Better (Bug) AI Large 12 Deity

[Tatran]

Then I'm hit by the painful news.... EPIC SPEED!!
No thanks!

Disappointed it wasn't Marathon?

 

[Grashopa]

Updated the first post to mention epic speed, I don't play large without it. I'll try fractal normal next for ya.

I'd love to see an AI DoW me for being weak. We'll see.

 

[DMOC]

Obsolete considers any non-standard setting to be cheating.

 

[Grashopa]

200 BC

Nothing happened really grabbed compass for harbors and trade bait, I'm going for machinery since I can't trade for code of laws yet otherwise I'd probably grab civil service first. GM pops next turn and I take peace for 45 gold with Hammurabi.

Spoiler :

Trades just opened up so I picked up Aesthetics, Calendar, Code of Laws, Construction and 350 gold with Compass. Everyone is at war... Ethiopia researched the Islam tech after someone else founded then he went for lit and now drama. Two AIs picked up machinery several turns ago. I'm done with optics and not sure what I'll research next since no one went for civil service I can't get a partial trade for it if I grab it now. I hope I can found cities in the ocean which will benefit from astronomy... but I'm missing an AI. Can you start isolated on Big and Small?

Spoiler :

 

[DMOC]

It's very common to start isolated when you have "Island Regions separate" on. If not, then it's a lot rarer.

 

[Grashopa]

55 AD.

My next door neighbor just decided to vassalize Persia and declare on several civs.

Spoiler :

So the Ottomans want me cancel trade with Ethiopia, but I just can't do it.

Spoiler :

I grabbed almost 1000 gold in trades for machinery/optics and picked up theology and feudalism.

Spoiler :

Heres the diplo INFO screen which is a mess. I have no idea how to play it from here. I can join hinduism, and I believe I will switch to Theocracy for diplo with Zara(Ethiopia) and Saladin - that will get those 2 to friendly. I can also change to HR at the cost of another turn of anarchy.. That will hopefully keep Gilgamesh at cautious even if I pick up Hinduism... Thats about my options and they don't bode well for my trade routes since I will have to start closing borders with half the civs..

Spoiler :

 

[Grashopa]

430 AD

I hate anarchy so I ended up doing nothing about diplo. Ended up friendly with the Chinese though due to mutual war and bureaucracy. Trading maps got me about 1000 gold and I found the last civ - apparently the Mongols have been at war with Saladin since like 1500 BC. They don't have anything except monarchy - I assume hes on a feudalism "beeline" that hasn't paid off yet.

Spoiler :

Heres the result of me not picking up Theocracy, not joining hinduism and not going to war with anyone. Except pretend with Hammurabi twice.

Spoiler :

Tech pace is not ahead of regular deity as I expected at this point, though obviously everyone has been at war. I completely lack hammers so I don't really want to micro war prep and shipping everyone around. I can take out Genghis without any effort, but that doesn't help the hammers so I can't imagine space.

I'll be going Free Market and Sushi/Mining Inc I'm sure.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

One of the things that really annoys me about deity play is that if Zara wanted to DoW @ 1000 BC to 800 BC timeframe, the human would already be dead. His pleased nowarprob is pretty nice, but it isn't 100. With the capitol sitting on a warrior in that timeframe, any DoW = loss, and that kind of timing can happen on IMMORTAL, let alone deity.

Ticky tack RNG luck FTL, but damn Grashopa is playing this well, I'm curious to see how it ends.

Fortunately, the game did not instantly beat you by giving gilgamesh 1.5x the #2 guy's land or something.

 

[Fleme]

Looks like you can pretty comfortably settle all those offshore islands. That should be a great boon later on if you can grab enough land. The setting screams for mining/sushi, let's just hope you can grab enough minerals to make that mining kick you into high gear.

Did you reach astro first and is it a monopoly of yours?

 

[Grashopa]

Yeah I had the Carracks to start settling at optics, but just dropped off settlers everywhere while going straight for Astro. Two civs also went straight for astro, and just picked it up recently while I'm in the middle of education. I've got military units out on what I believe are two larger islands exploring right now, I should be able to get settlers in place and I'm guessing I'll be first to the barb cities as well despite my lack of production.

Oh astronomy means no more monuments... So I traded for drama and a 2 pop whip theater... I'm not sure I can settle without first ring specials so we'll have to see how many more cities I get.

 

[kossin]

Worst comes to worst you can trade for Music and build culture with the highest hammer tile...

Looking forward to mass drafting or mining inc.

 

[Grashopa]

Haha thanks Kossin, I had forgotten about building culture. I've got paper on a bunch of guys, but I think I'm going to sell it off to everyone and make a run lib-nat for the Taj. I'll get nat before Ethiopia and I've got marble that he lacks so may get it. Philosophy then for music and the culture build.

I can even trade for philo since the Chinese have it and we are friendly, but I'd have to trade astronomy or education, and the Chinese are on the western coast near the land I'm working towards settling...

 

[Artichoker]

Tough map...I have a feeling the enhanced AI would have been more interesting if it were a Pangaea map, though. More opportunities for multi-directional conflict.

 

[Grashopa]

910 AD

I don't have the AP religion, but I'm pretty sure that this was an AP decision for everyone to attack Hammurabi

Spoiler :

I was asked to join against Hammurabi so I pick up some diplo points with everyone at war with him. I go lib-Nat the same turn Zara got Nat, but I can't believe he'll get Taj over me since he lacks marble and he has a couple wars.

Spoiler :

See Sitting Bull's galleon there? He had dropped off a settler the turn after me. I settle my city and he gets back on the boat to go home. I had though Better AI fixed this - in that settlers didn't have to return home before looking for a new place to settle.

Spoiler :

The war with Hammurabi ended after the US vassalized them. I don't like the diplo anymore.

Spoiler :

I shut off research after economics waiting for the opportunity to trade Lib/Economics for gunpowder/chemistry/printing press (perhaps SciMethod?) and I just noticed I'll be able to get constitution off Zara in 5 turns allowing me to switch to Rep before the end of my Taj GA. Its 910 AD now and my Taj GA just started. Couple turns earlier Saladin asked me to convert to Hinduism and I refused so now he is pleased not friendly. I need him friendly for trades so I have to either go Hindu or Theocracy...

I'm thinking about going Hindu and OR - I have 5 religions so if I spread them to myself and then go Free Religion thats +5 happy. And I'm going to be waiting on spreading sushi before going to war anyway so I have the spare whips during this period. The risk is losing my gems trade with Gilgamesh becoming annoyed, and I'll be the worst enemy of Carthage who declared on his worst enemy Zara a couple times already.

Better AI didn't have everyone switch immediately to mercantilism only Zara did. I'm happy with that.

 

[shyuhe]

Do you need to worry about a holy war being declared against you if you don't have the AP religion?

 

[phungus420]

Only need to if you're at war with a civ with the AP religion and the AP leader would want to go to war with you.

 

[Grashopa]

Thanks guys, Sumeria has the AP in buddhism - he will be annoyed if I take up a religion but he is annoyed with 4 AIs right now I believe and I won't be his worst enemy...

I'm guessing Better AI does a better job of not declaring on far away civs.. and I know for sure they will much prefer those with shrines or wonders that will benefit them. Sumeria I believe captured the Hindu holy city off Persia... I think everyone was at war with them early because they had the holy city and were smaller.

 

[Grashopa]

Played a few turns and stopped. I can trade for constitution/gunpowder/printing press/chemistry (Saladin)/sci method(Chinese)

HOWEVER

Remember I said I was 1 diplo point off of friendly with Saladin? Well I went Hindu OR and got back to friendly - but the gunpowder trade puts me ahead of Carthage and the Ottomans in the score list. That means I lose the +1 losers should help each other out bonus with Saladin for being in the bottom half with him. Gilgamesh is the only non friendly that will trade with me so I could stick with 0 research until he gets Chemistry or Saladin gets to +2 same religion... Saladin is the only one with chemistry currently.

I'm pretty sure I can order my trades and nerf my score by whipping off 16 or so pop - I was avoiding the whip until after the GA... And I can give the Ottomans liberalism or constitution to boost their score.. If only he hadn't asked me to switch to Hindu just before my GA.

 

[bobbyboy29]

Manipulating your own score to get better trades... Its these kinds of things that set apart real diety players like Grashopa from the rest of us! I would never have thought of that, that's crazy good!

Am I the only one just simply amazed with this game? If anyone else started a game almost completely blocked off by a diety Zara they would have given up straight away and re-rolled, you're in a very possible winning position, amazing!

Just a question, what victory are you aiming for? Space? Also any plans to go to war and wipe someone out for extra land?

 

[Fierabras]

Can someone explain why there's no foreign trade routes income in the info screen at 55 AD? Am I missing something?