BOTM 112 First Spoiler, to 1 AD

[Deckhand]

BOTM 112 - First Spoiler to 1 AD

Stop! If you are participating in BOTM 112, then you MUST NOT read this thread unless EITHER

• You have reached at least 1 AD in your game, OR
• You have submitted your entry

Use this thread to tell us what happened in your game, up to 1AD!
Did Raging Barbarians have any impact?
How many civs have you met?
Any wars?


Posting Restrictions

• Please do not disclose ANY events or information gained post 1 AD.
• Please do not reveal your final result if that happened after 1 AD.
• Please do not discuss the location of resources that may not show up before 1 AD. (Iron is OK, coal and oil are not)
  
• Do not post any savegame file from the game. Discussions and screenshots are fine but not actual games

 

[georgjorge]

Wise man: "Nine Chariots cannot destroy three Archers in a city if one of them has City Guard II"

georgjorge: "What could possibly go wrong? Everyone, ATTACK! ATTACK!"

Hmm.

After losing 270 hammers that early with nothing to show for it (well I guess I DID kill one of the Archers) I didn't feel like my game could be competitive anymore, so I quit. Pity, because the setup looked rather interesting for a space game.

Strangely enough, the barbarians didn't really seem Raging at all. They only started slowly turning up at around turn 50 (I thought it was turn 30 for Prince) and I never saw anything other than Warriors up to 800BC so the Chariots I made for defense were more than adequate.

 

[Deckhand]

Are sure they were Archers?
Maybe they were hwAchers, like in the picture?

That's a shame. Nine seem like plenty to kill 3. Note to self.
Also, level affects AI production, not combat odds.

 

[georgjorge]

That's a shame. Nine seem like plenty to kill 3. Note to self. Also, level affects AI production, not combat odds.

Yes, I know those were just "normal" odds not modified in any way. And Chariots against Archers will always have a fair amount of losses...I was just annoyed because I found the perfect spot to attack within the second turn of war, culture popped one turn before attack so I had to move to a spot which allowed attack only on third turn, and that extra turn allowed Mehmed to whip the crucial third Archer.

But maybe - as you suggest - they were another unit in disguise. Like Rifles. Definitely felt that way.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

So as the map shows, I'm a bit smaller than normal at 1AD: Just 6 cities, although I have a settler just built. Sustainable GPT: 89 bpt at 70%. Oracled Code of Laws, self-researched civil service, and managed to trade to get alphabet, monarchy, and iron working.

I settled 1W on the grassland, ironically for the opposite reason that I gave in my starting post. From the starting screenshot I thought that 1W would be a great production spot. However, I opened the save, and moved the warrior to the hill N with revealed that 1W was also likely to have more grassland tiles for towns. Since I figured that on a highland map, good production sites would be easy to find but commerce sites would be rarer, I settled 1W to make sure my capital could become a good commerce site.

Warrior encircled the immediate area and discovered horses to the NW and SW but no happiness resources. Since this was raging barbs on an all-land map, I figured that early chariots was a MUST, so settled my 2nd city ASAP by the nearest horses - to the SW - despite the fact that there were no food resources to support that city. I then built 6 chariots and when the barb onslaught came soon afterwards, I was very glad I did: For ages there seemed to be a continuous stream of warriors arriving from all directions. 6 chariots was enough that there were always some fully healed chariots available to fight while the ones that dealt with the previous turn's attacks recovered And the experience gained meant that I was able to get several +1-visibility promoted chariots after a while to go out exploring with!

I was seriously worried about happiness - no visible happy resources in the immediate area - and that was what made me decide to Oracle code of laws - to get the happiness from a religion.

So, between diverting resources to the Oracle, settling a 2nd city with no food, and having to fend off the barbarian armies, I think that explains the small size of my civ. Once the game is finished I may try replaying with a couple of alternative strategies - perhaps see if building the great wall first is better. But overall, given the circumstances of the game, I'm happy so far...

 

[georgjorge]

I also settled my second city by the Horses for fear of barbs, but I placed it so it could take the Corn from the capital (which doesn't really need Corn AND Cows when it's mainly working cottages). Worked out well.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

I also settled my second city by the Horses for fear of barbs, but I placed it so it could take the Corn from the capital (which doesn't really need Corn AND Cows when it's mainly working cottages). Worked out well.

Ah yes, that's another way of doing it. I have to admit I didn't think of doing that. In my case it might not have worked so well though because until I didn't have the capital working cottages much until I had enough chariots, the Oracle and a couple of settlers built. Until then it was using the corn and cows for food while mainly working hills for production. But if you'd gone for much earlier cottages than I can see the sense of sharing the corn.

 

[Livio]

Yes, I know those were just "normal" odds not modified in any way. And Chariots against Archers will always have a fair amount of losses...I was just annoyed because I found the perfect spot to attack within the second turn of war, culture popped one turn before attack so I had to move to a spot which allowed attack only on third turn, and that extra turn allowed Mehmed to whip the crucial third Archer.

But maybe - as you suggest - they were another unit in disguise. Like Rifles. Definitely felt that way.

Perhaps the city is placed on a Hills, about 50% of the city in this game are on Hills.
In this case is not so rare a casualties like this
The Ottoman leader is Suleiman

 

[Livio]

Hy all

Settled in place. Prince+misticysm is a good reason to go to an early religion. I work the spices and discover Buddhism first. Then agriculture, animal husbandry and archery. Second city near horses, discover bronze working and third city near copper. Iron working and 4th city near iron.

At 1 ad I have 5 cities, researching currency, I have about 15 archers and 10 chariots, perhaps a few axes. I'm slowed down in exploration by barbs, I killed about 70 barbs (warriors mostly). I can see 2 barbs cities around me, but I'm not ready to raze it...they are on Hills and I prefer to use swordsmen instead of chariots, but I'll build some axeman first.

I have no wonders.

I'm unable to expand my religion to other civs cause of barbarians...to expensive to send out missionary to other civs if they need 2 or 3 units each as escort, and I have no great prophet, consequently no shrine

Sorry for my pathetic english, I hope you understand me

 

[georgjorge]

Settled in place. Prince+misticysm is a good reason to go to an early religion.

I'm not sure I follow your reasoning here. Are you planning to go for Religious Victory? Otherwise the benefits of founding an early religion are very small.

Second city near horses, discover bronze working and third city near copper. Iron working and 4th city near iron.

It seems you wanted to get ALL the strategic resources connected as soon as possible. That might have been overkill (especially Iron which isn't needed defensively) - I don't know about the ADs but in my game Chariots were enough (especially if I wouldn't have thrown nine of them against AI archers), and with AI expansion and my own expansion there wouldn't have been many spots left for them to spawn at 1AD.

 

[neilmeister]

Sorry for my pathetic english, I hope you understand me

Hi Livio,

Thanks for posting in the forums and your english is not pathetic at all !

I agree that Prince+mysticism is a good opportunity to go for early religion, but I also agree with georgjorge in that unless you want a religious victory it isn't optimal. Sorry, you have to excuse us as most of us are chasing the optimal victory every time... even if most of us started Civ as 'builders'.

Anyway, thanks again for posting.... it took me a few years after joining to add my first post.... somehow got into the thousands without noticing!

 

[neilmeister]

I went for the GW... simply as I didn't want to be bothered by barbs. Lazy I know, but hey!

At 1ad I have 7 cities, researching Calendar.

 

[Livio]

I'm not sure I follow your reasoning here. Are you planning to go for Religious Victory? Otherwise the benefits of founding an early religion are very small.

I agree, now but I realized it too late

It seems you wanted to get ALL the strategic resources connected as soon as possible. That might have been overkill (especially Iron which isn't needed defensively) - I don't know about the ADs but in my game Chariots were enough (especially if I wouldn't have thrown nine of them against AI archers), and with AI expansion and my own expansion there wouldn't have been many spots left for them to spawn at 1AD.

Usually a good idea...the map seemed to be not particularly good and poor of food resources. Lots of Hills everywhere. There aren't any good positions to settle immediatly

 

[Livio]

Hi Livio,

Thanks for posting in the forums and your english is not pathetic at all !

I agree that Prince+mysticism is a good opportunity to go for early religion, but I also agree with georgjorge in that unless you want a religious victory it isn't optimal. Sorry, you have to excuse us as most of us are chasing the optimal victory every time... even if most of us started Civ as 'builders'.

Anyway, thanks again for posting.... it took me a few years after joining to add my first post.... somehow got into the thousands without noticing!

Thanks, Neilmeister
As most of players I tend to be "builder" or "techer" rather than "warmoger" at the begin