Conquest of the World

Note (Summer 2017 - Summer 2018): Due to Photobucket no longer allowing hotlinking of images, most of the images in this story are not loading. I am in the process of re-uploading them to my own site. Currently sections 1 through 15 (of 96) have been migrated. In the meantime, the first 30 sections are available in downloadable format, with links below the Table of Contents. You can also download the entire story (with images) at the Civ Archive.

After playing Civ 4 for more than a year, I decided to head back to Civ III and give conquering the world one last chance. I actually achieved this once with Rome on Chieftan, but that was only about a month into my experience, so it was time for a more difficult conquest. Thus:

Map: Huge Earth, modified to have 31 civs of about-equal strength. The last time I conquered the world there were only 16 civs.
Victories: Conquest!!! Time is also enabled (forgot to turn it off), but I'll ignore it if it comes up. So is Domination, so I can better see how I'm doing, but with 99% land and pop needed to win it, I don't think I'll get it .
Difficulty Level: Regent. Could've tried Monarch, but decided not to.
My Civilization: Greece
My Starting Location: New Guinea. I set up the map so I'd have this spot for sure. Didn't want a really easy start.
Settings: This map has no corruption. I don't want to have a world with 90% one shield cities!

Table of Contents - Opens in a seperate tab. Give it time to load, and it'll take you to the correct part.

Spoiler :

Part One - In The Beginning (4000 BC - 570 AD)
Part Two - A Century of War and Tech Trading (570 AD - 680 AD)
Part Three - The Long War with the Dutch (680 AD - 820 AD)
Part Four - Onwards with the Sword and Bow (820 AD - 990 AD)
Part Five - Continued War (990 AD - 1300 AD)
Update 5.90 - Update!
Part Six - Two-Front War!!! (1300 AD - 1350 AD)
Part Seven - Diplomacy, War, and the Iron Fist (1350 AD - 1400 AD)
Part Eight - The Battle of Delhi (1400 AD - 1430 AD)
Part Nine - A Long, Hard Campaign (1430 AD - 1570 AD)
Part Ten - Conquest in India (1570 AD - 1630 AD)
Part Eleven - The Gauntlet (1630 AD - 1635 AD)
Part Twelve - The Big Fish Fight (1635 AD - 1680 AD)
Part Thirteen - The Unification of Southeast Asia (1680 AD - 1762 AD)
Part Fourteen - Pax Graeca (1762 - 1850 AD)
Part Fifteen - War on the Australian Frontiers (1850 - 1856 AD)
Part Sixteen - Striking it Rich (1856 - 1866 AD)
Part Seventeen - V for Vendetta (1866 - 1868 AD)
Part Eighteen - Refining the Greek Outlook (1868 - 1878 AD)
Part Nineteen - Changing the Tide of the New World War (1879 - 1887 AD)
Part Twenty - The End for Germany (1888 - 1894 AD)
Part Twenty-One: Australia Becomes Greek (1894 - 1898 AD)
Part Twenty-Two: The Turn of the Century (1899 - 1904 AD)
Part Twenty-Three: All (Not) Quiet on the Western Front (1905-1908 AD)
Part Twenty-Four: Dark Times (1909-1915 AD)
Part Twenty-Five: Forming Alliances (1916 AD)
Part Twenty-Six: Wars and Setbacks (1917-1919 AD)
Part Twenty-Seven: Regaining the Southern Edge (1920-1923 AD)
Part Twenty-Eight: Entering the American Front (1924-1926 AD)
Part Twenty-Nine: Surprise Landings (1926 - 1929 AD)
Part Thirty: The Enemy of Your Enemy is Your Enemy (1930 - 1934 AD)
Part Thirty-One: Entering the Tank Age! (1934 - 1939 AD)
Part Thirty-Two: Battlefield 1940 (1940 AD)
Part Thirty-Three: Desert War (1941 - 1942 AD)
Part Thirty-Four: Into Africa (1943 - 1945 AD)
Part Thirty-Five: Entering the Modern Age (1946 AD)
Part Thirty-Six: The Last Samurai (1947 - 1949 AD)
Part Thirty-Seven: The Last Year for the Aztec Capital (1950 AD)
Part Thirty-Eight: Tenochtitlan (1951 AD)
Part Thirty-Nine: Outlawing the Russians (1951 AD)
Part Forty: Ancient Greek Glory (1951 - 1952 AD)
Part Forty-One: The Beginning of the Korean War (1952 - 1953 AD)
Part Forty-Two: Turning Back the Koreans (1954 AD)
Part Forty-Three: Two New Wars (1955 AD)
Part Forty-Four: The Fall of Rome (1956 AD)
Part Forty-Five: Securing the Byzantine Alliance (1957 AD)
Part Forty-Six: Sparta (1958 AD)
Part Forty-Seven: Crushing the Celts (1959 AD)
Part Forty-Eight: The Koreans Strike Back
Part Forty-Nine: Conquest of the Celts
Part Fifty: A Bonfire and Cocktail Party (1962 AD)
Part Fifty-One: Technology is Great (1963 AD)
Part Fifty-Two: Into China (1963 - 1964 AD)
Part Fifty-Three: The Air Wars Begin (1964 - 1965 AD)
Part Fifty-Four: The Air Wars Escalate (1966 AD)
Part Fifty-Five: The Fall of Portugal (1967 AD)
Part Fifty-Six: More Civilizations Fall (1968 AD)
Part Fifty-Seven: The World Comes Crashing Down (1969 AD)
Part Fifty-Eight: The Wars Get Worse (1970 AD)
Part Fifty-Nine: Advances and Losses (1971 AD)
Part Sixty: Two Leaders and a Blitz (1972 AD)
Part Sixty-One: Continuing the Byzantine Blitz (1973 AD)
Part Sixty-Two: Striking at the Soul of the Korean Empire (1974 AD)
Part Sixty-Three: Armies Fall, but the Conquest Continues (1975 - 1976 AD)
Part Sixty-Four: The Spaniards Revolt Once More (1977 AD)
Part Sixty-Five: A Wonderous Year (1978 AD)
Part Sixty-Six: Trying to Secure the Art of War (1979 - 1980 AD)
Part Sixty-Seven: The Invasion of Persia (1981 AD)
Part Sixty-Eight: Invading Japan (1982 AD)
Part Sixty-Nine: Small Cities Fall (1983 AD)
Part Seventy: War is Peace. Resistance is Futile. Greece is Strength (1984 AD)
Part Seventy-One: The Pyramids Fall (1985 - 1986 AD)
Part Seventy-Two: An Eight-City Blitz (1987 AD)
Part Seventy-Three: Blietzkrieg! (1988 AD)
Part Seventy-Four: Missile War (1988 - 1989 AD)
Part Seventy-Five: The Fall of the Byzantines (1990 AD)
Part Seventy-Six: The Fall of Mongolia (1991 - 1992 AD)
Part Seventy-Seven: England may Crumble, but Britain is Unconquerable (1992 AD)
Part Seventy-Eight: The Battles of Tlacopan (1993 - 1994 AD)
Part Seventy-Nine: The Conquest of Britain (1995 - 1996 AD)
Part Eighty: The War with Babylon Begins (1996 - 1997 AD)
Part Eighty-One: Invading Hittite Lands (1998 AD)
Part Eighty-Two: One More Land War in Asia (1999 - 2000 AD)
Part Eighty-Three: Babylon Cheats Death (2000 AD)
Part Eighty-Four: The Early Twenty-First Century (2001 - 2002 AD)
Part Eighty-Five: The Fall of Spain (2003 - 2005 AD)
Part Eighty-Six: Three Civilizations Fall (2006 - 2007 AD)
Part Eighty-Seven: America's Last Years of Peace (2008 - 2009 AD)
Part Eighty-Eight: War With America (2010 AD)
Part Eighty-Nine: Staying on the Offensive (2011 AD)
Part Ninety: Conquering the American Tundra (2012 AD)
Part Ninety-One: Three More Fall (2013 - 2014 AD)
Part Ninety-Two: The War Becomes 1 v. 1 (2015 AD)
Part Ninety-Three: The End is Nigh (2016 AD)
Part Ninety-Four: Conquest of the World (2017 AD)
Part Ninety-Five: The Changing of the Guard (2017 - 2018 AD)
Part Ninety-Six: Epilogue (2050 AD)

The first thirty sections are also available in downloadable HTML format for offline or story-only viewing. Each file contains ten sections.

Spoiler :

Conquest of the World, Parts 1-10, 4.41 MB
Conquest of the World, Parts 11-20, 8.18 MB
Conquest of the World, Parts 21-30, 5.32 MB

Part One - In the Beginning

So, in 4000 BC, my situation looks like this:



Nothing too surprising; I settle right where I start. Rather than rush to colonize my rather small island, I begin building The Colossus right away. Might as well have some glory.

I finish the Colossus around 1830 BC and then begin colonizing New Guinea.

By 370 BC, I've colonized the whole island and have a skilled Spartan army:



Unfortunately, it doesn't look like I'm set to dominate:



Knowing I'll have to expand elsewhere, I've focused my research on Map Making. During the next few centuries, I explore the neighboring coasts and train some Archers and Hoplites. I find my neighbors to be the French in Eastern Australia, the Dutch in Sumatra, and the Russians in Western Australia. I then set out to colonize my nearest neighboring island, Borneo.

But the Dutch got there first:



At this point, it's 300 AD. I've assembled a nice force to invade the French:



...but I'm starting to think maybe the French aren't who I want to invade. I'm also keenly aware that the Dutch will get Swiss Mercenaries, and as I'm behind on technology and without iron, I'll have no way to stop them once they get Feudalism. Thus, I tell my troops to march northwest towards the Dutch. The invasion has been changed!

In 380 AD, I launch my invasion. Statistically speaking, this isn't the best idea ever. The Dutch score may be third in score, but they're first in power:



Nevertheless, it's just a short hop across the channel, and with 4 Archers, 4 Hoplites, and 4 Galleys, I'm feeling pretty good about this. I've even caught a worker outside the city.



Usually I'm the person sending in 8 Archers, offense all the way, but with Greece I decided to use some hoplites. Fortunately I only lose one archer and the invasion is a success. The city is razed, and Greek settlers are already being trained to replace the city.

Somewhat inconveniently, the Dutch slip a ship past my Galleys and land a Spearman and Settler on Borneo again. Without any Archers beside them, I let them build a city, and then raze it the next turn. Short comeback.

After getting a few more archers to Borneo to replenish the lost, it's time to advance again. The choices are Sumatra, on the mainland on this map and the location of the Dutch capital, or Java, where there are gems. As I'm deciding, my scout galley off the Australian coast notices Dutch troops landing by a Russian city. Somehow this doesn't look like a nice friendly exploration group. I build an embassy in Moscow and check with my foreign advisor:



The Russians and Dutch are at war! This is looking much better than before! Still, I have to win the war before Feudalism. Seeing as the Russians are already targeting Java, I aim my next attack at Amsterdam, the Dutch capital on Sumatra. By now the year is 460 AD.

Taking full advantage of my unique unit and my enemy's terrain, I land my troops to create a double-blockade:



I don't attack immediately, instead ferrying across a few more archers. Meanwhile, the Dutch target the northernmost Hoplite. He defends the mountain pass mercilessly, and kills at least 6 Dutch archers. Even better, he starts a Golden Age!



The attack on Amsterdam goes more smoothly than expected and casualties are low! The city is taken easily. About the same time I start a revolution to adapt my new government of Monarchy. The stalwart Hoplite to the north is by now down to 2 of 5 hitpoints, and I ferry across another to help with the blockade while my archers recover. My next target will be Rotterdam, a small town to the north on a hill. I check the tile Rotterdam is on and discover...iron! As the Dutch are already in the Feudal Age, it's of utmost importance that I capture this city as soon as possible! I get my archers in position, and a swordsman appears in Rotterdam.

Now that the Dutch have built a Swordman, I have no time to lose. The year is now 570, and I make my move. My archers launch an all-out assault, and take heavy casualties. Too heavy. They destroy all the spearmen, but when the smoke clears there's that one swordsman, with two hitpoints, left. All I have left is the new veteran Hoplite and my elite 2-of-5-hitpoint Hoplite. I consider my options. I have one regular archer being ferried over. I could wait for reinforcements. Then I realize I'm still in anarchy...that's my only reinforcement! So, left with two hoplites to attack an injured swordsman on a hill, I decide, here goes nothing, and attack with the full-strength veteran...



To my great surprise, he wins! Unless the Dutch have more iron somewhere else, this war is won. I gladly occupy the city. Then...



I forgot that now I'll have iron! It might not be Hoplites and archers until 1200 AD after all!

Stay tuned for what happens next. The conquest has only just begun!

"Even the tallest tower begins with the first stone" - Hamurrabi, as quoted in the Civilization III manual.

 

Interesting! Let's see how this goes!

 

Part Two - A Century of War and Tech Trading

OK, time for an update! First off, let's catch up with the situation at the end of last turn, in 570 AD.

My Hoplite has just captured the town of Rotterdam, keeping the archer attack from being a failure. Greece is currently in Anarchy, hoping to emerge as a monarchy, and has just one reinforcement coming. The Dutch have lost their iron and are thus at a disadvantage.

The Indians have also appeared, with a ship visible in the second-to-last screenshot.

Checking the scores, I'm still decidedly in last



The demographics have improved somewhat. And...Athens is the finest city in the world!



Negotiating with India, I find myself almost completely behind. At least I have monarchy and Iron.



Two turns later I come back to India and strike a deal: I give them Monarchy for Code of Laws, Philosophy, the Wheel, Masonry, and 40 gold. Not too shabby.

And the next turn I trade Monarchy to Russia for Mathematics, Horseback Riding, 121 Gold, and, more because I can than anything, Horses. I'm feeling decently caught-up technologically.

Meanwhile, the Dutch city on Java has been razed by the Russians.



The next turn, Russia and the Netherlands make peace.



And two turns later, Babylon declares war on India. I have no idea where Babylon is, but India's powerful, so no complaints here.



By 630 AD, I finally have reinforcements coming. But a Dutch ship attacks my transport galley. D'oh! Fortunately, my ship survives. Whew!



Two turns later, Rome declares war on India.



Looks like the AI is feeling pretty good about wars today. All the better for me!

Exploring along the coasts, I encounter the Portuguese in Southeast Asia and the Scandinavians in China. Both appear to be peaceful at the time.

Then I find Rome and see how advanced they are...



Looks like I still have some catching-up to do.

The next turn I encounter Germany, on the Arabian peninsula. I'm not last anymore!!!



But the war front is moving slowly. Very slowly. Everytime I set up a Hoplite blockade, the Dutch pull off an upset and break through. The Hoplite from the mountain pass at Rotterdam still survives, though. Rotterdam itself has repelled several Archer and Horseman attacks, as well as one remaining Swordsman. The situation looks like this:



Not too much better than 110 years ago. I finally have reinforcements coming in decent numbers, though. My city of Pharsalos, just to the east of the Worker in this map, is now building Catapults, and Swordsmen and Hoplites are being trained in New Guinea. The fight must go on!

 

Nice! Could you post a world map please?

 

^Sure, I'll do it next time I get to this. I'm leaving right now and just stopped to note...

This map is modified to have no corruption. We want empires, and it'd get rather pointless to conquer a whole world of useless cities! Sorry to forget that the first time.

I now have a third section played, a few screenshots, and a bit of a storyline. I have to leave now, but I'll get it posted within 12 hours.

 

Part Three - The Long War with the Dutch

And with the above title, our story continues. First of all, a World Map. This one is the known world as of 570 AD, the beginning of section two:



Moving back to the present, we last left off in 680 AD. The Greek Empire has emerged from Anarchy into Monarchy, and continues its struggle against the Dutch. Both armies fight with archaic troops, but the Greeks have been gaining a slow advantage, due in no small part to their Hoplites. Still, progress is slow on both sides.

As I land reinforcements, the Dutch launch a counteroffensive of their own. A warrior and a few archers and spearmen, totaling six units, charge towards Rotterdam. The warrior attacks, and, not surprisingly, loses. The remainder then move to the mountain southwest of Rotterdam (visible in the last screenshot of the previous post). Realizing they might be trying for Amsterdam, I block the other mountain with the Hoplite that has just landed. They then attack Rotterdam, and lose. My Swordsman attacks a Spearman, but to no avail.

The battle then turns to the seas. The Dutch are again using ships to land troops near Amsterdam. I order my captains to attack, and my second galley barely defeats the one Dutch ship. Close call there. I'm now down to two ships myself, but more are being built.

Turning back to the land battle, the Dutch spearmen are now retreating from their attack and are just one square shy of The Hague. I decide not to let them retreat, and attack with my Archer. He brings a spearman down to one hitpoint, but loses. Rats. Both now have one hitpoint. Figuring I have nothing to lose, I attack one with my Elite Hoplite. Again he is victorious. They've lost five of six units; not too bad.



By now the year is 750 AD, and my exploration crews have discovered the great city of Rome, capital of the Roman Republic:



The city of Bangalore, visible in the northeast, has been captured by Rome in their war with India. If they win this war, and there's no reason to believe they can't, they could have quite an empire, even if they don't control the places in between.

In 760 AD, more reinforcements land near The Hague. The Dutch attack the new hoplite with a Horseman, and win again! Why does this happen every time?!? Slightly irritated with the recent results, I switch Pharsalos (on Borneo) from Catapults to Hoplites. Sparta needs some help.

The next few decades focus mainly on foreign knowledge. My exploration galley discovers what appears to be Celtic lands on the far side of the Red Sea. By the Sinai Peninsula are four Babylonian bowmen, on their way to India. Good news - I'm more advanced than Babylon!

Meanwhile, Zululand and India sign a peace treaty. I didn't even know they were at war.

I also locate Spain to the north of Scandinavia. Isabella is annoyed with me. Go figure.

In 790 AD, a Spartan hoplite defeats a horseman by The Hague. We're making progress! By Amsterdam, another horseman lands via a galley (again!) and fails, though barely.

I notice the next turn that my science rate is falling. Too many troops to support. Yet not enough to win the war.

Babylon and India make peace the next turn.

And by 820 AD, I'm finally ready to launch an attack on The Hague. I'm not guaranteed victory - my army consists of two swordsmen, three catapults, and four Hoplites. But I've been fighting for this city for a quarter millenia - it's time to take it! Charge!!

Two of my three catapults hit their targets, and I already have an advantage. This quickly changes as the first swordman loses. Bad start. The next one, however, wins. With four hoplites and the Dutch having a 1-of-4 Spearman, I decide to continue. An elite hoplite loses, and the Dutch spearman becomes Elite. I still have a narrow edge in the long run, and as such attack with a veteran hoplite.



At last the city is mine!

At this point this chapter of the saga ends. It's been a long, hard war, and it isn't over yet. But as a leader, I'm becoming a little war-weary. I'm thinking maybe it's time to build some libraries and catch up on research a bit, maybe finish off the Dutch at some later point. The square just north of The Hague would make an excellent defensive balwark, as well. On the other hand, I do have the upper hand in this war, and this is Conquest, so I could well keep fighting on.

The population of Greece is still a mere 803,000 - 21st in the world, with an estimated total population of 40 million. There's a long way to go.

Here is the World Map as of 820 AD:



"There are so many worlds, and I have not yet conquered even one." - Julius Caesar, as quoted in the Civilization III manual.

 

great job, but why dont you get portagal with you in a miltary allience?

 

Hmm, I actually didn't think of that. I started the war before I met them, and just kept going the same way afterwards. Now I'm probably strong enough that Portugal entering would just cost me part of the spoils. I'm not sure I'd have anything they want anyways

 

Part Four - Onwards with the Sword and Bow

At the end of Part 3, the Greeks had just conquered The Hague from the Dutch after a quarter-millenia of war betwixt there and Rotterdam. Having at last achieved victory, the exhausted Greeks decide to push on.

The mention of an alliance with Portugal had been brought up. At the mention of it, the Portuguese demand 12 GPT, 28 gold, and Literature. We scoff at the offer - even worse, with their strong military, they'd probably take all the best spoils. We don't need any foreigners helping us anyways - we have Spartans!

My troops slowly begin the move northwards towards our new target, Utrecht. A Hoplite secures the tile to the north of The Hague, creating a chokepoint. We don't want any invaders anywhere near this city.

In 850 AD, the citizens of Amsterdam finally agree to begin working tiles. It's about time. Then I notice they've been assimilated. I wonder how much longer it would've taken otherwise? By the next turn I have all of New Guinea and Borneo producing veteran military units. Numbers alone will overwhelm the Netherlands soon.

In 870, one of my exploration galleys discovers Egypt to the south of Rome in Africa. They are not very advanced, but have a good number of cities. Back on the home front, there's still a Spearman raiding the lands outside Amsterdam from way back in Part Three. I send a Swordsman to take him down, and he fails. Grr. I decide to leave him until the peace treaty as he's already destroyed almost everything anyways.

At this point, 50 years after taking The Hague, I move my first troops directly outside Utrecht. The Dutch use an archer to attack my Hoplite, and I lose. Who's training these Hoplites??? Fortunately, my next hoplites beats back a horseman and two archers. Might've saved the commander's life there.

I also receive news of two wonders being built. The Byzantines, who I placed in their historical location in the editor, have finished Sun Tzu's Art of War. That doesn't concern me too much. I have no idea if they're powerful or not. The next wonder I hear of is far more interesting. The Koreans have completed The Great Library in P'yongyang. With 31 civilizations playing, that's a mighty powerful wonder. Too bad they're not close enough I could rob it for a turn.

In 900 AD, I attack the city of Utrecht! After bombardment, I destroy three spearmen with swordsmen. Just one archer remains in the city. Rather than risk hoplites, I decide to let my swordsmen finish the job the next turn. In that they succeed, and I move quickly to set up chokepoints to hinder Dutch troop movements:



Good luck getting through there, Netherlands.

The next turn, I notice the spearman marauding near Amsterdam has disappeared. The Dutch are more broke than I in this war. All the more reason to keep battling them, even if my treasury is a bit under the weather.

I soon encounter the Zulu in southern Africa. They are in the Middle Ages, but lack Literature. Like I've done anything with it. Usually I build libraries ASAP, but war distracted me this game. Who ever said you needed technology to win, though?

I also find the English way far up north on the seas north of Siberia. Surprisingly, they're doing very well - they're even third in score.

Scandinavia makes the first outright demand on me thus far in 960 AD. They want 19 gold. I call Ragnar Lodbrock's bluff. Fortunately for me he is bluffing. I really didn't want a war with them right now. Then I look and see I only had 19 gold. He was trying to rob the poor!

All this while my troops have been moving my land forces towards the next Dutch city, Groningen. The Dutch made one attack on them, and succeeded in destroying a swordsman. The advances have been steady, nonetheless, until I spot...



A Dutch ship!

OK, so it's not that big a deal. I'm already well ahead in the naval war anyways. But you never know...

In 980 AD, I begin the battle of Groningen. The first round witnesses the demise of two Dutch spearmen and a Greek archer and swordsman. More swordsmen and archers race to fill the void in the Greek lines.



The Dutch still have a spearman and archer defending. They are no match for the next Greek attack, however, as slews of arrows fall the defenders.

To the pleasant surprise of the Greek populace, I learn upon capturing the city that it was built on Silks. Such good news hasn't came since at least the capture of Rotterdam. It will not distract Greece from the next goal, however. For the next Dutch city, Eindhoven, has Gems! Our troops immediately redouble their marches to set up outside the city's buildings.



And at this point this chapter of the story comes to a close. Supremacy over the Dutch has been established, but Greece is by no means wonderful. India, to the north of Eindhoven, is still very powerful despite their war with Rome, and cannot be taken lightly. The Portuguese also are very powerful. To close the chapter, here are three main diagnostics of the empire:



The power graph, with scores visible. Our power is respectable, but not infallible. Our score is still pitiful.



The Demographics page. We have over 1.2 million people, and now rank 17th-19th in population, GNP, manufacturing, and land - a significant improvement, if still leaving us mediocre in power. It also can be noted that our citizens spend an average of 9 of their 24 years of life in the military - no wonder our treasury's not great .

And last, but not least, the world map. Greece and the Netherlands are outlined; all others are labeled.



"He who takes the sword shall perish by the sword" - The Bible, Matthew (I'm remembering this from Civ IV!).

 

You're more powerful than Russia at this point. Sure their your good neighbors, but hey, there can only be one victor.

 

Part Five - Continued War

As you've probably guessed from the title, this chapter brings more war, more combat, and more bloodshed. It will be longer than either of the previous two chapters, so here it begins:

In 990 AD, the Greeks were expanding northwards against the Dutch, as they had since...when was it? 380 AD. Six hundred and ten years of warfare. By now the Dutch are very weak; however, the war shall continue. Greek troops are currently marching north towards the Dutch city of Eindhoven.

In 1000 AD, Greece discovers Currency and enters the Middle Ages!



Our free technology is Feudalism. Considering how we're already being bankrupted by our military, slower-but-stronger units is a good thing. I also note that Monotheism will take 42 turns to research and Engineering even longer. I set a citizen to Science in Corinth, set science rate to 0%, and set out on a 50-turn Engineering research path.

The attack on Eindhoven takes place ten years later. An Elite Swordsman barely wins. After another swordsman victory, an Elite Hoplite finishes the attack. Still no great leaders. A Dutch Horseman fortified outside the city takes down two of my archers, but is finally destroyed by a swordsman. At this point, the nearest Dutch city, Arnhem, is a short hop across a bay from Eindhoven. My ships head north to facilitate the passage.



In 1050, my ships lift the first two soldiers across the gulf to Arnhem. With more ships coming and troops ready to move, escalation should henceforth be quick. Meanwhile, I encounter the city of Babylon near present-day Cameroon, and decide to build an embassy. The Babylonians have two luxuries, but no strategic resources, and with their technological disadvantage are certainly weak.

Portugal complains of one of my troops in their territory, but agrees to a right of passage, the first one anyone has signed with me thus far. I look forward to exploring Portuguese lands extensively.

I soon find Korea in Western Siberia. Thanks to all the fish, these Siberian cities are actually doing decently well, at least now while the average city size remains small. Korea is decidedly advanced, but this is no surprise considering they have the Great Library.

France demands currency in 1070. Fat chance of that happening.

In 1090, I capture Arnhem without losses. Their nearest city is in southern Japan, and there are bigger fish to fry, so I go to the negotiating table while there's still stuff to be won there. And to my surprise, there's a lot to be won. The Dutch will give me The Republic, 7 gold (all they have), and Middelburg (the city on Japan). They'll even throw in Leiden. I have no idea where Leiden is, but if it's free, I might as well take it!

I use Ctrl-Shift-L to locate Leiden rather than scour my map. And what do you know, I find it, half a world away!



It's in far northern Canada!

For the first time in 710 years, Greece is at peace. At last civilian affairs will come first. But wait a second...that doesn't mesh with the title of part five, does it?

To the south of Greece, France has just reached the Middle Ages. I declare war on them, hoping to make headway before they discover Feudalism and have Pikemen. I troops ready, and send them over immediately.



Two turns later, I capture the French city of Chartres. I sure hope they don't have any horsemen nearby.



1120 AD - No horsemen, but French Swordsmen have converged on Chartres. I still have the city, but it's unlikely I can hold it through the next turn. I sign a Right of Passage with the Russians so I can evacuate my injured Hoplite to near Vladivostok and antagonize the French. My reinforcing Hoplite fends off one Swordsman, but then falls. The evacuee survives in Russia.

Across the world, Zululand and Rome make peace, in all likelihood a move beneficial for both parties. Rome is still fighting their war with India, and did not need a two-front war.

The next turn, I find the Iroquois in Scandinavia. They are very backwards and have few cities. At least they appear to have peace.

I also begin my first auction-style diplomatic contest of the game. I open bidding for selling me monotheism at the most reasonable price. Silks and 172 gold are included in all deals. Rome and the Celts want 33 gold per turn. The Byzantines undercut them with 31 GPT, and England matches them. Spain and Korea will do it for 30. India blows them all away with 25 GPT. But do I really want my next-door neighbor to get 672 gold? In the end I make the deal with Spain, and with just 156 gold down payment. Spain is immediately more friendly, I'm still making 28 GPT, and the gold payments will be done before I finish Engineering. Win-win.

Persia is met for the first time on the next turn. They have Iberia and presumably a good part of western Europe.

Remember that war with France? It is 1180 before I land troops in France again, near Besancon. My injured hoplite in Russia has taken the opportunity to map a good part of the land. He encounters French swordsmen in Russia. The French and Russians don't have right of passage agreements. Here's a diplomatic incident!

The French do not launch an immediate counterattack near Besancon. My next wave of reinforcements consists of an archer and three catapults. The pummeling is ready to begin.

Before I can begin, the French send a Swordsman out from Besancon to attack my stack. My hoplite cuts him down. Now it's my turn.

All three of my catapults fail to damage the defenders. Unfortunate, but I can't do much about it. The attack must go on. In the end I lose two medieval infantry, but take Besancon! It's our first city and largest settlement!

By now, fourteen Greek troops have landed in Australia, and the French face a formidable challenge. We advance the front lines to just outside Chartres.



Rats. The French swordsmen have appeared on the hill to the south of Chartres. I'm in a pickle. Whether I retreat or not, the French get to attack me first. Retreating will guarantee my catapults are safe. Still, I decide to press on with the attack.



My catapults fail again. I continue anyways, and I receive a great leader, Pyrrhus, when my Elite Swordsman defeats a spearman! Truly a Pyrrhic victory!

Even with all three of my attacks winning, the French still have defenders. I send Pyrrhus back to Besancon and garrison as many troops there as possible, and bunker down those remaining outside Chartres. Let's hope this isn't too Pyrrhic a victory.

The French make a big mistake. Rather than attack my vulnerable offense, their swordsmen move towards Besancon to target Pyrrhus. Now I get to attack them. Pyrrhus builds an army, and three Medieval Infantry join it. My catapults hit right on the French swordsmen, and with the help of a couple Archers, Pyrrhus destroys them.

Time for a quick interrupt in war news for the latest elsewhere. My "Portuguese explorer" (aka hoplite) has spotted a Dutch city to the north of Lisbon, away from the coast. I'm not overly surprised - the Dutch had to be getting their horses from somewhere. In other big news, INDIA agrees to a right of passage with me. Either I'm becoming a respectably-sized empire, or they're planning treachery, but I think I'll go with the first one for now. Either way, Eindhoven and Arnhem will soon have walls.

My finance advisors have slightly less exciting news. My military is causing my budget to go bust, although I'm still able to run a small surplus. I'll need some markets soon. I have 71 troops and can support 34; 37 GPT army support is too much, especially because I'm a monarchy. I consider switching to Feudalism, as all my settlements are towns, but the war weariness would be a major headache. Maybe after the war is over.

Back to the war front. In 1250, a Greek Archer defeats the last French defenders in Chartres. This is likely the last time we'll be able to fit all of the Greek empire on one zoomed-out world view, so here is a view of the entire Greek empire:



The next target is Marseilles. The reward for taking it will be Gems, but we have not yet faced such a difficult target. It has a population of 7 and is on a hill. A unified effort will be required to take it. The map is below:



Two turns later, as my troops recover from their latest attacks, the French launch a powerful counteroffensive. They attack the square two squares south of Chartres and lose one swordsman in destroying a Hoplite and medieval infantry. I now fortify three hoplites, with various other supporting units, on the square directly south of Chartres. If France wants to advance, they will have to either attack me here or risk angering Russia. If they retreat, I will move to the mountain with the gems on it, or the one southwest of it if they defend Gem Mountain. We'll see what they decide. Our battle plan is outlined below:



This civil disorder with the Greeks and French thing is reminding me of the discussion of nationality on page 132 of the Civ III manual. Yeah, I read the whole thing. I did have to look up the page, though!

Two of the French swordsmen moved into Russia, the rest retreated. Not a very decisive move. My archers finish off the swordsmen who advanced, and the rest of my forces advance.

Some important news reaches my foreign advisor. The Celts have declared war on the Indians. It wouldn't surprise me if Rome had something to do with this. It's all good with me - weaker neighbors .

I've also begun my first small wonder - the Heroic Epic in Sparta.

By the next turn, my troops are set to attack Marseilles, but there's bad news. A French Medieval Infantry has been spotted heading north. That means France has Feudalism. Fortunately, France hasn't upgraded the spearmen in Marseilles. It appears they are plumb broke. I waste no time in staging the attack. Pyrrhus takes down two spearmen, and my other medieval infantry take down two more. Two archers then destroy a swordsman. One half-health veteran swordsman remains. My last archer barely defeats him. Whew. Didn't want to fight pikemen there. Hoplites hurry in to fortify the town. Further back towards Chartres, my medieval infantry defeat two French swordsman who once again were thinking of advancing. Marseilles is securely in Greek hands. Paris is the next city down the coast.

Twenty years later, I halt military production in our cities and order an immediate switch to markets. Our economy needs significant improvement if we hope to compete outside of Australia and southeast Asia. After the markets are finished, I'll have them build libraries. I ought to have sufficient troops trained to take most of the rest of France.

Paris has at least one pikeman. Oh well. I don't think it'll stop 23 units plus an army.

Five years later, my leading troops reach the gates of Paris. At least one pikeman is present in Paris. Pyrrhus leads the charge. The battle goes fairly well - and even better, Paris only had one pikeman! I lack sufficient troops to continue the attack immediately, but countless troops are storming down towards the French capital.



Further to the north, some of my reinforcements spot a Russian medieval infantry. It's no concern to us now, but we don't want to forget about it.

Back in Paris, France has upgraded a spearman to pikeman. It will not change anything. We are confident.

As it turns out, the Parisian defenders fare unexpectedly well; only four defenders are lost. A swordsman and two spearmen at least remain in Paris. My troops continue to advance; however, Pyrrhus has been injured to the degree I dare not risk him in a difficult battle next turn.

1295 AD - The battle for Paris continues. We will not relent. France has pikemen again. My medieval infantry defeat both. Pyrrhus defeats a Spearman. My elite Swordsman of Pyrrhus then eliminates a Parisian swordsman and takes the city! We now control the Oracle! As a tourist attraction, it is a great benefit to the treasury, and is not even obolete yet. To add to the benefit, we now will have wines. Paris has been the most difficult battle yet in the war with France, but also the most beneficial to capture.

Checking with my military advisor, I find France to be in anarchy. They obviously didn't know I had switched production away from military and would be forced to make peace if faced with sufficient resistance. Oh well; onwards to Lyons!

The war for France is now well under way, but this chapter now ends. During the past 310 years, however, the Greek empire has become a true empire. It can be seen on the Demographics page that we are now second in land area, third in production, and eighth in population. Our GNP lags behind; hence the switch to markets earlier.



Our power also is amongst the highest in the world. If I were not concerned for the eventual scientific state with such a weak economy, I might keep waging war like this indefinetely.



And last, the world map. As our knowledge of the New World is still extremely limited, despite having the city of Leiden, only the Old World is currently included. Interior areas are mostly unknown, but the coasts have shown us where nearly, if not, all of the Old World civilizations are.



The conquests of Alexander the Great shall continue in the fourteenth century!

By the way, if anyone else is reading, feel free to leave comments and feedback. We don't want to have 120 pictures per page!

 

Update 5.90 - Update!

OK, short post here, but I just HAD to post this as soon as it happened!

1300 AD - The war continues!

Whoa! Major news! My hoplite-scout just spotted a !!!MUSKETMAN!!! in the Indian city of Jaipur!!!!! Whoa! Yeah, my tech advisor isn't saying we're advanced anymore. Now we're backwards. Why am I finding this out from my scout? Alchemists...

Nothing much happening on the home front. Slow movement towards Lyons, with those injured heading towards the barracks of Paris to recuperate.

Musketmen!!! Wow, that's something. I noticed Rome had lost Augustodurum and Ravenna before I quit last time, but...wow.

Scandinavia offers me Incense for Silk and 3 GPT. I pay 44 gold up front instead and call it a deal. Hopefully they won't feel like renegotiating for awhile.

My hoplites continue to dominate French medieval infantry on defence.

Ah, and the inevitable happens. Rome asks for an alliance against India. I had been thinking of entertaining such an offer. Then I saw Musketmen. I haven't forgotten this quickly!

But wait. Rome is willing to pay a pretty good fee for this. They'll give me Chivalry. Now I'm tempted. I don't even remember I don't have horses until I click Rome's resource button. Guess what? They have horses, and they'll include them in the deal. Now we're talking.




Aw, what the heck? To war!!! With India!!!

 

Part Six - Two-Front War!!!

Okay, I probably have about three too many exclamation marks for fighting a two-front war, but oh well. It's exciting! Picking up directly from where we left off:

1300 AD - Russia wants to terminate the right of passage. Not sure why. Then I remember. Shoot. I had a right of passage with India when I declared war. Now my reputation is toast with everyone except Rome. Shoot.

Wait a second. Don't shoot. India's the only one with muskets. Noo!!!

The Iroquois cancel their right of passage with me. Looks like there's a trend. But they'll renew it for 3 GPT, so I agree to try to rebuild my reputation.

1305 AD - My hoplite-scout is screwed. With a "D". He's stuck right-smack-dab in the middle of India. I tell him to head north towards the Himalayas and Portugal as fast as possible. I'd have him drop his shield and run like Phidipiddes if I thought he had half a chance.

I tell my cities on mainland Asia to forget about Marketplaces and to start cranking out the military units. We're fighting a true world power, and we're in for a whipping if we aren't ready!

I also tell my three remaining reinforcements headed for Australia to change directions at once. The French theatre will have to fend for itself.

I press the "Enter" key and brace for the worst...

1310 AD - My hoplite-scout was obliterated by a War Elephant and my archer-scout near Eindhoven was liquidated by a Longbowman. The Portuguese and Byzantines cancel their right-of-passage agreements.

Then I encounter an Arabic envoy to my capital. They are a new face, and very welcome with all the other news that's been coming in. They tell me their empire is very small, a mere three cities, and that they have Engineering to offer and would like Feudalism. I cannot make such a trade now, I respond. However, I see you also have two slave workers. May I trade for them, I ask? Only for 260 gold, they respond.



I decide not to. They must really like their slave workers.

The Babylonian envoy is next. They also want to cancel their right-of-passage. I convince them to renew it with 2 GPT. Sheesh. No one trusts me anymore. I'd have to be a fool to fight them halfway across the world...wait, I'd have to be a fool to fight India

I use an Archer to destroy the Most Offensive Indian Longbowman near Eindhoven. We will defend until the end, whatever the cost. India shall not step foot on our lands.

I check with my foreign advisor and am very relieved to find that India does not have a right-of-passage with Portugal. This effectively cuts off their land reinforcements. Whew.



I hurry a couple Knights anyway. Better safe than sorry.

1315 AD - All quiet on the Indian front. I hurry another Knight. I can afford one hurried Knight every three turns.

1320 AD - An Indian longbowman enters Greek territory near Eindhoven after being redlined by a defender Archer. My Knight promptly finishes him off. No Battles of Agincourt here, India.

Meanwhile...there's a battle on the French front! Yes, that front still exists ! My troops have moved into position to strike Lyons. The catapults are largely ineffective. Pyrrhus reverses that with a very impressive performance against two pikemen. It occurs to me then that until I have Galleons, Pyrrhus is stuck on the Land Down Under. I'd been hoping to use him against India. Rats. Oh well, we'll make do. A few troops later, Lyons falls into Greek hands. The battle turns back to Paris, where a French Spearman is threatening to destroy my source of wines. He spears a Medeival Infantry, but cannot withstand an Elite Archer. We are preserved. I will now head to southeastern Australia, and take the French source of Iron while we still have enough troops.



I sink an Indian galley west of Borneo on the first try. Prior to that, my naval luck this game had been mostly horrid.

By now I have enough troops in Eindhoven to feel secure (unless a bunch of War Elephants come knocking ), but don't have enough to take Kolhapur. I also have sent my native worker to build barricades along the peninsulas to help defend ourselves at all costs.

1325 - Really bad news. India took Pompeii. India appears to be pretty much ignoring me right now, and Rome's still in trouble, EVEN WITH CELTIC HELP!!! I then notice that Rome has taken back Ravenna, but still, that exchange hurts Rome more than it helps. Even worse, Pompeii has Horses. Rome's probably exporting all their horsies to me right now. Here's a look at the somewhat-dire situation for Rome:



Rome has more cities, of course, but they've got a pretty big problem pretty close to Rome.

My morale is lifted by good news from the French front. The city of Tours has no pikemen. We'll attack next turn.

On the home front, Pharsalos is the first city to complete a Market. It immediately switches to Medieval Infantry to help against India.

I send two Hoplites out towards Kolhapur. It's a brave new world.

1330 - Woot! Still no Pikemen in Tours. I eagerly attack.

Dang. Three medieval infantry and an archer died in the attack. The city is razed for that. OK, I'd planned to raze it before. But they really gave me reason to as it turned out.

Pyrrhus heads towards Avignon to finish it off. The rest of my army turns northwest.

A worker begins building a Fortress east of Utrecht. This has long been a defensive priority, but only now has gotten major attention. Ideally we hope to have four blockades along southeast Asia. The image below highlights fortress locations.



1335 - One of my advancing Hoplites kills a Longbowman coming out of Kohlhapur. Rock on!

Athens has completed a Marketplace. We're now making over 100 GPT!

I order my troops to pillage the mines near Kolhapur. Right now we have to stop India from making Longbows; we can rebuild later.

One of my scout galleys reports that the Byzantines now have Muskets. This isn't quite as alarming.

1340 - Back on the French front, I've decided to besiege the inland city of Orleans in order to reduce casualties. The picture below shows the city:



Near Avignon, I pillage the iron before attacking - the last thing I want is them having iron.

1345 - The Celts agreed to a right of passage agreement when my scout galley was in their territory! It must be because we are military allies. I make a formal military alliance with them. The triumvirate will take down India.

While in their territory, my galley had witnessed a brutal Indian assault on the city of Gergovia. India attacked with four units; the Celts lost just one pikeman but only had one left. It's a tough world.



In Australia, Pyrrhus takes the city of Avignon. France is down to two cities. To the northwest, the siege of Orleans is complete. Only one-food tiles remain uncovered. Now we wait.



Kolhapur has been almost quite thoroughly pillaged, and may actually be at a food deficit itself, despite its harbor. My troops surround it and I plan an attack for the next turn.

Carthage destroys Arabia. Poor guys. We hardly knew them and they were gone. We don't have a clue where they even are. Arabia claims 31st place.

1350 AD - Another glorious defeat for France. They attempted to break out of Orleans with an archer, and my defending archer won. Granted, he was fortified in a Forest, but still.

I found the city of Argos in a cattle-rich area of Australia France had not previously exploited. One more city is to be founded at least.

Back on the Indian front, the Battle for Kolhapur commences! The screenshot below shows the situation before the battle:



As can be seen, we've got the area pretty well covered. As planned, the medieval infantry attack first. The first defeats a pikeman without suffering any damage; the other suffers the opposite fate. A Knight in Shining Armor then attacks, and is victorious. Another Knight also is victorious, and becomes Elite. At this point only a Longbowman defends Kolhapur, and DEFEATS THREE KNIGHTS!!! Major !!! A Hoplite finally finishes the lucky devil off, but come on! What are the odds? Only one of the knights retreated to survive. Blimely. Some quick arithmatic tells me the chances are about 0.8%. Hopefully that'll get the bad luck out of the system for awhile.

That's where this section is going to end. It's been a mighty fun section, thanks in no small part to Rome. Speaking of Rome, they have recaptured Pompeii, and thus look at least slightly more alive.

Amongst other updates, Greece is still in the lower half in score, but now has the largest land area of anyone, is fourth in population, second in manufacturing, and seventh in GNP. I'd post the pictures, but I need room for smilies !

 

This is great! Following with interest.

BTW, any new world map soon?

 

Great game, it made me go back to Civ 3 again and try the same world conquest scenario.

 

Very nice story.

I've gotta try that sometimes starting out near Australia, sounds fun!

However, I thought you'd be a bit more naval that you are concidering your surroundings.

 

Yeah, the land war gets all the glory. I am at a bit of a ship defecit, but currently have six ships in my waters and two exploring. Throughout most of the Dutch war Corinth was constantly building ships, just quickly enough to replace the losses and keep two or three afloat. I've had at least four ships during invasions. I've been pretty lenient with exploration ships sailing through - no blockades or anything. So yeah, I'm not huge into naval warfare. I figure as long as I can safely transport my troops, no need to have 15 galleys.

The World Map is also included in this post. We still have almost no knowledge of the New World, so again it is left out. This map focuses on the current combatants, Greece, Rome, the Celts, and France, highlighting some of the important cities from the last post. It also labels Asia in big 40-point Georgia font, because it was getting boring to have the interior of Asia always be empty.



I've also been tracking the world and Greek populations using the demographics and % of world population (that's why I left 99% domination victory on ). The graph below shows the population trends since 370 BC.

 

Hmmm...Nice graph

But I still think you shoudn't forget naval power - Because after all you'll have to go to North/South America someday won't you?

That reminds me, whatever happened to that town in Northern Canada?

edit: And why don't you ask to trade world maps with anyone, that'd make life a ton easier since I'm sure they've all already traded them with eachother, so all you need is 1 map and you'll know the resources of every single person by every single town.

Double edit:
1)What do you plan to do after your offensive in Southern France ends.
2) Just north of you, the pink, who is that, I'm too lazy to read through the whole story to find out, the Ottomans?
3) Who do you have a rights of passage with? If not the Russians then are they next?

 

This is a great story and very inspiring for a newbie. You have done well. Love the commentary.

 

Okay, responses first of all to metamike:

You're right, I will need more naval power. Remember, though, that galleys only upgrade to caravels, galleons, and transports. Those ships also carry more units, so I won't need as many later. Once I research Magnetism and can build frigates, it'll make more sense to go for long-term sea power. For now, I'll settle for enough for safe passage.

My town in northern Canada, Leiden, is still there. It's now completed a Hoplite and is working on a Harbor. It didn't make much sense to include the entire New World in the map for one town, though. I went for greater clarity in the Old World instead.

As to world maps, in Civ3 Conquests you cannot trade world maps until either Astronomy or Magnetism - I forget which. Only in vanilla does Map Making allow you to trade maps (strange I know). My Middle Ages technology currently is limited to Feudalism, Monotheism, and Chivalry, and thus I unforunately cannot trade maps .

After the war with France ends: Right now my plans are to continue to invest in my war with India. They're big, they're powerful, they're practically right next door, and most importantly, I have allies against them now. Rome and the Celts will be a lot of help in this struggle, so I'm going to fight it now. After that, I plan to go into a period of economic development. I've finally got a few Markets, but my economy and science is still just plain awful.

The civilization directly to the north of me is Portugal. They are relatively weak, and I could plow through them next. But they're also a very convenient buffer against India, so I don't think I will.

Rights of passage. Those blew up when I declared war on India. Ka-boom!!! I forgot I had a right of passage with them, and ever since my reputation has been toast. Nevertheless, I currently have rights of passage with Rome and the Celts, my war allies, as well as the Babylonians (near modern Cameroon) and the Iroquois (in Scandinavia - minus Denmark and southern Sweden). The latter two are very weak and agreed to renew for 2 GPT and 3 GPT, respectively. I agreed as I was making 100 GPT and want to try to rebuild my reputation.

Thanks to everyone who's been following along. I'll get another section up soon.