[BTS] BOTM 275: Ramesses II, Monarch - First Spoiler - 1AD

[kcd_swede]

BOTM 275: Ramesses II, Monarch - First Spoiler - 1AD

What happened to the vassals?

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

Reading Requirements
If you are participating in BOTM 275, 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

• Do not disclose ANY events or information gained post 1 AD.
• Do not reveal your final result if that happened after 1 AD.
• 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

 

[Conquistador 63]

What happened to the vassals?

Great game setup!

In my game, the AI's vassals began to revolt and broke free @ t20. Hattie was content to stay a vassal for the time being. Speaking of her, I tried to direct her research, initially with worker techs then "monopoly" techs, it has been working ok until 1AD. Downside is that she has a lot of worst enemies, making it harder to trade with those AIs.

SIP, tech went pottery/hunting/AH/mining/BW/Writing/Alpha (t61). By 1AD we are up to Paper (Oracled CS), Aesthetics, Machinery, Monarchy, Currency.
Settled 4 cities and got 4 more from Augustus, who was eliminated in the late BCs. Stalin is the next target.
WW: Oracle, Colossus, Parthenon. Missed GLH by 1t, but failgold wasn't a bad option after all.

 

[nocho]

Enjoying the game quite a bit so far!

Indeed, Hatty has stayed a faithful vassal, while the rest unvassaled quite quickly. Only the orange Roman hung on to his master for quite a bit, but as I harrassed the latter regularly, he must've grown tired and chose his way anyway. I stole 3 workers on three different occasions, then stole a fourth and proceeded to capture all but 1 city, and on the fifth declaration eliminated him. I amassed more war chariots and declared on Stalin, but his first city only fell after losing 7 war chariots against a spear and 2 archers. I decided to halt southward military expansion there for now, as it seemed costly with only WCs.

Initially until acquiring Roman lands I only had expanded to 3 cities but grew them quite large. Then after the Roman campaigns I expanded quite aggressively, so at 1AD I'm at 15 cities total, with 73 pop. All the wonders that have been built so far are from Egyptian making, it helps to be industrious. In this order I got Stonehenge, Great Wall, Oracle (for currency, I didn't quite dare to try CS with this many AIs around), Great Lighthouse, Colossus, MoM and am 2 turns away from Great Library. Pyramids is still up for grabs, might try it now that I got a stone resource in the NE towards the Germans (who are quite furious with me for attacking their Italian friend so often).

Tech is not quite as far as @Conquistador 63 , I guess that partly is the price for expanding quite a bit, and not daring the CS sling of course. Still it's quite ok, up to literature, calendar, MC, monarchy, CoL, while CS is about one third done. I did try to make use of Hatty's research but not to much avail so far. I sent her more or less straight to alphabet, but other AIs were quicker to it anyway, especially Peter. The same happened to some subsequent techs. Still it's nice to have this option available and also to magically meet AIs on the other continent through her.

 

[kcd_swede]

Glad to get some early feedback... in a way I felt I didn't devote enough time to make it really evil... but since its large and a whole ton-load of AI in the game, I figured it would still be a sort of unique challenge. I am really interested to see if anyone gets an AP or UN diplo victory (not including domination forced votes). But as long as it's as fun for you all to play as it was for my own trial games, I am satisfied to do an appreciated job. Now... I am eagerly looking forward to the next game by another mapmaker so I can finally submit one. lol

 

[Xcalibrator]

My game is exactly like Con63's and nocho's, except for having around half (or less) of nearly everything they have: 9 cities (including all of Augustan Rome's cities), 36 pop, 506 in score, Oracle (took Construction for cats and war elephants), and MoM. Stalin will be my next target. Map size and limited time mean I'm unlikely to finish, but I am enjoying this game with its novel setup. Thanks, kcd!

 

[LowtherCastle]

In my game, all vessels freed themselves except mine also. At one point some turns back, I suddenly realized I was still at war with the Caesar from the other continent, even though I had wiped out the Caesar from this continent. So without thinking, I ceasefired with him. Then I suddenly realized that maybe that’s why I hadn’t lost my vessel. So the very same turn, I redeclared. I was already at war with Stalin so I realize that might work to keep my vessel, but I wasn’t sure if the war had to be on my vessel continent so I didn’t take any chances. I’m curious if anybody figures out the actual mechanics for this.

 

[Xcalibrator]

... I ceasefired with him. Then I suddenly realized that maybe that’s why I hadn’t lost my vessel. So the very same turn, I redeclared. I was already at war with Stalin so I realize that might work to keep my vessel, but I wasn’t sure if the war had to be on my vessel continent so I didn’t take any chances. I’m curious if anybody figures out the actual mechanics for this.

Now you've got me all paranoid! I did the same thing (made peace), thinking that Hatty might have trouble defending herself from the Other Romans if we/she stayed at war with them. Maybe I need to move up my timetable for DoWing somebody else...

 

[antimony]

Settled in place, 2nd city NW for horse/marble and 3rd city SE (cow/rice/gems). Tech path was Hunting (though shouldn't have) -> AH -> Mining -> BW, then Pottery, Myst->Mason and Priesthood to build Oracle in capital (got Metal Casting from it). After connecting horse and before settling 3rd city, I started chopping War Chariots in Thebes. Took 3 cities from Augustus (including Great Wall in Rome, not bad) and 3 from Stalin before running out of steam (still eliminating them both).

My plan from that point on was to focus on the bottom of the tech tree for Astronomy and Guilds, and I tried using my vassal to get some useful techs from the top of the tree, but overestimated their research potential, even when directing them to good worker techs to start. In hindsight I should have just asked her to get Aesthetics and Literature so I could build Great Library, but in the end I at least got Math and Code of Laws from Hatty before anyone else would trade them. As for the other AIs, their main use was to trade old techs for about 20 gold a piece or more when they get failgold, it adds up when you have 15 AIs! (never met Brennus, wonder what happened to him...)

In 1AD I have 12 cities and 61 pop, used two great scientists for Astronomy in 100BC (was lucky to get a ~60% scientist instead of a spy in Rome, but would have started a golden age otherwise for more great people, with Mausoleum built for it). About to finish Feudalism, then on to Guilds.

 

[antimony]

Oh wait, I miscounted, so Boudica was the French vassal? That's funny.

 

[High King J.J.]

In my game, all vessels freed themselves except mine also. At one point some turns back, I suddenly realized I was still at war with the Caesar from the other continent, even though I had wiped out the Caesar from this continent. So without thinking, I ceasefired with him. Then I suddenly realized that maybe that’s why I hadn’t lost my vessel. So the very same turn, I redeclared. I was already at war with Stalin so I realize that might work to keep my vessel, but I wasn’t sure if the war had to be on my vessel continent so I didn’t take any chances. I’m curious if anybody figures out the actual mechanics for this.

Lots of vessels. Do you perhaps mean transport vessels (ships) or is this about pottery? Vessel: a container (such as a cask, bottle, kettle, cup, or bowl) for holding something.
My vassal stayed under my enlightened rule and researched dutifully the stuff I didn't bother to research myself. Everyone else freed themselves rather quickly. I didn't have any wars anywhere in the BC's so Hatty must have liked to be allied with me. Maybe that's why nobody had attacked her, our combined strength was modest but sufficient. I guess I'm an oddity among the bloodthirsty mainstream players.
I'll have to eradicate Stalin later out of principle, can't have vermin like that running loose. All it takes is one small tactical nuke in Moscow and the world is a much better place. (Yes, that's in the far future, don't have nukes in the BC's. Of course I am talking about Civ4 Moscow and that scum of the earth dictator.)

 

[ariosto]

Unlike most other players, I have not started any wars so far. It was a conscious decision. I simply forgot that we have War Chariots, lol.

Settled on the plains hills SE. I strongly prefer extra floodplains and hammer over gold. I don't want to work 0 tile early anyway, so the second city can handle it. Turns out, the mapmaker was so nice to plainshills enjoyers, that I was rewarded with gems in the capital
My tech path was AH -> BW -> Fishing -> Pottery -> Sailing -> Masonry -> MC(Oracle T70) -> halt. At the same time my vassal was ordered to research AH -> Pottery -> Writing -> Alphabet. So I got Writing -> Alpha for free. After that I got Math -> Currency -> CoL, gifted currency to my vassal and asked her a Calendar. Got it T107 for free as well.
So techwise I am at Literature (TGL T???), Calendar, Currency, CoL, Monarchy, Machinery, Optics, 90% of Feudalism. I could have bulbed Astro by by T112, but I don't do that yet to not obsolete Colossus. Will bulb when I get trade routes (in a couple turns).
Wonders - Oracle, GLH, Colossus, TGL. I could have got Stonehenge on T63, but I decided to take 117 instead. I used caste artists to pop borders.
Stats:

• 11 cities
• 65 pop
• 12 workers
• 158 food
• 80 hammers
• 151 break-even BPT

So expansion was not my strong side this game.

Spoiler T115 overview :

My gameplan was to get GLH + Astro as early as possible for the economy and Oracle MC for early forges (plus it is on the way to Astro). Then get Feud + Guilds on top of that and conquer the whole continent with knights. Pretty much same plan as Antimony's. Not sure if GLH was worth it - too big of a detour so early - but it will certainly pay off later. Hope, it didn't slow me down too much on my way to knights.

 

[Frederiksberg]

Settled in place and went for chariot war quite fast. Eliminated Augustus and then Stalin before any of them got access to metals. This opened up tons of land for settling and I may have overextended a bit slowing down tech rate. @1AD I have 20 cities but tech is only up to Currency/CoL/Calendar/Monarchy. Time to slow down expansion a bit and get some courthouses built. No wonders so far but currently building the MoM.

All vassals except Hatty broke free early. She is currently @pleased and researching Construction. Pericles built the GLH so he is probably the next target.

 

[LowtherCastle]

Extremely impressive, Frederiksberg!

 

[Frederiksberg]

Thanks, 20 cities do look good on paper. Still I'm wondering if I over-expanded early on. There's a lot of jungle on the map and for a while I was lacking workers as well as a good tech rate. Not to mention that there is still a lot of time left to mess up the good start

 

[LowtherCastle]

I tend to under-REX and focus too much on a stable income and development and I find the big problem with that, in contrast to what you are doing in this game, is that later REX cities grow so slowly. The advantage you now have is you can crank out units or workers or build wealth or failgold and so on. You have so many options.

 

[Bemep42]

Settled on PH, the 2nd city near gold, the 3rd - on the SE (rice - 2 banana), the 4th - near marble.
Science : AH - Pottery - Mining - BW - Writing - Alphabet (1640 BC) - Mathematics - CoL (900 BC) - CS (Oracle, 900 BC) -Monarchy (725 BC) - Currency (400 BC) - MC (300 BC) - Feudalism (150 BC) - Machinery (1 AD) the next will be Guilds.
Hatty : Mysticism - Masonry - Hunting - Fishing - Sailing - Meditation - Polytheism - Priesthood - Monotheism (875 BC) - aesthetics - literature (125 BC). now teaches HR. I traded hunting and fishing from Pericles, everything else + archery and IW from Hatshepsut. Due to the severe backwardness of AI and their number, after the currency, my science was at its maximum almost all the time due to the sale of cheap ancient tech.

Before the CS, I had only 4 cities, but after the bureaucracy, I quickly chop settlers in the capital and started expanding. In 1 AD, I have 13 cities,(62 pop), 1 more will be the next move and there will be no more cities before knights, also 22 workers at the serfdom. I built GW (1120), Oracle (900), ToA (675), Pyramids (375, with stone from 9 city near France), HG (75), Great Library (1), Colossus (1). Colossus is in the marble city, the rest is in the capital.