Darkness Monarch level, attempt #1
- Thread starter Darkness
- Start date
Darkness
Shadow creature
No ROP's, but I'm considering signing them with the Aztecs and the Zulu, my nearest neighbours. They are known for their aggression, so the ROP may well be worth it.
The oracle is definately a pre-build. It's a useless wonder.
The oracle is definately a pre-build. It's a useless wonder.
Darkness
Shadow creature
Researched Republic in 875 BC, and immediately revolted. Got lucky and drew a 4-turn anarchy. After this our real expansion began. 
Sun Tzus built around 250 BC (palace prebuild), Leos (oracle prebuild) up in 2 turns. FP is constructed in 210 BC some 7 tiles S (in Salonika) of Istanbul, anticipating a palace jump later.
I've been signing ROP's with everyone (except Japan, because I haven't met them yet. They must be on an island somewhere), making some money and keeping everyone peaceful towards me. Which helps, 'cause my army consists of 3 horseman.
In 10 AD:
79 cities and 4 settlers, 109 workers, 1 guest worker
Were now researching chemistry.
2 luxuries, horses and saltpeter hooked up. Iron inside our territory but not hooked up.
Score: 1106, with a 26 point increase per turn.
Right now Im building marketplaces and libraries in my core, to get my economy up and running
Im beelining for military tradition, after which the Zulu will meet my Sipahi
This is my empire:
Sun Tzus built around 250 BC (palace prebuild), Leos (oracle prebuild) up in 2 turns. FP is constructed in 210 BC some 7 tiles S (in Salonika) of Istanbul, anticipating a palace jump later.
I've been signing ROP's with everyone (except Japan, because I haven't met them yet. They must be on an island somewhere), making some money and keeping everyone peaceful towards me. Which helps, 'cause my army consists of 3 horseman.
In 10 AD:
79 cities and 4 settlers, 109 workers, 1 guest worker
Were now researching chemistry.
2 luxuries, horses and saltpeter hooked up. Iron inside our territory but not hooked up.
Score: 1106, with a 26 point increase per turn.
Right now Im building marketplaces and libraries in my core, to get my economy up and running
Im beelining for military tradition, after which the Zulu will meet my Sipahi
This is my empire:
Holy crap! That's almost identical to the grid layout I used in my current game! Although based on your start, you're probably well on your way to knocking the living daylights out of my projected score...
Darkness
Shadow creature
I first tried this grid when playing GOTM19 (also with the Ottomans) and it worked like a charm. I also used it for my no. 1 score on warlord level. I find it to be the perfect compromise between early game production and late game milking potential...
excellent start! have you sent out a settler, on a long trek, for an eventual palace jump?
have a question about the amount of workers you have-
--do you train a worker after you found each town?
--do you train a settler first, then a worker in each new town?
--or do you have worker factories going?
i never seem to be able to have that many workers unitl later in the game. i figure that traing a worker sets my population back and instead try to get out another settler.
have a question about the amount of workers you have-
--do you train a worker after you found each town?
--do you train a settler first, then a worker in each new town?
--or do you have worker factories going?
i never seem to be able to have that many workers unitl later in the game. i figure that traing a worker sets my population back and instead try to get out another settler.
Darkness
Shadow creature
@Takeo:
No there's no settler on a long trek, I'll just jump my palace to the Zulu lands after they're gone (with a leader)
Worker Q's:
- yes, if possible foodwise
- Always a worker first and then either another worker or a settler
- I had one going near my capital, which had a five food surplus, but only 5 shields per turns, so I couldn't make it into a settler factory. So this town became my worker factory...
No there's no settler on a long trek, I'll just jump my palace to the Zulu lands after they're gone (with a leader)
Worker Q's:
- yes, if possible foodwise
- Always a worker first and then either another worker or a settler
- I had one going near my capital, which had a five food surplus, but only 5 shields per turns, so I couldn't make it into a settler factory. So this town became my worker factory...
My current game is my first effort with the 2-tile-gap-diamond layout, and it's working far better than past layouts I've used, although I'll probably tinker with it in my next game, rather than running just one big anal grid.
On average, I try to do one worker factory and two settler factories in my core (rest on military). After the core/rings, I always do a worker first. After that, it's usually nothing but settlers for cities on grassland or who have bonus food and/or flood plains. Everyone else makes workers until they're irrigated enough to make settlers.
On average, I try to do one worker factory and two settler factories in my core (rest on military). After the core/rings, I always do a worker first. After that, it's usually nothing but settlers for cities on grassland or who have bonus food and/or flood plains. Everyone else makes workers until they're irrigated enough to make settlers.
Darkness
Shadow creature
After spreading over my part of the world like a virus 
, I began to build marketplaces and libraries in my core, and after that I started on horseman (I only had 3 horseman as my entire army at this point). I now have around 30 and I'm building 5 or 6 each turn, with military tradition up in six turns. Since I built both SunTzu's and Leo's I can upgrade where I want and very cheap, so in 7 turns I'll attack the Zulu (our ROP runs out in 3 turns)...
My score is nearly 1500 points right now and it increases with 27-28 ppt...
The next dozen turns or so are going to be interesting I think...
, I began to build marketplaces and libraries in my core, and after that I started on horseman (I only had 3 horseman as my entire army at this point). I now have around 30 and I'm building 5 or 6 each turn, with military tradition up in six turns. Since I built both SunTzu's and Leo's I can upgrade where I want and very cheap, so in 7 turns I'll attack the Zulu (our ROP runs out in 3 turns)...My score is nearly 1500 points right now and it increases with 27-28 ppt...
The next dozen turns or so are going to be interesting I think...
wohmongarinf00l
Immortal
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2002
- Messages
- 452
i think the zulus are too close...the southern tip of india/scandinavia looks better and u could probably get a city from them as part of a peace deal in a bloodless war
Darkness
Shadow creature
I'm not sure I understand you correctly. I don't want a bloodless war. The ZUlu are hidering my expansion and I want them gone. In 7 turns I'll have access to Sipahi, so I'll crush them and get a GA at the same time as I expand (maybe even double) my teritory...
BTW: Neither India or Scandinavia are in this game (I think you mean Carthage and the Iroquois)
wohmongarinf00l
Immortal
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2002
- Messages
- 452
oh sorry...i meant for the palace jump if u are using it.
Darkness
Shadow creature
Sure I'm going to palace jump. At this point the FP and the palace site are maybe 6 tiles apart, so I don't have much choice but to jump. But I think I'll just jump it to the Zulu lands after I conquer them, or maybe Persia...
Well, don't wait too long. In the average game, we usually need to move our palace at least twice.
Darkness
Shadow creature
I know. It's now 370 AD in my game and I'm already steamrolling over the Zulu. Already half a dozen of my Sipahi are elite, so I should be able to get a GL before the Zulu are extinct. Then I can jump my palace to the center of the Zulu lands, and maybe later I'll move it to Persia...
Darkness
Shadow creature
It's now 600 AD and my game is going pretty nice, except for one small thing... I couldn't get a GL before the Zulu were goners...
But no worries, I got one a little later.
330 AD - Military tradition researched. Around 15 horseman upgraded to Sipahi. Then I'm out of money, so I'll use my GA generating money for the upgrade of another 80 horseman.
340 AD - We declare war on the Zulu and trigger a GA. Mass upgrading continues to until around 480 AD.
490 AD (I think) - Zulu are extinct. Some distant cities delayed this joyous event, but alas, no GL.
500 AD - We declare war on both Persia and the Aztecs. We have around 25 Sipahi going after the Aztecs and 65 (from the Zulu war) will deal with the Persians.
510 AD - 1st GL. We'll save him for a Palace jump to the center of the Persian lands, 'cause they are way better than the jungle infested former Zulu teritories.
540 AD? - Palace Jump.
600 AD - Persians reduced to a single settler and Aztecs have one city left. We have also gotten a second GL, which rushed Copernicus in our Colossus city.
1 turn left on magnetism research, after which we'll enter the Industral Age, and maybe get Steam Power as our free tech...
Status:
5 luxuries hooked up, number six will be some 10 turns away I think. Horses, Iron and Saltpeter hooked up.
Score: Around 2600 I think (I'm not sure and I can't check as I am at work), increase around 60 ppt.
I think I'll attack America and the Iroquois next...
One thing that annoys me is the Ai's incompetence when placing cities, which forces me to relocate a lot of them...
But no worries, I got one a little later.
330 AD - Military tradition researched. Around 15 horseman upgraded to Sipahi. Then I'm out of money, so I'll use my GA generating money for the upgrade of another 80 horseman.
340 AD - We declare war on the Zulu and trigger a GA. Mass upgrading continues to until around 480 AD.
490 AD (I think) - Zulu are extinct. Some distant cities delayed this joyous event, but alas, no GL.
500 AD - We declare war on both Persia and the Aztecs. We have around 25 Sipahi going after the Aztecs and 65 (from the Zulu war) will deal with the Persians.
510 AD - 1st GL. We'll save him for a Palace jump to the center of the Persian lands, 'cause they are way better than the jungle infested former Zulu teritories.
540 AD? - Palace Jump.
600 AD - Persians reduced to a single settler and Aztecs have one city left. We have also gotten a second GL, which rushed Copernicus in our Colossus city.
1 turn left on magnetism research, after which we'll enter the Industral Age, and maybe get Steam Power as our free tech...
Status:
5 luxuries hooked up, number six will be some 10 turns away I think. Horses, Iron and Saltpeter hooked up.
Score: Around 2600 I think (I'm not sure and I can't check as I am at work), increase around 60 ppt.
I think I'll attack America and the Iroquois next...
One thing that annoys me is the Ai's incompetence when placing cities, which forces me to relocate a lot of them...
Darkness
Shadow creature
Don't know about that. Your China monarch game was pretty impressive. I do think you could improve your opening play, because from what I can see, you are usually making less progress than I am in the early game...
You often say you use a lot of cities producing military in the early game. That is the most obvious difference between the two of us I think, 'cause I only build some warriors to expand and a few to MP in my larger core cities and maybe a couple of horseman to block AI advancement towards sites I want for my new cities. Maybe you should consider building less military in the early game, but I am not sure. It could be just a difference in style after all.
BTW, thanks for the kind words....
Don't worry slugy, at least you are much better player than me.
If I may notice from Darkness progres in game, it's too much fight for my taste at this high level. I've played many times on Regent (also always win) and few times on Monarch (not that successfully) but it's too much tenssion for me, so I always go back to Warlord were game is much more relaxing, and thats what I need and what I realy want, to enjoy in slowly and easy play. Thats why I probably will not go for any kind of attempt to break the points record (for now).
Darkness
Shadow creature
OK, it's now 750 AD in my game and I now control the entire continent. There are 3 AI remaining in this game. The Spanish have a settler on a ship somewhere. Carthage has one city on a small island (I'm already sailing towards it with half a dozen Sipahi) and only Japan remains untouched. That is not a problem, 'cause they have never had contact with anybody but me so they're still in the Ancient age.... Besides my fleet is already on the way...
I've spawned 9 GL's already in this game (2 armies, 2 palace jumps, Heroic Epic, Military Academy, Copernicus' , Newtons' and one I've saved and he is now on his way to Japan with my army, to rush a harbor, 'cause the only sources of gems are on Japans island).
I have steam power (free tech ), electricity and replacable parts of the industrial age techs and I'm now researching democracy, to be ready to go into full milking mode when Japan is destroyed...
Score: 3852 points, with a 102 ppt increase.
I control 3298 tiles (domination limit: 3834)
Here's a picture of my lands
BTW, my turns take at least two hours each....
I've got about a hundred SIpahi running around and at least 450 workers, plus some ships looking for that Spanish settler.... 
Besides my fleet is already on the way...I've spawned 9 GL's already in this game (2 armies, 2 palace jumps, Heroic Epic, Military Academy, Copernicus' , Newtons' and one I've saved and he is now on his way to Japan with my army, to rush a harbor, 'cause the only sources of gems are on Japans island).
I have steam power (free tech
), electricity and replacable parts of the industrial age techs and I'm now researching democracy, to be ready to go into full milking mode when Japan is destroyed...Score: 3852 points, with a 102 ppt increase.
I control 3298 tiles (domination limit: 3834)
Here's a picture of my lands
BTW, my turns take at least two hours each....
I've got about a hundred SIpahi running around and at least 450 workers, plus some ships looking for that Spanish settler.... 
