Conquest 03, Spoiler 2; entering the industrial age

[Sandman2003]

You have had a good portion of luck. You can get a different tech than selected. It' different from the free tech you get from philosophy or ToE.

I am glad one part of my game had some luck. The PRNG really wasn't nice in my early wars with India.

It is remotely possible that I am doing something different to everybody else. I am almost to the end of the IA, so I will have another shot at it shortly.

 

[grs]

I am glad one part of my game had some luck. The PRNG really wasn't nice in my early wars with India.

It is remotely possible that I am doing something different to everybody else. I am almost to the end of the IA, so I will have another shot at it shortly.

If you find out how you do it, I would be gratefull to know!

 

[Sandman2003]

If you find out how you do it, I would be gratefull to know!

I will try and keep some screen shots of what I do. On the other hand, in the face of widespread doubt over the reliability of picking your tech, I am not going to gurantee that it will work...

 

[Sandman2003]

OK, I have to state categorically that you get a random tech as your free tech. My good luck in getting what I picked did not continue over the end of the IA, so my wishful thinking on this matter was no more than that.

 

[chunkymonkey]

Open

For me, this was the Age of Missed Opportunities.

I started off by signing MAs against Ottomans with everyone else who was at war with them for money and techs and friendship. The ottomans could not hurt me at this point.

I declared war on carthage and captured a couple of cities on the dutch continent which gave me another supply of iron and horses.

Vikings declare on me so I take a couple of cities then sue for peace, and in the process realise there is saltpetre sitting under Aarhus, the city that the Vikings cheekily planted on my continent!

Towards end of middle ages, carthage is pretty much wiped out by a Dutch-Byz-India alliance.

Russia is pretty much destroyed by the ottomans and their sipahi

At the end of the middle ages, I am still holding my own. I would only class India and the Dutch to be stronger. Persia, me, and the Ottomans on level pegging. The Vikings, the Russians, and Carthage, are history.

I should have massacred the dutch and taken their continent whilst I realised they had no saltpetre connected and no friends. This played a huge part in my downfall during the Industrial ages.

 

[Darkness]

Predator

I entered the Middle Ages in 710 BC….
710BC – Start researching chivalry
470BC – Complete SoZ in Adrianople
410BC – Sardica flips to Indians
30BC – Declare war on India and use dromon to trigger GA After this highlight the RNG kicks in and totally destrys my momentum....
90AD – Make peace with India for PP, after taking 3 cities. Trade for Invention
370AD – Declare war on Indians again. Again RNG troubles
430AD – Russians declare war on me
450AD – First Leader appears -> army. India eliminated
500AD – Start invasion of Russia
570AD - Declare war on Ottomans
590AD – Carthage declares war on me
670AD – Carthage and Persia have entered the Industrial Age… I’m only half an age behind
690AD – Carthage destroys the Russians
710AD – MT discovered. Start upgrading knights to cavalries
810AD – Conquest of the Ottoman/Russian island complete. Russia’s out of the game and the Ottomans have two island towns left. This part of our conquest has given us three other Leaders (2 armies, and Heroic Epic)
880AD – Make peace with the Ottomans for Astronomy, and then trade him metallurgy for navigation
890AD – Begin invasion of Carthaginian mainland
1120AD – Carthage eliminated from their starting island. Make peace for 5 cities
1170AD – Declare war on Vikings and Ottomans
1180AD – Ottomans eliminated
1230AD – Persia completes Theory of Evolution
1260AD – The Vikings are driven of their starting island. Peace for an additional city. He’s now reduced to three small towns. I now control 68% of the worlds population and 60% of the worlds land/coast. I’ll invade the Dutch for the remaining 6%….
Persia declares war on me. There was a luxuries deal in place, so remind me to thank Xerxes for the reverse WW. His RoP rape costs me a city though….
1270AD – Declare war on the Dutch and land on his island
1300AD – Domination win

Remarks:
This really was a two-faced game for me. During both my wars with India the RNG really hated me and I lost a large number of units, setting me back in my quest for world domination. In the later wars my RNG luck was a lot better though…
I didn’t research after discovering MT, but the AIs were all in the Industrial age (Persia had already built ToE), but the least advanced civ (me) was always the most powerful after I had eliminated India…
Was it just my game, or did the Dutch have extremely bad city placement in your games too? And I mean by AI standards, not human....

Firaxis: 8275
Jason: 8687

 

[civ_steve]

First Spoiler - 4000 BC to 850 BC

Just a really quick post; it's already the 26th so time is really short this month.

I entered the MidAges in 1100 BC, and finally contacted Persia in 850 BC to qualify for the first spoiler. I needed about 8 turns to learn Republic, so the plan was learn Republic, revolt, upgrade a bunch of Warriors to MedInf then have at it with the Indians. So became a Republic (5 turn Anarchy) somewhere in the 500's BC, and once a Fur deal with the Indians expired, declared on them and moved the MedInf forward.

Lots of mistakes in this. I'd just recently obtained 3 more Luxuries through Tech trades; 2 from Persia (which was far behind) and 1 from Carthage. Declaring War cut our trade path, so I was now down 3 Luxuries (4 if you count the Fur trade I didn't renew with India); I'm sure this has trashed my reputation as well.

2nd mistake: with MedInf and large culture difference probably best to just raze Indian cities, to rebuild with nice Byzantine ones later. I timed my DoW for when I had Feudalism but India did not; so I'm facing Spearmen and occasionally Horsemen or Swordsmen. I've brought a Pike and 2 Trebuchets along, so my MedInf should stand up pretty well. Keeping the Indian cities meant diluting my forces (to defend them) and risking the occasional CF (which did occur.)

So I brought my force to the edge of Delhi's culture, but was down to only 5 MedInf available to push forward, which I thought was pushing it a bit. We settled into a grinding give and take; I founded a city that put me one movement turn away from Delhi but couldn't quite push through. Meanwhile, a second force was going up the coast capturing cities while the Delhi force held fast. Then War Elephants started to show up. At that point I got a GL, and formed a MedInf army, which gave me some capability to counter the WE's. India built KT in a tundra town down South; I sent an expedition to capture that. Finally I got enough force together to push through and take Delhi - 8 MedInfs vs 3 Pikes and 3 Spears did it. 350 AD (a long time!!). Got Theology and Invention as part of Peace along with a couple of India's outlying cities.

Research was essentially turned off during this time; I was waaaaaay behind, time to play catch up. The Ottoman, Carthage, Vikings and Russians were driving the research, and showed up as having Education, Chivalry and Gunpowder. So, going against form, I research Printing Press. My GA had started about 10 turns before when I finally had a chance at an Indian Galley, and I've built up a Treasury of around 2000 gold; 4 turns later I had PrintPress, and was able to get Gunpowder, and some gold and gpt, and one Luxury. Trading GunPowder, PrintPress and about 200 Gold got me Education from India. OK, the leaders have Banking, Astronomy and Chemistry as well; hmm, I'm still rather far behind. 390 AD.

Alright, I check and Carthage will sell me Astronomy for the least amount. I plan to do 3 of 4 turns research, then buy it to finish off. So in 420 AD, I buy Astronomy for about 300 Gold, then I manage to make trades to get Banking and Chemistry. I get a notice that Russia has started Newton's University; they are unique with Physics, and obviously have Theory of Gravity as well. I start on Physics. Metallurgy and Navigation are known by several, so I can start trading my WM for TM's or whatever Gold I can pick up.

Mid-400's, my GA ends, and that stupid Delhi flips on me. I'd been rushing Settlers out of it (Size 11 when I captured it, with Oracle and MOM), and was setting up a Palace Jump, just two turns away!! I have lots of units within their culture of course, but I'm not going to let him reinforce it so declare, and retake. Darn thing flips again 3 turns later, so this time I take it and raze it. My reputation is completely shot. So, in retrospect, Delhi flips, all the Northern coastal cities flip back before the end of the first War; I should have been razing and replacing all along. This time I get Persia and the Dutch to ally with me to help cement our relationships; they are rather far behind so the Techs I know are worthwhile to them.

Anyway I do about 5 turns of reseach on Physics; by this time it is known by 2 or 3 and the price is less than 100 Gold when I buy it - 470 AD. Russia is still exclusive on TofG, but no one knows Magnetism, so I start on it. Takes about 10 turns and Russia knows it before I finish (but wouldn't sell it for a reasonable price - wanted 350+ gold when I could do the last turn for < 200 research). I learn Magnetism and trade with Carthage for Metelurgy and the Ottomans (Mag and Metal for Tof G) to bring us all into the IA (570 AD). Russia and I got Nationalism, the Ottomans got Steam Power and wont trade it. I gift Persia up, and Xerxes gets Steam Power; now that it's diluted, he will trade it (ha ha, Osman!). Catherine lands a LongBow adjacent to Constantinople, and declares when I insist she withdraw it; she'd been itching for a fight for several turns and finally found an open space (without a Byzantine worker on it ) to land.

So I'm at war with India (Dutch and Persians allied with me), and Russia. I have Nationalism so I should be able to nullify the Indian WE's very quickly with drafted Riflemen; and Gandhi is rather far behind. I have trading possibilities to ally people with me against Russia (maybe Osman would like Nationalism, too?). And I know all Techs except MilTrad and Democracy (and Free Artistry too, I suppose; I don't think anyone knows Econ yet.) I see Ainwood's sick resource joke (ha ha). Plan to finish India (finally) and build up for a tumultuous IA. A very challenging game, and I can't say I'm comfortable yet.

 

[DJMGator13]

Link to AA spoiler

Which Describes How Your Feeling
I'm feeling fine with my game. I entered the MA in 730BC and on the very first turn 2 other civs join me and there is a massive uprising in a single Bcamp of 24 horse and 2 warriors. I received Feudalism and trade it for Engineering, Republic and Monotheism.

The Statue Got Me High
I issue DOW on India in 670BC, trigger my Golden Age and slowly capture all Indian cities. I generate my first great leader in 530BC. I learned Chivalry in 410BC and changed a perfectly timed prebuild over to Knight Templar which completes in 390BC, giving me a matched set of statues having completed the SoZ in the AA. Russia has the Great Library so I trade her Chivalry for an alliance against India. Generate my 2nd great leader in 350BC and get my 3rd in 50BC. In 50AD I capture Delhi and gain control of the Temple of Artemis. I eliminate India from the game in 310AD.

Hypnotist of Ladies
After healing and repositioning some troop I issue DOW on Russia in 360AD, signing the OTTOs as an ally. I lose a fully healed 3 man MDI army to the barb horses, killing 17 of the 24 horses in the process. I pillage Russia only supply of horses and only had to face a few knights. In 510AD I capture Moscow with the Pyramids and the Great Library. I learn Theology, Education, Banking, Astronomy, Chemistry, Economics, Physics, Metallurgy, & Theory of Gravity from Great Library (rendered the ToA & SoZ obselete). Complete my FP in 530AD (forgot to build it earlier). Capture Leo’s Workshop (540AD), Sistine Chapel (590AD) and The Hanging Gardens (640AD) from the Russians. In 650AD I learn Military Tradition and upgrade 10 knights to cavalry.

If I Wasn't Shy
In 710AD I sign peace deal with RUS gaining Magnetism & enter the Industrial Age, receive Steam Power free. I'm poised to attack the OTTOs now. Hopefully I can put a big dent in them before they get Sipahi. It will be a close race, but I can now transport my 2 remaining armies so I should be able put a big hurt on them.

 

[Dianthus]

Spoiler 1: Ancient Age (4000BC-800BC)

Spoiler 2: Middle Ages (800BC-370AD)
Having decided to go for a Space/Diplomatic victory I continued concentrating on techs, trying to improve my own tech rate and to trade for techs with the AIs (especially the Scientific ones). I also started building some horses ready for upgrading to Cavalry for an attack on the Indians. I allowed the AIs to research the lower path though, and Military Tradition was not researched until after this spoiler period.

I managed to gain some territory on the Island to the E though, but was a little dissapointed that the plains could not be irrigated due to the lack of water. Those E islands came in pretty handy though as my Settler aiming for horses to the N of the starting position failed to claim them. The Dutch got there 1st.

Here's a minimap at 370AD:

Here's a log of my tech pace:
775BC Monarchy (Traded)
775BC Feudalism (Traded)
775BC Engineering (Traded)
470BC Theology (Researched)
310BC Chivalry (Traded)
310BC Invention (Traded)
150BC Education (Researched)
130BC Gunpowder (Traded)
70AD Chemistry (Researched)
90AD Printing Press (Traded)
90AD Music Theory (Traded)
90AD Astronomy (Traded)
150AD Banking (Traded)
230AD Physics (Researched)
270AD Economics (Traded)
270AD Navigation (Traded)
310AD Magnetism (Researched)
330AD Metallurgy (Traded)
370AD Theory of Gravity (Researched)
370AD Medicine (Free new era tech)

 

[magritte]

Well, this is my first GOTM. I've been playing Monarch lately, but I decided to go with conquest rather than open class, and I'm still getting my butt kicked. I've just limped into the Industrial era at 1090 AD.

At first, things seemed to be going fairly well in the Ancient Era. I built two carracks early and had contacted everybody by about 1800 BC, leading to a slight tech lead. Unfortunately, the seeds of my failure were already in place, exacerbated by the higher level of difficulty and the fact that I'm not playing an Industrious civilization.

I have this bad habit of not building granaries, leading to a lack of early population excess, so I tend not to build many workers early, leading to low production. Ordinarily, I can compensate for this, but at this level of difficulty with the large Indian civilization to the SW, it meant that I had very little built other than settlers, a smattering of troops, and the statue of Zeus. I also failed to secure the horses in the north. There was a big stack of barbarians up there, and I decided not to put a settlement up there until I could wipe it out--while I was building up, the Russians settled.

Shortly after building the statue of Zeus and close to the end of the ancient era, Carthage demanded some tech (currency, I think). Although they were stronger than me, they were also based halfway around the world, so I called their bluff. They had built a couple of cities on the islands to the east of my main region and I had already figured that would be my best direction to expand given India's strength. They allied with the Scandinavians, I countered by allying with the Dutch and began loading ancient cavalry & swordsmen onto my Dromons.

Then (as seems to be the universal pattern), the Indians attacked. Ouch. I was hoping that the relatively non-agressive Indian civilization would leave me alone, especially since we were trading partners. No such luck. Worse, during the painfully long time it had taken to research republic, the Indians had gotten a jump on me technologically and were building war elephants. I triggered my golden age by attacking a carthaginian galley and basically had to pour most of my energy into building enough pikemen to hold India off at the city I had built at the isthmus. It was enough, but I wasn't able to make much of a dent in the east, though I did build three cities over there. Eventually, I was able to buy the Indians off for 70 gold, which I made up (more or less) with my peace treaties with Carthage & Scandinavia. No sooner had we made peace than I was shocked to find one of my cities culture flip to India--and with it one of my critical ivories. I wasn't prepared for this because I usually play a builder approach and rarely am greatly outcultured by my opponents.

Given this, I felt I needed to spend most of the ancient era building culture & economics to prevent myself from getting culture-flipped out of existence. Even so, I lost the isthmus city I had fought so hard to protect, despite having built a library and temple there and having five military units posted. I lost another city when the volcano in the south erupted. Choosing not to rebuild there, the Russians landed there, but their city was promptly crisped as well. Eventually, toward the end of the ancient era, the Indians settled there and have not been buried so far.

Although this was mostly a time of entrenchment, I did fight a short war against Scandinavia. They had captured one of the Carthaginian cities near me, so I decided to grab it before they could reinforce it. So now I have horses. Despite my efforts at building libraries and universities, I gradually fell behind in the tech race, not reaching the industrial era until 1090 AD. I currently have 12 cities--eight on my mainland, two on the southern coast of the Dutch continent and two on the island to the south of that. I'm ranked 6th or 7th by most measures, stronger than Scandinavia and about on par with the Dutch.

I had tried to keep myself optimistic by recalling that I have won from a long way back on Monarch level, that things generally improve a lot for me in the Industrial era. Unfortunately, the conditions that allowed me to come back don't look to be met here. The decision not to rebuild in the volcano-plagued city has come back to haunt me, as there turns out to be coal nearby. No one has any coal available to trade, and without railroads, I just won't be able to ramp up my economy. Also, the Theory of Evolution has already been built.

I think my last hope is a war with the Dutch. They have coal that they haven't discovered yet, and if I can seize that resource, I might be able to make a move. They don't have riflemen & cavalry yet, so I might be able to take them. Perhaps Carthage will help. I'll need a fast war, though, because I don't want to have to switch out of democracy. Maybe I can still get some mileage out of my piles of Ancient cavalry.