Science Victory: 1756 points. Turn 316.
I did have to reload a 30 turn earlier save when the game bugged out on me. So in the turn I wiped out Netherlands, when I took and razed their penultimate city, and had their final city convert due to cultural pressure, the netherlands successfully launched a Military Emergency against me for capturing their capitol and they remained in the game even though they had no cities. After the emergency was over they were still in the game, with no cities, and at permenant war with me and refusing to settle for anything. So I reloaded my previous evening's save.
- Did you play super hide bonus? How did the shuffle/unknown impact your play?
no
- What was your plan for achieving the VC? What are the major steps you planned to take? What events, if any, changed the plan in execution and to what new plan? Any interesting decision points?
Well, I had my usual science plan: Go religion to power up science, aiming for a monumentality to pump out workers and settlers to build up my empire. I mean overall that is what happened, but the route to get there was strange.
What an interesting world, 3 city states and 2 civs on the same continent with me and almost nowhere to settle, bu Turn 11 I'd already encountered them all. The game settings made for a very different game indeed.
- What were your initial 5-10 builds in the capital or other early cities?
Slinger, settler, holy site, ships.
- Early order for technology/civics? What did you prioritize for technology/civics?
After scouting some of my continent what I could see of it, I focused on going for ship technologies so that I could find new land to settle into, getting the ability for any unit to go into the sea slowed down all the other early technologies, but I feel was the right course, I found plenty of other people and lands to occupy.
- How did the leader bonus and civ unique ability impact your plan/play, if at all?
Very little to be honest. I did flip a couple of cities mid and late game
, the auto switching to me was great when it happened. But that was as much an accident of gold age vs dark age than anything else. I kind of shunned cultural selections being afraid of getting a cultural victory
, that was a wrong move, I took way too long to get to communism so I could get the sacrifice workers for production ability
- How many cities did you settle and/or capture? Where did you settle your first few cities?
25 cities overall. I think I settled 12 and captured 13.
My first city was in place, the second in one of the few available tiles to the north, and what a
great spot that was. It had horses and iron, which I only found out about many turns after settling it (as I ignored those technologies going for sailing stuff). Third and forth cities to the large to the east. Joao to the south of the initial continent, had left his cities on the coast very weakly defended. I'd built up quite a few ships by now and well, there were a bunch of his cities just waiting to be taken. And they were. He hadn't developed his ironworking and had built farm over his horses. So his cities were most excellent, ages later they were extremly productive! That was my 5-6-7-8th cities, one of them I burned to the ground it was in a horrible position in desert at the far western tip and would have converted to Netherlands, I couldn't maintain loyalty on it, so better to kill it now. Then a few more scattered around the world where the looked to be good places. Netherlands took Mogadishu, which I had just suzed, well, I prosecuted a quick war to free it which cost me quite a few ships as she had caravels and I didn't. I really regretted the loss of those promoted early ships later
. After a short peace where I now build catapults and bombards as Netherlands had walls I then marched and took that area for another 5-6 cities. Again, I burned one to the ground as it was in such a horrible place at the far NW tip of the land.
Then my game bugged out I played on a bunch of turns to see if it would fix itself but it didn't so I had to reload from 30 turns back (the previous evening save after freeing Mogadishuand before declaring war on Netherlands). I replayed following the same pattern, but not the exact same moves, and this time it didn't bug out. I left Netherlands with a city to stop things from happening, but they really screwed me with double grievances before they would accept peace. Damn, that was it, 600 grievances. Everyone hated me and permanently denounced me until the end of the game. I mean WTF.
I founded a few more cities here and there later on to capture resources and keep expansion going on. Probably unnecessary.
- What were key production/purchase focuses? Military units / Civilian units / Districts & city development / Wonders / Civ Unique Unit & Infrastructure? Most critical or interesting?
Going for the sea technologies was I felt key to victory, I got the expansion room from it, that produced a large empire which gave me the science base.
Frigates. Frigates are awesome city wall killers especially when promoted.
I end up building way too much stuff in far too many cities, I know should just settle in and churn out science projects, but that is so boring!
- Pantheon chosen and why? Religious beliefs chosen, and why?
With scarce resources I went for City Patron Goddess - which I have never done before. I though getting that 1st disctrict would be good. Not so sure that is true. I think the fishing one would have been better, but it was gone before I got there.
Work Ethic (production is good)
Holy Orders alway a good choice
Cross Cultural Dialog for more science. Though I feel this ended up as winning "more"
Stupa's - amenities were a constant problem with scarce resources.
- What governments did you select? What key policy cards did you use? Why?
All the usual ones. Oligarch when preparing for war, then move into stage 2, and stay in theology using the discount to buy things with faith until ready to move into Communism for the science push.
- Which Governors were most important; when and why?
Magnus for the pop and the few chops I got from him anyway.
Moshka - buying a spaceport in 1 turn is king. All those other builds he does are really useful in many other cities. Move and wait 5 turns, trigger 1-2 districts then move again.
- Was diplomacy/trading useful? How? Relations with other civs?
Only until I took Netherlands. The massive (doubled grievances) made everything pointless for the rest of the game. Completely and utterly pointless. The 30th turn of denouncement ended I was instantly re-denounced before I could try sway anyone and the penaltys for excessive grievances meant I only ever had diplo points from briefly participating in emergencies.
Grievances should fade and the rate of fading should increase as time passes. I'm sure I should have just wiped Netherlands out, but I was so afraid of the game bugging out on me again.
- When did you have Dark/Golden ages?
First age was dark
the other civ's killed all the barbs before I could. Then a heroic and a golden for the rest of the game. Converting cities while at was with someone secured the medieval golden age. fun!
- How did the game modes affect or impact your play?
Not much to say, it was the world not the modes that were impactful
- Any surprises/frustration/elations you ran into, how did you deal with it?
The world was surprising, it was quite frustrating being so hemmed in, but meeting 3 city states early on was a shock!
The bugged state of Netherlands was incredibly irritating, leading to a reload, but I played in the same style afterwards.
- Did you enjoy your game?
yes, I found it challenging, but once I got going very interesting.
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