[BNW] Enjoyable Deity Games

[Nizef]

Here is a recap of all games in the Enjoyable Deity Games Experience (EDGE) series so far:

1. Korea (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 1
2. the Shoshone (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with Really Advanced Setup (RAS)), Page 1
3. America (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 3
4. Denmark (Continents, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 3
5. Byzantium (Fractal, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS). Page 3
6. Germany (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 3
7. Polynesia (Small Continents Plus, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 4
8. Brazil (Continents, Standard speed, Large size, Modded with RAS), Page 4
9. Mongolia (Pangaea, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 4
10. Spain (Terra, Standard speed, Large size, Modded with RAS), Page 5
11. Carthage (Continents, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 5
12. the Aztecs (Lakes, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 5
13. England (Continents, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 6
14. Korea 2 (Small Continents, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 6
15. Venice (Fractal, Epic speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 6
16. Egypt (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 6
17. the Huns (Oval, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 6
18. Japan (Hellblazers Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded both with RAS and Hellblazers map script), Page 6
19. China (Pangaea, Epic speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 7
20. Babylon (Hellblazers Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded both with RAS and Hellblazers map script), Page 7
21. Polynesia 2 (Hellblazers Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded both with RAS and Hellblazers map script), Page 7
22. Korea 3 (Hellblazers Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded both with RAS and Hellblazers map script), Page 7
23. Russia (Hellblazers Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded both with RAS and Hellblazers map script), Page 7
24. Portugal (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 7
25. France (Lakes, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 7
26. Germany 2 (Lakes, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 7
27. England 2 (Fractal, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 7
28. Sweden (Fractal, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 7
29. Arabia (Sandstorm, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 8
30. the Mayans (Tectonics map, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with both RAS and the Tectonics map template), Page 8
31. Ethiopia (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 8
32. Assyria (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 8
33. Poland (Fractal, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 8
34. India (Pangaea, Standard speed, Small size, Modded with RAS), Page 8
35. the Aztecs 2 (Hellblazers Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with Hellblazers map script), Page 8
36. Morocco (Sandstorm, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 8
37. Babylon 2 (Large Islands, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 8
38. Spain 2 (Inland Sea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 8
39. Greece (Fractal, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 8
40. Carthage 2 (Fractal, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 8
41. Indonesia (Archipelago, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 8
42. the Mayans 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Piety challenge, Page 9
43. Siam (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Patronage partial challenge, Page 9
44. the Shoshone 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 9
45. Poland 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Honor challenge, Page 9
46. the Netherlands (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Liberty challenge, Page 10
47. the Aztecs 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 10
48. the Celts (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 10
49. the Zulus (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Aesthetics challenge, Page 11
50. Austria (Pangaea, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 11
51. Persia (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 11
52. the Ottomans (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Religion challenge, Page 11
53. Rome (Fractal, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 11
54. Songhai (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 11
55. the Incas (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 11
56. Russia 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 11
57. India 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), CV challenge, Page 11
58. Germany 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 11
59. Byzantium 2 (Fractal, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Religion challenge, Page 11
60. the Iroquois (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Aesthetics challenge, Page 12
61. America 2 (Pangaea, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), DomV challenge, Page 12
62. Sweden 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Petra challenge, Page 12
63. Morocco 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), partial Commerce challenge, Page 12
64. England 3 (Fractal, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), partial UN challenge, Page 12
65. Portugal 2 (Continents, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), partial elimination challenge, Page 12
66. Egypt 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 12
67. Polynesia 3 (Archipelago, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 13
68. Sweden 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 13
69. Germany 4 (Pangaea, Epic speed, Large size, Unmodded), War academy, part 1, DomV challenge, Page 13
70. the Huns 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), War academy, part 2, Page 13
71. Spain 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Huge size, Unmodded), Page 13
72. Denmark 2 (Lakes, Standard speed, Standard size, Otherwise unmodded but Rotate Starting Position was used), Page 13
73. Venice 2 (Fractal, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), DipV challenge, Page 13
74. Carthage 3 (Hellblazer´s Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with Hellblazer´s map script), CV challenge, Page 13
75. China 2 (Pangaea, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), War academy, part 3, DomV challenge, Page 14
76. Mongolia 2 (Pangaea, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), War academy, part 4, Page 14
77. Brazil 2 (Pangaea, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 15
78. the Shoshone 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 15
79. Assyria 2 (Terra Incognita, Standard speed, Standard size, Otherwise unmodded but Rotate Starting Position was used), Page 15
80. Indonesia 2 (Small Continents, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), No Liberty challenge, Page 16
81. Portugal 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 16
82. Japan 2 (Ice Age, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), No Order challenge, Page 16
83. Persia 2 (Random map, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 16
84. the Netherlands 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 17
85. Denmark 3 (Tiny Islands, Standard speed, Large size, Raging Barbarians, Otherwise unmodded but Rotate Starting Position was used), Page 17
86. America 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Large size, Unmodded), No Tradition challenge, Page 18
87. the Incas 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 18
88. Korea 4 (Pangaea, Quick speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 19
89. the Ottomans 2 (Continents, Standard speed, Large size, Unmodded), Page 20
90. Arabia 2 (Lakes, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 20
91. Ethiopia 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Pantheon challenge, Page 21
92. Greece 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 21
93. France 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), CV challenge, Page 21
94. Siam 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded),Incense challenge, Page 22
95. Byzantium 3 (Continents, Epic speed, Large size, Unmodded), Page 22
96. England 4 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 23
97. Sweden 4 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 24
98. Babylon 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 24
99. the Zulus 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Large size, Unmodded), Page 24
100. Germany 5 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), CV challenge, Page 25
101. Brazil 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 25
102. Austria 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 26
103. England 5 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, modded with RAS and Acken´s balance mod), Page 27
104. the Celts 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 27
105. Rome 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Large size, Unmodded), Page 28
106. Songhai 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 28
107. Poland 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 29
108. Russia 3 (Lakes, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), DomV challenge, Page 29
109. China 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 30
110. the Aztecs 4 (Lakes, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), DomV challenge, Page 30
111. the Shoshone 4 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 32
112. Korea 5 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 32
113. the Mayans 3 (Continents, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 32
114. Assyria 3 (Continents, Standard speed, Huge size, Unmodded), Partial domination challenge, Page 33
115. Japan 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 33
116. Egypt 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 33
117. India 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Religion challenge, Page 33
118. Germany 6 (Lakes, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), DomV challenge, Page 34
119. the Zulus 3 (Lakes, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), DomV challenge, Page 34
120. Carthage 4 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 34
121. Ethiopia 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Piety and CV challenge, Page 34
122. the Mayans 4 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), CV challenge, Page 35
123. the Ottomans 3 (Fractal, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 37
124. the Aztecs 5 (Lakes, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), CV challenge, Page 38
125. Mongolia 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 39

The subseries MIDGE consists of:
1. Finland (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size. Otherwise unmodded but the civ to play is Finland), Page 26
2. The Papal States (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size. Otherwise unmodded but the civ to play is The Papal States. You also need Austria-Hungary.), Page 27
3. Phoenisia (Continents, Standard speed, Standard size. Otherwise unmodded but the civ to play is the Phoenician civilization.), Page 27
4. Norway (Ice Age, Standard speed, Standard size. Otherwise unmodded but the civ to play is Norway. You also need the modded civs Finland, Iceland and Scotland.), Page 29
5. Belgium (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Otherwise unmodded but the civ to play is Belgium), Page 30

 

[Nizef]

Teaser: America and Spain are next in line on the drawing board.

 

[Shark Diver]

Teaser: America and Spain are next in line on the drawing board.

America's strengths are the opposite from my normal play style. Totally different tech path, and I rarely need planes. You are really forcing me outside of my comfort zone. This is a good thing.

 

[Nizef]

EDGE#126: Two thousand reasons

Many thanks to @Tiberiu for providing this map. It is in many ways a very special game: Firstly there is unfortunately no initial save but the capital has been settled and the Warrior has moved. I am sure that most of you will approve of those early decisions. Secondly, and more importantly, this map is just insane! There are several wonders nearby that you can discover and settle. There is a huge hint in the headline for you to discover. By now, you understand that we play as Spain. What else? We play on an unmodded Pangaea map with Standard size and Standard speed. QC and QM are turned on and all VCs are enabled as usual.

I have not played this myself but Tiberiu´s early game can be found in the thread "Deity Spain - Best Natural Wonder Challenge". Based on what I have learnt about it, this is just one amazing game! Discover all those NWs and kick start your civilization. Go in any direction and have the ride of your life with Isabella! This one you will enjoy!

EDIT: On turn 7 my cap was pop 2 and I had 1023 gold. Absolute madness!

 

[Nizef]

EDGE#127: Upside down in the parallel universe (SV challenge)

I don´t even know where to begin with this one. Everything was just upside down from what it normally "should" be. I had a nice starting area and a nice possibility to get a religion. With the set of AIs this game has, I feared I would not get one anyway. It turned out to be an easy task because the last religion went approximately on t100. Then I had strong friendships with the warmonger AIs and was never attacked by any of them. However, the friendly AIs were a different story. I was at war with all of them at least once. Polynesia is in the game but still they were not the ones to found the WC despite having a lot of time to do it! With a nice start like this, it should have been an easy victory but in the end my victory turn time was dissapointing. Well, I think you get my point, it just felt like I had entered a parallel universe...

This time we play as America on an unmodded Fractal map with Standard size and Standard speed. QC and QM are turned on and all VCs are enabled as usual. The designed VC is SV, because we have not had many of those in this series. Obviously you can go in any direction you want, if you want to do something else here. I am sure that you will like the map and the set of AIs. Enjoy this highly surprising journey!

I played according to HOF rules and also submitted my game. There is a short recap of it behind the spoiler.

Spoiler :

Settled t1 on the Gems hill to the E. First expand early to get Kilimanjaro and second expand to the S to get a (crappy) coastal city. Polynesia settled some of the good spots I wanted and thus I went for 3 city NC on t80 and attacked the Incas after that because I needed more space and I had easy access to their capital. Denmark was kind enough to join my war efforts. There were five AIs on my starting continent but the two that were missing built all the early wonders (Polynesia got the Great Wall though). Third religion with DF/Tithe/Pagodas/RC/IP. Despite Boston being subpar, I felt that the start was more than okay after conquering Cusco on t105-106. Once again the parallel universe striked: Polynesia got the last religion but they were the ones that started to spread there crap aggressively. In hindsight, I should have settled the Salt to the N of Lhasa but for some reason I didn´t. Perhaps that was a big mistake?

I tried to get some of those midgame wonders but didn´t get any before PorcelainTower. An CV was obviously off the board. Denmark founded the WC on t150. That is very late. I reached Industrial on t163 and was first to choose an Ideology. Unfortunately I went for Order (haven´t done that in a while). The Incas built Forbidden in Tiwanaku and that was the reason for going to war with them for a second time. My loyal (!) buddies Harald and Napoleon join the fun and we took out the Incas. I sold two of the cities I conquered and burnt one to the ground, only keeping Tiwanaku. Harald joined me into Order while Napoleon chose Authocracy together with Monty. The aggressive and warlike Brazil, Polynesia and England all went Freedom. Harald got the better of Elizabeth, leaving her London only. Already in Industrial the wars were frequent and the world was no happy place later in the game either. I was getting happiness issues and had to work hard on my culture output. Still, I ended the game taking -39 from Ideology pressure.

Polynesia backstabbed me in Modern and we had a long war, ending in me taking Lhasa (allies of Polynesia) and Samoa. Boston was attacked by 8 Battleships, 4 Frigates and 21 Privateers!! Those B17s came in very handy to protect myself... Brazil also declared war a couple of times, despite me being third or fourth in military score (parallel universe strikes again). Pedro´s culture was massive and I needed to optimize my science in order to win at all. I finally launched on t304. I must say that I had a fun game but I was not very impressed with my finishing time, nor with my science output in general. SP: full Tradition, Aestethics opener, Commerce opener, full Rationalism and Order 8.

 

[Tiberiu]

I tried to do something unique with the spain game in a second playthrough and I decided to share my results.

Spoiler spoiler t-189 :

My first playthrough would have been a victory but I didn't finish, stopped playing around t 175 when I was first in everything and it was clear I'd win.
I don't like playing a map more than once but I was curious to test Sacred Sites on this map to try to win before turn 200 and I rolled back to turn 50 and took Piety.

I am not sure if it's just that Sacred Sites doesn't work well on Deity or if I just did too many questionable things for the strategy to work under 200 turns, but I took Pagodas and Mosques and settled a lot of cities everywhere. I stayed in the Medieval Era until now (turn 189) when I can no longer avoid entering the Renaissance. Staying in Medieval on purpose was also mostly experimental, as I was afraid the increased costs for the faith buildings would be too severe but in hindsight the lack of all the perks of advanced technology seems far worse. My hunch is that rushing for Autocracy > Futurism would have been a better attempt for a Cultural Victory under t-200.

I had a trade route and open borders with France the cultural leader, but I never managed to convert them to my religion for the multiplier. (now I have 7 out of their 15 cities converted and one prophet is on his way to convert more). Paying 100 gpt for their open borders and some 200 more for luxuries.
I am ally with all CS thanks to an early Consulates taken after Oracle.

My plan was to (after Reformation Belief) take only happiness policies so that I can expand without penalties. Problem is that Attila the Hun was very aggressive early game and I panicked and took Oligarchy to repel his units, and I think I had paid the cost for that mistake all game since I was always 1-step behind with the policies instead of where I could have been without it, on the other hand it gives me a lot of gold. I saw no reason for Liberty> Collective Rule since as stated happiness is the limiting factor in ICS, not production.

Culture is with World Fair bonus but I failed to make good use of it since I don't have golden age.
Faith is decent and science is without libraries. Capital is now building the first one and if I rush all science buildings maybe I could build Eiffel Tower in a reasonable timeframe.

I will need 2 musicians to win this. One will be produced normally in the guild in 12-13 turns and other one could be taken by finishing Liberty in 20 or so turns so I guess it should be over by victory around t 210. Maybe I should have just attacked France and capture their capital, but with Medieval units vs Musketeers it would have been a pain. And I only have an elite crossbowman, the rest are just basic chariots and scouts used for garrisons.

Later edit: continuing the game, Sejong sent a prophet and converted on of my cities and his religion had the other 2 buildings - cathedral and monastery. It just occured to me that if you are lucky enough and another civilization makes a religion with the other 2 faith buildings, and you can put your hands on one of his prophets/missionaries, you can in theory end up - after some micromanagement - with 8 faith / city instead of just 4. Temporarily, the city will not give any tourism before it is reconverted to your own religion, but if the re-convertion takes place quickly enough, the potential is simply amazing. And with high faith output like 400-500/turn in turn 200 like I have now, it's quite easy for me to do, in fact. The harder part is just doing the actual micromanagement, not the mechanic. Best of all, even the faith that is used for re-convertion will be recovered as both other 2 buildings give faith so it's more like an investment.

In the average Deity game this is of course extremely unlikely to happen or to use with any meaningfull effect. However it's not totally out of the question in overpowered Spain games or in games where you can find both El Dorado and Mt.Sinai early game to help snowball a religious expantion.

Even later edit: After experimenting, I have found that it's actually pretty easy and FUN to convert and re-convert cities to a religion to get the 2 extra buildings. I think this is so interesting that I will make a separate new thread about this, soon.

 

[Shark Diver]

EDGE#124 T248 Cultural Victory

Spoiler Pretty Smooth Ending :

I finally got peace with Kammy, and then an immediate DoF. It took awhile longer for Brazil and Spain to give me peace, but when they did they were reasonably generous. America remained antagonistic and never gave me open Borders so I DoW'd them to get my finishing Musician into their lands.

In an interesting twist, Mombasa took London. I probably should have paid attention to that and grabbed that cap, but I was tired of fighting useless wars.


I got easy wins in WF and IG, and was pretty much able to just sit back and Sim City after a successful Archeology game:


Hardest part of the finish was getting my Musicians where they needed to go. Lakes maps are not conducive to CV games for a few reasons. I started bulbing Scientists are t220 and the rest was history:


Pretty fun game and I'm pretty sure taking Palenque was a net neutral in terms of finishing time. The diplo this game was always going to be a mess, and Kammy backstabbing me twice sure didn't help. I was forced to make a few diversions due to game situations, but I'm not sure I could have won this much quicker than ~t225 with better luck.

It just occured to me that if you are lucky enough and another civilization makes a religion with the other 2 faith buildings, and you can put your hands on one of his prophets/missionaries, you can in theory end up - after some micromanagement - with 8 faith / city instead of just 4

This is something I actively pursue in almost all games. In the Aztec game I just completed, I only had Pagodas in my own religion, but got Mosques and Cathedrals in 2 of my expos before converting them back. Spending 600 faith on Pagodas late in the game seems expensive, but I still had enough faith to buy 2 GE's and 2 Musicians. That's also a comment on your choice to stay in Medieval. If you're generating enough Faith, I think the Science sacrifice isn't worth it.

I'm going to try a similar strategy to what you did here and hopefully avoid the pitfalls you've described.

 

[Nizef]

America's strengths are the opposite from my normal play style. Totally different tech path, and I rarely need planes. You are really forcing me outside of my comfort zone. This is a good thing.

I think you will like most games with America in this series. #3 is nice and easy, #61 albeit on Epic, is very good for a DomV, #86 is crazy wild and #127 has this flavour of stranger things.

EDGE#124 T248 Cultural Victory

Spoiler Pretty Smooth Ending :

I finally got peace with Kammy, and then an immediate DoF. It took awhile longer for Brazil and Spain to give me peace, but when they did they were reasonably generous. America remained antagonistic and never gave me open Borders so I DoW'd them to get my finishing Musician into their lands.

In an interesting twist, Mombasa took London. I probably should have paid attention to that and grabbed that cap, but I was tired of fighting useless wars.
View attachment 582451

I got easy wins in WF and IG, and was pretty much able to just sit back and Sim City after a successful Archeology game:
View attachment 582455 View attachment 582450

Hardest part of the finish was getting my Musicians where they needed to go. Lakes maps are not conducive to CV games for a few reasons. I started bulbing Scientists are t220 and the rest was history:
View attachment 582446 View attachment 582447 View attachment 582448 View attachment 582449 View attachment 582452 View attachment 582453 View attachment 582454

Pretty fun game and I'm pretty sure taking Palenque was a net neutral in terms of finishing time. The diplo this game was always going to be a mess, and Kammy backstabbing me twice sure didn't help. I was forced to make a few diversions due to game situations, but I'm not sure I could have won this much quicker than ~t225 with better luck.

You handled it very well. Personally I take comfort in the fact that you also had trouble with GMu logistics.

I tried to do something unique with the spain game in a second playthrough and I decided to share my results.

Spoiler spoiler t-189 :

My first playthrough would have been a victory but I didn't finish, stopped playing around t 175 when I was first in everything and it was clear I'd win.
I don't like playing a map more than once but I was curious to test Sacred Sites on this map to try to win before turn 200 and I rolled back to turn 50 and took Piety.

I am not sure if it's just that Sacred Sites doesn't work well on Deity or if I just did too many questionable things for the strategy to work under 200 turns, but I took Pagodas and Mosques and settled a lot of cities everywhere. I stayed in the Medieval Era until now (turn 189) when I can no longer avoid entering the Renaissance. Staying in Medieval on purpose was also mostly experimental, as I was afraid the increased costs for the faith buildings would be too severe but in hindsight the lack of all the perks of advanced technology seems far worse. My hunch is that rushing for Autocracy > Futurism would have been a better attempt for a Cultural Victory under t-200.

I had a trade route and open borders with France the cultural leader, but I never managed to convert them to my religion for the multiplier. (now I have 7 out of their 15 cities converted and one prophet is on his way to convert more). Paying 100 gpt for their open borders and some 200 more for luxuries.
I am ally with all CS thanks to an early Consulates taken after Oracle.

My plan was to (after Reformation Belief) take only happiness policies so that I can expand without penalties. Problem is that Attila the Hun was very aggressive early game and I panicked and took Oligarchy to repel his units, and I think I had paid the cost for that mistake all game since I was always 1-step behind with the policies instead of where I could have been without it, on the other hand it gives me a lot of gold. I saw no reason for Liberty> Collective Rule since as stated happiness is the limiting factor in ICS, not production.

Culture is with World Fair bonus but I failed to make good use of it since I don't have golden age.
Faith is decent and science is without libraries. Capital is now building the first one and if I rush all science buildings maybe I could build Eiffel Tower in a reasonable timeframe.

View attachment 582404

I will need 2 musicians to win this. One will be produced normally in the guild in 12-13 turns and other one could be taken by finishing Liberty in 20 or so turns so I guess it should be over by victory around t 210. Maybe I should have just attacked France and capture their capital, but with Medieval units vs Musketeers it would have been a pain. And I only have an elite crossbowman, the rest are just basic chariots and scouts used for garrisons.


View attachment 582406


View attachment 582409

View attachment 582410

Later edit: continuing the game, Sejong sent a prophet and converted on of my cities and his religion had the other 2 buildings - cathedral and monastery. It just occured to me that if you are lucky enough and another civilization makes a religion with the other 2 faith buildings, and you can put your hands on one of his prophets/missionaries, you can in theory end up - after some micromanagement - with 8 faith / city instead of just 4. Temporarily, the city will not give any tourism before it is reconverted to your own religion, but if the re-convertion takes place quickly enough, the potential is simply amazing. And with high faith output like 400-500/turn in turn 200 like I have now, it's quite easy for me to do, in fact. The harder part is just doing the actual micromanagement, not the mechanic. Best of all, even the faith that is used for re-convertion will be recovered as both other 2 buildings give faith so it's more like an investment.

In the average Deity game this is of course extremely unlikely to happen or to use with any meaningfull effect. However it's not totally out of the question in overpowered Spain games or in games where you can find both El Dorado and Mt.Sinai early game to help snowball a religious expantion.

Even later edit: After experimenting, I have found that it's actually pretty easy and FUN to convert and re-convert cities to a religion to get the 2 extra buildings. I think this is so interesting that I will make a separate new thread about this, soon.

I must say I admire your search for new paths and your inventive take on the game as a whole.

 

[Shark Diver]

You handled it very well. Personally I take comfort in the fact that you also had trouble with GMu logistics.

Musician logistics are one of the parts of this game that drive me nuts. They are just so painfully slow. It really points out the value of the Incan UA when you don't have it.

I should build more roads to help with that, but I hate paying the maintenance. My default is to use sea routes, but that doesn't exist on Lakes.

EDGE#126: Two thousand reasons

Many thanks to @Tiberiu for providing this map. It is in many ways a very special game: Firstly there is unfortunately no initial save but the capital has been settled and the Warrior has moved. I am sure that most of you will approve of those early decisions. Secondly, and more importantly, this map is just insane! There are several wonders nearby that you can discover and settle. There is a huge hint in the headline for you to discover. By now, you understand that we play as Spain. What else? We play on an unmodded Pangaea map with Standard size and Standard speed. QC and QM are turned on and all VCs are enabled as usual.

I have not played this myself but Tiberiu´s early game can be found in the thread "Deity Spain - Best Natural Wonder Challenge". Based on what I have learnt about it, this is just one amazing game! Discover all those NWs and kick start your civilization. Go in any direction and have the ride of your life with Isabella! This one you will enjoy!

EDIT: On turn 7 my cap was pop 2 and I had 1023 gold. Absolute madness!

Spoiler I'm giving this game a go.... :

I'm 15 turns in and already understand the appeal. I also shared some comments with Tiberiu on his original post about this map, so I've got a pretty good idea of what to expect.

I'm going to try some very unorthodox strategies this game. I just wish we had the t0 save. I detest not settling on a hill.

 

[Tiberiu]

Spoiler I'm giving this game a go.... :

I'm 15 turns in and already understand the appeal. I also shared some comments with Tiberiu on his original post about this map, so I've got a pretty good idea of what to expect.
I'm going to try some very unorthodox strategies this game. I just wish we had the t0 save. I detest not settling on a hill.

100% agree about settling on a hill - especially with Spain who needs to spam Scouts to make good use of the UA. I was given this save by a now inactive player/streamer from this forum. I think that extra hammer is very much worth 1 turn + forfeit of the Windmill. Still, I can't wait to see what you will accomplish here. Surely something great.

 

[Shark Diver]

100% agree about settling on a hill - especially with Spain who needs to spam Scouts to make good use of the UA. I was given this save by a now inactive player/streamer from this forum. I think that extra hammer is very much worth 1 turn + forfeit of the Windmill. Still, I can't wait to see what you will accomplish here. Surely something great.

Spoiler Here's what I have in mind.... :

I'm going to go Pagodas - Cathedrals - Sacred Sites. Not sure if I'll skip Tradition altogether and just go straight Religion to get the SS Tourism started early. I had to build a Monument in the cap as I didn't get an easy Culture ruin.

I did get a Sailing ruin, so happiness won't be an issue for awhile.

I'm going to beeline for Archeology and I should have about 30 slots to fill and all the time in the world to dig. It's a suicidal strategy and I may even hold off on my Guilds so I can take advantage of Aristocracy.

If all of the above is successful, depending on what the AI is doing in Culture, this could be a very fast game. If it's not successful, it's going to be a bit of a slog. Time to get some workers.

100% agree about settling on a hill - especially with Spain who needs to spam Scouts to make good use of the UA. I was given this save by a now inactive player/streamer from this forum. I think that extra hammer is very much worth 1 turn + forfeit of the Windmill. Still, I can't wait to see what you will accomplish here. Surely something great.

This point needs to be emphasized. For all of you less experienced players, this rule should be hardwired into every game you play. Your cap MUST be on a hill. I can think of almost no scenario where this doesn't apply. Sure, if you need ocean access or are settling a Wonder (rare for a Cap), I could see a few exceptions, but 99% of the time that extra hammer, especially in the critical early game where every turn is game-changing, is worth almost any price.

Best tile in the game to settle on? A Gold or Silver desert tile on a river next to a mountain. You give me that start and I'll almost guarantee a win.

 

[Tiberiu]

I can think of almost no scenario where this doesn't apply.

Possibly Marble vs No marble? Even though it takes a while to kick in, but this is the first thing that came to mind. Access to multiple assured cattle or even sheep (guaranteed stable) or other 3-food tiles might be other reason, for me at least. But all else being equal, yea, no contest. The extra city defense is also not something to ignore.

Best tile in the game to settle on? A Gold or Silver desert tile on a river next to a mountain. You give me that start and I'll almost guarantee a win.

Marble might be even better as 15% wonder bonus becomes active instantly if I am not mistaken, even without Masonry discovered. Also settling on cattle lets you keep 3 food for the city tile giving a small boost to the early growth phase. This might however be more relevant to human multiplayer games where you might want any small boost to rush some wonder, and you'd have nobody to sell your lux for 7 gpt.

 

[Shark Diver]

Possibly Marble vs No marble? Even though it takes a while to kick in, but this is the first thing that came to mind. Access to multiple assured cattle or even sheep (guaranteed stable) or other 3-food tiles might be other reason, for me at least. But all else being equal, yea, no contest. The extra city defense is also not something to ignore.

Those are valid reasons for an expo, in my way of thinking. Not for a Cap. The Cap has to maximize production and growth. It is the most important factor in the game.

You're right about the defense, but to be honest, if anyone is getting shots on your Cap, the game isn't going well.

Lastly, many marble tiles aren't necessarily workable. Your cap will grow to the 4-tiles-out marble reasonably soon, so I wouldn't make this sacrifice normally.

Marble might be even better as 15% wonder bonus becomes active instantly if I am not mistaken, even without Masonry discovered. Also settling on cattle lets you keep 3 food for the city tile giving a small boost to the early growth phase. This might however be more relevant to human multiplayer games where you might want any small boost to rush some wonder, and you'd have nobody to sell your lux for 7 gpt.

I just learned 2 new things about this amazing game. I did not know marble gave its bonus just by being in the borders and I did not know that about settling on cattle. 1000's of hours and a relatively high level of expertise at this game, and I still learn new things. Freakin greatest game ever!

 

[Shark Diver]

EDGE#126 - T86 Update

Spoiler Outside the box :

I was first to find all 3 Wonders and immediately bought the Settlers with the 500 GP. I was able to grow to Pop 2 and start working all 3 Natural Wonders very quickly.

First religion on t26. Enhanced 9 turns later. Tythe - Pagodas- Cathedrals - Religious Texts. I was able to Reform with Sacred Sites, so now I've got an early 16 tourism pumping out from my 4 cities. I had enough iron and horsies to buy open borders with everyone rather cheaply, so now I'm already at 19.6% with my toughest rival.


Monte wiped Korea off the map, perhaps due to my encouragement. I wasn't liking a strong Korea, and they were the early demo leader.

I had to pay my Eastern neighbor to march his battering rams over to Brazil, and it cost a pretty penny. I sent him a trade route, so maybe I can get friendship. Otherwise I need to get military ASAP and I don't really have the production for that.


I've got all 3 expos building Settlers and they'll all settle shortly after NC is done on t89, which is pretty good timing. I'll be hitting Education really early, by t94. This is looking like a game where my science is going to seriously outpace my production ability, but with this strategy, that may not matter much.

I opened Tradition and actually grabbed the faster Wonder building policy, but otherwise went full Piety and have it completed with 2 prophets planted. I think I'll finish Tradition next so I can get the faith GE's for Wonders.


I'm only going to settle 7 cities, but that means at least 28 really early Tourism. Happiness is not going to be an issue, and Diplo is going relatively well, if short of perfect.

I'll have to decide soon whether or not to grab some Renaissance Wonders or just beeline for Archeology to finish this game off. I think I'll take the path less traveled by.

 

[Nizef]

EDGE#126 - T8te6 Update

I'll have to decide soon whether or not to grab some Renaissance Wonders or just beeline for Archeology to finish this game off. I think I'll take the path less traveled by.

[/SPOILER]

That sounds awesome. I can make SS work on lower levels, but to do it on Deity!

 

[Nizef]

Here is a recap of all games in the Enjoyable Deity Games Experience (EDGE) series so far:

1. Korea (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 1
2. the Shoshone (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with Really Advanced Setup (RAS)), Page 1
3. America (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 3
4. Denmark (Continents, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 3
5. Byzantium (Fractal, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS). Page 3
6. Germany (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 3
7. Polynesia (Small Continents Plus, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 4
8. Brazil (Continents, Standard speed, Large size, Modded with RAS), Page 4
9. Mongolia (Pangaea, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 4
10. Spain (Terra, Standard speed, Large size, Modded with RAS), Page 5
11. Carthage (Continents, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 5
12. the Aztecs (Lakes, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 5
13. England (Continents, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 6
14. Korea 2 (Small Continents, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 6
15. Venice (Fractal, Epic speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 6
16. Egypt (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 6
17. the Huns (Oval, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 6
18. Japan (Hellblazers Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded both with RAS and Hellblazers map script), Page 6
19. China (Pangaea, Epic speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 7
20. Babylon (Hellblazers Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded both with RAS and Hellblazers map script), Page 7
21. Polynesia 2 (Hellblazers Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded both with RAS and Hellblazers map script), Page 7
22. Korea 3 (Hellblazers Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded both with RAS and Hellblazers map script), Page 7
23. Russia (Hellblazers Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded both with RAS and Hellblazers map script), Page 7
24. Portugal (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 7
25. France (Lakes, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 7
26. Germany 2 (Lakes, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 7
27. England 2 (Fractal, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 7
28. Sweden (Fractal, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 7
29. Arabia (Sandstorm, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 8
30. the Mayans (Tectonics map, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with both RAS and the Tectonics map template), Page 8
31. Ethiopia (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 8
32. Assyria (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 8
33. Poland (Fractal, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with RAS), Page 8
34. India (Pangaea, Standard speed, Small size, Modded with RAS), Page 8
35. the Aztecs 2 (Hellblazers Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with Hellblazers map script), Page 8
36. Morocco (Sandstorm, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 8
37. Babylon 2 (Large Islands, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 8
38. Spain 2 (Inland Sea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 8
39. Greece (Fractal, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 8
40. Carthage 2 (Fractal, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 8
41. Indonesia (Archipelago, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 8
42. the Mayans 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Piety challenge, Page 9
43. Siam (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Patronage partial challenge, Page 9
44. the Shoshone 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 9
45. Poland 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Honor challenge, Page 9
46. the Netherlands (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Liberty challenge, Page 10
47. the Aztecs 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 10
48. the Celts (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 10
49. the Zulus (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Aesthetics challenge, Page 11
50. Austria (Pangaea, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 11
51. Persia (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 11
52. the Ottomans (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Religion challenge, Page 11
53. Rome (Fractal, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 11
54. Songhai (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 11
55. the Incas (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 11
56. Russia 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 11
57. India 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), CV challenge, Page 11
58. Germany 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 11
59. Byzantium 2 (Fractal, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Religion challenge, Page 11
60. the Iroquois (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Aesthetics challenge, Page 12
61. America 2 (Pangaea, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), DomV challenge, Page 12
62. Sweden 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Petra challenge, Page 12
63. Morocco 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), partial Commerce challenge, Page 12
64. England 3 (Fractal, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), partial UN challenge, Page 12
65. Portugal 2 (Continents, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), partial elimination challenge, Page 12
66. Egypt 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 12
67. Polynesia 3 (Archipelago, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 13
68. Sweden 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 13
69. Germany 4 (Pangaea, Epic speed, Large size, Unmodded), War academy, part 1, DomV challenge, Page 13
70. the Huns 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), War academy, part 2, Page 13
71. Spain 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Huge size, Unmodded), Page 13
72. Denmark 2 (Lakes, Standard speed, Standard size, Otherwise unmodded but Rotate Starting Position was used), Page 13
73. Venice 2 (Fractal, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), DipV challenge, Page 13
74. Carthage 3 (Hellblazer´s Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Modded with Hellblazer´s map script), CV challenge, Page 13
75. China 2 (Pangaea, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), War academy, part 3, DomV challenge, Page 14
76. Mongolia 2 (Pangaea, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), War academy, part 4, Page 14
77. Brazil 2 (Pangaea, Epic speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 15
78. the Shoshone 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 15
79. Assyria 2 (Terra Incognita, Standard speed, Standard size, Otherwise unmodded but Rotate Starting Position was used), Page 15
80. Indonesia 2 (Small Continents, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), No Liberty challenge, Page 16
81. Portugal 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 16
82. Japan 2 (Ice Age, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), No Order challenge, Page 16
83. Persia 2 (Random map, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 16
84. the Netherlands 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 17
85. Denmark 3 (Tiny Islands, Standard speed, Large size, Raging Barbarians, Otherwise unmodded but Rotate Starting Position was used), Page 17
86. America 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Large size, Unmodded), No Tradition challenge, Page 18
87. the Incas 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 18
88. Korea 4 (Pangaea, Quick speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 19
89. the Ottomans 2 (Continents, Standard speed, Large size, Unmodded), Page 20
90. Arabia 2 (Lakes, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 20
91. Ethiopia 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Pantheon challenge, Page 21
92. Greece 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 21
93. France 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), CV challenge, Page 21
94. Siam 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded),Incense challenge, Page 22
95. Byzantium 3 (Continents, Epic speed, Large size, Unmodded), Page 22
96. England 4 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 23
97. Sweden 4 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 24
98. Babylon 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 24
99. the Zulus 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Large size, Unmodded), Page 24
100. Germany 5 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), CV challenge, Page 25
101. Brazil 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 25
102. Austria 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 26
103. England 5 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, modded with RAS and Acken´s balance mod), Page 27
104. the Celts 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 27
105. Rome 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Large size, Unmodded), Page 28
106. Songhai 2 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 28
107. Poland 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 29
108. Russia 3 (Lakes, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), DomV challenge, Page 29
109. China 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 30
110. the Aztecs 4 (Lakes, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), DomV challenge, Page 30
111. the Shoshone 4 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 32
112. Korea 5 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 32
113. the Mayans 3 (Continents, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 32
114. Assyria 3 (Continents, Standard speed, Huge size, Unmodded), Partial domination challenge, Page 33
115. Japan 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 33
116. Egypt 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 33
117. India 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Religion challenge, Page 33
118. Germany 6 (Lakes, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), DomV challenge, Page 34
119. the Zulus 3 (Lakes, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), DomV challenge, Page 34
120. Carthage 4 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 34
121. Ethiopia 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Piety and CV challenge, Page 34
122. the Mayans 4 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), CV challenge, Page 35
123. the Ottomans 3 (Fractal, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 37
124. the Aztecs 5 (Lakes, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), CV challenge, Page 38
125. Mongolia 3 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 39
126. Spain 4 (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), Page 40
127. America 4 (Fractal, Standard speed, Standard size, Unmodded), SV challenge, Page 40

The subseries MIDGE consists of:
1. Finland (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size. Otherwise unmodded but the civ to play is Finland), Page 26
2. The Papal States (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size. Otherwise unmodded but the civ to play is The Papal States. You also need Austria-Hungary.), Page 27
3. Phoenisia (Continents, Standard speed, Standard size. Otherwise unmodded but the civ to play is the Phoenician civilization.), Page 27
4. Norway (Ice Age, Standard speed, Standard size. Otherwise unmodded but the civ to play is Norway. You also need the modded civs Finland, Iceland and Scotland.), Page 29
5. Belgium (Pangaea, Standard speed, Standard size, Otherwise unmodded but the civ to play is Belgium), Page 30

 

[Tiberiu]

Those are valid reasons for an expo, in my way of thinking. Not for a Cap. The Cap has to maximize production and growth. It is the most important factor in the game.
You're right about the defense, but to be honest, if anyone is getting shots on your Cap, the game isn't going well.
Lastly, many marble tiles aren't necessarily workable. Your cap will grow to the 4-tiles-out marble reasonably soon, so I wouldn't make this sacrifice normally.
I just learned 1 new things about this amazing game. I did not know marble gave its bonus just by being in the borders and I did not know that about settling on cattle. 1000's of hours and a relatively high level of expertise at this game, and I still learn new things. Freakin greatest game ever!

A few clarifications - Marble gives 15% wonder prod instantly if capital settles on it, not just if it is in the borders! Also, marble in 4 or 5 ring gives no 15% bonus. And cattle will still give the bonus +1 prod from stable but I am not sure about the fertilizer bonus. I used to play Civ:Beyond Earth and there the capital destroys simple resources when it settles so I assumed it's the same in Civ5. I discovered last year that there are different rules here and that they're not destroyed. We should test all resources one day and make some spreadsheet with benefits and losses for each one.

use this save to see for yourself: I rolled it to get marble and cattle close. Incidently the game created an amazing start haha, I think I'll play this game. Egypt 3 salt marble cattle 2 wheat

 

[Nizef]

A few clarifications - Marble gives 15% wonder prod instantly if capital settles on it, not just if it is in the borders! Also, marble in 4 or 5 ring gives no 15% bonus. And cattle will still give the bonus +1 prod from stable but I am not sure about the fertilizer bonus. I used to play Civ:Beyond Earth and there the capital destroys simple resources when it settles so I assumed it's the same in Civ5. I discovered last year that there are different rules here and that they're not destroyed. We should test all resources one day and make some spreadsheet with benefits and losses for each one.

use this save to see for yourself: I rolled it to get marble and cattle close. Incidently the game created an amazing start haha, I think I'll play this game. Egypt 3 salt marble cattle 2 wheat

I scouted a bit and it seems like it would be natural to only settle 2-3 cities and then help oneself to that nearby capital? Anyway, I was thinking that we could use this game in the EDGE series as #128. So:

EDGE#128: A Homey place

Here the idea is to take advantage of all that Salt. We play as Egypt on an unmodded Pangaea map with Standard size and speed. The starting file will be found in Tiberiu´s message above. Here is a picture of the starting location to help you out. Don´t miss the NW nearby. Enjoy!

 

[Nizef]

EDGE#129: Create it all out of nothing (Limited Rationalism challenge)

As in #128 above, also here the start is full of Salt. As with the game above, the number of unique luxuries is not the greatest. As a comparison I went 4 city Piety with only 3 unique luxuries. Difficult? Well, not really to be honest. I also went on a (for my standard) highly unusual wonder building spree. Will you match my early game with Oracle, GMoD, Petra, Sistine, LToP and GlobeT? To your aid you have good production potential, limited good spots for expands and actually I didn´t even settle the nearby NW. Maybe you will?

This time we play as Morocco on an unmodded Fractal map with Standard size and Standard speed. QC and QM are turned on and all VCs are enabled as usual. The designed VC is CV.. In addition you should try to limit your use of Rationalism as much as possible. As a comparison, I eventually took two points in it, but that was well into Atomic just to be able to finish the game at all. I had a relaxed and fun game, going in slightly unusual directions but still this is a game that will challenge you. Enjoy!

I played according to HOF rules and also submitted my game. There is a short recap of it behind the spoiler.

Spoiler :

SIP. First expand four tiles to the E and, after giving it much consideration a second expand along the west coast, five tiles to the NW. Third expand after NC to keep the tundra peninsula to myself. I got the third religion with EM/Tithe/Pagodas/Mosques/IP and eventually I picked SS for my Reformation. I decided against settling Mt. Sinai because the land around it was just too bad. 3 city NC on t80 and, as described above, I built some nice wonders in the early game. I had five AIs on my continent and got to meet Dido from the other land mass a few turns before Shaka killed her. Education on t112, which was okay. William had a rough starting location: what could go wrong when you start in between England, SOnghai and the Ottomans? Even GW did not help William...

I was second to Acoustics but hard built Sistine anyway. Then I directly went for LToP and to my surprise, I got that as well and used the GE for GlobeT. Then I beelined for Archeology (t173) and was first to get there. However my production was not the greatest (no Factories yet). Portugal and Songhai got the tech soon after, but I got 11 AS, which was enough. I had instant Coal and managed to be first to Ideologies. Obviously I went Freedom and my buddy Askia followed. Shaka and Suleiman believed in Authocracy, while England and Portugal chose Order. I eventually finished Tradition because my cities were disturbingly small and my science output was outright bad. I wanted to this without Rationalism but I didn´t play well enough. But I only took two points, so I was kind of okay with that compromise. England had a good game and she even took some cities from Shaka! I built Louvre, Eiffel an Broadway (and later also SOH) but missed out on SoL.

I stayed out of wars until Suleiman jumped on me well into Modern/Atomic. I recruited Shaka and Elizabeth to teach him a lesson. After 30 turns or so the Ottomans were out of the game. Portugal settled Mt. Sinai but that city was ereased by Ur. Then Shaka came with a settler and I was okay with that. That gave me easy access to his territory. He had too many cities and thus he was able to beat me to the International Games. Eventful game all the wat to the finishing line (where I had to declare war on Shaka to get my final GMu inside his borders). Askia was a loyal friend all game. Eventually I limped over the finishing line on t316. SP: full Piety, full Tradition, Patronage opener, full Aestethics, Exploration opener, Rationalism 2 and Freedom 8.

 

[Shark Diver]

EDGE#126 - T160 Update

Spoiler Damn Gandhi! :

I got my last 3 expos up right after NC, and then went through the agonizing process of getting them up to speed so they could be functional. The added Culture and Science costs were very noticeable and I was producing good amounts of raw CPT and SPT, but still couldn't take the tech lead early and barely got through the social policies in time for Ideology. All of the late expos got their Faith buildings very quickly and my religion is the 2nd most popular, even though I only started building Shrines and Temples now.

I quickly bought Open Borders with everyone for Tourism, and my Empire had plenty of resources to make this rather affordable. On t109, the Sacred Sites had already gotten me influential over the Incas, and the strongest Cultural challenge, Monte, was already almost to 50% influential.

Although Monte was working with 2 empires, he was not to be the Cultural thread. That honor would go to Gandhi, who got to Printing Press and started pumping out Wonders left and right. I diverted to grab Acoustics and hard built Sistine, and should have plenty of GE's for later Wonders, but he's got Globe, Pisa, Uffizi and Taj Majal. I can't reach him yet with a trade route, so will have to divert a Diplomat to get more pressure on him. I did pay Atilla to DoW him, as I was annoyed at all of the Battering Rams running around the outskirts of my lands, but I don't expect much success there. I'll probably have to get Monte to go after him soon, but I really don't want Monte taking any more cities. You can see that Gandhi went from 50% influential in the previous screenshot to below 40% now.

Because Printing Press came so early, I was very concerned about getting to Radio in time for the 2nd World Conference. I got to propose World's Fair, and Gandhi proposed Arts Funding. Normally, I try to prevent Arts Funding from passing, but not this game as I'm going to go Autocracy and Futurism. I ended up being 3 turns short Radio off, but it didn't matter as I didn't get to make a proposal the 2nd Conference (but Gandhi did propose Cultural Heritage Sites, which suits me fine). I've got control of CS, so I'll propose it on the 3rd go-round, but there goes my shot at a legendary finishing time. Someone else employing this strategy may pull it off, as I didn't prioritize science enough in my expos.

World's Fair was an easy win, even though Monte has a nice production lead. This Culture boost is much needed as I try to drive through Aesthetics and Ideology. I took the last 2 policies in Tradition with the WF ending, so at least now I can grow a bit.

I accidentally popped one GA prior to Futurism, but I can live with that. I'll be pumping out a ton of GA/GM/GW's very soon.

From here, I'm beelining Archeology and actually have 22 slots to fill. That should be a daunting task and I haven't explored the East part of the map yet.

I think I can still get this done before t200, but it won't be easy.