[BTS] Come try this Lakes map

[jnebbe]

Rolled a lakes map for a change and it's turning out to be a pretty difficult and crazy game.

Leader is Boudica (AGG/CHA)
Starting techs are Hunting and Mysticism

Start:

Tricky start with some really interesting T0 decisions to make. Great land that has poor synergy with starting techs and a leader that heavily leans towards warfare (and if your game goes anything like mine there will be a LOT of wars)

Good luck!

 

[Tonny]

Just by looking at the screenie I probably will settle on the gold and start a settler at size 2.
This game maybe is above my league, but I'll give it a shot.

P.S.
Thanks for using buffy

 

[sampsa]

T0 thoughts

Spoiler :

As much as I hate not getting a bonus city center seeing 5 such potential tiles in the opening screenshot, I think this is a SIP. Three of them (high cc-tiles) lose the only visible -resource, so I think they are out, leaving 1E (on gold) and 2S1W. Latter loses the gold too and is 2T away, not to mention exchanging forests for jungle. On gold doesn't seem dandy here due to a combination of several factors.

Good

• extra cc
• win 2 workerT, leading to corn worked 2T faster

Bad

• loses the ability to work gold tile
• no extra cc
• loses oasis for 6T
• loses fresh water

The loss of is especially detrimental for leaders with weak starting techs. Make the gold riverside and with a FIN leader (+2 cc) who starts with decent techs it's already a different thing. I think also the stone matters a bit, as it means you'll need even more techs, as quickly as possible. With this amount of forest Mids are tempting, even if the -cap is already high. GW too certainly, though I think it's more for deity.

So all in all, I'd consider settling on gold here a big mistake.

 

[Fippy]

Ofc somebody mentioned settling on gold, like clockwork tsk tsk Tonny

 

[6K Man]

Settling on Gold: Tired
Settling on Corn: Wired

 

[sampsa]

T70

Spoiler :

Agri-mining-BW-AH-wheel-masonry-writing-maths-(pottery). Started a settler size 4. I think a case could be made for 2 workers before settler, as lots of wood and no great 2nd city spot. Went NE because I wanted Boudica's strong axes and the city is a decent worker/settler-pump without whips. As I was considering whether I use GW for fail gold or if I try to get it, Bismarck finished it T41. Puts a bit pressure on finishing Mids quickly, too. Slow expansion, not even 3rd city T50, but 3 workers, 3 warriors securing 2nd city, scout alive fog busting south. First axe out T52 with a chop.

3rd city SW to work gold+fp. Seemed like I can get math in time to chop with the help of from that. Delayed pottery since no real use for granaries as stagnating with such tiles and with Mids farms>cottages in some sense anyway. Will starve the Mids this turn. 5th cow+horse if it's still available. Two woody-axes patrolling in the south for barb workers, 3rd sipping from the oasis waiting for victims to gain xp. Barb activity has been very low for some reason, though I'd think there is a lot of room for them to spawn.

Will switch to slavery+rep when the settler is out. I think I'm going to try engineering bulbs.

 

[Anysense]

Rolled a lakes map for a change and it's turning out to be a pretty difficult and crazy game.

Spoiler :

Very poor start. Everything good is and BFC, nowhere to expand. Map being very small and round is very bad and makes lide a great deal more difficult. Immortal AI's don't help either, they tech way too slow. At some point one AI will have Calendar, another - Construction, third - Aesthetics. So, nobody is tradign anything and it will take them forever to get next tech. No wonder you have difficulties. Good thing is that being Immortal AIs they are very weak and easy crush with pretty much anything. Boudica's traits a very helpful here, just smash the whole lot of them with some Classical era stuff and go on to the next map.

Edit: No vassal states is a huge problem here. I don't think I will finish this game - it will take too much time to reach domination limit without vassals.

 

[jnebbe]

Spoiler :

Throwing in the towel T308

Went for a 5 city elepult against pacal. Knew in the back of my head this probably wasn't completely optimal but it would be fun anyways.
Bismark plotted me and dowed me T70 which was pretty cool and I had to gift him a crappy tundra city to get out of that. Barbarians were a huge problem too so I was paying a lot for axes while teching towards construction.
Scrapy fight against pacal but cleared him out.

Bit later and ceasar decides to attack me so I had to defend against him, and when that's finally over and I'm rebuilding, mehmed attacks me! Clear him out, but at this point darius is literally like 15 techs ahead because I've been stuck in wars the entire game. I thought there was a tiny chance I could still comeback (since I later found out he actually doesn't have uranium) but yeah no way. City count was at 23ish but it was more like 15, so many awful cities getting swallowed by culture. I lost a couple cities to culture and had 2 or 3 cities in revolt at any given time, there was just no chance.

Still had fun, map type I never play led to a wild game, gonna try some other map type next

 

[Anysense]

Turn 169.

Spoiler :

Considered moving 2SE for better capital lon term but decided to SiP. I went Alpha beeline then captured a few barbarian cities and went on with elepult from 9 cities. Kinda latish on t114 but good enough Immortal.

Spoiler :

I don't know why anyone would bother to build Mids here, Bismarck did it for me. Then I did the usual Police State/Vassalage/Slavery/Theocracy. Did not tech anything, but 'persuaded' AIs to give me most of the classical and mediavel stuff. Next turn I'll take Konya and take Machinery from Mehmed, tech CS and finish the game with maces. Some AIs' got Engineering, which is very nasty but it only means that I'll need a dozen more catapults than usual.

Spoiler :

 

[sampsa]

Spoiler :

I went for tall rather than wide. Just not a lot of great city spots so I simply wanted a good engineering date. Started a casual push towards Pacal already though, but the real attack starts at engi. Bothered with Mids and even HG for some GE-points. It's not that expensive even, assuming you need to get an aqueduct anyway. Bulbs are ready 50AD, GE bulbs nearly full machinery anyway I think. I'm sure that date could be improved a bit with better play.

Not planning to continue, it's just too much of a drag without the ability to capitulate AIs. Not more difficult necessarily, but just adds many meaningless turns to the game when it's already won.

 

[Anysense]

Funny how you can get to Engineering without Alphabet and Iron Working.

 

[Fish Man]

Funny how you can get to Engineering without Alphabet and Iron Working.

The most absurd thing to me is that you can technically get to electricity, fission, radio, and mass media without mysticism or anything that follows (yes, really!). I can imagine a conversation between an AI and a very nuke-dedicated player, as follows -

"What god do you worship?"

"I AM BECOME DEATH, DESTROYER OF WORLDS"

".....okaaaaay."

Still not as bad as missile cruisers without sailing in Civ V, though. Or foreign legions that are stronger than great war infantry without...gunpowder?