I Hate This Game

[superslug]

I decided to try some actual archipelago maps, and the game gave me a continent shaped liked a smashed donut with six AI on it, plus me.

I wound up playing it out anyway, because when I hit Philosophy, I got a double SGL. I used them both immediately for GLib and ToA. That expedited me getting out of Despotism, and the temples certainly helped me grab a lot more land than usual.

The game was tight until the Industrial Ages. I managed to get ToE and do some serious tech swapping to unlock Communism, which is where I often start catching up to AI military build up.

Fought China for oil, coal, and rubber. The Aztecs were next, followed by the Americans.

Built the UN. Never held a vote.

Burned down AI capitals five or six times to stop their spaceships from finishing, and I never let anyone build a single ICBM because of last time.

My 20K city passed the 20K mark around 1838AD. I'd have been happy with an empty slot on that table.

 

[Spoonwood]

Judging by your finish date I have a feeling that I would have looked at your start and rejected your start as a I game that I would play and feel good about playing it 20k. Well, I think I played a weaker start a few times early, but my later 20k games I pretty much came to insist on having a powerful enough start that I could tell shield production would be tremendous. I did 80% archipelago in one of my later games with someone on my island *finally* because I had a powerful start (and got an SGL) and managed to crush those Americans with less trouble than I was concerned about. Also, because I saw Sanabas had played a high finish date with a neighbor and been o.k.

I think it's more difficult to play a weaker start and win, then to optimize/semi-optimize a powerhouse start. And it's more applicable to map types to crush the AI to ensure a 20k victory than to have a faster start.

Then again, I do recall figuring out that I could the keep my capital empty and some AI if wanting to attack me would land next to my capital, or I could make it likely that they could do so, and I could generate a leader that way while remaining safe on an island. And get a free tech or two, as I recall doing with Japan in one of my Sid 20k games who multiple times landed on me, even though I wasn't trying to provoke them into doing such (and I had least aggressive settings on). I don't recall reading about the capital empty trick. The process was as follows:

1. Put units on tiles adjacent to the coast so that the AI cannot land on and be adjacent to the capital, except for one tile. Or put units on all coastal adjacent tiles, and then open up one tile by moving a unit away. The one open tile, should, of course be a flatland square. And it should be the weakest square that your capital can use. The weakest square is the most important one might say.

2. Make a stack of catapults/trebuchets and offensive units next to the open square. The strongest early choice for offensive units is ancient cavalry, since you will only pay unit support for them, and the Statue of Zeus is high value as a culture wonder also. I'd even prefer them over medieval infantry or knights, since I'd have to build libraries or markets in my other cities later if I made those. Also, because starting on getting a leader and getting one can happen early.

3. Wait for a declaration, declare war, or make outrageous demands until someone is furious.

4. Watch the units land next to your capital and then destroy them.

The only issue I found was a second opponent, and then since the landing spot got blocked by the first opponent, someone could land somewhere else than the capital landing trap. And you need to have a big enough stack to immediately remove any landers for that turn, and then repeat such next turn or a few turns later.

 

[superslug]

I might have to try that tactic, thanks.

My 20K city position probably wasn't great, but it got the job done. What drew me to this map was two wheat, two cows, and horses. I set up four pumps and cranked out 100 cities, grabbing more horses, two iron, spices, and multiple furs in the process.

 

[Spoonwood]

You're welcome.