NC CIV: Genghis Khan

[KaytieKat]

Hi

Noble diff, normal speed, nhuts no events, 1400ad conquest win.

Spoiler :

Went pretty much like I hopped. Took one city with keshiks and another junk city of nappys with kiights same turn and next turn he was willing to cap and that was it. And somehow my highest score even for normal speed game .

It was a fun map. I wont get into debate about should editing be done or not or how much or whatever here but will just make observation that at least from my perspective it wasnt lack of hills that made game so easy but for some reason the ai's seemed to tech very very slow.

Its 1400 ad and parth wasnt done yet and neither was MoM. Im not sure what map looked like b4 edits or how much was added but I am thinking the xtra forrests had unintended consquence of slowing down the ai who didnt know how to handle it while human could chop chop chop everything needed to go on rampage.

Kaytie

 

[dmd175]

Monarch, +Huts

Haven't read any other reports, here's my game up to turn 50.

Spoiler :

Decided to SIP. Thought about that for a long time but figured I could use the other corn for another city. In the end, glad I did not move 1N because that would have settled on a copper.

Close quarters: very near Brennus, Asoka, Hammurabi with Napoleon, Gilg, and Wang Kong not too far off

I have OB with all. Ham is Hindu and also founded Judaism
Next steps:
--More workers
--Settle those spots in dotmap
--Spawnbusting (big southern Arctic frontier) and I've already seen a barb archer...I guess that's what happens when you give them archery to start via WB.
--Libraries
--HBR and pick a neighbor.

Here's my dotmap:

Spoiler :

 

[dmd175]

Couple questions below:

Spoiler :

Turn 51-100

Messed up with the city SW of capital...should have had it on the coast to claim crabs, and fit another city just W of capital on river to work corn. Darn.

As far as goals from previous post,
*Good
I have a good ratio of workers (~1.5/city)
Chopped Pyramids
All cities have Libraries
Diplo: OB with all. Staying out of religion (Wang Buddhist, Ham Hindu --> he's converted all of my cities, so maybe he is a good target to take Shrine).

*Could be better
Need to spawnbust better. But this seems like a small map and others are running around my southern front.

*Bad
Economy seems tough with Mongols. Running 10% science, but with Pyramids will do some specialists. I popped a Prophet and instead of taking Meditation (b/c so few beakers) I settled him figuring I would get more dividends with +3 sci/turn.
IW slow, HBR next (but actually in good shape for axe rush).



Turn 101-150
Teched HBR, math, currency, aesthetics, literature, CoL. Bulbed theo (2nd GP). Did a fair amount of tech trading, for alpha, med, priesthood, MC, poly, mono. Gilg has machinery (but he's the only one pleased with me), and two people have calendar which I get next turn.
Built HG and GL (finishes next turn)
Took stack of Keshiks with Axes to Asoka, taking Vijay, Delhi, and Varnasi. Very tough to get anything out of in reparations (e.g. neither of their two size 1 cities), got construction.
Economy/tech rate ok at 0%, building markets. Last time I played Mongols I was always in "strike" but with building some infrastructure/consolidation I think the economy will recover. I debated whether to raze or keep Varnasi but kept it.
Next major goals: 1) markets/courthouses, 2) attack Babylon (to take two cities bordering me and their capital).

Cartography

Spoiler :

Greater Mongolia

Eastern Front



Norther Front

Demographics: lost ~5 Keshiks so will built military back up to 2nd-3rd place strength to avoid some jealous AI

Spoiler :

Questions
-Assuming it might be adviseable to stay out of religious block for now? I founded Chri/Conf, Brennus is Jewish, Wang/Asoka Buddhist, and Hammurabi/Gib Hindu.
-Tech: next steps -- again a bit behind (but only my 2nd try on Monarch). CS next, then...? In my old way of playing would try eng'g for ND, paper for Sankore, Music for Sistine, Divine Right for Spiral, etc. I have no real need for compass/optics it seems on this map. Feudalism? Guilds/banking may be good. Maybe go for printing press/Lib.

 

[Smilingrogue]

@ dmd175
I am only a Monarch player, so take this with a grain of salt. None of this is criticism, mind you.

Spoiler :

Vijayanagara and Varanasi have potential to be good cities later in the game, but as they stand, they are only draining your economy via maintenance. Should have razed them and settled them later when you have Civil Service to spread irrigation and stuff to improve workshops.

Bulbing Theo was unnecessary, IMHO. It's not a bad trade piece, but that Great Prophet could be used to shrine a Holy City you might capture, start a golden age or even settle somewhere for a long term boost. When you don't need the religion nor the Theocracy civic (you don't have a state religion to take advantage of it anyway), that seems like a weak use of the GP.

Speaking of State religion. It depends on what you need. Do you think you can get a boost by going Hindu and Organised Religion for building your infra? Or is it better to go Buddhist and start getting goodie points with Napoleon? Personally, I would go Hindu (don't need to spread if Hammy did all the work for me). To keep people from hating you for that, get Nappy onto Gilgamesh's case and Brennus on wang. Or any combination thereof, really, while you take Hammy and finish Asoka off.

About your tech choices. Figure out how you want to win. This map is pretty much lined up for conquest or domination. So, what will help you achieve that? Do you want to Lib Military Tradition and romp through the map on Cuirs? Or are you more of a Cannon person who wants steel? If you want to lib either, machinery and engineering, etc. are all useless. You only need Paper (unlocked by Theo already if memory serves), Philosophy (very easy bulb, or best to self tech) Education (try bulbing this).

Both Cuirs and Cannons need Gunpowder. So get that, Nationalism if you want Cuirs, Chemistry if you want Cannons, lib MT for Cuirs or Steel for Cannons. Plan a Great Merchant to upgrade troops for the final push and go stomp thy neighbour.
Note that cats upgrade to Cannons and Keshiks to Cuirs.

 

[georgjorge]

I tried to play for a Space Victory on Monarch to see what's possible on that level...currently at 1 AD and have a question:

Spoiler :

Built Stonehenge, chopped out a few Settlers and Axe-rushed Ashoka. Missed Oracle for Currency by a few turns. By 1 AD eight cities and room for about five more though the remaining land isn't that good. However, the AI isn't researching ANYTHING...no-one has Alphabet yet, which I was banking on to backfill Monarchy, Calendar etc. Is that normal for Monarch or is it the map?

 

[Doshin]

@dmd175

Couple questions below:

Spoiler :

Turn 51-100

Messed up with the city SW of capital...should have had it on the coast to claim crabs, and fit another city just W of capital on river to work corn. Darn.

As far as goals from previous post,
*Good
I have a good ratio of workers (~1.5/city)
Chopped Pyramids
All cities have Libraries
Diplo: OB with all. Staying out of religion (Wang Buddhist, Ham Hindu --> he's converted all of my cities, so maybe he is a good target to take Shrine).

*Could be better
Need to spawnbust better. But this seems like a small map and others are running around my southern front.

*Bad
Economy seems tough with Mongols. Running 10% science, but with Pyramids will do some specialists. I popped a Prophet and instead of taking Meditation (b/c so few beakers) I settled him figuring I would get more dividends with +3 sci/turn.
IW slow, HBR next (but actually in good shape for axe rush).



Turn 101-150
Teched HBR, math, currency, aesthetics, literature, CoL. Bulbed theo (2nd GP). Did a fair amount of tech trading, for alpha, med, priesthood, MC, poly, mono. Gilg has machinery (but he's the only one pleased with me), and two people have calendar which I get next turn.
Built HG and GL (finishes next turn)
Took stack of Keshiks with Axes to Asoka, taking Vijay, Delhi, and Varnasi. Very tough to get anything out of in reparations (e.g. neither of their two size 1 cities), got construction.
Economy/tech rate ok at 0%, building markets. Last time I played Mongols I was always in "strike" but with building some infrastructure/consolidation I think the economy will recover. I debated whether to raze or keep Varnasi but kept it.
Next major goals: 1) markets/courthouses, 2) attack Babylon (to take two cities bordering me and their capital).

Cartography

Spoiler :

Greater Mongolia

Eastern Front



Norther Front

Demographics: lost ~5 Keshiks so will built military back up to 2nd-3rd place strength to avoid some jealous AI

Spoiler :

Questions
-Assuming it might be adviseable to stay out of religious block for now? I founded Chri/Conf, Brennus is Jewish, Wang/Asoka Buddhist, and Hammurabi/Gib Hindu.
-Tech: next steps -- again a bit behind (but only my 2nd try on Monarch). CS next, then...? In my old way of playing would try eng'g for ND, paper for Sankore, Music for Sistine, Divine Right for Spiral, etc. I have no real need for compass/optics it seems on this map. Feudalism? Guilds/banking may be good. Maybe go for printing press/Lib.

As a long term plan, you should look to tech Music first for the free Great Artist while trying to pop a Great Scientist in your capital; if you have a Great Scientist and Compass you can bulb Philosophy, which allows you to run Pacifism. Use the Great Artist to start a Golden Age and switch into Caste, Pacifism and a religion that's spread to your capital (and Bureaucracy, if you haven't switched already). Run as many scientists as feasible in Karakorum (starving slightly, if necessary). A Golden Age gives you a 100% bonus on GPPs, Pacifism gives you another 100%. With good luck this will give you two further GSs for bulbing towards Lib. In the last turn of the GA, you can decide whether or not to switch out of the religion.

Don't build Sankore or the Spiral Minaret. You're not industrious and don't have stone. The Sistine Chapel isn't worth the hammer commitment either. Just capture it from someone.

Aim to Lib. Military Tradition, and use Ger powered Cuirassiers to clear the globe.

 

[WelshGandalf]

If you want to learn how to be more like Genghis Khan, then perhaps you should read this...

 

[The Oz-Man]

Well, managing the economy while attempting a Keshik rush is a lot like pulling teeth...

 

[Izuul]

Immortal 1220 AD:

Spoiler :

I passed on the early Keshik rush on this map for a few reasons:

1) There were plenty of good city spots to settle. I think i got 6 or 7 rather easily.
2) There wasn't much commerce and i didn't want to go broke
3) The tech pace was really slow, so a later attack could be feasible.

I still researched HBR early to keep my options open and used it to trade for most of Alpha. I teched Currency next and then started to look at the situation around me again. I still had tons of forests to chop and all of the AIs were off to a really slow start on this map, so i decided to go after Hammurabi in 200BC. The war took awhile but i eventually wiped him completely out in 350AD which left me with 13 cities and a pretty sorry economy.

After the war, the focus was on economic recovery and getting to Lib as quickly as possible. Asoka tried to cause some trouble by DOWing me along the way, but his stacks got crushed by my Keshiks that had survived the Babylonian war. I eventually got there, winning Lib and taking Military Tradition at the rather late date of 1160AD. Started building Cuirassiers everywhere immediately and upgraded about half a dozen veteran Keshiks (have more, but out of cash). I now have 16 Cuirs sitting on the border ready to invade India this turn.

 

[dmd175]

First uncontested monarch win for me (though I agree, as others have said, this seemed like an easier map). Napoleon declared on me so took him out, followed by Gilg (+Asoka vassal); three years after beating them, Brennus (+Wang Kon/Ham vassal declared). It took 6 turns to reduce Brennus and pals to 1 city vassals.

Spoiler :

Lots of warring:



I should have been more consistently ruthless and pressing the attack. After Asoka, I got delayed moving against Hammurabi b/c I was building banks, universities, etc in the middle ages. From 700-1400 AD I built these things instead of military, and you can see the result in the power graph. On a different/harder map I might not have won. It was pointed out that razing Vijayanagara and Varnasi would have been by the book the right approach and I agree that would have been the correct move as regards economy. In the late game, Vijayanagara became my 4th best science (cottage). Varnasi also kept a boarder with Gilg and helped me deprive him of iron and gem. Overall though, I probably could have had a much earlier win.


This was an interesting game because I had 4 golden ages, including two in a row with a "Guns and Butter" quest. In the span of ~50 turns in the mid-game, 36 of it was Golden Ages (see below), so it was hard to pull away from building. Military over building is something I have to work on, because my natural tendency is building.


With that building spree, I was able in part to generate a great financial city. This is the second of my last three games that had two late religions founded in the same city. This city is immediately south of my capital.


So it was actually useful to bulb theology in this game, though I agree I wasn't sure what to do with the GP when I had him, and could have popped an earlier GA. This was also the first game I never founded a state religion; any religion would have made ~2 neighbors unhappy, and I think it directly contributed to me not getting attacked and instead, generally, attacking when I wanted. So I had to forfeit the benefit of OR but I gained peace, did not build a needless AP (which I'm normally tempted to do), and went right for free religion and +10% sci.

Thanks smilingrogue and Doshin for looking over my game and for the tips.

 

[georgjorge]

Hmm this is getting ridiculous...

Spoiler :

After 800 AD and noone has teched Metal Casting or Feudalism yet? Feels like playing an isolated start...

 

[Izuul]

Finally got around to finishing this one.

Immortal 1770 AD Conquest:

Spoiler :

I had a runaway Napolean in my game to deal with. He had 15 cities plus a pretty strong vassal in Sumeria. They also managed to get Rifling a turn or two before i was ready to go after them, so the war ended up being huge and bloody. I killed 103 French and Sumerian Riflemen plus a bunch of other units over the course of war. I lost 53 Cavalry, 23 Cannons, and a few Cuirassiers .

This game also reminded me why i hate random events so much. There's nothing like your Heroic Epic city randomly going into revolt for multiple turns while you are fighting an important war.

 

[Noble Zarkon]

OK guys first time trying a Nobles Club game and I'm at a critical point. Noble - Epic speed.

Spoiler :

Korea and Babylon are dead - was intending to raze all their cities but both the Capitals had wonders and the GW in particular is useful.

This is the stage where in my first run through I kept the war going, my economy cratered and I got stuck in long wars of attrition. I'm tempted to take out Asoka then consolidate for a bit.

What do you guys think? Any tips?

 

[georgjorge]

Monarch / 1898 Space victory

Spoiler :

My big mistake was assuming the AI would tech SOMETHING before 1 AD and thus delaying Monarchy and Calendar far too long...Other than that, I took out Ashoka and Wang both with only one (maximum two) cities building units while the rest of the empire was developed nicely. I gifted about twenty techs to Hammurabi so he would tech something useful but only got to trade Replaceable Parts and Rifling, he was too slow for anything else.

Big decision came when a strong Napoleon (already with one vassal) declared on a weak Hammurabi and would have vassaled him too...I gifted Hammurabi about 20 Tanks/Infantry (vs Rifles/Cavalry) and that was enough to keep him well and Napoleon busy until the end of the game .

 

[dalamb]

I count 8 "advice" messages out of 54, or about 13%. Is this approximately reasonable? I have the impression that the amount of advice people have got has been going down since the old days when the Nobles' Club first started, but I could be wrong.

 

[Smilingrogue]

I count 8 "advice" messages out of 54, or about 13%. Is this approximately reasonable? I have the impression that the amount of advice people have got has been going down since the old days when the Nobles' Club first started, but I could be wrong.

On the other hand, I only count three posts seeking advice. All of them were given help. So, I think that's a sign of people being better at this game thanks to the resources available to them now, compared to the old days. Also, Civ IV isn't exactly a new game with lost of new players coming in. Still, I would love to have this series continue.

Speaking of some one looking for advice...

OK guys first time trying a Nobles Club game and I'm at a critical point. Noble - Epic speed.

Spoiler :

Korea and Babylon are dead - was intending to raze all their cities but both the Capitals had wonders and the GW in particular is useful.

This is the stage where in my first run through I kept the war going, my economy cratered and I got stuck in long wars of attrition. I'm tempted to take out Asoka then consolidate for a bit.

What do you guys think? Any tips?

Hello, NobleZarkon.
Here are a few things I noticed:

Spoiler :

1. You built a cottage in your capital and are working it, that's good, but there are riverside grassland tiles available. It is generally better to build cottages along riverside tiles first, so they start with one extra commerce. If you farm the two plains tiles in the cap's BFC, it will easily get enough food to work all the cottage tiles. (Buid a windmill on the desert hill tile later.)

2. Brennus has Alphabet already and will give you a very favourable trade. (Agri + Priesthood) You should have traded for Alpha the moment he teched it, but since you are only three turns away now, trade for Iron working, fishing and Alpa in a combo deal for Priesthood, Agri and Horseback riding. You need Iron Working to bust that jungle North of the cap. Improve and work the gem mines quickly.

3. Hang on to Monarchy, but after you have Alpha, trade HBR for any techs you don't have.

4. Open borders with everyone. There's no reason not to do so.

5. Worker sleeping in Turfan should be improving tiles near that city. Build mines and farms.

6. Settle more cities. Particularly, there's spots near the flood plains to the West of the capital and Wheat to the South East, settle a city to obtain stone near the old Babylonian that was razed. (South East of Babylon)

7. No one likes Asoka and he is a wimp. Take him out to bring even more land under your control. After Asoka is down, you can easily just spam our Keshiks and overwhelm the map based on strength of numbers.

That's about it. You are in a very strong position. Good luck

 

[Noble Zarkon]

Hello, NobleZarkon.
That's about it. You are in a very strong position. Good luck

Thanks for the advice and encouragement:-

Conquest win, 1240 AD, Noble, No Huts, Epic

Spoiler :

As well as your advice I found what OzMan wrote in one of his games really helpful - about committing to what you were doing. I stopped building libraries etc and just built Courthouses, Barracks, Gers and Keshiks

Victory is mine:-


Demographics:-


7 cities built, 11 raised very Genghis like!


My highest score I reckon (normally win by peaceful means!):-


Thanks again for the series and the help.

 

[AbsoluteZero]

Deity / normal

Murphy's law for me on this one

Spoiler :

Dowed repeatedly by my neighbors ( I think over 4 times, 6 if you count the ones I avoided somehow ). Still managed to hang on and win a late game domination.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0lTuvnWyHU&list=PLqyBKiHbM__GLfr6HxYcMNK1Z1175Im7D&feature=plpp_play_all

 

[JSS]

Immortal / 1540 AD Conquest:

Spoiler :

I watched a bit of AZ's play on youtube so I knew a bit about this map. I expanded into 8 decent cities early, cottaged Karakorum and got an easy tech lead eventually. I kept everyone busy by bribing them into wars and trade embargos and gave into some demands. Nobody declared on me.

I was a bit slow getting my GP farm up (at the fish location to the west of the gems/pigs site), so I only had 1 GS for bulbing. Took Military Tradition from Lib in 920AD, teched gunpowder in a couple of turns and attacked Brennus first and proceeded to chain capitulate everyone.

Funny thing: I got ~1900 fail gold from Shwegady Pegady. Built/chopped it about 3.5 times.

 

[m00n]

Deity / normal

Murphy's law for me on this one

Spoiler :

Dowed repeatedly by my neighbors ( I think over 4 times, 6 if you count the ones I avoided somehow ). Still managed to hang on and win a late game domination.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0lTuvnWyHU&list=PLqyBKiHbM__GLfr6HxYcMNK1Z1175Im7D&feature=plpp_play_all

This small little post contains the most awsome civ game I have ever seen played out. Period! Congratulations for surviving that one Chris.