T495 CV, 1905 AD 2419 raw score, I forgot to note the adjusted score and the submission page is down.
My two goals from the start were for (1) an Autocratic CV that did not look a DOM game, and (2) win by CV before having to vote against myself as WL. I hit both of those, so I was pretty pleased with myself. [ Well, I was until I saw
@sebtanic and
@Airey SS write-ups! Nice job guys! ]
Warrior to the hill SE of Settler. SIP unless I see coast or a NW.
A bonehead move right in the beginning was mistaking the lake for ocean. I forgot that mouse-over reveals the difference!
I lost my first settler to barbs because I though the UA was providing me sufficient LOS. To add insult to injury, Attila snagged my settler a turn before I could rescue him. The AIs play by different rules, so the captured settler did not revert to a worker. Rubbing salt in the wound, Attila named that city Seattle!
I was able to settle both Kilimanjaro and FOY, so definitely a fun map! I also built Alhambra, which I almost never get. Unfortunately, it does not stack with the UU starting promotion. Still, I got lots of enjoyment from melee units being born with March. FOY buff March, so that was great, but really I think I would have been much better off with double Cover. But how often does one get to play a map with the two best NW for warmongering?
I was able to wonder-whore like a newb, more great fun. Among several others, Washington had Sistine Chapel, Louvre, and Uffizi. Everything was themed, I closed out Aesthetics, and I hit Internet right at the end. It seemed like I really should have been able to finish faster. I tried the map a second time, but it still took me to T493! Philadelphia, my only coastal city, ended with Great Lighthouse, Colossus, Prora, and SOH. Did I say how much fun this map was?
I was waiting on the UU to start running the map. Early I was bribing Attila and Isabella to DOW my neighbors. I had a bit of tough time with Attila around T250, but he accepted peace before taking any cities. Meanwhile, Isabella killed off Carthage and Siam.
On T285 I used Oxford for Industrialization, but alas, no easy Coal. (Then no Oil, and later, no Aluminum.) Still, I was first to Ideologies on T353. I kept building UU until I had nine of them, upgraded them all to Riflemen, and DOW’d Isabella as soon as I had Dynamite.
Unfortunately, Attila DOW’d me while my army was away, so I made peace with Spain and took Seattle. I am not sure what he was thinking, as he was still sporting his UUs.
As soon as I could, I went back to war again with Spain. I promptly lost all my arty to GWB, same pattern as usual for me, I am sorry to say. I also used up all those lovely veteran melee units, without taking a single city. Fortunately, a few turns later I unlocked Ballistics and I was buying and building AA units at a steady pace, as well as getting my own Triplanes and GWBs. I used a GS to bulb Radar on T459, upgraded my air units, and the game pace picked up considerably!
I recalled Siam on T462, and had him up to three cities on T478. Then I went through Isabella’s core cities. On T490 I liberated Carthage, recalling Dido. She also ended the game with three cities.
Attached is the screen shot of my victory turn. I am happy to say that the map looks nothing like the end of a DOM game! All but one civ still has their original caps!
