Immortal University 76 - Montezuma

[sampsa]

1AD

Spoiler :

Discovered the south has room for two extra cities, extra . Somehow I never got plotted on despite the religious situation was bad - couldn't get buddhism until very late. Oh wait Zara plotted on me but canceled plans after he begged for aesth. Went for the cuir stuff, early music for no reason really.

Now everyone is fighting the irrelevant Sury so I'm safe. Strangely Mids still not built and I will get a lot of failgold. I have drama,music and philo on everyone. Also nobody has CS so the tech pace is very slow.

I don't think it's worth finishing, should be a clean cuir swipe.

 

[sampsa]

Alternate history T38

Spoiler :

Now we are talking. Also a bear ate my scout, great. Of course going on gold 2nd, but 3rd to grab pigs. Going archery also.

 

[sampsa]

T64

Spoiler :

Bah, he canceled plans after plotting some 20T. I was ready to whip walls and could have 3 archers, so should hold easily at that point. Of course it set me back a few turns (not many, probably 2-3T) but I'm afraid this will be a cakewalk as well, especially if I settle the southern spots. You don't certainly need them and can go for example 5-city construction attack if you want to. I just find it unnecessary.

 

[Thrasybulos]

If you're still in the mood for tough Monty games, I posted last year a map in Henrik's thread (the second one: the first is an easy but really nice isolation game).

I haven't gone back to that game since then, but I'd still be curious about how you'd approach it...

 

[sampsa]

Monty Rickroll NTT

Spoiler :

Played a bit and I think it's almost forced to go for GLH. It's obviously a challenging map but should be very winnable on immortal and not impossible on deity.

 

[Thrasybulos]

Monty Rickroll NTT

Spoiler :

Played a bit and I think it's almost forced to go for GLH. It's obviously a challenging map but should be very winnable on immortal and not impossible on deity.

Well, I've repeatedly failed there on emperor!

But at least it would seem I was on the right track with my latest attempt.

Spoiler :

I had also come to the conclusion that the GLH was the way to go (easy to get with all those forests to chop at the capital + that capital sucks at everything except early production).
But...
Foreign trade routes get broken up by coastal barb cities (we do have one island, but that doesn't seem enough), and where to go after that?
Try and double up with the Colossus? Colossus-powered non-financial coastal tiles aren't great, but I guess they beat non-river jungled-up cottages?
The presence of Asoka buys us time with the warmongers, but he doesn't last very long.
Elephants suggest an elepult breakout, but who's the target?
Izzy is the closest and weakest and her land is rich (provided she's done her job and cleared the jungle), but she's our only easy friend and taking out Izzy means having to deal with a monster Genghis...

 

[aitkensam]

Is settling 2N1W and killing a floodplain a terrible idea? Feels nice to be able to skip fishing.

 

[sampsa]

Is settling 2N1W and killing a floodplain a terrible idea? Feels nice to be able to skip fishing.

I think it's reasonable - plenty of good tiles so you can sacrifice one. I like it more than 1NW. Still, you settle 1T later and the wet corn is delayed 2T so you lose 9. Not sure if stronger capital long-term compensates for that.

 

[a pen-dragon]

I choose 2N1W, due to better long term position and immediate city connection through the river.

Spoiler 1AD :

Also pigs and as I later found out, sugar.
Shaka got Hinduism.
I had a slower start, choosing to work the gold for commerce. I am maybe 5 turns behind @sampsa in expansion, about comparable in infrastructure.
I am taking a little risk in not building warriors, but the west is secure from barbs and NE there is a barb city fogbusting, also Cathy is close, so it is not much of a problem.

I took the aestetics path and traded for alpha from Sury. Zara had marble for trade and I superflous horses, so I decided to go for the GL. After this things went a bit worse, Shaka started plotting about as soon as I was the eligible land target and soon declared. I built about 6 troops and we made peace as soon as he suicided his stack. Still that set me back a few turns. I then used these troops to conquer a barb city in the SE, and then settled the silver, bringing my city-count to 8. That is a bit much, but I think the silver-fish site is worth it.

Justinian went for early Philo in about 375 BC, and I later bulbed it (still worth it). Also went for Music for the GA, got the GL and am waiting on failgold for the parthenon. Diplomatically Shaka is the only threat. I am building sacrificial altars, even though even they are a bit dubious.

Zara and especially Justinian are doing decently in Tech, but Shaka and Cathy will probably stil be soft targets for Cuirs. Nappy is at war with Cathy and Sury.

 

[soundjata]

^nice play


Just theorycrafting: I like SIP more than on the river. (or even 1S)

Recently I've been experimenting with mine intensive capitols (oh the heresy!) because you always have something to build in your cap and you dont like to whip it.

Advantages: (the drawbacks of a non cottage heavy cap are obvious : low commerce)
- bureau also gives a bonus.
- cheap mid-game workers and settlers
- combine with heroic epic for <2 turns CUIRS, ... don't whip moma. (museum of modern arts)
- don't be tricked into doing the academy mistake
- produce a few great people on the way
- ...
- profit?

 

[sampsa]

@a pen-dragon

Spoiler :

It's certainly a well played game, but now you can see exactly why I think it's optimal to SIP and SOG™. Your stronger long-term capital hasn't started to shine at all yet. I am working more, better cottages 1AD and it tends to snowball from there. fp/grass river cottages >>> desert gold, because you are able to work many of them, sooner. So the desert gold isn't competing against one cottage, but several. And it doesn't beat even one honestly, because is worth around double compared to a . With gold you better gain some huge early advantage, otherwise it's not worth much and is just slowing down your development.

And (albeit you can't know it T0) on this map it's extremely valuable to settle the western spots on hills and east of river, for obvious reasons.

I think your game is won if you can contain Shaka.

 

[sampsa]

@soundjata Oh the heresy indeed! What are you building even? Buildings and wonders I guess... it's just that they tend to be quite mediocre. I love to whip the capital early due to the extra , but I presume you are talking about ~1AD.

 

[soundjata]

yes. Lovely of course in conjunction with REP/spiritual.
But on this map, seeing the layout i can feel it pretty well. Will proly attempt 1S for the sake of testing