Is it still possible to win this game?

[rizou]

The setting is Epic, Pangaea, Standard, Monarch, playing as Japanese. I was aiming for conquest victory but I started on the west of the map with the only near civ being mansa (which wasn't that near really). My area was quite filled with forests and jungles so I had to spend many turns researching iron working to clear the jungles (my 2nd city was built with 2 gems around it but jungle was in the way) and i hope to find iron since there was no copper. I have 4 cities now and I declared war on Mansa destroying 2 of his cities (he already re-setlled 1 by the time we made peace) and took 1 of his nearest city (which I think might be a mistake). The thing is right now my score is so far below the leader and I think I'm way behind in tech too (I can't really know since I haven't researched alphabet). I can't really expand much because I haven't got currency or CoL. I'm kind of confused where to go from here onwards so please take a look at the save game and provide me with some advice thx abunch.

 

[johncross21]

I think you picked might have picked a dud

On the plus

- Mansa is normally pretty civilised so he would provide a buffer between you and Shaka/Isabella

- only isabella has a significant tech lead and she is a long way away

On the downside

- you have a small land area (you are 7th)

- no natural land border to the north

- no grassy plains obvious for specialisation/pop growth

- lots of access to sea but not anywhere very obvious to go to (this is a big continent)

 

[baboon]

Ehm well I think you need to fight your way out of this, if you want to have any chance. You are building two settlers, I have no idea where you are going to put those. It's either hopeless or you start conquering fast.

I didn't look real good, it might be very possible to conquer, but you have to change tactics fast I think.

I would advise focusing on Commerce with one or 2 cities, and conquer with the others.

 

[Cam_H]

rizou,

I played your game on to 1124AD with unexceptional but I guess adequate results that put Tokugawa in a 'middling' position (please don't consider this to be any flawless performance! - Warmongering is not my strong suit). I guess I'm not used to Epic speed, so I was pretty hesitant to use the whip given the protracted recovery time vs. my impatience! Anyway - you've got a 10XP unit there, so I figured go after Literature for the Heroic Epic, Construction for Catapults and Elephants, and then head towards Machinery and Civil Service for your Samurai.

I used one of the Settlers to found Kagoshima near the Horses and the Ivory to the east, and developed a mini-SoD of Swordsmen to take the Barbarian city. What I felt was a very long time, I was able to research the technologies and did some back-trading. I popped a Great Merchant out of Kyoto (The Colossus) that gave me a 1950 trade mission with London, that helped with upgrading Swords and Axes. Eventually I developed a SoD of about seven Catapults, a couple of War Elephants, about ten Samurai, and a Crossbow. I took three Malinese cities (incl. Timbuktu as well as the Taoist Holy City) but was running out of 'puff' so opted to sue for peace. Mansa would not Capitulate.

Anyway, I would say that while my shot here is hardly a model game, it's arguably not hopeless. We seem to be competing against Isabella for Liberalism (we're up Paper on most tribes) and there's another Great Person about to pop out of Kyoto (Engineer, Scientist or Merchant).

Best of luck!

 

[rizou]

Thx for the replies guys I kinda gave up already on this game but I guess I should keep on trying since winning this game would feel real good lol.

Cam_H: that's very impressive progress. You just give me hope to continue trying .