GOTM 120 First Spoiler (1AD) - 10th Anniversary Game

[DynamicSpirit]

GOTM 120 - Mao - First Spoiler

Use this thread to tell us what happened in your game, up to 1AD! How did it go? The starting thread warned you that this was a crowded map? Did you get squeezed into a corner by the AI, or did you manage to fight your way out?

Vanilla Civ4 became 10 years old a couple of weeks ago and this is the 10th anniversary game. Have you figured out how the map is related to the 10th anniversary? Remember, a special mention in the results goes to the first person to correctly figure it out and post in one of the spoilers. (Of course, that could be either spoiler, depending on whether that person has explored enough of the map before 1AD)

Stop! If you are participating in GOTM 120, then you MUST NOT read this thread unless EITHER

• You have reached at least 1 AD in your game, OR
• You have submitted your entry

Posting Restrictions

• Please do not disclose ANY events or information gained post 1 AD.
• Please do not reveal your final result if that happened after 1 AD.
• Please do not discuss the location of resources that may not show up before 1 AD. (Iron is OK, coal and oil are not)
• Please do not reveal names or locations of any civilization not accessible by galleys.
• Do not post any savegame file from the game. Discussions and screenshots are fine but not actual games

 

[Daijin7]

Settled on the corn which turned out to be a good decision. Second city was on the hill between cow and copper. Third in the swamps south west, directly east of the horses to get them without needing to grow borders.

Research first fishing than bronze, than AH, than something like wheel, writing, then riding and bows to get horsebows.

Before I could declare on Gandhi, who had settled the swamps NW of Beijing, Huayna declared on me, but he had no real chance with bows against axes. When he made peace, I got Ney York (NW of the two dyes) from Roosesvelt, but then made peace with him to go after Gandhi. Reduced him to two marginal cities. Made peace with him by 1AD.

One city of Gandhi will give me marble in a few turns, but I am quite late for the GL, so don't have much hope to get it. But heroic epic in Shanghai will come handy.
By culture I got the elephants from Huayna Capac.

In science I am slightly back behind Saladin and Caesar, but not too bad. One turn away from monarchy, 8 from civil service.

By 1AD I have 7 cities and 30 POP, am third in rank, best in crops, second in industrial goods and GNP. And I have two really good cottage-cities so science and gold look promising.
Things are going to be nice as far as they currently look like.

I rarely play beyond monarch. But I have the impression that immortal games - at least in GOTM - are usually easier than emperor. Anybody else has a similar feeling?

 

[Minou]

I agree with Daijin7 that this game seemed unusually easy for Immortal, which I assume is due to the small map keeping the AIs from having much room to expand despite their faster start.

So far things have gone smoothly. As it quickly became apparent space was vanishing, I rushed Settlers to the SW for the Flood Plain / Horse site and to the NE for a city on a PH with Rice, Cow, Copper and Flood Plains. My first Horse was lost to Roosevelt's expanding borders, so I sent a Settler to found a city next to the NE Horse. Huge sigh of relief when an Indian Settler walked right by that site in favor of some horrible alternate spot!

In 700BC GLH was completed (my only wonder so far) and the same turn I launched a quick war on Gandhi, razing one city and capturing another. Next, the reinforced stack of Horse Archers rolled into Huayna Capac's land and captured three cities and razed one to move it to the coast. As soon as that war ended, I attacked Caesar for three more cities. None of the AIs had Spears so the wars were all fought with minimum losses. All the AIs hate my except Saladin, which has dampened the effect of GLH.

At 1AD I have 14 cities with 45 pop and 24 techs (1 turn from Currency). My economy was dragged to 0% research due to whipping, but a Great Merchant will refill the coffers next turn. I'm planning to attack Roosevelt in the early AD years after the Great Merchant noted most of his cities are guarded by 2-3 Archers. He does have at least one Spear, which will make this a bit more difficult. Hoping to call off the fighting once Longbows start appearing and switch to focusing on tech.

I have not yet defogged the full map and have no guess about the 10th anniversary reference.

 

[High King J.J.]

Finally had time to play this after other, winnable Gotm games. I had explored most of the map in the BC's but I can't really figure out anything other than maybe "10 ? 0" which I might interpret as 10 years of Civ4GOTMs, with a question mark before another zero suggesting possibly a full 100 years of GOTM being the next goal?

I await with mild interest the correct answer.

As for the game, I'm still alive and in peace. Other than that nothing much worth mentioning. Just completed Hanging Gardens, the only wonder I have so far.
This seems to be a bit more survivable immortal game so far just like others have mentioned before, in part probably due to Gandhi being one close neighbour.

 

[Xcalibrator]

Sorry, DS, I don't have much to add about your hidden message other than to guess that you put in the symbols for "times" and "addition". The "T" though? No clue, and I'm totally baffled by the last two watery characters. I don't think the mountains add anything, but....? Maybe if nobody has guessed by the deadline you can offer some hints. I would hate for your clever efforts to go to waste, and I like a good puzzle.

I settled on the corn, #2 went east with cows, 2 ivory, silver, and incense, #3 west to get the copper despite being pressed by New York, #4 west of that (2E1S of iron), and #5 4S of Beijing on the corner with silk and fish. The last isn't much of a site by itself but I got the GLH 850 BC so any coastal city was worthwhile, and it was pretty much the last decent spot left open.

Sal DoW'd Roose 775 BC and I eventually joined in (50BC) with elepults and just took Boston (with the floodplains between my #4 and #5 cities). At 1AD that gives me 6 cities with 36 pop. 1 GS was settled for an Academy and I got a GA from Music. I have most techs up through the Lit column but no HBR, Monarchy, Compass, or Machinery. Sal is leading with 1020 pts and I'm 5th of 6 with 770. My plan is to finish of Roosey and next take some nice wonder cities from Gandhi or HC.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Sorry, DS, I don't have much to add about your hidden message other than to guess that you put in the symbols for "times" and "addition". The "T" though? No clue, and I'm totally baffled by the last two watery characters. I don't think the mountains add anything, but....? Maybe if nobody has guessed by the deadline you can offer some hints. I would hate for your clever efforts to go to waste, and I like a good puzzle.

An excellent suggestion. Since the submission deadline passed a couple of days ago, and no one has come even close to figuring it out, I shall provide a hint in the final spoiler..