Diety Germany Photojournal (Patch 11-9, Marathon, Continents+)

[amateurgamer88]

Let's just hope that, while you are busy dealing with Greece, Askia doesn't help himself by getting more ahead. That's what I enjoy about Continent games. You just don't know who'll be a threat next and you have to respond accordingly to it. For now, outcompeting Greece will be key. However, I wonder how confident you are in defending your CS allies if wars do happen between you and Greece.

Seems like you are doing well in improving your cities and preparing for the next war. I'm curious if Egypt will still pose a threat or not since I don't know how they scale either.

 

[YukiN]

Let's just hope that, while you are busy dealing with Greece, Askia doesn't help himself by getting more ahead. That's what I enjoy about Continent games. You just don't know who'll be a threat next and you have to respond accordingly to it. For now, outcompeting Greece will be key. However, I wonder how confident you are in defending your CS allies if wars do happen between you and Greece.

Seems like you are doing well in improving your cities and preparing for the next war. I'm curious if Egypt will still pose a threat or not since I don't know how they scale either.

My navy is 5 units, so uh...maybe not right now. If my CS allies fall, I can find replacements for now and liberate them later. I am more concerned about my 4 island settles which currently lack castles and garissons.

Egypt is basically irrelevant now. The war weariness I inflicted on him probably crippled his entire empire for at least 30 turns. His already weakened production also went to units that I killed mostly for free. I expect to make him vassal within 100 turns and see how it goes from there.

 

[YukiN]

Spoiler Turn 501: Askia declares war on Ghandi :

Over the subsequent turns, I see Bangalore, which Askia had captured in a previous war, trade hands a couple of times. I expect Askia to come out on top in this war, the question is just how much. India signs a defense pact with Greece the next turn, so Askia may not want to declare for a while after this war.

I am personally delaying my next big war against Egypt. His castles are up which means I need more and better seige. He has also signed a defense pact with Greece and I don't want to deal with the Greek navy right now given how vulnerable my island settles are. I should be in a better spot after Greece is sanctioned in terms of military. I will declare war on Greece and pull Egypt in that way. This also gets me a positive modifier with India's enemies without giving me more warmonger score.

Spoiler Turn 510: Alexander builds Notre Dame :

Alexander gets Notre Dame as expected. I am personally teching towards Astronomy for Chichen Itza which I hope to get before my next GA.

Spoiler Turn 511: Askia enhances Islam :

Askia finally spends a GP to enhance Islam, taking Prophecy of all things. It feels awfully late but maybe he needed the faith to fight off the Celtic and Indian religions.

Spoiler Turn 517: Mt Kaliash in Celtic lands :

This partly explains why the Celtic religion was so fast in the early game, even taking into account their UA. Speaking of Religion, Spain has fully converted Rome as well, and her religion accounts for the majority of her score. This helps shape the factions, one centered on Greece and including India and Egpyt, and one comprising pretty much all the other relevant civs. The celts might end up on either side.

Spoiler Turn 526: Triple Great Admirals :

I finish the circumnavigation quest and get 3 Great Admirals at once. That feels quite busted and might need a look at. The admirals will help in the wars to come though.

I've started on Chicken Pizza but some quick maffs tell me that it'll come after my next GA, so I give away a bunch of my luxes for free to get some relationship modifiers and to slow down my GA until just after the wonder. It feels a little gimmicky, but hey, it's Diety.

Spoiler Turn 531: Demographics :

I know Alexander is in a Golden Age and I am not, so I am quite happy with where I am relative to him. Rome has notably high production now too. Without anyone to fight, I expect his infrastructure to take off from here. Everyone has high approval, so the recent call for happiness nerfs seem well warranted.

Spoiler Turn 533: Grabbing Kilamanjaro :

I spend a GG to Citadel Kilamanjaro. I get -50 on influence but that's a cheap price to pay and nothing a diplo-unit can't fix. The GG itself is quite expensive given the expected wars, but I want the unit buffs from the natural wonder. Bonn was settled a few turns earlier (at around ~520) pretty much expressly for this purpose.

Spoiler Turn 536: Egypt declares war :

My spies inform me that Egypt is trying to sneak attack me. I ask him to move his troops and he declares war. This saves me a lot of trouble with Greece and diplomacy in general. It also gives me first strike and I kill a couple units, pillage 2 caravans and capture 2 workers for free.

I had been building quite a few units over the last few turns, particularly Longswordsmen before they become obsolete. The free promotion is really powerful going forward, and the costs for promoting them is acceptable compared to Pikemen.

 

[amateurgamer88]

One thing I dislike is CS getting Natural Wonders that they don't utilise very much. I guess GG can get you it but that's such a waste. I guess it's more map scripts than anything.

At this point, I think you are getting very far ahead. You only have to worry about Egypt so your military production can be minimal or just enough to deal with him. Otherwise, you can focus so much on infrastructure and Germany becomes a monster late game so you only get stronger from here. I'm just curious what victory you'll be pursuing now. I believe it will be either diplomatic or domination.

 

[YukiN]

One thing I dislike is CS getting Natural Wonders that they don't utilise very much. I guess GG can get you it but that's such a waste. I guess it's more map scripts than anything.

At this point, I think you are getting very far ahead. You only have to worry about Egypt so your military production can be minimal or just enough to deal with him. Otherwise, you can focus so much on infrastructure and Germany becomes a monster late game so you only get stronger from here. I'm just curious what victory you'll be pursuing now. I believe it will be either diplomatic or domination.

Taking the city is always an option. I like to have city states around though, and I don't really need the GGs after this war; future conflicts would be most naval. No doubt I could take some coastal land with a navy, but that seems more trouble than it is worth.

Any victory should be within reach. I'll just play out the game to see what lategame VP is like on Diety. My biggest surprise was how much of a pushover Egypt was in this war compared to the last.

 

[YukiN]

Spoiler Turn 538: State of the second war with Egypt :

Egypt doesn't even have units around these two cities, while my army which has been reinforced since the last war had been sitting ready around Avaris. Pi-Ramssess is still garrisoned by a war-chariot. This was not a good decision on Egypt's part.

To the South, I have more mobile units to exploit the flat terrain and a few footsoldiers for defensive purposes. Giza, which still doesn't have a castle, can be easily seiged by my single trebuchet in the area, but Thebes is a harder target.

Spoiler Turn 539: Chichen Itza Completed :

The Chichen Itza is a very nice wonder. The 50% boost to GAs is very powerful and once again, I didn't want Alexander to have it. The happiness effect is less useful here.

Spoiler Turn 540: Golden Age, Alexandria Blockaded :

I get a golden age right after finishing Chichen Itza. In the meantime, Alexandria is fully blockaded and falls after a few turns.

Spoiler Turn 543: More wars on the other side :

War breaks out on the other side of the globe. Egypt decides to embark a Heavy Skirmisher and send it towards my caravels (?).

Spoiler Turn 546: A Greek City? Here? :

Seems like a Greek Settler has gotten lost and decided to settle on the wrong side of the planet. It does explain how Greece has suddenly become Cape Town's ally though. Giza and Alexandria have both since fallen, with Pi-Ramesses soon to follow. I have 100 warscore against Egypt.

Spoiler Turn 548: Pi-Ramesses falls, yields from City-states :

Pi-Ramesses falls, and I move my army towards Thebes. I befriend two city-states at war with one another and find Antwerp. Nice yields.

Spoiler Turn 554: Thebes under seige :

My army arrives and Thebes is under seige. The few modern units Egypt has were swiftly dispatched.

Spoiler Turn 556: 1st World Congress vote :

I split my votes on the proposals I thought Greece is more likely to focus on. All three proposals go my way. I'm still trying to figure out how VP AI votes.

 

[amateurgamer88]

Looks like you are snowballing at this point and it will only get better as Germany is a late-game civ. I guess you won't need any really aggressive wars after eliminating (or vassalizing) Egypt since you just need a navy to defend your allied CS.

 

[YukiN]

Spoiler Turn 556: Thebes falls, Egypt Vassalized :

I take Thebes easily, netting myself 3 great works, all artifacts from Burial Tombs.

The city itself is okay but not particularly amazing. The horses are improved by a manufactory but Egypt's other GPTIs elsewhere (you can see one under the Return button and one above the horses to the left). That makes the terrain good for 4 tiles, though the Manufactory on Horses and the cotton tiles are very nice. I'll probably get Elephantine to hand over the cattle tile up North since that city has plenty of floodplain farms to work.

Egypt capitulates and I get some gold. He is now as irrelevant as Maria and Washington.

Spoiler Turn 557: A mountain explodes on Hamburg :

I lose some buildings and population to the eruption. It's not amazing, but at least I can get the Expertise yields from rebuilding the Monument and Garden.

Spoiler Turn 557: Yields from 1st WC, Proposals for 2nd WC :

The bonus yields from Global Commandments is quite nice, worth about one and a half turns of income except in GAPs which is more noticeable.

I propose Treasure Fleet to convert my hammer advantage and to get a buff to my navy. Isabella proposes World Religion, which might actually pass as 3 civs (Spain, Sweden, Rome) are all fully converted. Greece wants to repeal its sanction, which is not happening.

Spoiler Turn 561: Leaning Tower Completed, 3rd Policy Tree :

I finish the Leaning Tower and get the opener to my 3rd tree on the same turn.

I have mentioned previously that Imperialism is good here, but there's a solid case to be made for all three trees. Industry is solid for my wide empire. Production, Gold and Culture are always welcome, and I'm not particularly hurting for science. The reduction to purchase costs helps my gold go a long way. The two extra trade routes are also very powerful for Germany. Rationalism lets me get further ahead in science, and I have its weaknesses firmly covered. I also have about half the population in my cities working specialist slots, so the food will be quite noticeable. Imperialism is the tree that best lets me extend naval power. The bonus to monopolies and tiles will be very powerful, but the combat and conquest related policies are less useful since I don't plan to take land on other continents. Furthermore, I don't have a promoted navy that I feel compelled to upgrade.

I also have a free Great Person from the Leaning Tower. I took a Great Prophet for my previous choice (from an event), but I genuinely wonder if another choice would have been noticeably better. I know that another Prophet wouldn't be too useful to me here.

What choices would you make?

 

[amateurgamer88]

I personally would go for Industry as it provide you some good yields while also making your Great Engineers better for any future Wonders you might want to grab. Promotions aren't that bad when you'll be swimming in gold and, from the screenshot, I don't think gold is a problem for you at all.

Regarding Great People, I wonder if you need a Great Admiral to help your navy a bit. I don't know how much combat you need to get one but having at least two is nice. You might have to split your navy up on both sides of the continent to ensure better coverage. If you can defend the CS, then you can easily cruise to a victory unless all the civs decide to attack you at once.

 

[YukiN]

I personally would go for Industry as it provide you some good yields while also making your Great Engineers better for any future Wonders you might want to grab. Promotions aren't that bad when you'll be swimming in gold and, from the screenshot, I don't think gold is a problem for you at all.

Regarding Great People, I wonder if you need a Great Admiral to help your navy a bit. I don't know how much combat you need to get one but having at least two is nice. You might have to split your navy up on both sides of the continent to ensure better coverage. If you can defend the CS, then you can easily cruise to a victory unless all the civs decide to attack you at once.

I got 3 GAds from a single city state quest. I should probably raise that on the broken things thread.

 

[amateurgamer88]

In that case, a Great Engineer or a Great Scientist might be your options. One to grab a Wonder quickly so you can use your production for other stuff while the other to get you a tech to unlock some important building or Wonder.

 

[besset]

where is the next part? :O