COTM50 - Spoiler #2

[civ_steve]

COTM 50 Spoiler2: End of the Middle Ages

Reading Requirements:

1. Must be able to research an Industrial Age Technology.
2. Must have contact with all remaining civs and full knowledge of the map.

Posting restrictions

1. No maps showing Industrial or Modern resources.
2. No discussion of Industrial Age (or later).
3. Absolutely NO discussion of any other active 'X'OTM Contest

Your island start will probably give the AI a chance to reach the Middle Ages ... So how was the MA action? And have any of the AI risen to your challenge? What are your plans for Victory, and have there been any stumbling blocks?

 

[MarleysGh0st]

The Mongols landed a settler/warrior pair on the tip of my island in 210 BC. This was unacceptable, so I declared war--and the archer I had on the scene died in the assault. So, I paid the Ottomans and Byzantines to join in an alliance, and I sent some reinforcements to destroy the new Mongol town in 130 BC. Then I left the rest of the military action to my allies while I continued to settled my island. We signed a peace treat after the alliances expired, in 250 AD.

My contacts are completed with Japan in 50 AD and Sumeria in 100.

I had remained in Despotism, to get happiness from my garrisons, due to the lack of luxuries. I finally started the revolt in 150 AD and entered Republic in 270.

Was there a hidden restriction in this game set-up or did I find an unusual bug? Having researched Invention, I tried switching Zimbabwe's production to Leo's Workshop, but the game wouldn't let me do it! The icon was there, not grayed-out, but nothing would happen when I tried clicking it. Later, when the Sumerians and Japanese had already started it, it would let me switch, but I decided not to try racing them for it.

The Ottomans had left the marshes, directly across the strait from my island, unsettled. This proved to be a perfect spot for a bridgehead, so I sent workers to drain the marsh and settled a town there in 430. My naval actions would be limited to ferry duty across this strait, from this point on.

The Mongols demand Feudalism from me in 450 and declare war when I refuse, but we fight no battles before signing peace in 540. In 620, I decide to expand the bridgehead by declaring war on the Ottomans and this time I give the Mongol Monotheism to join in an alliance. In 720, the Byzantines ally, too. In 800, I trigger my GA with a victory with an Impi; these obsolete UU play no further role after this. The war proceeds, with one annoying revolt in Istanbul, until the Ottomans are destroyed in 1010.

Now my people have spices and incense and are ready for some peace. Researching ToG brings us into the Industrial Age in 1090.

 

[Yilar]

Was there a hidden restriction in this game set-up or did I find an unusual bug? Having researched Invention, I tried switching Zimbabwe's production to Leo's Workshop, but the game wouldn't let me do it! The icon was there, not grayed-out, but nothing would happen when I tried clicking it. Later, when the Sumerians and Japanese had already started it, it would let me switch, but I decided not to try racing them for it.

You can't switch to wonders if:
1. You cut a forest for production in the current build.
2. You have another city already building it (press f7 to check )

 

[Spoonwood]

In 190 I bought Currency from The Egyptians for 9 gpt and 160+ gold. Then I traded away Currency for Literature to The Vikings, and traded away Currency for Code of Laws to The Byzantines later that turn when I met them. I lost like 3 or so impis in the change-over rush. In 90 B.C.E. India had The Republic and The Ottomans had Monotheism. In 10 B. C. E. The Vikings demand some gold, to which I say no, and they declare war. In 50 C.E. The Egyptians and The Hitties had Feudalism. In 170 I finally learned The Republic, revolted, and drew a 4 turn anarchy. The Hitties (who had declared war on me earlier) dragged The Indians into the war against me. I still didn't have any sign of anybody coming on over to my island at this point.

In 210 I made peace with The Ottomans and traded for Monotheism with them. In 230 I swapped some techs with Theodora for Feudalism. In 250 I became a repbulic and started in on Theology, due in 16 turns at 80%. I started on Sun Tzu's a bit later. In 330 The Egyptians finally had plopped a city down on my island. Egypt and India got Chivalry a turn later. I decided to make peace with Scandinavia a bit later and sign an RoP with them. I also started establishing embassies about this time and someone else built Sun Tzu's. That didn't look good. I made my last contact, with Arabia, in 380, and disbanded my curragh. In 390 I learned Theology and went for Education.

I traded Theology for Chivalry shortly thereafter and went for Knights Templar. Three tribes had Engineering in 410 and India completed Knights Templar in 420. In 430 I spotted a Mongol galley near my island and made peace with them. The Ottomans started on Leo's in 530. 4 tribes had Education before me in 540. I purchased it from The Ottomans for 10 gold, since I almost had it. At this point I still lagged quite a bit in tech, so I researched Printing Press. I still had a war with Egypt, who decided to march some archers over towards me at this point. I figured it pretty much came as now or never, so in 580 I whacked two Egyptian archers with my impis... losing one of them in the process, and I trigged my GA. I traded Theodora Education for Engineerin in 590. Printing Press came in that turn and I started in on Banking.

In 690 Music Theory and Astronomy show up for the AIs. I first made peace with Arabia and got some gold from them. Then, I rang up The Egyptians and traded them for Astronomy with Printing Press and some gold. I traded away Printing Press for Invention. I swapped my pre-build to Copernicus's Observatory and I got it 1 turn, without overbuilding it! In 700 I made peace with The Ottomans, giving them Astronomy and Printing Press for Gunpowder. In 750 I learned Banking ahead of everyone else. I rang up India and sold Gandhi Banking for 117 gpt and 14 gold, The Ottomans 48 gpt and 35 gold. Everyone else gets Banking one way or another, I establish lots of embassies and sign RoPs with everyone by 760. I researched Chemistry next.

In 790 my GA ended, and in 810 India had Chemistry. I acquired it from them for some 200+ gold and started in on Physics. Egypt learned Democracy in 850. The Ottoman's completed Leo's in 880, and The Japanese started on Magellan's Voyage. I learned Physics in 890 and started in on The Theory of Gravity. I roaded up some Viking territory about this time so I could trade them for iron later. A bunch of tribes got Metallurgy in 920, which I traded for with Physics. In 980 I learned TOG, and swapped my pre-build to Newton's University... due in 4 turns. I researched Magentism at full throtle and traded with Scandinavia for iron. In 1020 I had Newton's University. In 1060 I entered the Industrial Ages and started in on Steam Power.

I had really sweated this game through much of the low middle ages. I really couldn't trail in tech in this one much... that would've come as a rather sure sign of defeat. By the time the industrial ages hit, I felt pretty good about the game. I *thought* I had things well in hand by this point.

 

[PrinceMyshkin]

Entry class: Predator
Game status: Conquest Victory for Zululand
Game date: 750 AD
Firaxis score: 5251
Jason score: 10027
Time played: 26:05:44

I had started the MA in 610BC at war with the Mongols. After gifting the Ottomans and Sumeria to the MA, I traded for monotheism and chivalry and started on feudalism. Peace treaties were re-negotiated with the Ottos and Sumer in exchange for alliance with the Mongols. I let the ai's fight while continuing to fill the island, eventually making 27 towns there, a bit much I think. I soon made all contacts and soon had the entire continent at war with each other tied to many peace treaties. Gifting the Byzantines up, they got feudalism and I traded for the rest of that and went straight for chivalry.

By the time I landed on the continent, I already had chivalry and was producing knights, but started warring with the MI I had already made. I settled on the spices and rushed a harbor gaining my first luxury. The Mongols had really creamed the Ottos by the time I got there, reducing them to 3 towns. My GA was kicked off in the late BC's when the Mongols finally attacked my advancing stack covered by Impis. I made a mistake, I think, in sending my first 12 galleys in a chain to the east. My knights would have had no problem advancing over land to fight the Mongols while my chain could have gone west to start on the Vikings sooner. Cash was generally used to rush knights and later to purchase happiness with the lux-slider.

Meanwhile, Sumeria had gotten its GA and grown quite large. They broke our deal giving us our second dose of war-happiness, while India and the Vikings also broke arrangements giving us even more. It took awhile but the Mongols were finally destroyed in 330AD. I went ahead and attacked the Ottomans on the way to Sumeria getting my first leader in 370AD which made an army. By 400AD the Ottos were destroyed.

The Sumerians had been busy during their GA, building both Sun Tzu's and ToA. I got my second leader (Army) in 400AD, captured Sun Tzu's in 430AD and ToA in 450AD and got my third leader (Army). I could've and probably should've changed my goal to domination at this point for a victory sometime in 5xxAD. Instead I ended riding the dom. limit, disbanding towns going for conquest. Sumeria was destroyed in 510AD and Japan soon after in 550AD.

I had already started on the Hittites, but by the time my ship chain got to the Vikings they had invention and a GA producing many berserks. I lost many knights in counter-attacks and didn't really make good progress against them until armies finally arrived from the east. I even had to raze Statue of Zeus to keep them from retaking it. Leaders just kept coming this game, once 2 in a turn. I rushed both Heroic Epic and the Pentagon and got 4 more leaders for a total of 7 knight armies by the end of the game. Militaristic looked pretty good for a change.

The Hittites were gone in 600AD, the Byzantines fell in 650AD and India in 670AD. I had the wars set to end in 730AD eliminating both Scandinavia and Egypt that turn but coming up one knight short versus the Arabians who were eliminated in 740AD for a 750AD conquest. Here's a screenshot of my army one turn before eliminating the Arabs.

 

[milr]

I believe another restriction on switching to a wonder build (MarleysGh0st query) is that you must not have rushed the current build (E.g., wishing to build a Library, start building something cheaper (like a Spearman), rush the spear to 1 turn in any manner, then switch build to Library works jsut fine, but cannot switch to building a wonder.

Middle ages were ho-hum. No wars to fight as I contented myself with idyllic life on an island. My early lead in research led to lots of GPT from the mainlanders, which also fed my research engine to maintain that lead throughout the game. I think I peaked at over 300 GPT. At first, I negotiated the max GPT I could on each deal, but pickings were so easy I just settled into accepting whatever GPT I was offered.

 

[Chamnix]

The Middle Ages was one long war fought mostly with knights – I did no research after Chivalry. It was slow going through the roadless jungle. I was planning to go for conquest, but Gandhi escaped on a galley somewhere, and I didn’t have the patience to chase him down.

Somewhere in the 500s, I recognized that capturing the Temple of Artemis in Kyoto would probably put me over the domination limit. I sent a knight army straight through enemy territory to do the deed (I had already violated an RoP previously). The army got there untouched but took 8 hps of damage against the first spearman, and then was killed on Japan’s turn. It took me a while to get back there with more units, so I didn’t capture the Temple until 730 AD at which point I already had 61% of the land anyway. Five turns later the cultural expansions brought me to 88% of the land for domination in 780 AD (and very close to a conquest at the same time – there were 2 AI cities and Tokugawa was on a boat somewhere).