I did some progress, but I seriously doubt that anything different than SV is an option here.
First, it didn't take a long till the Shoshonese attacked me:
It was quite easy compared to last try, killed everything that moved, took some shots on his capital, put a citadel inside his theritory, so I can have good visibility what is going on in there in the future. :
Somehow Greece became friendly despite coveting my lands and me buying tiles, but I had only green modifiers after I sent em a caravan.
Shortly after we became one happy family:
So far so good, I paid Alex 18GPT to attack Russia, Maria joined the party on her own, and got Moscow. Alex got St. Petersburg and eliminated her (getting 2-3 denouncements in the process). He razed it too.
I had DOF with Austria, which ended at some point, and after two different civs told me that he is marching towards Nineveh (and I saw some movement), I paid 2 luxes to attack Austra ...
Alex entered Industrial rather early (maybe turn 150) - I think with Rifling. Then he went to Industrialisation, and picked Authocracy. I seriously doubt that he has Sci Theory.
I entered Industrial with Sci Theory on T169, pretty much everyone else entered 1-2 turns before me.
I rushed a school in Assur, plan to loan some money to rush one in Nineveh, as it will take forever otherway ...
Population is good, science will become good soon, and I hope I can start catching up slowly on the techs.
That was the good part, now the bad one:
Alex owns pretty much every CS and they keep giving "fantastic quests":
1) Spred religion (the one I was unable to spread even to my own cities, because for some reason the shoshone religion came to Nineveh and ruined my FPT - and the Shoshone founded religion 2 turns before me ... ).
2) Find natural wonder - I guess these are in the sea, but I still have no Astronomy ...
3) Get GA and GM ...
4) 2 trade routes, that came recently
5) The silk, that I have to find somehow to keep WLTKD going in Assur, but I am not feeling like paying 30GPT for it right now.
So I don't have any CS friend. I never had such problem in any game I played ...
Guess I will somehow manage it with the happiness, but we will get in a happiness problem pretty soon after we choose ideology.
Thats because our TPT is non existant, Greece has 8, rest of em have between 16 and 24.
I seriously doubt, that anything different than Authocracy here is good idea.
I only have green modifiers with Alex right now, as I first proposed WF, and then voted for him to relocate the congress to Athens, but I feel that I go for order that will cause trouble.
But that will be trouble on its own ... Authocracy is pretty bad for SV. As a bonus, I'd take a happiness hit, that could probably offset slightly with the few happiness buildings that authocracy offers. And after I get my happiness back things should be OK on that front. Everyone has spices and I cannot sell mine
That since like 40 turns or so.
Now, the thing that bothers me most is this:
I am last in pretty much everything ... Even approval, despite only the shoshone having some red modifier for the land steal.
I have DOF with Washington (who is fighting Rome together with the Shoshone), and Hiawatha, who is silent as a mouse. Austria likes me a lot, Rome offered DOF, what I refused.
I serously don't know what to think and how to proceed. My top priority should be to maintain friendship with Alex, and then either backstab him when I get bombers or squeeze a SV.
What do you think?