This my first GOTM, so I chose Conquest this time, as I have never played on Deity before.
I moved both my settlers two tiles before I settled them, one NW, NW, the other SE, SE, so that one town had the cow, the other the wines. I did not explore very well, so I didn't really choose the places for my next towns deliberately, it rather was the only land I knew. By sheer luck, however, I managed to get 4 luxuries - wine, then silks, then furs, then incense- but to do so, I had to build some towns which overlapped with Greek and Carthaginian ones. In fact, some did not even have access to all the 9 basic tiles.
I stopped expansion when I had 8 towns, because there was no more land I considered useful nearby.
I researched in the following order: Iron Working, Mathematics, Code of Laws, Literature, Republic. On both Iron Working and Mathematics I got a monopoly which allowed me to catch up in tech (and the first also to trade for the contacts I lacked - Spain, China and Babylon). Code of Laws wasn't as good a choice, but at least I did not fall further behind, as I managed to get it around the same time as the other civs, though a few turns later. After the research and trading of Literature, only Polytheism was left to reach the Middle Ages. Once Carthage and Babylon got it, I traded for it with my luxuries and gold. My research for Republic still continued in the Middle Ages.
I got Monotheism as free tech and was able to trade for Feudalism, which was Babylon's free tech. Greece got Monotheism, too.
Concerning war: Greece started a war against China around the time I had settled six of my eight cities, but China is really weak in my game. It is last in score even behind me. Then, Greece chose to fight against Carthage, too.
I joined the war against China because I was able to get Map Making for free by signing a military alliance with Greece. The Greeks also dragged Babylon in, but broke their alliances after less than ten turns; I guess the war against Carthage was enough for them. After that, I also made peace with China again.
Then, I made my own miserable attempt at war. I had five swordsmen and six catapults and declared war on the Greeks. It was basically a very useless war; the most important turn was perhaps the first one - when I captured some unprotected Greek workers. Beside that, I killed some Greek archers, lost three swordsmen and pillaged some improvements in the territory of the Greeks. I also lost one defender (=spearman), but no town.
Greece signed a military alliance against me - with China, still last place in score, with only two towns, and already at war against Babylon, which dragged Spain (score leading!) in around the same time as Greece signed that alliance. (I never saw, yet fought against a Chinese unit and easily made peace with them again as soon as they were willing to negotiate.)
Having realised I could not capture a single town with my few troops, I tried to pillage as much as possible before Greece was willing to accept a peace treaty without me paying anything. That happened shortly after I had entered the Middle Ages.
Throughout the Ancient Age, I was threatened twice, first by Greece (map and 20 gold) [which was actually one reason why I chose Greece as my first opponent in war later], later by Spain (Literature). To the latter I didn’t give in, because Spain was further away than Greece and it proved to be an empty threat, anyway.
Concerning wonders: I built none. The Pyramids & the Colossus were built in Babylon, the Oracle is located in Athens, the Great Lighthouse in Carthage.
The screenshot shows my empire at 1000 BC, only a few turns before the Middle Ages. I'm still at war with Greece then.
I moved both my settlers two tiles before I settled them, one NW, NW, the other SE, SE, so that one town had the cow, the other the wines. I did not explore very well, so I didn't really choose the places for my next towns deliberately, it rather was the only land I knew. By sheer luck, however, I managed to get 4 luxuries - wine, then silks, then furs, then incense- but to do so, I had to build some towns which overlapped with Greek and Carthaginian ones. In fact, some did not even have access to all the 9 basic tiles.
I stopped expansion when I had 8 towns, because there was no more land I considered useful nearby.
I researched in the following order: Iron Working, Mathematics, Code of Laws, Literature, Republic. On both Iron Working and Mathematics I got a monopoly which allowed me to catch up in tech (and the first also to trade for the contacts I lacked - Spain, China and Babylon). Code of Laws wasn't as good a choice, but at least I did not fall further behind, as I managed to get it around the same time as the other civs, though a few turns later. After the research and trading of Literature, only Polytheism was left to reach the Middle Ages. Once Carthage and Babylon got it, I traded for it with my luxuries and gold. My research for Republic still continued in the Middle Ages.
I got Monotheism as free tech and was able to trade for Feudalism, which was Babylon's free tech. Greece got Monotheism, too.
Concerning war: Greece started a war against China around the time I had settled six of my eight cities, but China is really weak in my game. It is last in score even behind me. Then, Greece chose to fight against Carthage, too.
I joined the war against China because I was able to get Map Making for free by signing a military alliance with Greece. The Greeks also dragged Babylon in, but broke their alliances after less than ten turns; I guess the war against Carthage was enough for them. After that, I also made peace with China again.
Then, I made my own miserable attempt at war. I had five swordsmen and six catapults and declared war on the Greeks. It was basically a very useless war; the most important turn was perhaps the first one - when I captured some unprotected Greek workers. Beside that, I killed some Greek archers, lost three swordsmen and pillaged some improvements in the territory of the Greeks. I also lost one defender (=spearman), but no town.
Greece signed a military alliance against me - with China, still last place in score, with only two towns, and already at war against Babylon, which dragged Spain (score leading!) in around the same time as Greece signed that alliance. (I never saw, yet fought against a Chinese unit and easily made peace with them again as soon as they were willing to negotiate.)
Having realised I could not capture a single town with my few troops, I tried to pillage as much as possible before Greece was willing to accept a peace treaty without me paying anything. That happened shortly after I had entered the Middle Ages.
Throughout the Ancient Age, I was threatened twice, first by Greece (map and 20 gold) [which was actually one reason why I chose Greece as my first opponent in war later], later by Spain (Literature). To the latter I didn’t give in, because Spain was further away than Greece and it proved to be an empty threat, anyway.
Concerning wonders: I built none. The Pyramids & the Colossus were built in Babylon, the Oracle is located in Athens, the Great Lighthouse in Carthage.
The screenshot shows my empire at 1000 BC, only a few turns before the Middle Ages. I'm still at war with Greece then.
Payed all AI demands and watch Cath, Chinese and Bab take on Greeks. Greeks are the most powerfull and will be my target too. Some day but not now. They have at least 1 army.
Going for Feud and then Chivlary.
