GOTM 124 spoiler

[Major Advantage]

Anyone else got started? I'm almost through with it.

First consideration was what to do. OCC would be possible and since our rivals are white and light-blue you would be able to benefit from having a key civ, assuming your are least powerful, whereas you will not have a (purple) key civ as supreme. Still I decided against OCC. Rivals will probably be far away, so getting some extra cash/science would be difficult and take a lot of time. Black clicking reveals that there are no big islands within trimes's reach, so establishing trade routes would require LH or you have to wait until navigation. I also had some time to spend on this game and OCC on such a map would also mean to leave a lot of space/islands untouched. What a waste!
EL was out of question without key civ and EC is something I never tried. And I assume that a large and mostly empty map with so much space for respawns is probably not a good setup for a first try.
So I decided to try for PD, or at least "something close to PD". My hut luck was amazing in the beginning, I almost thought I was cheating. It turned later that the hut-luck was borrowed (just like Wembley ) and I had to pay back.

This is my log until 1 AD:

-4000 start moving 2 tile NW for city
-3900 hut: 50g (was hoping for unit to explore)
-3800 Zimbabwe founded (126,112), start settler for size1, will use hut-gold for some iprbing
Note: Persians and Celts are AIs, so Persians will be the worst AI's key civ (and only key civ at all)
-3750 start Alphabet
-3500 Alph-> CoL
-3300 settler done (another one), marching down the river
-3250 hut: Advanced tribe (Ulundi at 123,117)
-3100 hut: mapmaking (sweet, now monarchy should be available next)
-3000 Bapedi founded (117,115)
-2800 CoL -> Monarchy
-2750 Zim settler -> Warrior (for exploration)
-2450 Hlobane founded (123,105)
-2400 hut east Zim: Nomad!! (25 beakers left till Mon, = 5turns, T5S5L0 for 7 turns)
-2050 Mon. -> Writing, Monarchy established, Isand founded (138,110), Hlobane is in bad location, (re-)move it?
-2000 Intombe (121,111), Archer from hut
-1950 Island more or less uncovered, black-clicking shows only 1 small island nearby -> Lighthouse ?!
-1900 hut: Barb horse
(Barb horse kills warrior)
-1700 Writing -> Currency, Zimbabwe starts LH
-1650 Mpondo founded
-1550 Ngomo founded
-1450 Hlobane turned into settler
-1300 Cur -> Trade
-1250 Riots in Bapedi (growth), New Hlobane founded
-1150 Umtata founded
-1050 Sansibar founded (on cont. #49)
-1000 Trade -> Literacy

Status at -1000
Population: 270k; Cities: 11; Techs: 9; Government: Monarchy;
Gold: 50; Cost: 0; Trade routes: 0D0F;
Wonders: -
Units: 4 settlers, 1 boat,6 assault units
no AI contact
Goals: found final cities on home continent, build roads/irrigation,
start wonder building: High priority: HG, LH, MPE, Mike's; maybe Pyramids, might turn Isand to SSC

-950 Ibabanago founded
-900 Reconsidering: Delay LH for now, happiness control seems more important, so HG should be built first, Mike's also, so MPE first to get some techs (and maybe gold)
-850 Literacy -> Mysticism (for philo race), Ispezi founded
-800 riot factor in Mpondo
-775 Celts start HG; Amatikulu founded, home continent full
-700 MPE completed:
Persians: give Mapmaking, bronze, Literacy, get mysticism, peace, maps
Celts: Neutral, no peace (refused to give them Bronze in the beginning, negotiations cancelled, they have some nice techs)
-675 researching philo; Celts: give Bronze, Literacy, CB; get Poetry, Math, maps, peace
-650 Celts: give trade, get riding
-625 Invitations to ally, rejected
-600 Pemba founded (cont 49)
-575 Philo->Poly->Mono (build HG, Mikes, then republic), Gold(d) Isand-> Sansibar (66) 1st trade route
-525 Wine(d) New Hlob>Sansibar 30g
-475 HG completed, Celts switch to Pyramids
-425 Make Isand SSC?! It has good trade potential and all cities are in range for Trade route bonus
-400 Mono -> Republic (Persians are on it as well, but would be blocked next turn)
-350 Silk(u) Sansibar>Zim 20g, Michelangelo wil be build in 2 turns
-275 Michelangelo built, Isand starts Colossus, Republic 4-5 turns away
-250 Use some Elvisses to trigger celebration for more arrows
(Cardiff builds Pyramids)
-175 Republic -> Seafaring (then Astro, Navigation, expand with caravels instead of LH)
-125 Republic established T1S7L2, all cities >=3 will celebrate, give republic to Persia
-100 Some minor trades
-75 Isand completes Colossus
-50 Seafaring -> Astronomy
-25 Gems(d) Umtata>Isand 138g

Stats at 1 AD:
Population: 3.370M; Cities: 15; Techs: 19; Government: Republic;
Gold: 113; Cost: 0; Trade routes: 22D0F;
Wonders: MPE, HG, Michelangelo, Colossus
Units: 13 settlers, 2 boats, 6 assault units, 3 Caravan
AI:
Celts: Despo, 7 cities, 13 techs (Researching IW), enthusiastic, peace, Pyramids
Persians: Despo, 7 cities, 12 techs (Researching Pottery), enthusiastic, peace

Goals: Continue terrain improvement & setting up trade routes, start exploration/colonization when Caravels are available, work on SSC (city improvements, Copernicus, later Shakes)

 

[Inkerman]

Hello Major_Advantage,

Yes I'm having a go. I've played a long time and am past AD1000, not too sure exactly where it is going, but probably a landing. I have rather tended to small objectives along the way rather than grand strategy I'm afraid.

Like you I didn't see EC on a large flat map with re-spawns being the plan. I planned to expand and take advantage of what appeared, but it was a bit "take it as it comes." Also I think now I could have made better wonder selections.

I built Zimbabwe where the settler was. The name begins with "Z" - first small objective was to use a reverse alphabetic sequence to name twenty-six cities on the home continent (will eventually be achieved AD520, I did get distracted). Plenty of grass so they can be packed close together. It is amusing when you get "we love the president" announcements coming in alphabetical order.

I aimed to go for the goodie huts as in quantity they can make a worthwhile difference. My record on the huts to AD1 was mercenaries, tech, tech, tech, mercenaries, tech, mercenaries, barbs. This doesn't help with control of the tech tree, but it did ensure progress: a bit of money, or nomads or a city would have been OK with me.

Monarchy came in 925 (vs 2050).

I went for HG and then Lighthouse rather than Marco Polo, thinking perhaps wrongly that being able to get units away exploring was worth more than possible tech transfer. Compared to 4 wonders I have only 2 at this stage. Loading my AD1 save I see I had 315,000 sq miles at that time, but I'm not sure it was worth much - I still hadn't found a hill or mountain.

So my A.D. 1 status, compared to yours:

Population: 1,080,000; Cities: 22; Monarchy; (3.370M; Cities: 15; Republic
Advances: 14 (vs 19)
Trade routes: none (vs 22D0F)
Wonders: HG, LH, Celts=Colossus (vs MPE, HG, Michelangelo, Colossus, Celts=Pyramids)
Units: 8 Settler, 14 Military, 3 Trireme, 1 Diplomat, 5 Caravan, (vs 13 settlers, 6 assault units, 2 boats, 3 caravan.)

 

[Jokemaster]

Flat earth, archipelago, 3 civs. Odds are high that there will be no purple. Slow research, EC is not good because we’re in a corner (and restarts are on) EL slow too. Size 1 obvious, black clicking crucial. Lots of boats, lots of settlers, get HG before 12 cities to avoid using martial law. Pyramids, only settlers and vans. The highest initial citizen population and highest number of cities is probably going to gain gold star.
Obvious size 1 is obvious. However, if we move west, probably no trees... but I am sure that the 3 special spot east is under forest.
I decide to settle immediately, but to build a warrior before the settler, to pop the hut and explore a bit.

4000 BC: Build Zimbabwé, work forest. Start researching Alphabet.
3950 BC: Opponents are Persia and Rome. Okay for OCC, not for anything else. I’m planning on doing a population spam and to bid on early Mikes/JSB/Demo to get things starting.

3900 BC: Switch worker to rivered shielded grass.
3800 BC: Warrior built, start settler. Worker to forest in order to ensure a size 1.
3750 BC: Hut: WC. Darnit.
3350 BC: Find a hut, but refrain from popping until size 1 is done. So far, the land looks good. Settler done in 4 turns.
3150 BC: Switch worker back to rivered grass. Settler done next turn.
3100 BC: Size 1 settler done, moves west towards river and specials. Switch worker to forest. Pop hut: Horsemen.
3000 BC: Settler pops hut: Archer. May the support issues begin!
2950 BC: Ulundi built. Rehome archer in Ulundi. Rush a shield in Zimbabwe.
2850 BC: Archer finds hut.
2800 BC: Research Alphabet: start Code of Laws. Pop hut: Code of Laws! Pop hut: 100g!. Rush 4s in Ulundi.
2750 BC: Start researching Monarchy. Beaker cost 60.
2700 BC: Rush 6s in Ulundi.
2650 BC: Zim settlers. Archer finds hut. Celts already have 3 cities.
2600 BC: Hut: 25g.
2550 BC: Rush 4s in Ulundi.
2450 BC: Rush settlers in Ulundi. Build Bapedi. Rehome Zim warrior in Bap. Land is rather small in size, but is bountiful with lots of grass and forest.
2400 BC: Ulundi settlers.
2350 BC: Rush 6s in Zim.
2300 BC: Rush 4s in Bapedi.
2250 BC: Rush 6s in Zim. Hlobane built.
2150 BC: Rush 3s in Ulundi, 4s in Bapedi, 6s in Zimbabwé.
2100 BC: Rush 4s in Hlobane. 47/60 beakers.
2050 BC: Rush settler in Zimbabwe, shields in Bapedi. T6L0S4 to slow down science, for an instant revolution in 1850 BC.
2000 BC: Zim settlers. 50/60 beakers.
1950 BC: Rush settler in Bapedi, shields in Hlobane. 3g left over.

Status at 1950 BC:
Population: 0.04M; Cities: 4; Techs: 5; Government: Despotism
Gold: 3; Cost: 0; Trade routes: 0D0F;
Wonders:
Units: 1 Settler, Archer, Horsemen, Warrior.
Goals (1000 BC): Expand, get Trade and build HG (or be near to it)
Celts: At least 3 cities
Persia: At least 2 cities.

1900 BC: Bapedi settler. Rush 8s in Ulundi. T4L0S6 to ensure Monarchy next turn, better safe than sorry.
1850 BC: Discover Monarchy, start Currency. Revolution, Monarchy. T3L0S7. Switch some workers around.
1800 BC: Isandhlwana built.
1750 BC: Intombe built. Rush 6s in Zimbabwe.
1700 BC: Ulundi settlers. Techrate 7 turns. Rush 3s in Bapedi.
Interturn: Persian capital moved to Pasargades.
1650 BC: Hlobane size 2 (settler next turn) rush 4s in Isandhlwana.
1600 BC: Hlobane settlers. Rush a shield in Intombe. Switch Bapedi worker to silk: techrate 6 turns.
1550 BC: Mpondo built. Techrate 5 turns. Rush a shield in Zimbabwé, 3s in Bapedi.
1450 BC: Discover Currency, start Map Making (Trade not available) Population exceeds 100k citizens. Techrate 8 turns. Rush 3s in Bapedi, Ulundi. Rush a shield in Isa.
1400 BC: Ngome built. Rush 2s in Hlobane, switch workers in Zimbabwé.
1350 BC: Bapedi settlers. Switch workers in Intombe: Intombe produces 6 beakers, techrate still 7 turns. Rush a shield in Isa, 2s in Ulundi. Switch Hlobane workers.
1300 BC: Zim settlers, start Colossus.
1250 BC: Intombe, Isa settlers. Rush a shield in Hlobane.
1200 BC: Swazi built. Techrate 9 turns, PR change. Zimbabwé settler starts mining at hidden special site. Rush 4s at Ngome.
1150 BC: Rush 2s at Bapedi.
1100 BC: Ulundi settlers. Rush 6s in Swazi. Tugela built. Umtata built.
1050 BC: Discover Map Making, start Trade. Things are not looking good: still don’t have Pottery nor Masonry... I’ll probably have to get these via Marco’s. Hopefully it won’t cost me on Pyr/HG/LH. Rush a shield in Mpondo.
1000 BC: Hlobane settlers. Rush 6s in Swazi. Ulundi settler starts mining another hidden special. Zimbabwé size 2: Colossus in 38 turns.

Status at 1000 BC:
Population: 0.17M; Cities: 11; Techs: 8; Government: Monarchy
Gold: 12; Cost: 0; Trade routes: 0D0F;
Wonders:
Units: 3 Settlers,1 Archer, 1 Horsemen, 2 Warriors.
Goals (1AD) Yeesh. Science is proving to be a challenge. Things are too slow to my liking. I will probably need some martial law soon. It may be a good idea to raise taxes after discovering Trade, since I have 3 (maybe 4) high-priority wonders needed sooner rather than later (Marco, HG, Pyr and LH) and science isn’t good anyway. Huts, wonders and growth first.
To 1AD, I want to build Marco’s/HG/Pyramids and maybe LH and establish offshore colonies while finishing expansion in my homeland. (132, 94) is landmass 53, reachable by trireme. A bit left to lm 53, landmass 49. To the NE of lm 53, there is lm 50.
Celts: At least 3 cities
Persia: At least 2 cities.

 

[haleewud]

I am also playing. I have reached 440AD so far, but am leaving on vacation (Cruising along the inside passage), so I won't make much progress for the next week. Don't have time for the full log, but here are the highlights.

I also decided some sort of PD was in order, but not really sure of the particulars yet.

I moved the settler 1 to the left and founded Zimbabwe there in 3950BC..

My Hut luck was unbelievabley good.
1) 3600BC - 25g
2) 3450BC - Chariot
3) 3400BC - Advanced Tribe (Ulundi) in 3400BC
4) 3250BC - Scrolls - Currency
5) 3200BC - 50g
6) 2700BC - Archer
7) 625BC - Advanced Tribe (Umfolozi - Continent 50)
8) 425BC - Advanced Tribe (Isipezi - Continent 51)
9) 375BC - Advanced Tribe (Amatikulu - Continent 51)
10) 100BC - Advanced Tribe (Naples - Continent 51)
11) 25BC - Scrolls - Medicine
12) 1AD - Scrolls - University


Monarchy was discovered and established in 2250BC
Republic (Free Tech from Philosophy) was discovered and established in 525BC

MPE was built in 775BC
Colossus was built in 650BC
LH was built in 500BC
Pyramids were built in 250BC (by Celts)
HG was built in 150BC

Umtata was the first off-shore settlement founded on continent 49 in 675BC.

First caravan delivery was 200BC Gems for 60g.
First off-shore delivery was 175BC Hides to Umtata for 100g.

Only 1 City improvement has been built (library in Bapedi - the SSC)

Status at +1
Population: 1.32M; Cities: 19 (12 on Mainland 7 Off-shore); Trade routes: 7D0F; Government: Republic
Gold: 228; Cost per turn: 1; Total advances: 21; Production: 72; 0 polluted tiles
Wonders: HG, Colossus, LH, ME
Units: 10 settlers, 2 Warriors, 3 Trireme, 1 Diplomat, 5 Caravans

Celts: 353g, 13 adv, 8 cities, Monarchy, Enthusiastic, Peace, Pyramids
Persians: 324g, 12 adv, 5 cities, Monarchy, Enthusiastic, Peace

 

[Inkerman]

I hadn't heard of cruising the inside passage so I looked it up - looks great to do, and the land is arranged just like in this game (but perhaps it's not so flat.)

 

[Major Advantage]

I went for HG and then Lighthouse rather than Marco Polo, thinking perhaps wrongly that being able to get units away exploring was worth more than possible tech transfer.

HG and LH are definitely not bad choices. I would have loved to get LH and start colonizing the big islands (9, 39 and 51) asap with triremes. But since my cities were growing quite nicely I decided to build Michelangelo for happiness control instead. Maybe I should have built LH and Pyramids instead of Michelangelo and keep cities from growing by using specialists (and produce less food this way). However the way my colonization went (paying back the early hut-luck), I am glad I didn't waste 200 shields on LH.
I considered MPE to be a necessity even with just two rivals to get some techs that I otherwise would have to research by myself, and research is terribly expensive without key civ. I also wanted to know where my trading destinations are located, so I could make a plan how to get there.

Log until 500 AD:

10 Astro -> Navigation (oops, still need construction for aquaeducts, Celts have Masonry, hope they have IW soon, then tech trading)
(Celts IW)
80 Navigation -> Physics; trade techs with Celts, get Masonry, Wheel, Iron working, no alliance
120 1st Caravel sails west (heading for cont. 51, dip, settler, explorer on board)
140 Islands 56+57 discovered, not great
160 Physics -> Medicine
180 Exploring Island 39
220 Toronto founded (cont. 39 on 3-whale site, 1 grass-covered), domestic deliveries 68+34
240 2nd Caravelle (2 settlers, 1 explorer heading west), Isand starts Copernicus
260 Medicine -> Construction hut on #39: 4 barb horses, not good, rush Phalanx in Toronto
300 Hut on 51: Advanced Tribe (Issus), load 3 colonists on boat
320 Next hut on 51: 6 Barb horses, can forget about Issus
(Barb horse destroys Toronto and barely survives)
340 Isand builds Copernicus; pop hut on 39: Barbs again. So much for my colonization plans...
(Issus captured by Barbs but still exist, dip not attacked, Celts discover University and start Magellan)
360 Construction -> Bridge Building, Helgoland founded (island 56), Bribe Barb horse 41g, kill another
400 send dip+Crusader to cont. 51, bribe horse on 39 for 41g, get University from Celts (for Constr.)
440 Bridge Build.-> Banking, Kosika founded (55), hut (39): Advanced tribe (Calgary), kill Barb horse, Dip on boat outside of Issus
460 Bribe Issus 26g (0+1 horse), kill horse with Crusader (>vet)
(Persia GL and LH, Persian and Celts meet > peace)
480 Barb horse kills Crusader

Stats at 500 AD:
Population: 4.070M; Cities: 19; Techs: 29; Government: Republic;
Gold: 301; Cost: 9; Trade routes: 43D0F;
Wonders: MPE, HG, Michelangelo, Colossus, Copernicus (Shakespeare in progress)
Units: 19 settlers, 4 boats, 6 assault units, 10 Caravan, 2 dip, 1 explorer
AI:
Celts: Republic, 10 cities, 21 techs (Researching Feudalism), enthusiastic, peace; Pyramids
Persians: Despo, 7 cities, 15 techs (Researching Banking), enthusiastic, peace; LH, GL
Plan (PS, wanted to play on at that time): Continue colonization of cont.#51 (Italy) and 39 (Canada), set up ship chain

After 340 I was more careful about hut popping, if anything valuable was nearby I built a city having that hut in its radius to prevent me from barbs or at least had some fighting units/dips nearby. Later a boat to let the exploring unit escape.

 

[mackerel]

Status at 1000 BC -
Population: 0.16M; Cities: 9; Techs: 8; Government: Monarchy
Gold: 203; Cost: 0; Trade routes: 0D0F;
Wonders: none
Units: 4 Settlers, 2 Archer, 1 Horsemen, 2 Warriors, 1 Chariot
Goals (1AD) Colossus, HG, MPE. Lighthouse if it continues to look like I'll need to colonize far away before discovering navigation.


Goals at 500 BC -
Finish HG, Colossus, Lighthouse, be ready to blitz MPE. Get settlers off the island and continue rapid expansion.
To that end, build triremes and settlers.
Need domestic settlers to make roads. Irrigation will come before republic/demo, but I want 1-2 settlers per city for that, and Mike's, and Bach, and.. yeah.


Status at 1 AD -
Population: 0.88M; Cities: 29 (18 on Mainland 11 Off-shore); Trade routes: 4D0F; Government: Monarchy
Gold: 193; Cost per turn: 0; Total advances: 15; Production: 108; 0 polluted tiles
Wonders: HG, Colossus, LH, MPE, Pyramids
Units: 10 settlers, 16 Warriors, 2 accidental Phalanx, 2 Archer, 2 Horsemen, 1 Chariot, 3 Trireme, 2 Diplomat, 1 Caravan (7 in prod)

Celts: 290g, 13 adv, 8 cities, Despotism, Enthusiastic, Peace
Persians: 211g, 8 adv, 7 cities, Despotism, Enthusiastic, Peace

Goals -
Continue relentless expansion. Need more ships, colonists, and caravans. Ship chain to the nearest neighbor and get the caravans flowing.
Mike's should be available in one more advance, discoveries every 7 turns, allowing more comfortable growth.
I'm not ready for republic yet, but it needs to happen soon. Mono(Mike) next, subsequent research goals are republic and theology. I should have researched republic instead of medicine earlier.

 

[Inkerman]

Status at 500AD

I compared at 1 AD to Major_Advantage, and things are similar at this checkpoint. More cities, less techs, wonders, population, trade. The effects of losing control of the tech tree through the early hut pops are still present.

Population: 94 (1,840,000); Cities: 38; Trade routes: 5x2D1F; Government: Monarchy
Gold: 317; Cost per turn: 9; Total advances: 19; Mfg: 131; GNP 142.
Wonders: HG, Lighthouse, Pyramids (3)
Others = Colossus (Celts) Great Wall (Persians), GL imminent.
Units: 15 Settler, 22 Warrior, 1 Archer, 2 Horsemen, 2 Chariot, 9 Trireme, 7 Diplomat, 12 Caravan, 1 Explorer.
T3L0S7. Discoveries every 9 turns. Supreme and Spotless.

Celts:
Enthusiastic, Peace, 9 cities,
Persians: Hostile, War, 4+ cities.

 

[Major Advantage]

Status at 500AD
Population: 94 (1,840,000); Cities: 38; Trade routes: 5x2D1F; Government: Monarchy

So you already got foreign trade started by then? It took me till 800 to deliver my first foreign van. And how are your colonies doing? By 500, I only had one city on continent 51 and one on 39 (and some more on small islands).

 

[Inkerman]

Hello Major_Advantage,

24 of the 38 cities in A.D.500 are on the home continent.

I don't have an embassy yet, but I have swapped maps with the Celts and found several of the Persian cities.

I have also found the hill.

Regarding trade some merchant has just landed an undemanded caravan directly into a coastal Persian city despite the fact we are at war with them. Well business is business, war or not.

There have been 5 domestic deliveries: 1 was on the home continent which raised a disappointing 8g - so a waste and a mistake - I decided no more like that. Others were home-overseas, OK but not great (32g, 56g, 60g 100g): maybe trade is starting too soon as almost all the cities are still small (not more than size 2 overseas, mostly size 3 at home) and that means the payouts are still quite small too.

I suppose things move back towards the pattern in the next period to AD1000, as I do not add so many cities, Michaelangelo and Copernicus are built and the Zulu Republic comes about.

I'll be surprised though if my stats look competitive when we hear from others. As I thought I had probably fallen behind in the early game, I didn't try and play too precisely thereafter (takes a lot of time): also I have wondered that there may be a trick I've missed as well, but anyway we carry on, spotlessly.

 

[Catwalk]

I won by OCC landing in 1884. Plenty mistakes made (some remedied through reloading, others I put up with), but overall a satisfying result for my first full OCC attempt. My unrest control was poorly calculated and I wasted endless turns building the space ship at the end as I didn't have enough freights lined up for it. Very nice map, I'll certainly use it again for a different type of game.

 

[Jokemaster]

-1000 BC to 1AD

975 BC: Pop exceeds 200k citizens. Rush 4s in Ngome.

950 BC: Rush 4s in Bapedi.

925 BC: Ngome settlers. T5L0S5. Rush 4s in Swazi. Rush 3s in Intombe.

900 BC: Bapedi settlers. Rush boat in Swazi. T3L0S7.

875 BC: Intombe settlers. Zimbabwé settler finishes mining special: pheasant on river
appears. Zimbabwé takes it. Rush 2s in Ulundi. First boat from Swazi unveils fish.

850 BC: Discover Trade, start Writing (both Masonry and Pottery unavailable) T7L0S3 for 16g per turn. Boat sees landmass 53.

Interturn: Celts start Pyramids. Crapcrapcrap.

825 BC: Switch Zimbabwé to Marco’s. Rush 2s in Isa, Ulundi

800 BC: Umfolozi built. Boat sees landmass 49.

775 BC: Tugela settlers. Isa van. Settler mines hidden silk special: Hlobane takes it. Mpondo builds boat.

Interturn: Persians start Pyramids. Bleh.

750 BC: Tugela settler boards Swazi boat, en route to lm 49. Ibabanago built. Mpondo needs entertainer to stay out of unrest!

725 BC: Settler disembarks on landmass 49, boat heading for another settler near Swazi. Rush shields in Intombe, Ngome, Tugela

700 BC: Umtata, Hlobane, Ulundi vans. Van in Zimbabwé: 76s left. Isipezi built as first offshore colony. Rush shields in Isa, Bapedi,

675 BC: Rush shields in Isa, Hlobane, Ngome, Intombe

650 BC: Van in Zim: 16s left for Marco’s, 4 turns. Or should I switch to Lighthouse? Still undecided.... decide to keep to Marco as the odds for getting Pyr/HG techs (and Pyr/HG themselves) are higher that way. Rush shields in Isa, Hlobane, Bapedi, Ngome.

625 BC: Swazi settlers. Find landmass 50 and hut. Start mining another possible hidden special. Rush shields in Bapedi, Hlobane, Umtata, Isipezi.

600 BC: Ngome, Isa vans. Rush shields in Hlobane, Ulundi. Pop hut: Feudalism!! Wow. Bad for rushes.

575 BC: Tugela settlers, Intombe van, Bapedi van. Population exceeds 400k citizens. Amatikulu built offshore. Rush shields in Ulundi, Umfolozi, Ibabango, Isipezi.

550 BC: Unrest in Intombe? Forgot to check after building last city. Hlobane van. Zimbabwé builds Marco’s. Starts LH. Van in Zim: 150s left. Power is Supreme. Nobody has Pottery! Tech progress is very slow for everybody. Celts: give WC, peace. (5) Give Trade for Masonry, Monarchy for Writing. Give Currency, Code of Laws. Swap maps. Celts are at the south of the map, but completely in the other corner. Persia (4) Trade Map Making for Mysticism. Peace. Give BW, swap maps. Persians are between me and the Celts!!! This could make for some interesting warfare: they are much closer to the Celts than to me. Nobody is at the north of the map. Rush shields in Isa.

525 BC: Start researching Pottery. Techrate 24 turns. Umtata settlers. Van in Zim: 94s left for LH.

500 BC: Zunguin built as another offshore colony. Van in Zimbabwé: Pyramids in 6 turns (switched from LH, LH now a bigger priority and will be soon ready in Isa with 4 vans) Rush shields in Isa and put in an entertainer. T3L0S7 for Pottery soon. Rush shields in Mpondo, Umfolozi, Ibabango.

475 BC: Isa van, starts LH. 4 vans in Isa: LH next turn. Pyramids in 5 turns for Zimbabwé. Naples built. Rush shields in Tugela, Swazi, Ulundi.

450 BC: Intombe riots, Isa builds LH. 2 loaded boats set sail in high seas. Rush shields in Bapedi.

425 BC: Ulundi van. Rush shields in Bapedi.

400 BC: Settler mines hidden special: pheasant near Ulundi. Rush shields in Umtata.

375 BC: 3 settlers, unrest. Discover Pottery: start HBR. Van. Decide to keep
building Pyramids so as to not risk losing on Pyramids: no one else has Pottery so losing HG not likely. I’ll just stomach the extra unhappiness meanwhile. Persia: Swap Writing for HBR. Give WC. peace, maps. Shields in Hlobane.

Interturn: Celtic gov’t overthrown.

350 BC: Start researching Literacy. Rush shields in Amatikulu. Swazi settlers. Zimbabwé builds Pyramids, starts HG. Celts, Persia switch to Colossus. 2 vans in Zim: 100s left for HG. Build Issos on landmass 56. Find hut on newly discovered landmass 9. Pop: AT, as expected. Cunaxa. Rush shields in Zunguin, Naples.

Interturn: Celtic monarchy.

325 BC: Nothing to note.

300 BC: Van in Zimbabwé: 37s in Zimbabwé, HG in 6 turns. Rush shields in Isa, Ngome, Tugela.

275 BC: Ibabanago riots, Elvis. Isa riots, Elvis. Hlobane settler. Rush shields in Bapedi, Tugela, Amatikulu. Tech cost 350. Ouch. I might need an SSC... maybe Hlobane? I think it is at a 3/4-special location and it has some rivers.

250 BC: Ngome settlers. Intombe settlers. Hlobane riots. Ulundi settlers. Rush shields in Umtata, Isa.

Interturn: Celts almost done with Colossus. Not switching the Pyramids to HG was, in
hindsight, a good decision.

225 BC: Zanguin, Tugela settlers. Isa riots. Cremona built on landmass 39. Cannae founded on landmass 57. I’ll stop recording rushes for now. Celts: Update maps.

Interturn: Persia develops Poly. Celts build Colossus. Persians switch to GW.

200 BC: Cunaxa riots.

175 BC: Amatikulu, Umfolozi settlers.

Interturn: Celts develop Construction, start GW.

150 BC: Naples riots. Isa builds settlers and riots. Bapedi settlers. Zimbabwé builds Hanging Gardens, and not a minute too soon! Zim celebrates. Celts: Trade Pottery for the Wheel. Persia: Swap The Wheel for Poly. Give Trade. Maps for both. T3L0S7, discoveries 12 turns. I need to get Mikes soon.

125 BC: WLTKD cancelled in Zimbabwé as city grows.

100 BC: Isipezi, Intombe settlers.

75 BC: Issos disorder, Ibabanago, Mpondo settlers. Hut: Construction. Capoue built
on landmass 9. Another hidden special mined to Silk, Mpondo gets it.

50 BC: Swazi, Hlobane settlers. Pop hut: Chivalry!!! Crap! If it keeps going that way, I’ll probably have to settle for conquest at 1500 AD.

25 BC: Ulundi settlers. Zimbabwé settlers and WLTKD. Build Turin on landmass 39. Hut: Literacy! Nicer. Hut: Engineering. If I get Invention next... and just went over 20 techs. Tech cost is 820 beakers, yeehaw. 20 turns per tech now at 70% science.

1 AD: Start researching Philosophy. Gênes built on landmass 39. Use GOTO to start sending 2 boats toward 2 enemy capitals: plan is to establish a close outpost to enemy capitols and to attack during an anarchy period from Repu to Demo, using dips to mop up. I’ll wait before 1500 AD (or maybe 1530-35 AD because we’re not playing Deity? If my gut feeling is right?) to conquer completely in order to avoid respawns. Crète, Vérone, Salamis founded, all on island 9.

Status at 1 AD:
Population: 0.76M; Cities: 27; Techs: 21; Government: Monarchy
Gold: 16; Cost: 0; Trade routes: 0D0F;
Wonders: Pyramids, LH, HG, Marco’s
Units: 19 Settlers,1 Archer, 1 Horsemen, 6 Warriors, 2 Pikemen, 7 Triremes.
Goals (500AD) Expand in landmasses 9, 39 and 51 and establish outposts near enemy capitols (or be close to it) I also want to build Mikes, at the very least. I’m planning on getting a good foothold on landmasses 9, 39 and 51 before going republic.
Celts: 6 cities, 16 techs. 301g, Monarchy, peace. They have Colossus. Currently building GW
Persia: 6 cities, 11 techs. 256g, Despo, peace. Currently building GW.


So far so good, even if tech progress is very slow, reliant on huts. Still using boats to expand and ship settlers to new lands, no ship chain in place yet.

Skip one turn...

20 AD: Cunaxa, Ngome settlers. Pop hut: INVENTION!!!

Yeah. Ouch.
Spoiler alert: the next 25 turns of my log aren't pretty.

 

[Ali Ardavan]

I started playing a couple of days ago and chose OCC, partially due to lack of real time. I am glad to see at least one other OCC out there. This is a very unusual setting and should be fun regardless of the style of play.

One strange thing that I noticed and I wonder whether any of the rest of you have also, is that the first tech cost was 12 not 10. I have never seen the first tech costing anything other than 10.

 

[Ali Ardavan]

[B]Date 	Production started	Tech started  	Other notables
[/B]
-4000							Moved west. 
-3950	Warrior 					Zimbabwe founded. Decided to play OCC.
							Rivals are Persians and Celts. 
-3900				Alphabet 
-3700	Settler 					Resource seed is 58. 
-3650							The other special is also grass covered. 
-3600							Chariot from hut. 
-3500	Expected but did not get a tech advance. My initial research cost is 12 and this is not a scenario! I have never seen the initial cost be anything but 10. Hut delayed till next turn. 
-3450				Code of Laws 		Warrior Code from hut. 
-3400							Zimbabwe  is size 2. Empty hut.
-3300							Archer from hut. 
-3200							Code of Laws from hut. 
-3150				Monarchy
-3050							Horseman from hut. 
-2750	Colossus 					Zimbabwe  back to size 1. 
							Horseman & Archer disbanded for Colossus. 
							Warrior disbanded for its support cost. 
-2700							Zimbabwe is size 2 again.
-2250							Grass mined to Pheasant

Status at -2000
City Size: 2 Government: Despotism Gold: 25 Techs: 5 Trade routes: 0
Structures:
Wonders:
Units: 1 settler, 1 Chariot
Goals: Establish Monarchy in -1850. Discover Trade. Build Marco and Colossus.
Celts: No contact
Persians: No contact

[B]Date 	Production started	Tech started  	Other notables
[/B]
-1850				Currency 		Monarchy established. T3L0S7
-1650							Zimbabwe is size 3.
-1600							Grass mined to Silk. 
-1100				Writing
-1050							T0L3S7
-1000							Zimbabwe is size 4.

Status at -1000
City Size: 4 Government: Monarchy Gold: 57 Techs: 7 Trade routes: 0
Structures:
Wonders:
Units: 1 settler, 1 Chariot
Goals: Discover Trade. Build Marco and Colossus.
Celts: No contact
Persians: No contact

[B]Date 	Production started	Tech started  	Other notables
[/B]
-0925							T1L2S7
-0900	Warrior
-0875							T3L0S7
-0850	structure
-0750	-> Library		Trade
-0700	unit
-0550	-> Caravan		Iron working
-0525							T7L1S2
-0500	Caravan					Zimbabwe is size 5. T7L2S1
-0425	Caravan
-0375							T1L2S7
-0350	Marco	
-0225	Caravan					My power is Strong, thankfully. 
	Alphabet -> Persian (5) -> peace, no tech exchange due to wonder building, no alliance
-0200				Masonry		T7L2S1
	Iron Working, Burial, Trade, Monarchy , Warrior Code -> Celt (6) -> peace, Masonry, Literacy, Republic, Pottery, Map making, no alliance, maps
-0175				-> Construction	Mapmaking, Literacy -> Persian (5)
-0150							Republic, Trade -> Persian (5) -> maps
-0125	Caravan					Pottery, Monarchy -> Persian (5)
-0100							Masonry -> Persian (5) -> no alliance
	Accepted Celtic offer of alliance by declaring war on Persians but no gifts.
-0050							Currency -> Celt (6) -> Math
-0025	Trireme
+0001						Math, Laws -> Persian (5) -> cease fire

Status at +0001
City Size: 5 Government: Monarchy Gold: 20 Techs: 16 Trade routes: 0
Structures: Library
Wonders: Colossus, Marco
Units: 1 settler, 1 warrior, 1 Chariot, 2 Caravans
Goals: Send a trireme out for establishing trade routes.
Discover Astronomy and Medicine for building Copernicus and Shakespeare.
Celts: 7 cities, 17 techs; Hanging Gardens; war with Persians, allied with me
Persians: 5 cities, 16 techs; war with Celts

 

[Inkerman]

One strange thing that I noticed and I wonder whether any of the rest of you have also, is that the first tech cost was 12 not 10. I have never seen the first tech costing anything other than 10.

I rarely pay much attention to that and didn't notice. But I was surprised when the clock showed 1010 AD in an Emperor game.

 

[Magic_gorter]

I did notice that the first tech costed 12. Don't know if it has something to do with only 2 AI players or perhaps that our keyciv is not available.....

Don't know if the techcost is affected by the number of free techs available from the start....

 

[Ali Ardavan]

I rarely pay much attention to that and didn't notice. But I was surprised when the clock showed 1010 AD in an Emperor game.

Emperor games on maps that are 6000 tiles or larger are 470 turns instead of 420 and hence you get 10 year increments between 1000 and 1500.

I did notice that the first tech costed 12. Don't know if it has something to do with only 2 AI players or perhaps that our keyciv is not available.....

Don't know if the techcost is affected by the number of free techs available from the start....

Number of techs available from start definitely has no effect. Since I rarely play with so few players in the game, I am not sure whether it has to do with the fact that we may not have had a key civ at the beginning. If I get a chance I will test it.

 

[Jokemaster]

Here is the ugly part of my log.

+20 (cont) Invention... Things are pretty much dead for me right now... stuck on 1500 AD conquest, no other reasonable choice. It ain’t going to be pretty.
Ibabanago may have been built on a special: I need to move that city.

40 AD: Cremona, Naples, Isa settlers. Lisbonne built on continent 39.

60 AD: Capoue riots, Isa riots, WLTKD cancelled in Zim. The painful phase is commencing. Hut: 50g.

80 AD: Issos. Mpondo settlers settlers

100 AD: Intombe van. Zim settlers, WLTKD. Hut: AT (Hambourg) on continent 9.
Interturn: Persians almost done with GW.

120 AD: Cannae riots. Amatikulu settlers. Tugela settlers. Build Prague on continent 39.
Interturn: Persians build GW. Celts switch to Oracle.

140 AD: Turin riots, Cunaxa riots, Swazi settlers, Isa riots, Hlobane riots, Bapedi van and riots. Another hidden special mined: Ngome gets it. Hut: Knight.

160 AD: Disorder in Gênes, Ibabanaga settlers. Population exceeds 1 million citizens. Salzbourg built on continent 9.

180 AD: Pop hut: Knight. Pop hut: 50g. Rush last settler in Ibabanago.

200 AD: Salamis riots, Cremona riots. Mpondo discovers Philosophy... Mono not available. Choose The Republic instead. Discover Republic, Start Mono. Ibabanago disbanded. Umfolozi riots.

220 AD: Crète riots. Gênes settlers. Ngome settlers. Ibabanago rebuilt one square north as Bergen. Venise built on landmass 55. Pop hut: Barbs! Darnit.
Interturn: My warrior dies to Barbs. Celts develop Math.

240 AD: Cunaxa settler, unrest. Naples unrest. Umtata van, unrest. Build Milan on landmass 51.
Interturn: Hambourg, Vérone riots, Crète settler. Zim settler, WLTKD again.

260 AD: Ghent built on continent 9.
Interturn: Persians develop IW.

280 AD: Settler built. I’ll stop reporting disorders right now. Pise built on island 51. Dublin built on homeland. Hut: AT, faraway on continent 9 (Toronto) Melbourne built on island 39. I’m finally starting to see some black hats...

300 AD: Vérone settlers and disorder. Intombe, Ulundi van. WLTKD cancelled in Zimbabwé. Persians: Give Repu, Phil, Construction and Pottery. Celts: Give Republic, swap maps.

320 AD: Salamis settlers and disorder, Zunguin settlers disorder. Pheasant mined in the square where Ibabanago used to be. Hut: 25g. Hut: 50g. SYDNEY BUILT, AT STRIKING DISTANCE FROM PASARGADES. Bring in Trireme. Zimbabwé II built on island 39. Techrate 15 turns. Slow... and still lots of time to go. Guess who’s not winning Gold star.

340 AD: Capoue settlers. Rush piker in Sydney. Ulundi II built. Bapedi II built. Black hats are starting to take over: at least there’s one good thing happening now.
Interturn: Celtic gov’t overthrown. Probably for Republic.

360 AD: 3 cities settlers. I can probably go Theo-Bank-Demo and try to scrape what I can from my game... either way, it’s going to be slow. I can say goodbye to gold star. Sydney piker, starts barracks. Hlobane II built. Isa II built. Finish mining special near Hlobane: it has 4 Silk. Obvious SSC is obvious. Hut: 50g.
Interturn: Celts almost done with Oracle. Celts switch to Republic.

380 AD: Amatikulu, Isipezi settlers. WLTKD in Zimbabwé after martial law moves in. Intombe II built. Mpondo II built. Ngome II built. Persia: Give Monarchy, Engineering. Update maps.
Interturn: Kells builds Oracle.

400 AD: Swazi II built. Pop hut: BARBS!! Right next to undefended cities in continent 9...
Interturn: My horse is killed by barbs.

420 AD: WLTKD cancelled in Zim, riot factor. Hut: 50g. Rush a piker in Bapedi II, to deal with the barbs.

440 AD: Hambourg settlers. Bapedi II piker uncovers a hut... in threat of barbs, but odds are it will be a unit, and that can help.
Interturn: Persian gov’t overthrown. Suse Persian van arrives at my outpost at
Sydney... okay! Probably not a good payout for them. Barb horse spares hut, but is in range of one of my cities... and that city is undefended. Rushed the piker in the wrong city...

460 AD: Salzburg settlers. Prague settlers. Crète settlers. Tugela settlers. Zimbabwé van, WLTKD. Hut: 25g. Fiou. Tugela II built. Umtata II built.
Interturn: Persia is a republic. Barbs take (not raze) Isa II without a demand for gold.

480 AD: Zunuguin WLTKD. Unexpected. Finally discover Monotheism: start Theology. WLTKD in Mpondo. Switch Zim to Mikes. 7 vans in Zim: 46s left. Disband 3 Pikemen and one Archer in Zimbabwé: Mikes next turn. Pop hut with Bap II pikemen: NONE crusader. It can still be useful against barbs. Switch Ghent production to Diplomat. Hut: AT (Umfolozi II) right next to Toronto. Ibabanago founded (not the original city).
Interturn: Persians start KRC.

500 AD: ZIMBABWÉ BUILDS MIKES. Finally. My game is crap right now. I can finally revolt next turn to Republic. And then, fast-forward to an immature Demo and hope to scrape something from this. Unload settler 2 squares away from Cardiff.

Status at 500 AD:
Population: 2.01M; Cities: 51; Techs: 25; Government: Monarchy
Gold: 16; Cost: 0; Trade routes: 0D1F;
Wonders: Pyramids, LH, HG, Marco’s, Mikes
Units: 31 Settlers, 5 Warriors, 10 Pikemen, 15 Triremes, 3 explorers on horseback, 1 dip, 1 van.
Goals (1000AD) Not a good way to play. I want to switch to Republic in 2 turns (revolt next turn) and celebrate what I can, then build JS Bach and gun for Democracy and celebrate then. I’ll rely on JSB to combat the trireme unhappiness. I’ll also maybe start some limited trade, although I think conquering both enemy capitols between anarchy between Repu and Demo and following up with dips is the best way to go. I also want to finish expansion in landmasses 9, 39 and 51.

One outpost is founded, the other will be founded next turn. Cardiff defended by 3 units, no walls. Pasargades by 2 units and has the GW wonder. I’ll need vets for both, or at least for Pasargades.

Celts: 6 cities, 18 techs. (Math I don’t have) 490g, Republic, peace. They have Colossus and Oracle. Persia: 7 cities, 18 techs. (IW I don’t have) 449g, Republic, peace. They have GW. Currently building KRC.

This is when it turned ugly. I had a good city base, but most of them were far from my capitol and would be difficult to make celebrate in Republic. During this period, I also started to put together my ship chain, thinking for some limited trade. I was not expecting trade to be good with the too-early Invention... but the few vans that went through did help speed up my rush for Democracy

 

[Ali Ardavan]

[B]Date 	Production started	Tech started  	Other notables[/B]
+0040	Temple					Trireme sets sail with 2 caravans aboard
+0100						Celts give me their first gift: Mysticism
+0120						Revolution started.
+0140	Marketplace				Republic established. Warrior disbanded.
						Celts -> horseback riding. T4L4S2
						Horseback riding -> Persian -> peace
+0160						Zimbabwe celebrates. 	
+0180						Zimbabwe is size 6.
+0200						Zimbabwe is size 7. T2L6S2. Celt -> 50g
+0220						Zimbabwe is size 8. T0L3S7. Celt -> 50g	
+0240						T0L2S8. Celt -> 100g
+0260	Caravan					Celts develop Philosophy and Astronomy							
						Celt -> Philosophy
+0280						Celt -> Astronomy. T8L2S0
+0300	Caravan					Celt -> 100g
+0320	Caravan					
+0340	Caravan					Celt -> 50g. 
						Philosophy -> Persian -> Construction
+0360						Construction -> Celt -> 50g
+0380 Caravan					T4L2S4	
+0400	Copernicus	-> Bridge Building	
+0480						T2L2S6. Celt -> 50g
+0500	Aqueduct				T0L2S8. Caravans land in Persia

Status at +0500
City Size: 8 Government: Republic Gold: 162 Techs: 21 Trade routes: 0
Structures: Library, Marketplace, Temple
Wonders: Colossus, Marco, Copernicus
Units: 1 settler, 1 Chariot, 1 Trireme, 2 Caravans
Goals: Establish trade routes. Discover Medicine and Sanitation for Shakespeare and Sewer.
Celts: 7 cities, 21 techs; Hanging Gardens; war with Persians, allied with me
Persians: 5 cities, 19 techs; Great Library; war with Celts

[B]Date 	Production started	Tech started  	Other notables[/B]
+0560	Caravan		Medicine		Hides to Persian Susa for 420.
+0580	Caravan					
+0600	Caravan					Zimbabwe is size 9. 
+0620	Caravan		Seafaring		Bridge Building -> Celt -> Seafaring, 100g
						Hides to Persepolis for 490.
+0640	Caravan		-> University		
+0660	Caravan
+0680	Caravan		Theory of Gravity
+0700	Caravan					Celt -> 50g
+0720	Shakespeare
+0760						Celt -> 50g
+0800						T0L3S7
+0820	University		Wheel		Zimbabwe celebrates 
+0840						Zimbabwe is size 10. Celt -> 50g
+0860						Zimbabwe is size 11
+0880						Zimbabwe is size 12. Temple sold. T2L0S8
+0940	Caravan					Celt -> 50g
+0960	structure		Engineering	Polytheism from hut on island 39.
						Wheel -> Persian
+0980 -> Bank					Wheel -> Celt -> Banking, 50g
+1000						2 barbarian horsemen from hut. 
						Chariot kills one.

Status at +1000
City Size: 12 Government: Republic Gold: 22 Techs: 29 Trade routes: 2
Structures: Library, Marketplace, Aqueduct, University
Wonders: Colossus, Marco, Copernicus, Shakespeare
Units: 1 settler, 1 Chariot, 1 Trireme, 4 Caravans
Goals: Establish third trade route. Discover Sanitation followed by Refrigeration.
Celts: 9 cities, 25 techs; Hanging Gardens; war with Persians, allied with me
Persians: 6 cities, 23 techs; Great Library; war with Celts

 

[Ali Ardavan]

This is when it turned ugly. I had a good city base, but most of them were far from my capitol and would be difficult to make celebrate in Republic.

Republic is hardly worthwhile without the ability to celebrate. With a capital stuck in a corner of the map, I often forgo Republic altogether and switch to Democracy.