Here is my story of this nice (so far) GOTM.
I played the Civ1 GOTM and the Civ2 GOTM first this month, so I only started this Civ3 GOTM last week.
I´m playing the game fully patched to 1.17f to see how the different strategies work and what changes we have to adjust to.
And directed at marshalljames
, I did also NOT reload and managed to kill off the French.
The Beginning
I started the game by moving my settler up to the no shield grassland tile and founded London there. Later that turned out to be a good decision because I didn´t only gain a shield but another wheat tile, too!
My scout was sent to the south because of the seemingly vast desert to the north and found CB in the only hut but also another great city location far to the south. That was also were my first settler was directed at, my worker was busy bringing the luxuries into London. A second scout was sent to the north and encountered the French who already had 3 or 4 cities and were 2 techs ahead.
In the beginning I only discovered 1 or 2 techs by myself, my science rate was at 10% and I bought most of the techs from the French, including Iron Working and Horseback Riding.
That gave me the possibility to build up my army. After all the southern part of the island was settled, excluding the desert isthmus, everything was switched to wartime economy.
I wasn´t an excessive pop-rusher before but with the 1.17f patch it is almost impossible to build an army only with rushed units. My only city which pop rushed horsemen was the southern city due to its great food supply. But after 4 or 5 units and a temple it was over, it didn´t even grow past size 1 without civil disorder (with temple, 1 lux., 1 police).
But on the other hand London was producing veteran swordsmen every 4, later every 3 turns! And 2 nearby cities needed 6-8 turns.
The French Campaign
I also blocked the French with a scout at first and later a spearman and the growing army. The French discovered MM several turns before me and as soon as they sent their galley to the isthmus and found a city there I decided that war was at hand. I gave in to one of their demands some time earlier, but when they trespassed into my territory and didn´t want to leave war was declared.
I quickly destroyed the newly founded isthmus city and started my campaign. But their horsemen and especially their fortified spearmen stalled the advance considerably. I lost nearly half of my swordsmen before their reinforcement movement slowed down a bit. My continuing reinforcement finally turned the tide in this war and I managed to destroy another 2 cities. I didn´t want them as they were pop-rushed down from size 4-5 to 1 and therefore extremely unhappy and also badly located. The nicer part of this first advance was to gain 3-4 elite units (no barbs to train) and after the 2nd desctruction a GL which I used to rush the Great Library. But what a surprise, I only gained 1 advance from it, the french were by far the most advanced civ of all. In retrospect it probably was a bad decision but I thought on Emperor level they should have a great lead.
Nevertheless the war waged on and after several other heavy losses, including 2 elites, the pop-rush period of the French seemed over, as the counter attacks of their archers and horsies weakened considerably. Now was the time to move on to Paris. A new group of reinforcement together with the remaining units grouped together on the mountain next to Paris and was able to capture it along with the Pyramids. Now that the resistance was more or less broken I only needed 6 swordsmen for 2 other French coastal cities and some more for the 3rd. I captured these cities and was pleasently surprised to gain another GL used for the Great Lighthouse. Peace was made with the French in exchange for a lot of gold, 3 or 4 techs and their second last city. In the same turn they moved 3(!) veteran spearmen out of their last city, I sent 3 elite units to this city and was able to capture it, losing 1 elite.
So 2 or 3 turns before the ADs the French were annihilated. It really is a shame we have to kill Joan off so early in most games!
The Golden Age
Building the Great Lighthouse didn´t only start my naval domination (hopefully) but also entered my civilization into our Golden Age.
That gave me the possibility to quickly restrengthen my weakened army, build up my navy, explore the world and also build the HG in London as well as other needed city improvements.
At first I discovered the Zulu, then the Indians, Persians and finally the Aztecs. They all had already colonized everything they could reach but weren´t as advanced as I was, thanks to Joan and my Golden Age. I concentrated on my own island and expanded to the archipelago south of it. But somehow the Zulu also got wind of these islands (I didn´t give them my map, I only traded territory but no world maps) and established a small outpost there first. My expansion force quickly settled the remaining spots but seeing even more galleys sailing there I decided it was time for another war. I was still in the Golden Age so I didn´t want to change to Monarchy, but some time later the GA ended and after waiting another 3 turns to finish researching construction (and losing ~100 gold) I went into anarchy.
Stopping the Zulu
Before Anarchy I was able to build up a considerable fleet of galleys which were able to decimate their navy and stopped their means of reaching my island. Taking the Zulu outpost wasn´t a problem at all and after Anarchy was over production could be changed to support the war.
My navy sunk another wave of filled galleys before landing my invasion force. I was able to capture the first city together with 2 catapults and started my siege of Zimbabwe. But the losses were heavy, my horsemen are no real use at all, so I´m probably waiting to get chivalry, but that will take some more turns. The only attacks I´m making right now are with my remaining elite swordsmen and that gave me another GL, I´m not sure what to use it for, yet.
I will probably use it for an army of knights, but maybe also for the Sistine Chapel. I don´t like the idea of building the Forbidden palace on the Zulu island, too much desert and too close to my island.
It is now 500AD and the Zulu war is far from over, more like a stalemate right now.
The other empires have no means of reaching me or each other yet.
And I´m still not first in score, but the others have much bigger cities, can´t do that due to unhappiness.
The craziest thing is that Paris is still 100% unhappy because "of the cruel oppression" I have done to them. Joan decimated them from size 6 to 1 via pop-rushing and over 500 years late they are still unhappy at size 1 with 1 police, 2 lux. and a temple!!! :crazyeyes
I did have some prejudice against this GOTM, Emperor on this kind of map. But when you master your first challenge in at least keeping the French at bay you do have some serious advantages being with them on one continent, especially in science. And the map is really fun although still a bit large for my taste. Hope I can finish in time!
So I'll attach that.
I really thought I'd be able to win on emperor, but here it is...
