GOTM28 Spoiler thread

[la fayette]

Lazy bones!
It seems that I finish it before you get started
(Now I see that some people started using the other thread as a spoiler thread. You naughty boys ) .

Well, given the nice start, it took me quite a while to build Marco.
After swapping maps and given the small number of foes, I decided to go for conquest and it went rather quickly: victory in X60AD.

 

[LordValuna]

1. The three Civs are Greek India and Aztec
2. After Masonry you couldn't research a tech leading to Monarchy. Got Code of Laws from hut then Masonry,Writing, Monarchy, switching to Monarchy 25 bc
3. You'll need Lighthouse to get off this island. Using right clicking only found an island in reach (in the south) (oops missed the island to the north)

 

[GaryNemo]

Lord Valuna, truly that was a spoiler post. I'm glad I played a few millennia before looking here. Too much insider information, my 0.02

Nemo Gotm28 May 2003, Alexander Greeks Emperor, Raging
Accelerated startup 1950BC 2 cities, F5 $4 -2, 6/18 7T
Alpha Bronze CerBur HBR Map Myst WarCode, Game due 6/07/2003

1950BC Hut: Barb Horse, we overwhelmed it Sell Barx, 2 Sett IPRB
1900 Fdd Thermopylae, F5 $5 -1, 7/12, F11 Mfg=11 #1, Kept None.
1600 second Settler. Fdd Corinth. Aztecs st Colossus.
The High Council reveals their idiocy.
1450 FIRST TRIREME w HORSE CAPTAIN. Fdd Delphi. F5 $6 -1, S=9/12 M=15 #1
Masonry, R: CodeLaws /HG over Writing Math Poly Wheel Iron.
1000 Indian capital moved to Madras. Aztecs chg Colossus to Pyramids!
925 Fdd Pharsalos Whale, Knossos Whale isle.
  200,000 in 7c, F5 $8 -1, S=14/9 8T, F11 Mfg=22 #1 FS=6.3 #1, Prod 63 #1.
  CodeLaws, R: Pottery HG /Monarchy over Curr Writing Math Poly
825 Fdd Argos Fish. Indian capital moved to Bangalore.
775 Aztecs built Pyramids, also st Colossus.
700 Indians st Colossus, POTTERY, R: MONARCHY over Curr Sea Wheel Iron.
675 310,000 in 8c, F5 $10 -1, S=15/10 10T, F11 Mfg=27 #1 FS=5.5 #2
650 Delphi riot, only 1 content. Archer resolves riot.
625 400,000 in 8c, F5 $10 -1, S=15/10 10T, F11 Mfg=27 #1 FS=5.5 #2
550 Fdd Mycenae Isle Whale, disband Phx to build HANGING GARDENS of ATHENS
Monarchy, R: Currency over Writing Math Poly Sea Wheel Iron.
475 4 cities with only 1 content, 2 cities with 1 wasted shield ...
450 360,000 in 9c, F5 $10 -2, S=17/10 11T, F11 Mfg=32 #1 FS=6.0 #1 OEDO!
425 formed MONARCHY $11 -2, S=24/7, F11 Mfg=33 #1 FS=7.8 Tax=30%
  Founded Herakleia Fish, then WLTK in Athens
400 370,000 in 10c, F5 $14 -2, S=26/6 11T, F11 Mfg=33 #1 FS=8.4 #1
350 Aztecs Horses land and capture helpless Herakleia,
  then foolishly steal Warrior Code!
  they declare WAR, we kill one, the other dies wounding our Archer.
325 Tenotch Colossus, Indians sw to Lighthouse ! Fdd Ephesos 2Whale.
300 Aztecs start Marco Polo! Discover Currency, R: Writing (No Trade) over Math Poly Feud Construction, set Tax=70% for Lighthouse race !!!
275 500,000 in 10c, F5 $15 -2, S=30/6 12T, F11 Mfg=40 #1 FS=7.2 #1 (@T=30%)
200 Planning to use Archers and an offshore Trireme as Caravans... Sci=70%
125 Disband Archer and Buy LightHouse $192. Aztecs again, Chariot dies attacking our Archer, Caravan lands! Writing, R: Trade over junk, no Astro.
100 Built LIGHTHOUSE, Indians sw to Great Library. AI Mycenae Trade Route.
75 FIRST DIPLOMAT, remembered to Sparta Elvis WLTK @Tax=30%
50 760,000 in 10c, F5 $19 -3, S=41/5 13T, F11 Mfg=45 #1 FS=5.6 #1!?
25 Aztec learn of Philosophy... LIBRARY of ATHENS

1AD 770,000 in 10c, F5 $20 -4, S=53/4 13T, F11 Mfg=41 #1 FS=5.6 #1
4.Sett+2 2.Dip+3 3.Trir+2(Vans!) 1.Char 3.Horse 12.Arch 2.Phx+1 1.Warr 3.Temple+1 1.Libr , no casualties, lost 1 city , building Wonder.

Many struggles. Slow Monarchy, trade, and production.

 

[Smash]

Check out this PG

This is one of the best AI performances I have ever seen.

 

[Jayne]

3. You'll need Lighthouse to get off this island. Using right clicking only found an island in reach (in the south) (oops missed the island to the north)

I managed to get off the island in a trireme without Lighthouse quite easily.

However, I thought black-clicking wasn't allowed

 

[GaryNemo]

I think Black-Clicking, and many other untraceable 'features', are allowed.
That way, when we say we do not cheat, we can mean it.

1AD 770,000 in 10c, F5 $20 -4, S=53/4 13T, F11 Mfg=41 #1 FS=5.6 #1
Aztecs nearly completed Marco Polo, TRADE, R: Poly over Math Sea Lit etc.
20AD 810,000 in 10c, F5 $20 -4, S=53/4 13T, F11 Mfg=42 #1 FS=5.5 #1

80 Barb Archers unload at Tlaxcala, interesting Trireme stumbles upon another Barb Leader, ransom $150 nice. Poly, R: Lit over Math Feud Cons
100 FIRST CARAVANS, now what? Indians land near Athens ! !
120 Horse kills Eleph, Archer kills Cat, WAR, repulsed.
140 refounded Herakleia, 1c w 1 content, ATHENS DYE THERMO PAID $52+2
  Literacy, R: Philo /Astro over Sea Wheel Repub Feud Iron Constr
160 Aztecs land, demand Polytheism, NO, Horse dies in attack.
180 Bribe Az Trireme $152? Forget it. It sails back to Mexico.
200 Fdd Rhodes Whale Isle.
220 900,000 in 12c, F5 $23 -5, S=58/5 16T, F11 Mfg=51 #1 FS=6.1 #1
Bangalore Indian builds Great Library, Aztecs st Great Wall.
Philosophy, R: Mono over Math/Cops Sea Wheel Constr Iron
240 Fdd Thessalonica
280 doomed Delphi Archer kills Az Horse, vet. Survives Legion!
300 Ephesos=2Whales isle Silver, Athens paid $144 many IPRB $11.
  930,000 in 13c, F5 $24 -6, S=58/5 17T, F11 Mfg=55 #1 FS=6.1 #1
Monotheism, R: Math/Cops over Med Feud Republic Construct. Treas=$450
340 We built GREAT WALL, Az sw to Oracle. Fdd Troy.
360 1180,000 in 14c, F5 $26 -8, S=65/5 18T, F11 Mfg=58 #1 FS=5.8 #1
380 Mathematics, R: Astron over Constr Sea Repub Med Wheel Iron Feud.
420 Enraged Indians suggest we gape in awe at Astronomy, st Cops
460 Aztecs and Indians sign secret alliance against us!
480 Aztec sett demands Mono. No. Dream of our civ in ruins, CF? No.
Astronomy, R: ConstructAqua (No Med) over Sea Wheel Univ Iron.
500AD Fdd Phocaea Silk Isle. Ind demand WarCode! Aztecs build Oracle.
1310,000 in 15c, F5 $29 -10, S=69/7 20T, F11 Mfg=60 #1 FS=5.6 #1
8.Temple 2.Library, planning Cops in a moment, then Mikes.
5.Sett+4 6.Dip+5 7.Van+6 4.Trir 4.Mnt 12.Arch 5.Phx+1 2.Warr Lost.1.Arch

 

[Chofritz]

I have not played a GOTM for a very long time so I thought I would give it a try. It took a few turns before I realized I was on an island. I started to build lots of settlers. Disbanded most 1-step units to speed up the settler building process. After a few turns I build a ship, and through black-clicking I found a way to get to a bigger continent where I met the aztecs. I never accepted peace and started to capture their cities. Somewhere around this time I revolted to monarchy. After capturing the aztecs capital they offered me 200 gold for a cease fire, that I broke on the next turn. I took their last cities and then started to the search for more civs (I thought that there would be more than 2 ai players). When I gained a NONE unit from a hut I realized I was close to the enemy. I used my trirmes and shiped over an elephant (one of my 2 hut units in this game), a chariot and an archer and soon the first of their cities fell. This gave me the tech polytheism.
By this time I had about 600 gold to use on rushbuying elephants and since their cities were connected with roads taking them wasn't much of a problem.
I'm pretty satisfied with my finish, a pretty fast one. The start was pretty bad with many worthless techs (warrior code, horseback riding). I think it was a pretty good move to disband the defensive units on my home continent as it speeded up the expansion. I had a total of about 20 cities and I had hanging gardens, pyramids (captured from indians) and marco polos (built on the turn before the game ended. That when I realized indians was the last civ).

 

[Chofritz]

I just found out something odd. When I wanted to check the turn number I finished on cheat mode was already toggled. I tried to download the 1950 save again and it's still on. Isn't it supposed to show up in the score when it is on? Because in my game cheat mode is on but it's not shown in the score. Has anyone seen this before?

 

[Old n Slow]

Yes a number of the recent GOTM’s seem to offer a greater temptation to choose the cheat activity. I just click it shut & roll on.

 

[Duke of Marlbrough]

See if this helps.

 

[Chofritz]

Thanks for the link, I'll try that. It's a little bit late for this game though since I've played it the whole way through and submitted.

 

[Smash]

That fine AI powergraph performance..all for not

 

[grigor]

This month was a test of clarity, at which I failed miserably. After play, it is clear that conquest is the way to go, which means finding the AI fast is crucial, so MPE becomes a necessity, and LH is useful. As for techs, Xinning to Monarchy followed by the Feudalism-Chivalry chain is certainly sufficient, after which tax and lux can be set low. With this plan an early AD conquest is likely.
However, I got distracted by the civ-building aspect and wasted 500 years on it without even getting the WLTCD beneit of Republic. And I never got enough civilization going to get the money to buy cities at the end, even after crushing the capitals. So another inelegant finish. Plus, now that Chofritz is back, the efficient early conquest prize seems securely in his hands again...

1950 BC What a botch the AI has made of this start! We have only 2 cities, though one is already size 5 and could Xin. That could bring Masonry soon and the CoL, Monarchy. The first wonder should be Lighthouse, or perhaps MPE, hoping that the other AI have some techs we could use. We need 2 more cities and a fleet of triremes ASAP. There is land to the north and the Northwest, and an isolated island to the south. After 4 cities on home island foreign colonies are a must.

1950 Explore island. Wait to pop hut until it is in a city radius. All workers in Athens set to scientist.
1900* Thermopylae founded on the road. Hut: Polytheism. Not the best, but it can be worked.
And in the end it helped because otherwise Monarchy would not have been offered after CoL.
1800 Corinth founded due north.
1650 Masonry=>CoL. Athens builds trireme.
1450 Aztecs begin Colossus
1400 Athens begins a Wonder.
1250 Delphi founded on NW island [a mistake - I never got anything useful from this city]
1100* CoL=>Monarchy. Aztecs sighted. Aztecs: Uncooperative: demand Masonry. OK. Peace, exchange WC for Currency.
1000 Aztecs develop Writing.

900 Pharsalos founded on river system - it got barracks and became a very productive city
875 hut: Nomads
825 Knossos founded on river system near forests. It was also extremely productive.
800 Mon=> Feud
775 Hut: 9 barbs. the chariot seems doomed.
750* Revolution
725 Government: Monarchy

575 Tenochtitlan builds Pyramids for us...
525 Feudalism=>Trade
500 Hut: 50g
475 Barbs land near Athens
450* Barbs immolate selves on Archers.
425 SSC founded on 4-special after irrigation of swamp. [uh-oh - losing the thread]
400 Aztecs start Copernicus.
375 Mycenae founded. Hut: nomads
350* Herakleia founded
325 Trade=>Chiv. Barbs land near Athens

225 final barb immolates self on my archer. Barb Leader Captured (150g) hut: 50g. Aztecs: Writing, Construction for Trade, Monarchy.
175 Athens builds Lighthouse
100 Aztecs demand withdrawal. No. War.
25 Aztecs develop Literacy. Chivalry=>wheel. One attack on Tenochtitlan, but broken off because I want the Pyramids. Status: 10 cities, 4 Elephants, 2 knights, 5 triremes. Otherwise, 3rd in a lot of categories.

20AD Hut: NONE Knights
60 Hut: Wheel
80 researching Engineering
100 Hut: Ephesos
140 Aztec horse near undefended Ephesos. Aztecs: give Wheel for Cease Fire.
160 Hut: thessalonika. Athens Wool to SSC (d, 84) [the only trade route until the last 4 turns]
180 Engineering=>IronW. Aztecs: war
200*Tenochtitlan captured (Pyramids)
240 Hut: Rhodes
280* Teotichuan captured , Literacy.
320 Athens builds STWA - ok, this turned out well, but it should have been MPE.
420 Texcoco captured (Republic)
480 Rest for a while. Indians are about to complete HG for us, but I do't know where they are.
I should build MPE, then Total War. I should have done it in 1AD.

500 Delhi builds HG. Tlaxcala captured (Math).
520 IW=> Inv
540 Indian Elephant spotted
560 Indian Elephant moves away without contact. Thermopylae builds MPE. Indians: give Rep, IW. Trade Maps. Ask for tribute; WAR. Aztecs have only 2 cities left. Set tax to 70%

660 Tlateloco captured.
700 Calixtihuaca captured. Aztecs Destroyed.
780 Lahore Captured. (Bridge Building)
820 Bangalore captured (Seafaring
880 Bombay captured (Colossus, Pottery)
900 Delhi Captured (HG) Madras captured
920 Calcutta Captured
960 Karachi captured
980 Indians destroy Karachi
1040 Athens builds Oracle. I might have done that sooner.

soon after - take Kholapur. Indians Destroyed.

226 citizens, 7 wonders, Alexander the Lion-Hearted