BasketCase
Username sez it all
Alrighty then.....so once again, me and the Romans are dukin' it out. How does it get worse after this? Well, two turns after the latest Greek-Roman slugging match starts, Persia threatens war if I don't move one key Infantry unit out of their territory in the north (which is there to keep their settlers away from a favorite spot the AI has been trying for). I tell Persia to stuff it, and they go to war. Then they sign an MPP with the Ottomans, and THEY get dragged into it.
So, a combination of me getting carried away, and a badly-timed (for me) MPP by the Persians has me right back where I was two updates ago: at war against almost everybody, and with my citizens tired of the whole thing and wanting to go a measy 50 years or so without something going BOOM elsewhere on the map.
I'm much better prepared this time around; I've got about a dozen Infantry and 20 Cavalry, and my weary military advisor says I'm strong compared to everybody else on the map. Here's the battle front after the first turn:
My defensive line is about as solid as a screen door at Hoover Dam.
Anyway, for the first couple turns of the war, I don't do much. I send an Army to get rid of that stray Roman city down south (Caesaraugusta, just off the left edge of the previous shot, near the bottom):
Somebody lecture the Romans on the hazards of building a city within one turn's reach of an enemy strongpoint. Caesaraugusta disappears off the map.
Other than that, I position my troops defensively. I know the AI is going to attack, and they're already weak. So I'm planning to let them get their offensive troops killed before I make any big moves. I now have a few artillery units handy--very nice for getting rid of pesky enemy troops who keep going after mountain tiles to hide in.
Oh, and having recently upgraded my PC speakers, I discover that artillery units now make a thoroughly satisfying BOOM when they blow stuff up. Logitech X-230 3-piece set. A little beefy on the bass (had to install a third-party equalizer in order to get the balance right) but GREAT for explosions!
The AI attacks, just as I expected. Their cavalry units swarm forward to die, but in smaller numbers than last war.
Two turns in, while destroying the Turkish city of Iznik, I get a leader!
I shop around for nice wonders I could rush. I suppose Universal Suffrage would be handy, but what I really want is another Army. Especially since my attack on Iznik was defended by a Turkish Rifleman. So I form the 4th Cavalry Army, and start loading it with crack Elite cavalry.
Next turn, I get a GENUINE surprise:
Well, here's something I haven't seen in a while! The closest unoccupied land near Tours is actually across the ocean to the east. I send some veteran cavalry to engage (and promote), and I earn several promotions over the next two turns I spend wiping out a stack of thirty or so warriors and horsemen.
By the way, if you know a replacement Military Advisor, send me his resume'??? My current one is a pansy-ass. Earlier he was all tired of fighting and stuff, and now a bunch of Ancient Age barbarians makes him jump out of his combat boots.
Over the next few turns, I crank out more Infantry units (I'm no longer building cavalry, because they're about fifteen turns away from being rendered obsolete!) and start plugging the holes. I also turn the luxury slider up a notch to make sure riots don't happen.
Paris builds its first Army, bringing me to five--and with 20 cities, that's my limit for the time being. I save this fifty Army for now--gonna wait to load that one up with tanks.....
Oh, hey--check out this sneaky move by Persia:
Rome's not gonna be happy about that.....
All right, time for some big hits. First off, I want to get rid of an annoying piece of the Persian cultural border, so I send two Armies and an Infantry northeast towards Hastings. They'll need a couple of turns to reach it. Down south, I can hit Palmyra this turn, so I send three cavalry to attack it. I'm rather surprised to find Palmyra defended only by two Roman cavalry--and the city falls easily.
The change in borders causes me to notice a cheap trick I can pull on Persia:
I actually could have done this earlier, but I didn't notice until my attack on Palmyra drew my attention to it. The colony is toasted, and a Fortress on the tile is pillaged.
Oh, and CHECK THIS--I actually BUILD a CITY.
In 1818, I attack Hastings, and the assault is a near-disaster. My first Army kills one Musketman, then is dropped to one hit point! Thankfully, the RNG rolls a successful retreat, and my men live to fight another turn. I'm now glad I brought a second Army. A couple more attacks, and Hastings is torched.
Now that I'm paying more attention to the borders, I notice I can hit Byzantium from the side and avoid attacking from across the river:
This attack IS a disaster. Two of my cavalry get dropped, and the third retreats. I only killed one Musketman--and the other Musket defending the city promoted to Elite.
So, a combination of me getting carried away, and a badly-timed (for me) MPP by the Persians has me right back where I was two updates ago: at war against almost everybody, and with my citizens tired of the whole thing and wanting to go a measy 50 years or so without something going BOOM elsewhere on the map.
I'm much better prepared this time around; I've got about a dozen Infantry and 20 Cavalry, and my weary military advisor says I'm strong compared to everybody else on the map. Here's the battle front after the first turn:
My defensive line is about as solid as a screen door at Hoover Dam.
Anyway, for the first couple turns of the war, I don't do much. I send an Army to get rid of that stray Roman city down south (Caesaraugusta, just off the left edge of the previous shot, near the bottom):
Somebody lecture the Romans on the hazards of building a city within one turn's reach of an enemy strongpoint. Caesaraugusta disappears off the map.
Other than that, I position my troops defensively. I know the AI is going to attack, and they're already weak. So I'm planning to let them get their offensive troops killed before I make any big moves. I now have a few artillery units handy--very nice for getting rid of pesky enemy troops who keep going after mountain tiles to hide in.
Oh, and having recently upgraded my PC speakers, I discover that artillery units now make a thoroughly satisfying BOOM when they blow stuff up. Logitech X-230 3-piece set. A little beefy on the bass (had to install a third-party equalizer in order to get the balance right) but GREAT for explosions!
The AI attacks, just as I expected. Their cavalry units swarm forward to die, but in smaller numbers than last war.
Two turns in, while destroying the Turkish city of Iznik, I get a leader!
I shop around for nice wonders I could rush. I suppose Universal Suffrage would be handy, but what I really want is another Army. Especially since my attack on Iznik was defended by a Turkish Rifleman. So I form the 4th Cavalry Army, and start loading it with crack Elite cavalry.
Next turn, I get a GENUINE surprise:
Well, here's something I haven't seen in a while! The closest unoccupied land near Tours is actually across the ocean to the east. I send some veteran cavalry to engage (and promote), and I earn several promotions over the next two turns I spend wiping out a stack of thirty or so warriors and horsemen.
By the way, if you know a replacement Military Advisor, send me his resume'??? My current one is a pansy-ass. Earlier he was all tired of fighting and stuff, and now a bunch of Ancient Age barbarians makes him jump out of his combat boots.
Over the next few turns, I crank out more Infantry units (I'm no longer building cavalry, because they're about fifteen turns away from being rendered obsolete!) and start plugging the holes. I also turn the luxury slider up a notch to make sure riots don't happen.
Paris builds its first Army, bringing me to five--and with 20 cities, that's my limit for the time being. I save this fifty Army for now--gonna wait to load that one up with tanks.....
Oh, hey--check out this sneaky move by Persia:
Rome's not gonna be happy about that.....
All right, time for some big hits. First off, I want to get rid of an annoying piece of the Persian cultural border, so I send two Armies and an Infantry northeast towards Hastings. They'll need a couple of turns to reach it. Down south, I can hit Palmyra this turn, so I send three cavalry to attack it. I'm rather surprised to find Palmyra defended only by two Roman cavalry--and the city falls easily.
The change in borders causes me to notice a cheap trick I can pull on Persia:
I actually could have done this earlier, but I didn't notice until my attack on Palmyra drew my attention to it. The colony is toasted, and a Fortress on the tile is pillaged.
Oh, and CHECK THIS--I actually BUILD a CITY.
In 1818, I attack Hastings, and the assault is a near-disaster. My first Army kills one Musketman, then is dropped to one hit point! Thankfully, the RNG rolls a successful retreat, and my men live to fight another turn. I'm now glad I brought a second Army. A couple more attacks, and Hastings is torched.
Now that I'm paying more attention to the borders, I notice I can hit Byzantium from the side and avoid attacking from across the river:
This attack IS a disaster. Two of my cavalry get dropped, and the third retreats. I only killed one Musketman--and the other Musket defending the city promoted to Elite.
