GOTM 41 Spoiler

[Old n Slow]

A) I can't believe that this hasn't been started yet.

B) I can't believe that I'm starting this (reasons follow...)

C) (The thought occurs to me that maybe there was a concerted effort to see if we could play a GOTM without comments...well, sorry, I was kept out of the loop.)

I decided to go ahead & try this month's game as a One City Challenge due to my RL time constraints this month (and the first week of next month.) My nutshell comment -- glad I got out of this game alive!

Tried something new -- and I don't recommend it at all. Wandered and searched for a grand OCC start & settled (ahem) promptly (choke) at 2450 BC. Hit five huts along the way getting three None Archers and two None horses. The site had two Whales and a Buffalo (not Elephant's optimal location, but workable.)

-2250 -- discover Alpha
-2100 -- Hut = Horse (supported -- heading home for future disbanding)
-1850 -- Pop out a Settler for road work
-1750 -- discover CB
-1550 -- disband above horse towards a temple (don't need any more units and nothing else is available.)
-1150 -- Hut = Archer 9supported; also heading home for future shields)
-1050 -- discover BW
-750 -- discover Code
-500 -- disband supported Archer for shields
-375 -- discover Monarchy (revolt next turn, Monarchy the turn following.)
-275 -- Bejing is now at size three -- merge Settler back in (everything is roaded & irrigated.)
-175 -- Complete Colossus
-150 -- discover map (having walked over the entire rock by some time ago, we decided to get Map sooner vs. later.)
1 AD saved a very dismal game situation.
40 -- Discover currency 9traveling boat shows that this is only a three special spot...ARGH!)
100 -- (Vikes start Pyr)
160 -- BJ completes a Market
180 -- discover Trade
240 -- Now at size 6 with 10 shields per turn (max for a loooong while as long as there are no units to support.)
280 -- Hut = Horse (supported -- sent home for dismemberment)
360 -- discover Write
540 -- discover Myst
560 -- complete Marco Polo -- and stop play for a week + to reappear with fresh eyes for the great trading round... 10 techs going in...

-------------------------------
and after meeting and greeting we end up with all but one map (Vikes cut the talks short as they are Wonder building; never did get their map), another 13 techs and three alliances.

 

[ElephantU]

I was kind of curious how long we could go without a Spoiler - although Mangor's comment kind of turned the main thread into one.

I settled around 3750bc after popping the first hut for a Horse. I'm also going OCC, but shooting for Conquest rather than Spaceship. My play up to AD1 was generic OCC, though: Monarchy/Trade/Philosophy/Republic, WLTCD to size 8, pop a Settler to Road and Irrigate, build Marco Polo for tech gifting, maps and alliances, get TRs with nearest civ ASAP, and beg beg beg for gold gold gold. I also got 3 alliances from Marco Polo. An odd occurance that seems to confirm AI "omniscience": when I first got the Vikings map, it looked like they sent a couple units due south to try to take out the Mongols (whom they should not have known were on their very large island...). The attempt failed, but there was a bee-line trail from one civ to the other.

One observation, though: did the selection of AI civs seem skewed toward the bloodthirsty side?

 

[Old n Slow]

...One observation, though: did the selection of AI civs seem skewed toward the bloodthirsty side?

A touch, although the Carts were very nice to me almost all game long. I received a gift from them after giving them Ind mid to late in the game (I wasn't seeking them out, but when conversation happens...)

But rather than looking at the selection as bloody, I'd rather view the chosen ai's as "early threats" as opposed to later ones.

 

[SlowThinker]

My first GOTM finished.
No OCC, no OC conquest... I played an ordinary conquest, simply because I never finished it with a non-scenario game yet.
The strategy was to build a strong economy: up to Trade I played ICS (monarchy 1450 BC, trade 900 BC), in 825 BC I built MPE and had about 20 cities. Then I stopped building new cities and started to trade with Mongols and Japanese. I wanted to conquer all civs simultaneously.
The problem was to synchronize
1) expeditions to Carthage and Vikingland
2) economy building
so that I have just enough economic forces to rushbuy all 4 armies at the moment I reach Carthage and Vikingland.
Unfortunately I sent ships to Carthage and Vikingland too late (650 and 550 BC) and so I was rolling in money when expeditions reached targets. I finished 40 AC, but with better timing of expeditions I could probably finish in BC years.
I didn't take care about score, only turned luxuries up at the game end.

 

[grigor]

Well, since it appears that I have the high score this month, here is my log. I almost abandoned this game when excessive hut-popping delayed Monarchy until 1000 BC!. THis was a build early and stomp strategy:

GOTM 41 June 2004

Chinese, only 5 civs, No Science, Restarts off. A strange big map with lots of islands. Initial plan: a conquest game, with MPE for location of enemies, LH for getting there, and eventually HG. This time I will try the Elephant rush rather than chivalry. It is one tech earlier. Are barracks necessary? How many?
Tech order: HB, CB, CoL, Alph, Mon. We can take exactly one hut tech.


4000BC Hut: No specials! Lots of Grassland. One hut - must pop. Only one settler means size 1 stategy is preferable. Hut: Chariot. Explore for a while before folding back into Beijing for a size 1 settler.
3950 move south to road grassland
3900*roading
3850 hut: HB. so far so good.
3750 Beijing founded on Canal Site.
3700* researching CB
3500* Whale found, hut spied.
3450 hut: WC. No patience! Not the best, but still OK. we have the 3rd row. No more huts till Monarchy.
3300* work forest one turn.
3250 Disband Chariot into Beijing
3200 Size 1 settler.
3150 Beijing size 2. working Forest and road.
3050 Shanghai founded on canal.
2900*CB=>Alph
2700*Beijing: Settlers. Gets to new site in 1 turn, justifying the road!
2650 Canton founded
2550 1st row PRB in Canton and Beijing
2400 Shanghai: Settlers. Will build one road.
2350 PRB 2nd row in Beijing
2300* Alph=>CoL
2200 Pheasant found. Should be a 2-special site near - not worth it to wait - found now.
2150 Nanking founded.
2050 Beijing: Settlers. Going for northern coast.
2000 Buy settlers in Canton. 4 cities, 1 settler. 4 techs, CoL soon.

Should we start a wonder? Barracks? after Monarchy we need 2 more techs at least until trade (the off tech is map making), so beginning work for caravans doesn't make much sense yet. Some horses for defense would be a good idea. After the next round of settlers we will think about it.

1950 Canton: Settlers. Starting Barracks (all those forests...)
1850 Tsingdao founded.
1800 Shanghai: Settlers
1750 Code of Laws=>Maps Xinjean founded
1600 Chengdu founded
1550 Nanking: settlers
1450 Hangchow (8th city) founded by the southern whale.
1400 Maps=>Monarchy (10)
1300* Canton: barracks.
1250 Beijing: Settlers. Starts trireme. This settler does road work.
1150 Shanghai: Trireme
1100* Tsingdao: settlers. starts trireme
1050 Canton - vet horse, going east.
1000 Monarchy=>Poly Xinjian: settlers.

975 Nanking: settlers. Tientsin founded on 2-special site
950* Revolution
925 Gov: Monarchy. 5-turn science.
900 hut: Tatung on southern island.
875 Chengdu: Settlers Hut: eastern horse.
850* Poly=>Bronze. Time to build an army.
825 Macao on southern island. Shanghai: Elephant
800 Anyang founded
775 Beijing: trireme (2) Hut: Shantung (13)
750* CHinan founded. Hut: eastern horse.
725 Bronze=>Curr
700 Tientsin: settlers. Kaifeng (14) founded
675 Barbs appear in the east (chariot kills an exploring horse) Ningpo (3rd city on southern island)
650*Tsingtao: Settlers
625 Chengdu: Barracks (2) Curr=>Trade (5 turns. Time to prepare caravans.
600 remaining chariot killed.
575 Macao: Settlers
525 Trade=>Pottery. A loaded trireme finds an island in the north.
500 16 Cities

475 Horse and Ellie find a larger island. Science down to 50-50-0
425 Mongols found on North Island!. War... 2 ellies fail to raze Nishapur. One makes vet.
400 something attacks outside Nishapur and fails! Shanghai in disorder - I guess the first wonder will be HG. Nishapur captured - lots of tech - we take Construction. Hut: 50g Paoting founded on Mongol isle
350* Karakorum found. give WC for Peace (for now...) (a few vet ellies are coming on our sort-of-ship chain)
325 Shanghai builds HG
300 Japanese start Colossus. Break treaty, take Karakorum (Myst)
275 Mongols attack Legion - makes Vet. Bokhara razed - Engineering. Mongol elephant: hmm, they have Poly
175 Mongols break cease fire, kill Ellie and Legion. Nanking builds LH. Revamp shipchain to mongols.
150*Pay barbs 50g. Seaf->Writ Samarkand razed (wheel)
125 Aleppo razed (Masonry)
100 Science put higher
75 Tabriz razed. Getting close.
50* Kashgar razed, 44g, Mongols destroyed. Japanese found
25 Kyoto builds colossus. Status report:

23 Cities, 18 techs, researching Writing. We have HG, LH. Japanese have colossus. MPE is at least 4 turns away. We have found the Japanese and are close to having a shipchain to them (we need 6 ships, all in production). We plan to hold up our attack until we have 8 vet ellies.

20AD Writing=>Lit. Cremona founded on Japanese island
40 * Japanese horse appears. Trade construction and wheel for Iron working. Peace.
60 Japanese take Cremona...
80 Japanese: give Seaf for peace. Beijing completes MPE. Vikes: peace, give Constr, Maps. They have only one city. Trade maps. Tribute: 150g! Carts: gove IW, WC, COnst for peace, maps. Japanese: get their maps. they have 710 gold, so taking cities will be profitable.
120* Japanese - War.
140 Edo razed.
160 Osaka razed.
200* Kagoshima captured (102g)
240 hut: barbs
260 Kyoto captured (Colossus) Nagoya subverted (158g)
280* Nagasaki subverted. Izumo captured
340 Lit=>Phil Trondheim captured - Vikes destroyed Rest. Japs could be out next turn. The ship chain needs to be re-positioned to the last victims - Carthage. There is a trireme in Hangchow to be loaded with the near Ellie. Republic and growth is a serious possibility soon.

360* Nara subverted 288g (+172g). Satsuma subverted, 63g (+47) Japanese destroyed.


440* hut: 100g
500 Finally get positioned for the Carthaginians

520* Leptis Parva subverted. Carthage conquered. Science set higher.
540 Utica destroyed. Carts: give lots of science, trade maps...
560 Caralis conquered.
600 * Status report: Should it be victory this turn, or revolt to Republic and Grow for a few turns. Oh - we don't have republic!! OK, it's the finish now. Lux to 70%
620 Chengdu builds Pyramids, which is the eventual score difference between me and Slow Thinker New Beijing founded. Hut: 50g. Take Panormus, game over.

Citizens: 247
Achievements: 120
Barbs: +25
Bonus: 1140

Civ rating 91%
Mao the Fair

 

[mangor420]

40 a.d well done slow thinker