GOTM #6 - So how did we all do?

[Kev]

OK, As the results are being processed, I thought it would be interesting to read how everyone ended up finishing GOTM#6. As it's still August 2nd while I'm writing this, I'll refrain from exact scoring.

Like many, I had issues with the terrain and expansion in the beginning (with the Vikings in the middle of everything), and that slowed everything down for me. I was slow to map making, slow to get trade routes running, and slow to getting to my rivals as well. With a protracted war with the Celts, it further delayed my finish, and it took forever to get through the crappy terrain around the Aztecs that they never developed for me

Well, in the end my Civ score was pretty decent, but I didn't finish until the early 1900's. That's gonna hurt my GOTM score- especially with the speed-demons in this group.

I actually was getting pretty bored toward the end, and I was in a rush because I had left the game unfinished while playing a new game (Baldur's Gate II - Throne of Bhaal). The last 5 or so turns I kept my finger on the space bar when my units were activated and kept my finger on the return key when it went through my cities.

All in all, it was a challenge to be sure which I liked. While I doubt I'm even close to medal-worthy this month, I did enjoy the challenge.

How did the rest of you do?

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Diplomacy - the art of
saying "Good Doggie"
until you can find a rock

 

[Duke of Marlbrough]

Unfortunately, August 2nd came too quickly for me. If I had another few hours to play I could be done properly. As is it I'll just slam in the last wonder, finish off what cities I can and put it to rest.

I must say that for this being my first game where I covered the map and used freight, I did better than I thought I would. I am in the mid 1870's and would need about 5 more turns to build my SS. As it stands right now, I have around 4000 points, 109 cities with about 270 million population, so all-in-all not a bad game.

Also unfortunately, this was my first, and maybe my last GOTM. It just takes too much time to play them right.

But I'll stick around here to rag on you guys.

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Well...since I had to get ready and LEAVE on the 9th of July for spain (still there!) to do geology fieldmapping (drinking water and looking at girls) I had only 4-5 hours to do my GOTM...

I got going by exploring madly and getting some roads for my crappy capital city and for the second city to be built...

Having got both settlers into cities my explorers soon met the vikings and we made peace (no point fighting when so far apart). The vikings meant ALOT of villages brought gold, science scrolls or military units...we benefited greatly.


I got mapmaking VERY soon after monarchy and spread south and north (north sucked!)...

I headed for frigates and then monstered EVERYBODY with 26 frigates...UNFORTUANTLY I never had magellans (and theology NEVER CAME!)...my enemies were VERY big BUT had no tech I could get when I invaded...my invasions ended their construction of wonders and so my empire of frigate-builders never benefited too greatly.

War and barbarians lost me about 4 colony cities in the south and so I suffered again.

The aztecs being inland were a major hassle (slow land campaign after a dramatic victory over 3 cities by one horseman unit!)...


In the end I got a VERY late democracy and finally finished off the celts...


Considering the rush I was in I was very proud that I had managed to take out my enemies with pre-gunpowder tech in the main on land (only a few canons and dragoons used) and with frigates mainly for my coastal invasions. More time would have meant my empire´s science may have been decent and I´d have colonised abit more rapidly...

Oh well...finishing in 1860 (should have finished it in 1840) by a victory of world conquest I expect a decent gotm score.

 

[noughmaster]

Considering the terrain around Delhi wasn't terrible for growth (at least it was grass), I didn't do very well. I didn't finish until 1977.

I put the first citizen on the fish not a grassland shield when I founded Delhi so I could get to Monarchy ASAP. Of course, it took quite a bit longer to get a second city. I'm interested in other people's opinions on this.
I reduced the Vikings to a few cities in early AD, but I had to wait for cavalry to get the ones with city walls. I'm wondering about strategy here. I usually try to get as much space as possible for myself on my continent by knocking off the neighbours. I thought it's generally better to leave everyone else alone so they can pursue technology at a reasonable rate, when helps along your own research. About the time I get Flight, Mobile Warfare etc., everybody is forming pacts against me and refusing to trade technology, so I go to war (although by this time the other civs don't usually have anything I want). I'll only start conquering other cities if they don't have city walls or are coastal with musketeers so I can get them with cruisers.
What do other people think? Is it better to get as many unwalled cities as possible as soon as possible and then settle down to build science? You'll pretty much be doing all the discovering yourself in this case.
Alternatively, is it better to control your continent and leave the other civs strong to help your science along, then conquer them all at once?
Something useful I found out from the GOTM6 discussions: I always thought that outside city radius huts usually had barbarians in them on the higher levels, so I never went into huts until I'd founded a city next to them. This isn't true.

I think not entering the huts slowed me down a lot. This revelation was too late for GOTM6, but I'll pursue a different strategy in GOTM7.
Another useful thing I've learnt from these discussions: the importance of establishing early trade routes (within your own empire if nothing else is close by)

. Because I didn't have enough trade, I couldn't go to Republic early and use We Love the Consul days effectively. I suppose this is why I finished in 1977 and not 1877

.

 

[Cactus Pete]

I had terrible luck with huts, as I posted early in the month; and, given the resource-challenged terrain, I decided to just try and take over the world before 1000AD.

That goal made the game real interesting, even though I knew I wasn't in competition for the green star. I spent more time thinking and less time moving than any game I've played since way back when I was constantly consulting the instruction manual.

Each GOTM has presented dramatically different problems, and #7 is no exception.

 

[Smash]

Everything seemed to be late in this game.Expansion and conquest seemed the quickest route but I'm not so sure now.I never went to Representative government.
I finshed the last city off in 1740ad.I had some 80 odd cities with only 13,980,000.I don't know the score as I messed up the save again but the bonus was 1640 so it was lower than that.164%

Alot of time was lost looking for the Aztecs iirc.I didn't get Marco's and they stayed small so for awhile it was tough.They had no wonders so the find city was no help and everytime I looked at the "location:near xxxx" it had one of my cities.Thats the worst part of a conquest game.Needle in a haystack thing

 

[Duke of Marlbrough]

Ok, I just finished my game. Got the SS rush built in 2 turns. Landed in 1887. This was my biggest game ever. Usually I play the isolationist and just defend my territory and build the SS to win, so this was a very different approach for me.

I can't wait to see the results!

I had one roman city as a pet since 1796, so I really buffed up after that. It was so fun to buy his units as he built them and then start sabotaging his production so that nothing was ever built again.

Two vet spies handeled it quite nicely.

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Romans...what happened to the celts

"I know a fireman, who looks after the fire" Foxtrot, Genesis

 

[Duke of Marlbrough]

Romans, Celts, whomever...

Yeah, I crossed the names. I was just reading some GOTM 7 stuff before that and mixed them up.

The white player. OK?

 

[willemvanoranje]

I'm 16th. Conquest in 1822 A.D. My score is 28. It'll be higher in GotM 7.

It wasn't too hard, I finished off the Vikings early, and after that I just kept going to my next victim. The celts, Persians and yellow player. They're all dead now.

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