Challenge: Earliest UHVs with the Final patch

[Wessel V1]

To be honest I believe there must be some improvement left in your game. For example, a capital on the coast can grow faster. And 30% research on Calendar isn't useful when going for the quickest UHV, so that could be shaved off too.

 

[Zaanzie]

I wrote the way how I've won the game.

 

[Jusos2108]

Wessel just meant that he thinks that you could beat it.

 

[deanej]

Well, I tried to follow that strategy as Inca and failed miserably (though mostly due to bad luck with the Dutch). I was losing gold in the 100% research phase; thankfully I started with more than 700 gold. Didn't get the road completed in time, so the southern city had to defend against the dog soldiers. Finally, the Dutch arrived from the pacific so there was no way to prevent conquerors; this is when I decided the game was a failure and gave up (btw, they don't have to see your territory to trigger; I had a game as the Maya where they spawned on the island south of Cuba despite the fact that I met the Spanish frigate several tiles northeast).

EDIT: Did another game. This time the dog soldiers refused to attack so I had to split my forces. Met Spain in Brazil, but conquerors spawned one tile west of my capital and I gave up. How on Earth do you avoid conquerors? You must have had a LOT of luck.

 

[Zaanzie]

EDIT: Did another game. This time the dog soldiers refused to attack so I had to split my forces. Met Spain in Brazil, but conquerors spawned one tile west of my capital and I gave up. How on Earth do you avoid conquerors? You must have had a LOT of luck.

When I played as the Dutch (or any other not-American civ) and you sent a caravel to SA, you might met an Incan galley (or scout or other unit). If you met the galley at least 1 turn before you can see the Incan borders, you don't get the free troops. Someting strange is: sometimes I sent a caravel and it can see an Incan galley but I didn't met them!

In my last 2 games I avoided the Europeans:
1) I had build a galley and it met a dutch caravel S of SA.
2) One of my 3 scouts (I get one from a goodie hut), explored the Rio De Janeiro-tile, and it saw a Viking caravel.

 

[Wessel V1]

I wrote the way how I've won the game.

I didn't mean to say it was a poor performance, I just wanted to point out there are probably some improvements possible in that strategy. Capital on the stone for example (also means irrigation possibilities). However, to prove my point, I will have to play a game which is what I'm going to do as soon as I get home. I hope I won't blame myself...

 

[deanej]

When I played as the Dutch (or any other not-American civ) and you sent a caravel to SA, you might met an Incan galley (or scout or other unit). If you met the galley at least 1 turn before you can see the Incan borders, you don't get the free troops. Someting strange is: sometimes I sent a caravel and it can see an Incan galley but I didn't met them!

In my last 2 games I avoided the Europeans:
1) I had build a galley and it met a dutch caravel S of SA.
2) One of my 3 scouts (I get one from a goodie hut), explored the Rio De Janeiro-tile, and it saw a Viking caravel.

I think the AI can see any tile within range of one of its units to compensate for its inability to memorize what it saw. I'll have to try building a galley; maybe that will put contact far enough away that they won't see anything yet, but it seems as if their units simply get teleported into my territory.

 

[blizzrd]

Natives had captured San Augustin (Savannah) as I spawned, so I razed this (useless) city before it would have flipped. Conquered New Orleans (also Native) on T2 which became my capital.

Flipped two English cities (Philadelphia and Pointe-Saint-Anne and got extra troops when England (vassal of Turkey) declared on Turn 3.

Captured Caracas (for the oil) from Spain and razed various island cities in the Caribbean during the 1800s. Captured Tikal from the Independents and razed the rest of the former Aztec cities (barbarian and Independent at the time).

Late game attacked Portugal to capture Recife and finally Arabia to take the 10th oil (founded a city on top of an oil resource to do so). 10 oils were Edmonton, Denver, New Orleans, Gulf of Mexico, Northern Canada, Caracas, Recife, Borneo, Nigeria and Yemen (former Arabia).

 

[sercer88]

I probably don't need to ask - but this is emperor difficulty, correct?

 

[blizzrd]

No, I played that game on Monarch difficulty.

 

[blizzrd]

For anyone who might be interested, here is the save game from the American spawn date (1775AD).

 

[Jusos2108]

Nice! Interesting starting strategy, due to the overpowered levees I guess. I am surprised though that you didn't found a city in Mexico with 2 corns, deer and much other stuff inside its BFC. This was a 600AD start, right?

 

[nody]

Natives had captured Savannah as I spawned, so I razed this (useless) city before it would have flipped. Conquered New Orleans (also Native) on T2 which became my capital.

Flipped two English cities (Philadelphia and Pointe-Saint-Anne and got extra troops when England (vassal of Turkey) declared on Turn 3.

Captured Caracas (for the oil) from Spain and razed various island cities in the Caribbean during the 1800s. Captured Tikal from the Independents and razed the rest of the former Aztec cities (barbarian and Independent at the time).

Late game attacked Portugal to capture Recife and finally Arabia to take the 10th oil (founded a city on top of an oil resource to do so). 10 oils were Edmonton, Denver, New Orleans, Gulf of Mexico, Northern Canada, Caracas, Recife, Borneo, Nigeria and Yemen (former Arabia).

You didn't collapse from razing all those cities?

 

[blizzrd]

You didn't collapse from razing all those cities?

No, stability was never worse than Stable and was generally Solid for most of the game. Building Courthouses, Jails, Intelligence Agencies and Security Bureaus helped, as did three Golden Ages (Olympic Park, 2x Great People and 2/3 UHV).

I had more than enough Corn to not need any Mexican corn and already had more than 10 cities too so no point further damaging science with Mexico. I already had the Dye from extension of Tikal's culture, Silver from next to Tikal and Deer from near New Orleans.

 

[Jusos2108]

Okey. Just a minor detail, but your last city on the oil is in Oman, not Yemen.

 

[TDK]

Plan was to only research Sailing before hitting the money pedal all the way to 3000 gold, way before Euros could possibly make landfall.

Settled first 2 cities on the coast for max trade (pic 1). I wanted to get Sailing asap for the free Harbor in the southern and northern city (they were delayed a few turns but I figured it was worth it). Sailing would also ensure that I could reach the Aztecs with Galley and a Great Merchant in good time, and some of the cost of Sailing would be offset by the foreign trade routes to Aztecia.

I reached 3000 gold in 1415AD.

The French Conquerors arrived around 1550 and took Tucume and at the same time Spain settled Caracas. All my cities had walls (very cheap!) and a few units so I was able to hold them back after that, and as I gradually overcame the plague I went on the offensive with new mercenaries in my ranks.

In the 1700 hundreds, Spain had also settled 3 cities in the south, which I attacked with a mixed army now including musketmen. Spain landed a task force (Landsknaegt C5, Xboc C3, 2 Cannon CR3, 1 Treb and 1 experienced Conquistadors) at Caracas in response, and it almost cost me the game. What saved me was that he only had one regular unit left after first round, so he could only actually kill one defender a turn (I whipped 1 archer/turn for 4 turns). My mercenaries arrived and finished his cannon a few turns later. I even assaulted Grenada after that to force a peace treaty with Spain (pic 2).

Victory!

 

[nody]

Xboc C3

It's called Xbox 360...

 

[Jusos2108]

Well done, seems that there was something to be shaved from the previous record.
The list has been updated.

 

[alpaca]

After trying to beat Egypt for a while with their initial settler position as capital, I decided to give the strategy you used a shot, and was able to beat your record by one turn after something like 10 restarts.

The strategy is to use Sirwa to profit from both marble and stone, then build Pyramids, Henge, Oracle for Aesthetics and GL in your capital. When you have time, create a settler and found a new city. My strategy probably differed a bit from yours in that I had to rely on trading techs with Carthage to get sailing because I decided to go for Literature first and build/slaver the GL in my cap. The Lighthouse was built with a great engineer.

Notes: You have to get lucky to pull this off in less than ~100 turns, even if you play very close to optimal. You need a Great Engineer and Great Artist (GA is more important than GE) as your great people #1 and #2, and you probably have to get at least a single useful tech in goody huts (in my case, pottery). Park a warrior near where Carthage is going to spawn and when you can, trade them aesthetics and agriculture for Sailing and Mining, then research a turn into Bronze Working, trade Literature for Bronze working and chop a bit for the library.

All in all it was interesting but not that fun because the very short game time and very specific requirements means you have to rely on luck a lot. Final score was 9382, I founded another city and captured Jerusalem. I was far ahead in money due to pottery-driven cottage economy but suffered a bit from lack of production, as is expected for Egypt. Proof shots attached. How do I find the date?

Edit: I felt compelled to mention for anybody reading this who isn't trying Egypt to beat the record that the strategy will score you a win almost every time. You will need that Great Artist, which you won't get if you're unlucky, but the rest is solidly reproducible. You just have to get lucky to beat it in less than 120 turns or so (either a goody hut tech or GE I reckon), very lucky to beat it in less than 100.

 

[Jusos2108]

Well done.
So you teched literature and aesthetics the hard way, how did you have time for that? I bulbed literature.