Challenging/interesting Gamesaves

[LifeOfBrian]

Hi. Attached is a fairly interesting game that might be of interest to some. Deity, standard everything (plus no ruins or any tech trading), oval map, Morocco, starting lux Lapis Lazuli. Looking forward to hearing your experience.

 

[LifeOfBrian]

Ignore the first save, this is the correct one.

 

[Noob Fanboy]

Normal Vox Populi without mods, right?.

 

[LifeOfBrian]

Yes, no mods whatsoever. I'm really interested what you, @CrazyG and everyone else will make of this game.

 

[Noob Fanboy]

The early game is the most intrigant part here. This game contains tree big surprises:

Spoiler Surprises :

A natural wonder,
Sweden as neighbour,
Lack of food unless you reveal fishes with pottery.

I tried wonderwhoring in this game only to be completely crushed in my first try. I can do a successful early game if i savescum but i don't want to.

 

[LifeOfBrian]

Noob Fanboy, thanks for the reply. I strongly encourage you to try again, because it's been one of the hardest starts/games I've ever played and I'm curious to see what experience others will have.

 

[Noob Fanboy]

Spoiler Info :

The start is not that hard. It's just that if you don't have enough information about your neighbours / near city states you can get really screwed. In my case for example, i tried a stonehenge -> maussoleum strategy with Goddess of Beauty while using my scout to protect me from barbs. Just to find sweden as a close neighbour later with no enough protection.

I'll try with a Pyramids -> Authority Rush this time. But this is cheating.

 

[Noob Fanboy]

Spoiler The game now :

This is the game so far, i obliterated Sweden first, then secured my territory later.

The early game was: Shrine -> Pyramids -> Monument. I got a worker from Sweden in like turn 9 and even destroyed the farms, so he got really behind in the beginning.

The settler from pyramids was used to found rabat, and the shrine was used to get god of all creation, after that i went progress, rushed iron working and terracotta army. The terracotta army got me the posibility to tribute all nearly city states. After that i just was declaring war constantly on Sweden (like 4 times) to completely destroy the civilization. Genghis Khan declared war on sweden, giving me a early declaration of friendship (and since he doesn't mind warmongering i don't have a very negative modifier for destroying sweden).

I rushed Metal casting for Colossus, then Chivalry. Thanks to having progress calendar and getting 13 workers (i deleted some later). I was able to get my kasbah everywhere pretty fast. About religion, fortunely Siam founded, but later a Order - Mosques religion appeared and spread to one of my cities, and then another religion with Pagoda appeared. My plan is to use my faith to get all faith buildings available (Order Mosques Pagodas Monasteries). The constant declarations of war with Sweden (and a recent war with Shonghai) allowed me to get some great generals, i'm using them to get some defensive positions against a future war with Genghis Khan.

I rushed statecraft opener -> fealty opener then all statecraft tree. I rushed fealty opener later after seeing two faith buildings religion. I'm not behind in culture despite doing that thanks to the Kasbah rush. My plan is to liberate three city states of Genghis Khan, allowing me to get a alliance with 5 - 6 city states. I plan to get Siam capital too.

I plan to get Imperialism too, Colonialism is really overpowered in Morocco

 

[LifeOfBrian]

That's interesting, thanks for sharing that!

 

[Noob Fanboy]

Spoiler The game 50 turns later. :

This is the main front of the game 50 turns later. I deleted Siam (who declared war on me), i just took one of his cities, burn it to to 0 population, killed some units and threatened their capital. The war was somewhat long thanks to the terrain and i lost 5 - 6 units in that war, but later Genghis Khan and Russia joined hands to obliterate Siam.

I didn't declared war on Genghis Khan because i wanted the experience for my units, Genghis Khan got some declaration of friendships and defensive pacts at that time. A war with them was suicidal in the moment.

Russia took two cities while i managed to get Siam as puppet before Russia was able to get their capital ( i didn't want a second capital, making me hated for all the world).

My other two fronts (one near Fes and Marrakech, the other one in Milan). Just after getting Siam as puppet, Genghis Khan and Shonghai declared war on me, thanks to a good use of defensive positions (and my unique unit) i'm able to hold. I have some Berber Calvary with Logistics (like 4), 4 medics crossbows, and 3 field cannons with range, unfortunely i don't have a lot of experienced melee units (i have lost like 5 - 7 units in the wars so far, 4 of them melee), but they're enough to hold the line. Please, if you're going to upload another filesave, use the promotion flags mod. It's painful to check constantly for promotions.

My tech tree so far, I'm focusing on Industrialization to get the Statecraft wonder, i have a good chance to get it since the only other guy with Statecraft is Shonghai, and i now he normally focus military technologies I have one turn left to steal a Technology from China. I'll probably steal Steam Power instead of Scientific Theory. If my spy gets killed i will go for the technology directly, if it's not killed i will still get steam power. I have a good chance to get the Eiffel Tower too, but since i don't want to rush Dynamite first and i have a good change to get both Braundemburg Gate (the Statecraft policy which reduces social policies needed it's really good) and the Statecraf Wonder, i'm not going for it

My social policies so far are Progress -> Statecraft - Fealty opener -> Imperialism (Opener and Colonialism). It was sad to find that Colonianism doesn't buff the Morocco forts. Imperialism really was my only option with the constant wars and the constant upgrades, Industry wasn't really a option neither Rationalism here.

I have plans to establish some democratic wars in the Middle of the map (ha! do you get the reference?) I'll liberate all city states between me and China along with taking two cities from Genghis Khan. China is running away a little, they got some wonders from Egypt and they built Sistine Chapel, but since i'm not very behind in techs (5 techs behind) and i was able to get a good political position (having a good defensive terrain and getting a declaration of friendship with Russia) i have a possibility to win this game.

And world congress got me Historical Landmarks, Genghis Khan sanction, Casus Belli and Scholars in Residence, catching up it's really possible.