G-Minor 145

Denniz

Where's my breakfast?
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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: Diplomatic (though all victory conditions must be enabled)
  • Difficulty: Warlord
  • Starting Era: Ancient
  • Map Size: Standard
  • Map Type: Medium and Small
  • Speed: Normal
  • Civ: Holy Roman Empire (Charlemange)
  • Opponents: Any
  • Version: 3.19.003
  • Date: 25th May to 10th June 2012
Must not play as Inca.
The earliest finish date wins, with score as a tiebreaker.
 
Haven't played a gauntlet for ages so decided to have a go.

Just played a quick game with the first start I liked (3 seafood), not ideal but gave me an idea of where to go, ended up mid 1300s. Might have another go and get map finder to have a look for some food/gold sites.

Is the diversion to Parthenon and Great Library worth it? I think it got me 2-3 GSs, which seems worth the tech/build diversion...
 
Think I'll give it a go....Diplomatic is my struggle win category....I need all the practice I can get. Need Med and Small in Warlord, anyhow.
 
Weird. I just suggested this exact same setup for the next challenge series, I suggested the same map, difficulty, speed, leader, era, etc. Spooky.
The only difference is I suggested 'Always War' :nuke: I suppose it would still be a legal submission.
 
Sometimes, it is good to return to my origins...

820 AD Diplo Victory.
 
Sometimes, it is good to return to my origins...

820 AD Diplo Victory.

Nice!:) I still need work on my Diplo victory skills, just as I said. Close, but no cigar. Only had two civs on my continent, who were my main voters. I needed one more voter, and could never get it. I may try again. I tried to set it up to coincide with favorite civics that I would be using, but may have erred with Hatty, after realizing I could do better running Free Religion. Might try a few different civs and have a better chance.

Edit: Well, I take that back! I was all the way up to about where a spaceship victory could be pursued, so decided not to waste the game. About halfway done making Apollo Program(no GEs around:(), when all of a sudden, I won a Diplomatic Victory! Not sure how, as Hatty was still only +7 for me, but she voted for me finally:) Maybe she was 8 that turn, and went back down to 7....the Victory page didn't even show her voting for me, either. Curious.

Nothing good....1868....but heck, I've had a lot of failed Diplomatic tries, so I'll take it.
 
Edit: Well, I take that back! I was all the way up to about where a spaceship victory could be pursued, so decided not to waste the game. About halfway done making Apollo Program(no GEs around:(), when all of a sudden, I won a Diplomatic Victory! Not sure how, as Hatty was still only +7 for me, but she voted for me finally:) Maybe she was 8 that turn, and went back down to 7....the Victory page didn't even show her voting for me, either. Curious.

Hatshepsut has a constant hidden +1 Diplomacy with all opponents/player, so she really was 8 or higher (there are three other ways of getting more diplomacy which means the actual diplomacy may have even been 9 or even more), even though she was only +7 visible.

Noting at which visible diplomacy an AI Civ goes from Cautious to Pleased to Friendly provides a strong clue to the hidden diplomatic bonuses you have with that Civ at that specific time.

Sun Tzu Wu
 
I still need work on my Diplo victory skills, just as I said. Close, but no cigar.

Here's my cheese strategy if you want to give a go.

First, enable huts because on Warlord and Settler, it is overpowered to get workers and settler. All games where I got less than two development units (develoment unit means to me a unit that allows the empire grows horizontally and vertically) are doomed to garbage. In addition, I did not start with worker as first build, but warriors at the fastest rate possible. Indeed, I have to invade some capital...and on warlord, often you will see pop 1 cities, which means autoraze. Then check "No City Razing" option in custom game.
Will I try to get a city asap? Nope. Because, at T20 (mostly), the AI will train its first worker. Look at the idea; I capture a city at odds as low as 3% around turn five to see a worker out at T20, same as the AI. But waiting means more warriors, so bigger chance to get a game with the free development units and an early city (along the worker).

Then, try to get AH asap to get horses. If connected enough early, train chariots...even whip them so you can get those two remaining civs on continent. Best to capture workers from those far away civs and make ceasefire then, they start a worker intantly afterwards, slowing them down in their development.

After capturing the whole contient, try to found cities along stone and marble...if possible.
Meanwhile, you can oracle either CS or better I did Education. Bulb Paper if you are concern to lose the wonder.
Go to the Lib path and a little detour to Music as NE and TGL are must wonders. And the Great Artist is either good for partially bulbing Mass Media or for a GA. I opted GA with MoM wonder.

All GEngineer point providing wonders must be built in the same city. Ideally, try to get the GEngineer second GPeople or third. My second GPeople has ~25% to pop a Gengineer and my third 91%. Once you get the GEngineer, you can go haywire with GScientists.

Once one turn away from Lib, go to Mass Media route ignoring all superfluous techs. But I made a little detour for Taj Mahal as I wanted to get the U.N. wonder up near in 1 turn. Indeed, a GEngineer does not give all hammers for the wonder, but the output increases with along city population that welcomes the wonder. Try to keep 4-5 forests for the wonder, pre-chopped ofc. The capital may welcome the wonder as bureaucracy is an additional 50% multiplier to get.

As for opponents, for you continent, try to get starting with a warrior civs (for maximizing huts reaping) and non-creative and non-agressive civs. Yes, if you attempt a little study between the succession of leaders in the custom games, you'll see some positions are civs likely to be your neighbour on your continent.

For other continents, try civs with nice early civic sharing bonuses.

I chose Wang Kon, Hammy and Freddy for the other continent.

Wang Kon for Caste System and low wonder odd.
Hammy because of Bureaucracy. His choice was dubious though. I may have lost the oracle to him.
And Freddy because giving techs to him can lead up to +4 plusmods.
Share asap most resources with most leaders. My best leader needed 6 turns to get +1 plusmod for resource sharing.
Keep in mind one resource takes 50 turns to get the plusmod. One more resource halved the times...and so on.

Little trick if lucky (I didn't got it though): if a late hut is found and not really accessible without boat, then keep it to gamble Astro free tech.

And at last, play without barbs.
 
Very informative stuff, Tachy. I've always wonder about selection of the AI determining proximity to the player. I'd be interested in more info on this if you care to share. Thanks
 
Very informative stuff, Tachy. I've always wonder about selection of the AI determining proximity to the player. I'd be interested in more info on this if you care to share. Thanks

Well, put leaders in a certain order when choosing them in custom games. Note on a paper their order and start a game with worldbuilder on. Then go for the small and useful regenerate buttom in worldbuilder mode (it has a earth icon IIRC). Do that 5-6 times while noting who are your neighbours in your medium&Small continent. I assure you will see patterns...no absolute deterministic A goes B, but A highly goes B.
 
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