Deity / normal speed
I move 1 w and settle, health smealth, I want that gold
I tech mining -> BW and hope for copper. Copper is indeed in the BFC, lucky me
I make a couple axemen and then a settler for the next gold site to the east ( also has fish.
A couple more axemen and a couple more settlers and I have 4 decent cities.
Qin is to the northeast.
Darius is to the northwest.
Pericles is in between all of us.
At this point it's around 1500 bc and I'm itching for a war. And wouldn't you know it.. Pericles is looking a little weak. His cities are strung out along my boarder. If I can capture a center city I could block off a lot of his reinforcements.
Now I know ( from hard experience ) that early war with an AI on diety on normal speed is a generally bad idea ( unless it's Gandhi ), but that's never stopped me before
Darius is pleased with Pericles but he's not a huge warmonger and I'm betting he's gonna sit this one out. Qin is pleased with me and cautious with Pericles so I don't think he'll DOW me either.
I tech math -> construction and start whipping an army in preparation for war with Pericles. If there is one thing my many disaster games at deity level has taught me it's you must have siege if you attack after about 1500 BC ( again, unless it's Gandhi... ).
At 300 BC I'm ready to attack Corinth. My plan is to work my way toward Pericles's capitol, take it, and then swing back and take the cities to the west.
I take Corinth with few losses. This is too easy, I check the options to make sure this is indeed deity level
Yep it is. Strange, where is Pericles's army? Maybe I hit him at just the right time?
I run into a small stack from Pericles. Maybe his war machine is gearing up now.
Argos is the next target, only 2 defenders? Easy pickins.
I am glad I left a sizable defense in Corinth. Pericles war machine is indeed gearing up now, he's got another small stack coming from the west. I quickly whip some archers in Corinth.
Somehow Argos goes from 2 defenders to 7 in 1 turn
Still won't stop me, but damn what would attacking Shaka be like on this level
Argos's 7 unit defense is no match for my now 15+ unit attack force. Argos falls.
Pericles now has feudalism, which means many catapult losses per city. No matter, Sparta is going down next.
Sparta falls, no wonders, they must all be in the capitol.
Corinth withstands a few waves of attacks by Pericles. Taking that city and holding it with archers keeps him from sending reinforcements to his eastern cities.
At this point Pericles is ready to give tech for peace. I take it since I need a few turns to replenish my catapult supply anyway.
I whip forges in my troop production cities.
Getting ready for the push toward Athens....
I'm teching feudalism because I want to capitulate Pericles and save myself some time. On the other hand, I have a trade deal for ivory, so I was considering teching HBR.. Not sure if I'll make it to either at this point since my tech slider is at 0% and I have to rely on gold from captured cities.
My 25 unit SOD knocks on Athens door at 580 AD. I know I am getting left in the dust tech wise by the other AI's so I hope to get feudalism ( somehow ) and cap Pericles quickly so I can catch up at some point.
Athens is a good spot but I am disappointed at the wonders, oh well, NE site I guess.