DaveMcW Space Race

[DaveMcW]

This game is my attempt to get the fastest spaceship launch ever.
Here are the settings I decided on.


Difficulty Level: Cheiftain

I will use the half price techs to get a 4-turn tech rate very, very early. The 4 content citizens and reduced corruption will help me grow fast to keep up with rising tech prices.

I considered playing Sid difficulty, and relying on the AIs to research for me. But it will be very difficult to stay in control of the game to be sure my spaceship launches first. Plus I suspect the AI's research speed will slow down because of too much unit upkeep.


Map Size: Standard

This is the logical choice for a fast tech game. It can hold 8 of the 9 scientific civs, and it has cheaper techs than a large map. It also has more goody huts than a small map.


Barbarians: Sedentary

Obvious choice. On Chieftain your luck with huts is so good that all civs feel like expansionists.


Civilization: Russia

The only other choice was Sumeria. But an expansionist civ can get a settler at 3950BC without much luck or worker moves. Scouts pop goody huts faster than warriors. And agricultural becomes less useful after my ultra-early switch to Republic.


Other Settings

Water: 60%
Land Mass: Pangea
Climate: Normal
Temperature: Temperate
Age: 5 Billion

 

[DaveMcW]

I checked 3000 games with MapFinder to get this start:

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[DaveMcW]

I built a scout then granary in each of the starting cities.

I saved up gold until I met the Byzantines, and bought Alphabet from them for Pottery + 9g + 6gpt. Then I started research on Writing at max science. I got my money back after meeting more civs and trading techs around.

In 2670BC I discovered Writing. I was playing a few other promising starts, but now I decided to abandon them and continue this one...

 

[a space oddity]

...and continue this one...

Looks promising indeed. Good luck, I'll be following with interest.

 

[Aeson]

Good luck. It's an interesting goal.

I think the fastest I've seen is a 1120AD launch. I'm sure you can beat that, the question is by how much... At Chieftain you can use your Philosophy free tech for Republic. Radio is out of the tech tree. All those scientific civs...

Pyramids with the SGL? Or do you think you'll need the research bonus to hit/keep a 4 turn tech pace?

 

[DaveMcW]

I used the SGL to build The Pyramids in St. Petersburg.

I finished Philosophy in 2270BC, getting The Republic for free since I popped Code of Laws from a hut. After a 4-turn anarchy I became a Republic in 2110BC.

I popped the last ancient tech in 1990BC. I used the big picture trick to buy everyone's free tech, and got Theology as my own free tech.

I am going to use Colossus and Mausoleum to trigger my golden age and help with middle age research.

 

[DaveMcW]

The tech rate went up quickly as my towns gained 1 pop every 2 turns.

Education took 15 turns.
Invention took 8 turns.
Gunpowder took 7 turns.

In 1150BC I finished The Colossus and started my golden age.

 

[boogaboo]

Great brave goal!

I'm not sure at all that it can't be done better at Sid, but this is a game to compare to later

At Sid, you can surely outrun the 4 turn limit, since all AIs are researching and trading like nuts.
I find the best way to gain techs is to attack a nearby enemy whose already undergoing another attack.
Once you conquer/raze a city and wait a few turns (without being in a weak position), they will hand you over many techs for peace!
This can be done "around the clock" to gain many many techs without spending any science (but some army.. ).

When getting to the Spaceship itself on Sid.. well, u'll just have to see next game u do.

Good luck!

 

[Darkness]

Looking good Dave!

 

[Drazek]

I think the fastest I've seen is a 1120AD launch.

Bremp launched in 920AD in GOTM26 with the aid of far Palace move.

This game is looking very good!

 

[Kemal]

Will be watching this with great interest, indeed looking very good!

And about the early space race launches, I can vividly (guess who was 2nd best.. ) remember Dave himself getting an 1100 AD launch in GotM 15, without the palace bug.

Any prediction possible already on your final time?

 

[Moonsinger]

Good luck Dave!

 

[DaveMcW]

I couldn't get Banking below 5 turns at the start of my golden age, but I got all the rest of the middle age techs in 4.

My city planning is easy since I don't plan to research hospitals. The cities just need 12 tiles to work and an aqueduct, university, and marketplace. The cities that already finished those are building musketmen to disband in other cities.

My golden age ended in 590BC, and I was careful to avoid the bug that doesn't recalculate science output until after the turn ends. My slider is at 100% science, even though it says I can lower it to 70% and still get ToG in 2. The next turn I was able to lower it to 80%, but if I had stuck with 70% I would lose a turn of research.

 

[DaveMcW]

In 490BC I entered the industrial age. After buying all the free techs I got Indutrialization for free.

Now techs are getting really expensive. I was able to get The Corporation down to 4 turns by making scientists in corrupt cities, but Electricity is still at 5 no matter what I do.

Here is my glorious railroading crew, funded by other civs' money. I was impressed with how early the chieftain AIs had gpt for trade, even though it wasn't very much.

 

[dojoboy]

Here is my glorious railroading crew, funded by other civs' money. I was impressed with how early the chieftain AIs had gpt for trade, even though it wasn't very much.

I did a spaceship launch on chieftain, some time back, just to see if I could do it. I was happy w/ my launch in the 1900s, but your game is amazing. One thing I did ASAP was to railroad the other civ's territories so they could pay me the gpt for techs.

Looking forward to launch.

 

[DaveMcW]

I remember when Accelerated Production was first introduced, someone at Firaxis ran a test game with 8 civs on deity. They were amazed to see railroads everywhere at 10AD. Well, I did it without AP.

I was forced to research Electricity in 5 turns. So far I got the rest of the techs in 4, but the most expensive ones are yet to come. My corrupt cities are almost always on scientists. I'm spending about 15 minutes a turn trying to maximize food while keeping the tech rate steady.

The palace prebuild is for The Internet. 6 industrial techs left.

 

[dojoboy]

Do you have a defense task force at the ready. I noticed your unit totals earlier. Has the AI at all been aggressive (settings at default)?

 

[DaveMcW]

With 1 infantry I am average or strong compared to the AIs. I don't need to worry too much.

I was able to maintain a 4-turn tech rate for the rest of the industrial age. Clearing the southern jungle with 100 workers really boosted my growth. And lots of cities were pumping out infantry to help with improvements.

In 370AD I entered the modern age. I used the big picture twice on that turn: first to buy all the AI's free techs; second to switch the Palace to The Internet after building Theory of Evolution to get Miniaturization.

My research screen at the start of the modern age:

 

[DaveMcW]

The Internet gave me a 25% boost in science, which matched nicely with the 25% increase in tech costs entering the modern age. I was running a bit low on gold, but that was easily fixed by making taxmen in corrupt cities.

After researching the remaining 5 techs in 4 turns each, I launched the spaceship in 570AD.

 

[Kemal]

Congrats, great game, and no doubt the fastest time so far!

Any points in the game where you feel there might have been room for improvement on the final launch date, either via the AI doing things differently, or the way you developed your empire throughout the game?