GOTM135 Germany - First Spoiler - All Contacts

[mad-bax]

GOTM135 Germany - First Spoiler - Local Contacts

Hmm... an islands map. It's always difficult to pick a good cutoff for this type of map. Even some simple conditions amount to spoilers. I hope the community will use common sense in deciding what is appropriate to post and not.

Keep maps to a 30X30 tile area about the start (yes that's bigger than usual), and no minimaps.

I'm all ears - what's occurring?

... and oh yes - congratulations to Germany on winning the world cup (again)

... and did England actually turn up in the end? I thought they were playing, then I went and made a cup of tea, and no England... (again). Maybe next time.

 

[Lanzelot]

Hmm, is it "all contacts" or "local contacts"? Anyway, I have all contacts, so I guess I qualify...

I had expected a "real" archipelago, so I decided to go for 20K (wanted to show, that the Germans can be "cultured" as well... ) and built an early temple and an early Colossus. By the time I realized my mistake and noticed that we are actually on a pretty big continent, it was already too late. My second town was able to produce 3-4 settlers and then I was already boxed in by the Celts.

So a good score is not to be expected, but I think I can still manage the 20K victory as I managed to get three AA wonders despite the shield-poor start: Colossus, Great Library and Great Wall (to start my Golden Age). I also got library, cathedral and collosseum early (partly cash-rushed), but now things are going to become tough: I'm currently building the Sistine Chapel, but not sure whether I'll be able to beat the AI to it, as many of them are building wonders now and a cascade is imminent.

Unfortunately my empire is much too weak to capture a few of the big AI capitals in order to increase the chances for Berlin: even if I had the necessary units, my navy (one single galley far away from home...) would not be able to ship them over in time.
So I'm forced to research Education now, depleting my own Great Library , in order to get Bach's Cathedral as a backup, in case I lose the race for Michelangelo.

It's going to be a nail-biting game in any case - thanks for the challenge...

 

[mad-bax]

It's LOCAL contacts. I can't change the title of a post.

 

[greatbeyond]

At least you weren't the only one to fall for the misdirection of a "real" archipelago.

I chose to go 1N, going for production over food.
By the time I met the Celts and the other nearby civs, they had already rapidly expanded and there wasn't much territory of consequence left. Berlin built the Colossus and then the Great Library and tried to build enough culture to possibly get a 20K culture win.

What few other cities I had focused on building Swordsmen and when completed we hurried to battle with the Celts before they had their iron hooked up. I easily took their city just west of the isthmus and unfortunately had to take peace when they bribed two other civs to war against me. Once that was done, I built up more troops and was just about to launch the new offensive when the city flipped taking about a dozen swords with it. This really bruised my hopes to get over a very poor start. In addition, all civs having contact allowed them to get ahead of me in tech and most importantly, power. They also completed most wonders before I had a chance.
I was constantly extorted and in no position to resist.

Where will this game lead?

 

[bbrady413]

At least you weren't the only one to fall for the misdirection of a "real" archipelago.

I chose to go 1N, going for production over food.
By the time I met the Celts and the other nearby civs, they had already rapidly expanded and there wasn't much territory of consequence left. Berlin built the Colossus and then the Great Library and tried to build enough culture to possibly get a 20K culture win.

What few other cities I had focused on building Swordsmen and when completed we hurried to battle with the Celts before they had their iron hooked up. I easily took their city just west of the isthmus and unfortunately had to take peace when they bribed two other civs to war against me. Once that was done, I built up more troops and was just about to launch the new offensive when the city flipped taking about a dozen swords with it. This really bruised my hopes to get over a very poor start. In addition, all civs having contact allowed them to get ahead of me in tech and most importantly, power. They also completed most wonders before I had a chance.
I was constantly extorted and in no position to resist.

Where will this game lead?

It will lead nowhere good. Tough game. I got lucky and happened to settle a city near the isthmus and pinch off expansion of the Celts. But its been a constant diplomatic battle with other civs declaring war on me for no good reason, despite having had a sizeable army and not spoiling any trades.

 

[vincentf]

Great game. I quickly locked the Celts ath the isthmus.

Bad surprise to discover that I has no oil and that Viking and England had it.

I tried hardly to have a diplomatic victory but failed as my opponent changed during the time I build a victorious coalition against him. In the same time, I was the big guy and with a solid technological advance, was able to launch easily some space ship to quit that cruel world as a prince...

Chronology
-------------
243000 BC Settled 1N
3100 BC Celts
2030 BC Found a town to block Celts
1990 BC Trade Alph + Pot vs CB + Wheel
1910 BC England
1000 BC England DOW me
975 BC Japan
750 BC Arabia, Trade Contacts. Celts DOW me, allied to England, Peace with England. Russia
710 BC Vikings, India.
610 BC Babylon
570 BC 2nd leader, build Heroic Epic
290 BC Spain
10 BC Peace with Celts. Revolution!
50 AD Sneak attack from Arabia
70 AD DOW from Japan
190 AD Alliance with India against Arabia
210 AD Vikings allied with Arabia DOW me. Russia enters war on my side.
280 AD Peace with Japan
330 AD Peace with Vikings
360 AD Spain and Babylon DOW me
430 AD Peace with Babylon
440 AD Peace with Spain
1060 AD Conquest of Arabia. Too long...
1315 AD Babylon DOW me, sneak attack. Spain, Scandinavia & Japan allied on my side
1420 AD Refining.. Theory of evolution that give me Steel and Combustion. Golden age. Where is the oil? On one little island, controlled by England, 3 in Viking territory. They both don't know the treasure they are sitting on...
1430 AD Peace with Babylon
1460 AD Babylon DOWs me
1605 AD UN. 1st vote : Germany : 3 (Ger, Jap, Sca), England : 2 (Eng, Spa). Babylon abstains
1635 AD Alliance with Babylon against England. Spain DOWs me (MPB with England). Scandinavia joins England and SPain later
1605 AD 2nd vote : Germany : 3 (Ger, Jap, Bab), England : 2 (Eng, Spa). Scandinavian abstains
1715 AD 3rd vote : Germany : 3 (Ger, Jap. Bab), SPain : 1 (Spa). England and Scandinavia abstain
1758 AD 4th vote : Germany : 2 (Ger, Bab), Spain : 1 (Spa). Others abstain...
1780 AD 5th vote : Germany : 3 (Ger, Bab, Jap), Spain : 1 (Spa). Others abstain...
1802 AD 6th vote : Germany : 3 (Ger, Bab, Jap), Spain : 1 (Spa). Others abstain (Eng, Sca), despites all my presents...
1810 AD Spain DOW me. I have a MPP with Jap, Eng, Bab and Sca
1824 AD 7th vote : Germany : 3 (Ger, Bab, Sca), Japan : 1 (Jap). Others abstain (Eng, Spa). SUre, as I cut Spain in two they are non more the 2nd opposing me on the vote... Hopefully, my spaceship is almost done...
1832 AD Japan starts the Manhattan projet. I'll try to beat them
1844 AD Spain destroyed
1846 AD 8th vote : Germany : 2 (Ger, Bab), Japan : 1 (Jap). Others abstain (Eng, Sca).
1848 AD Space Race victory!

 

[greatbeyond]

Unfortunately for me I kept waiting for the final thread to show up and forgot to submit my 1878AD space victory.
It was quite an adventure and close call at the end.