As the thread title implies, the goal of this game was not simply to win (all too easy given the Civ selection and difficulty level), but to complete a Space Colony victory with as high a score as possible.
It is a far cry from the fastest, but it's my first HoF submission and a personal best score, so I thought I'd share.
Incipit
The battle is half-won (or at least a third) with self-serving parameters on the set-up screen:
We add a third AI rival to crowd the map a bit. This makes it more difficult for any AI civ to grab a lot of good territory early, and ensures that I will have something nearby to Quechua-rush.
"Why the Terra map?"
Why the Terra map, you ask? Simple. It allows us to spread our empire at will throughout the home continent, quickly subduing the AI players, without accidentally tripping a Conquest victory.
Ghandi is an obvious choice as everyone's favorite peace-mongering whipping boy.
Isabella likes to establish and spread a religion, making her an excellent early neighbor and target for elimination.
Finally, we pick Mansa Musa because he's the most generous tech trader.
Next, we fire up the map-finder utility and look for stone, 'cause I'm addicted to the Pyramids:
This is where I halted the map-finder, intending to exit the game and look over my three hits. But wait! Am I losing my marble? This ain't half bad, and if I can get stone with my second/third city, I'll be a wonder-building machine!
It turned out quite well. Mansa Musa, the most dangerous rival, was mired in the jungle up north. Isabella was right next door, sitting close to stone, and busy founding Buddhism. You'll forgive me for being too excited to take any screenshots for the first 180 turns.
So anyhoo: I teched for Bronze Working ASAP so I could chop some forests and produce [wooden?] Quechuas. I popped a copper tile right next to Cuzco, which provided an excellent yield (but no axemen for the war 'cause I hadn't researched the Wheel yet). Madrid soon fell.
After the war, I researched Masonry and started up the wonder-spamming machine:
The only drawback was that Ghandi had built a city one tile east of the stone right after I conquered Madrid. I had to Quechua-rush that one, too, which ticked him off (and no city for me-- it had one population and burned immediately).
We'll solve that problem next.
* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * -
Part duex.
Our major strategy can be summed up in two words: Hammers first. Of course we'll need lots of production for building the spaceship, as well as modern buildings (a Recycling Center costs as much as the Hanging Gardens!). But just as importantly, with a science-boosting tech like Education the sooner you can actually produce the enabled building (University) the sooner you get the benefit. If a
-focused tactic delays Education by 30 turns, but allows eight cities to each complete their Univeristy five turns sooner, I consider it a net gain.
So the wonder-spamming continues:
The Oracle slingshots us to Theology and work begins on the Apostolic Palace. It's worthwhile just for the +2 for Temples, Monasteries, & Cathedrals.
Which brings us to the secondary strategy: Squeeze all the benefit we can out of religion. Hence the problem with Ghandi. We want a big-money Shrine. We want friendly AIs and high-yield trade routes. But:
My Buddhist Missionaries are turned back at the border. So I beg, instead, to be taught the ways of Hinduism, all to no avail. We are not just heathens, we Incans, we are heathens beyond hope.
An ambitious plan is conceived. Volunteers are called upon to make a pilgrimage, seeking enlightenment at the Holy Shrine of Delhi. Each pilgrim is dressed in a suit of metal, symbolizing the burden of sin, and each carries a bronze axe, symbolizing the desire to cut through ignorance.
There is resistance at the first stop, a city called Vijaynagara, where civil authorities try to restrain the eager pilgrims. But they sense the holiness even here, and press on heedless of the danger. The road to Dehli is now open:
Again, there is a skirmish with civil authorities, but the pilgrims ultimately win the day. And enlightenment comes! In short order, Hinduism spreads throughout the Incan empire and we convert.
Inexplicably, this also resulted in two cities being added to said empire:
This one is going to make a great research city with cottages on those flood plains.
Dehli, of course, will be the eventual Wall Street city. It's got a bit of a culture problem at the moment, but kicking out a few wonders will solve that problem without resorting to war.
Next up: Patience on the Mayan front, and the Industrial Renaissance.
It is a far cry from the fastest, but it's my first HoF submission and a personal best score, so I thought I'd share.
Incipit
The battle is half-won (or at least a third) with self-serving parameters on the set-up screen:
Spoiler :
We add a third AI rival to crowd the map a bit. This makes it more difficult for any AI civ to grab a lot of good territory early, and ensures that I will have something nearby to Quechua-rush.
"Why the Terra map?"
Why the Terra map, you ask? Simple. It allows us to spread our empire at will throughout the home continent, quickly subduing the AI players, without accidentally tripping a Conquest victory.
Ghandi is an obvious choice as everyone's favorite peace-mongering whipping boy.
Isabella likes to establish and spread a religion, making her an excellent early neighbor and target for elimination.
Finally, we pick Mansa Musa because he's the most generous tech trader.
Next, we fire up the map-finder utility and look for stone, 'cause I'm addicted to the Pyramids:
Spoiler :
This is where I halted the map-finder, intending to exit the game and look over my three hits. But wait! Am I losing my marble
It turned out quite well. Mansa Musa, the most dangerous rival, was mired in the jungle up north. Isabella was right next door, sitting close to stone, and busy founding Buddhism. You'll forgive me for being too excited to take any screenshots for the first 180 turns.
So anyhoo: I teched for Bronze Working ASAP so I could chop some forests and produce [wooden?] Quechuas. I popped a copper tile right next to Cuzco, which provided an excellent yield (but no axemen for the war 'cause I hadn't researched the Wheel yet). Madrid soon fell.
After the war, I researched Masonry and started up the wonder-spamming machine:
Spoiler :
The only drawback was that Ghandi had built a city one tile east of the stone right after I conquered Madrid. I had to Quechua-rush that one, too, which ticked him off (and no city for me-- it had one population and burned immediately).
We'll solve that problem next.
* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * -
Part duex.
Our major strategy can be summed up in two words: Hammers first. Of course we'll need lots of production for building the spaceship, as well as modern buildings (a Recycling Center costs as much as the Hanging Gardens!). But just as importantly, with a science-boosting tech like Education the sooner you can actually produce the enabled building (University) the sooner you get the benefit. If a
-focused tactic delays Education by 30 turns, but allows eight cities to each complete their Univeristy five turns sooner, I consider it a net gain.So the wonder-spamming continues:
Spoiler :
The Oracle slingshots us to Theology and work begins on the Apostolic Palace. It's worthwhile just for the +2
for Temples, Monasteries, & Cathedrals.Which brings us to the secondary strategy: Squeeze all the benefit we can out of religion. Hence the problem with Ghandi. We want a big-money Shrine. We want friendly AIs and high-yield trade routes. But:
Spoiler :
My Buddhist Missionaries are turned back at the border. So I beg, instead, to be taught the ways of Hinduism, all to no avail. We are not just heathens, we Incans, we are heathens beyond hope.
An ambitious plan is conceived. Volunteers are called upon to make a pilgrimage, seeking enlightenment at the Holy Shrine of Delhi. Each pilgrim is dressed in a suit of metal, symbolizing the burden of sin, and each carries a bronze axe, symbolizing the desire to cut through ignorance.
There is resistance at the first stop, a city called Vijaynagara, where civil authorities try to restrain the eager pilgrims. But they sense the holiness even here, and press on heedless of the danger. The road to Dehli is now open:
Spoiler :
Again, there is a skirmish with civil authorities, but the pilgrims ultimately win the day. And enlightenment comes! In short order, Hinduism spreads throughout the Incan empire and we convert.
Inexplicably, this also resulted in two cities being added to said empire:
Spoiler :
This one is going to make a great research city with cottages on those flood plains.
Spoiler :
Dehli, of course, will be the eventual Wall Street city. It's got a bit of a culture problem at the moment, but kicking out a few wonders will solve that problem without resorting to war.
Next up: Patience on the Mayan front, and the Industrial Renaissance.
