Frederick's tale.

[playshogi]

To facilitate reading the story, I'll provide links to the various chapters.
4000BC - This post
4000BC-3130BC - Feb 7
3130BC-2590BC - May 11
2590BC-940BC - May 14
940BC-460BC - May 16
460BC-305AD - May 17
305AD-695AD - July 21

I decided to embarass myself by posting the progress of my Emperor level game.
It will be a standard size fractal map, low sea level, temperate climate with 7 AI opponents at epic speed. Raging barbs, no vassal states and locked assets are checked. I chose Frederick because he starts with hunting and mining. My initial plan is to chop the Great Wall, while 2 archers protect the city. So I can research bronze working first followed by archery.

This is a nice start. I see corn and clams. So I settle in place before popping the hut. I've heard you can't pop a tech if you don't have a city.

Revealing pigs in the north. Lots of food in this city. A nice river but only 2 hills which make it hammer poor especially after I chop the forests. Now it's time to pop the hut.

You probably think I played lots of starts before getting this, but no, honestly this was the first game I rolled after deciding to start the thread.

Slavery in 4000BC! There's a surprise under the pop up, too.

Not only did I pop the tech I planned to research first, I have copper in the city limits! This changes my plans. I think I will research fishing next, while building a worker, then when I learn fishing build a work boat, then finish the worker. I may not even research archery, because now I can build axemen! Since the copper is on a river, I won't have to research 'wheel' to hook it up.

 

[Killroyan]

Arf, madness, what a start. Copper, pigs, corn and seafood. Enough forests and hills for production so you can go anyway you want. Great wall shouldn't be much of a problem right now. The only question is do you want to delay it untill your second city or get it right away?

 

[Preacherman]

You know what this means, though, don't you? It's all downhill from here.

 

[playshogi]

The only question is do you want to delay it untill your second city or get it right away?

Usually, with raging barbs I start the Great Wall right away, but it would be nice to hook up the stone, I discovered. My 2nd city will be north of the stone, with wheat and fish.

With fishing discovered, I decide that it would be better to finish the worker and hook up the copper before building the workboat. The worker finishes in 14 turns vs. 15 for the workboat. It's probably the same either way. Start researching masonry for the Great Wall.

Here is a resource view of the known world.

 

[playshogi]

Decided to go with workboat first and work the corn tile. That way, my city grows in 11 turns at which point I can pop rush the boat and have hammers carry over to the worker. This is the fastest way to get both worker and work boat built.

My scout survives an encouter with a lion.

As soon as my city grows to size 2, I can pop rush the workboat.

3430BC Buddhism is founded in a distant land.

3310BC I meet my first opponent, Brennus. I'm not sure if he is a backstabber, but there is a lot of room between us.

3280BC Masonry is discovered. Next is agriculture.

3130BC My scout is parked on a forested hill, so I decide to let him fight the lion and my scout earns Woodsman I promotion.

 

[sirtommygunn]

awesome start... why do i never get this lucky with MY starts?

 

[None_Existant]

pretty good, pity u didnt show a more zoomed out map but it seems to me that your land is workable and you will probably aquire a decent amount of resouces - a suprise. I hope I'm right ^_^.

@sirtommy : Because when you do, you end up with 2 coppers, 4 irons, 1 horse and 1 elephant split between 3 ppl. Personal experience in a multiplayer game xdd.

 

[sirtommygunn]

yea but i never play multiplayer only by myself cuz my computor has the black terrain bug so it would slow down their games a lot

 

[J.Rose]

WOW!!! This game must have went to heck quick to not post again in over a month!

 

[The Flame]

Wow, what an awesome start!

Great story so far.

 

[playshogi]

It's hard to believe that 3 months have gone by. I decide to build a warrior next,
although after I hook up the copper it will probably turn into an axeman build.

2980BC My scout heals fully from his encounter and resumes his exploration. I name him Hunter.

2890BC OK, I hook up the copper and it turns out my warrior build turns
into a spearman build. I discover agriculture and start wheel, so I can
hook up the stone.

2830BC Ragnar's scout shows up outside of Berlin. I don't know where he
came from and I know he (Ragnar) will attack me eventually.

2800BC I belatedly realize that Berlin grew to size 2 a couple turns
ago, and now I decide to finish the spearman in 7 turns before starting
on a settler. It is raging barbs, after all.

2680BC Brennus has built his 2nd city, not in my direction, though. Does anybody know if Brennus is a backstabber.
I do know that if left alone, Brennus tends to be very strong in the endgame.

2650BC Grace period is over. The first barb archer appears. I'm lucky I remembered to build a military unit.

Meanwhile, Hunter needs just 1 more animal from Sid's Bounty to earn Woodsman II.

2620BC This guy's not foolin'. He headed straight for my copper mine.
Aren't barbs supposed to retreat on first appearance?

2590BC My spearman completes in the nick of time, and it's a 60% chance
to defeat the archer and save my copper mine, or 40% chance to lose the
game right now. Well, I said I was going to embarass myself. The
advantage of attacking and losing is that I can complete the story!
I'll take some time to think about it, but maybe not 3 months, though.

 

[The Flame]

Nice!

I say you shouldn't fight him, it's too risky. Often times though the barbs attack your city directly, even if they're standing on an improved resource.

 

[grgr279]

I agree, besides you can rebuild a mine quicker, so wait for that axeman to come then attack with the spearman.

 

[playshogi]

Thanks Flame and grgr279, you're right, and by a vote of 2-1, the spearman plays conservatively. I've seen the barbs attack a city rather than pillage, but unfortunately, not this time. The next turn, the barb archer attacked with 0.1% chance of success and my spearman handled it well. His name is Newt (for conservative).

2440BC Hunter meets his end against a Barb warrior. The barb warrior was wounded, so it was a 50-50 chance for Hunter.

2200BC I learned Animal Husbandry and start Pottery. 3 more barbs show up. There are actually 2 warriors on the same square, plus the archer. Another spear due in 2 (just in time).

2140BC The copper mine is threatened again and my worker is cutoff. I elect to move the new spear in the forest rather than directly on the copper, hoping to attack the archer without a river crossing penalty, leaving Newt to defend civilization against 2 barb warriors.

2110BC Unfortunately, this had the effect of leaving the new guy exposed to an attack from the archer and the 2 warriors. He defeated the archer, but the next warrior attack proved too much.
I hate to do it, but I sacrifice 2 pop to produce an instant axe.

2080BC Too my surprise, one warrior suicides against my new axe, Killer. He earns Combat 1 promotion. It's too early to worry about city raider promotions.

2020BC Killer moves out of the city to protect the copper mine.

1930BC Killer notches a 2nd kill, but is severely wounded.

1840BC Pottery in. Writing on deck. Killer returns to Berlin where it will take 5 turns to heal.

1810BC A bit of micro--I resume building the axe, figuring to grow my city in 6 turns and then pop rush the settler, building both axe and settler in 7 turns.

1660BC Borders expanded so I tried to start work on the stone, but a barb archer appeared to chase the worker away.

1630BC Settler is rushed. Another axe due next turn. I'm thinking it's too late to build Great Wall, though.

1570BC The Great Wall is due in 364 turns! I see I should have researched sailing, to avoid having to build a road. So, I switch research to sailing. My other axe moves out to fog-bust.

1540BC Hamburg is founded and I let it work the pigs, while Berlin works copper. Now GW is due in 61.

1180BC All quiet on the front. No barbs have been seen in centuries. Sailing is discovered, the quarry is built, so now I only need a road to hook up stone.


1030BC Writing in. Mysticism on deck. Alphabet takes 37 turns, and I don't think Brennus or Ragnar will trade with me, anyway.

1000BC Stonehenge gets built in a distant land.

940BC Great Wall is due in 2 turns, but I panic and pop rush it NOW. It is built next turn. Incredibly, no barbs have been seen in over 600 years.

 

[playshogi]

I forgot to add--now that I've completed my opening goal. What's next? REX to fill up the land? My science rate is pathetic.

 

[Killroyan]

If you ask me, the other AI's will have their hands full with the raging barbs so no DoW will come soon. Priority number 1 is the development of your 2 cities and make them grow. A third city should grab the elephants so you get 1 happy resource and you will be able to get elephants quickly. What I don't understand is why you build spearmen? Axemen are better antibarb units so that was a bit strange. If I am not mistaken they cost the same.

Keep it going btw. Nice to see a raging barbs game. Never tried it before but it looks hard.

 

[playshogi]

Yes, Killroyan, getting that Ivory is the only readily available happy resource nearby and will be a priority. Right now my happy caps are Berlin 4 and Hamburg 3. Brennus is Hindu so let's hope that religion spreads my way. I'd like to get pyramids, too. So, I think I'll build a library in Berlin and run 2 scientists and hope to get lucky with a GE. At worst, I get an Academy. I'm on a long, narrow continent that stretches east-west facing Brennus with Ragnar beyond that, so my Manifest Destiny is clear.

 

[The Flame]

This is really cool so far! It looks like you'll be having some quietness for a while. Ya, I think it'd be a good idea to develop your cities and improve your science. If you really focus on science you can beat other civs technologically, and if you're heading for a domination or conquest victory you can start destroying other civs. This would work out well.

Anyways, keep up the good work! I hope to read more soon.

 

[Jerrymander]

One question - How did you get the City Bar to display the number of turns left of construction?

There aren't too many good, close city sites, so sitting back and developing your current cities would be a good idea, for the short term. Props on getting the Great Wall. It's my favorite wonder.

 

[playshogi]

Thanks, for the responses! To catch up on questions: 1) I was building warriors when I hooked up copper and the computer automatically switches warrior hammers towards building a spearman. I had no choice. This happened to me twice since the copper mine was pillaged once, and that's why I ended up with 2 spearman. 2) About the turn counter in the city display. I am using the Hall of Fame Mod 2.08.003 for this game which is available on Civfanatics here:

HOF Mod

One of its many extra features is the turn counter. As a bonus, if you play all your games using the latest mod, now 2.08.004, you can compete in the Quattromaster competition.