G-Major 43

[Denniz]

While the general Hall of Fame is an ongoing competition, we like to run time-definite competitions between updates that we call Gauntlets. Standard Hall of Fame rules (*) still apply, but any games meeting the settings will be counted towards the Gauntlet.

[size=+1](*) Please read the >> HOF rules << BEFORE playing!
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Settings:

• Victory Condition: Religious (though all victory conditions must be enabled)
• Difficulty: Emperor
• Starting Era: Ancient
• Map Size: Large
• Map Type: Hemispheres
• Speed: Epic
• Civ: Native America (Sitting Bull)
• Opponents: Any
• Version: 3.17.001
• Date: 10th January to 10th February 2009

Must not play as Inca.

The earliest finish date wins, with score as a tiebreaker.

 

[srad]

Anyone an idea what are good settings for this one?

Thinking about...

- two continents (normal sea level, temperate)
- peacy AI
- teching towards optics and theology (optics seems to be the key tech as the "botm07 gauntlet" showed)

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Am I the only person playing this game

I need a religious victory, haven't got one yet.

I've just built the Oracle and got Theocracy from it I need to get some proper techs now

 

[AutomatedTeller]

I started it - had a sweet start with 2 gems.

I forgot to turn off barbs

 

[ParadigmShifter]

I always play with barbs on

An extremely lame 1620AD finish for me, it was my first religious diplo win anyway. Should have won in 1265AD but when Julius asked me to declare war on Gandhi I forgot to check whether he was a vassal of my best mate Mao, I had been busy converting his large cities to Christianity

I can see why this victory is considered cheesy anyway

 

[Misotu]

I'll have a go at this. I like cheesy. Bet I can beat 1620AD on my first attempt - I'm good at the cheesy ones

 

[ParadigmShifter]

I'll be very surprised if I don't finish dead last in this gauntlet

 

[Misotu]

No, you won't. You're having another go, right?

Edited to add: I know this has probably been said before. But isn't Liverpool the home of Liverpool FC? As well as, er, Everton.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Nah I won't have another go, I've still got 19 leaders left for EQM!

Liverpool FC (spit) exist in Liverpool too, but they were formed later (in fact, they play at Everton's old ground).

 

[AgedOne]

Well, I'm over here having a try at this.
(Misotu knows this as she's the one who encouraged me - and others - over here from the Geezers SGOTM thread)

But I'm a total noob at this. Haven't got a victory at any date yet.
Only been trying for a day so far, so I guess I shouldn't feel too bad.

 

[AgedOne]

Anyone an idea what are good settings for this one?

Thinking about...

- two continents (normal sea level, temperate)
- peacy AI
- teching towards optics and theology (optics seems to be the key tech as the "botm07 gauntlet" showed)

I've been going for 2 continents, but low sea-level, in the hope that the other continent can be accessible to galleys rather than requiring caravels and the long tech path to optics. Hasn't worked so far, however .

I have been picking a bunch of AI that I thought I would get along with, are not excessively violent, and that favour some of the civics that I am likely to run.
Initially, I included Asoka, Gandhi, Hatshepsut, Rameses, Bismarck, Roosevelt, Joao, and maybe Lincoln, Pericles, Mansa, Willem.
Unfortunately, some of these will fight amongst themselves, I have found, which isn't really what I want if I need votes. It's OK if they all pick on somebody, and all love me, but indiscriminate squabbling I can't tolerate.

Before my latest attempt I did a bit of research, using the BTS reference guide by dj_anion available in the War Academy here .
A lot of facts about the leaders, including their relation factor (civs who are likely to get along), aggression level etc.
From this, I built a list of civs who were most likely to get on with each other, who would like some of the civics I would run, and would be unlikely to declare on me. I was quite surprised by some of the choices.

I picked: Roosevelt, Victoria, Washington, Hatshepsut, Augustus, Hammurabi, Lincoln and Mansa Musa.
Some other 'possibles' were Asoka, Darius, Rameses, Elizabeth.

(I was probably right to be a little skeptical, as Augustus declared on me when he took a dislike to the Christianity I was running in the last few turns of building the AP )

 

[ParadigmShifter]

I read a few threads before I started. This was my first attempt at AP diplo. 1st go I hadn't read much about technicalities and raced to Oracel for Theology, but I lacked techs in the early game so it was a bit grim. Also I didn't get a religion spread before theology which didn't help and Julius Caesar also adopted Christianity, which wasn't good. I gave up when I got to 1700AD ish!

2nd attempt went a lot better, read some more. Beelined for alphabet (although I did get mining/bronze working and hunting first because I had deer and beavers), which gives you stuff to backtrade while you push for preisthood and the oracle. Again oracled theology, then straight off to optics.

I also got hinduism eventually which 3 of 4 AI on my continent adopted so I changed to that as soon as I could. Then it's just a question of sucking up to one or more AI while converting their big cities to Christianity while converting small cities for the rest of the AI.

I play random opponents but was quite lucky to have Mao, Julius, Gandhi and Stalin on my continent, Zara, Hammurabi, Ragnar and Mansa on the other.

As I said I would have won in 1265AD (not spectacular I know) with votes from just Mao but I messed that up.

Eventually I got votes from Julius (+13), Zara (+12 I think at the end) and Hammurabi (+10 or +11).

I gave in to all reasonable demands from Julius and Zara and gifted techs to Hammy. Julius was the only Hindu, Zara and Hammy were different religions but I had a large shared civics bonus due to running Theocracy (changed to it when Zara asked) and Bureaucracy (Hammy's favourite - or is it hereditary rule? Can't remember).

I sent about 9 missionaries in galleons over to Zara when it became clear he would vote for me. I just gifted the missionaries when they arrived on Ethiopian soil.

 

[AgedOne]

Well. I've managed a win.
But the date...
Almost too embarrassed to type it...

1782

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Wow, worse than me Nice one! A win is a win anyway...

 

[ianw1610]

Liverpool FC (spit) exist in Liverpool too, but they were formed later (in fact, they play at Everton's old ground).

I'm also an Everton fan... currently exhibiting crossed fingers, toes, etc, ahead of our two forthcoming games against the team who you mention (the team whose name I can't bring myself to type). It is also worth pointing out the often-overlooked fact that Everton have been in the top division of English football for more seasons than ANY other team...

...anyway, having been beaten by just one turn on the last Religious Gauntlet (G-Minor 60), I've got a particular interest in improving this time. The AI tends not to beeline for researching Theology, or building the AP, so there is no urgency for the player in prioritising those items. The main constraint for this victory condition on a Hemispheres map is researching up to Optics and building Caravels to transport Missionaries to the other continent.

With that in mind, I took Metal Casting from the Oracle... then waited ~30 turns for the resultant Great Prophet to arrive... and used him to bulb Theology (while still concentrating the research on the Optics path). When I got to Optics, a fleet of Caravels was available soon after, as my port still had several forests, which I chopped.

Net result was a victory in 685AD. It felt quite efficient, and should hopefully, if verified and accepted, present a challenging early target for the other players in the Gauntlet...

 

[ZPV]

I'll have some time opening up in a couple of weeks, so I'll probably give this a go. Until then, I'll have to be content with figuring out how to lightbulb up to Optics+Theology the fastest.

 

[AgedOne]

Wow, worse than me Nice one! A win is a win anyway...

Cheers.
There's still time. I'll keep on trying.
Maybe I'll shave a few years off the finish time.
But I think anything near 1000AD would have to be a fluke, for me to get it.

Mind you, I reckon I know what I'm doing a bit better now. I have been wasting time heading for situations that I later needed to revise.
Like deliberately spreading my religion to only the smallest, most remote city of each civ ! Then realising that for all of the most friendly civs I should have been spreading it to all of their major cities !
(Except, of course, that they might adopt that religion officially - and beat me to the vote for AP resident. Must watch out for that)

 

[Misotu]

Well done AgedOne

When I'm spreading the AP religion to other friendly civs, I quite often just get inside their borders and give them the missionary. They usually spread it to a decent city, and their chances of success with the missionary are better than mine in their own cities.

Ianw1610 is right when he says that there's no big rush for the AP or Theology - although I haven't gone so far as to take Metal Casting from the Oracle

My main problem has tended to be that the four civs on the same hemisphere as me don't found *any* religions between them. Which means that I have to found both Christianity and another, late game, religion. Not helpful

Anyway, my latest effort was also 685AD, so I'm quite pleased with that ...

 

[ianw1610]

although I haven't gone so far as to take Metal Casting from the Oracle

In my first practice game, I had 3 Gold mines in my capital, and was able to take Machinery from the Oracle... but the game went wrong after that ...

Anyway, my latest effort was also 685AD, so I'm quite pleased with that ...

In the event of a dead heat, they use score to determine the places... and my ultra-efficient 2-city empire scored just 22,416 points, so, as it stands, you will be and I will (yet again) be ...

 

[Misotu]

<grin> My ultra-efficient 2-city empire scored just 24,024, so I pipped you

I've submitted a slightly better finish date now though