A Babylonian Space Guide (1.17 Regent Normal Updated)

[Granite Ridge]

This thread is motivated by the discussion here (https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/egypt-babylonia-space-victory-suggestions？.676845/). After several attempts I think I've found a locally optimal solution. It may seem gamey at times but, if carefully executed, can allow reaching the Global Age in the 1400s. I have not finished the game yet, but in any case it should guarantee a space victory well ahead of the deadline. Any suggestion is welcome!

Overview​

My central focus in playing this game is to maximize science by all means necessary while undertake expansion as early as possible. This also entails chasing as many religions as feasible for the nice synergies between wonders of difference religions. The rough themes of each era are

• 3000 - 900 BC: race to Writing (for library) and Philosophy (for Academy and Great Library) while founding an early city in India for Buddhist shrine & rice (which will allow you to build Dujiangyan).
• 900 BC - 0 CE: Fend off the Persian invasion while beelining to Guilds (for Regulated Trade). Snatch Orthodoxy and Islam in Babilu while building up an army. Settle South Africa to found Catholicism in the early CEs.
• 0 - 300 CE: Conquer Persia; use the army to take Constantinople & Athens if Rome collapsed / Greece is still around (in which cases the Byzantines will not spawn).
• 300 - 600 CE: Develop your conquered land & beeline Heritage for Renaissance.
• 600 CE onward: Defeat the Arabians, Turks, Mongols, and Iranians; Your tech rate will likely determine your expansion limit. With jails & Westminster in the Global Age, you should have no problem holding an empire spanning Egypt, Mecca, Eastern Africa down to Durban, Kiev, Transoxania, Southern India, and Midwestern U.S. I like to prioritize Macroeconomics for the Global Age.

The Babilu Question​

You can fit three cities in Babylonian's core which will have more than 2x Babylon's population, but the increase in core population is probably marginal. Founding Babilu on spot will allow it to monopolize on 3/4 shrines (Orthodoxy, Islam, Protestantism, Judaism is optional) and all the amazing flood plains, which synergizes nicely with Regulated Trade, Centralism, and wonders like National College, National Bank, Menlo Park, etc. With two or three cities your shrine gold and beakers will likely be scattered around, diminishing their maximum potential. Founding Babilu on spot will also give you a golden age once you clear the population & culture goals, which is not a game changer but not nothing either. (By beelining Writing and Philosophy you will all but certainly lose the first UHV.)

Religion & Wonder Planning​

I, for one, was amazed by how many religions Babylonian can found. The wonders they unlock can help you economy snowball much, much faster. At the same time, it also requires a disciplined schedule of building and switching so you don't get bogged down building fluff wonders, as well as prior planning so you will have the slot/culture to build them when they become available, especially those you will build in Babilu. A good rule of thumb is to build all wonders with global effects (Mount Athos, Sankore, etc.) outside Babilu Also note missionaries of your state religion are guaranteed to succeed.

• Pagan Religion. You will only have slots for 3 wonders for a while, then 5. Therefore I skipped Sphinx, Pyramid, or Ishtar Gate. First built Oracle, Hanging Garden, Great Library. When culture expands build Parthenon and Flavian Amphitheater. Build a theater in Babilu ASAP for culture & artists.
• Buddhism. The first religion you will found in Mumbai (or one N?) around Persian spawn. In my game I had an early spread of Hinduism so I switched to Buddhism once the Flavian Amphitheater is ready and built Prambanan (+25% food after growth) & Wat Preah Pisnulok (all cities +1 pop, preist +1 food) there. Babilu builds Dujiangyan after Ethics and Borobudur (priest +1 hammer, +3 priest slots) after Civil Service. If Hinduism spreads late you may want to go to Orthodoxy first.
• Orthodoxy. Don't settle near the northern iron beforehand if you want it in Babilu. Built Mount Athos in the northern city and Monolithic Church in Parsa after conquering Persia. After this I almost exclusively run priests until the end of Renaissance.
• Islam. Don't invade Persia beforehand if you want it in Babilu. Built La Mezquita in Babilu and Sankore elsewhere (e.g. Athens).
• Catholicism. Founded in Durban. Build Santa Maria del Fiore in Babilu; San Marco Basilica and Versailles elsewhere. I also had some spare production so built Sistine Chapel as well.
• Protestantism. Researching Academia will found it in Babilu since you have 0 city in its historical area. You will get ~ 1000 gold + a shrine for free. Built Bourse in Babylu, Saint Thomas Church & Oxford elsewhere (probably outside Iran).
• Switch to Islam again, simply because Image of the World Square is awesome in Babilu! You can build Taj Mahal any time you want; no one is going to beat you to it anyways.
• Secularism. Like... whatever you want. Just maybe don't build fluff ones in Babilu. I like to have Bourse, Louvre, Hermitage, Menlo Park, Metropolitan, and Empire State Building along with National College+Monument+Bank in Babilu by Global Age. Maybe LHC and something else later?
• I used engineers to rush Bell Rock & Westminster.

More details coming soon...

 

[Lzz]

Okay...wow. How are you getting such fast research? This seems insane.

 

[Matara]

You seems to go to space before anyone starts Industrial Revolution.

 

[Dracosolon]

Anyone else tried this? Looks interesting but you get a lot of plates spinning between wonders and conquest, and getting the timing right with techs.

 

[Logoncal]

Okay...wow. How are you getting such fast research? This seems insane.

You know how Early game civs have an absurdly high tech cost? This.
I played a game as Rome and casually researched it, with no exploits. Reached industrial era in the 1600s/late 1500s.
Being able to research (and fast even) when nobody spawned yet is absurd, especially when cities in DoC can be supercharged (which in this case, Babylon can since it's a floodplain beast.)

 

[banzay13]

Anyone else tried this? Looks interesting but you get a lot of plates spinning between wonders and conquest, and getting the timing right with techs.

Well, i tried on Monarch/Marathon and was able enter Global Era in 1650. The guide is very good, indeed. With so many shrines you'll be run 100% research almost all time. But not sure how get so fast research anyway. The thing, that stop you - OE. As for Normal game speed - you need play Godlike, to get things so fast

UPD. I'm thinking, if you settle on wine after you raze Sur - you can get not bad city, instead Ancarah. Instead Artaxata you can settle Tbilisi 1N and keep Slush. So you can get more cites in historical area and expand more

 

[Granite Ridge]

I'm back from a long hiatus from Civ 4. The one major difference between 1.17 and the 1.16 version I first played on seems to be you can't prevent Ottoman spawn, which is another nuisance to keep in mind... let's see how it goes.

I've been replaying the game in 1.17 and will post the details. Some tactics are more exploity (e.g., steal Harappan worker), but other strategies, like tech routes, are hopefully helpful even for historically faithful plays.

Era 1: 3000 - 900 BC (turn 0-80)

Tech route (bracket denotes free techs): Mining-(Masonry)-Mythology-(Ceremony)-[Civic: Slavery+Monarchy]-Property-(Writing)-Leverage-(Arithmetics)-Sailing-(Divination)-[Civic: Deification+Redistribution]-Tanning-Calendar-Priesthood-(Oracle: Literature)-(Oracle: Philosophy)-beeline Alloys then flexible, keeping an eye out for opportunistic tech trades

Reasoning: to jumpstart beakers, most Ancient civs can count on Writing (enables library) then Philosophy (enables Academy+Great Library). The question is how to get them ASAP by exploiting Babylon's UP & Oracle. Both only bulb techs in the present or earlier eras, so my solution is delay and finish Oracle the same turn as Priesthood so I can get high-beaker Literature+Philosophy. Note: on regent normal, it's possible though uncommon for Egypt to beat you to Oracle this way. Two ways to be safe (or for higher difficulties). 1. Don't tech Tanning before Philosophy, but you need a good RNG roll on turn 49 spawning barbarian chariots farther away in Anatolia, or they will create mayhem against your militia defenders. It's also harder to capture workers from Shushan without a bowman. 2. hard-tech literature and bulb Calendar+Priesthood, taking longer to get to Philosophy.

Build Sequence: worker-militia (for western hut)-barrack-library upon Writing-(interspersing 1 or 2 militias)-granary upon Redistribution-bowman-partial Oracle-Hanging Garden upon Calendar-finish Oracle simultaneously as Priesthood-bowman-settler-Great Library. Afterward is flexible — maybe theater and starting thinking about defense against Persian.

Note: run scientists so you get a Great Scientist along with or not long after Philosophy; can focus more on growth afterward. Building Great Library upon Philosophy is tempting, but unless you can tech faster, you do need to move the settler through Persia by ~950BC to found the Indian city. I like to also send 2 bowmen as escorts & 2 workers captured from Shushan.

 

[Granite Ridge]

Spoiler First Civic Change :

Spoiler Free worker! :

Spoiler Edubba done, start running scientists :

Spoiler 2 more free workers :

Spoiler failed UHV1 lol :

\

Spoiler Hanging Garden :

Spoiler Oracle for Philosophy :

Spoiler Great Scientist for Academy :

Spoiler Great Library :

Spoiler Founding Indian City :