Predator, barbs fixed, going for a high-scoring, early 20k
My Ancient Age post is
here.
The Middle Ages to 20k in 1758ad
State of the Empire
My Mongol Republic entered the Middle Ages in 450bc, having just jumped the palace to the more fertile lands to the south. The immediate goal was to build cities as quickly as possible, and develop them, because my GA would begin in 270bc with the completion of the Statue of Zeus. The GA would definitely be used to speed the construction of the Great Library in my 20k city.
There were two goals in my game, early 20k as well as a high score. I decided to focus on 20k in my summary, then describe how it synergized and conflicted with the quest for a high score (early conquest).
Overall 20k Strategy
My plan was to not only focus on getting wonders built in my 20k city, but to build the wonders with the lowest shield cost/culture per turn (CPT) ratio as early as possible in the game. I would then come back to build the less efficient wonders. This strategy of building culturally efficient wonders was particularly important given the relatively low shield output of my 20k city. A great example of a culturally efficient wonder is Shakespeares Theatre: at 56.25, its cost/cpt value blows away all the other wonders of the MAs. It also functions as a hospital. Therefore, I wanted it to be the first MA wonder I built.
Of course, the strategy of building wonders that come late in the tech tree before wonders that come early has a risk, in that the AIs have a better opportunity to build the earlier wonders. In order for the strategy to work, two sub-goals had to be achieved: 1) I needed to establish a good tech pace in order to make it possible to build the most efficient wonders early (quite the opposite of the usual 20k strategy of keeping the tech pace slow at the beginning), and 2) the AIs had to have no capability to build wonders at all, which meant I needed to hurt them militarily very early in the game, if possible.
Sub-Goal 1Research
Around 90ad (the end of my GA, and when I realized the Hanging Gardens would likely be my next and last Ancient Age wonder) I made up two tables: one table of the turns on which I would be able to build structures in my 20k city, and one table of the turns on which I needed to research each tech. The tables looked like this (except much longer):
Builds in 20k City
Courthouse, 1 turn to build, 110ad, TaTu to 18spt (shields per turn)
Hanging Gardens, 17 turns (18 total turns), 350ad
University, 1 turn (19), 360ad
Marketplace, 1 turn (20), 370ad
Shakespeares Theatre, 25 turns (45), 620ad
Harbor, 1 turn (46), 630ad, TaTu population goes to 20, production to 26spt
Newtons University, 16 turns (62), 830ad
The numbers above that are in parenthesis are the total turns from 90ad that would be required to build the item. I used those numbers to create the following tech research plan. There was a good deal of going back and forth and making modifications to the plan as I realized that researching to certain goals in time would not be possible.
Tech Research
Note: Dont need Education (6 turns to research at most) for a university for 19 turns (360 ad), so I have a few turns to raise cash.
Theology, 13 turns, 300ad, raise cash
Education, 6 turns (19 total turns), 360ad
P. Press, 10 turns (29), raise cash
Banking, 4 turns (33)
Democracy, 5 turns (38)
Free Artistry, 4 turns (42), 590ad
The required date for Free Artistry is earlier than the date I needed it to build Shakespeares Theatre, because I wanted to ensure I had enough time to research to my next goal, Theory of Gravity for Newtons University (next to Shakespeare, the best cost vs. culture wonder in the Middle Ages).
The tech/wonder tables went all the way from 90ad to the estimated end of the game, and I would have pasted them above, but I unfortunately made changes to them throughout the game. Now they are no more than lists of my actual build and research dates. The initial tables were surprisingly accurate. When I plugged the dates from the 90ad table into AlanH's 20k spreadsheet, the predicted win date was 1754 ad: off on my actual victory date by only two turns (and that was mostly due to something really, really stupid on my part). The tables were invaluable in keeping me on track throughout the game, and I would never have reached my technology/wonder build goals without them.
Jumping my palace to the southern region turned out to be fabulous for science. Although there were many periods in which I turned science down to 10% or 0% to raise cash, when I turned research up I was able to get every tech in the industrial and modern ages in 4 turnsmany of them at 30-50% science. I believe the only exceptions to 4-turn research in the Middle Ages were Theology, Education and Democracy. I also kept the two scientific civs around until the modern age in order to get their free techs. I got pretty good ones too: Engineering, Monotheism, Medicine, Steam Power, Fission and Computers. I would actually have preferred Rocketry to Fission, but since they were free how could I complain?
Sub-Goal #2Prevent AIs From Building Wonders (and hopefully get a high score while at it)
A big part of my 20k strategy was too hurt the AIs as quickly as possible, in the hope this would allow me to get a few additional ancient age wonders, nearly all the middle age wonders, and enable me to build wonders in the order of my choosing (best cost/cpt wonders first). My early military force also would allow me to trade techs at will with the civs on the home continent during the ancient age and early middle ages, because I would have the strength to disrupt any wonders they might try to build.
I was also hoping that this early military presence would translate to a high score. My game came really close to breaking into an excellent score range, but not quite. There were two major turning points (and one big mistake) that sunk me as far as reaching the domination limit quickly is concerned. I outlined my wars chronologically below, and the two horribly difficult choices are included.
I kept all the civs on both continents at war with someone throughout most of the game, but I wont get into details on those hollow wars. I met the other continent in 230bc and put them at war immediately, and that certainly slowed their research and wonder building efforts.
Russian War, 430310bc
I fought this war with 10 horsemen. I took a few cities (destroying their build of the Hanging Gardens) and razed one, then gave them peace for four cities, which left them with only Moscow. The city later started the Hanging Gardens.
Korean War, 90ad170ad
This war marked the first difficult choice in my game between 20k and a high score, and it involved money. Although my tech/money predictions were very good for the rest of the game, I failed miserable at this date. It was time to rush two buildings in my 20k city: a Cathedral and a Courthouse. I needed the latter because I had jumped my palace far away from the 20k city. Unfortunately, this was also the date on which I learned Chivalry for my Keshik upgrades. I had 22 horsemen which I built during my GA. I should have built less horsemen and more infrastructure buildings. In any case, I had about 1100g, but I needed 900 of it to rush the culture buildings. And I couldnt raise any more cash because I had to raise money to rush the soon-to-arrive University. Simply put, I had to choose between conquest and culture, and I chose culture.
Since I was fighting with horsemen instead of keshiks, the war went much slower than it should have, plus I had more casualties. I pillaged their builds of the Hanging Gardens and another wonder that I forgot to record. On the last turn of the conflict I got my first leader, who formed an army to allow the heroic epic. I left the Koreans with one city so I could later get their free techs.
Japan War, 310ad370ad (and another tiny Russian War)
There wasnt much to the Russian War this time. I wanted to take their capitol, which was now quite far along in building the Hanging Gardens, and I wanted to confine them to a small, desert jail city for the rest of the game. I gave them peace after a few turns.
The second big choice between 20k and culture came just before the Japanese war startedin 280ad, 7 turns before I was to complete the Hanging Gardens. I had successfully prevented the Koreans and Russians from getting them, and I would have stopped the Chinese also, but the Japanese beat me to it by capturing Beijing and destroying the Chinese wonder build. Also, I knew Japan wouldn't get the Gardens because I was ready to begin sacking their cities.
At this date I thought I was assured to get the Gardens. I wasnt worried about the other continent because they were technologically backward. But all of a sudden the Celts got Polytheism and Monarchy on the same turn! Accursed huts!
The Celts had been building the ToA for a long time, which I didnt mind because I knew the Japanese would beat them to it, and they would cascade to the Great Lighthouse. But not anymore: now they would cascade to the Hanging Gardens and take them away from my 20k city (and ruin my carefully laid out tech research and wonder build plans).
I had to make an awful choice. There was only one way to stop them from getting the Gardens, and that was for me to gift them into the Middle Ages and give them Feudalism as well, so they would cascade to Sun Tzu instead. Again, it was a choice between my 20k date and getting a high score, and I had to choose 20k, even though I knew it would delay my conquest of the Celts by a long, long time. But, at least it worked, and TaTu was able to build the Hanging Gardens.
I was still fighting with mostly horsemen in the Japanese war. Reaching my tech goals for my 20k city prevented me from being able to upgrade, so I only had 5 keshiks, 5 ancient cavalry and about 14 horsemen. I took their capitol and their city building the Hanging Gardens on the first turn, but I stalled out after that because most of my troops were redlined in the assaults (they had lots and lots of spears and I had a terrible round with the RNG). About midway through the conflict I finally had the cash to start upgrading to Keshiks again, and the pace of the conquest picked up. At the end I gave them peace for two cities, which left them with 3 in the tundra.
Chinese War, 370410ad
This war was a quicky because China had been beaten up by the Japanese. Plus, now I had lots of Keshiks, although I kept my elite horsemen to get chances for leaders. I got one on first turn of the war and he headed to TaTu to rush the Heroic Epic. I gave China peace for one city in 410, which left them with one. I took that one as soon as our peace deal expired.
I gifted Korea an isolated tundra city to serve as their jail during this time also. I took their capitol and gave them peace as soon as they would talk to me again.
Portuguese War, 460-610ad
Prior to this conflict I had been blocking contact between the two continents with three galleys (there were only three tiles that would allow a 1-move crossing). In 410 the Portuguese completed the Great Lighthouse, which would give them several new crossing possibilities. Their completion of the wonder didnt come as a surprise, however, and my troops were positioned outside their capitol a few turns after they completed it. I attacked with an RoP rape and took the Lighthouse.
I got two leaders in this conflict, in 570 and 590, and both were used to make Keshik armies. I also redeclared on Japan and China during this time and destroyed them, so three civs were eliminated.
Celt War, 680ad810ad
In 680ad my economy was humming and my military was quite strong: about 25 keshiks, 8 ancient cavalry and 2 keshik armies (my other army was stuck on the homeland because it wouldnt fit on a boat). The Celts had pikemen and med. inf. all over the place. I took four cities on the first turn via an RoP rape (contained the Great Wall, Pyramids, Sun Tzu, and one was building Knights Templar), but nearly my entire force was redlined or destroyed. Those four cities had a total of 18 veteran pikemen inside them! My choice to give them Feudalism was really coming back to bite me, as I knew it would. Not one of their citieseven the smallesthad less than 3 vet pikemen in it, and since I took their iron on the first turn of the war, these were not new pikemen, they had been around for a long time. I sent several reinforcements to the war, and the Celts were finally eliminated in 810ad.
Vikings War, 5401040ad
The Vikings demanded contact with Russia in 540 and I refused, so they declared war. I got a bit of war happiness which was most helpful. The actual conflict didnt begin until 810ad, when I started taking their cities, which is why I listed this war after the Celt war. It was a slow conquest in which I was primarily fishing for leaders. In 880 I finally got one and he went to build the Pentagon in TaTu. I gave them peace in 1040ad because war weariness was starting to hit me.
I reached the dom limit around 910ad, and after that I began relocating cities in my empire from poor food to high food areas. I also tried to position them to claim as many sea tiles as I could, but I found that quite difficult on this map. This relocation is shown in the final two mini maps of the pic below.
The only other conflicts in the game involved tiny wars I declared with Russia and Korea in order to fish for leaders. I got one in 1100 (Wall Street) and another in 1190 (eventually rushed Apollo).
Culture Progression
Here are the dates of builds in the 20k city from the beginning of the Middle Ages to the end of the game:
290bc SoZ
270 Colosseum
210 (Join slave to TaTu)
70ad Great Library
90 Cathedral
110 (Courthouse)
350 Hanging Gardens
360 University
380 (Marketplace) *this and the next two unnecessary builds were slipped in because I was waiting for a great leader to make it to the city to rush the Heroic Epic
390 (Barracks)
400 (Harbor)
410 Heroic Epic (rushed with leader)
660 Shakespeares, population goes to 20, producing 26spt
820 Newtons
900-920 Railroading brings spt up to 36.
970 Copernicus
980 Pentagon
990 (factory)
1000 (coal plant), shields now at 72.
1090 Bach
1180 Sistene
1190 Wall Street
1250 Magellans Voyage
1295 Smiths Trading Co
1355 Universal Suffrage
1400 Leonardo
1445 ToE
1450 Research Lab
1455 Apollo Program
1460 Nuclear Plant (Brought TaTu to 90spt. I wouldnt have bothered to build this, but I found by using Sir Plebs spreadsheet that getting the next few wonders a few turns earlier would enable me to reach 20k one turn sooner.)
1520 Seti
1580 United Nations
1640 Cure for Cancer
1700 Longevity
1745 Manhattan Project
My best culture buildings at the end of the game were the Great Library, 2010 culture; Statue of Zeus, 1556; the Colossus, 1518; Shakespeare, 1480; and library, 1455.
Missed wonders: Pyramids (Celts, 650bc), Oracle (Japanese, 570bc), Mausoleum of Mausollos (China, 510bc), Great Wall (Celts, 30ad), Temple of Artemis (Japanese, 280ad), Great Lighthouse (Portuguese, 410ad), and Sun Tzu (Celts, 510ad).
I didnt build Hoover Dam on purpose. It has a pretty crappy cost/cpt value at 400. And thanks to the prediction tables, I knew TaTu would be able to build modern wonders with a better cost/cpt value anyway. I built Hoover in another city in 1255ad. This was also the turn on which, according to my handy-dandy prediction tables, TaTu would start building the Knights Templar.
20k Mistakes
Oooops! Somehow I never noticed that you lose the ability to build certain wonders when you already have the tech that makes them go obsolete. Knights Templar is made obsolete by Steam Power, which I had long since known at this time. Losing this wonder ruined the rest of my prediction tables and I had to redo them. It was actually quite difficult to re-time the techs appropriately given that I would now be getting all the remaining wonders about 5 turns earlier. Fortunately, in the end it only made my 20k date 1 turn later than I had predicted.
That wasnt my only bad mistake regarding 20k. When I first predicted my build dates, of course I had to predict how many shields the city would be generating throughout the game. I thought TaTu would generate exactly 68spt once I had a factory and a coal plant, but it was actually producing 72 shields. I didnt think about this very much, I was just happy that I had underestimated rather than overestimated. It didnt change my build dates for anything
but it certainly should have!
There were three corrupt shields in the city which I could have eliminated with a police station. That would have given me over 75 shields, and nearly every wonder in the Middle Ages is divisible by 75. Unfortunately, this epiphany didnt hit me until I was already in the modern age. When I recalculated taking into account researching to communism, building the police station, etc., it turned out that I could have won three turns sooner. That really bugged the crap out of me: I just knew someone was going to beat me by exactly two turns (and that still might happen).
When Sir Pleb and others posted their ancient age summaries I was worried. Their 20k cities could generate quite a few more shields than mine. Of course, mine was coastal, so it allowed the Colossus which helped some. But I dont think that wonder made the few turns difference in our games. I think it was more likely that I got the Statue of Zeus and the Hanging Gardens in my game. Also, Sir Pleb made a very, very rare mistake, and ended up building the FP instead of a wonder, which definitely helped me. I kind of wish that had not happened, because it leaves me with doubts as to whether my strategy was good or bad. Redbad's game makes me think it might have been a good plan, but its too bad Bed_head didn't play 20k also, as that would have given me a better feel for whether the strategy was strong or not. However, I only "kind of" wish these things. I don't intend to do another milked 20k for quite a while if I can help it.
The Failed Quest for a High Score
If I could have reached the dom limit in the 500ads, then I think my score would have jumped up into the 11k range. There were three things that kept me from doing that. The first two things I mentioned alreadybeing unable to upgrade my horsemen because I needed the cash to rush improvements in the 20k city, and gifting the Celts into the MAs and Feudalism so my 20k city could get the Hanging Gardens. The other reason I was slow in reaching the dom limit was due to sheer stupidity. I didnt realize that this was a 60% water map, and even if I had I would not have realized how significant that fact is. I held back on claiming some of the poor territory (hill regions, desert regions and tundra) because I thought I wouldnt need it. I didn't reach the dom limit until after I killed the Celts, so holding back my settling was a mistake. I should have claimed every tile I could as soon as I could, and then worried about disbanding cities in poor territory later. I still have a lot to learn about milking, and hopefully I will do that before it is time to go for the cow.
Usually I auto my workers to clean up pollution; however, this doesn't put a citizen back on the cleaned up square unless the Governor is on, which usually doesn't work well, so I look around for stacks of workers to reassign the citizen.
But on a next occasion I will surely see how I can use that kind of tactics.
