped into the MA in 900AD. I notice that some people got there as fast as around 300AD. It just shows that the best players can lever a significant advantage even in scenarios where strategy is tightly restricted. Also I dimly recall someone mentioning that they failed with their first two attempts to capture Delhi but still beat me to the MA by 300 years even though my first 8 archer attack was successful. How on earth did that happen?

 

[Rustwork]

basically similar strategy as most others. i founded two cities in the middle. yes i found on the fish, but together the two cities have more citizens than the one could have had alone. i produced two addition workers fairly early.

i started research on warrior code, thinking i'd be making a fast attack on india. i didn't attack them until 750BC, and i had trade for iron already. i did get the republic slingshot in 1425BC and two turns later i was a republic. i should have gone straight for the slingshot, warrior code so early was a waste.

QSC stats
2 towns
13 pop
3 workers
5 archers
2 barracks

230BC enter the middle ages. discover monotheism as free tech.

 

[EsatP]

QSC not good...
1 city
8 citizen
3+1 workers
1 warrior (home)
2 archer
1 spearment

Republic from philo at 1475, 1375 gov=rep, no change latter
War with India long time.
Main idea - spearment on mountains has big bonus and kill 10-15 indian units.
Final war - 530BC. 2 archers+1 spearment take delhi.
Seuol build GL at 370 DC, Delhi 1 galley.
Next contact - 840AD - Incan. Complete economics, 22 swordsman, 5 spearment, 4 galley.
1000AD
17 city
81 citizen
3+4 workers
1 warrior (home)
1 archer
8 spearment
26 swordsman
17 tech

1090AD - MA from GL 8 new tech
1100AD from GL next 10 new tech

 

[Abegweit]

I think it's interesting to see that despite many of us taking a very similar strategy (archers, then Delhi) there are very different levels of success. I limped into the MA in 900AD. I notice that some people got there as fast as around 300AD. It just shows that the best players can lever a significant advantage even in scenarios where strategy is tightly restricted. Also I dimly recall someone mentioning that they failed with their first two attempts to capture Delhi but still beat me to the MA by 300 years even though my first 8 archer attack was successful. How on earth did that happen?

This is a game where the point in which you enter the Middle Ages is far less important than normal. Research is catch up all the way. Consequently, those who managed to find something useful to trade with the AI will have a far better date than those who were unlucky enough to have nothing useful. It remains that the limitation is production capacity, not research rate. No horses=no knights. Swords + cats are not that much worse than MDI + trebs, especially since the enemy doesn't have any iron.

My main peeve in my game was than the Sumerians got the Great Wall, not the exact date I entered the MA or my bad luck in research choices. It would have made little difference if I had entered the MA a thousand years before. After all, I had managed to make exactly one swordsman before I knew feudalism.

 

[coole shaman]

Gyathaar you have it if my.
and maybe other not easy making

diplomatic
India 1870 kill with 3 archers
Inca founded 850bc
3 turns anarchy
600bc republic
I making form Delhi a big city with match shield mine and make a way to the iron by Delhi.


I coming by the Inca and the Inca have a evil land ship
Inca have more informatics than my
I going to the territory by the Inca
And I making cities there
I build in the a harbor and than a library

 

[Più Freddo]

Swords + cats are not that much worse than MDI + trebs, especially since the enemy doesn't have any iron.
[...]
I had managed to make exactly one swordsman before I knew feudalism.

I do believe there's quite a difference in this game between getting Feudalism and getting Monotheism as freebie.

 

[IronJeff]

Early Highlights for me:

My very first and only warrior hurled himself into a volcano, Delhi resisted many assaults, and only fell when I had built a road and several catapults. Delhi should have been named Cork btw. used the cats to build a ship.

Barbarians were able to recruit massive amounts of suicide bombers and hold on to the only place to escape to the outside world. eventually it fell to my settler

By the time I met the Inca's and started doing some horse trading I was behind by about an era. You know you are behind when at your first contact with a Civ the AI shows up wearing a tuxedo.