Bindy's Road to EQM -- Round 1

[Bindamel]

As I mentioned in this thread, I have devised a plan to achieve all the requirements for four of the six legs of the Elite Quattromaster Challenge.

I will try to post a thread around every two weeks with the game conditions, and then some highlights of my game, and encourage others to do the same. I also open the floor to discussions of strategy, as the regular HoF'ers never cease to amaze me with their insight into the game.

Round 1: A Classic.

What could be more classic than a Praet rush, on continents, to achieve domination. The only thing that is a bit less than ideal is the normal game speed, which will limit the time that the Praet rush will be available. I will be using Julius, because I don't have Warlords, but Augustus (Creative, Organized) is also available to folks who do. Warlords' Julius will also be Imperialistic in addition to Organized, instead of Vanilla's Expansive.

"Required" Settings:
Expansion: Vanilla/Warlords
Era: Ancient
Civilization: Rome
Victory Condition: Domination
Game Speed: Normal
Civilization: Rome

As I mentioned in the opening thread, I will be playing at Monarch. (but I sure wouldn't mind seeing someone trying the game conditions at higher levels!) My plan is to use a small map, with max civs, to drop the domination land requirement as low as possible. As a reminder, here are the allowable number of opposing civs by map size:

Mapsize    Minimum     Maximum   
  Tiny         2          4  
 Small         4          7  
Standard       6         10  
 Large         8         14    
  Huge        10         17

Remember, Duel Maps are ineligible for the Elite Quattromaster Challenge.

I wish you iron and close neighbors!

Results:

Bindamel had a Monarch victory on a Small Map with JC/Vanilla in 1888 A.D.
ParadigmShifter had an Emperor victory on a Small Map with AC/Warlords in 1060 A.D.
bestje had an Prince victory on a Tiny Map with JC/Warlords in 1640 A.D.

 

[bestje]

an interesting game to start with, my domination games could definitely use practice and naval invasions too... could be quite a challenge

 

[ArcadicGamer]

i plan on joining in on a few of these, however in BTS since that is where i am starting to chase QM on. Monarch is where i am shooting too so hopefuly our games could offer some good comparisons as to the gaps in van/war and BTS.

 

[Ozbenno]

Problem with Continents map is that sometimes your starting continent has enough land for domination, sometimes not. Much better for use in space races.

I do need JC for my EQM noble aim for next update though, mind if I try on Great Plains or Lakes on a small map?

 

[Bindamel]

an interesting game to start with, my domination games could definitely use practice and naval invasions too... could be quite a challenge

Yep, often if you get the majority of the opponents on your starting continent, you get enough land for domination. The game I started last night, I met five opponents by about 2800 B.C., so I'm hopeful. Otherwise to the sea!

i plan on joining in on a few of these, however in BTS since that is where i am starting to chase QM on. Monarch is where i am shooting too so hopefuly our games could offer some good comparisons as to the gaps in van/war and BTS.

That will certainly be an interesting comparison. Speaking from my experience in Immy's Celebrity Deathmatch, BTS AI can certainly surprise you.

Problem with Continents map is that sometimes your starting continent has enough land for domination, sometimes not. Much better for use in space races.

I do need JC for my EQM noble aim for next update though, mind if I try on Great Plains or Lakes on a small map?

Of course not! I did intentionally pick continents because I wanted it to be something beyond rushing from one end of a Pangea to another, but I agree there can be frustration if your continent ends up being not quite large enough for domination.

 

[Mistfit]

Cool someone playing a similar game to my first attempts at the cIV HoF..

Are you attempting to get the quickest dates per map size? or just get a win?

A Pangaea with high water would seem like the most logical map for this to me but I am new at this and would be interested in hearing your thoughts as to why you are choosing continents. I have been testing and playing some small map Pangaea's and have found that if you put 4 opponents you need to wipe out 3 of them completely to get to domination... if you have time please explain your thought process on this..

Also if you do not mind please expand on what your typical opening moves are.. it is an area that I struggle with.

Of course if you are concerned about giving away your secrets to success I fully understand..

 

[Bindamel]

Cool someone playing a similar game to my first attempts at the cIV HoF..

Are you attempting to get the quickest dates per map size? or just get a win?

A Pangaea with high water would seem like the most logical map for this to me but I am new at this and would be interested in hearing your thoughts as to why you are choosing continents. I have been testing and playing some small map Pangaea's and have found that if you put 4 opponents you need to wipe out 3 of them completely to get to domination... if you have time please explain your thought process on this..

Also if you do not mind please expand on what your typical opening moves are.. it is an area that I struggle with.

Of course if you are concerned about giving away your secrets to success I fully understand..

I'm just playing to win. I consistently finish in the bottom third in the gauntlets that I do manage to complete. I set up this series to be a fun (to me, at least) way to get EQM. I purposely am not picking the easiest route to get there. That's why this is continents instead of pangaea.

In the list of 33 games I intend to play to get EQM, I use each map type no more than twice, and each victory condition no more than six times, so there will be a lot of variety in the games.

In my first attempt, currently at 1000 A.D., I beelined to Iron Working, getting only Agriculture and the Wheel first, founded an iron city, got hooked up and went to town. Currently, Isabella is dead, and Louis is down two cities, including Paris.

That said, I'm probably not the best person to get advice from.

 

[hecubus]

I have a Domination win on Noble/Standard/Pangaea, so I'll be trying this on a Small map, still interested to try it on Continents. Also, since I'm getting wins consistently on Noble now, I'll be trying this at Prince.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Right, I fancy giving this a go. I still need a HOF victory as Rome. I've played lots of continents games but what the heck, I'll stick with that.

I'm trying for my first emperor win so that's what I will go for. Will try a small map to start with but if I get incredibly boxed in I might play normal size.

I'm also going to try what Sisiutil did in his Ragnar game, an Astronomy gambit via GS lightbulbs. For that I need to get Optics, Machinery, Calendar and Alphabet while avoiding Meditation, Civil Service and Theology.

Plan -> take over the home continent, bulb astro, invade the other continent.

Wish me luck!

 

[hecubus]

Took out Hannibal on my home continent. About two turns after my caravels hit the water, someone on the other continent hits Liberalism first. Back to the drawing board.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Hmm, Emperor is pretty tough for me. Small map with 7 opponents doesn't help. DoW'd on Napoleon because he claimed my iron, then Liz declared on me after I took the iron city. She captured it but since I am playing as Augustus, she didn't auto-raze it because it had already produced some culture, phew. Captured it back next turn anyway. Made peace with Nappy, smacked Liz a bit, pillaged her calendar resources (the AI techs so fast on Emperor) and razed a coastal city. Made peace for some cash and then finished off Napoleon. Meanwhile score leader Mehmed declared on Liz, so I joined in. Just finished off England with Mehmed not being much help apart from giving Liz a load of CG3 longbows, lol. Razed the rebuilt coastal city again, then managed to take all her cities even the last one when Mehmed had his big stack parked outside (but it cost me all 3 of my CR3 praets, bad random rolls). Everyone has macemen now anyway, better build som crossbows just in case. I don't think Mehmed or Cyrus will attack me (fingers crossed).

Mehmed and Cyrus are friendly or pleased with me because we are all Buddhists. Nipped off to the other continent, met Roosevelt, Stalin and Shaka. They are all confucianists. 1110AD, 1 turn away from my astronomy beeline, will need to go back and get civil service next, rebuild my army after most of it died attacking England, rebuild the economy as well. Don't know whether to backstab Cyrus who is weak or prepare for the other continent. Mehmed is too strong at the moment to do anything about, I'll try and get a tech lead but I expect to be nowhere in the liberalism race, but focus mainly on military techs from now on anyway. At least I can build observatories next, should help my science rate a bit.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Don't think I'll be able to get my first emperor win on this attempt, Mehmed and his vassal Cyrus look too far ahead. Got a foothold in the other continent from Roosevelt, then accidentally hit the "let's stop this pointless fighting and declare peace" instead of getting a 10 turn ceasefire for 260 gold. The Stalin DoW'd and landed an annoying stack 3 grenadiers and a few knights plus some junk horse archers with a few cats, they took one of my coastal cities, but they are sitting there healing while it's in revolt, I'lll have to finish them off with grenadiers and some praets I hadn't upgraded. It's 1560AD, I've got cannons now, everyone else seems to have rifles and cavalry. 2nd in score about a 1000 behind Mehmed, 28% land area.

When Stalin DoW'd I DoW'd on Roosevelt as well and burnt New York with his Great Wall and Taj Mahal so my foothold isn't under cultural pressure. I haven't seen what the counter attack is going to be like.

I think Mehmed will either backstab me (although he is at friendly) or else beat me into space. I'm the only one trying for a dom victory in my game it seems.

Maybe I could turn it around if I can clear Stalin off my continent and get some more guys over to the other continent and vassalise Roosevelt or Stalin. I'm not too hopeful of that though.

I'll probably have another go with a larger map or less than max civs for Emperor level.

 

[Bindamel]

I looked up normal speed domination wins on small maps in the HoF. If I'm reading correctly, here are the dates:

Settler:     25 B.C.
Chieftain:  600 B.C.
Warlord:   1520 A.D.
Noble:      820 A.D.
Prince:    1010 A.D.
Monarch:   1765 A.D.
Emperor:     No Date
Immortal:    No Date
Deity:       No Date

I'd say there are some beatable dates there.

 

[Mistfit]

Dutchfire told me he has submited a 150AD win for the Noble spot.. so.. that one is a little less beatable

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Well the warlord one looks very doable, I need a warlord submission after my minor gauntlet fail was denied for 2 crashes, I won domination accidentally there though. No emperor games gives me added incentive to get a win, I may play a few more hours of my game I can't see domination being likely, but it is good practice.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Update on my game:

I like small maps for continents I have decided, there's not much ocean to sail across. Still in 2nd place in 1780AD, about 1300pts behind Mehmed who hs assembly line (me too in 1 turn), and destroyers (I'm nowhere near them). Just vassalised Roosevelt on the other continent, so I have about 30% land now (Mehmed has 32% with Cyrus as a vassal). I've got 3 cities on the continent, my toe-hold one (which got captured, I had to evacuate Dunkirk style), but took back the new city that was built nearby after Stalin razed it. Grabbed 2 more coastal cities, I bribed Shaka (strongest on the other continent) into war with Roosevelt so he wouldn't vassalise to Shaka, a good move. Shaka smashed some stacks into one of Roosevelt's coastal cities so it was an easy take, and Roos vassalised. Going to declare on Stalin, probably let him take a bit oout of Roosevelt as well, and then it should be easy eliminating Stalin. I'll still have to take on Shaka on the other continent, he has a massive military as usual. It's either that or take on Mehmed and Cyrus though. They are both still friendly which is a relief, no-one has changed to free religion yet though.

It's touch and go whether I can eliminate Stalin and defeat Shaka's hordes before Mehmed launches his space ship.

Have to go for democracy next, emancipation unhappines was a problem but at least the war weariness has gone now.

EDIT: It's now 1846AD, Stalin has been eliminated. Mehmed declared war on Shaka as well, but he hasn't taken any cities on the other continent. I'm all excited now - it's looking like I may get my first win on Emperor level. Researching electricity now, after that all I really need is Assembly Line for tanks, Artillery to upgrade all my cannons, and then DoW on Shaka and wipe him out to win by domination. Mehmed won't be able to win via the UN since I have enough pop and Shaka hates him now, and he hasn't built the Apollo program yet. The only danger I can see is if Shaka vassalises to Mehmed (not likely unless he loses a city), or Mehmed goes free religion, decides he doesn't like me so much anymore, and decides to invade finishing me off. Fingers crossed. Less than 20 turns till I can start building tanks. I expect Apollo to be built fairly soon by Mehemed. Cyrus Mehmeds vassal beat me to the Pentagon by 2 turns, bah. At least I have lots of money now.

 

[Thrallia]

I'll be taking on Monarch in BtS. Since I'm finished with every speed except marathon, I'll be attempting Marathon. And since I need one more game on continents, I'll try this first, but may end up changing to one of the BtS only maps.

lovely...my first attempt ends on turn 16 when I discover I'm all alone on a continent big enough for a whole 5 cities...

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Hmm, everything went wrong for me in 1876AD, Cyrus asked me to join the war against Shaka the turn before, I sink some of his destroyers, move my stack to take his outlying city, Shaka slams his main force into my well defended border city, loses most of it, then... You have made peace with Shaka, he vassaled to Mehmed. Mehmed didn't even land any troops on the other continent I don't think.

Only possible option to salvage is an internet beeline I think, while building lots of tanks. No uranium for nukes unless |I can demand from America, I suppose I could try that by gifting Roose physics. Mehmeds power rating is off the charts.

EDIT: Gave up in 1946 when everyone decided to invade, took my Ironworks city when it was 6 turns away from completing the internet. The next best city will take 25 turns to build it. Lost 2 cities, razed 2 of Mehmeds and captured on eof Shakas, but it's hopeless tanks vs gunships when I haven't got SAM infantry. Mehmed was Friendly when he DoW'd. Still not happy about Shaka capitulating to Mehmed so easily before he even lost a city.

Although, if I were Mehmed I would have invaded centuries before

I was aiming for an amazing space race comeback via the internet rather than domination by the end though.

 

[playshogi]

I started this despite being skeptical about using continents for domination. Sure enough, after conquering the continent, I'll be about 4 squares short. I think I'll devote this game to time victory, instead, where I can just about maximize my land score, except I used high seas .

 

[ArcadicGamer]

i gave this a few shots using big small, practicly the same as continents, and i quit all after not popping iron anywhere usable. some 5-10 games...grrr Plus since i have just reinstalled everything, i dont have mapfinder enabled yet.