Budweiser Challenge- Aztec OCC

[budweiser]

Thanks for the report Pilgrim. You can really get some insight about how the game behaves from a write up like that. I believe it is known that you can beat the game even at Diety without building any units.

I know you took the established 'cultural' path here. Do you think you could have beaten the game militarily using only gifted units from military city states?

Thats what I am looking for. I think the answer is yes.

 

[The Pilgrim]

I know you took the established 'cultural' path here. Do you think you could have beaten the game militarily using only gifted units from military city states?

On immortal - yes. With ignoring most of the cultural CS and allying mainly military ones. And very careful management of RA's. To unlock Rifling, for example, or other 'equalizing' tech that turns all crappy units CS give you to something useful. I didn't have much choice, four CS I've met early were all cultural (what an irony, in regular game you dream about that). When I met a military one it was too late. AI got massive by then. And you can't do much warring with single sword. But yes, it can be done, I believe. On deity... Don't know. I'm not that experienced with this level. Timelines are tougher, and time is crucial in such game, but it depends on particular map, I guess.

Edit: re-read the rules. If you can rush buy SB's air units, the answer for deity is also positive (on pangaea).

 

[budweiser]

On immortal - yes. With ignoring most of the cultural CS and allying mainly military ones. And very careful management of RA's. To unlock Rifling, for example, or other 'equalizing' tech that turns all crappy units CS give you to something useful. I didn't have much choice, four CS I've met early were all cultural (what an irony, in regular game you dream about that). When I met a military one it was too late. AI got massive by then. And you can't do much warring with single sword. But yes, it can be done, I believe. On deity... Don't know. I'm not that experienced with this level. Timelines are tougher, and time is crucial in such game, but it depends on particular map, I guess.

Edit: re-read the rules. If you can rush buy SB's air units, the answer for deity is also positive (on pangaea).

The other question in my mind was how much culture the Aztec could generate in a target rich environment with full military buffs and is it enough to impact the finish time for a cultural game?

 

[The Pilgrim]

The other question in my mind was how much culture the Aztec could generate in a target rich environment with full military buffs and is it enough to impact the finish time for a cultural game?

Heh, one question in a time, mate!
The problem with immortal+ you have to predefine your goals before you start a game, especially with such extreme rules. You can't hang on for a while and then decide whether you go this way or that way. If you go military focus, then save cash for military CS and upgrades and minimize the use of RA's, sign as many as you need for Rifling, for example (which is one full round, if things land right). If you go culture focus, you need as many RA's as you can get to reach Telegraph/Radio or even Mass Media. You bulb Acoustics/Archeology and not Rifling; etc. These decisions are crucial. Maybe on lower levels you can reach both, similar to what MadDjinn did in his LP, just without purchasing/building units. I wouldn't put my money on immortal+.

 

[binhthuy71]

The other question in my mind was how much culture the Aztec could generate in a target rich environment with full military buffs and is it enough to impact the finish time for a cultural game?

My experience has been that with Aztecs + Honor opener you get the most effect in harvesting early SPs. Although that doesn't hurt, early SPs are fairly cheap for any civ if you focus on building culture. My sense of things is that from mid-game onwards you'd have to do a lot of slaughter to materially affect the finish time for a cultural game. As you know, the reason for this is the steeply increased cost of each additional SP times the pop and number-of-city penalties.

 

[RedRover57]

I tried this challenge on Immortal difficulty, pangaea, OCC checked. I wanted to try domination but the map didn't cooperate so I went cultural. The start was interesting - isolated and had cultural and militaristic CS to my north. Good production but low-ish food. I beelined the GL, took Mathematics as the free tech and then built HG. SH was built by another civ so I built the Oracle, HS, Colossus (for Florence), PT, ND, Sistine (GE from HS), Taj, SoH and CR. Missed out on the Louvre by 2 turns to Gandhi, which was my bad because I delayed building it by a few turns to build other things.

SP's were Tradition opener, Honor opener, full Piety, rest of Tradition (Freedom opener at Renaissance), rest of Freedom, rest of Honor, Commerce.

Askia (my closest neighbor) declared mid-game and I killed a bunch of his units before spending all my cash and negotiating peace for OB only. He declared again at the end of the game. I had plently of units from Tyre (before Askia conquered it) to defend all game. Otherwise I did the standard cultural click-fest, spent my cash primarily on RA's, planted GA's, etc. I bought a few fighters near the end, but didn't really need them.

I was trying for sub-300 and would have made it but Askia kept crimping my production of the Utopia Project with his troops on my mines, so I ended up finishing on T302.

Here is a final SS:

Spoiler :

I would like to try this again for a domination VC sometime, maybe modified after G&K.

 

[ralph250]

Not played as the Aztecs before, so chickened out of the no military challenge, but tried an OCC, going for diplo instead. The Floating Gardens are insane. Got a T221 win (my earliest yet ) with Tenochtitlan pop 42. Emperor/Pangaia/everything standard other than OCC checked.

Interesting start spot, in that nicely defensible, observatory, lots of production (I've only settled the 3 landmarks about 4 turns from finish), but equally huge amount of waste tiles with the 7 mountains, pretty low food, only 2 luxuries plus horses to sell until got the extra ivory and eventually the gold, though that took until around turn 200 to get in my borders. Equally I thought considering the 10 hills in my 3 range that I'd get at least one strategic resource on them, but alas. Frustrating in that respect, but overall was a pretty sweet game. I aimed for Artemis (T42) and Hanging Gardens (T58) first. Lucked out with two early tech ruins; firstly mining really early, allowing me to hit into masonry. Hook up the marble for the wonder bonus and sell early. Secondly the wheel pretty much straight after AH, so I rushbought the Floating Gardens. Eventually got to Writing, to realise the Great Library was still there, so went for it and got it (finished T 68), getting Civil Service. Got Stonehenge T78 too. Surprising considering Rameses was there. France was dogpiled early by nearly everyone. I didn't have one DOW against me all game. One of those games I guess.

Spoiler :

 

[Tyxerxa]

Tried this for a long on deity during vanilla. It is so fun to play, but requires a very lucky start to pull off I think.