Earliest UHVs (or virtual UHVs)

[TDK]

Well, TDK, I believe you. I used almost exactly the same technique, except that while I was fighting Spain I induced France to sacrifice one of their swords to fight the Spanish (we had a peace treaty), which then allowed my camel archers to heal while I built a missionary to spread to Brest (no Christianity). Then I declared war, captured Paris and Bordeaux, founded 2 other cities with Islamic missionaries waiting, and I just made 40%. I also captured London and eventually liberated it back to the English (who are now pleased with me after switching to Islam).

I did not capture Trapezus yet (because it deters too much from the conquest of Spain). Right now I'm just going to capture it in my GA.

You know what this means though...Rhye will create the Tagmata (like in RFCE) to defend Constantinople so that they can't move, and give it 200% defense.

Just finished Liberalism in 1300.

Spoiler :

Hey! That's my strategy, hands off!

Seriously, I'm playing Arabia again without any re-loads at all. I lost 3 Camels prior the attack on Constantinople, which is one more than average I figure. I was still able to take Constantinople but it cost me a further 2 Longbows.

My estimate is that you lose one Camel less on average due to the 25% retreat odds, and depending on the situation it can save one at Constantinople as well.

What if one of the Byz Pikemen had City_Defense as AI script, would that be enough? Or would he still only keep 2 defense units in the capital(which is weird btw, I thought 3 was the norm)?

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Yeah, we've all tried to do what the Umayyads did not do. When I played domination I tried to conserve my troops AND raze every possible Turkish city, so it took me till 930 until I could muster enough catapults to capture everything:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=6951169&postcount=49

 

[blizzrd]

we should probably stop posting until Blizzrd updates the score, so that there are not two pages of new quickest UHV's for him to look through.

No need, post away.

 

[blizzrd]

Hello.

Welcome aboard.

I plan to try something more challenging soon.

Plenty of civs are yet to be tried using 1.186.

 

[Zagoroth]

Just a correction, my French date is 1535 C.E. not 1635.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

So it was a really strange start--Babylon has collapsed (but not razed), while India only had 2 cities and no marble hooked up, and just 2 tiny warriors. Lots of barbs from the north. Egypt had built Pyramids but not Stonehenge (which was perfect since I can use the GP points in Delhi). Switched to castes to build up my new cities' cultures by hiring artists. I have 2 shrines in Delhi already (whipped 2 temples ASAP after Stonehenge). China and Ethiopia are my vassals, while Carthage just made peace with me when their stack hurled themselves on Ineb Hedj's walls. The Great Wall was also built in Delhi (just unbelievably productive). Unfortunately China won't trade me calendar though, which I'll finish researching in my GA.

Spoiler :

Greece in the end vassalized after I made the Romans make peace with them. Then the Romans declared war but just harassed me with the triremes. I partially bulbed currency which made me just shaky. Got Metal Casting, Aesthetics and Meditation also. Score was 31802 (probably a lot to do with my vassals).

Spoiler :

 

[usi]

Strategies:

The Pyramids

In order to avoid an early GProphet, which is totally useless, it is very important that you get the Pyramids. Unlike prophets, GE is fairly useful: it can partially bulb Metal Casting, Machinery, or Feudalism, or hurry building a wonder. Furthermore, other than GP points, +1 culture in all cities is very nice for most cities.

So the question is: how can we get the Pyramids?

After regenerating games so many times, I found that it is almost impossible that the Pyramids are built in somewhere by the time Greece spawns. So I generated many games and WBed to check how often Egypt or Babylon is buiding the Pyramids when Greece spawns.

Based on those observations, I found that it is very rare that (1) the Pyramids are being built when Greece spawns, but (2) every time the Pyramids were being built by either Egypt or Babylon (so much as I have checked, it was always Egypt), the Stonehenge was never built.

So, in order to obtain the Pyramids, it might be a good idea to find a game where the Stonehenge is not yet built. So I regenerated games to find a game where the Stonehenge is not built, and then I did nothing but ended some turns to see if the Pyramids will be built in the game. I finally found such a game and reloaded back to the beginning turn (turn 50). I think this is not much of a cheating given that I only learned that the Pyramids will be built in the game.

Initial Cities

Korinthos (Marble) and Ilion (Sheep). Both of them waste resources that produce coins, but are ideal production cities & GP farms. In the pic, they are being starved by nice and friendly Roman triremes, and the quarry in Illion was destroyed by volcano, but some turns ago, both were hiring 6 or 7 scientists.

Wars

I was lucky that I got two chariots at the start. With an extra Phalanx, it was pretty easy to conquor Babylon, which only had warriors.
I waited for a while until Egypt built the Pyramids. Never declear war on civs that are building wonders. Sometimes they stop building the wonder and start building a military unit.

I have to confess that I reloaded for a bad purpose. That was when I attacked Jerusalem and lost all the Phalanxes (one had CR3, and at least one of the others had CR2). I thought it would be totally impossible to defend Babylon from the Persians. Later on, Persia did not appear at war with me though (I guess the starting at war thing is based on chance).

Research

Many techs were obtained via trading or bulbed. The only tech I got from the huts was Agriculture. What I researched by myself were Masonry, Priesthood, Aesthetics, Literature, Alphabet (only slightly researched, got from trade), Drama, Iron Working, Machinery (partially), and Guilds. What GPs bulbed were Mathematics, Calendar, Machinery (partially), Philosophy, Compass, and Optics. From the Oracle I got Feudalism (if possible, it is better to get Feudalism than Machinery from the Oracle, because both GE and GS can bulb Machinery. Nevertheless, beware that if you miss the Oracle, you will immediately lose. I tried to get Feudalism because I found that India was somehow destroyed.). All the others - if I did not forget to list something - were obtained via trading (e.g., Literature + Drama + Calender = Metal Casting from Carthage).

EDIT: The Pyramids stuff. Personally, I don't care if someone WB right after the start and check if Egypt or Babylon is building it. You can easily conquer them anyway, so accdentally knowing their military, population, etc just doesn't matter.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Hurray for the city of Sisyphus!

 

[blizzrd]

Research

Many techs were obtained via trading or bulbed. The only tech I got from the huts was Agriculture. What I researched by myself were Masonry, Priesthood, Aesthetics, Literature, Alphabet (only slightly researched, got from trade), Drama, Iron Working, Machinery (partially), and Guilds. What GPs bulbed were Mathematics, Calendar, Machinery (partially), Philosophy, Compass, and Optics. From the Oracle I got Feudalism (if possible, it is better to get Feudalism than Machinery from the Oracle, because both GE and GS can bulb Machinery. Nevertheless, beware that if you miss the Oracle, you will immediately lose. I tried to get Feudalism because I found that India was somehow destroyed.). All the others - if I did not forget to list something - were obtained via trading (e.g., Literature + Drama + Calender = Metal Casting from Carthage).

What about Monarchy?

 

[usi]

What about Monarchy?

Aesthetics + Mathematics = (a little bit researched) Alphabet from Rome (or Carthage)
Then immediately
Aesthetics + Mathematics = (a little bit researched) Monarchy from Persia

A little bit means a little bit literally, like 50 beakers.

After researching Literature, there is no reason to hurry up researching something (I have never lost due to someone researched Drama or Philosophy before I did; nor do Drama etc let you build any useful wonder), so research Alphabet and Monarchy a little bit at that time.

---

I forgot to note one more important thing.
Choose Slavery first, and be sure to whip Graneries in most cities (but not in Jerusalem for sure) and Libraries in some cities before switching to Monarchy + Caste System.
Korinthos and Ilion also need Workboats and Harbors.

The first GE will be made from the Pyramids.
However, the second GPerson should not be a GE or GPropet, but a GS (in order to get Mathematics at a reasonable time) and Babylon is probably the best place to do it.
I usually quickly whip a Library in there, wait some turns to grow, then hire scientists. This time, however, I found I hired them rather late, so I used my first GE to hurry build the Great Library in Babylon right after I researched Literature.

After you got Monarchy, you'll switch to Monarchy + Caste and hire scientists like crazy, unless the city is building the Settler for New Zealand.

 

[Steb]

I did not manage to beat TDK's 1.184 record, but I was able to equal it. And now I'm tired of trying to change some small things to try to gain a single turn, so here goes.

The game was somewhat lucky, because I had:
- Feudalism through Oracle
- Independant and very weak Babylon
- Weak Egypt with a coastal city and Stonehenge.

I founded Carthage and Rusadir and moved to attack Egypt, then Israel, Phoenicia and Mesopotamia. With Castes from Stonehenge I got a merchant sent to Greece to maintain 100% science for a long while and then 2 scientists to bulb Compass and Optics. I built a handful of useful wonders, namely the Oracle, the Mausoleum, the Great Lighthouse and the Colossus. The tech path was Monarchy/Monotheism/Iron/Agriculture from trade, Feudalism from Oracle, Math, Calendar, Machinery, Guilds, then Compass and Optics (bulbed).

Possible improvement: send a settler to the Far East earlier, cause I could only get to Singapore by the time I had Optics, which is too far from the ocean to maximize the caravel's movement.

 

[blizzrd]

Spoiler :

That is officially my highest score ever.

Once shown the power of Caste System by usi, I am a converted follower. I used to never change civics with Greece, but this is not optimal strategy. However usi, I disagree with using Slavery. Waited until I got Monarchy in a trade from Persia before switching to CS and HR.

Always important, Babylon built the Pyramids about 3 turns after I spawned. Egypt had Stonehenge.

India vassalized pretty early, demanded Rice and Ivory from them. Rome declared war soon after they spawned, which gave me enough extra experience points to generate a Great General. This also appeared to intimidate China, who voluntarily vassalized to me just before they researched Calendar. They still didn't want to trade it though. They did (forced) give me their Silk though.

Research (self) was Masonry, Priesthood, Aesthetics, Literature, Metal Casting (1/3), Machinery (3/5), Guilds and Optics (3/7). Goody huts revealed Archery (not useful), Iron Working and Alphabet.

Techs traded for were
India: Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Meditation
Persia: Monarchy, Monotheism
Carthage: Metal Casting (part)

Great People (in order) were:
GE (Babylon) - kept on hold for quite a while, eventually part bulbed Machinery
GS (Babylon) - bulbed Mathematics
GA (Egypt) - bulbed Drama (hired a lot of Artists to get this, but only 50/50 chance also of a GP)
GM (Babylon) - to Delhi for +1100g
GS (Babylon) - part bulb of Philosophy
GS (Chalkedon) - finished bulb of Philosophy
GS (Babylon) - bulb Compass
GS (Babylon) - bulb Calendar
GS (Babylon) - part bulb Optics

The last 3 or 4 GS in Babylon were greatly helped by the presence of the Leaning Tower and the Great Library.

2x Phalanxes razed Hattusas and took Babylon and then razed Shush and Tyros. 1x Phalanx and a Warrior took out Egypt. A scout went via the starting Galley to visit Portugal, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Denmark and then eventually over to Java, Australia and New Zealand. A flipped chariot went via Russia and Siberia to Korea to meet Japan once they spawned. A warrior initially used in the attack on Egypt (worker grab) headed down the east coast of Africa to pick up 3x goody huts.

 

[Zagoroth]

Could this be even more improved if you conquered Rome?

 

[blizzrd]

I don't think so. I only got the GM after my little stoush with Rome and my economy couldn't have stayed at 100% with any additional city costs earlier than my GM reached India. I ran my treasury down to 12g as it was. Conquering Rome later than this would have had to see out civil disorder and then some infrastructure before Rome could have contributed much in the way of commerce to my empire. Any addition from Rome would I think be unlikely to shave a turn off my research, perhaps, but I think not.

 

[usi]

Great job guys!
It's presumably tough to improve those records, so I guess I'll try some mid-game civs like Spain next.

 

[Steb]

I've always thought Turkey is easy in RFC. It's strong, can easily conquer its neighbours, has a good UP and on top of that, its UHVs are a joke.

I started the game from the 3000 BC start and found an ideal situation: a poorly defended Byzantion which fell on my first turn, becoming my capital, good Sparta and Athens with some nice wonders (GLighthouse, Parthenon, GLibrary), three cities in Mesopotamia with some more wonders. After I got Istanbul I moved to Greece while building another army on the east. Arabia conquered the capital of the Babylonian Empire and then stupidly declared war on me just when I was planning to do so. I took Babil and Kudus and got the Mesopotamia part.

I wasn't sure if Istanbul counted in the Balkans, so I founded Varna, which is also on the Black sea. Together with Athens-Sparta I had the Balkans criterion. For the Black sea, I founded the poor city of Gaziantep north of it. Then again I wasn't sure if Istanbul plus those cities would make me win, so I moved my army to take the German city of Landau. I got it in 1510, and by that time I had four vassals, so that's the date of the VV. (If Landau wasn't necessary then the VV is probably 1500, I think that's when I got the two last vassals; two turns, not a big deal.)

My vassals were
1- Khmer, who vassalized right away
2- Mexico, who capitulated when my conquistadors took Tenochtitlan (eventually it was liberated)
3, 4- Inca (who avoided the conquistadors with a workboat) and Portugal (only Ponta Delgada), who thought my land was "too far away" until I had astronomy in 1500.

The rest of the game was just about building wonders, developping an economy, spawning golden ages and defending my cities against frustrated Russians, Germans, French, Arabs and a threatening invasion of two Chinese units.

The Khmers acted a bit strange in this game. They expanded westward, conquering India, Persia, a city in central Asia, and even a city in Ethiopia, where, of course, they had boats in the middle of the African continent.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

DOW England, got them to capitulate. Frankfurt was never built and Rome collapsed early, so I could build Frankfurt myself. Then it's compass, optics, astronomy. Got beaten to all wonders (including Hagia Sophia which I really wanted to avoid 1 move of anarchy to serfdom). DOW Maya (dead), Aztec (dead), Inca (capitulated). France, Portugal and Mali all voluntarily vassalized (explains Amsterdam's culture overriding that of Paris). Got 1 spice from Persia who's 2nd in score. What's really important is music (to allow culture in the islands to expand to enclose the forted spice) which was stolen from the French.
My science is really suffering from all these vassals, but I'll eventually steal paper from France and buy some maps all around.

Spoiler :

 

[dragodon64]

The Khmers acted a bit strange in this game. They expanded westward, conquering India, Persia, a city in central Asia, and even a city in Ethiopia, where, of course, they had boats in the middle of the African continent.

Wait, how is it even possible for the boats to get in there?

...unless they actually built all those ships in Bonga (is that even possible)?

 

[Steb]

Wait, how is it even possible for the boats to get in there?

...unless they actually built all those ships in Bonga (is that even possible)?

Yeah, that's weird. The only thing I can think of is that they had those ships in an Indian city, and when India respawned, they got relocated in Bonga. But then why not in a nearer city, in Persia or Indochina?

 

[Zagoroth]

I am playing a 3000 B.C.E Spanish Game. The year is 1130. I have researched astronomy already and have a few knights to conquer the Incans if necessary. If I am able to do so, and build a city in Mexico, would that count as the VV? Technically I will have controlled the UHV areas.