Deity no city built challenge

[Bachus]

I quit playing civ2 GOTM for over a year now, because of the time I used to lose with it. However, I consider myself a civfanatic, because civilization was definitely The Game for me. And then Civ2. Unfortunately, I couldn't spend too much time on it lately and it seems this will not change for a while. But, from time to time, I let myself caught and play some quick games, just to re-enter the spirit I like so much.

Anyway, I couldn't find a real challenge in deity, but I kept trying usually some OCC especially because it's quick. I tried to figure some greater challenges, like deity+, barb+, size 1 OCC. On some civfanatics forum I found an idea (the post belonged to starlifter) that I could build only warriors and caravans for the entire game. Actually I think this is interesting and so I might try it some time in the future. An idea I thought of was winning and not having any city.... just with the units found in the huts. This seemed very appealing, but I realized its impossibility... you had to be lucky to find 10 units in huts.. and they were not enough but for 2-3 early cities.

But I thought Ok, not this, but at least not to have cities on my own.... meaning not founding any cities and not any advanced tribes. I decided to give it a try, especially because I like the initial exploring part... I didn't have anything to lose

So, here goes: deity level, large map, raging hordes, 7 civs, everything else random. I chose Aztecs and I was gifted with a bunch of techs... 6 or 7 , something that has never happened to me before... so a very good sign. Of course, I didn't expect to be right from the first try, because I had tried a few games before in search of a size 1 OCC and I knew you needed luck. What I was searching for was another civ on the same continent with me. What I wanted was to conquer with the units in the huts at least a city from that civ. I knew from my previous exploration games that with no city founded (I was in search for a suitable place for size 1 OCC) mostly out of the huts I got units... this was what I wanted

Good, so I started exploring. I don't remember very well, but I think I had 1 or maybe 2 huts very close to my starting point... I got a unit I think... and started exploring....

I don't have in my mind very clearly all the events... I know that I got many units, 1 science or 2 early, some 50 gold.... and I was exploring. I wasn't using any hut pattern for finding the huts... I told you I didn't want to waste time and after all it was funnier this way.

Anyway, at some time I ran into Indians while going West. I exchanged some knowledge and allied. I have to tell you that I was pretty advanced, mostly because of the starting techs, and in the first 2 knowledge huts I found... shocking... Trade and Engineering ...

After meeting the Indians I passed their unit while still exploring. I was huntin' huts That's why I wanted an alliance with them... to avoid ZOC. So, I explored further until I found the edge of the continent and some more huts. Some 25, some unit... same ol' stuff... I think I read in some post some long time ago when all I was doing on the net was civ related something about chances when popping huts... but I forgot it Anyway, I still remember it had something to do with you having or not a city and with the distance to your nearest city (maybe compared to the distance to the next AI city?). But I have to tell you that I had no wandering nomads in this game (and in a few previous with no city founded) and no advanced tribe. Regarding the advanced tribe, i have to tell you I got one in a previous game, I "think" that with no city founded... so I tend to believe this is possible.

Coming back to the game... I moved my legions into position to Delhi, intending to take it. In the meantime, I have met the Zulus and allied with them. So, I tried to move slowly ALL of my East units towards Zimbabwe and all of my West units for Delhi. In the meantime, I cancelled the alliance with the Indians intending to establish some ZOC, for I hadn't seen any other city besides Delhi and I wanted to destroy them if possible. And I wanted to deny them resources, so I fortified on a mine near their city

The good thing about not having a city is that you can withdraw you units to your nearest city and not care So I stayed there on the hill until all the units arrived.

In the meantime, I had all my units near Zimbabwe and cancelled the alliance with the Zulus. The 2 settlers were also here, I had Construction, so I had time to build a fortress near the city. When my last units arrived, I attacked having 2 legions, 1 archer and 1 horsemen. Their 1 phalanx died at the first legion... so I had a city... 850 B.C. !

The problem was that now when I was asked to withdraw troops from Delhi... I was trapped So I declared war on the Indians and attacked having 1 legion and 2 horsemen. Legion dies, horsemen dies, horsemen wins. Next turn, I took 1 size empty Delhi they had a phalanx nearby... I didn't want to wait... maybe I rushed a little but I thought I would destroy them... it wasn't the case... they must have slipped a settler.... Anyway, the West front was soon over... My remaining horsemen won 2 battles, went in the mountains to heal , returned after, hit a settler and was killed by an archer

So, all the hopes on the East front... the Zulus had only one more city, Ulundi...

Here is attached my first save, 3050 B.C. and a save at 850 B.C., having a city

.... more to follow ... hopefully I will catch up with my current game status...

 

[Bachus]

I guess I gave the remaining civs quite an advantage, I mean I had my own city only at 850 B.C, a size 2 city, with no improvements. But I didn't feel bad, because I knew the Indians were not far ahead, and the Zulus too. And I heard that the English had been destroyed by barbarians....

My next priority was to take Ulundi. I had now a veteran Legion, so I had chances. But they had City Walls, so.... ... I decided to wait until Mathemathics. In the meantime, I fortified at 2 spaces from their city in a fortress on some forest and I sent my horsemen south to catch any settler trying to escape the siege. That's how I found their other city, Bapedi. I sent the veteran Legion there, with the Horsemen. First attack with the legion, warrior dies. I took again the empty size 1 city.... probably a mistake now that I reconsider the situation... it could have been another city... but I didn't have patience to let it grow.... like I said, probably a mistake.

Anyway, I was let now for sure with only one Zulus city and this one I was going to have, as it had City Walls. But in the meantime, my situation was not very good... my Zimbabwe was not of much help. I rushed in it the Palace with the money from the huts and from the tribute collected so far. Then I produced 2 Phalanx to keep a size 3 city content having 5 production from switching the population on some trees. Then I probably made another wrong estimation... I made a Dye Caravan for trading Ulundi... I thought it might help me in research and it would also be an early trade route... I was researching Polytheism I think.... but it brought me only some 30 gold... not too much

The next building I decided to be a Wonder, for I didn't need any units. My settlers were improving terrain near my city... I decided to come even closer to the Zulus city, they had a road between the 2 cities, so I "trained" one Settler irrigating a forest for a few turns then I relocated it on a road grassland near Ulundi and built the same turn a fortress.... I moved my legions there and fortified them. After that, I even changed that square to forest to be more secure. Now the Zulus were really trapped and I didn't make peace with them, just some cease - fire in the hope of getting some tribute.

Coming back to the Wonder, I didn't hesitate much. There were some 6 available, no Literacy yet, I thought a little at Collossus, a little less at Hanging Gardens, but my first choice was Marco Polo all the time. So I went for Marco, which I built with some money around 250 A.D, receiving 100 from the Indians who must have feared me badly, even if I didn't have any hope of contacting them again too soon. So, I built Marco Polo and I started trading techs. I found out that I was quite advanced, so I got all the techs from the other civs and allied with the Russians. In the acquired techs were Monarchy and Mathemathics and I switched from Despotism immediately, not caring of Oedo years... I had to give up my research efforts, as now I could do research at an incredible pace of 80 turns and I was merely half done with the current science. But I was relaxed, as I had Marco Polo now.

I took a look at my opponents. Quite warmongering. Russians, Germans, Greeks replacing English and Persans were the unknown civs. I managed to exchange maps with Germans only and they had a nice island. I wasn't really worried, just expected the Russians to take over some good part of the world later.

Having Mathemathics, I came back to my city and rushed Temple, Barracks, then IRB 2 catapults. The Zulus were doomed....


Enjoy your games!
Bachus

 

[Bachus]

And so, in 500 AD I attacked Ulundi with the 2 catapults and took it. And then, I headed for Republic... I didn't research anything, as I got for free every tech.

And, in 780, I got The Republic. Quite a late Republic, by all standards. Here are screenshots of my 2 towns in 800 AD:



and



Well, not too much. But then I started celebrating. I grew in short time both cities to size 12. In the meantime I built improvements, wonders... nothing really interesting, really. Greeks and Persians declared war at some time, but I didn't care, because I was SO far away from everyone. I also built some forts around my cities, just for fun.

The problem with my location was that I couldn't easily set up a ship chain. So I decided to slow the game a little, meaning no research by myself and just trading for knowledge. The advantage would consist in more time and money for improvements.

So, the years passed by... they always do. And in 1720, the most advanced civs had Gunpowder, Metallurgy and Navigation. And here I am, building Shakespeare in Ulundi (to support my future army - this would be my production city) and a caravan in Zimbabwe (this would be my trade city, already having Copernicus and expecting Isaac). And I realize that I cannot lose the game, whatever strategy I choose. So much for the challenge....

However I think I will play the game to an end (probably spaceship, because it would be less time consuming...). Here is my "empire" now, in 1720:



I am planning to research slowly towards spaceship and build everything I need in my cities, then start for caravans - for trade in Zimbabwe and for spaceship parts in Ulundi. As I said, Zimbabwe will be grown as much as possible for research, while Ulundi will reach only 20 and have some nice production (around 120). And with not much any trouble, I will probably launch first..

So, the conclusion is that no city built is a good challenge, but not really a "deadly" one. However, it could be, depending on map conditions. And now I am really looking for the deadly ones....

Actually, I think that you cannot really lose to the AI in a war. I remember a game of mine, that started as a OCC, played very loose, for fun... I just improved my city, built some units and in 1920 decided to conquer the world (large, continents). And it was possible. Starting from one city. I managed even to prevent AI to win by spaceship. Somewhere in 2100 I was Supreme. I have to say that I used bribing, but still, I consider that I have proven something.

So, I am thinking of proposing a challenge of this kind... maybe some of you would be interested. Perhaps I will start a new thread when I find some playing time... but here is what I have in mind (similar to something posted in the recent D+3 game) :

OCC until 1850, no spaceship for humans, no bribing.... quite bloody, don't you think?