Earliest UHVs (or virtual UHVs)

[usi]

Sometimes Vikings declear war on you when you get Inverness from them (thus you can get free troops). Without those troops, it's very hard to conquer France. With them, it's a bit easier.

I built Plymouth, Dublin, and, after I made peace with Vikings, Kalmar (Swedish land where you can get fresh water, 2 fish, and 1 pig).

Early civics were HR, Vassalage, Slavery, and OR. I whipped Library in London, got GS in there, and then bulbed Philosophy. After that, I switched to CS and Pacifism. Maybe I didn't need Vassalage and OR though.

I also conquered Alexandria. +2 trade routes helped research a lot. But, more importantly, in this and many other cities, I got a lot of GSs, and they were the key for quick research.

You can build cities at the end. So, place settlers around the world, wait until you are done with research, and then build cities.

 

[Steb]

You can build cities at the end. So, place settlers around the world, wait until you are done with research, and then build cities.

You can get a Golden Age, though, if you found your cities not long before you get Radio, and gift your colonies if they cost too much. Then maybe you could get Radio a bit earlier.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

1. Conquer another civ quickly (hire mercs if necessary)
2. Conquer Alexandria (if playing 600 AD)
3. Bulb like crazy (i.e. micromanage specialists)
4. Stonehenge and castes at all costs (if playing 3000 BC)
5. 1 vassal at most (only for happiness)
6. No more than 10 cities
7. And most importantly, roll a lucky start (collapsed neighbors, AI declaring war on you, flip barbs)

Anything else?

 

[Zagoroth]

That is a pretty good summary of our records... How about conquering Rome as any of the 3000 B.C.E. European civilizations? Unless you were just being rhetorical.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Rome doesn't always have goodies...I've mostly seen undeveloped barbarian cities in my 3000 BC starts.

I really think Rhye should eliminate the GLs (funny that with same initials) for Alexandria in 600 AD. It's starting to be a gimmick just like Rome used to be.

 

[Dumanios]

Why are the Lighthouse and Library in Alexandria anyway?Shouldn't they not be there?

 

[blizzrd]

Spoiler :

Spoiler :

Founded 4 cities, but chose the locations slightly differently this time. Crunched Germany from the start who capitulated and much later collapsed (mid 1800s) before eventually respawning as England's vassal. Got Stone and Marble from Germany early though which enabled wonder building for me. Had to attack Mongolia to get into the best Siberian lands, they Capitulated but later collapsed too.

Tried not to get a Domination victory by mistake this time, which worked. Along the way, I got this particular event which I've never had before:

Spoiler :

Options were +1 in all cities or +3 for Universities or +700g.

 

[Zagoroth]

Both of them existed in Alexandria in 600 C.E., even though the Library is about to be fully destroyed by the Arab conquests in 642.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Yeah, the Civ4 event is rather amusing and outright implausible. (College students gaining IQ from Civ rather than catching up on sleep?)

Sigh, even the poor Russians with their extensive lands have to invade from the start. What happened to let live and prosper?

 

[Zagoroth]

We could make a quickest Historical UHV. Meaning the civilization you play cannot own land beyond their own historical territory.

 

[blizzrd]

Spoiler :

Spoiler :

Founded my capital on the coast and then New Orleans. Chopped settlers asap to found Washington and New York, then Chicago and Havanna. Captured Mayan capital but razed Chitchen Itza. Captured Native city near Inca lands but liberated it to Incas, shortly before barbarians razed it.

Researched Sailing-Feudalism-Metal Casting-Drama-Machinery-Guilds-Paper-Printing Press-Physics(part). Made contact with a Spanish Caravel in Hudson Bay and bought Alphabet-Iron Working-Animal Husbandry.

Spoiler :

Traded for Construction and Aesthetics from Inca. Traded for Meditation and Monotheism from Japan. Traded for Literature from France. Bulbed Compass with first GS. Then used a Great Spy to steal Optics-Astronomy-Theology from Fort Albany. Traded for Engineering and Divine Right from Mali, who instantly vassalised on contact. Much later used a 2nd Great Spy to steal Civil Service-Scientific Method-Gunpowder also from Fort Albany. Finally, used 2nd Great Scientist to part bulb Physics.

Had to raze Georgetown on the northern coast of South America as it was founded before I got a settler to the island of Grenada. The English later refounded a city on Georgetown, but its expanding culture didn't flip my city on Grenada. I never had to use the settler that was waiting on the other Caribberan island.

 

[djenghis]

OK, so basically right now we're rehashing what's been done before to get fastest UHVs (i.e. killing other civs first and hope for good wonders in collapsed empires).

How about setting up a thread for fastest emperor UHVs?

Huhhh, what? These records are all on viceroy, you mean? So thats why i am never able to beat them, okay then...

 

[blizzrd]

No, they are all on Monarch as is clearly stated in the OP.

 

[blizzrd]

1. Conquer another civ quickly (hire mercs if necessary)
2. Conquer Alexandria (if playing 600 AD)
3. Bulb like crazy (i.e. micromanage specialists)
4. Stonehenge and castes at all costs (if playing 3000 BC)
5. 1 vassal at most (only for happiness)
6. No more than 10 cities
7. And most importantly, roll a lucky start (collapsed neighbors, AI declaring war on you, flip barbs)

Anything else?

The challenge is to beat the records that have been set by others (whether previously under 1.184 or now plenty have been set under 1.186). Now, if you only use techniques that have been tried before then the chances are high that you aren't likely to dramatically improve the established record.

So think outside the box!

AP, I thought I had the fastest Greek UHV nailed when (under 1.184) I beat your first posted time by 400 years, and then beat my own time on at least two more occasions. But I was shown another superior strategy by usi, who beat all of my previous records.

The more that you (or any of us) get set in which strategies can be used to achieve fastest UHVs, the less likely any improvement in the records can be made. Of all the forum users AP, you of all people should understand this - you've been showing us for ages how new strategies can be used within RFC. Squatting, multiple Olympic Park golden ages, etc. Sadly these have been eliminated by Rhye, but surely there must be others that haven't even been thought of yet?

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Well, playing this thread had vastly improved my problem solving skills. I mean, who has previously consistently used the first 4 techniques except in this thread? (yeah, yeah, we all know how great Stonehenge is, but using it for Egypt? Not when Rhye has given us free slavery, and switching to castes was a paradigm shift, at least for me) Certainly not when you combine all 7 or 8 techniques in one sitting, and refusing vassals while not switching to more useful civics was painful to me. (I'm probably an "expansive, spiritual" leader)

I should also add the technique of gifting weaker units to the AI for destruction which I haven't seen before used except here.

 

[civ_king]

I generated an awesome save for America, best of all I built the Statue of Liberty around the 1850s, that might sound bad, but think about it the AI didn't build it at all
also Philadelphia got built instead of NY (I like it that way so I don't need to found DC), and also you get 3 workers flipping to you

 

[Tibur753]

Only one turn before AP's record, but still. This time I adjusted my strategy from what I had been trying. I skipped Pottery and built a settler right after stonehenge for Per-Atum. Got Mining and BW from hannibal.

I'm not sure if this game counts, though. The game popped 2 prophets instead of artists so I worldbuildered them into artists(deleting the prophets). The GP odds were in favor of artists (75 and 65 percent) so I figured it would be fair. If not then I can just do another game and get the artists.

If this is valid then I will continue this game and post the conformation.

 

[blizzrd]

Gratuitous use of WorldBuilder is not part of this challenge.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

If I had a great scientist, artist, engineer or merchant for every great priest I had, I'd be rich.
Nice idea for a unique wonder though--a great people transmutor!

 

[Tibur753]

Gratuitous use of WorldBuilder is not part of this challenge.

Okay. The game was just a test to see how early I could get it with two artists. I figured I would submit it just in case it might count. I will start another game right now and hopefully get the right GPs.

IIRC a few pages back someone had used random seed on reload for a victory and I don't see much of a difference, especially in this case where the odds were for the GA.