Can I win this game? help!

Thanks alot zerksees!, I've learn't many things about this..

The victory conditions are conqore only aswell!..
 
Originally posted by groobz
Thanks alot zerksees!, I've learn't many things about this..
You are welcome. This is a good challenge. I have learned some things too, like your choices for what to animate speeds up the game. I always thought the units would just show up at their destination, rather than just skipping across as they do.

The victory conditions are conqore only aswell!..

Excellent! This means I don't have to worry about spies for sabotaging spaceship parts, nor do I have to worry about UN vote. (When the AI built Manhattan Project and not the UN I figured you had turned off diplomacy.)


Now for an update:


1240 AD:

Took Krasnoyarsk with artillery and cavalry. Three mechanized infantry were eliminated. Decided to use the great leader to build an army. Loaded it with cavalry and immediately put to use on a one hit point guerrilla. Now I can build heroic epic which will help build more leaders.

1250-1260 AD:

Rampaging German forces eliminate the Egyptians. They are still at war with Russia and France so I have some time. I am surprised Germany is in monarchy. It will still take a while before Japan ranks 11th, but time to start looking ahead. Japan has 430, Egypt 570, and Arabs have 731. Maybe Japan can finish 10th.

Start siege on Sevastopol. The artillery barrage is so sweet!

Attaching some of the five fur luxury tiles. Plan to trade these soon.

Another great leader appears from combat. Decide to take the risk and jump the palace to the Incense city (just off to left of above screenshot). Corruption decreases from 84 to 50 per turn. Production increases from 197 to 211 megaton. I wish the new location was farther away, to improve the effect of the palace rank exploit but it is not. Japan will build another palace later.

Japan also dropped another city between Kiev and Sevastopol.

1270 AD:

Two Chinese modern armor are near Sevastopol. I postpone the siege there. I am afraid I will weaken Russian defense enough that China will take it. Switch siege to Astrakhan. The attack goes well and I take the city. Thank goodness, as Russia loses the bombers that have been plaguing my improvements. The city was down to size 3 when it was taken. When the Chinese modern armors attack Sevastopol, they are both easily defeated by the fortified MI. Boy is the AI stupid.

Unfortunately the army was lost. I used it to attack a single guerrilla in the woods and it was defeated. The guerrilla only lost one hit point! This was a reminder that I should not attack anything that has not been shelled with artillery. I was trying to build experience for the units inside the army. No matter, heroic epic is on its way.

Set up embassies with Arabs and Romans. Arab capital is making a pathetic 10 shields per turn. They will be an easy target when the time comes. Hopefully Japan will last that long.

Initiate a string of trades. India trades scientific method and 275 gold for some precious Japanese furs. Arabs trade refining for scientific method and 370 gold. Americans trade steel for 335 gold and 27 gpt. Mongols trade atomic theory for 68 gpt. Arabs trade sanitation, navigation and 370 gold for atomic theory. Germans trade electronics for 290 gold + 44 gpt. Japan is still gaining about 110 gpt. With only 65 gold left in the treasury, Japan decides to build more cash before the next string of trades.

Japan is now about 5 techs away from mechanized infantry. With those Japan has a chance against the modern armor.

Japan also looks like she is back to her 1/12 share of the score bar.
 
Groobz - did you turn off culture flipping?


Played for an hour last night. Here is an update:

Kiev fell to China. Too bad. Japan is still small and can’t win them all. It would probably have been corrupt anyway, with current palace and FP configuration. At least I didn't waste any effort attacking it.

France asks for peace. I can’t accept. My MPP with China would kick in the next turn and I would break an agreement. I still need easy AI trades, so the war continues!

1280 AD:

In 1275 China brought 9 modern armor through my territory within striking range of Sevastopol. I moved infantry and musketman in the way so they have to go all the way around to the north, in case the attack fails. I feel it is now or never if Japan wants Sevastopol. Japan needs Sevastopol. I then went through my artillery barrage, and it was not too good. Two MI down to one hit point and one at two hit points. I am not sure what else is in there. So I start the attack. I lost five or six cavalry but Sevastopol fell!

I immediately move a settler to drop another city between Sevastopol and Astraken.

1285 AD:

Artillery moves to striking range of Tblisi (just off the screenshot near Astraken). Put the hurt on them, trashing infrastructure and dropping population from 13 to 8. Japan has only 8 cavalry left, and some are healing, so shelling will have to do for this turn. It may be too much to ask to get this city, based on the volume of China and American units converging on Russia. I may try to post some units nearby and strike if the other AI’s leave them weak.

Russia has only four cities left.

I also plan to slip a few more cities in the gaps between these four remaining cities.

Japan has these units: 8 cavalry, 69 infantry, 35 artillery, 7 guerilla, 17 musketman, 27 worker and 1 galleon. The military is strong compared to Russia, France and Arabs, and average compared to Mongols. Need to rebuild the cavalry stack for the time being. With all this new territory Japan needs more workers. Cities at max size will now generate a worker between other units. Select large cities are building hospitals.

I notice Japan has no oil. This is going to be a problem when Japan wants tanks. Japan now has an unhooked iron. Between that and the extra fur maybe she can get some oil when the time comes.

Japan is now 8th in population, 7th in GNP and 7th in manufactured goods. Better than 10th, 10th and 11th back in 590 AD, but still a long way to go. Population and GNP are three times bigger than 590 AD, and manufactured goods are five times bigger.

I just hope Germany chooses to pick on someone else when Russia and France are gone.
 
Great stuff zerksees!

I'm pretty sure I did turn culture flipping off. The victory conditions are conqor does this mean you fight untill the death>?
 
Groobz,

Conquest means you have to wipe out all rivals completely. You must do this before 2050 AD for a conquest victory. All victory conditions except histograph must be achieved by 2050 AD. If none of these conditions are met by any player, then the winner is decided based on the histograph – basically who has the highest score at 2050.

In this game it is unlikely Japan will win by histograph. The game is not near half over yet. Either it will build the critical mass it needs to take over the world, or it will be crushed by any one of the still overpowering AI.

Game update:

1295 AD:

Tblisi falls to Japanese artillery and cavalry. 2 MI and one guerilla were no match for 37 artillery and 5 cavalry. The expansion is exceeding my hopes, as Japan grabs more precious territory.

1300 AD: China makes peace with France. Woohoo! I try to demand techs for peace but she won’t budge. Finally in 1310 I made peace getting two free workers. Not bad considering I never even went near their territory.

I want to make peace with Russia. She will give combustion, a worker and Yakutsk (their second last city), but this will break my agreement with China. I need a good rep to continue trading for techs, so I let it pass. Instead I will rush settlers up around there and take the soon to be vacant land between the former Russian cities. Someone razed their third last city last turn leaving two more furs and rubber up for grabs. Earlier I saw a Chinese settler leaving former Egyptian territory. I explore a little with cavalry and see he is now in range of the resources. I build a row of cavalry so he has to walk around. I hope my settlers can get there in time.

1305 AD: MPP expires with China. I choose not to renew. This frees me to make peace with Russia and get a free tech. Too bad after I decline China takes Moscow and Russia is out of the game! I will postpone signing a MPP until France is gone.

Sent a settler with an infantry and a guerilla escort toward old France territory to prepare for a better palace location. Some AI went raze happy down there and now there is a huge open area. Using German railway and Chinese roadways with my ROP to get there.

1310 AD: Initiate more trades: England trades combustion for furs, 430 gold and 13 gpt. (I do this now in case China beats me to those extra furs. Hate to lose a customer!) India trades flight for 100 gold and 52 gpt. Germany trades mass production for 40 gold and 46 gpt. I tried selling to Arabs but they won’t bite, and Mongolia has all these techs.

Japan income is now up to 774 gold per turn.

Successfully block the Chinese settler paving the way for Japanese cities to control the rubber and furs. This feels devious, but I am sure it will not cause a rep hit. Any human player might declare war over this, but I feel safe with the AI.

1315 AD: India destroys France. The world is now at peace.
Japan drops two new cities north of Tblisi. Still one more needed to control the last fur.

1320 AD:
Sign MPP with Germany. Paid 50 gold for it. They have extra oil I can buy and China does not, so my fate somewhat rests with them now.

I still need to play the rest of the turn.
 
Brilliant Thread !! Learning a lot.

My I sugest that this edited thread be saved somehow somewhere so folks can see how a perceived hopeless, hit the ESC key Game can be turned around. ?

Zerksees is my new Hero ! :goodjob:
 
Arathorn - it is PTW. I am sure there are other ways to win this and I would be real interested to learn someone else's approach. Keep us posted if you try it.

Old&Slow - I think it will be up to the moderators to decide if this should become a strategy article, or if there is another way to keep it.

My point is to share some strategy so you can see what I do, decide if you like it, and maybe add some of it to your gameplay. This site has given me a lot of help, so it's my turn to share. Plus it's an interesting challenge.

Thanks to all for the support!
 
Game is PTW, I am playing on patch 1.27f. I am not sure what patch level Groobz played the game. (edit)

Update:

1325-1335 AD: Buy Flight from Romans for furs, 443 gold and 16gpt. (Correction I did not buy it from Indians earlier. I wrote it down but must have changed my mind before doing the deal.)
Founded a faraway city in France’s old territory for the next palace jump.

1340 AD: Germany declares war on America. So when Japan’s turn starts in 1345 she is forced to declare war as well. Ouch – this breaks trades with America and kills Japan’s rep! Now almost no one will accept gpt for techs. Japan still needs radio, computers and oil to have MI.
Japan completes military academy small wonder.

1345 AD:
Buy motorized transportation from Germany for 68 gpt. Somehow they will sell this, but not oil. Apparently even though they started the war Bismarck still sees Japan as untrustworthy.

Japan braces for American assault. Artillery pillage every American tile in range of Coaltown (the only border she has with America). For defense Japan stacks up 20 infantry in the city along with 6 more on the coal. America attacks with about 12 to 15 units – tanks, MA and MI. I lose some units, and actually lose my position over the coal, but he is out of units and does not pillage the road.

1350 AD:
Japan puts the artillery to work on all the American units just outside the city. Many are taken down to one hit point. Japan retakes the coal, and builds a fortress there and puts 6 more fortified infantry in there. If Lincoln takes it he is going to pay. I am feeling very underpowered and decide to switch to mobilization economy. I had to pull a lot of units from other cities to reinforce Coaltown and the coal resource.

1355-1365 AD:
Traded flight to Arabs for alliance against America.
America declares war on Romans. Seems like a dogpile against America. I can get MPP with China for 669 gold, but doesn’t seem worth it yet.
Japanese artillery barrage lowers Baltimore down to one population. (It was at 19 when war started)

Ugh – this rep hit is killing me. I need radio, computers and oil and I can’t use gpt. I regret mobilizing since the American surge seems to be over and Japan has not yet lost a city.

Strategy: I tend to get consumed by the battles during wars, and other areas suffer. Here Japan is so underpowered I need to focus on strategic objectives:

1 – Get oil. Japan has a few ways to do this. There is a small opening in the tundra in near cities taken by China. I am sending a settler up there to grab it. It is only four tiles, but hopefully with rush build of culture units I can get enough expansion to plant another city next to oil resource. The second plan is bolder. In about 3 turns the first army will come out of military academy. I plan to load it with veteran infantry, and stack under it 10 more infantry and a couple settlers. These will make a 15+ tile trek deep into American territory and attempt to plant a city on top of American oil, maybe both of them. Both oil sources are at least 2 tiles away from a city. Since cultural conversions are off I can get away with this without worry of culture flip. The final way is to save up cash and buy it. This is dangerous since the AI could break the treaty after I paid all the cash up front, so it is a last resort. As soon as this is hooked up I can build tanks.
2 – Get radio and computers. No more GPT deals due to rep hit so this requires gold now. Switch some cities to wealth production only. Change governors to emphasize commerce in other cities.
3 - Jump the palace to south location to improve commerce and reduce corruption. Need to prepare the future palace for this by sending out some workers to speed up the move to size 12. Since mobilized, will need to shrink the other cities to 10 or 9 to ensure it jumps to the correct city. Also put another settler at current palace location to rebuild after the jump. It should be a productive spot and it has incense nearby.
4 – Save up some gold for a quick update of infantry to MI once oil and computers are obtained.
 
Top Bottom