I found my map – it’s not over yet, but this is the best start I’ve had by a good margin, so this one is getting completed. I figured I’d write up the beginning before I forgot everything…
I kept to sanabas’ excellent advice for the most part. I'm playing as Spain against Inca, China, America, Zulu, Mongols, and Maya – lots of expansionist tribes, but mainly no one who starts with Ceremonial Burial or Alphabet and no scientific tribes.
My settings:
Size: Large
Landmass: Archipelago
Water: 70% Water
Climate: Wet
Temperature: Warm
Age: 3 Billion Years
Barbarians: None
Aggression: CA II says normal, but I’m pretty sure it was less aggressive
I had originally been using 80% water, but, as ridiculous as this sounds on Sid level, I found the tech pace to be too slow. The AI never met each other quickly, and I was stuck in Despotism and in the Ancient Age too long.
I also started out using least aggressive AI. After a few games when I refused a demand with a 2-3 warrior military, and the AI still didn’t declare war, I changed to less aggressive. I wasn’t going to play a map unless I had an island to myself anyway, so having AIs fight each other periodically and give me war happiness seemed like a good thing.
Here is the start:
22 spt at size 12
25 spt after Despotism
28 spt after Engineering
I can’t swear to what my exact build order was in this game because I didn't take notes until I was sure this start would last, but typically I built:
Curragh
Worker
Worker
Colossus (I learned my lesson!)
Temple
Settlers then curraghs/warriors
Workers irrigated one cow and mined the other.
Research was always Writing at the minimum followed by Philosophy, Literature, and generally Currency at the maximum (the Great Library or trades provide the rest). Trade for Bronze Working using Ceremonial Burial (plus gold, if necessary – I had no success with starts where I traded Alphabet). Get as much mileage out of Ceremonial Burial (and Alphabet once I had Writing) as possible – pick up techs like Pottery, Mysticism, and Warrior Code.
When 1 tribe started building the Temple of Artemis, start a granary in the 20K city. By the time the granary prebuild runs out, a second tribe should have Polytheism, and you can trade for it and switch the granary build to the Temple of Artemis. When Philosophy completes, then pick Monarchy as the free tech and switch to the Hanging Gardens – this was about a 50/50 proposition. Sometimes I ended up with a 280 or so shield Mausoleum of Mausolos, but since there really wasn’t anything else to build immediately, I thought it was worth the risk.
This game, I got the Hanging Gardens and then revolted to Monarchy.
QSC:
4 cities
20 citizens
5 workers
3 warriors
4 curraghs
Madrid – 404 culture + 16 cpt; projected win date 2578 AD.
Yes, I did have ivory (I think I have a monopoly on it), so I got the Statue of Zeus setting off my Golden Age and built the Great Library during my GA. My second city will be a 4-turn settler factory to expand finally.
By 1000 BC, only the Mayans had declared on me, but at that point war happiness from just 1 tribe was enough to keep luxuries at 0%.
By the time I reached the Middle Ages in 570 BC, the Incans and the Mongols had joined in the war happiness crusade. The Mongols were the only ones to land troops (a steady stream of only 2 at a time and always in the same spot, of course) and provide my catapults and handful of Ancient Cavalry with many leader-fishing opportunities.
Entry to Middle Ages:
Yes, I even tried to build the Great Wall because I had nothing else to build, but I didn’t get it.
Madrid at entry to Middle Ages (570 BC) – 798 culture + 29 cpt; projected win date 2040 AD. 4 Ancient Age wonders – The Colossus, the Hanging Gardens, the Statue of Zeus, and the Great Library.
In 170 BC, I got my first (and to this point only) Great Leader who built an Ancient Cavalry army and enable me to build the Heroic Epic.
In 150 BC, the Great Library finally provided Republic, so I revolted again to try to pick up my research pace.
Here is the situation at 10 AD:
The Chinese have given me a 4th dose of war happiness.
No SGLs so far.
Madrid – 1719 culture and 38 cpt; projected win date 1973 AD, and I should have no problem getting the Sistine Chapel this game.
My problems:
1. I only have 1 luxury so I am living off war happiness, and all my wars make trade routes sporadic so I can’t trade for any additional luxuries.
2. My research is still slow – I am going at about 10-12 turns per tech, so there are still going to be periods when I don’t have any culture to build.
3. I don’t have any iron, and nobody is showing an extra source. There is iron on some of the small unclaimed islands, but none of them are very convenient. I don’t think I’ll be rushing to the Industrial Age since it won’t do me any good. I’m hoping for another couple leaders to build empty armies so I can start thinking about attacking overseas.
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! I still haven't found The Map, but I've given myself a deadline of September 30 to at least find a map that I am relatively sure I will play to the end - I'm still only midway through the large deity GOTM, and I don't want to have to rush at the end.
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