COTM 04 Spoiler 2: Entering Industrial Ages

[ainwood]

COTM 04: Spoiler 2: Entering the Industrial ages

Well, you started off with a fairly good starting position, although you probably found your expansion under a bit of pressure with some close neighbours. If you could assimilate them under your control, you could get a good productive empire up and running. Otherwise, you could work with them to speed your research progress. Or you could do something different?

Which path did you choose?

To qualify for this spoiler, you must be researching an industrial-age technology. You must have contacts with all other civilizations that are still alive. You must have, as a minimum, maps showing the majority of the coastlines of all major land masses, and the locations of the capital cities of all other civs.

Please do not post screenshots that show industrial-age or later resources.

 

[horragoth]

Ancient ages

The starting location was really awesome. I have produced settler every 4 turns and there was still place where to settle. I have claimed large central part of the continent (see picture 10 AD).



I had refrained from using JTs through despotism period, and used JT only to trigger well timed GA after entering Republic. Having a large number of cities in GA allowed me to build Great Library, Great Lighthouse (I have captured pyramids as well) and every wonder from Middle ages on.

Second expansion wave included settlement of small continent NE, and western half of that farther NEE. Those cities are not productive, but they were intended to improve chances of getting resources. It has actually paid, because it provided salpeter source which is not available on the main continent.

Since researching Military Tradition my military power is unchallenged and I could easily pick the interesting parts of Aztecs and Americans territory (lux) as well as destroy Spanish who suddenly DOW me.

I am researching tech every 4 turns and I hope I will manage to build spaceship before my culture reaches 100K.

 

[eldar]

Open

Ancient Times

270 Enter the MA. Start on Engineering. Republic, in the middle of my GA, at war with Aztecs.
210 Xochicalco destroyed. Of course, the Aztecs will be in their own (Despotic) GA, so they're churning out units too. I'm still winning….
190 Even though I probably won't get it, I start a run at the ToA.
130 Captured Teotihuacan.
110 WW is kicking in - so I sign peace with Aztecs for Chalco and Tula. Er, looks like that Barb camp is still open for business… though they didn't attack Chalco? Checking a few things: Iroquois have no Iron, America no Horses or Iron. Spain have both. Aztecs only have Iron, but they *should* be able to hook up Horses. Unless I do first. IBT: Saxon tribes sack Chalco repeatedly. Not for much, at least.
90 Sell Currency to Aztecs for 230g. Stupid boy, Monty. IBT: America finishes Polytheism and enters the MA.
50 Last turn of GA.
AD 50 Establish all Embassies.
110 Challenge Aztecs to remove their units from my territory. They declare on me.
150 Capture Tlacopan and Aztec Iron.
230 Aztec is all but finished - no more Iron, no Horses, and after I've captured his Furs, that'll do. (He has got a lot of Size 1 cities on the Tundra to the south, which will prove annoying in mopping up. I'll get some in a peace deal, then challenge any straggling forces he leave in my borders again....)
250 A glorious day for the Mayan people as Blue-Quetzal-Macaw leads his fearsome Horsemen in the destruction of an Aztec archer unit. He will toddle off to form an army forthwith, and it shall be filled with Swordsmen!
270 Sell Republic to Spain for 124g and 8gpt - humma humma!
280 Tlatelolco destroyed.
310 Texococo captured. That's the potential 'thorns in the side' captured, now to go after the furs.
320 Another Civ completes the ToA. I think I'd have been pipped, just - I switched to Sistine a while back, though.
330 Another Civ completes the GL. Could've, didn't want.
350 Finally, the AI researches something! Trade Theology+Engineering to America for Feudalism+8gpt+56g. Switch Chichen Itza to Sun Tzu's (2 turns), Tikal to Sistine.
360 Destroyed Ixtapaluca.
370 Completed Sun Tzu's in Chichen Itza. Hanging Gardens is finished elsewhere. Sell Literature+Silks for Gems+19g to America.
400 WW hitting again, so I sign peace with Aztecs for two cities after taking Calixtlahuaca and its furs.
590 I tell an American Archer where to go. America, oddly enough, DoW on me.
610 Where's the frickin' Saltpeter, Ainwood?
620 Capture San Francisco.
630 Capture Philadelphia. 8 Workers - bonus!
650 Capture Atlanta.
660 Capture Washington, The Oracle, and the still-in-effect Great Wall!
670 IBT: Atlanta flips, I lose a regular Med Inf.
680 Capture New York.
700 Re-capture Atlanta, capture Seattle.
720 Capture Miami.
730 Capture Chicago, the last American city within reach (Houston is in the far north of Spain…). Negotiate peace for all his gold, and gpt.
740 Now there's an Iroquois chariot in my territory. Will I ever get a chance to finish off the Aztecs?! IBT: Iroquois DoW.

A few turns earlier, I'd finished Navigation (having given up on suicide Galleys ages ago...) and my Caravels had reached new shorelines....

750 Contact with Byzantines, sell Education for gpt and gold.
760 Contact with Sumeria. Sell Education for lots. Sell Invention for Ivory.
780 Contact with Celts. Sell Education, Furs, WM, Silks for Wines.
790 After capturing Tonawanda, the Iroquois also give me Oil Spring for peace. How nice of them. They're in their GA now, I'm guessing.
910 I challenge a Spanish stack, they declare on me. My first attack with an Elite Knight produces a GL! Knight Army! Er… then the RNG gets really nice to me. My SECOND attack with an Elite, after building the Army, produces another GL!
930 Captured Zaragoza.
940 Research Metallurgy (Great Wall obsolete) and enter the Industrial Age. My first time before 1000AD, a personal milestone Gift Germany (who was still in the AA!), Byzantines, and Sumeria into the IA. Germany and Byz get Medicine. Sumeria gets Nationalism. Best I can do Steam Power in is 5 turns at a deficit, but I'll definitely go for that. Germany will give me Medicine for Navigation, Silks, Furs, WM, and 170g - and he gives me back 23g. Um, alright. Sumeria, with a monopoly, won't give up Nationalism for any price just yet.

The MA for me quickly turned into the Era of reaction - reaction to the three neighbours who remained potential threats DoW'ing me in quick succession (but not all at once, which would've been more fun). I got hold of all the Wonders except those not researched, and the KT, which I was happy to give up and use as a pre-build for Magellan's. The lack of Saltpeter was in no way a killer, because my opponents for the large part lacked Iron and/or Horses. I eventually found the Island off the NE coast of America with Saltpeter on it, but I think the Iroquois would've been just as easy to kill with Knights as they were with Cavs.

Having no plans for invasion, and having lost 20+ turns researching Republic all by myself, I wasn't going to try for a spaceship. Culture wouldn't be quick enough, either. So I went to the fallback UN plan (which I stuffed up a little, see next post, I guess).

Neil.

 

[Crakie]

Let's just say the continent was mine before Navigation, though there were no dishonourable things to report about me, and for the first time in my life I was sending out suicide Caravels. The second continent seemed war-torn, driving out the Byzantines to the icey islands in the north and two Civs still in the AA. Although I could easily go for an easy conquest or domination win, I had already decided before the start of the game that the top players would beat me to it and I had more chance for a diplo. I only 'traded' with the scientific civs for their bonus tech and was facing a lonely IA.

 

[Roland Ehnström]

COTM04_Open

In short, for the lazy reader - While the Ancient Times were all about peaceful expansion, the Middle Ages, on the other hand, were all about conquering the continent. We declared war on America in 450 BC, and quickly wiped them out with Horsemen and Javelin Throwers. Next up is the Aztecs, whom we destroyed using Knights during the period of 30 AD to 460 AD. Iroquois fell quickly in a short war from 400 AD to 510 AD. Finally Spain was destroyed, using a combination of Knights and Cavalry now, in a very one-sided war stretching from 640 AD to 740 AD. In 760 AD we found the other continent, and on the following turn we entered the Industrial Age.

*** Ancient Times ***

*** Middle Ages ***

510 BC - Our sole remaining Galley survives a suicice run through the seas north east of our continent, and makes it to the shore of an alien island.

450 BC - With 9 Horsemen and 4 Javelin Throwers on the border to America, we feel more than ready to attack. We declare war. One of our Javelin Throwers wins a battle against an American Warrior guiding a Settler through our land, and starts our Golden Age!

410 BC - We attack Boston, just 4 tiles NE of our capital. The town is heavier defended than we expect (4 Spearmen), but our Horsemen's ability to withdraw mean we take the town without losing a single unit! And as a bonus, with Javelin Throwers moving in after the Horsemen have softened up the defending Spearmen, we manage to turn one of the Spearmen into a slave worker.

390 BC - We lose 2 Horsemen taking Chicago.

350 BC - We give the Iroquois Construction for 2 Workers, 11 Gold and their help in an alliance against America.

310 BC - Our scientists discover Monotheism. We are way ahead in science now, so we feel we can afford to research Literature next, which we can get in 4 turns at only 40% tech-rate, giving a surplus of 53 gpt even after paying our crazy 44 gpt army support cost.

290 BC - We attack Washington with 9 Horsemen. We lose one Horseman killing the three defending Spearmen and take the city and The Oracle.

270 BC - War weariness kicks in. We counter it by upping the Luxury-rate to 20%.

230 BC - We take Atlanta (on Hills) with 8 Horsemen, losing one of them. We discover Literature and start Feudalism.

210 BC - Our Galley has completed a lap around the island in the north east, but could not find anything of value. It's going to continue east on another suicide mission.

190 BC - We attack New York with 6 Horsemen and 2 Javelin Throwers, but in fact only 2 Horsemen are needed to take control of the town.

170 BC - We destroy Seattle. Our Galley sinks.

150 BC - We take Philadelphia, and secure a source of Gems. The Americans now only have two small towns left, one on the Iroquois peninsula and one way up north above Spain. We'll leave those towns alone for now. Next on our list is Spain, but they don't know that yet...

110 BC - We discover Feudalism and start Chivalry (4 turns)

50 BC - We get Furs from the Aztecs for Horses and 3 gpt. They have a Horse resource already, which they only need to build a colony on, so giving them Horses isn't a big deal.

10 BC - We discover Chivary and start upgrading Horsemen.

10 AD - Spain have destroyed the final American town. We found Tulúm where Seattle used to be. Meanwhile, the Iroquois are starting to look threatening, running around with Mounted Warriors on our soil for no good reason. Also, Aztecs move an Archer into our land. We decide to postpone the invation of Spain and reinforce our defences instead.

30 AD - The Aztecs move more units into our land! We politely tell them to go away. They declare war. We bribe the Imroquois with Literature for them to declare war on the Aztecs.

70 AD - Things are looking better, we have stopped the Aztec "invasion" (just an Archer and two Jaguar Warriors) and secured the southern towns with Knights. We decide to press on, and kill the pesky Aztecs once and for all. We have now upgraded a good number of Horsemen into Knights, and we have eight cities building Knights in 5 to 10 turns.

110 AD - We easily take Tlacopan on the Aztec north-east coast.

150 AD - We take the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan with 6 Knighs.

170 AD - The Germans have been destroyed.

210 AD - We capture Xochicalco.

230 AD - We capture Calixtlahuaca.

280 AD - Our mighty Knighs take control of Tzintzuntzen.

290 AD - Madrid completes Great Library. We steal Tlateloco and Malinalco.

300 AD - We take Texcoco, but there is a final Aztec "stack of doom" in the region, so we're likely to lose it again soon.

320 AD - Aztecs duly re-take Texcoco. We discover Gunpowder, and find there is no Salpeter available. There is however Salpeter on that lone island far NE (so our brave Galley didn't die in vain after all). We'll keep that in mind when we discover Navigation/Magnetism (which we hope no one does before we have destroyed all our "friends" on our starting continent - we don't want them to spread any "lies" about us to the rest of the world...).

330 AD - One of our lone Veteran Knighs running around in the open, incredibly survives an attack from 3 Swordsmen and one Jaguar Warrior! We take Aztcapotzalco with 2 Elite Knights, and finally get our first Great Leader!

340 AD - We take Texcoco back, and this time we intend to keep it. We build a Knight Army in Cuello.

350 AD - We capture Teotihucan, size 7 and defended by 4 Spearmen and 2 Archers, without losing a single Knight. Our Knight Army wins it's first battle and Copán starts Heroic Epic. Me need to start watching our backs, as the Iroquois make peace with the Aztecs.

360 AD - Chichén Itza completes Leonardo's Workshop! We take Tula.

370 AD - We capture Tlaxcala.

390 AD - Cobá founded in a great "hole" in the former Aztec land. We capture Tamuin.

400 AD - As we were expecting, the Iroquois turn on us and declare war! They attack Chichén Itza with Mounted Warriors, but our defending Knights bravely fight until the last man, and just barely manage to fend off the attack. (I wonder what would have happened if the attack would have been a success - would they have burnt Chichén Itza to the ground, with Leonardo's Workshop and all? If so, I would have been *slightly* angry... Mental note for next time: More defense in the cities we cannot afford to lose!) Our counter attack to clean up our land kills many Iroquois units, and we feel a lot safer. We also give Spain 6 gpt to declare war on Iroquois. Down south, we take two more Aztec towns: Teayo and Tlalmanalco.

410 AD - We destroy an Aztec town (I don't remember it's name!).

420 AD - We capture Cempoala. Meanwhile, the Iroquois keep sending Mounted Warriors into our land, and we keep killing them easily with Knights.

430 AD - We capture Chalco from the Aztecs, and more importantly Mauch Chunk from the Iroquois, starting our march through their pathetic "civlization".

440 AD - LOL, the Aztecs re-capture the un-defended town of Teayo with a lone Spearman I somehow forgot about!

450 AD - Hittities have been destroyed. We take Centralia and St. Regis from the Iroquois.

460 AD - We capture Ixtapaluca and destroy Teayo: The Aztecs are destroyed! In the north, the Iroquois are being overrun by our superior units. We take Grand River.

480 AD - We take Salamanca, and The Mausoleum of Mausollos!

490 AD - We capture Cattaraugus.

500 AD - We take Niagra Falls, Oil Springs and Allegheny in one glorious turn!

510 AD - We capture the final two Iroquois towns, Tonawanda and Akwesasne, but the Iroquois are not destroyed! The have a Settler in a pesky Galley somewhere...

530 AD - We sink an Iroquois Galley, but it's not enough to destroy them. The hunt goes on...

560 AD - We discover Astronomy. We can now safely get to the island in the north-east, to build a town on top of the Salpeter, and then a Harbor to transport it to the main continent. Of course, we have a Galley waiting, ready to do just that.



570 AD - We attack the final (?) Iroquois Galley with 2 of our Galleys, but it survives!

590 AD - We found Dzibilchaltun on top of the Salpeter. Next turn we'll rush a Harbor.

610 AD - The Salpeter is hooked up and ready to be used! Military Tradition is 4 turns away.

620 AD - The Iroquos have incredible surviving skills. We have found two Galleys of theirs, at least one of which must contain their final Settler. We have attacked these with a total of 3 Galleys and 2 Caravels, but STILL have not sunk either one of them!

630 AD - Chichén Itza completes Sun Tzu's Art of War.

640 AD - It's time to get rid of Spain. We declare war, move in with Elite Knights and a Knight Army, and take Santiago. Down south, we destroy Santander on the former Aztec tundra. Our Knights are also closing in on Zaragoza, on the former Iroquois peninsula.

650 AD - We finally sink the last Iroquois Galley, and they are no more. Tikal completes Sistine Chapel. We discover Military Tradition, and start upgrading any non-elite Knights to Cavalry (we'll keep the Elite Knights to try and get some more Great Leaders). Copán starts Military Academy. Our Knights take Zaragoza.

660 AD - We capture Pamplona.

670 AD - We now control Barcelona.

680 AD - Toledo captured.

690 AD - We steal Madrid, and The Great Library.

700 AD - Capturing Seville, we get our second Great Leader. He immediately builds a Cavalry Army.

710 AD - Our Knight Army takes Murcia, while our new Cavalry Army take Vitoria.

720 AD - We take the final Spanish city, Valencia, but again that's not enough to destroy them. We go Galley-hunting again...

740 AD - We sink the final Spanish Galley with a Privateer. We now are in the unusual situation of being all alone in the world - we have no contacts at all! But we have just discovered Magnetism, so it's time to send some Frigates and Privateers out to explore the world...



760 AD - Contact! Our Privateer runs into a Byzantine Dromon. They are backwards, having only Monarchy to offer us. Our plan now is to fill up Galleon after Galleon with Cavalry and Elite Knights, and send them across the sea to preach the greatness of the glorious Mayan civilization.



770 AD - We make contact with France, the Celts and the Mongols. They are all weak and backwards, with the Celts less weak than the rest. WE DISCOVER THEORY OF GRAVITY AND ENTER THE INDUSTRIAL AGE!



I have already submitted my result, so yes, I qualify for this spoiler thread, even though at the end of MA I had not yet met the Sumerians and had not mapped the coastline of the other continent (what's that good for anyway?).

-- Roland

 

[hookmonkey]

In the ancient age I fought an unsuccesfull war against the Aztecs (who entered their golden age) only capturing the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (Which means: 'Where Men Become Gods' if I remeber correctly) while losing a lot of units to hold my cities. I actually was forced to enter a early Golden age of my own to survive this war. So only capturing 1 city we enter the Middle Ages!

We recieve a culture flipping Philidelphia, next to our capital, from the Americans. Meanwhile the Iroquis and sometimes the Spanish and Aztec fight the Americans. America suprisingly holds off hords of Mounted Horsemen (?), the unique Iroquis unit. (I gave the Americans a passage agreement with me so they had a little advantage over the Iroquis in terms of movement)

Soon after that the most powerfull civ, the Aztecs, sneak attack us and after barely fighting of the hordes of Aztec units with Knight we make peace, both countries without capturing 1 city. After this war I decided it was time for the barbaric Aztecs to be finished off. Also had a short war (420AD~470AD) with the Iroquis in a relative peacefull time for my people capturing St. Regis and destroying the Iroquis city of Atlanta near the Maya-Iroquis border at that time.

I finish the Sistine Chapel (660AD) because of the lack of luxuries, hopefully making my people more happy. Settle 2 cities on the remote saltpeter island in 810AD (before actually discovering Gunpowder but I had the feeling it would be an important island with the sea squares leading to it).

Finally start war against the evil and agressive Aztec empire around 1090AD. My goal is the luxuries on their evil lands and possibly the head of their leader. I do not manage to get their spices but the furs are taken in a succesfull war, breaking the Aztec empire in to pieces. (see picture)
During the war long war with the Aztec's (they refuse to sign a peace treaty) I enter the Industrial Age!

 

[eldar]

I have already submitted my result, so yes, I qualify for this spoiler thread, even though at the end of MA I had not yet met the Sumerians and had not mapped the coastline of the other continent (what's that good for anyway?).

-- Roland

I just plain forgot to go contact the French, until late on into the IA - I just forgot they were there, and it was a bit of a trek round the coast just to go meet them. *coughs*

For 7 Monarch Civs, including 3 Scientific ones, on a large continent, their tech pace sure was abominabal once they'd gotten into the MA, though (I was selling them Education/Engineering, having just finished Navigation, I also had the bottom tree up to Chemistry).

Neil.

 

[hookmonkey]

@Roland Ehnström:
We settled all our core cities on almost the same places! Lol, that's a coincidence.

 

[Roland Ehnström]

@Roland Ehnström:
We settled our all our core cities on almost the same places! Lol, that's a coincidence.

Great minds think alike...

-- Roland

 

[LuuCkyJaa]

Open, Industrial Age, 1335 AD

Ancient Age (4000 BC-490 BC) recap: [post]2159433[/post]

I’m getting the hang of managing citizen moods. I only had a few instances of civil disorder, even with two major wars under Republic. One of my biggest successes was discovering the other major continent in 260 AD. My biggest regret is that I did not find the minor continent that the Spanish had settled until I defeated them in war. From there, I’m sure I would have found the other minor continent long before anyone else (I’m sure others did).

Those Middle Age wars eliminated the evil Americans (I declared against them in 720 AD and eliminated them in 870 AD) and drove the Spanish usurpers off my continent (they foolishly declared against me in 1120 AD and signed a peace treaty in 1285 AD, leaving them with two cities).

However, I’ve allowed the Aztecs and the Iroquois to expand to 17 cities each (second to my 43). I have been hesitant to take them on mainly because of concerns about war weariness, even though my military is much stronger than either of them (or anyone else for that matter). In retrospect, I realize that I should have pulverized at least one of them by this point. So now I get to hone my warmongering skills in the Industrial Age.

It’s now 1335 AD. I have been at least two techs ahead of every other civ for quite a while. Looking back, I must have finished researching Democracy about 1160 AD (didn’t make a note of it), but didn’t switch because I knew there were more wars to fight and I was close to finishing Bach’s Cathedral in Chichén Itza and Smith’s Trading Company in Copán. Now that the Aztecs, the Iroquois and the Celts are all under Democracy, I realize I might have made a mistake. They are generating more excess gold than me and I’ve fallen to second in the Annual Income (5 per capita) on the F11 screen. My initial thinking was to go for Communism and then wipe them out.

My main priority right now is researching Steam Power and finding out if I have Coal somewhere. If I don’t, it may tell me where my to deploy my troops. While I would prefer to fight just one civ at a time, I realize that I could wind-up at war with both the Aztecs and the Iroquois at the same time. It’s been in the back of my mind for a while (rightly or wrongly) that I could only succeed in this if I have Railroads in place.

Northern half of Mayan continental empire:



Southern half of Mayan continental empire:



Minor continent 1:



Should have been here a lot sooner

Minor continent 2:



About to plant my first settler here.

My stats at 1335 AD:

43 cities, 335 citizens
248 units, including 93 pikemen (I’m defensive-minded), 47 knights, and 10 ships (2 galleons, 6 caravels, 2 galleys)
139 gold in treasury
Income: 1323 gpt (1287 from cities, 30 from taxmen, 6 from other civs)
Fixed expenses: 293 (corruption), 238 (unit support), 140 (building maintenance) gpt
Sliders: 60% science (653 gpt) 10% entertainment (64 gpt)
Steam Power in 7 turns.

Abbreviated Timeline:

250 BC - Dzibilchaltun (17) founded

130 BC - Uxmal (18) founded

70 BC - Abandoned Cuello

50 AD - Began work on Sun Tzu’s Art of War in Chichén Itza

90 AD - Abandoned Uaxactún

260 AD - Suicide galley run succeeded! Met Byzantines

370 AD - Built embassy and established ROP with Byzantines

290 AD - Traded Byzantines Republic for Literature + 1 gold
Met Mongols

310 AD - Built embassy and established ROP with Mongols

400 AD - Met Celts
Completed Sun Tzu’s Art of War in Chichén Itza

440 AD - Met Sumeria

480 AD - Built embassy and established ROP with Celts

520 AD - Built embassy and established ROP with Sumeria

560 AD - Completed Forbidden Palace in Cobá

570 AD - Met Hittites.
Traded them Republic for Monarchy + 319 gold

580 AD - Built embassy and established ROP with Hittites

620 AD - Met Germany

670 AD - Met France

700 AD - Time to take out the Americans. Demanded 25 gold in tribute - they pay it

720 AD - Declared war on the Americans. Decided I wanted help.
MA against Americans with Iroquois. I give Monotheism, they give 30 gold.
MA against Americans with Spanish. I give Chivalry, they give 13 gold.

730 AD - Captured Philadelphia (17) & Houston (18)

750 AD - Captured Boston (19). JT won battle, entered Golden Age.

770 AD - Iroquois captured Miami (their only success in an alliance with me)

790 AD - Captured New York (20) & Atlanta (21)

800 AD - Traded Hittites Theology for Engineering

820 AD - New York flips back to the Americans

830 AD - Captured Washington (21)
Founded Mayapán (22)
Spain captures New York

850 AD - Captured Seattle (23)
Founded Kabáh

860 AD - Captured San Francisco (24)
Aztecs demanded 27 gold in tribute - We paid it

870 AD - Captured Chicago (25). Eliminated Americans

920 AD - Founded Aké (26)

940 AD - Traded Celts Education for Invention + 4 gold

950 AD - Golden Age ends

1020 AD - Traded Iroquois Education for Gunpowder + 21 gold
ainwood’s first “gotcha.” There doesn’t appear to be Salt peter on this continent

1070 AD - Founded Xcalumkin (27), mainly as a way to get troops to Spain more quickly for the imminent invasion

1120 AD - Spain declares war on us, captures Xcalumkin

1130 AD - MA against Spain with Iroquois. I give Music Theory, they give 8 gold.


1140 AD - (Re-)captured New York (27), this time from Spain

1160 AD - Traded Iroquois Banking for Astronomy + 14 gold

1170 AD - Captured Barcelona (28)
Founded Ek Balam (29)
Completed J.S. Bach’s Cathedral in Chichén Itza

1210 AD - Completed Smith’s Trading Company in Copán

1220 AD - Captured Madrid (30)
Founded Tazumal (31)

1250 AD - Captured Toledo (32)
Founded Cozumel (33)

1255 AD - Captured Seville (34)

1260 AD - Iroquois abandoned MA and signed Peace Treaty with Spain. I guess they got tired of throwing their horsies at cities, only to have me capture them

1270 AD - Captured Santiago (35)

1275 AD - Abandoned Kabáh

1280 AD - Captured Mucia (35)

1285 AD - Captured Valencia (36). Spain has been chased off my continent!
Signed Peace Treaty with Spain. Got Vitoria (37), Asturias (38), Jaen (39) + 17 gold.
Founded Uaxactún (40)
Founded New Chichén Itza (41)

While my timeline looks orderly now, I really had no idea how many cities I had at this point, among other things. I was hesitant to beta-test CivAssist during my first GOTM/COTM, but I decided to give it a shot. It was kind of disheartening to see that I would achieve a Cultural 20K victory in 10,336 AD, but it’s been a big help. Thanks ainwood!

According to CivAssist, it seems I actually have 42 cities at this point. Based on my notes, I have no idea what/where tht other city is.

1290 AD - Abandoned Mayapán

1295 AD - Started working on Newton’s University in Copán. (Must have completed Smith’s Trading Company.)

1300 AD - Abandoned Cozumel

1305 AD - (Re-)founded Cuello (41)
Completed Shakespeare’s Theater in Chichén Itza

1310 AD - (Re-)founded Mayapán (42)
Finished researching Magnetism

1315 AD - (Re-)founded Kabáh (43)

Finished researching Metallurgy and entered the Industrial Age!

James

 

[vanatteveldt]

After researching chivalry I upgraded around 30 horsemen to knights and killed all other civs excepting some tundra cities without any real difficulty. Did not build many more knights but instead spent the resources getting some wonders (Sun Tzu and Leonardo's) and building culture to avoid flips.

Went down the track toward MT, but upon finding my poor continent devoid of saltpeter (you wonder how they invented gunpowder without it, but hey ) and having terrible luck with suicide galleys (I sent out about six and none of them survived even the first turn, which made me think Ainwood might have done that on purpose to aggrevate the saltpeter shortage - I mean the starting position was too easy ) I switched to race for astronomy-magnetism. I should have explored with caravels as I would have found the saltpeter island to the NE, but I decided to wait for magnetism as I was inventing one in 4 or 5 anyway.

After that, I basically ended the game by shipping 40 cavalry to the other continent and doing nothing but building more cavalry, with about 100 of these beasts walking around towards the end, although I did invent nationalism and railroads just to help the war effort and logistics.

Where would like to improve in is the realm of large scale military invasions. Given the difficulty level and starting position I had hoped to finish by conquest/domination in around 500 AD, but only managed to conquer my island by then. Is 500 AD reasonable at all for a map this size? I should maybe have worked with more around 100 knights immediately to get faster conquest speed, although I don't know how I would have gotten the needed tech that quickly. By the end I killed one civ in around 4 turns, which is quite reasonable I think, but the civs on my own continent took around 10 or even 20 turns each. Any general tips (or questions) after reading the above?

Brief timeline:

10 AD: aztecs almost killed, preparing for the US to go next (like a good european ;-)). 26 cities, 25 knights, not inventing (need money to upgrade 3 more horsemen). GNP/MFG: 434/123. 5 cities have library, all cities have ToA temple (kindly provided by our aztec brethren)

300 AD: Americans killed, just started spanish. 42 cities, 26 knights. 8 cities have library, all cities have ToA temple. Just invented gunpowder and noticed saltpeter lack. GNP/MFG: 658/184

400 AD: Spanish killed, preparing to kill iroquois. 53 cities, 25 knights; 13 cities have temple + library. Inventing astronomy. GNP/MFG: 895/222

600 AD: Continent is mine, just explored magnetism and built galleons to find saltpeter, cities are still improving themselves in expectation of big knights/cavalry rush. 65 cities, 17 knights. 9 cities have tem, lib + univ or cath or wonder, 14 more cities have tm+lib, and 10 more have either of those.GNP/MFG: 1102/252

770 AD: just landed on byzantine coast, 38 cavalry, 9 knights (tbu), 10 galleons

830 AD: Byzantines killed, French will be next. 50 cav, 13 gal.

870 AD: French killed, Germans to go next. 57 cavalry

910 AD: Germans more or less killed, rest of the continent was kind enough to declare war on me so have good neg. war weariness (useful for a republican hawk ). 75 cavalry (3 armies), just opened a southern front against celts, mongols and sumerians next to my northern front against hittites, german remains and celts. I'm very much at war now .

960 AD: Hittites and mongols more or less dead. Convinced the sumerians to help me against the celts so I have only one war going at the moment, fortunately with two fronts. 89 cavalry

1010 AD: Celts dead, Sumerians to go next and last. 94 cavalry (stopped building them since the war is over anyway)

1060 AD: Sumerians dead, game should have been over... Only I didn't build any temples to trigger domination (I didn't know that in C3C your build orders are reset after going for war-time economics) and there is an annoying little city on a one-tile island so I can't get conquest unless I discover marines first. Instead I finished in 1110 AD.

 

[Lmtoops]

1060 AD: Sumerians dead, game should have been over... Only I didn't build any temples to trigger domination (I didn't know that in C3C your build orders are reset after going for war-time economics) and there is an annoying little city on a one-tile island so I can't get conquest unless I discover marines first. Instead I finished in 1110 AD.

Remember, the best way to handle these annoying little island is to make peace and get the island as part of the treaty. On the next turn, resume your war.

Sure it screws your relationships, but if your goal is conquest...who cares.

 

[MiniMe]

Remember, the best way to handle these annoying little island is to make peace and get the island as part of the treaty. On the next turn, resume your war.

Sure it screws your relationships, but if your goal is conquest...who cares.

Just make sure you do it before island city becomes the capital

 

[LuuCkyJaa]

I don't know if this question belongs here, but it's been bugging me for a while. How is it that you can reach a conquest victory without triggering a domination victory along the way? I didn't understand that comment about not building any temples in vanatteveldt's post above. It will affect my strategy (or lack thereof) for the rest of this game.

 

[dmanakho]

Well, Middle Ages were the constant wars to clean my continent of all AIs...
which is I did using knights by around 1100ADs....

I didn't do any sea explorations and when I researched Gunpowder and realized I don't have any salpenter on continent i decided to start researching towards navigation instead of MT first...

I really wasted lots and I mean LOTS of turns in this game by having fun playing instead going to the quick victory....

I was distracted and lost centuries simply by trying to keep my reputation. I don't know why i did it, while I was playing i did understand I didn't need any reputation to win that game, but i just wanted to be a nice guy... So i waited in several occasions for trade aggreements to expire before i kill that or the other AI... I have to get rid of this bad habit...
Another mistake in this game i was distracted by wonder building, I missed only 2 wonders of AA - SunTzu and simply because i wanted AI from remote continent to build for me to provide with ready barracks in every city i will capture on that land and Copernicus i simply didn't care about. The rest of Wonders I built I really didn't need with the exception of Leo, so i think that was another major distraction i had.

Also, I'd like to comment on very, extremely slow research on
another continent...
I didn't contact second continent until after i researched Navigation and then Magnetism. But I could say how slow those folks were by simply tracking wonder building process. Hittites built SunTzu when i finished Leo, Sistine, Bachs and was building ST.

They must have had lots of wars on that land with such a slow research...

Another yet major mistake I made - signed a trade agreement with hittites and Hittites were the civilization i wanted to strike 1st since they had source of salpenter close to sea shore and one of the quickest sea routes from my soil... So saving my stupid reputation I kept armada of galleons with 100+ knights for TWELTH TURNS next to the hittites sea shore waiting for agreement to expire... That's how i entered Industrial age somewhere between 1200 and 1300AD (i am at work so don't have exact dates at the moment). I have certainly had fun, but also made major mistakes than extended my game for at least couple of centuries.

 

[samildanach]

Open
This could have been quite a good game for me. I conquered the home continent in good time and had 80-90 horsemen ready to go. I finally made contact around 700 AD and was expecting a research boost from the GL which I didn't get. The AIs had been fighting and were suprisingly backward.

As I made first contact on far side of the new continent I had no idea where the crossing point was. I had to assume that there wasn't one and that I needed navigation to cross over - given that I was researching fuedalism at this time I had a way to go

I finally found the crossing point in around 1000 AD. I should really have been more proactive in sending out galleys - until I read this thread I had no idea that the salt-peter island existed either. I never found it.

I decided to wait till I got navigation and I sent over 100 knights - the same guys who had been cooling their heels for 400 years and let them unleash some of their pent up aggression on the byzantines. The byzantines fell quickly in a matter of five or six turns. I then went after the mongols who actually put up quite a fight with their keshiks. I then took out the French, then Germans and then I attacked the Hittites which took me over the domination limit in a very ponderous date of 1365 AD.

I played the early part of the game well. But some poor decisions on my part really blew this game - not sending out enough galleys and critically relying on the AI to do my research were foremost.

Firaxis score: 6826 Jason score: 8924 Meh!

 

[klarius]

Predator
Ancient Age

With the pyramids already built by Sumeria in AA 750BC, I had decided that this game will also not have a peaceful finish.
Then I also lost on the Lighthouse built by Hittites in 710BC.
It didn't look good for a fast finish, so I decided to built up for a decent score on the home continent first.
I completed ToA in 510BC and settled to grab as much territory as possible.
When no easy accessible open spots were available anymore I started to eliminate the enemies. I did research to MT in the meantime, but had no saltpeter and no chance to get some, because I stopped research to keep ToA while filling the continent.
I took the american cities by 370BC, but they respawned in the south and were later taken out by the Aztecs.
It took to 320AD to finish the Iroquois.
Aztecs were left with 3 Tundra cities in 420AD, when I switched to Spain because of WW.
By 510 AD I had the complete continent, but continued to settle for more territory.

I had contact to Byzantines and French since 250AD by the fifth or sixth suicide galley (which then was sunk by barbs ).
I had traded-gifted them into MA and Monotheism in the hope they will research something useful. And in fact I could buy education and astronomy from France around 600AD.
I quickly researched navigation and loaded my knights for the assault on the other continent.
I did not find the saltpeter island until much later, so I was going for a salt source on the other continent.
I took out first the Byzantines with knights. That was finished in 740AD and opened the path to the Mongol saltpeter.
Mongols had only one city left so they were out of the game by 750AD and I could finally hook the salt and upgrade the knights to cavalry for the finish.
Then I made up two fronts attacking France and Celts at the same time.
In 840AD I took the last continental french city, but they respawned on the northern tundra island.
So I gave them peace and attacked Germany while still progressing with the Celts.
The Germans were no match for my army so they were elimated already in 880AD.
When the Celts were out in 890AD I took on Sumeria and Hittites.
At the same time an expedition force was heading to the tundra island to go for the French and the Hittite settlements there.
The French did again their respawn trick, but in 960AD I could achieve a conquest victory.

@LuuCKyJaa
To achieve conquest you have to look to not control more than 66% of the territory.
If you are near just don't capture any cities, but raze them.

 

[SirPleb]

(predator)

Link to Ancient Age spoiler

Early Middle Ages

On entering the Middle Ages in 750BC I was a bit past half way through my Golden Age. I was in a builder phase, working on a few wonders, a lot of libraries, and on research and exploration.

In 730BC I completed the Pyramids and the same city began a prebuild for Hanging Gardens. In 670BC I completed Forbidden Palace, and in 570BC I completed the Great Lighthouse. Two ancient wonders! That's two more than I've hand built in a very long time.

I sent one curragh on a suicide run. It sank almost immediately. Upon completing the Great Lighthouse I immediately sent some galleys. Even with the Lighthouse I didn't have great success. I lost a few galleys (didn't count, should have but I wasn't expecting many losses at that stage) and eventually reached the other continent in 470BC.

I met the other Civs fairly quickly after first contact. They were initially far behind me in tech. By the time I met them I had already researched Monotheism and Feudalism. Nonetheless I gifted the three scientific remote Civs to the Middle Ages as I met them, hoping that one would get Engineering as their free tech. No luck, they each got a redundant free tech. I also gifted Republic to each remote Civ to improve their economies.

The remote Civs provided a bit of useful income through tech trading but not a lot - they remained sluggish and unable to pay much throughout the Middle Ages.

My early Middle Ages research was directly to Chivalry. I expected that Knights would be able to easily take over the home continent. I learned Monotheism in 630BC (6 turns), Feudalism in 530BC (5 turns), and Chivalry in 430BC (5 turns.)

During this phase my core towns built libraries and then barracks and horsemen.

Taking the Continent

When I learned Chivalry in 430BC I had 16 horsemen ready to upgrade but had almost no funds available. I turned off research, began upgrading, and also began building Knights.

In 330BC I had 14 Knights and began war on the Aztecs. After taking their Great Wall city progress was swift. In 130BC I gave them peace for four of their remaining five tundra towns. I had 22 Knights at that date:



In 30AD I went to war with America. In 130AD I took their last town but they remained in the game. I rushed a couple of galleys and in 150AD destroyed an American galley, eliminating them from the game. I had 25 Knights at that date:



In 170AD I went to war with Spain and in 310AD eliminated them from the game. I had 24 Knights at that date:



In 330AD I went to war with Iroquois and in 470AD eliminated them. I had 21 Knights at that date:



I had poor leader luck for a long time in these wars. Despite having many elite Knights in action my first leader didn't appear until 350AD in the last war. And suddenly leaders became common. I got two more during the war on Iroquois. I used the first one for a Knight army, the second to rush Heroic Epic, and the third for another army.

I waited a while to eliminate the Aztecs. They had a galley wandering around while I fought the other wars, presumably carrying a settler to various locations as they seemed available. After I filled in all captured land that galley returned home. In 610AD I declared war and eliminated the Aztecs. This brief war produced a fourth leader. I used him to rush a university.

I didn't expect more warfare in the game so sold all my barracks after the Iroquois war, and after eliminating the Aztecs I disbanded about 1/2 of my remaining troops, scattering the rest around the continent in case of invasions later on.

Research

After learning Chivalry I turned off research so that funds could be used to upgrade Horsemen and then to rush builds. There was a lot of construction to be hurried - settlers to fill in claimed territory and lots of libraries.

Eventually I started researching again. I wanted Theology and Education to build Universities and Cathedrals, and Music Theory to build JS Bach's. I learned Theology in 280AD, Education in 320AD, and Music Theory in 360AD.

In hindsight I think I'd have gained by building Temple of Artemis. At the time I learned Education I had 81 cities and just 11 temples. I hadn't expected to be that late learning Education.

After Music Theory I turned research off again for a while, using cash to rush libraries. I traded for Engineering and Invention when Civs on the other continent learned them.

In 560AD I decided to start research again, going for Replaceable Parts to see how much value I could gain from Conquests' Civil Engineers in a 100K culture game. Along the way I'd get some other useful techs: Magnetism would enable trading for the other continent's luxuries; Steam Power would increase my population and production.

To reduce my research cost (and thus enable more ongoing rushing of libraries in corrupt towns) I began a program of converting all unhappy citizens in corrupt towns to scientists. The Conquests scientists are very useful at three beakers/turn.

I maintained a four turn tech rate learning Banking in 600AD, Astronomy in 640, Gunpowder in 670 (traded for it when a remote Civ learned it one turn before my research completed), Chemistry in 710, Physics in 750, Magnetism in 790, Theory of Gravity in 830, and Metallurgy in 870AD to enter the Industrial Age at that date.

Growth and Culture

Throughout all this my top priority has been to settle lots of towns and to then build libraries and temples in them. The main purpose of wars has been to gain new land which I can fill.

As I take over new land I fill it with towns. Whereever there's room for another town in a corrupt region, as soon as the population in a nearby town is large enough I rush a settler and use it to fill in.

Each new town first works on a library. Libraries give the most culture/turn/shield of any improvement, and have the lowest maintenance cost for their culture/turn. Even though corrupt towns produce just one shield/turn when you get a few hundred of them it adds up to a lot of production.

As funds become available I rush libraries to completion. I rush the ones closest to completion first so that I can get the maximum number of new libraries each turn.

After having its library rushed each corrupt town begins a temple. I won't rush any of these temples to completion until all libraries are done. This keeps each town contributing one shield/turn toward something useful.

I discovered the north-central island early in my exploration of the seas. I sent a few settlers there in the early Middle Ages along with a couple of horsemen to handle barbarians. The first settler founded a town there in 350BC. By 90AD I controlled all of that island. The other Civs hadn't even approached it. My holdings there eventually grew to 17 towns.

I built a few more wonders during the Middle Ages: Hanging Gardens, JS Bach's, and Sistine Chapel. I generally don't build Sistine Chapel but in this game it was useful - since luxuries were rare and my core cities had built Cathedrals anyway for culture, the Sistine Chapel was an easy way to improve happiness.

In 780AD, one turn before I learned Magnetism, I was able to trade with the Celts for Navigation. I was dismayed to find that none of the remote Civs had a single luxury available for trade with me. I think they'd been too busy trading among themselves.

At the same date I traded for maps. I was surprised to see that there was just one town so far on the far northeast island. I immediately rushed a few galleons filled with settlers to try to claim most of that island. Might as well take more land to have more towns for cultural improvements and to increase score. At the end of the Middle Ages I have five towns there and my rivals have three. I have a few more settlers ready to claim land there but there are many barbarians which must be dealt with first.

Some culture reference points in my Middle Ages:

  date   culture   c/turn
  750BC     298      +30
   10AD    2663     +109
  300AD    5476     +220
  600AD   15747     +501
  870AD   34226     +863

My world at the end of the Middle Ages, 870AD:

 

[mph3]

First post ever, this is about the 5th OTM I've played, and the forum has been a great help, though I still can't bother to micromanage once the settler factory is done.

I played open for this one, and concentrated on expanding quickly, not building jt's, and building as many chariots and horsemen as I can. My plan was to build a massive army, get to chivalry quick, upgrade, start my ga and roll over everyone.

Probably could have gotten a couple more cities before 1000BC, but I wanted to build some culture in the capital and begin the horsemen army.

QSC stats:
13 cities
36 citizens
11 workers
4 javelin throwers
11 warriors
Didn't go for the Republic slingshot, so I still need it and Cons, Curr, MM, Poly, and Horseback Riding.
1 Granary
5 Temples
2 Barracks
Iron, horses and 2 lux connected



After 1000BC, it all went as planned, Boston flipped to me, noone demanded anything too expensive for tribute, and I was quickly into the next age. I didn't make a log, so I can't quite remember when the romp started, but as soon as I hit chivalry (Yanks had feudalism, but noone else), I turned off the tech slider, and made money to upgrade an army of atleast 50 or 60 horsemen to knights. Americans went down quickly (and I started my GA), then Spain, then I split my armies, ready for the Aztecs to declare, which they did, just before I declared on the Iroquois. I slogged a bit through both, but gained a couple of GL's, one which rushed FP near the Iroquois lands, the other used for a Knight army.

Once I had the continent, it was rush to Navigation, I hadn't really bothered sending out suicide galleys (just one, no luck).

By that point, my army had about 90 or 100 knights. Once Navigation came, I settled the gunpowder island and started moving as many troops there as I could manage, then waited for Galleons to invade. I took out the Byzantines quickly, got Military Tradition and upgraded everything.

By this time, research was completely shut off, and I was using the money to buy some temples and libraries for culture, but mostly to buy settlers from captured cities, so I could claim all the land without needing the more expensive option of buying the culture expansion. Then I moved East, staying away from the Celts, who were big), and conquered France? (I can't remember), then Hittites and Germany, and took the northern island.

I had been a cultural powerhouse from the beginning, so I wasn't worried about flipping, and rarely left troops in any cities once they had stopped resisting. None flipped, luckily.

I started a war with the Celts, just needed a few cities for a Domination win in 1110 AD.
Firaxis: 6095
Jason: 9168

My best showing yet. Didn't get to research a single IA tech, although the invasion probably would have gone quicker if I could have researched steam power and developed railroads, but there was still a lot of jungle to mess about with.

I have a question, do players find their Jason score is better whe they expand culture in captured lands (whether by settlers or by libraries and temples), in order to get a quicker domination win, or is the conquest score so much better that its worth the extra years it takes to get there?

 

[Felton]

My biggest dissapointment with this game was after winning a domination victory (at approximately the start of the AI, around 1200, maybe a little earlier), the guy with the hammer did not appear to ring the bell. I don't know why (first time I've completed a GOTM), and the game did not show up on my hall of fame, where it would have been highest (tho I surpassed it on a regular emporer level epic game last week).

I dont have a timeline, just wanted to comment on a couple things I did badly and one thing I thought I handled well. My biggest problem was I didnt start the suicide galleys early enough, and sat around for quite a bit after taking over my continent. When I did find the other folks, the Celts appeared to be on a roll, worrying me about my eventual invasion. I was comfortably ahead in techs despite being in a monarchy from the first government switch, so I declared on the Celts and got everyone else to join me. That war never actually stopped--it was a pretty fair, everyone vs. the Celts, until I rushed astronomy to start getting boats over there. I thought it worked out very well for me.

I didnt find "gunpowder" island till late, so I first secured some gunpowder on the other continent; upgraded to cavalry, and took out the Mongols, the Celts, the hittites ( i think that was them, cant recall), then got the domination while on the Germans. I probably could have done it quicker if I'd attacked the Byzentines, but Theodora is too cute, so I just got an ROP with her and let her be.

But I think played well, but --not enough boats-. I needed way more boats to get my army over there and for exploring. Thats probably my biggest problem with the game (other than no bell guy).