Well, this GOTM is going much better for me than WOTM2 did...
I came into this game planning on a Space Race victory, which I think I'll still aim for just because it's a little late for me to change my goal to a military one. Diplo remains a possibility because everyone likes me except Washington.
Timbuktu was founded in place, the second gold found beforehand(thanks to moving my warrior 1E). I planned to go hunting>archery then BW because the last few GOTM/WOTM didn't have close metal and I didn't want to get burned early(a result of WOTM2, I was much more militarily cautious, perhaps overprotective this game). My initial capital build was warrior>scout>worker>settler>warrior>skirmisher>skirmisher>settler
However, my first built warrior was killed by an attacking lion 4 turns after being built. Luckily my scout had better luck, surviving an encounter with both a lion and a wolf in the same turn, 3 turns after being built lol. He died 10 turns later though(beat one lion, lost to another in a 2 turn period, lots of animals this game). I got BW and found that copper so close to me, but since I have access to skirmishers, I am not too inclined to rush for it immediately. Of more import to me is the marble I've found next to wheat and flood plains!
I began a worker after my scout since I had just reached size 3 and estimated that I'd finish the worker shortly after BW. I was right, BW came in and AH then Agriculture were taken, with a couple forests being chopped to get my first settler out quickly.
Djenne was founded next to the FP, marble, and wheat in 2440BC and immediately began work on a skirmisher(I planned on rushing it in 8 turns once it grew to size 2.
In 2200BC, I began researching Mysticism to attempt to get the Oracle built, Timbuktu reached size 4, finished its 2nd skirmisher, started another settler, and Djenne rushed its skirmisher. It also marked my first foreign encounter worth mentioning, I met America in 2320BC, saw an American worker unescorted building a camp on Ivory, and did a worker steal on America in 2200BC. I didn't expect to get it home, since I wanted to keep the warrior around to slow Washington down and hurry the end of the war. I decided to keep the worker hanging around the periphery of American lands until I saw a french warrior walking around, then my worker tagged along with France until America was willing to end the war. I then met up with the exploring frenchman, and excorted the worker home.
In 1600BC, Kumbi Saleh was founded in the same place Denniz founded it, between the hill and lake, and two turns later Priesthood is discovered, giving me access to the Oracle. At which time Djenne begins building it, with some chopping help from my native worker.
At this point I'm teching pretty quickly thanks to the pigs in Timbuktu allowing me to work both gold mines already. I begin researching writing in 1360BC and finish in 1240BC! Confuscianism is founded in Djenne(I expected Gao-founded 925BC- to be the holy city) in 800BC, with the Oracle finishing in 725BC giving me a CS slingshot(the capital was too good to pass up Bureaucracy this early).
I sent the missionary to Timbuktu, where I promptly built a monastery for the science boost, then built a missionary to convert Louis XIV. 525BC sees my stolen worker finally arrive home. His first job? connect the copper! lol It was so unimportant to my early plans I still hadn't connected it.
450BC saw the Alphabet created, though tech trading didn't take place until after Poly(2 turns) and fishing(1 turn) had been researched. Sailing was traded for Meditation and Poly in 250BC. Literature was researched in a mere 100 years(350BC-250BC), as was Mathematics(225BC-125BC).
Walata was founded in 125BC on the coast E of Kumbi Saleh mainly to prevent France or Washington, who had run into each other, from gaining more territory I considered mine. I started building a mid-sized force of skirmishers in 250BC to take over a few barb cities I had seen, unfortunately, China, France, and America all took them before I could. Luckily however, I had enough surplus troops from that short buildup that when America declared war in 25BC for revenge, I was able to stop them cold.
I lost two skirmishers and killed 3 american archers in 1AD as America tried to take over Gao. In 25AD, I killed 3 american archers and lost zero troops when America lost the city of Zapotec to my marauding Skirmishers. I then went on the offensive, with construction being discovered in 75AD.
100AD saw Calendar traded for from Persia, the Great Library completed in Timbuktu, and the first catapult going into production. I also built my first boat, loading it with a skirmisher and settler to found a colony in far away Hokkaido(what I just now decided to call the northern island above Kumbi Saleh)
175AD saw the knowledge of Horseback Riding being filtered throughout Malinese lands. Niani is founded in 225AD on Hokkaido, whereupon my galley starts exploring to hopefully get a circumnavigation bonus. And 325AD sees the Americans lose another 3 archers to the malinese skirmishers, as Washington's attempt to retake Zapotec is repelled.
375AD sees Malinese troops take over Boston, lose Boston, then watch in dismay as the French enter the fray in order to take Boston for themselves!
Plato is born in 400AD in Timbuktu and starts his Academy, and the year 500AD ends with Malinese catapults bombarding the walls of New York while swarms of experiences skirmishers and a few green axemen march around the city blowing horns(hey, we're not Jewish, gotta have some backup for the horns just in case).
stats at 580AD:
@100%-research: 150 beakers, net income: 49, 8 cities(6 founded), 9 skirmishers, 7 catapults, 2 axemen, 1 HA(lost 4 skirmishers, 2 axemen, 1 HA, 0 catapults!), killed 15 archers, and built Oracle and Great Library.
I also have a tech lead of 4-7 techs over everyone I know(5 civs known), with Theology, Philosophy, and Currency the only techs others have that I don't.
Rankings:
GNP-2
MFG-1
Food-3
Soldiers-1(what?)
Land Area-2
Pop-4
)
Wait, he's just an AI, go for him!
