trying a nightmare game

[sunrisereader]

Started a game on nightmare mode with the following settings:
standard size map
only 1 AI(more will form later from barbarian cities)
developing leaders + complex traits
all combat mods(size matters, great commanders, hide and seek)

I had a good start with elephants near my first town giving me a strong unit in the late prehistoric for attacking the barbarian cities that will spawn by then.
The AI started with 2 tribes at this difficulty and is ahead in research and score(i am at 29 vs russia's 116).
There is a long distance between us as my wanderer has just found them in the south of the map.

Next post will be when i reach tribalism(about 25 techs away at this point.)

 

[sunrisereader]

The AI has been starting to send bandit riders to attack my cities to count this a wall of elephant riders is being recruited to stop them.

 

[Thunderbrd]

The AI has been starting to send bandit riders to attack my cities to count this a wall of elephant riders is being recruited to stop them.

Good plan!

 

[sunrisereader]

The largest AI just declared war on me but with a stack that does include siege units but noting stronger then the merged elephant riders i am using going to continue this game later this week i wonder if they have a bigger stack somewhere where i can not see it. A large part of my army is still in axum healing after taking the city when it became a minor civ(etiopia) allowing me to build a lot of cultures.
I am not sure if i will take any cities in this war 65% of my commerce is already going to gold to pay for my current cities and army so taking more might bankrupt me.

 

[sunrisereader]

Going to give up this try the first highway men just appeared at the border and those are strength 31 while my strongest units are maximum merged elephants with strength 27.
The leading AI has also reached the next age and i need to research 31 more tech if i beeline to there.
I made some mistakes like using my great hunter to help kill criminals(he died on a attack with a 95% win chance).

I had some bad luck with the great persons i got i ended up with one great spy and the rest where great prophets so i never was able to build the national system of measurements.
All wonder i build where one of the legendary landscapes, the way of the centaur(to improve my elephants) and cultures. all other wonders were completed by the AI before i unlocked the tech needed to start building them.

 

[sunrisereader]

next try am going to pick the charismatic trait sooner as the reduced xp for promotions will help with the fighting babarian cites once sedetary lifestyle allows the merging of 9 units into 1.
Also going to start with city limits from civics of to make the game easier as with that off less hammer need to be spend on increasing happyness.