7OTM12 (Dec 2025) - Completion of Age of Antiquity Spoiler Thread

[Bleidraner]

I abandoned this game late in Antiquity when the patch + possibly the UI add-ons I'm using caused problems with the gameplay (some resources like clay wouldn't show up anymore on the resource assignment screen).

@pmarc As I was trying to finish the Antiquity replay for the macro post above I just had the exact same bug: Clay does not show on the resource assignment screen. I have no mods, and it does not happen on the legacy build. I can see how frustrating it is.

 

[pmarc]

@pmarc As I was trying to finish the Antiquity replay for the macro post above I just had the exact same bug: Clay does not show on the resource assignment screen. I have no mods, and it does not happen on the legacy build. I can see how frustrating it is.

I see they fixed the clay resource to properly get warehouse bonuses in the patch notes, that probably made the old version of the resource on the map incompatible with the new patch.

 

[MutilationWave]

I would be interested in what goody hut decision you would have taken differently and why.

Different choices I think I would have made with huts-

Gold over archer, 45 culture over 30 science 20 food, culture over gold and happiness. I think I am overvaluing culture. I used to always play antiquity with the 20% food government, lately I've been playing with 20% culture. My thinking being that I need to hit the unique culture tree plus finish the regular tree. Your reasoning on each is sound though.

I haven't had much time at all to play because work has been crazy. I played an antiquity not long ago, and I was disappointed in my play. Got 1/2/2/3 legacy points. Some of it is due to me being rusty, but I have never struggled so badly with happiness and science, even struggled with war. I never used to struggle with happiness, and almost always get at least two future tech/civic and all legacy points except third culture. I always play deity, this was with Sayyida and Aksum and far from optimal mementos for what that's worth.

So yeah I learned from your posts about your reasoning. As always I appreciate everyone's GoTM posts so I can play vicariously!

 

[Mazrak]

Thanks Bleidraner for such an amazing post, really interesting to work through what you did and why, my thoughts/comment/etc:

• I took the Archer and the Spearman, felt that gave me an advantage in taking on Ben and the IPs but really interesting to see Manpanzee remind us about the maintenance
• I’ve often taken the 200g motif or 50g per 100 tile reveal option if I’m playing Pangea or Tonga, just to take the pressure away for that first settler – sounds like none of the experts do the first of these so will have to give that some thought after reading your posts
• I put my first growth on the river with a view to overbuilding it, so glad to see that getting discussed – I didn’t overbuild it after getting a flood on turn 7 which gave +1 production, will give more thought to similar decisions next time
• The rush to 5 pop and the balance with production is I think one of the key items to get right – not sure I am always doing so, was great to read the debate provoked by your post and gives me plenty to think about next time
• Glad I’m not the only one who lets chasing ruins get in the way of systematic scouting!
• Also glad to see that so many of you prioritise Survey – I usually do too but often wondered if it was the better thing to do
• I presume everyone gives the second city Cotton to the Capital even though you don’t call this out
• To pmarc’s point, I’ve noticed Gate of Nations being built earlier

Appreciate everyone's responses, very helpful

Best

Maz

 

[Manpanzee]

I presume everyone gives the second city Cotton to the Capital even though you don’t call this out

I believe I left the Cotton in the town until it grew again. Once it connected the second Cotton, I un-slotted and put both Cotton into the capital. And then I might have taken one of them back out and put it into the next town when that came down.

I also did something a bit extra and had the same town connect all three Cotton tiles. Looking at the screenshots, it appears everyone else connected the third Cotton using the city to the south (which is more natural, since it's closer). It took a bit of careful tile management to get the Cotton where I wanted it without messing anything up, but I figured that's a tile I'd rather have in a farming town than in a city.

 

[GoblinMatron]

Turns: 101

2 cultural (Great Stele, Mundo Perdido, Oracle, Colosseum, Colossus)
3 militaristic (15 settlements, 6 founded + 1 incorporated + 7 captured + 1 gifted, 2 cities + 13 towns)
2 scientific
3 economic

I wanted to eliminate 2 civs, because I think it is the easiest way to get a good turn number (90ish).
I was also interested in trying the strategy to have many settlements, far over the cap. I have not tried it yet, but it seems to me that La Fayette + Rome/Spain are a good fit for it.

Sadly, all my 3 scouts died early and I did not find the time to train new ones, so a big part of the map was undiscovered until the end of the age.

I waited a little too long with my first war. I eliminated Benjamin Franklin on turn 78, keeping all 4 settlements I captured from him.

Then I went to war againbst Ashoka capturing his City State La Venta and Pataliputra by turn 88. He had 2 more settlements that I could not see, so I knew that I had no chance of getting a good result. On turn 90, I accepted his peace deal where he gave me one of his settlements, leaving only one more. I found and captured it by turn 101.

I am not happy with this age. I took 11 turns more than I hoped and could not use these additional turns to get to 7 wonders, scout well, have well built-out cities ore prebuild more than one settler for the next age.

Spoiler End of age :

 

[Bleidraner]

Different choices I think I would have made with huts-

Gold over archer, 45 culture over 30 science 20 food, culture over gold and happiness. I think I am overvaluing culture. I used to always play antiquity with the 20% food government, lately I've been playing with 20% culture. My thinking being that I need to hit the unique culture tree plus finish the regular tree. Your reasoning on each is sound though.

I haven't had much time at all to play because work has been crazy. I played an antiquity not long ago, and I was disappointed in my play. Got 1/2/2/3 legacy points. Some of it is due to me being rusty, but I have never struggled so badly with happiness and science, even struggled with war. I never used to struggle with happiness, and almost always get at least two future tech/civic and all legacy points except third culture. I always play deity, this was with Sayyida and Aksum and far from optimal mementos for what that's worth.

So yeah I learned from your posts about your reasoning. As always I appreciate everyone's GoTM posts so I can play vicariously!

Gold over archer, you saw the discussion already, likely the right decision is to go for gold as you propose. Culture over Gold and happiness. I think situational, but in this case, the gold helped buy the first settler, but it could go both ways in my opinion. Culture over food and science, on that case I think the case for food and science is very strong as it will save 3 turns. Pop growth comes 3 turns earlier and AH finishes 2 turns earlier, that accelerates the first settler by 3 turns counting buying the last turn of the sawmill for 8 gold, and a three turns earlier first settler is a very big deal.

Do not be disheartened, there have been a few updates of the game that have changed the balance and first slowed down and then accelerated the finish times. That plays a role for sure.

I had to look up vicariously, what a magnificent word! Same here, in GoTM I feel that instead of having played one game I have played 5-6, its amazing.

 

[Eyswein]

I hate the fact that you have to go dicipline first because you have to make atleast 1 kill to speed up the age plus you always have to do the same LP every game, it dosnt feel like civ for me, hate that you dont get to the end of the tech and civic tree

This is one of the things I also dislike about Civ 7. Gone are the days of being able to play a (mostly) peaceful game. At least in the Exploration age I can get the military legacies without fighting by lots of settling.

 

[enKage]

Hello,

After abandoning Civ7 many many months ago, I just went back to check, if anything has changed.

Not so much...
As with the launch, UI is still unusable, with billion submenus in city screen, just to not to know how much food you produce (and at the end you still don't know) and with global yields screen, in which you cannot collapse single settlement and sort settlements by yields.
A pity, because it is the main reason I don't feel comfortable while playing civ.

Anyway, after playing two deity games to complete steam achievements with my leaders (was lacking Ibn Batuta and Pachacuti), I took the current 7otm and because I don't even remember many things, especially how to play LaFayette, what is Rome etc while both civ and leader were never something I felt chemistry with. And I don't even know how continous settings work. But at least a chance to level up the leader to 10.

So the plan was no plans, except for maybe keeping to coast, I suppose it is needed for Spain, but I played Spain once only. I did not want to rush anyone, because my scouts were dead and only 2 peaceful villages at this difficulty was kind of surprising. And especially fighting island one and natural wonder one was annoying and took a lot of time with their galleys wandering everywhere. And because of Spain, I hope for many islands to settle
In terms of war, I was declared by Franklin, and because of terrain I was only defending, while I took his independent village south, Franklin was so bored by losing units, that he gave me town in the middle of mountain range.
Later I noticed, Asoka is on 1 city, so I DoWed while neutral. I did not notice he had that wonder for 2 war support, anyway he settled 2 more settlements, so no need to fight more except for leveling generals for free settles, but I was also given in a peace deal a distant town. At least this way I met nother leader, because I knew only 4 and I had expansion legacy completed with 3 conquered towns in total.
Later I lost the distant one because I allied Confu and independents took it while my war with Fred, who cares, I would not have any use of it.

I finished late, turn 130, with all legacies completed, the cultural one at the very last turn with a wonder Sanchi Stupa I do not need and which I built only to have 7 total. I lost Hanging Gardens by 1 turn and EmileBell by 2 or 3 turns.
I definitely wanted Mundo Perdido early for all that tropicals and build districts south. I wasted only 3 tropical tiles for 3 wonders: Mundo Perdido, Mausoleum of Theodoric and Colloseum.
My Forum in Rome ended up surrounded with Mundo, Colloseum, Sanchi Stupa and Nalanda and Amphiteatre + Monument (both culturals at the mountain). Rome finished also the Grrat Lighthouse and mentioned mausoleum on the tropical coast.
Ostia (south) has Terracota.
My third city is north Capua (north of Arunadhapura independents), +6 towns, including the northern peninsula for culture from natural wonder
4 generals, but only 3 have lvl1 leadership

Plan for exploration
Settle everything distant land.
Harras Franklin, Asoka or whoever for science / cuture (1 legatus with 3logistic / looting + Theodoric)
(I suppose if my scouts are alive at turn 1 explo, I could build a settler and it will stay, right?)

 

[Evolena]

Too late, too much reloads, doesn't count.

Turn 110, 10 Legacy points:

3 militaristic (10 9 settlements: capital + 2 founded with Settlers + 2 founded with Legatus (2 more charges) + 3 captured + 1 gifted)
3 economic
2 scientific
2 cultural (Terracotta Army, Colosseum, Mausoleum of Theodoric, Oracle)

I absolutely have noticed the priority change for Wonders. Biggest one is Gate of All Nations, clearly, it used to be that was almost guaranteed [...]. Oracle continues to be easy, Terracotta diffficult unless you make it a priority, Mausoleum always gets built by the AI.

The goal was to achieve at least 2 full legacy paths, probably Militaristic and Economic.
The plan was to quickly capture settlements with Legatus (exterminating a couple of Civs in the process), using only 1 Settler, and then settle some more with their ability. But the neighbours were far away... and had not settled anything by turn 50.
I wanted to get the +1 Settlement Limit from Militaristic and Expansionist City States, but I got greedy and took the Commander XP (my main Legatus was level 10) and +4 Food on Food building first, and the one I wanted had all been taken by the AI...

The war against Benjamin started T46, with Chang'An captured T51 (no walls).
The war against Ashoka took place between T60 and T70, with Pataliputra captured (no walls either)
Then I had wiped out 2 civs, but only captured 2 settlements. As Confucius had been allied with Ashoka, I was already at war with him, and I wanted his wonders (Hanging Garden, Petra, Gate of All Nations). The first war failed at capturing Yasodharapura (what did I think, starting with only one commander and a handful of troups?). I gave up when my second commander came with reinforcement and a second ballista, and got the town between us in the peace deal T90, only to declare again 10 turns later with more healed units while his capital was under the plague, with careful placement. I slightly delayed the final capture to finish some building projects (Oracle for the 2nd cultural point, forum in the 2 other cities Mediolanum and Pataliputra) and get the 5th and 6th Codex on the same turn (a Science mastery and Literacy).

I've only founded 2 settlements with Settlers (still 1 more than in the initial plan ^^): Mediolanum (later a city) T22, and Patavium T42. Capua was founded just after the capture of Pataliputra by my first Legatus to connect the resources, and Ostia late game with a Legatus too to get some more Iron and Camel. I think this one got all the migrants from the plague to help it grow!

I feel like with Rome, I never find the good spot between Settlers, Legatus ability, conquest and getting Legions out of Legatus Pro Praetore. I think I tend to delay Settlers too much hoping to get the most of the others, while staying in the settlement limit.
Also I should probably shift from the Production focus at some points... I've built Barracks and Blacksmiths everywhere, but only ever built 1 Library (+1 in each capital city captured) and almost no Food building (except Warehouses), and no Gold building.

I got disappointed by the change to the Basilica Influence adjacency, and the Clay not working anymore on the latest patch. Other than that, a good age, with much more warfare (yet easy for the first 2 civs) than I'm used to in this age.

Spoiler Screenshots :

Turn 60:

Turn 110: