Immortal Portugal Photojournal (of an amateur)

[YukiN]

The silver is fine too, as long as you secure a position to shell the city. I just kinda assumed you will be coming from the East which is easier to manage with enemies on only one side.

Focusing internally and warring are both good options here; there really are no wrong answers with that start. I am willing to play out the war alongside you if you go to war and are willing to share the save.

 

[amateurgamer88]

A thing people overlook is how feitoria bonuses stack up. They can't be built adjacent to another feitoria, but a tongue of sea makes wonders. Having three feitorias boosting the same tile rocks.

The stacking bonuses can be pretty amazing, especially when you have a fishing boat tile for that tongue.

The silver is fine too, as long as you secure a position to shell the city. I just kinda assumed you will be coming from the East which is easier to manage with enemies on only one side.

Focusing internally and warring are both good options here; there really are no wrong answers with that start. I am willing to play out the war alongside you if you go to war and are willing to share the save.

I can upload a save if I can. I usually play a fairly long session so I don't know when my save is taking place. I'll attach a save as soon as I can. I definitely want to see how an expert does this.

 

[YukiN]

=I can upload a save if I can. I usually play a fairly long session so I don't know when my save is taking place. I'll attach a save as soon as I can. I definitely want to see how an expert does this.

I wouldn't consider myself an expert, but I'm not above about putting myself out there and making a fool of myself in the name of learning. Same goes for all the posts I said, they are meant to help me consolidate my thoughts as well. I'm quite happy to be proven wrong on those, since it means there is something to be learnt.

 

[amateurgamer88]

Chapter 3: A Snowballing AI?

Spoiler I. Sweden Prepares for War? :

With Statue of Zeus, Sweden is going to be quite dangerous this early on when walls aren't in most cities. Maybe they will stand a chance against the Huns but it's too early to tell. After all, the Huns, with their UA, should have a massive army without a doubt. Since I can't see any other Hunnic cities, I don't know enough to know how well they will fare. However, I do know that the Hunnic capital is usually fairly vulnerable with all that plains.

Spoiler II. Knew This was Coming! :

What a surprise! Attila has declared war as these two civs just started way too close to one another. Given how early this game is, I feel like whoever wins this war will become the dominant power in the region. All the other civs, me included, are just too far away to affect the politics. I honestly don't know who i want to win but, given how their UA scales, I feel like Sweden might be a bigger threat with their UU and better mobility siege units.

Spoiler III. Carthage on an Expanding Spree :

Carthage just finished the Pyramids so they aren't slowing their expansion too much. I guess the one fortunate development is that Carthage isn't going Progress. They went authority so all their cities won't be as powerful mid to late game. However, their early game will be very powerful with all those hammers from the Authority policy tree and I expect them to go to war soon after some further expansion.

Spoiler IV. New Policy :

I got myself Expertise which gives me some food and culture with each completed building. I also don't mind more hammers in infrastructure as I'll need a lot of them. At this point, I think I'd be happy with peacefully expanding and just building up my cities. Wars can happen later but I like a solid foundation to work with. We'll see if this will bite me back later in the game.

Spoiler V. We have a Clear Victor :

That war score is a pretty good indication of who the victor is in the war. I believe Sweden has grabbed a Hunnic city or two. This means that Sweden will be quite a threat in that area and they are destined to fight Carthage with the way Dido is expanding. I must emphasize that, in 21 turns, Carthage got 3 cities with one of the settlers given by the Pyramids. The AI Carthage is a problem with so much room to expand for sure.

Spoiler VI. Snowballing Civ? :

Sweden has captured the Hunnic capital which basically spells the end of the Huns. I don't know if the Huns will survive but they are pretty much negligible at this point unless they're allowed to expand elsewhere on islands where they can survive in peace. Here's yet another game where Sweden is doing pretty well. I'm starting to think that Sweden AIs in my recent games are getting luckier overall.

Spoiler VII. World at Peace Again :

The war has ended and the Huns have a single city with 2 pop. Will they come back? Most likely not. Will Sweden be a major threat? That will depend on how their wars against Carthage will go. Being so far away, this is becoming a hindrance as I can't do much to stop either Sweden or Carthage from snowballing. I feel like an early war might not be optimal if I fall behind in science and/or policies once I do have to take on Sweden or Carthage, whoever the victor is.

Spoiler VIII. Carthage the Copy Cat? :

Carthage declared war on Korea despite them not sharing any borders that I can see. If Carthage succeeds, then there will be more territory for Dido to expand to. If this keeps going, I feel like there will be three major powers vying for control on this continent. There's Sweden in the northwest and Carthage directly south of them. I will control the east where I need a strong army to do anything about the other threats.

Spoiler IX. Sweden Spamming Wonders? :

Sweden built Petra and that's giving me the impression that they are spamming wonders. Let's hope they don't get too powerful. In the meantime, I'm getting settlers and infrastructures in my cities while buying fishing boats to connect my coastal resources. My income isn't too bad when I trade away all my horses, iron and spare luxuries. I wish Austria was closer so I can conquer them early on but at least I can completely neglect my military production (only 1 archer, 1 warrior and 1 scout atm).

Spoiler X. He's Definitely Spamming :

While Sweden is busy with his Wonder spamming, I'm working hard to get all my trade routes up and running because that's quite a bit of science this early on. In addition, I should be getting my GG soon since I also completed a clear encampment quest. So far, I feel the UA of Portugal can be quite powerful and, under certain circumstances with lots of coastal CS nearby, it can be downright broken once you get their UI and Nau.

Well, that's it for our update! Who will become a major threat in the west?

 

[amateurgamer88]

I wouldn't consider myself an expert, but I'm not above about putting myself out there and making a fool of myself in the name of learning. Same goes for all the posts I said, they are meant to help me consolidate my thoughts as well. I'm quite happy to be proven wrong on those, since it means there is something to be learnt.

I just feel like, unless my neighbor is literally ten tiles away from me, I don't like early wars as much. I feel like too many turns are wasted on military when it can be used for other benefits that will prepare me for more favorable wars later on. I definitely like to see other people's gameplay to learn from them.

 

[YukiN]

I just feel like, unless my neighbor is literally ten tiles away from me, I don't like early wars as much. I feel like too many turns are wasted on military when it can be used for other benefits that will prepare me for more favorable wars later on. I definitely like to see other people's gameplay to learn from them.

It's just a matter of if you can get the units to pay for themselves. Capturing a city is a big one. A city with 5 buildings (usually 3 after capture) accounts for 5 units just on building and settler hammers. Another use is tributing city states, which you can do in this case too. I will also admit I'm greedy for Austria's land and they lack early bonuses to fight back. They are also a pain to deal with later on. I am not usually this warmongery.

As for your current course, I approve of developing first. Those early procs of food and culture are really good here. War can wait for your tech timing.

 

[amateurgamer88]

It's just a matter of if you can get the units to pay for themselves. Capturing a city is a big one. A city with 5 buildings (usually 3 after capture) accounts for 5 units just on building and settler hammers. Another use is tributing city states, which you can do in this case too. I will also admit I'm greedy for Austria's land and they lack early bonuses to fight back. They are also a pain to deal with later on. I am not usually this warmongery.

As for your current course, I approve of developing first. Those early procs of food and culture are really good here. War can wait for your tech timing.

We'll see whether my hesitation to war early will bite me back later. As of now, there's lots of development going but I won't go into much details in my updates since those are pretty boring. However, you get an idea with the lack of military investments I made so far.

 

[amateurgamer88]

Chapter 4: Inevitable War?

Spoiler I. Birth of Leiria :

My happiness situation isn't going to improve much this early on. I feel like it's a bit harder to manage happiness when I want to expand rapidly early on but I expect to recover from this shortly. Luckily, it's usually only the early game where I have happiness problems since late game is bad management or just wars not going my way. Leiria helps prevent any other cities to be settled in this area and it gives me coral. That should help me with my happiness problems once my border expands.

Spoiler II. First Great General! :

I know I did a CS quest for clearing barbarians but this is still quite early as I've done no wars thus far. I can see lots of Great Generals if I can keep my trade routes filled up with enough caravans. Cargo ships will be interesting as well since they will get me more Great Admirals than I need and some I can use to get luxuries to help my happiness issues later in the game.

Spoiler III. Free Worker :

I finally got myself a free worker and he's going to be busy. I don't feel like investing a lot into workers since most of my resources are coastal. I might need a few later but that will be highly dependent on what resources I need to connect. At this point, I don't even think roads are a priority since lighthouses will solve the isolation problem and I don't need the extra maintenance if I can avoid it.

Spoiler IV. Korea Creeping Closer :

Count on Korea to settle these really weird locations far from his capital. I expected Austria to settle towards me first but I guess Korea is more eager to claim this coastal city. Given the sort of naval supremacy I expect to have eventually, that city will be very easy to take assuming Austria doesn't take it first. I have to invest a fair bit into my navy because a land invasion on Austrian cities are going to be a total nightmare.

Spoiler V. Korea Survived? :

I was very surprised to see Korea not losing a single city, at least not one I can see. You'd think that, with their cities so far apart, defending them would be extremely difficult. Carthage must've focused a lot on expansion so their army isn't as powerful. Regardless, I don't mind these stalemates because I don't want the AIs to snowball too quickly. We don't need two powerful AIs while I'm still not in a position to attack Austria yet.

Spoiler VI. Keeping Up in Tech :

What I love about my UA is that it's keeping me relatively on par in technology. Sweden still holds a lead but they had that crazy lead earlier so I don't expect to close the gap too quickly. At least Austria has slowed down following her crazy lead and I need to get ahead of her to have a relatively easy war. I do expect to make a serious push once I get the Nau since they seem quite powerful.

Spoiler VII. Attila Has a Death Wish :

I can never understand what made the Huns declare war on Sweden but I guess it's the end of Attila. Either way, I don't expect Attila to survive long so this was bound to happen sooner or later. At this point, I bought one more archer to help with barbarians but, otherwise, it's a relatively peaceful game and a lot of development is taking place. I'm also getting one more settler for my final city (just realized that I forgot to mention Funchal that's settled northeast of Lisbon).

Spoiler VIII. War Against Austria Soon? :

I shouldn't be surprised by the presence of Klagenfurt but it does pose a pretty big issue. Before, I can neglect my military and get away with it. Now, I need a land army which is going to slow down my navy production. I expect plenty of Austrian land units to cross to this side of the continent so I need to make sure I have some defenses. Ideally, I get just enough to defend my cities but not too many that I waste my production.

Spoiler IX. Much Needed Wonder? :

I grabbed a Great Lighthouse because I feel like more movement for my ships can make a pretty big difference. The Lighthouse for my capital is nice as I need it for the city connections. I hope that this is well worth it but, looking at the map, I don't know how vital the navy will be. A land army might play a more pivotal role in future wars given how much territory is landlocked. We'll see how well this investment pays off.

Spoiler X. Even CS Urges Me to War :

Even the CS wants me to attack Austria so it's clear that the fate of Austria is sealed. I just need to develop a bit more and transition into military production. I need just enough land units to defend my cities but my navy will be critical to taking these cities. I just don't want to invest too much in my navy if I need an army to deal with Sweden or Carthage eventually. Balancing my army and navy will be challenging for sure.

Well, that's it for our update! Will we fight Austria next?

 

[chicorbeef]

You got a map built for a naval Progress game with a clear naval Progress civ. Nice!

I usually always go for the free Worker policy before Expertise. Progress is my weakest tree tbh so I don't know if that's optimal, but getting that +2 gold per city is pretty important to my infrastructure in my games.

 

[YukiN]

You got a map built for a naval Progress game with a clear naval Progress civ. Nice!

I usually always go for the free Worker policy before Expertise. Progress is my weakest tree tbh so I don't know if that's optimal, but getting that +2 gold per city is pretty important to my infrastructure in my games.

I think expertise first here is fine. The food and culture(!) are really noticeable with the cheap ancient era buildings. I am of the opinion that progress should be worker into left branch or finish left bran first. Worker in between is too slow.

 

[amateurgamer88]

You got a map built for a naval Progress game with a clear naval Progress civ. Nice!

I usually always go for the free Worker policy before Expertise. Progress is my weakest tree tbh so I don't know if that's optimal, but getting that +2 gold per city is pretty important to my infrastructure in my games.

It's not often the map works out this well! I do have to be careful with how big my navy is though with all the armies the AIs will be fielding.

Since I neglected my military, I don't need the gold as badly and decide to focus more on my infrastructure and the food/culture benefits. I also don't need a worker as badly with all those coastal resources to be connected.

I think expertise first here is fine. The food and culture(!) are really noticeable with the cheap ancient era buildings. I am of the opinion that progress should be worker into left branch or finish left bran first. Worker in between is too slow.

I do admit that Worker seems a bit late here but it wasn't a priority for me. I can definitely see games where you have some tough decisions with some of these policies and that should be the case.

 

[amateurgamer88]

Chapter 5: Battle of the Heavy Weights!

Spoiler I. Birth of Goa :

I will admit that Goa isn't exactly a spectacular city but it's not terrible either. I just need to get those sea resources connected as soon as possible and my pantheon will help get it off the ground faster. I settled here to secure both my monopoly and also prevent any AIs from settling at this very annoying location. I think I'm done with city settling because the tech and policy costs are getting a tad bit too high.

Spoiler II. Got That Monopoly! :

With the birth of Goa and purchasing a work boat thanks to a reasonable economy at this point, I got my monopoly on whales. The bonus will be quite stellar in the late game when I get a % boost instead of a flat out bonus. Flat out bonus are great early on when your city's outputs are very low but drops off late game. I need to prepare for the late game with the way the other AIs on my continent are doing.

Spoiler III. First Religion Founded :

A civ on the other continent has founded a religion. I don't know what civ it might be but this can be troubling news. I'm still some ways to getting my religion as my pantheon, while great for getting new coastal cities off the ground, aren't so stellar when it comes to faith output. I just hope there are still some decent beliefs left for me as I'll need a strong religion to compete with the growing powers I'll be neighbor with very soon.

Spoiler IV. Sweden Jack of All Trades? :

It seems like Sweden is getting whatever Wonders they want and that's quite worrying. I am considering a diplomatic game but that will be difficult if Sweden competes with me. I do know that AI tend to get a lot of gold and, if a snowballing AI focuses heavily on diplomatic units, I'll be facing some serious competition. For now, I don't like that Sweden is building all these Wonders without getting punished. Carthage is just doing her thing.

Spoiler V. India Finds a Religion :

Since we already know that India is in the game, there's without a doubt that Gandhi founded the second religion. I'm a little surprised that he was the second to get a religion. Someone on that other continent must be either religion oriented or that AI's pantheon was stellar for what the AI possessed. Either way, the clock is ticking and four religions remain. I need a religion to give myself a much needed edge later.

Spoiler VI. Another Snowballing Civ? :

Of course Carthage attacks Korea again and I fear that she won't make the same mistake this time. I also didn't bother taking a screenshot but Carthage took Kiev, the CS, as well. I'm annoyed but AI just does what they do. I had a quick look at the terrain around the Korean capital and it's hell to defend with it. I wish Korea luck but I think the end of Korea is near.

Spoiler VII. That was Unexpected :

I didn't expect to get the Crab monopoly either. This helps my new cities a lot but its bonus will drop off eventually. I don't mind more growth for my cities at the moment since I will eventually have to go production focused to prepare for future wars. I am making some adjustments with my production to produce more ships but I'm not exactly fully committed to war production just yet. Austria is so fortunate.

Spoiler VIII. New Policy :

I don't quite need the happiness yet so I'll take the food and science for now. I didn't realize at the time but a number of my cities don't have city connection despite having lighthouses since their water connection is at the other side and I don't have an Austrian canal city to ensure connection. I eventually realize this and build a road to ensure connection. However, I did lose out on a fair bit of science due to that and I might regret this later. At this point in the game, I'm just oblivious.

Spoiler IX. Heavy Weight Matchup Soon! :

By taking Seoul, Carthage is proving to be the only civ capable of fighting Sweden. I don't even want to think about war with either of these AIs right now given my pathetic military strength. I'll just stay on my side and plot Austria's downfall. However, I shouldn't take too long or there might be a victor between the two heavy weights and I don't look forward to fighting that at all.

Spoiler X. Carthage Finds a Religion :

Carthage found a religion so this is very bad news. First, Carthage is closer to Sweden and can spam her missionaries very easily to convert Sweden over (unless Sweden finds a religion too). Imagine if those two AIs are good friends. Who will they attack next? Three religions are left and I'm very close. I might not get first pick of beliefs but I know something is better than nothing. I will have to prepare to deal with the religious pressure that will be heading my way. I find it ironic that, in both my Mongolian and Portuguese photojournals, I'm deal with the Islam religion as the main threat.

Well, that's it for our update! Will I get my religion?

 

[amateurgamer88]

Chapter 6: Heavy Weight Bout!

Spoiler I. Austria Testing My Patience :

Not only did Austria get declared war on but she also settled a new city close to me. Seems like Austria believes that my lack of aggression indicates that I'm weak. I guess I'll have to show Austria what happens when she messes with Portugal. I'm transitioning into war production with units and barracks being built so war is on the horizon. I'm getting tired of a peaceful game anyways.

Spoiler II. Found a Religion :

I got my religion and discovered that I have a few difficult decisions to make. I was considering Inspiration but realized that has changed to 1 per 3 followers which makes it less ideal. After some thought, I picked up Scholarship to get a nice boost to my science as I'll need it to keep up in technology. For my Founder, I went Hero Worship so I can gear up for future wars. There will be numerous conquests awaiting us from this point onward.

Spoiler III. Sweden Taking a Massive Lead :

It's just crazy how much of a lead Sweden has in policies. This isn't China which I fully expected. I believe that the policies Sweden had, along with the conquest of Hunnic cities, gave Sweden a massive boost early on. With more conquests awaiting Sweden as Carthage and Sweden have territorial disputes, I expect that lead to grow more and more over time unless, of course, Carthage comes out the victor.

Spoiler IV. War to Decide the Victor? :

We all saw this a mile away and it's going to be quite hectic for sure. Carthage and Sweden as the two superpowers on this continent and I can only hope for a stalemate. After all, can you imagine me fighting whoever rises victorious between those two civs? I certainly don't want to but that's completely out of my control. My expansion has to begin with Austria and I doubt those will be quick wars.

Spoiler V. Sweden Draws First Blood :

Carthage might have initiated the war but Sweden seemed more prepared with mobilization. A Carthaginian city has fallen and we'll see if Carthage collapses after this. With this war going on, I'm very nervous and constantly check my minimap to see if any cities change hands. How the rest of my game plays out depends heavily on the outcome of the wars between these two civs. At least, I hope one war isn't enough to decide a victor.

Spoiler VI. Carthage Recovers? :

Carthage shortly retakes the city and this gives me hope of some sort of stalemate. I know at this point that I must initiate my war with Austria as soon as possible. With the new mechanics that causes war weariness to happen a lot sooner and hit more heavily, I expect at least two wars to deal with Austria. My first war is expected to captured the two closest Austrian cities at the very least.

Spoiler VII. Sweden Still Pushing :

By capturing Kiev, Sweden is proving to have plenty of units to cover the relatively wide front. Of course, this can also be a naval engagement since Kiev is coastal and, with relatively low combat strength for cities early on, triremes are quite terrifying. I feel like I'm making the mistake of missing out on such an opportune moment to strike Austria. We'll see if that will make me regret my decision soon enough.

Spoiler VIII. Finishing Progress :

I finished my Progress policy tree and got some happiness. The happiness might not seem like much but I'll need it for my upcoming war. I need to stay positive happiness in the war with the WW that I'll undoubtedly get. If my cities can grow more, then I'll have a bigger happiness buffer to work with and that will be ideal. Now, what should I do next for my policy tree?

Spoiler IX. Time to Strike! :

Austria, this is certainly not personal. We are facing some snowballing AIs already and these are just those on our continent. I have to rise up to fight them so you are logically the first target. I think I will be generous and not wipe you out of existence. However, I will need most of your cities, especially your capital, to prepare for a uphill fight in the mid to late game.

Spoiler X. Still a Stalemate... :

For now, neither Carthage nor Sweden are making much progress. Note that both of these civs went Authority so they do benefit from killing enemy units. While stalemate is the best case scenario, I also don't like the idea of Sweden growing stronger with their lead in policy becoming bigger with each turn. I have lots of catch up on so we'll see how things will progress with my war with Austria.

Well, that's it for our update! Will I achieve my goal with at least 2 Austrian cities captured?

 

[amateurgamer88]

Chapter 7: Conclusion of a War!

Spoiler I. Religion a Curse? :

I don't think I recall this ever happening before but I never got Religious Divisions until other religions are also in my cities. I checked and, apparently, the fact that even a few followers of my pantheon and not religion causes this. This is very annoying as I spread my religion since it really slows down if your happiness isn't great. I wasn't sure why this was designed this way but it does make early game happiness more challenging for sure.

Spoiler II. Stalemate for Now :

Carthage and Sweden has agreed to peace with no cities trading hands. However, it's clear that Carthage took a worse beating since she had to retake two cities and, as a result, most buildings that was there. This might not seem like much but it will give Sweden a slight edge overall. Regardless, I'm glad there wasn't a clear winner in that war so I know that it's not absolutely urgent for me to defeat Austria. Taking the Austrian cities are going to be quite the grind.

Spoiler III. Let's Build Another Wonder :

I got myself the Angkor Wat because it seem like a nice Wonder to have. I'm not settling more cities so grabbing more tiles is always nice. The Mandir might play a big role despite me not going for Tradition. I don't want any GP in my capital getting assassinated later when they can be quite important in certain aspects like speeding up Wonders or just unlocking more techs.

Spoiler IV. End of Korea? :

Carthage certainly didn't take long before she declared a new war on Korea. This time, I expect Carthage to make some hefty gains against Korea, though I do question how far they will expand to. The two Korea cities closest to me might be left alone since they are quite far away. Otherwise, the other cities are basically fair game and I do hope this war helps Carthage fight against Sweden.

Spoiler V. One City for Carthage :

Korea isn't remotely close to having an army capable of fighting Carthage and two turns were all Carthage needed to take Busan. As for my war, Austria has a ton of units and, despite having naval supremacy, I don't see myself holding onto any cities that I can capture. I think I need to prepare more before I can win more decisively against Austria. There's just too much land for their units for me to overcome with what I have at the moment.

Spoiler VI.Two Cities for Carthage :

Carthage captured another city while I rethink my strategy. I need a land army as well if I want to make any progress. I will have a tech lead to help give me an edge. I'm researching Chivalry so I'll have the strongest unit of the time for the next war. I won't be building any now because WW is steadily taking a toll. I can't afford to attack indefinitely if my cities are hurting in growth and production.

Spoiler VII. Let's Grab the Oracle too :

The Oracle gave me a nice boost of Culture and Science to help me with a number of things. My policies are taking awhile so I do need to speed it up whenever I can. Even the free Temple is nice since I need more faith to get my Prophet sooner. I thought about expanding my religion more but I'm at war with Austria and other cities are just too far away. I might as well enhance my religion and go from there.

Spoiler VIII. Korea Irrelevant Now :

Korea might have survived the war but he's not recovering anymore. Either he gets wiped out (a very likely prospect) or he'll be stuck with a few small cities and remains backwards in everything. Oddly enough, Korea was the only AI to go progress on my continent so I do feel bad for them. Regardless of what they picked for their policy tree, they won't be making a comeback this game.

Spoiler IX. Swedish Capital Growing Stronger :

With the Hanging Gardens, the Swedish capital is going to grow rather massive. That means more specialists and some crazy yields from that city alone. With all those conquests, Sweden might very likely be the biggest threat I face. As for my war, I did capture Klagenfurt but I couldn't hold onto it. The AI just have so many land units around and clearing them out with Dromon is a pain in itself.

Spoiler X. Let's End the War... :

I'm not happy with the prospect of ending the war with basically no gains but I can't afford to grab any Austrian cities. My current cities are defensible but capturing any of the Austrian cities would cause more problems. I will just have to time my next war so I'll have Nau. Then, we'll see where we go from there. Not too happy with how I'm doing so far but sometimes these setbacks just happen (or I'm just a terrible player).

Well, that's it for our update! Will I redeem myself in the next update?

 

[CrazyG]

I have never seen the Hanging Gardens built so late. After both Oracle and Ankor Wat? How strange.

I see you are building a stable, so you have chivalry? A single knight would do some real damage against those Austrian cities.

 

[Minh Le]

I have never seen the Hanging Gardens built so late. After both Oracle and Ankor Wat? How strange.

I see you are building a stable, so you have chivalry? A single knight would do some real damage against those Austrian cities.

Hes playing on marathon speed.

 

[chicorbeef]

Hes playing on marathon speed.

It's still really late. That corresponds roughly to about Turn 119 on Standard.

 

[Minh Le]

Yeah I see. I never play on marathon so I dont know. But given the OP is already building Oracle then its really late then.

 

[amateurgamer88]

I have never seen the Hanging Gardens built so late. After both Oracle and Ankor Wat? How strange.

I see you are building a stable, so you have chivalry? A single knight would do some real damage against those Austrian cities.

The Wonders starting in Classical Age can be rather interesting. I find that you have a chance at building those even if you don't beeline for them sometimes. I think Marathon does affect priorities of the AIs but I don't complain. As for knights, they will play a pretty important role for upcoming games for sure.

It's still really late. That corresponds roughly to about Turn 119 on Standard.

Yeah I see. I never play on marathon so I dont know. But given the OP is already building Oracle then its really late then.

It is pretty late. I think I managed to build it this late as well so it's probably a Marathon speed thing.

 

[amateurgamer88]

Just a quick update. I've played quite a bit ahead and I got to admit it's a horrible grind. I hope that it doesn't show in my updates because I'm not having fun right now. However, I do believe that it's possible we'll see giant death robots at the rate things are going and we'll have a very interesting late game.

I also lost some of my screenshots and I'm afraid I don't know how to retrieve it. I'll do my best to describe what happened leading up to it but I can assure you that nothing big has happened yet.

Chapter 8: Austria Becoming a Thorn

Spoiler I. Making a Mistake (on last update) :

I realized after seeing this screenshot that I made a huge mistake last update. I didn't actually accept the peace deal and decided instead to hurry up and capture the two cities. I had the navy to capture the two cities and timed it where I took them the same turn so I can just peace out shortly afterwards. Then, I'm just working on strengthening my land defenses while I prepared for my next war with Austria.

Spoiler II. One Reformation Gone :

Whoever has Protestantism has gotten Defender of the Faith. That will mean that nobody on my continent will have it so it's a relief. I have a feeling I'll be fighting lots of defensive wars after defeating Austria before launching counterattacks. After defeating Austria, I'll need to focus on certain techs to help me edge out the toughest competitions. I'm still working on my reformation but it seems like I'll need the Wonder to reduce my follower requirements.

Spoiler III. A Snowballing Civ on the Other Continent? :

While this isn't exactly early for Medieval Era, a civ on the other continent is definitely keeping up relatively well. I won't be doing any exploration for awhile because I need to deal with Austria for now. I don't like the idea of getting my ships too far when my military is still lacking overall. Luckily, I will be getting my UU soon so it's possible for me to time that for the next war with Austria

Spoiler IV. Let's Get Statecraft :

For me, I think I sometimes don't appreciate Statecraft as much as I should as it's a pretty good policy tree. It not only helps me with city states but it seems to provide a decent amount of gold too. I might start testing to see if I can take this tree in other games because I do want to see its strengths. For this game, it works so well with my Nau's exotic cargo and trade routes so it feels like a no brainer.

Spoiler V. Another Bout between Heavy Weights :

Their peace sure didn't last long and I'm nervous once again. After all, you can see the combat strength of the Carthage cities in the screenshot. I expect the two sides to have similar numbers in troops and, as Sweden declared war, their troop positioning should be better overall. We'll see in time which civ will come out on top and then I'll need to best that civ. I'm cheering for Carthage for now.

Spoiler VI.War Well Underway :

Sweden doesn't take much time to take their first city. I expect a lot of casualties on both side and, with Authority, they are getting stronger. I just don't see how I can catch up in policies with Sweden if they keep benefiting from these wars. Their culture output would be greater than mine with their unit kills alone but they also have captured cities to help them.

Spoiler VII. Grabbing the Colossus :

Colossus seems to be a stellar Wonder for Portugal given how much benefits TR benefit the civ. In addition, I get a Cargo Ship for free so I can start working on my Great Admiral. I need some extra edge for the upcoming war with Austria. Of course, it doesn't hurt to get more gold and science from the TR so I can keep up in tech as well. Given that we are on Continents, I expect this Wonder to have highly contested so I wasn't going to lose it.

Spoiler VIII. Carthage Fighting Back :

Carthage isn't going down without a fight but I feel like, with each of their cities lost, they are falling more and more behind while Sweden gets stronger. As for me, I'm teching towards Compass to get my UU as soon as possible. I'm also getting a few Longswordsmen to help with the defense of my two new cities that already had garrisoned composite bowmen. I haven't forgotten about my knights either since they will give me a huge edge if I can attack before Austria even gets to Medieval Era.

Spoiler IX. Austria Getting Aggressive? :

Korea is certainly in trouble now that Austria is turning her attention on the two remaining Korean cities. I've seen the Austrian land army and it's not to be underestimated. I only captured two of their cities because I had naval supremacy. Korea doesn't have such a luxury and he also lost his best cities. These two cities are underdeveloped and likely will fall quickly.

Spoiler X. Now I'm Worried :

We have a snowballing civ on the other continent for sure and I don't like this one bit. Even a human player with the sole possession of a continent is just so difficult to defeat. Meanwhile, I have to worry about who will win in the heavy weight bout and defeat the victory before I can do anything about the other continent. I have a feeling that the mid to late game will be very exciting (and very grindy).

Well, that's it for our update! Will I attack Austria soon?