[BTS] BOTM 156 - The Mighty Qin, First Spoiler to 1 AD

[Noble Zarkon]

[img=right]http://gotm.civfanatics.net/civ4games/images/botm156civ.jpg[/img]

How did you do in the BC years?
Which save did you take?
Where did you settle?
What did you do with the Great People?
Any interaction with other civs?

Stop! If you are participating in BOTM 156, 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

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

 

[MarleysGh0st]

I took the Adventurer save. I settled the GP and GSpy, and used the GE to rush the Pyramids. I'm still saving the GG. As for the extra bonus Bomber this save gave me, its potential was largely wasted. After scouting everywhere it could reach, it was relegated to bombing the occasional bear and barb. All of the AI are pleased with each other, so I didn't want an early war with one of them to bring them all in against me. So, I'm up to 6 cities by 1 AD, trying to build my tech lead.

Does the new Buffy mod give us diplomatic data we've never been able to see before? I can't recall ever seeing the -1 relationship hit for "first impressions" before.

 

[WastinTime]

(Deity save) I'm pretty sure I played this differently than anyone.

My T0 scouting spotted the Fur, and I wanted to research early, so I moved to the forestedPH. (also gives worker in 12t)
That's not the 'different' part. Others may have settled there too. But I did NOT research Animal Husbandry! . Like...ever.
Since I only had 1 pig, I just mined it!

Based on the possible options like where I settled, SIP, and settle on Sugar, I'm 99% sure there is horse on the grass east of PIgs. Yet still I opt for no AH.

I farm the FPs and set my goal to beat the fastest ever GotM Religious victory (450BC)
I open with Myst, Masonry. Build Worker.
I don't need any military...ever, so I put failgold hammers into Stonehenge. When that goes, Failgold into Mids.

Great People
GE: rush the Great Wall! I wanted to rush the AP, but there are sooo many forests that I can 1-turn the AP. Also, the mapmaker "generously" gave us land to settle. Generously I say sarcastically because it's just a barb breeding ground.
GPro: bulb Theology
GGeneral: fog bust until I get the great wall, then murder him! He's just costing me upkeep.
GSpy: scout, then near the end trigger a golden age.
2nd GSpy (from GWall). Scout.

I target Ramesses as my lover because he will love me back for sharing OrgRel.

Since we were given marble and I had masonry, I had to Oracle something. Free Math allowed me to 1-turn the AP.

P.S. it was very tempting to go for Espionage/culture victory with two GSpies. I hope someone did.

 

[Swordnboard]

Took the deity save. I had never really warred with Cho-Ko-Nu before, so wanted to give that a try. I quickly joined all great people, and aimed to Oracle Machinery ASAP, while still expanding pretty quickly. Oracle comes in at 1800 BC, while I settle my 6th and last city at 1520 BC. At this point, I trade for iron working, expecting to find iron somewhere nearby since NZ seems like a kind and generous mapmaker so far. But "only unclaimed iron is on some icebound island way to the south" is not what I had in mind. In fact, my previous settling effectively blocked me from getting a galley in there without building a fort, so I turn instead to paying an AI for a source of iron until I can conquer one myself. It takes most of my resources, researching currency and building wealth in nearly all cities, but Kublai eventually obliges. Meanwhile, a scientist-induced golden age ensures I can build some military and pay Kublai his exorbitant 80 GPT without falling into strike, at least.

After whipping together an army, I declare war on Kublai, taking a couple of cities before making peace to regroup. Then a few turns later, I strike again, taking Beshbalik and Karakorum (with its precious source of iron) at 325 BC. Kublai's remaining cities are lame, well-fortified and spread out, so my focus shifts to Ramesses and his juicy double-holy city, Memphis. I capture this city and one other, quickly sign a ceasefire to help my units regroup, and declare war again to finish him off. Thebes is captured at 25 BC, and Egypt's remaining 2 cities will just be a mop-up job.

Statistics so far:
Built 57 Cho-ko-nu, lost 14
Killed 19 archers, 13 swords, 13 axes, 13 spears, 7 catapults, 1 chariot.
14 Cities, 28% of land area

Wow! I never realized how efficient Cho-ko-nu with drill promotions were! 4.5 for 1 is pretty ridiculous... I have to play China more often!

 

[Xcalibrator]

Two comments on the new BUFFY: The research rate was set at 0% to start, and I didn't notice until a turn after I'd settled. Anybody else have that? And in the new Diplo/Glance screen, it doesn't show the net attitude values (-5, +10, etc.), only the icons for Pleased, Friendly, etc. I'd like to have both, the way it was. And yes, Ghost of Marley, the "first impressions" info is new.

Deity save, settled 2W of the pigs. At 1AD I have 8 cities, 50 pop, 250 bpt@100% and ~150 bpt at breakeven. I'm last in score with 1080, Egypt is first with 1490. Everyone is Buddhist and I've been peaceful, but the Mongols have been in wars with Rome and America. Egypt got the Oracle 1200 BC, GLH to Mongols 1400 BC, Mids to Mome 1040 BC. I have MoM in 650 BC and just got the Great Lib.
Yeah, that iron ice city is kind of a drag, but you do what ya gotta do.

I settled the Prophet and Eng, and have saved the General to make a supermedic when the time comes. The Spy has been scouting and I'll eventually use for tech stealing from Egypt. The Scientist will (or already did--can't remember) go toward a Golden Age. The GP boost is very welcome on this level! I'm doing OK on research, first to Alphabet, about even in tech (although the AI have Feudalism) except for Egypt, who's ahead by about 4. I'll have Engineering in 4 turns and will then go after the Mongols. I did capture one barb city to the NW on the coast, with seafood, some grain, and 3 nice hills to mine. Thanks for the game, NZ! Enjoying it a lot. Hopefully Fippy doesn't find it insultingly easy.

 

[WastinTime]

In options you can set 'both'. I like the #'s and smilieys too.

 

[Kaitzilla]

This game is a lot of fun!
Started out trying to get fastest conquest since the map is pangaea.
That means a good 2nd city at the start, so I settled 1S to make room for a Fish City that could share 3 flood plains with capital.

Barbs started without Archery (can tell when barb cities spawn with Warriors) and the human got 4 Great People.
I settled Great Prophet+Great Spy+Great General in the capital and Rush Built Pyramids on Turn 9.
Was doing 22 per turn on Turn 10 at Size 1.

Spoiler :

16 per turn meant I could see what all the AI were teching, and if I wanted to slow one down I could just focus all espionage on it.
Once past stage 2, the AI tends to put 10% or 20% in espionage slider so they can hide what they are teching.
Starting Warriors with 2xp was also nice.

Teched Masonry->Animal Husbandry->Bronze Working at the start.
Then The Wheel->Fishing->Pottery->Writing.
Built Warrior->Worker->Worker

Starting Warrior avoided some bears to contact Rome and Egypt.
Once I got open borders, this Warrior let me know that Egypt was spamming wonders like crazy, and that I'd have to focus teching Oracle if I wanted it.
I halfheartedly teched Mysticism after Writing, but once I saw Egypt had Marble I gave up and just teched Alphabet instead.

Spoiler :

Figured I could just steal whatever Egypt Oracled.
Finally, the starting Warrior stole 2 Workers from Mongolia!!!
Closed Borders to teleport, then sent the stolen Workers to Egypt since Mongolia didn't have Open Borders with Egypt.
What a hero!

Spoiler :

2nd Warrior died a losers death around turn 20.
Barb only had 3.4% chance to win. >_<

Spoiler :

The fallout vanished around 3200AD???
It is there on 3240AD but gone the next turn 2 east of Marble.

Spoiler :

Capital focused on the Fish City and a Library which boosted the tech rate immensely.
1st Great Person around Turn 55 (1800BC) was a Great Engineer from the Mids, so I bulbed Metal Casting and put 1/2 priced Forges in my Fish+Main City.
This let both cities 2pop whip Horse Archers and chop like crazy.
Mid game was Mysticism (doh!)->Alphabet->Horseback Riding->Math->Currency
This let me race to Horse Archers, spam Chariots to capture 2 barb cities from Warriors, and gobble up one of Mongolia's cities guarded by 2 Archers.

First major war was Egypt land of the infinite Archers.
Denied Egypt Iron, gobbled up weakly defended cities, ignored heavily defended cities, signed Cease Fires, gifted weak city to lure out Archers, Dow'd again to steal more workers, used 2 Spies to revolt Egypt's capital to 0% 1 turn.

Spoiler :

Egypt got pounded so hard I got Theology for a Peace Treaty hehe.

After that the game really snowballed.
I used all the dirty tricks.
Gifted fish city away twice to 1 city civs to clear whipping anger.
Gave away my capital to clear whipping anger by moving the capital up to Egypt first.

Gave USA an Egyptian city to reach +4 Fair trade to get Friendly + Calendar before the axe fell.

It is now 1AD and I think I can win in maybe 5 or 6 more turns.
Golden Age + Police State + Theocracy is great for a last burst of military power.
War takes a while with vassals turned off.

Metal Casting made for great trading.
Used it to cause 1 war and get all the techs I needed after Alphabet without giving the AI anything useful.
The only techs I gave the AI after that was Polytheism or Priesthood for gold or some big tech like Theology for something great.
Really tried to keep the AI as backwards as possible to keep my window of opportunity open as long as possible.

 

[Kaitzilla]

(Deity save) I'm pretty sure I played this differently than anyone.

My T0 scouting spotted the Fur, and I wanted to research early, so I moved to the forestedPH. (also gives worker in 12t)
That's not the 'different' part. Others may have settled there too. But I did NOT research Animal Husbandry! . Like...ever.
Since I only had 1 pig, I just mined it!

Based on the possible options like where I settled, SIP, and settle on Sugar, I'm 99% sure there is horse on the grass east of PIgs. Yet still I opt for no AH.

I farm the FPs and set my goal to beat the fastest ever GotM Religious victory (450BC)
I open with Myst, Masonry. Build Worker.
I don't need any military...ever, so I put failgold hammers into Stonehenge. When that goes, Failgold into Mids.

Great People
GE: rush the Great Wall! I wanted to rush the AP, but there are sooo many forests that I can 1-turn the AP. Also, the mapmaker "generously" gave us land to settle. Generously I say sarcastically because it's just a barb breeding ground.
GPro: bulb Theology
GGeneral: fog bust until I get the great wall, then murder him! He's just costing me upkeep.
GSpy: scout, then near the end trigger a golden age.
2nd GSpy (from GWall). Scout.

I target Ramesses as my lover because he will love me back for sharing OrgRel.

Since we were given marble and I had masonry, I had to Oracle something. Free Math allowed me to 1-turn the AP.

P.S. it was very tempting to go for Espionage/culture victory with two GSpies. I hope someone did.

Good heavens.
Your AP finish date must have been nuts.

pay Kublai his exorbitant 80 GPT without falling into strike, at least

Ouch!
Chokos and no Iron is really irritating ya.

 

[Fine_Distinction]

Unlike you guys, I took adventurer save and just wanted to let you know that scouting with a bomber is supercool . Not much to do other than help worker stealing after couple first turns, but initially was very interesting and I could see in real time incredible unit bonuses AI is getting on Emperor.

 

[WastinTime]

Not much to do other than help worker stealing after couple first turns

In the last SGotM, all teams were given a bomber. It was busy every. single. turn. the entire game. It had a very packed schedule and we even moved it a few times by closing borders and teleporting it just so we wouldn't waste a turn without bombing something. We could kept 2 bombers busy. After a little scouting, it bombarded city defenses, and mostly it was used for air strikes on cities. Shredded the longbows and we could roll over everyone.

 

[Fine_Distinction]

In the last SGotM, all teams were given a bomber. It was busy every. single. turn. the entire game. It had a very packed schedule and we even moved it a few times by closing borders and teleporting it just so we wouldn't waste a turn without bombing something. We could kept 2 bombers busy. After a little scouting, it bombarded city defenses, and mostly it was used for air strikes on cities. Shredded the longbows and we could roll over everyone.

Thanks, I will look it up. I abandoned this game early, when I still had only one city and was far from attacking an AI, if I was even in a position to attack an AI to try to conquer their cities, I would definitely use the bomber more, but here I decided to focus on Isabella GOTM, which is difficulty level I am more comfortable with.