[BTS] BOTM 200 Second Spoiler - 1000AD

[Noble Zarkon]

Use this thread to tell us what happened in your game, up to 1000AD. Which save did you pick? How have the barbarians been? Have you found the underworld yet?

Reading Requirements
If you are participating in BOTM 200, then you MUST NOT read this thread unless EITHER

• You have reached at least 1000 AD in your game, OR
• You have submitted your entry

Posting Restrictions

• Do not disclose ANY events or information gained post 1000 AD.
• Do not reveal your final result if that happened after 1000 AD.
• Do not discuss the location of resources that may not show up before 1000 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

 

[Tobiyogi]

The later the evening, the more furious the guests
It must reflect the relationship status from Greek Mythology, which I don't know well. Maybe someone has seduced someone else's wife?
In terms of Civ 4, I don't care too much because I've got all I need for culture and the other civs seem very weak. Mao-Brontes has already founded 19 cities and produces units no-stop! We are safe, I would reckon

So in 300 AD I went Free Religion, doesn't happen very often that Shwegady is useful.

This time, I am very lucky with the Great Persons. Prophets in the beginning, which were settled and in the mid-game two GE. One of them builds the Taj at 960 ad in my weakest Legendary city. The other one is saved for SoL, I plan to lib Democracy, first time ever. I want something big and Constitution, which I am researching right now, is useful even when you're already in Rep because it also leads to Corporations. I think I will need Sushi to make up for the absence of Religions (haven't met anybody from the underworld

 

[Noble Zarkon]

It must reflect the relationship status from Greek Mythology

or an evil mapmaker having fun giving things a twist

 

[Tobiyogi]

or an evil mapmaker having fun giving things a twist

At least the poor russians suffer enough on their arctic peninsula, so I allow them to hate us civilized people with modern problems like "I got the wrong Great Person again..."

Edit: they live on the Antarctic of course!

 

[WastinTime]

the poor russians

My ears are burning
I've reached 1000 AD and it feels like 1AD. I just got Optics and I'm sending caravels, so I haven't met anyone yet.
I can't tell by your remarks if we're at permanent war, but I'm guessing we're not.

I'm preparing to bulb Astro if I think it will be a tradeable tech. I'm hoping to get back in the game by tech brokering, but I'm worried I'm too far behind.
Although...no one as come to me with a caravel yet.

Culture win would have been a good challenge with no religions. I already decided religious was the most impossible and conquest was at least 'more impossible' than culture.

I'm very happy with my ability to survive and build 9 cities in the ice and tundra, but we'l see if I'm out of the running.

Maybe it will be a time victory.

 

[nocho]

I've reached 1000 AD and it feels like 1AD. I just got Optics and I'm sending caravels, so I haven't met anyone yet.

I echo the sentiment of it feeling like 1AD in 1000AD. And that's not playing the ice-start and being far away from Optics, I guess if I had played the challenger it would still feel like 1000BC.

Anyway, got MC, calendar and CoL and ploughing our way to CS, so typical 1AD situation. The good news is that the People of the Bush are nearly totally absorbed into the empire, the last city they have should fall in a couple of turns. And how appropiate a name they have, they sent a sizeable stack to one of my cities but it has stayed in place in a forest 2 tiles away from that city the entire war, even while his home ground was being annexed. Nice touch by the way that our direct neighbours are actually Greeks, so it only feels natural to get them under our wings.

At 15 cities now, Poseidon still at 5. Contemplating whether it's a good idea or not to let him have a couple of my cities so he gets a bit of a boost and can have the immortal bonuses apply to them. Probably will do so with the more useless acquisitions to save on maintenance as well.

After the People of the Bush will naturally go for the People of the Plains and probably those of the Nile later too. Hera seems a bit standoffish, which seems appropiate. At least I haven't been chasing pretty girls dressed up like the local fauna as of late.

Haven't met the other teams yet, guess I'll go for Optics soon after CS.

 

[WastinTime]

Ok, so you're saying Zeus is with all the single civs (except underworld), and Cyclops team is isolated (like me) with no one to trade tech. So I should be in the game research-wise unless Zeus' continent is a big tech-sharing love fest.

 

[Powerfaker]

Some carvels have left the Ice down south and contacted some other teams. I got to meet the 30-city (!!!) Cyclopes empire, while Atlas met the more modest Olympians and Nile people for us.

It's pretty clear tech trade or even open borders will be impossible all game long ........ except ........

Spoiler :

for 1 leader who doesn't have the -50 diplo hit........

This is a lot to think over before proceeding. Like how to grow stronger now (I kinda hoped for a trade economy) and how to win.
Currently I have 11 cities, Atlas has 7. I'm 1T away from calender. I think I stilll need to go Astro but now for the purpose to attack the small civ's. That's not going to happen before 1500AD I'm afraid but I don't see any other vic than military possible with this barren land. In the meantime the Cyclopes could develop into an unbeatable monster......

 

[WastinTime]

It's pretty clear tech trade or even open borders will be impossible all game long

General info (not spoilers)...Recall...

a) if you're sharing a war with someone, they'll open borders even if furious.
b) Caravels can go into closed borders
c) A Great Merchant can be dropped of by a caravel and explore around in closed borders And can do a trade mission there. (also recall: you get the most $$ from a trade mission to the city with Temple of Artemis.)

I'm glad someone else played in the ice. My Atlas got stuck at 3 cities, and one of them is just the ice+horse tile.
Probably my fault for sending all barbs his direction.

I think this strategy tip is wise...
Since he hasn't built a library, I'm using him to generate gold. With Currency, I occasionally ask for his gpt and he cranks his slider to pay me. I suppose I could've asked for his gold too.

 

[Folket]

(also recall: you get the most $$ from a trade mission to the city with Temple of Artemis.)

Not necessary true. Temple of Artemis gives as much as a customs house or harbour and 10 more population or on an other continent. If Temple of Artemis is in a coastal city it is probably the best one. If you can find a city on an other continent with ToA, harbour, customs house and being large you can make a massive amount of money.

 

[Powerfaker]

General info (not spoilers)...Recall...

I wasn't aware of a) and c). I will keep that in mind. Some use might pop up in a later stage.
Haven't thought of asking my team mate for gpt/gold either. If I can spend it more efficiently that makes sense. I was thinking of going for Monarchy now to allow him to run HR , so he can be more productive. He will pick reli techs if I don't tell him to do something else, so I suspect this is what he would like to go for.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

That's interesting about the great merchant, thanks @WastinTime and @Folket.

I have to admit up to now I've had very little idea what determines great merchant gold. My usual strategy with them is to check there are no impending likely war declarations, then send him (or her) to the furthest civ that I can safely get him to, then have him (her?) visit every city in turn to find which one gives the most gold. If the highest income figures look a bit low for the era, and I therefore suspect an increase is due, and I'm not urgently desperate for the cash, I'll then park the merchant in a suitable city and check every turn until the trade mission gold goes up - although also with very little idea what events might actually trigger the increase.

In this particular game that issue never came up - I only got one merchant and it looked more prudent to keep him in reserve for a future golden age.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

I wasn't aware of a) and c). I will keep that in mind. Some use might pop up in a later stage.
Haven't thought of asking my team mate for gpt/gold either. If I can spend it more efficiently that makes sense. I was thinking of going for Monarchy now to allow him to run HR , so he can be more productive. He will pick reli techs if I don't tell him to do something else, so I suspect this is what he would like to go for.

I hadn't specifically thought of it, but stumbled across roughly the same thing when I offered Brontes a health resource (can't remember which one) and discovered he was willing to pay me over 90gpt for it. I excitedly took it, partly in the belief that I could use the gold more intelligently than he could, and partly because I guessed that giving me that gold would lower his research rate, and therefore make it more likely that I, rather than he, would discover key techs to make sure I got things like the associated great person, or the first chance to build a wonder.

I later reversed that strategy after experience showed that me researching a tech often seemed to give Brontes first shot at building wonders - still not quite sure how that works - so I cancelled the deal (and a later one of a resource for > 300gpt gold (!!!!) ) to see if letting him research techs first gave better results.

 

[WastinTime]

it looked more prudent to keep him in reserve for a future golden age.

Sure, but while he's waiting, you can explore enemy land or at least fog-bust barbs.

I later reversed that strategy after experience showed that me researching a tech often seemed to give Brontes first shot at building wonders

Yep, I attempted to explain this in the 1ad thread...

I think there's a trick here. For example, let's say you want to build G.Lighthouse. If you have sailing and on the last turn of Masonry, you research something else and let your teammate finish masonry, then you get first shot at starting GLH.

It makes sense because if you complete the tech when you press 'end turn', then your team has that tech when it is your partner's turn.

 

[WastinTime]

Temple of Artemis gives as much as a customs house or harbour and 10 more population

Thx. That is a much more complete answer. My games rarely see a customs house, and the ToA city is usually huge, so it is a good, quick-and-dirty choice for GM trade mission target.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Sure, but while he's waiting, you can explore enemy land or at least fog-bust barbs.

Yep, I attempted to explain this in the 1ad thread...

Ah yes! So you did!

It makes sense because if you complete the tech when you press 'end turn', then your team has that tech when it is your partner's turn.

Yeah, viewed in that sense. I'd always assumed that you complete a tech at the start of the next turn - so, immediately before you get to choose what your cities can build and what units to move - and that's what would lead to the (wrong) conclusion that you (not your teammate) need to complete key techs. I guess the thing is - when you're playing single player without a team, you aren't really going to notice the difference between techs being completed at the end of a turn or at the beginning of the next turn, so most people wouldn't know which it is.

 

[WastinTime]

you aren't really going to notice the difference between techs being completed at the end of a turn or at the beginning of the next turn

Try building Stonehenge while settled on stone. Then complete Masonry. Surprising results IIRC.
The tech is completed before the hammers go into the build, so you get double.

 

[Powerfaker]

you aren't really going to notice the difference between techs being completed at the end of a turn or at the beginning of the next turn

Another example: You finish Code of Laws and Oracle the same turn => because of tech before production you can choose to Oracle Civil Service now (with Math). You could not if it were the other way around.

Everything that happens in between turns is done before the turn of the next civ starts (which is most visible when a whipped unit appears before an attack can be completed), and is a chapter of its own regarding the order of things.
It's at least clear that the order is
1 Tech
2 Production
3 Growth
Tech is a complex of commerce and beakers. Gold, Espionage and Culture also have a place in there. I know I've seen odd things with culture.
And also an order city by city. Taj Mahal in your cap is more efficient than in your latest conquered/found city

Edit: TajMahal => only for the hammers, not the commerce

 

[SittinDown]

Just made it to 1000 AD. Playing [Challenger] Contender. I have 13 cities, and I'm on my way to taking out the People of the Bush. My tech rate is terrible, but I just got CoL, and am Organized Courthousing my way back to running the slider above 0%.

I wound up gifting a city to my ally, to reduce maintenance and make him stronger. I may gift more, I'm not sure.

All of the wonders got build overseas, so I'd better start in on Astro or I'm going to be losing to Culture I bet. 2nd Great Artist went to bulbing Monarchy (ugh). About to pop my first Great Scientist. Thinking about switching into Caste System shortly - I have a LOT of food, and not much commerce.

Thinking of making friends with Hatty, and taking out my other neighbor - he has a really nice cottage capital.

 

[WastinTime]

Playing Challenger. I have 13 cities, and I'm on my way to taking out the People of the Bush

You mean Contender save. Otherwise you cannot reach any other Civ's yet.