COTM37 - Game Submitted Spoiler

[civ_steve]

COTM 37 Final Spoiler

Reading Requirements:
You may only read this thread if:

1. You have completed and submitted your game.

Posting Restrictions:

1. None! As long as its related to the GOTM, and within the forum rules!
2. And ... Absolutely NO discussion of any other active 'X'OTM contest!

This time you were the Sumerians against an Emperor level AI, several of them on your starting continent. How did your game end? Did you achieve control of your game and choose the victory type you desired, or did you have to scramble along, looking for opportunities to take the AI down?

 

[Quintillus]

Yes! I've been waiting for this thread!

Diplomatic Loss, 1854 AD.

Dominating My Continent

It all started well. You can read about my Ancient Age in the First Spoiler. Persia mostly defeated Rome for me, and with some easy mopping-up I made it to the far side of the isthmus connecting the two halves of the native continent. I reloaded my army with more Horsemen and invaded Persia along with Egypt, taking most of the spoils for myself. Later I upgraded to Knights and invaded Egypt, upgrading to Cavalry in the process. Neither war was unusually difficult, with both being about the same tech level as I.

Financial Disaster

My one crises came in 1500 AD, when I used a Great Leader to rush a Palace in Egypt and built a Forbidden Palace in Hattusas the same turn. Well, the Forbidden Palace had a very limited effect, the northern part of my empire was undeveloped and making far less gold than the southern part had been, and thanks to recently signing deals where I was exporting 110 gold per turn to Korea. All this meant that I was running a deficit in excess of 75 GPT at 0% science. Oops. And I had nothing that anyone was willing and able to pay gold for, and still 13 turns on the Korea deal. I knew I had to maintain a viable economy. I'd been trading with Korea quite profitably for centuries, and didn't want to double-cross them. So I traded Steam Power to the Vikings for Communism, and took the plunge into Anarchy.

Then I remembered that the gold payments are about the only thing that DOES continue during Anarchy, and I was still bankrupt. Oops again. But, there was one way left to maintain a viable economy, and not double-cross Korea. I set tons of my citizens to Tax Collectors during the Anarchy, and was able to collect enough gold. The rest I set to Scientists, and researched Sanitation. All said, my empire was actually far more commercially productive during Anarchy than it had been during Monarchy. The cost: About 10 million lives. By the end of my 9(!) turns of Anarchy, the vast majority of my people had starved. But with Communism I was able to rebuild, and my empire became competitive once again.

Mayan Continental Domination

Not too long after this, war started on the other continent. The Maya took most of the Inca lands, and then the Maya, Koreans, and Vikings split up China. Shortly afterwards, the Maya declared war on Korea, something I'd long seen coming. Korea tried hard, and I heavily favored them in my trading, but the Maya did not hold back and eventually won. My lead in Domination was now only about 8%, but my score lead was more than enough. The Vikings still had a few cities on the Mayan continent from their part of China, as well as one city on my continent, and their home continent.

The War

About 1844, the Vikings declared war on me. In the process, they violated their Right of Passage and used my rails to attack and destroy my city of Agade (on my map in the First Spoiler). Well, I wasn't going to let that stop me! I consider getting the Maya as an ally, but decide I'll take care of this myself. So I send my Infantry Stack-of-Doom-To-Be that I'd been preparing to use against the Maya into that one city the Vikings had on my continent. Oops. Forgot the Vikings and Maya had a Mutual Protection Pact. Guess that war with the Maya came a bit earlier than I expected. So while I force the Vikings off my continent, the Maya have a bit of fun with bombers. I discover Flight in 1848 or 1850, and immediately start building Fighters. The Maya land a few troops once, but I have more than enough Infantry to defeat them. All said, the war is going well. The Maya complete the Manhattan Project, but that's no big deal so long as no nukes follow. In 1854, they finish the United Nations. I don't think much of it until I see the votes and the Maya won. They're allied with the Vikings of course! No wonder! Looks like my decision not to get an unnecessary ally might've cost me the game. Oh well, it was still my best Emperor game ever and a lot of fun.

 

[ignas]

Warred a bit, researched a bit, used few scientists, achieved Diplomatic victory in 840AD with Jason score around 10000.
Much room for improvement, with a bit of luck and more time invested in micromanagement would have finished 6-10 turns faster (note:don't trash reputation early in the game)

 

[klarius]

Predator - 100k

Entered middle ages in 1025. Got feudalism and got engineering from Korea.
Bee-line to military tradition. Reached in 110BC and stopped research.

925BC we get our golden age from a Persian archer
775BC Great Lighthouse completes in Sumer. So we will be able to get resources from the second big continent.
710BC we make contact with Vikings
630BC start first real war on Hittites. They are down to 1 city by 530BC and destroyed in 310BC.
350BC we start on Inca.
290BC we capture Cuzco with Temple of Artemis. Inca stay in the game until 130AD.
70BC capture Chichen Itza with the pyramids.
50BC Maya are destroyed (by the Koreans)
110AD start on China. Finally destroyed in 370AD.
190AD revolted to feudalism for 6 turns anarchy.
210AD start on Korea. Destroyed 380AD.
We now have the complete second continent with Pyramids and ToA to spam settlers and rush libraries and cathedrals.
290AD start on the Roman homeland for additional luxuries.
By 490AD I have all the land I can afford w/o going over the domination limit. I have 7 luxuries within my borders and trade ivory from Scandinavia.
In 610AD I decide Vikings are too unreliable. Destroy them by 690AD. Have to give up already a former Roman city to be able to afford the ivory city.

I further destroy Persia by 1000AD. Keep Persepolis with Sistine. I still reorganize the final Egypt and Roman cities a bit, but nothing severe anymore.

100k culture reached in 1250AD.

 

[Othniel]

Predator- going for domination

Domination limit reached in 690AD with a jason score of 10347. I felt like I gave a solid effort and it was definitely my best COTM score to date!

But I can echo ignas in saying that a little more pRNG luck early on against the Hittites and more importantly, some better plans for moving troops (such as more extensive ship chaining) would really have helped the date by a good number of turns.

Oh well, looking forward to next month now!

 

[Mighty Dwaarf]

After getting behind a little in GOTM's I managed to get through this one in 1 day!!. Normally comfortable on Monarch so was a bit cagey in opening this combined with a few errors trying to rush meant I was never really dominant early on. There were too many Hittite 3MC's marauding round to contemplate going at them, and I was only about third or fourth to enter MA. I chickened out of Republic sling and took Lit instead trying to get GL to help with tech, but by the time it was going to get built I was only couple of techs of Edu as I had caught up a little so took HG instead.
During MA I ignored most of bottom line and concentrated on middle to help economy and tech. I built majority of wonders I wanted here, Leo's, Cops Ob, Smiths and Newtons but missed out on Sistines which was a bummer as happiness was bit problematic due to only having 1 Lux plus 1 traded for.
In MA the wars started, Maya DoW on me, so I allied in the rest of that continent one by one against him, and one by one he took them all out leaving only Korea a couple of island towns. Luckily he never really showed any interest in attacking our continent and remained at war with him safely for rest of the game. Egypt also DoW but they were contained by Hitties and Persia but they took out Rome. I took couple of Egypts coastal cities and Hittites did good job of screening these from the Egyptian counter forces whilst I built up on Cavs in the area. Once I had artillery and an Army I was able to mop up the Egyptian cities in Mid IA which joyously brought in 3 more Luxes and Oil. During this time I had managed to amass a large stack of gold through tech trades and alliances which let go at 90%-100% sci rate depending on required Lux rate for most of IA and early ModA. I had settled for Diplo win during this period as I was now comfortably tech leader and I had alliances against Maya with all other civs (Hits, Persia, Vikings and Korea)so the vote was going to be walkover, just a matter of building UN.
When I entered ModA I got Ecology as my free tech, so traded up Korea who got Rocketry, , traded up Persia who got Computers . I had to self research Fission and rejig build setup which cost about 15 turns. Eventually built and voted in diplo victory 1695AD. Was a bit dissappointed to only get Jason of 4918, but after problematic start was pleased to recover to take comfortable victory on difficulty level I don't think have won on previously.

 

[Andronicus]

No food bonus, no commerce bonus, low shields ... I think I'll take a walk
Perhaps find somewhere more central?

well as you all know, there was no better site than starting position

I wandered for years ... passed a Hittite settler going west as I went east (was he going for my starting spot?) ... almost got fried by an erupting volcano ... passed Persian, Roman and Egyptian units going south as I went north ... dowed on by Hittites as I reached the choke ... eventually found a food bonus to settle by - the wheat between Egypt and Rome!

Several turns later Cleo MAs with Mursilis and its game over :suicide:
did she have a thing with Mursilis?
did she take offence at my getting between her and Caesar?
or did she just not like my plunking my ugly face down 2 tiles from one of her towns?

I think by the time I reached the Hittite capital and saw no boni I knew I was screwed. I thought about settling in the river systems NW of their capital but stubbornly ploughed on.

Well, there is always next game.

 

[supersova_SU]

Nice game...

Domination Victory 430 AD

Jason > 10000...

 

[Paul#42]

Predator - 100k

Entered middle ages in 1025. Got feudalism and got engineering from Korea.
Bee-line to military tradition. Reached in 110BC and stopped research.

925BC we get our golden age from a Persian archer
775BC Great Lighthouse completes in Sumer. So we will be able to get resources from the second big continent.
290BC we capture Cuzco with Temple of Artemis. Inca stay in the game until 130AD.
70BC capture Chichen Itza with the pyramids.
190AD revolted to feudalism for 6 turns anarchy.

100k culture reached in 1250AD.

When I saw your aim in the first spoiler, I knew this would be a waste of time...
Congrats nevertheless

Predator - 100k
entered MA in 775 BC, stopped after Chivalry (230 BC)
Got first MGL in 875 BC - we rush FP in Hattusas
510 BC revolt to Feudalism. Draw 8 turns of anarchy
380 AD Capture Seoul with ToA, Pyras little later.
Abstained from taking GLH (Vikings) till the bitter end

long story told in short:
Game status: Cultural 100K Victory for Sumeria
Game date: 1375 AD
Firaxis score: 7469
Jason score: 9925
Time played: 40:20:52 :suicide:

I wandered for years ... passed a Hittite settler going west as I went east (was he going for my starting spot?) ... almost got fried by an erupting volcano ... passed Persian, Roman and Egyptian units going south as I went north ... dowed on by Hittites as I reached the choke ... eventually found a food bonus to settle by - the wheat between Egypt and Rome!

Several turns later Cleo MAs with Mursilis and its game over :suicide:
...
Well, there is always next game.

believe me, You were luckier than I was on this one...

Some of my worst mistakes:
No GLH (so easy to take, I can't believe I was to lazy to shift troops...)
Stop at Chivalry, cavs were also better for disband-rushs later.
Directly to Feudalism, Republic for some more time was clearly superior.