Thanks a lot for your great article. I learned a lot from your article, and after having read it several times I decided to try to play the game myself.
I did rather well, I think, as I ended as number 3 with about 1.700 P, but far behind the winner India (about 5.000 P) and Germany (about 4.000 P). Nobody else survived till 2050. I have never played at a higher level than regent, and still havent obtained a victory. So I certainly dont have your skills.
If youre interested you can of course get a copy of my game, but please dont say yes just to be polite. I guess many players already have been so interested to hear your comments on their versions of the Japan game, and you most likely got other things to do.
Let me just tell about my experiences of the game:
My strategy from the beginning was certainly not to win, but just to survive till 2050 with a small, but modern and well functioning country. The final score wouldnt be so important.
It was of crucial importance to avoid war. Any of my neighbours could easily destroy me so I:
- Didnt declare war
- Didnt accept military alliances and mutual protection pacts
- Accepted paying tribute to the other countries
And more important: I started buying tech from the AI, one from each of my big neighbours every 20th turn, and always for gold per turn. I made very little research myself. In this game it became quite obvious to me that if you want a non attack treaty then the best thing to do is to buy tech for gold per turn. Why did Germany declare war on China, France and Russia all the time, but not on the awfully weak Japan? Of course, because a declaration of war on Japan would mean a loss of an income. Germany would have given a tech for nothing, and the AI seem to hate that.
Right of passage and trade with resources and lux for gold per turn might also have a certain peace preserving effect, but not nearly as strong as tech buying for gold per turn. A mutual protection pact will of course preserve peace with one country, but you might soon be involved in a war in which you have no interest, and you run the risk of becoming a deal breaker if youre having an ongoing trade with one or more other countries. MPP is a perfect trouble maker!
But besides buying tech for gold per turn I saw one more possibility which I believe you overlooked. You write that Japan in 590 had no resources to trade. Its not correct. Japan had horses. Only one source, right, but its possible to sell your only source of a resource. I sold my horses to Russia for education, next time I got economics, next time something else. Japan was far away from military tradition, which allows cavalry, and Japan doesnt build knights but samurais, so I really didnt miss the horses.
At a certain point of time when reaching the industrial age I had become scientific equal with Egypt, and could give them medicine in return for steam power, though I also had to give them some gold. Fortunately I had coal, and I also found a new source of oil, which became very important later in the game.
America and China became weaker and weaker militarily so in the industrial age I could concentrate on buying tech from Russia and Germany. That was very fortunate since I couldnt afford more than 2 industrial age tech every 20th turn. I chose to research nationalism myself. For one or any reason the AI always demand an exorbitant price for exactly this tech.
As one country after the other was getting destroyed a new possibility came to my mind: Contact a country which for sure wont survive for more than 2-5 turns, and buy a tech for gold per turn. After few turns the seller is gone, and you have got the tech for almost nothing. Unfortunately I almost always reacted too late, so I only succeeded in buying amphibious war from Rome for about 50 gold per turn. 1-2 turns later Rome was destroyed.
About year 1600 China was the first to use a nuclear bomb, and was immediately punished awfully by the rest of the countries (except Japan, of course!). 1-2 turns later China was destroyed.
Things went well for the democratic Japan. The permanent wars between the other countries lead to many destroyed cities which allowed me to expand with new settlements. I had settlers ready to utilize a chance for new cities before the AI. To facilitate the wars I was generous to give a ROP, though I most often had to pay. A one-sided ROP agreement should be an option!
The military began to be decent in both size and quality. Each city was defended by at least 5 infantries and one artillery, later mechanised infantries and radar artillery, and I also had many tanks and bombers. Most cities had civil defence. I didnt take for granted that an attack on me was impossible, but now Japan wouldnt be such an easy victim.
Was this peaceful strategy boring, you may ask? No, the permanent wars between the other countries gave me all the entertainment I could ask for. Especially early in the game I had fun seeing strong countries fighting each other endlessly but ignoring the weak Japan.
So about 1750 things went wrong, and for such a silly reason. I had got one extra source of coal, but only Mongolia was a potential buyer. They offered 180 gold in cash, not so much, but better than nothing. But somehow the trade route was destroyed before the end of the ongoing coal trade, and I now had the reputation as a deal breaker. Result: No tech for gold per turn.
I got really upset about the situation because I felt I was completely innocent. I didnt destroy the trade route so how could I be blamed? Maybe you could explain: If I sell a resource or a lux in return for cash or a tech, and the trade route then is destroyed for reasons being beyond my control - is it then the intention of the game that I must be held responsible and suffer a ruined reputation? Or do we have a bug which somehow should be corrected?
Maybe we could imagine that in the above mentioned situation Mongolia could contact Japan saying: I have lost the deliverance of coal from you. I know its not your mistake but I suppose you as a gentleman are willing to compensate me.
Then Japan could offer Mongolia something which could create balance, either a cash payment or gold per turn.
Well, I could no longer be sure that Germany wouldnt attack me. I had a ROP with Germany and I traded lux, but it wasnt enough.
The German war declaration came in 1850 while Bismarck was still in war with Russia, who was getting weaker and weaker. Japan was for first time in history in war! I was terrified but the outcome wasnt so serious. Bismarck razed one newly established city, but as it didnt yet have any city improvements the economic loss wasnt so serious, and I had the luck to take revenge. One of the German cities was completely surrounded by Japanese territory, and I attacked this city with all I had, also weaker units than tanks. And my great luck was that a samurai was able to give a German mechanised infantry the final death blow, and so I was in golden age. I razed the city, and got one extra source of aluminium. Two German stealth bombers were destroyed. After 5 turns Bismarck was willing to negotiate peace, and I could even collect a small amount in cash from him.
I used my golden age to complete research on nuclear power and miniaturization. And I built several new cities on former Russian territory. A golden age is a great thing but its difficult to get used to normal conditions again!
About 1925 Russia was destroyed, and I was now alone on the continent with Germany. Really bad. Bismarck was furious with me despite ongoing trades with lux and a ROP. So where would he go next time with all his aggression? Not so many choices since India was alone on the other continent and stronger militarily than both Japan and Germany.
So I decided to break my principles. I signed a MPP with Germany. I knew that it soon would lead to war with India, but I supposed that a war with a country on another continent would be more harmless. And I also supposed that if Gandhi would invade our continent the German modern amour would do the work.
That was a serious mistake. When the war came Gandhi wasnt able to conquer any of my cities, right, but he attacked me awfully with stealth attackers from a former Mongolian city Paoting - located on a small island close to our continent. One city on former Chinese territory at size 25 with all improvements from temple to nuclear power plant was reduced to size 1, and all improvements were destroyed. And I was completely defenceless as I didnt have a navy. My anti air strike, which almost all my cities had, proved to be almost impotent against stealth attackers.
I foolishly decided to renew my MPP with Germany, but not next time. I think I now had been in war with India for about 30 turns. I was in anarchy and my cities in disorder. One city was even hit by a nuclear power plant melt down. Fortunately Gandhi was willing to negotiate peace, but I had to pay about 300 gold.
So the result of the mutual protection pact: Two rivals being furious with me instead of one plus a serious setback in my development. I have for sure signed the last MPP for ever.
I could have handled a war with Germany. My cities were defended strongly enough, and I would have had many chances to damage Germany.
I know youll say that I should choose another political system than democracy. I think I know the arguments concerning war weariness, but this is a principle of mine: I believe in democracy in the real world, so I also play democracy in CIV. Nothing to do with me on that point!
About 1990 both Germany and India declared war on me again, and this time it was even more serious as Gandhi had now succeeded in getting cities on our continent, partly through new settlement, and partly by having conquered a few German cities. I lost two cities of which one was razed. However, I was able to get peace with both countries after a few turns. This time I remembered to turn on manage citizen mod for all cities so I avoided civil disorder.
I now completed research on synthetic fibres, and that was the end of my research. Not spending money on research allowed me to buy lux from India and to produce modern armour like crazy! Turn after turn my cities produced modern amour, except cities where there still were improvements left to be build.
Germany was soon in war with India again, and Gandhi was really tough with nuclear bomb attacks. The German road net work was in a horrible condition, and I noticed that Bismarck very often lost access to some resources so he was beginning to attack with guerrillas and defend with riflemen, units which can be produced without resources.
I was now militarily stronger than Germany, but believe it or not: Bismarck was now a mad man, a lunatic. Poor German people! He declared war on Japan in 2010 when still being in war with India. In this war he was not even close at conquering any Japanese city. So I said to myself: OK, the idiot asked for terror, hell get it! In the next 10 turns I conquered about 15 German cities, and I decided to be really bad, so I razed almost all of them, except Leipzig which had SETTI programme and a former Chinese city which had Leonardos workshop. I even razed Berlin, despite the fact that it had cure for cancer! I know that its a childish feeling, but I tried to imagine Bismarcks face when he was informed by his military advisor that his Capital was burned down to the ground!
None of the German cities were defended by more than 3 units, and in no case were all of these mechanised infantries. Few cities had radar artillery, and for instance Berlin had just 3 riflemen as defenders.
I wonder why it this time took 10 turns before Bismarck was willing to negotiate peace since it was obvious that he impossibly could gain anything. I contacted him every turn but he wasnt willing to accept my request for an audience. He could have got peace whenever he liked.
I was in fact happy when he finally accepted a peace treaty because I was now in anarchy, and I feared that Gandhi would misuse the situation, and declare war on Japan.
In 2035 India and Germany signed a peace treaty. I created a few more cities and rush built cultural improvements. I gifted incense to India to secure peace and furs to Germany; the gift to Germany was meant as a humiliation of Bismarck. I wanted to demonstrate that Japan could allow herself to be generous, even with an enemy. Yes, a childish feeling, but CIV tends to be so lifelike that you sometimes really believe that you communicate with a real human being!
I have some concluding remarks and questions:
Groobz: What did you do till 590 AD to keep good relationships with your strong neighbours? Did you also buy tech for gold per turn? Anyway, it was great that you never broke any deals as far as I can see because then I believe the game in fact had been lost.
Is buying a tech for gold per turn always a perfect non attack treaty? My experiences say yes, but couldnt we imagine an AI country thinking: Yes, I have sold chemistry to Japan for 25 gold per turn, but nevertheless Ill now declare war on them. My economic loss wont be very big, and Ill get some nice cities with minimal military losses. Such a strategy could make sense, especially if there are only few turns left before the concerned tech is fully paid, but I have never seen an AI country practice this strategy. We could also imagine an AI country being completely unwilling to sell tech for gold per turn because they have spotted the potential tech buyer as an easy victim. But I havent seen this happen either. AI are always willing to sell tech for gold per turn, provided, of course, that you have a good reputation.
The peaceful strategy I practised obviously has its limits. It was possible for me to survive with a nice country but I couldnt win. Being number 3 was a great result for me, but I know that many of you are not satisfied with less than a victory. So you can forget everything about my strategy!
Through all the game Japan remained culturally weak. I always play with the allow cultural conversion on option but in this game it was probably an advantage that this option was off. I did build a lot of cultural improvements but never enough to impress the other countries.
For a long period I stopped playing accelerated production games because I experienced that if I fell behind economically, militarily and technologically then I really fell behind! On the other hand I now realise that accelerated production allows you to come back in the game again, if you can manage to survive through diplomacy.
Well, thats all for now. Thanks again to you, Xerksees, for your very interesting article. And also many thanks to Groobz for the interesting challenge you gave us.
I know the answer. I have choose to attack first german while they were with conflict with russia and get 3 they towns as well as build 2 more on a place where Russia rize one. Then I bought everything up to replacable parts because golden age give me a lot of money. No I start assault on Americans. They have luck of moderm units. They can build them but they can not upgrade them. With artillery I already take 3 of their towns without any visible resistanse. So far I have lost only 2 cavaleries on they infantry. Will see 1020AD.
Thanks for bringing another perspective to this thread. 
