[BTS] BOTM 189, Hanibal, Final Spoiler, Game Submitted

[Deckhand]

BOTM 189 - "Hanibal" ... Final Spoiler

Tell us all about your game.
Did you have fun?

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[undead]

- contender save (Emperor)
- built more cities
- built the colossus to deal with isolation
- first or second in "gold" (demographics screen), but no experience of isolation to guarantee tech lead
- discovered marble a bit late (but before astronomy)
- settled on the stone very late
- never connected the second horse
- minor trouble with barbarian galleys destroying fishing boats (1 or 2 more cities would have helped, or fog busting)
- first civ discovered: Isabella (doesn't want to open borders! I keep researching astronomy anyway)
- open borders with the other civs
- circumnavigation ok
- astronomy researched => less "gold" (demographics screen) initially
- later, all the civs adopt merchantilism, but it's not too bad
- built about 10 privateers
- attacked Isabella; conquered an uninteresting but close city; city reconquered by Isabella
=> conquered the capital and 2 cities; peace deal to fortify; attacked again, quick capitulation
- attacked Victoria, conquered capital and a city, capitulation
- attacked Saladin, conquered capital and 2 cities, sending reinforcements with airports, conquered another city, capitulation
- Stalin was pleased but didn't peace vassal => attacked Stalin, capitulation after several cities
- conquest victory

 

[MarleysGh0st]

Having built the GLH, I started expanding my coastal cities, ultimately settling 11 of them before my wars of conquest began.

After researching Optics in 1060, my caravels finally contacted the AI. I was pleased to discover they were all isolated, too, or virtually so. (Because Isabella and Stalin were given different religions, they hated each other and weren't trading.) My circumnavigation bonus came in 1180. Liberalism gave me Astronomy in 1480, then I beelined Military Tradition so that I could build Cuirassiers. I reached that tech in 1610. In the meanwhile, Isabella and Stalin fought a war that ended in stalemate.

I attacked Isabella in 1635 and conquered her in 1730. War with Saladin started in 1765; I took four cities and accepted his capitulation in 1806. Victoria was next in 1816. She bent the knee in 1822, after I took two cities (including London, which had 11 wonders). Then on to Stalin in 1826. Three captured cities later, he capitulates and I win a Conquest Victory in 1834.

A simple and straightforward game...which probably means I'm several centuries too slow for a Fastest Conquest medal?

 

[Powerfaker]

Contender save (Emp)

Chose to settle PH. Best spot next to corn where the worker was ready to improve, This also opened up the PH next to the other corn as 2nd city. That one became by far the most productive city later in the game.
Took OrgRel with Slavery and got Judaism given to me. That was going to be very helpfull. I build GLH ±350BC after 3rd city. Then started filling up with cities (up to 12 totally). Unfortunately failed to notice the marble spot.

Bad luck with barbs. The1st and only warrior killed my archer gaining himself combat2 in the process. My 1st workboat got eaten in the west. That galley also killed a galley + fishing nets at my 1st Island city in SW corner before I could kill it with a trireme. Later on a caravel killing several galleys helped me unlock HE, hail 8xp/Cha for that…...
Mostly negative events unfortunatley (I do appreciate events being present though), improvements destroyed, citizens killed, research set back. Not an event but I did get copper popped up in my 2nd city. Way too late to be thinking of Colossus however.

After Math and IronW I focussed on getting Optics. Got a GM at 50/50 odds vs GS. Bulbed Currency, a reasonable alternative to GS bulb.
Meeting the AI resulted in just very few trades (later on bit by bit a few more). Besides Alpha/Mon I could get Theo which set me to go for Apostolic/Religious vic. Then Victoria popped a GE and snatched it from me (couldn't you take Mids??). On top of that the Theology trade had ruined my Astro bulb. Lots of GE popped up by the way, counted at least 6 (!!). To my surprise I got one myself while Taj was still available (late 1500)
1100 AD astro was finally there. From there advancing to a cuirs army took another 400+ years. As long as it took to begin war, as fast it was over. First dow 1590, conquest vic 1725. The only somewhat resisting was Isabella.

Edit: another plan that was ruined was to build lots of NumCav to promote to cuir later. I didn't expect Guilds to obsolete NumCav. Normally UU stay in the game an upgrade round longer right??

 

[Xcalibrator]

Diplo win 1910 (Deity). I was about to DoW the last independent AI, Vicky, with a huge stack from the brief Arabian campaign but I really wanted to finish quickly so I could start BOTM190! Stalin was fairly backward and my first vassal, but Izzy was a tougher nut. She DoW'd me while I was finishing up with Stalin and after about 4 very tense turns she came within one 0.2-strength unit of taking my Heroic Epic city. Scaaary. After that, my army just kept increasing in size thanks to Mining and I wore her down. Saladin was very quick (once I got all my troops over there in a D-Day landing). Thanks for the game, DH.

 

[greatbeyond]

I took the Contender save.

settled on the PH nearby then 2nd city to the west on the coast near the mountain. I concentrated on getting the GL then was beaten to the Colossus by 1 turn. I did end up with the Pyramids but that was about it.

I ended up with 7 cities on the continent, 1 on the island to the west and 1 on the island with the Ivory. I got the circumnavigation bonus and was first to Astronomy thinking it would be helpful in getting some more resources in offshore islands but was disappointed by the lack of anything worthwhile other than the ivory. Privateer usefulness didn't last long.

Stalin seemed to be at war with everyone else off and on until late in the game when he signed a defensive pact with Saladin. It was shortly after I got destroyers that I noticed Izzy who had been at war with Victoria approaching my borders with a flotilla. They were quickly sent to the bottom along with every other invasion attempt interspersed with periods of piece. This was probably what helped to put a crimp in my plans, slowing down growth and science.

I hoped to get the 3 Gorges Dam and the Internet as I was ahead of all but Saladin in techs. While I was in sole possession of Plastics I realized I had no place to build the damn dam as I had moved my starting settler away from the river. Saladin ended up getting it instead and then with 1 turn to go Saladin also completed The Internet. Saladin and Stalin must have had a dictator love fest going on as they had traded techs until they were a couple ahead of me and
I had been counting on The Internet to help propel me to a space win. I checked the victory condition page to see that there probably wasn't enough time to go to space before time ran out. Then I saw that Saladin might just get a culture win before then. This would not do. The only thing I could try and do was squeak out a UN win or win by score. It was going to be close, and despite never having been at war with anyone other than Isabella I could not get the votes against either Victoria or Stalin.

I upgraded my troops with tanks, artillery, and then MechInf and waited until just after Isabella had another invasion fleet sent to the bottom. I made a landing in the NE corner of her continent and took the 2 northern cities. I took a cease fire to regroup then attacked again in a few turns taking 2 more cities. The score was showing me increasing by ~150 points per turn, surpassing Saladin on the next turn. The next turn the score showed me behind by ~300 points. Despite winning more territory I was falling behind. Things went back and forth and then it showed Saladin wouldn't get a culture win until 1 turn after time ran out.
I was within 100 points with less than 10 turns to go. I took 3 more of Isabella's cities leaving her 2 islands and a city on the SE coast when she capitulated with 3 turns left. The boost in score catapulted me over the top and I won a time victory.

 

[shakabrade]

Finished my Deity minor game. It was totally unfocused game, decided on victory I'd pursue around 1200AD.
What I managed is getting the Mids around 1000AD or something. First wanted to fail them but then I whipped the capitol to get them 2t sooner. Mids support all victory conditions so those 5 citizens were justified and with GLH, you make commerce from trade routes which are unaffacted unless you are over size 12, I think..
Discovered Marble only with optics. Did not bother going there because from tiles I could see, there was no place for second food, even if there was the first food source. I totally forgot that these maps can sometimes be cooked. My GPP was heavily affected by that.

Regarding events, they were mostly good. Small boost to Paper, a bit of extra food, a bit of troubles costing me some gold, and the main course below.

Spoiler :

I got this message wrong and settled Merchant instead of Prophet. I thought I'd get an actual (walking) great person, but this is good as well. Allowed me to work more mines.

There is this screenie, while it was still normal time. Later I played until 4AM.

Spoiler :

All cities but 3 are totally set up (granary, lighthouse, forge, library). I am building stiff for failgold with resource bonus and OR. I got around 500 gold in failgold through the game.
But I got very little gold from the AI. Not sure why it was so scarce. Definitely pushed me back, but probably everyone as well.
Looking back, due to spawnbusting, I only faced 2 wolves. No barb troubles at all.

It was a fun map, many possibilities. I hope everyone got the religion (I got Hindu). Much more fun than expected since I love the ancient start opening moves. Did not really know what to expect, no experience with any of the settings.
I overreacted to barbs as I thought they'd attack after T5. Could have been more greedy.

I will not disclose my victory type and date, but I feel it is beatable by 25T if one is commited to it early enough.

 

[zbgayumn]

This one kind of got away from me. It was a pretty strong start for an isolated island. I got GLH and got 3 cities out on surrounding islands (4th one much later). I got to Optics ahead everyone else and then to Astronomy well ahead as well.

When I made my move with Cuirs I attacked Spain who had nearly an equal power rating to me. Probably not the best decision. After an initial stall, I came back and wiped Isabella out. Then on to Stalin, whom I let capitulate when he had only two island cities left.

By that time Vicky was trending ahead in tech and Saladin was nearly equal with me. I needed to figure out my VC, and I went with Domination. I ended up regretting that. Getting to 68% on this map required me to declare war on every single other nation. I could've gotten Conquest less painfully. I probably could've gotten Diplo after vassaling two of them. Oh well, I finally took down Vicky's home island and claimed the victory in 1967.

 

[Noble Zarkon]

Entry class: Adventurer

Game status: Religious Victory for Carthage

Game date: 1660AD

Got 3 cities on the mainland and one offshore, with the Great Lighthouse should really have settled more on the small islands.

Beelined Theocracy, built the AP then headed to Optics, with the benefit of the Cothon on the way.

With the AIs we had, Astronomy was a must - various gifts and 2 island cities liberated to Isabella got her to vote for me and with the other 3 AIs just having one small city in the AP religion each that was enough.

Glad to win my first GOTM in a while!!