Egyptian strategy for BtS

[Jeff1787]

Here are the goals for the Egyptian UHV:

• Have more than 500 Culture in 700 BC (turn 86)
• Build the Pyramids, the Great Library, and the Great Lighthouse by 250 AD (turn 133)
• Have more than 5000 Culture in 450 AD (turn 143)

The following strategy was successful, but it does take some luck. It was on Monarch level.

Start off by moving the settler one square north and settle on turn 2. The wheat and grassland up north in the Nile Delta are helpful for growth and health. The warrior can head to central and southern Africa to look for huts.

On turn 2 settle the capitol city of Niwt-Rst. Here is the build order:

Worker
Warrior
Warrior
Stonehenge
Pyramids
Settler
Library
Granary
Great Library
Military units

Here is the research order for the Egyptian Old Kingdom:

Mining
Masonry (Pyramids)
Mysticism (Stonehenge for the Caste System and then hopefully a Great Artist)
Fishing
Sailing (Great Lighthouse)
Pottery
Writing
Polytheism
Aesthetics
Literature (Great Library)
Bronze working
Animal husbandry

The order for the worker (I only used one the entire game) goes something like this:

Farm the wheat field
Quarry the stone
Quarry the marble
Mine the hill to the east
Farm the northern grassland

Here is how the plan should progress:

Once Mysticism is researched it allows Stonehenge. Since the stone quarry cuts the research time in half, Stonehenge should be completed around turn 43. Then immediately switch from slavery to the Caste System and start working some artist citizens. The idea is to get a Great Artist. This is where some luck comes into play. You have to make sure that the percentage of producing a Great Artist is quite a bit higher then that of producing some type of other Great Person.

After, Stonehenge I immediately started work on the Pyramids and got them on turn 61.

I got the Great Artist on turn 64 and kept him to use on my 2nd city which would eventually be settled on the Mediterranean coast to build the Great Lighthouse. If for some reason you don’t get a Great Artist, keep trying to get one by working artist citizens. You must get a Great Artist!

After I got the Great Artist, I immediately switched back to slavery. Also, if you don’t get the Great Artist until later in the game, Stonehenge and the Pyramids will give you the 500 culture points for the 1st victory condition by turn 86.

I used slavery to help rush what was left of my settler. I then settled the city of Per-Wadjet one square west of the wheat field. This was on turn 72. I immediately used my Great Artist to create and a Great Work and 4,000 culture points. I now had enough points to satisfy victory conditions 1 and 3.

In Per-Wadjet the build order was simply the Great Lighthouse and then military units for protection. When building the Great Lighthouse you have to work the marble quarry, or else take the risk that it will not get built in time. On turn 101, I rushed what was left of the Great Lighthouse and then concentrated on military.

On turn 108, I rushed what was left of the Great Library in Niwt-Rst. Then I just produced military.

At one point, both Greece and Rome declared war on me, but they never invaded. I eventually gave them technology for peace.

Plague and barbarians were a problem, but I weathered the storm.

 

[onedreamer]

Well, to win Egypt I don't move the settler nor do I switch away from slavery, and I need the copper and horses much earlier to repel various threats... I settle the second city on the grassland tile of the Nile delta, and to win the 5000 culture goal I just research Music.

 

[Jeff1787]

It seems to me that the threats come very late in the game, so I'm not in a rush to get horses or copper. Every time that I have tried to get the 5,000 culture without a Great Artist I seem to come up short. The Music route seems like a good idea, unless somebody else gets it first. I'm gunna give it a try.

I do like to move my settler north. That wheat tile for the capitol is huge. Plus you get some benefit from settling on the desert tile. Otherwise it is just a useless tile.

 

[Rhye]

guide added to the wiki

 

[Corm]

Well, to win Egypt I don't move the settler nor do I switch away from slavery, and I need the copper and horses much earlier to repel various threats... I settle the second city on the grassland tile of the Nile delta, and to win the 5000 culture goal I just research Music.

Ditto.

Although I havent tried it with the recent patch I did with the last one and I never had to use GA's or music both times. I just went wonder whipping mad.

 

[LtCowprod]

Ditto.

Although I havent tried it with the recent patch I did with the last one and I never had to use GA's or music both times. I just went wonder whipping mad.

It's a little tighter with the new one. I failed twice but this worked...

I founded cities somewhat like the old guide - Siwa first, then the copper town, and finally 1S of the original starting location. Bulbed/Oracled Theo with a prophet to found christianity and built pretty much every wonder in the land in Siwa, literally. The Great Light went in the copper town. I researched up to Music for the Artist (turns out I didn't need it actually) then just set culture to 100%.

 

[Aionboros]

It's a little tighter with the new one. I failed twice but this worked...

I founded cities somewhat like the old guide - Siwa first, then the copper town, and finally 1S of the original starting location. Bulbed/Oracled Theo with a prophet to found christianity and built pretty much every wonder in the land in Siwa, literally. The Great Light went in the copper town. I researched up to Music for the Artist (turns out I didn't need it actually) then just set culture to 100%.

That's how I did it as well - I didn't have to set up culture to 100% myself though, when I used the culture-bomb of the Great Artist it put me comfortably over the mark.

I didn't have trouble at all with barbs or plague, I had probably 6-8 military units spread over the towns and a few catapults I used to take Jerusalem.

Funny enough, I swapped to Arabs when they spawned - Jerusalem flipped in second-ish turn, and I think Copper Town got taken by an Impi in the same turn, which led to an immediate Egypt collapse. Not sure if it was scripted or not for Egypt to collapse at that stage, but I found it hilarious anyway.

A true "abandon ship" experience. I just swept the whole place with the camel archers.

 

[onedreamer]

It seems to me that the threats come very late in the game.

copper and horses are also quite a bit useful for production...

 

[Tweakee]

I found this one very easy, in both the previous and new versions. I did it quite a bit differently from some it appears.

After the initial worker and wonders to get the 1st culture UHV, I conquered Jerusalem with Chariots, and settled the coast south of it that gives you like 6 resources. That town can get the Great Lighthouse and another Wonder or two, which added to your main town, should give you almost every wonder available. Between that and the Holy City, I had culture and money to spare, and made the 5000 culture without even needing a Great Artist.

Building the military force to take Jerusalem keeps your neighbors on their best behavior and gives you the dominant religion of the area, which gives you culture, money (since a Great Prophet is the easiest person to pop with the early Wonders), and goodwill.

I was even able to stop producing culture many turns before the deadline and churn out some pointless cash + research to pad my score.

There might be easier ways to do it, but this one seems pretty reliable. If anything goes wrong, you can still go for a Great Artist to be safe. Those Ind. towns are too yummy for me to pass up!