The year is 650 B.C...
For years, the Japanese people had been wandering the islands of Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Hokkaido. Their leader was a man who went by the name of Tokugawa, and under his guidance, the Japanese people had grown to the point where they were ready to settle down. Now, he felt that it was time. After spending one last time searching, they finally found the perfect spot. Here, half of the Japanese people settled down to found the city of Kyoto. As the rest of their people went east to settle more parts of Japan, the rest went to work building Kyoto from the ground up.
Tokugawa was determined to build a civilization in the land of the rising sun that would stand the test of time...
Well, enough about Japan! If you're reading this, you're here to see what idiot things the AI nations have done here, so let's get on with that!
First up, right across the sea, is our (almost) next-door neighbor, China. Here's the current situation for them now:
As you can see, they currently have three cities: Capital city Beijing (pop. 6), their second city Qingdao (pop. 5), and Nanchang (pop. 3), their southernmost city. They seem to be doing well, although their infrastructure is still grossly underdeveloped. Outside of a few farms, they have almost nothing in that department. What I find interesting about China at the moment is that they have left Nanchang completely undefended. Yes, it is currently their least important city, but you would think that they would have somebody guard it. One last thing of importance - the Chinese have founded both Confucianism and Taoism, whose holy cities are Beijing and Qingdao, respectively.
On to our next contestant, India, led by the mighty Asoka:
Unlike China, India only has 2 cities at the moment: capital Delhi (pop. 4) and second city Hyderabad (pop. 1). Delhi seems to be more developed than any of the Chinese cities, but is still smaller than Beijing (or Qingdao). Another thing of note is that the Indians, like the Chinese, have left their southernmost city completely undefended. They better get some soldiers into Hyderabad soon, because IIRC, a bunch of barb war elephants will appear in the area after a while. Also of note is that India has now founded both Hinduism and Buddhism, and Delhi is the holy city for both.
Heading further west, we arrive in the newer nation of Persia:
Persia currently has three cities: capital Parsa, second city Pura, and the city of Shush (all pop. 1), which flipped to Persia after the ethnic Persians in the city revolted against Babylonian rule. Despite being the newest civilization in the area, they seem to be the most powerful, having the largest army, and the most number of cities, tied with Babylonia. Off-screen and to the north, they have a small force of their famed Immortals off to try to capture the city of Afrosiab, which the Persians plan to rename Samarkand once the city is theirs. The Persians have failed to found any religions (though Shush is a Buddhist city), but they have managed to keep all of their cities defended.
Heading into the famed Fertile Crescent, we find the ancient nation of Babylon:
Babylon has three cities - Babili (pop. 4), known to the rest of the world as Babylon, second city Ninua (pop. 3), and third city Sur. Sur used to be an independent nation, but Babylon conquered it at some point in their history. At one time, they controlled Shushan as well, but the city's inhabitants revolted and joined the Persian nation upon Cyrus the Great's rise to power. Persia and Babylonia have been rivals ever since, each vying for control over the region. Babylon's military is almost as large as the Persian army, but they are forced to keep their largest force (four divisions) in the occupied city of Sur. Currently, the only religion in Babylonia is Judaism, which is predominant in Sur. There seems to have been a conflict between Babylonia and another nation to the northwest, but the only evidence of that conflict is a ruined, abandoned city in eastern Anatolia.
Continuing on, we find the independent city-state of Yerushalayim (known to the rest of the world as Jerusalem):
This city has seen nothing but conflict ever since its formation. As the last truly independent city in the entire region, and as the origin of Judaism, Jerusalem has been attacked repeatedly by the Egyptians and (especially) the Babylonians. However, the people of Jerusalem have thrown them back every time, and currently have a respectable army of three divisions. However, the question remains - how long will the city be able to retain its independence?
Moving out of Asia, we arrive at the African nation of Egypt:
The Egyptian civilization, based on the Nile River, is one of Earth's oldest civilizations, matching such nations as China, India, and Babylonia. They currently have two cities: capital Niwt-Rst, founded on the banks of the Nile, and Djanet to the northeast, right at the edge of the their border with Jerusalem. The Pharaoh has made it a priority to keep Egypt out of war, shown by the fact that Egypt's only ever conflict was a brief war with Jerusalem. However, Egypt's army is weak as a result (only about as big as Jerusalem's) and with the various tribes of Africa becoming more and more violent, a small military is not a good thing in this day and age. Time will tell if Egypt will survive in its current form.
Moving even further west, we arrive at the new nation of Carthage, located in modern-day Tunisia:
Carthage (as known by the Romans - they call their own city Qart-Hadasht) was founded by Phoenician traders looking for a base of operations. Controlling Tunisia and the western half of the island of Sicily, Carthage is small, but growing. Their goal is to create a trading empire on the shores of the western Mediterranean, and they have the world's largest navy to back it up. However, they have begun to earn the ire of Rome, who also wishes to create an empire on the Mediterranean. Time will tell whether these tensions will eventually be defused, or whether they will explode into war.
Moving into Europe for the first time, we come upon the nation of Greece:
Greece has many small towns, the most famous being the warrior city Sparta, but only has two major cities worth noting - the capital city Athens, located in southeast Greece, and Byzantium, a large colony located on the shores of the Bosporus Strait. As the main entryway between Europe and Asia, Byzantium sits on one of the most important choke points in the world. The Greeks have realized this, and have their most elite soldiers (hoplites from Sparta) guarding the city, leaving Athens itself vulnerable in the process. The Greeks' only major war thus far was a conflict between them and the city-state of Gordion, home to the Phrygians. The war ended with the Phrygians' annihilation. Now Greece has the challenge of keeping their nation together.
To wrap up this update, we head into Italy to meet the newest nation on Earth (other than Japan) - Rome!
The Eternal City, Roma, has finally become a true empire, having gone from controlling only their capital to ruling over the entire Italian peninsula in just a few years. Other than Roma, they also control the city of Pompeii, as well as the city of Mediolanum, which recently joined the empire peacefully. Despite being younger than even Carthage and Persia, Rome has the desire of ruling over all of western Europe - and beyond, if they can manage it. Their expansionism, however, has brought them into conflict with the Celtic people of Gaul, and tensions have raised between them and their African neighbor, Carthage.
That's it for the opening update! I'll make sure to make another one in the next couple of days.
)
