[BTS] BOTM 187 DeGaulle - First Spoiler 1 AD

[Deckhand]

BOTM 187: DeGaulle of France, Prince or Deity ... First Spoiler

Use this thread to tell us what happened in your game, up to 1AD!

How was the map maker evil?
What do the AI civs have in common?
Was the map maker more evil to the player or to the AIs?
Did you take Prince or Deity save?


Stop! If you are participating in BOTM 187, 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

 

[krikav]

All AIs have:

Spoiler :

A UU with horses!

The mapmaker was evil by placing GK so close to us, and leaving a empty wasteland to the east of us, and no early copper or horses.

Playing the deity save, but got some handicap in that the barbs didn't start with archery, and neither did the AIs!
Also, the AIs did only get prince level starting units, so no early extra city.
There is some script that the nobles club has, that ensures proper starting techs for the AIs.

Gifted GK a city early to get him to pleased, and got away since he attacked Ramsy abit later. <3
GK built the pyramids next door, and I think I need to do something engineering based against him.

A fun map with a generous start, but with alot of challenges. really nice!

 

[Kaitzilla]

Whoa, big map!
Took me a while to notice on the Deity save that the AI all started with 1 city and the barbs started with Warriors.
That really slowed down the barb onslaught.

I got real lucky that Genghis managed to avoid getting any metal until 450BC
So no worries about any early DOWs.

Spoiler :

Oracled Metal Casting, and then ran an Engineer specialist for the 50/50 shot at the Great Engineer.
And I got it

Spoiler :

Stuffed Colossus and Great Lighthouse into Lyons.
Bulbed Machinery.
I'm currently trying to decide if I want to beeline Engineering, divert to Literature, or push for Civil Service.
Leaning towards Literature since I can purchase Marble from Genghis for 18 per turn.
I'm not developed enough yet for a big Treb push.

Spoiler :

 

[DynamicSpirit]

I played the contender (Prince) save and I didn't think the map was evil at all (other than a slight issue of no nearby copper or horsies). And Genghis nearby was rather effectively neutered by also evidently having no horsies. Having said that, I did give into a demand from him for gems, because I wasn't ready for a war.

After much umming and ah-ing, I settled on top of the sugar, and almost immediately regretted it after realising that it meant that not only did I lose a turn moving to it, but the newly built worker also lost a turn getting from the sugar to the corn/pigs. Resulting in a net saving of only 1 turn on the first worker from the 3F city centre tile. But then later on I became very happy I'd settled there when I realised how close that put me to 5 gems all in a single city (once I had iron working to chop the jungle).

Overall I really like the starting area - all those grassland-river-jungle tiles are going to be a pain to keep chopping but once I'm into the AD years, I expect them to give me some amazing high-commerce cities.

One unusual move I did was a build order of worker-warrior-stonehenge - before building another settler. I figured that not only are border pops useful, but with all the empty land around, I could afford to hold off the first settler a little. And being charismatic makes Stonehenge rather more powerful than normal. And I think it has amply repaid itself in getting subsequent cities up and running quicker.

2nd city went South to get river and clam, and third City (Lyons) further South-West to get fish and lots of hills, so I could build the Great Lighthouse (done).

At 1AD, 7 cities, total pop 37. Reached iron working/metal casting/monarchy/construction/calendar, and now pushing for COL/civil service. Sustainable research 98 bpt at 70%. No wars yet, but will have to go to war with Genghis soon because he's nabbed the coastal marble site I wanted, and I'm sure he'll declare on me at some point anyway.

Spoiler :

 

[MarleysGh0st]

I also took the Contender (Prince) save. My goal is a Conquest Victory (as it will be in all future BOTMs, until I complete my Eptathlon).

On the first turn, I moved my warrior NW. After seeing the jungle to the north, I abandoned the idea of settling on the sugar, and I settled in place.

I noticed that I didn't have any horses or copper, and I thought there might have been some subtle movement of resources to put them out of reach of the ideal settling spots (like the fish that was just outside of range of the river mouth), but I didn't see the big spoilers that have already been noted above. Seems like the mapmaker was most evil towards the AI, this time.

I went for the Pyramid (completing it in 500 BC) and had settled five cities, including one giving me iron, when I noticed Genghis was plotting. Based on diplomatic relations, I thought his target would be Darius. But, no, he attacked me in 425 BC. By 1 AD, no cities have changed hands, but he's my target, now.

I've founded Confucianism and spread it to Darius (who immediately converted) but I haven't converted, myself, because most of the other AI are Buddhist.

 

[Xcalibrator]

Like Kaitzilla, I took the Deity save. Unlike him, I am not first in score with 651 at 1 AD and 10 cities. I have 8 cities, 39 total population, score 508 (4th) compared with Carthage 641 (1st) and Spain 398 (last). I skipped Alphabet and went for Aesth to backtrade, which worked pretty well. Sury and Darius are ahead of the pack in tech with CoL, Curr, Construction. I'm roughly even with the others, sometimes a bit ahead.

GK DoW'd me in 550 BC followed by his Hindu buddy, Sury. I've accumulated Great General points as GK throws himself against my cities, but I won't be able to mount a counterattack for awhile. Hinduism rules the West, Buddhism the East (along with me, after Hannibal gently suggested I convert), and Confucianism the North.

GK is a bit hamstrung without horses so I should eventually be able to build a big force and take him out. After that we'll have to see how I'm doing versus the others. I settled a nice food-rich site out east and plan to make that my GP farm. Maybe that will be enough to help me keep up in tech, especially the military kind. If there really aren't any horses, then musketeers and cannon could be a good combo to beeline for.

 

[nocho]

I took the contender save, I still don't play Deity for fun, although hadn't realized it was Deity-light with the Prince starting units.

I settled on the sugar, which I certainly did not regret, although an extra hill would have been nice. The permanent extra food is a huge boost (not only for the first worker) and I figured one of those 3 food sources from the initial screenshot would probably go to another city anyway.

As it was Prince, gambled on warrior rushing a nearby opponent, which worked out nicely meeting GK so soon. In 3040BC I took his capital with a worker as extra topping on the cake. Later I grabbed a worker from Ramses too. With no copper or horses the barbs were a bit problematic, I had barb spearmen from several sides, so uncharacteristically self teched archery which felt a bit weird on Prince, but glad I did. Even so, got lucky a city defended by a warrior survived a spear attack.

At 1AD have 14 cities, 67 pop and 15 workers. Built Stonehenge in Karakorum, got the GLH and HG are some turns away. Isabella got her Oracle and Sury the mids. Tech is starting to pick up, as my expansion stifled it a bit. At Cur/Cal/CoL/Aes at the moment.

 

[BornInCantaloup]

I tried this map today. For some reason, I took the challenger save and played to 1 AD in a single session...

Seeing how it was a large map with fewer AIs than usual, I had my mind set to rush the Great Wall in Paris.
This is made quite easier by having 2 corn resources in Paris. So, easy SIP. BW -> Masonry. Then I went towards Writing to get a scientist from another city, getting Fish, Pottery and skipping Animal Husbandry.

I lost quite a few exploring warriors in the jungle belt, which hurt my exploration. I also managed to not meet the Khmer and not notice it either...
I've been quite conservative on the Western expansion and didn't claim the fish near Genghis. I settled a hill inland instead. In retrospect, maybe I should have been bolder and contest it (2nd ring vs 2nd ring but the Khan isn't exactly a cultural powerhouse).
Managed to get most of the gems by a thin margin, a barb city to the SE, currently staking another barb city to the NE.

Seeing how the AIs weren't as Deity as Deity can be and got hampered by their expansion, I entered the Classical Era with Alphabet to ensure a trade for Iron Working. Got it around 850 BC. Ramesses didn't have Bronze, Isabella didn't have Mining... Neither of them really expanded. That didn't prevent Ramesses from building most of the Ancient Wonders anyway.
Plus side : I could safely join the Buddhist block (Justinian).
Marble trade with Genghis got me to follow with Aesthetics into Litterature.
Plus side : I could trade for Monarchy with Ramesses and Monotheism with Isabella right about when religion spread and I got to Litterature.
Then I waited a long time for a Mathematics trade. I think I got it in 75 BC. So now, I've just researched Currency. Got 500+ gold for my troubles.

I'll settle the stone next turn and it will be improved the turn after, hoping to rush the Hanging Gardens in Paris with a whip and my final chop.
I haven't made any military plans, yet. Other than : Genghis has just DoWed Ramesses and I might backstab or join in. I'd like Macemen or something of the sort.
My suspicion is that the Musketeer is the only 2 moves unit available on this map.... Which is kinda troublesome because horses would really be convenient on a large map.

Few pics :

Spoiler :

Lulz, good luck winning the game, Isabelle !







13 workers, 10 warriors, 1 settler, 1 workboat, 3 swords, 1 axe and a great spy.

 

[krikav]

Nice to see you again BiC!