Deity Isolation Workshop (Stan/Norm/Fractal/NH/NE)

[Pangaea]

Space isn't particularly quick, but the fun aspects about it is you get to tech the whole tree, and build lots of stuff. It satisfies the builders If you're already in a dominant position, it's quicker to just kill everybody, or even go for UN. Space is more of a balancing act too, you can't just do like in some domination/conquest games, and whip units until you win. You need to be able to tech well, and also have production later.

 

[Lain]

Guess my problem with space is that some joker will usually try and win culture before I can win space. So I have to do something about that. And since that usually means investing into military build-up, you might aswell go all the way and wipe out the others aswell.

Speaking of buildings, are late game buildings actually worth it? For example: Hospitals, Supermarkets, Hydro Plants? Chances are that you are 20-30 turns away from launching anyway, so isn't it better to build Wealth/Research to try and get those space techs just a little bit quicker? City placement being what it is on Deity, I barely have enough land tiles to work anyway. So being stuck at size 15 due to health restrictions is no big deal (Hospital is what, 200 hammers? Then I could grow 2 more pop and hire Engineers... wonder how long those specs will take to pay back that investment). And I can barely leave HR because happiness is really hard to maintain somehow. Emancipation anger and in that Shaka game, I had 22 cities but no single luxury resource in all my territory. Go figure.

However, there is something relaxing about building Life Supports and Stasis Chambers while everybody else is busy nuking the hell out of each other. Playing "Heal the World" in the background while boarding the spaceship with Horse Archers and War Elephants. Can't deny the feelings.

 

[Lain]

Tokugawa 1830 AD (the end)

Spoiler :

Space was impossible. So I basically did a copy of my Hannibal game. Same runaway AI aswell... Kublai is somewhat a bogey opponent of mine. Never do well against him. Saladin is another one...

Capped a weak Brennus and had Charly vote for me while farming everything.



Not well played (the Shaka game was a masterpiece compared to this), but gg anyway.

So, waiting for some other people to finish

 

[Pangaea]

Bit of a close shave, but very well done Congrats with the win. You've become very good at this isolation malarky

 

[Lain]

So I took up @Pangaea 's challenge for that Mehmed map. Need to know if this is winnable at this point. It might just be.

Just so you know what we are dealing with here, this is my capital. Don't want to brag or anything but it's pretty dope. Look at this beauty. Outshines everything else on my continent.

Spoiler :

(I wanted to replace the mines with windmills a long time ago, but what can I say... workers are currently busy farming plains and tundra. Priorities.)

Anyway, I somehow managed to crush Mansa, former score leader once upon a time (no point for spoilers, don't think anyone will play it ). Even if I lose from here, it was already worth it. I'm thinking of capping him now, gifting back his cities, build warriors/catapults (think I can build warriors until I get Rifling???) for him to upgrade and unleash him against everyone else on the continent. It'd be hilarious. Reckon this might work?

Tech wise he is up there with everyone else, but I have some doubts about his military capabilities. He might just switch off slider and go culture like a moron... that feeling when your win depends on Mansa Musa's commanding abilities.

Spoiler :

 

[Fippy]

That desert map is heaven, stopped looking at spoilers immediately and started playing
Like (former?) poster Tachy i cannot resist the beauty of really crappy starts.

Fog busting done, whew..had luck with a fight against an archer.
Thought about settling stone, but city seems too crappy..teched masonry too early i think, at least that gives Edirne something to build for now.
Plan would be 3 river cottages + cows there while building a settler at size 4, Cap takes sheep back and whips another settler..something like that. Doubt you need anything like Monarchy here, happy cap what for ~~
It's really fun.

 

[Lain]

Stone city is really bad, but I thought without Pyramids it's instant gg. Interesting to see how cottages work vs that

Barbs also tough to deal with because there is hardly any forest for good defensive position.

Cool that you play along. But who will give me advice now on how to win my 1500 AD posi

 

[Pangaea]

Can't believe you guys are actually playing this abomination

Looks like you're doing quite well too, and I'm impressed by Lain. Not sure how you managed to get out an army and boats with horrible land, no forests and poor food, but very well done!

Pyramids surely helps, as you can at least run good specialists. Suppose you got some failgold out of stone as well?

 

[Lain]

Yeah, 100 or something failgold from Chichen Itza. Not like there were many forests to chop though .

As for the game, I won conquest in... 1971 AD.

Pictures say more than 1000 words etc:

Spoiler :

He owns everything. Including my former island. And thank Sid for "Future Tech", he must have researched it about 30 times.

It's bs that people won't capitulate just because it's your vassal doing the dirty work. Doesn't make any sense. Like they should still capitulate to "my" empire. So I had to wait for Mansa to launch naval attacks and all...

Some impressions:













Sitting Bull thinking that taking my continent will help him in any way.



Guess he realized it aswell and put poor Alex in charge instead.



Sneaky settles like this secured my survival~



Should have named a few units.



Not like I did nothing though.



The end.

 

[Berks]

Hi Lain, I've been following your threads for a little while, and I think the above game is a good demonstration of the improvements in your skills.

Well done!!

 

[Fippy]

Lain

I have one pic, will probably do a bigger update at Optics.
Skipped everything, and it's Machinery & Optics left to tech.
Cannot believe no AI built GLH yet, will i even get that failgold in time?

 

[Pangaea]

Fantastic game Lain. Very impressive to win such a butt-ugly map

 

[Fippy]

For some lol, my game at Optics

Good Mansa, taking this for Astro bulb asap

Spoiler :

And that's it, Astro in 2 after bulbs

Spoiler :

 

[Lain]

Cool Optics date o.o. With only 10 (11) cottages, no academy or happy cap to speak of. Shows what can be possible with focused tech path I guess . Really nice.

 

[Fippy]

Yep

I edited my post above a bit, will play this out when the Civ bug bites me again ~~
Think it's def. winnable, those are not great cities but most have some kind of food so good enuf for whipping an army with 8 of them.

More maps like this one please

 

[Lain]

I reached early Optics like this with Hannibal, but I actually had grassland cottages and stuff. What am I doing wrong? Maybe techs like Monarchy is slowing me down. But slightly later Optics with bigger cities is also not necessarily bad I guess?

Pottery before Bronze Working can be a good move more often than not I think (opposite to Pangaea where I rush to block land).

Somehow I get worse results with Pyramids. Toku game was also pretty hard for me despite getting that wonder.

 

[Fippy]

Pottery was my first tech after AH, for river cottages. Did not matter much that they are plains.
Also Edirne with 3 of those cottages helps, no food of it's own but i always try making use of rivers fast in such games.

I think the key for this kind of gameplay is thinking small, 1 more happy cap would have been helpful but it was not worth teching Myst + x + Ph + Monarchy for me. ~700 beakers, already as much as MC.
When i look at seafood cities, 1 more happy without Caste would only gain more seatiles.
Other cities not had more growth potential, Cap at 5 was fine and Edirne with Cows + 3 cottages stagnated.

Overall it's taking a long time to make up for teching Monarchy, yup.
I agree that bigger cities at Optics / Astro can make up for that, but here i did not see many benefits for doing so.

 

[Fippy]

Hmmm i just thought, i never really used Jans.
The only unit of that age with no 25% bonus against seems to be other Muskies?
Should be good enuf along with Trebs for at least 1 AI? Tempting to try ~~

It's also interesting that you can bulb Gunpowder after Guilds, if no CS (paper), no Philo techable (avoiding Medi should be good) and hmm..that's it? Engineering needed ofc, but that for Trebs too.

 

[Fippy]

I think this will be a funny game, going with that gunpowder bulb & Jannisary plan

Just what you would expect for relations, with this crowd..Mansa getting destroyed

Spoiler :

I traded for lots of stuff, CoL..Monarchy (by selling Cathys CoL to Mansa lol)..Feuda from Bully who i just met.
Even Shaka contributed something, he has paper /shocking and i sold him maps for gold.
Civic switch was HR + Caste, i need some great peoples points for a GS (gunpowder) here

Spoiler :

Now they all have similar techs, not trading for Construction with Mansa..maybe i can get parts of Engi from him for Optics

Spoiler :

Missing 2 AIs, but so far Cathy looks like she will be clear AI leader. Getting shared Civic with her from HR will be useful.
Curious how Jans & Trebs will do, Mansa will be long vassaled before i could get something of his cake ~~
Sadly i sacrificed slavery for the bulb, until i can switch back (and add Vassalage), so army buildup will be from the start when reaching techs.

 

[Lain]

Cool that you are trying this . I want to see how it works out.

I never really attacked before cannons. Not enough production (some cities just settled before Optics) and also, I am always scared of oversea maintenance from capturing cities.