COTM92 - First Spoiler

civ_steve · Sep 9, 2012

COTM 92 First Spoiler - Spain, the Ancient Age!

Reading Requirements

You must be able to research a Middle Age technology.

Posting Restrictions

Please be discreet about AI locations; however, feel free to discuss contacts and trades.
No discussions of the middle ages (or later)
No screenshots of any middle-age (or later) resources.
Absolutely NO discussion of any other currently active 'X'OTM!

Probably a good idea to get the spoilers started. OK, Spain, Pangaea, and ... surprise! You're on an isolated island! Well, it is pretty good sized and actually has some resources (unlike some other games

) so how did your initial settling, exploring and planning go, based on this discovery? And how did this new plan proceed? How/when did you make contacts (no directions or direct maps, please)? Early trades. And what was your status when you entered the Middle Ages?

Bowsling · Sep 22, 2012

Finally got around to trying out an XOTM. Hopefully I didn't write too much for this spoiler...

Decided, after some debate, to SIP. Set tech to Writing. Sent my worker to the nearby hut, and got a second worker! That's a huge plus, given the relatively food-poor site. Started with four warriors, lost two of them to barbs from the southeastern hut. Every barb killing from that hut was a redlining. One of the warriors that I lost was attacked on a mountain! Founded Barcelona in 2900 BC on the southeastern sugar site. Thanks to the lack of early food and my choice of a writing start, I had way more production than I needed, and had the entire island fogbusted and suicide curraghs going before 2000 BC.

I'm not sure how accurate "suicide curraghs" is though, because my very first curragh reached the pangaea. That's a long sail... Great Lighthouse will be essential. Founded Seville 2110 BC on the northern bay near the gems. Meet Babylon 1830 BC, they are up everything except writing. Bought pottery for 170 gold and immediately started Madrid on a granary. 1790 BC founded Toledo 2SW 1W of Seville. Writing comes in 1750 BC. Babylon almost has it, which clinches reasearching Philosophy next for Map Making. My western curragh reached the shore and meets Egypt! They have 195 gold, which used to be mine, as Baylon's treasury is now empty. Meeting Egypt makes BW cheaper for me, and now Babylon will give it to me for writing stright up! Sell Writing to egypt and receive Iron Working, The Wheel, Ceremonial Burial, and 22 gold. My Babylonian curragh then sees a Mongol scout and Persian borders on the same turn! Temujin is even closer than Hammurabi unfortunately, and only gives me a meagre 69 gold.

So the island to the west has horses, iron and hills-gold! You`re funny. Good thing I`m getting Map Making in 14 turns. Persia is pathetically behind, with three cities and lacking Alphabet. I give them Alphabet and 120 gold for Warrior Code and Masonry. Met Arabia 1625 BC, and gave them Writing for Mysticism and 36 gold. In 1500 BC, I lose two curraghs: my Persian one to a barb galley, and a new one trying to cross the sea. Madrid finishes its granary.

Philosophy and consequently Map Making come in in 1475 BC. meet the Ottomans in 1275 BC. Down Writing and up nothing. Dissapointing. Give Babylon Philosophy for Mathematics, HBR, and 25 gold. Give egypt Philo for 100 gold. Get CoL 1125 BC and start Republic. The continent is circumnavigated that turn. Ottomans have Polytheism. As per the typical AI behaviour, they want all my techs, all my gold, and my firstborn son for it. Yeah, right.

Barcelona finishes the Great Lighthouse in 500 Bc. Good. Republic is researched in 510 Bc, but I hold off on anarchy for a turn waiting for a galley. Persepolis builds the pyramids. Could have been a worse spot, I guess. Republic established in 450 BC. Trade the tech around for the remaining three AA techs and we're in the Middle ages!

Megalou · Sep 25, 2012

Predator,

Here are some details I retreived from absolutely no notes at all. I nearly quit when it became apparent that this was another Gillian's start, but then some of the old inspiration kicked in.

Unlike Bowsling (nice to see fresh names in the forum!) I went for pottery plus the republic sling-shot only to trade Map Making later. This turned out to be a good decision since the pangea was easy to find with curraghs, unless of course you had the luck of Job as well as the whale neighbours of Jona.

It was not so brilliant to research Writing before Pottery. Not that I needed the granary right away, but the way I see it, it must always be turn saving to choose the cheeper tech first if all other factors are equal. (Some day when there is time maybe I'll try proving it.) But being a bourne optimist I was hoping to trade Pottery early. And I actually did get to trade it with 2 turns of research left.

c 1225 BC - Revolt to republic. All warriors disbanded.
690 BC - First horseman produced.
650 BC - Medieval Age. (Monotheism and Engineering traded.) 8-9 turns left on Great Lighthouse. There is no uprising on my island since I have all the tiles "surveilled." This is a good thing because I'm not planning to use any horsemen in battle. To save a turn or two when it's time to ship knights, I've erected barracks on the westernmost islet.

It is a bit unusual to be completely out of reach from enemies. Even barbarians couldn't show up once you had removed all the fog on the island(s).

Scratcher · Oct 2, 2012

Open,

Settled in place and researched writing, and had built 4 exploring warriors before I was certain it was an island start. First town was built on the coast to allow exploration by curraghs.
Research was then Pots for granaries and then the republic slingshot. Revolt to republic in 1225BC.

The continent was easily reached by curraghs and quickly circumnavigated with first contact in 2070BC with the Arabs and then all Civs by 1275BC.

A place was found where galleys could safely navigate to the continent and horses and iron available for building knights.

Entered the MA in 450bc, deliberately keeping AI behind hoping to have the advantage of attacking with knights..

AA Log

Spoiler :

Megalou · Oct 2, 2012

Scratcher said:
Entered the MA in 450bc, deliberately keeping AI behind hoping to have the advantage of attacking with knights..

It will be interesting to see how "keeping AI behind" worked out. I would never do that when the chance to trade free MA techs is available.

Bowsling · Oct 2, 2012

We entered the MA on the same date!

Interesting that we took opposite approaches to the continent. The AIs you met first (Mongolia, Arabia, Ottomans) were the ones that I met last.

Megalou · Oct 3, 2012

I can't believe I missed the deadline. It's my own fault, although I'd appreciate more precise deadlines than "roughly 1½ months" since they are easier to remember.

Scratcher · Oct 3, 2012

Megalou said:
It will be interesting to see how "keeping AI behind" worked out. I would never do that when the chance to trade free MA techs is available.

It didn't work out.

When playing as a scientific civ I will gift other scientific civs into the MA and use my free tech to trade for their free techs. But when playing as a non-scientific civ i find that once I have gifted scientific civs into the MA they will not part with their free techs.

What is your advice to prize these free techs from them?

Scratcher

Megalou · Oct 3, 2012

Scratcher said:
When playing as a scientific civ I will gift other scientific civs into the MA and use my free tech to trade for their free techs. But when playing as a non-scientific civ i find that once I have gifted scientific civs into the MA they will not part with their free techs.

What is your advice to prize these free techs from them?

Scratcher

They will, or will almost, part with their MA techs for Republic; it's a hugely valuable tech to have a monopoly on. I usually hold off Code of Laws for a while to make sure no AI learns Republic before the MA, and they pretty much never do. Literature can add a little trading value and can in some cases be worth researching, if 1) you're waiting for AI to finish Construction or Polytheism for you, 2) you actually need libraries because you're going beyond knights.

Lanzelot · Oct 3, 2012

Even if they don't give their tech to me right away, I just research the one they didn't get and then trade it for the other two. Or similar schemes.

COTM92 - First Spoiler

civ_steve

Deity