predator, diplomatic
(actually I wanted to come back with a conquest but for some reason Spain always makes me want to play a scientific game)
ancient age
Settled in place. Start sequence is warrior -> warrior -> settler -> warrior -> warrior -> worker. City 2 is founded on the 4-turner, at RCP 5, then we complete granaries on both cities before settling further. Three cities are placed at RCP 5 before breaking the pattern.
Soon we met Scandinavia, trade some techs and explore the rest of the island.
Research is the canonical beeline to Map Making and Republic. We start with Pottery at max followed by Writing at min (this will give us enough money to substain a 100% research for the whole ancient age).
Map making is complete in 1300 BC. We have 2 galley ready for sail immediately and a 3rd one a few turns after. We met Persia and Carthage first, trade techs and maps. There are some some borders in the fog but the AS havent met each other yet, so we have to sail to the other side of the continent to meet the Ottomans and Chinese.
The first part of the game is essentially uneventful, with Spain focusing almost completely on expansion and development. We do not build wonders at all; on the other side, the Vikings are quite fond of wonders, with Nidaros completing the Colossus and, later, the Great Lighthouse.
The AS are slow, so we manage to snatch two cities oversea and secure both spices and gems.
The settler factory is also used to produce a nice amount of worker, and this is the reason why we hit the 1000BC mark with only 10 cities, but the land is well developed and productive. Meanwhile, one after another, all the AS are met, with the last one being Korea in 775 BC.
Republic is mastered and established in 630BC, then we proceed to research Currency. The tech is mastered in 510BC, and in the same turn Persia completes Construction. We trade and get into the Middle Ages with Republic still being a monopoly. The scientific AS are sold or gifted into the MA and we manage to collect all the first row of medieval techs.
middle ages
After having tossed out settlers for the whole ancients, Barcelona begins building the Forbidden Palace. The plan is to invade Scandinavia, seize the whole western part of the island and relocate the capital in Bjorgvin, on the west coast, in order to have a ring of 5 cities at RCP 5.5 around the new capital and 8 cities uncorrupted around Barcelona. We only need one leader to move the capital, and thanks to some barbarian trainers we have enough elite units to count on it.
The invasion starts in 30 BC. Things go smoothly at first: Nidaros is captured and we seize Colossus, Great Library and Great Wall. But then, a pair of serious SOURs (Strings Of Unlucky Rolls) slow down our advancement to the point that war weariness start hitting before the Vikings are completely cleared, so we are forced to offer peace and leave the job unfinished.
Hovever, the main goal (taking over the island) is accomplished and after several elite wins the leader is produced by a horseman defending successfully against an enemy archer
D). Three viking cities are relocated to fit in the ring and then, as soon as the Forbidden Palace is complete, we move the capital as planned.
Research goes smoothly with a decent help from the AS. Thanks to a clever prebuild Madrid completes Copernicus in the late medievals, the ideal time to start the golden age.
The lack of iron and saltpeter was a serious concern through the whole medievals. Any AS wanted an outrageous price, to the point that we couldn't buy those commodities for gpt without facing a severe slowdown in research.
A few turns before entering into the Industrials we finally got a supply of iron, but then more complications came from a surprise attack by Babylon. They cut off the vital trade route for iron and took over a formerly Viking city. No big deal (we recaptured it shortly after) but we got into the Industrial still at war and with the dastardly babs refusing to talk, so we had to fish for IA techs with one scientific AS less
The industrial ages are reached in 520AD. The lottery gives Nationalism (2 times) and Medicine. Steam Power has to be researched.
industrial ages
At the dawn of the industrials we capture an important babylonian city that will allow us to control iron once rank 2. The babylonians are stronger but they are slow to move because of an unimproved jungle between us and their core, so we manage to capture a third city and sign peace before their dreaded stack of cavalry units reach us
Then we proceed immediately to clear Scandinavia and free the remaining MP units on the east.
From now on it's downhill, nothing much except for research, railroads and improvements. The prebuilds for Evolution and UN are timed correctly. A second sneak attack (by Persia) does not change anything. We also manage to get again a good attitude by Babylon, thanks to a strip of generous donations. The modern age fishing goes well, with Fission discovered by two AS, so we can buy the tech for a cheap price. One turn after, the United Nations are complete. The opponent is China and we won the vote by 5 vs 2.
End result: diplomatic victory in 1100 AD, for 5738 Firaxis and 9283 Jasons.
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Cities until 1000BC:
4000BC: Madrid;
3100BC: Barcelona;
1910BC: Seville;
1600BC: Toledo;
1550BC: Santiago;
1425BC: Salamanca;
1375BC: Murcia;
1275BC: Valencia;
1050BC: Ciudad de la Luna;
1050BC: Zaragoza;
Meetings:
3000BC: Scandinavia;
1175BC: Persia, Carthage;
1000BC: Ottomans, China;
_875BC: Babylon;
_775BC: Korea;
Research log:
4000BC: Alphabet (prerequisite);
3400BC: Pottery (research);
3300BC: Ceremonial Burial (barb hut);
3000BC: Bronze Working, Warrior Code (trade, Scandinavia);
1700BC: Writing (research); Wheel, Iron Working (trade, Scandinavia);
1300BC: Map Making (research);
1175BC: Masonry (trade, Carthage); Horse Riding (trade, Persia);
1075BC: Code of Laws (research);
1050BC: Philosophy (trade, Carthage);
1000BC: Mysticism (trade, Ottomans);
_875BC: Mathematics, Polytheism (trade, Babylon);
_650BC: Republic (research);
_630BC: Literature (trade, China);
_510BC: Currency (research); Construction (trade, Persia);
_510BC: Engineering (trade, Ottomans); Feudalism (trade, Babylon); Monotheism (trade, Persia);
_270BC: Invention (research);
__70BC: Gunpowder (research); Monarchy (trade, Ottomans);
__50AD: Chivalry, Theology (trade, Korea);
_170AD: Chemistry (research);
_310AD: Metallurgy (research);
_340AD: Education, Printing Press (trade, Persia);
_390AD: Astronomy (research);
_440AD: Physics (research);
_480AD: Theory of Gravity (research);
_520AD: Magnetism (research); Banking, Military Tradition, Music Theory (trade, Ottomans);
_570AD: Steam Power (research); Nationalism (trade, Persia); Medicine (trade, Ottomans);
_620AD: Electricity (research);
_630AD: Democracy (trade, Persia);
_660AD: Scientific Method (research);
_700AD: Navigation (trade, Babylon);
_710AD: Industrialization (research);
_750AD: Corporation (research);
_800AD: Steel (research);
_850AD: Refining (research);
_900AD: Combustion (research); Atomic Theory, Electronics (ToE); Communism (trade, Ottomans);
_950AD: Replaceable Parts (trade, Korea);
_960AD: Radio (research);
1000AD: Mass Production (research);
1040AD: Motorized Transportation (research);
1080AD: Economics (trade, Korea);
1090AD: Flight (research);
1090AD: Fission (trade, Korea);
And here's the final minimap
n my laptop 300 miles away. I'm sure it was awesome. OK not rly.
