GOTM 51 Spoiler

[Peaster]

Starting from one settler at Prince level, this seemed pretty relaxed compared to GOTM50. I decided to experiment and play for GOTM score rather than my usual goal, early conquest. It was enjoyable, but this style of play does not seem as dramatic to me as EC.

Opening: I used the size 1 trick, and aimed for fast ICS growth with no improvements, and a minimal number of units for defense. Somehow, I miscounted my beakers and had to wait til 1850BC for monarchy. In 1600BC I had 6 cities and research shifted from trade to maps.

Middle: I built Pyr and LH by 550BC, with 16 cities and Mfg = 64s/t. I wasn't sure I wanted any other wonders, but I always feel lost without MPE (built it in 300BC) and decided to go for HG when the first riots occured in 325BC; with 21 cities.

End: I played a delayed EC strategy, and sent out flotillas from about 300BC to 1AD, conquering the Babs and Viks in 20-30AD. I kept the Persians as pets until 170AD, while building trophy-wonders, and using any excess food vans for growth. The lux bar helped with the citizen score, but not nearly as much as in GOTM50.

I think I could have raised my score a little by playing longer, but there were no Wonders waiting to be built, and no super-techs on the horizon [I was working on monotheism].

170AD: 55 cities, 9 wonders, Mfg = 204s/t.

 

[EmperorGandalf]

I used my usual strategy of EXPANDING! i quickly filled up the little continent, waiting a little too long to get boats (oh well, at least my waiting settlers worked some land, which helped later in the game, and helped my technological superiority) I filled up lots of little islands, two cities taken by the barbarians, peace with babalonians and persians, ( i should have killed the babalonians while i still could, theyre so advanced now someone please kill them for me) and war with vikings (bad idea: they seem to have liked war techs) It is now about 1400 AD, im not going to end the game soon, but i have so many cities that the comp ran out of greek names, and has started using other names (yes im sure, unless "Naples" is a greek city, which i am very certain is not) and ive taken three viking cities. i have most wonders, especially imporntant ones like pyramids, leonardo, whatever one pays for little buildings. Babalonians unfortunately got darwin (need i remind you to KILL THEM!!!). I have nice techs like conscription, railroad, industrialization, democracy, and communism (im now a democracy) have mostly size 7-20 cities, and am still expanding. I am removing all that EVIL FOUL ANNOYING SWAMPLAND that happens to be everywhere, have nice railroad connections.
Also, something interesting, i have noticed that the map looks extremely like a very very very heavily flooded Europe. Could this be a coincidence?
This has been a great GotM so far, but i really want to see more like GotM 50 (of course there should be a variety) and i was really happy that there were only 3 other civs, that i had a continent to myself (aaah, how nice) and that the other civs, excluding vikings, had tiny continents. (the AI doesnt know how to use ships very well for expanding)
I will write more later as my game goes on.

 

[geofelt]

I finished in ad1220 with a spotless reputation; my usual personal challenge. At the end, I was growing population at 15% per turn, but I got tired of continuing. I understand that delaying the end is not worth it unless your population will increase by more than 3%. --true?--
At the end, I had captured Trondheim, but did not know where the last two cities were. I got peace, gave the viking gunpowder, navigation, and some other techs. In return, they shared world maps. I promptly sent out some diplomats to bribe away the last two cities.
the moral: Beware Greeks bearing gifts.

 

[Peaster]

@geofelt: Ali has made a chart of the percentage increase you need each turn to stay even (see the thread "How to increase your GOTM score"). This refers to your total Civ2 score, including citizens, wonders, etc. For a Prince/Normal game the figure is about 1.5%.

I am curious about your 15% growth rate - was that a short-term spurt from celebrating, or what?

 

[EmperorGandalf]

Everyone seems to be finishing so early! I suppose my strategy takes a while, and im not used to playing quick games, i can never figure out to do wars early in the game. could someone give any tips as to how to do it? all the ancient units are so slow, and its hard to get a tech advantage early (although now im getting some more modern units, such as riflemen, cruisers and destroyers, and crusaders, while AI only have phalanx or pikemen (and a couple of musketeers; grr they stole powder from me!)

 

[la fayette]

If Elephant starts making GOTMs instead of playing them and if Peaster starts playing for score instead of early conquest, it should become easier to get a green star (nicht wahr, Grigor ?).

Anyway I hoped to be able to manage a BC conquest ... and it worked (Monarchy at 2250 and Marco at 625, only wonder built ).

 

[URUWASHI]

I started to play the game ( # 51 )...and I like the idea that I got from some great player ( Ali ) , he keeps a log..I have been trying to incorporate a log into the program...not an easy task.
I have talked to some friends that are into programming ....they said it is feasable.....but....

Anyhow..I just played # 51 until 500 AC or so ( If I didnt have a log it will be over allready....I love to take a 5 minute break between turns and write about it , my game has improved because I am taking my time...) and I found a great trick...please let me know if you have ever notice this....:
Since I kept a log ...every move, I have a World Pad file open , so I write any event that is important even when I built a city I keep note of the location.....now , this is what I have never noticed....
The greeks ( OUR Greeks ) are in this Island/Continent....for instance I am sure we all build Athens in the same spot...since it was just one Settler...now..right click that spot where Athens is and you will get a number ( Location, followed by 2 numbers , x and y , AND a third number...Athens is Located in my game at 18 , 44 ) ( 18 left to right , 44 Top to bottom ) then the number is followed by an 18....the 3rd number is the continent number !!
Click in any spot in Babylonia Island and the number will be 28....
Click any tile in the Ocean and the last number will be 1....
In other words ,each landmass has a number , regardless if it is a 1 tile island ..or a 120 tile supercontinent..... it is a way to find IF the unexplored landmass, that you just discovered is just a tiny island or a gigantic continent.... ( Long as you have another landmass nearby...?? ) , the AI counts from right to left, then repeats the process...an island / Continent located on the lower bottom of the map will have the higher number...I found that it can be very usefull when sending explorers, diplomats...

Anyhow..I am just doing the opposite of what I usually do .....trying to get into the semi-fast conquest..Babylonians Gone ,( one city left ..LOcated ) looking for the last 2 Viking cities...and will take on my allies ( Persians, I ally with them because I needed the MAP....LOL they only have 5 cities , I will conquer them in a turn or two )... I could finish the game in 800-900...most players will do that,( Early Conquest ) so I am going for that then I will leave one city left from my last opponent ( Maybe a Persian City ) and play another 30-60 turns in Democracy.....build as many wonders as I can since I do not have the manual to build the Space ship.....LOL , long as I earn +3% of points a turn I will be fine....( never been able to build one , do not know the correct amount of parts....guess , should have never got rid of the instruction book ), otherwise I have to wait for another 30 days to get a new game !!!!!!
GEE the last challenge game 50 was a brain drainer... ,in fact after game 50 ..we should get 4 games at Prince level, one a week !!!!!
...or one Monthly game at Deity level..... Game 51... seems like stealing candy from my grand-son...LOL
Good Luck ALL

 

[la fayette]

What you describe is called "black-clicking".
I am one of those who never do that, even when it is not forbidden by the rules ( = unfair, spoils the scouting part of the game).

 

[URUWASHI]

La Fayette , what is Black -clicking ??
Steroids are not OK but some players do that in Baseball..And I think is wrong....not fair play......
I wanna play a fair game , what did or what am I doing wrong ??
Playing a longer game ?? Leaving one city from one of the AI opponents and using time to play longer ?? It took me several turns to find 2 Viking cities...in fact the SOB's built a 3rd city !!!!!! Westness.....
In other games , I have look for a city, the LAST city for many , many turns....
In game 49 , I was ready to crush the English and finish the game when I took the last city known at the time , was ANOTHER city that they have built and took me over 25/30 turns to find it !!
A city just by the coast , not far from my cities...that my ships had pass by several times...guess a Settler " Scaped " and built this city......
As I am saying Its not the way it may end IF I know where all the opposition is.
According to Peaster , every turn you lose a percent of your points..In fact I played a few games after I end it , to check what the parabol was...and yes, Its a constant pretty much you will get some points , but lose some more..each turn.
In any event.....I still have some game left to play...unfortunantly is just the beguinning of the MONTH!!!!!
What am I gonna do the next 3 weeks ??

Good Luck everyone

 

[Ali Ardavan]

....for instance I am sure we all build Athens in the same spot...since it was just one Settler...

Not necessarily. I did not build Athens on the original spot but rather one tile to the Northwest. The one turn delay in building my city is, in my opinion, worth the two extra specials (1 whale, 1 fish) I will gain once I reveal the black covering them at the begining of the game.

 

[la fayette]

La Fayette , what is Black -clicking ??

1) Black-clicking is clicking in the black (the area that you haven't explored yet).
Many people do that when it is allowed. I don't. But you are perfectly free to play as you like.

2) About finding a small city, hidden somewhere you don't know where:
if you explore with an unit that is not a NONE unit, you can have a look at the city screen of the city where that unit was built. Click on the picture of your unit to the left: it tells you "near ..." (referring to the city closest to your unit). It helps you spot the unknown city faster than just wandering around.

 

[geofelt]

@peaster; I had prepared for celebration, and was in the middle of it with most cities growing. It seemed to me that I was adding pop at about a 15% rate. I think I could have continued for 6-10 more turns. I like Statue-of -liberty. I build infrastructure under fundamentalism or communism, then switch to democracy to celebrate, and then repeat the cycle.

 

[URUWASHI]

La Fayette: I was talking about finding that all discovered land has a number
after ( x , y ) n ....I appreciate your trick about undiscoverd territory....but thats was not was I talking about ...
Please read my post again, I figured that EACH land mass has a number...) I.E. Discovered Land Mas ) ..never had any ideas of clicking on the " black " spots, I guess that it may help some people ..Im not much of a Sailor unless I have a Carvel....LOL

Gandalf : I am pretty much in the same boat as you are, learning as I go about fast conquest...I learned to play the game ..Deity level ..against 7 civs ....Archipelago....etc..etc...so Fast conquest was never something I dream about...( sure...... try to conquest the Babylonians..and the Vikings against other 4 civs at Deity level..NOt a good chance !! ) , so I guess we have the same M.O...build the defenses , build the infrastructure ...then ..you attack....
I learn that in some of the GOTM , you have to look at the level ....
Prince Level , 3 civs ???? The Quick Conquest is very feasible... Geee, do not even build a Wonder....just use the Mongol STrategy from CIV 1 , create 8 or more cities , Barracks, Triremes and Elephants ...and Attack!!
I am guessing ( I could have finish game 51 by 800...but decided to keep the Babylonians as Pets in this small Island ) and go for the Points...
Right now I am in 1300 , Democracy..( Want to finish by 1500 with 300 GOTM poins...)
I debated about going for the Quick conquest ....and figuered that I could end the game by 400-450 AC in less than an hour ( again Prince Level , 3 civs ...)...so what am I doing the rest of the month ????? LOL
After I finish my game , I will play the quick conquest ..just for fun

Anyhow Gang !! Have Fun!!

 

[EmperorGandalf]

My game has been going along, its about 1600, and ive decided its time for me to go full war production. ive almost stopped building cities, and practically all of my cities are size 12+, with a lot over size 20 (i just love the celebrating under democracy! ) I have discovered a lot of production techs, and Mobile warfare, my usual cue to begin world conquest. the opposition still only has gunpowder, persians still having phalanxes, while i am making tanks and already have transports and artillery. i can make at least one military unit each turn, and have taken Babylon and whatever the viking capital is (oh how i miss the civil wars in Civ1, theyd be useful now) Once i get enough units, the world will tremble at my power. im definately going to do better that gotm 50 (although i found that one interesting) and am going to have a higher score and actually beat the AI (last time the chinese built the spaceship)
one thing that helped greatly was starting on one of the larger continents and discovering i needed boats early. Im still not going to do too well compared to some of you, but as always it was fun and im learning alot.

 

[EmperorGandalf]

Wow that was fun. i just finished, about 1750 AD. I completely annihalated my enemies, not caring about my reputation or my democratic form of govt. i rush-built cure, boosted luxuries up to 100%, and let the people party, and agter i destroyed ememies, i disbanded stray units. this was one of my best games since i got a new computer (ive had better games) getting into my high scores list, with a civilization rating of 90-something percent! (i think it was 91, 93, or 97%) the powergraph (how is that thing calculated?) showed me way above the others the whole game, and at least twice as powerful as the others! I feel a bit more confident of myself now, and i cant wait for the next Gotm, as usual.

 

[Stegyre]

480 A.D. Conquest victory. A nice, easy game to practice conquest.

 

[Tanstaafl]

610 AD Conquest and should have been shorter if I had explored south and west to find the Babylonians. Nice to have a quick game after the fantastic but very long, and involved play of GOTM50. I never turned in a score for 50 because I never finished it.
Thanks, Duke, for the fun and challenges.

 

[grigor]

I am looking for the Green Star this month.

A lean game with only one wonder (MPE in 975BC).

Conquest in x50BC.

X is one of the the digits of LaFayette's age.

 

[Peaster]

Last I heard, there was only one digit in La Fayette's age, and it was not a 0, 1 or 2. So, that sounds like a pretty tough date to beat. I wonder if you used your ideas from the previous Prince-GOTM (49, or so).

 

[grigor]

Yes, I used some of my experience from my replays of GOTM 49 to decide tech order and strategy. At Prince level, no happiness control is required. I got one fortunate early nomad from a hut (3050BC) but was otherwise not particularly lucky or unlucky.

I built a warrior and then used the size 1 settler plan. After Maps, I explored and found the Persians and Vikings, trading maps, allowing detachments of triremes to their virgin shores before Trade. I didn't find the Babylonians until MPE, but I had two loaded triremes ready.

Tech Path:
1 Alph
2 CoL
3 CB (with BW as an opening tech it is first in alphabetical order)
4 Monarchy (2450)
5 Maps
6 Curr (no HB offered)
7 HB
8 Poly (1450 BC)
9 Writing (no Trade offered)
10 Pottery from hapless Persians
11 Trade (925 BC, after )
--science set to Zero.

MPE in 850BC (I remembered wrong on last night's post)

I was trying for 1000BC, but didn't get the spectacular hut luck required.