Kullervo
Mahler/Sibelius Freak
I don't have anything past the original Civ IV game, but tried this challenge anyway. GREAT FUN.
Playing as Genghis Khan (for greater health and starting promotion)
a) I was lucky, and started on a coastline area with a choke point that consisted of a forested hill.
b) first 6 archers and warriors I built got either guerilla or woodsman promos. After the barbarians on the mainland took a few tries at me, I got all 10 units on that hill to at least 2 promotions.
c) most of my territory consisted of hills with 1 flatland with wheat. I posted a few units around there just in case.
d) I has Stone, so I managed to build the Pyramids really fast. South of me was a 2-plot island (one flatland, one hill with copper(!)) so I quickly built my second city there and got access to copper. I already had iron from my capital (which had 5 resources: wheat, iron, and 3 clam, with stone outside usable terrain)
e) first few civs to attack me were repelled by my uber-soldiers... Montezuma attacked with 15 archers and 2 warriors, and the final losses were 17-2. Reinforced the hill with anti-melee axemen (4) and 2 more archers with guerilla.
f) researched feudalism. About time, since the enemy just got catapults. I took heavy damage from a combined army of about 10 axemen, 10 or so swordsmen, 6 catapults, and countless horse archers. The horse archers sometimes withdrew, but I grew bold and attacked with my axemen, finishing them off. Final losses: 39-8. The rest of the attackers finished each other off while I retreated to lick my wounds.
g) finally had the bright idea of posting a longbowman with medic on the hill.
h) got catapults. posted 10 on the hill with collateral and bombarded enemy armies. Eventually, up against almost 60 units, my army did great: just 4 lost.
i) haven't seen the enemy in a long time. Send out 12 swordsmen with city raider II, 10 axemen with mostly woodsman II (So I could get to an enemy city undercover) and 6 catapults for bombardment and collateral. Also some combat promoted spearmen against mounted units and a few more miscellaneous medic units. A large army of longbowmen with city defender promotions was moving behind, ready to occupy an enemy city.
j) the closest city was York. Not a huge city with no real food resources except for 2 flood plain tiles, but access to horses and ivory, both of which I could REALLY use for military and civilian use. It was on a hill, but after I first reduced it's defenses to 0 and then suicided the town with my catapults (amazing luck: 4 out of the 6 withdrew and gained 1 more xp point, and 1 won against an axeman), York fell quickly.
k) I was in trouble. 3 separate civs were threatening me again. Although 2 of them were at war with the other, they all wanted me. Just as most of my longbowmen fell, 2 bits of providence came my way. The first: I researched civil service and promoted all my axemen and swordsmen to macemen. the second: I was for some time building Chichen Itza in my capital, knowing I probably had no chance. But then a great engineer was born in Karakorum
. I hurried the production and got a 25% boost in York.
l) York survived, and I got access to Keshiks and War Elephants. Emboldened by my successes, I went to root out the other english town (can't remember the name). It turned out to be even easier. It wasn't even on a hill, but was backed up against the mountains on 2 sides, and a lake on the third. A hill was the fourth side, so once I got the town, I set a bunch of longbowmen there. This city would be practically impossible to take.
m) I wanted to go after london, because it had another Iron resource, and hey, I needed another one JIC. but Monty beat me to it, and England went out of the game.
(Forgot to mention, there was a religious war going on between the 9 civs. It was Hindus and Jews vs. Buddhists. Elizabeth was the founder of buddhism, and Monty was the founder of Hinduism.)
n) Things were looking up. It was already 400 AD, and I wondered whether I could actually get Snaaty's Immortal achievement. But then...
o) Mao launched a naval assault right at my capital. Fortunately it failed, since he pillaged my iron mine, and then attacked me directly (which was suicide), but he disrupted my resources. Then, that b*stard Huyana Capac also attacked me from the sea... he attacked York! Although York withstood the assault, it's defenses were permanently crippled. I sent a garrison of 6 longbowmen from the choke point (which I fondly renamed Lighthouse Point) and managed to fortify the city in time to withstand another attack from Mao and a few maces from Roosevelt as well.
p) York was doomed. 3 friendly armies were approaching from either side. Fortunately, I had a good idea, and so I withdrew all defenses from York to the choke point and a few to the other captured English town. Then, as Mao's forerunners entered the city, I retook it and razed it. If not me, then nobody!
q) the armies proceeded to Lighthouse Point, and there, a vicious battle took place. I barely triumphed. When I later counted, the losses were (34 me)-(122 enemy!).
With such luck I withstood, but then a naval assault removed my copper in my island city. I never got it back, even though the city itself withstood.
r) Karakorum eventually fell in 1345 AD, from a whopping 6 armies totalling almost 200 various units. My 43 defenders withstood for the longest time... Lighthouse point was still active, though, so the six armies were restricted on the peninsula, since I managed to sink their puny galleys with caravels and even some frigates. Then they got astronomy and chemistry, and so I was contending for the seas against 5 enemy civs (1 civ except England had been destroyed, and two others were too busy fighting the evil Buddhists to fight me).
s) Sarai fell within 40 years (8 or so turns) from a serious naval assault. The remnants of my fleet, with a lot of defenders and medics aboard fled north, towards the coast nearest the captured English town. The landing went well, but out of almost 50 units, only 21 made it to the new capital.
t) Cambridge (at least I think that's what it was called) stood for the longest time. I actually led the score screen for some time, capturing London from Monty's forces and retaking Karakorum. This time, Karakorum was the most heavily defended city in the world, with a whopping 80 defenders (2 medics, 10 catapults, 68 riflemen with city garrison promotions. Not a lot can stand against a 14 strength rifleman with a 175% defense bonus from culture, city walls, hills, and promotions). My cavalry and city assault grenadiers raped the American cities further south, removing Roosevelt, and nearly eliminating Louis XIV.
u) I was so close in 1700 AD. I was up to infantries and cavalry. Louis XIV and Mansa Musa were dead, Roosevelt was dead, Elisabeth was dead, Tokugawa was dead, Monty was dying, Mao was dying... I controlled 68% of the land area, and 64% population... I was close to a domination victory. So close... and then Bismark and Peter, two previously failing civilizations still clinging to Hinduism suddenly came back with a vengeance at Mao, Monty, and myself. I finished off Mao, Peter's cossacks overcame Monty. I was 2% away from a domination victory... and then Bismark's Panzers tore through my cities. I fell in 1903. Karakorum held, and then, as 2 gunships were deployed from Cambridge, Karakorum fell. I decimated bismark's Panzers with my gunships and then Peter's tanks and bombers tore through the south of my area. Bismark finished off my northern end.
v) My last city was, once again Cambridge. an astounding 105 defenders stood their ground for 34 turns of endless seige and bombing from planes. Then, I decided to go out with a bang, and nuked four cities: Berlin, Hamburg, Moscow, and Rostov (Not St. Petersburg, because I was born there.) before launching a suicide attack with the rest of my army. Peter's newly promoted modern armors rolled into an unoccupied city. Who won? I don't know, I was executed in 1905.
I wanted to make this objective, but my natural flare for the dramatic got the better of me. Hope you like the result.
In retrospective, I did almost everything correctly except for building a navy. If I had a powerful navy, I wouldn't have fallen originally, and I would've had more techs, more units, and more cities by the time Bismark and Peter suddenly rose through the ranks. I didn't use any WB during this game, so knowing I got so far on deity level... niiiice.
Thanks for the challenge, Snaaty. And thanks to anyone who reads these feeble attempts.
Playing as Genghis Khan (for greater health and starting promotion)
a) I was lucky, and started on a coastline area with a choke point that consisted of a forested hill.
b) first 6 archers and warriors I built got either guerilla or woodsman promos. After the barbarians on the mainland took a few tries at me, I got all 10 units on that hill to at least 2 promotions.
c) most of my territory consisted of hills with 1 flatland with wheat. I posted a few units around there just in case.
d) I has Stone, so I managed to build the Pyramids really fast. South of me was a 2-plot island (one flatland, one hill with copper(!)) so I quickly built my second city there and got access to copper. I already had iron from my capital (which had 5 resources: wheat, iron, and 3 clam, with stone outside usable terrain)
e) first few civs to attack me were repelled by my uber-soldiers... Montezuma attacked with 15 archers and 2 warriors, and the final losses were 17-2. Reinforced the hill with anti-melee axemen (4) and 2 more archers with guerilla.
f) researched feudalism. About time, since the enemy just got catapults. I took heavy damage from a combined army of about 10 axemen, 10 or so swordsmen, 6 catapults, and countless horse archers. The horse archers sometimes withdrew, but I grew bold and attacked with my axemen, finishing them off. Final losses: 39-8. The rest of the attackers finished each other off while I retreated to lick my wounds.
g) finally had the bright idea of posting a longbowman with medic on the hill.
h) got catapults. posted 10 on the hill with collateral and bombarded enemy armies. Eventually, up against almost 60 units, my army did great: just 4 lost.
i) haven't seen the enemy in a long time. Send out 12 swordsmen with city raider II, 10 axemen with mostly woodsman II (So I could get to an enemy city undercover) and 6 catapults for bombardment and collateral. Also some combat promoted spearmen against mounted units and a few more miscellaneous medic units. A large army of longbowmen with city defender promotions was moving behind, ready to occupy an enemy city.
j) the closest city was York. Not a huge city with no real food resources except for 2 flood plain tiles, but access to horses and ivory, both of which I could REALLY use for military and civilian use. It was on a hill, but after I first reduced it's defenses to 0 and then suicided the town with my catapults (amazing luck: 4 out of the 6 withdrew and gained 1 more xp point, and 1 won against an axeman), York fell quickly.
k) I was in trouble. 3 separate civs were threatening me again. Although 2 of them were at war with the other, they all wanted me. Just as most of my longbowmen fell, 2 bits of providence came my way. The first: I researched civil service and promoted all my axemen and swordsmen to macemen. the second: I was for some time building Chichen Itza in my capital, knowing I probably had no chance. But then a great engineer was born in Karakorum
. I hurried the production and got a 25% boost in York.l) York survived, and I got access to Keshiks and War Elephants. Emboldened by my successes, I went to root out the other english town (can't remember the name). It turned out to be even easier. It wasn't even on a hill, but was backed up against the mountains on 2 sides, and a lake on the third. A hill was the fourth side, so once I got the town, I set a bunch of longbowmen there. This city would be practically impossible to take.
m) I wanted to go after london, because it had another Iron resource, and hey, I needed another one JIC. but Monty beat me to it, and England went out of the game.
(Forgot to mention, there was a religious war going on between the 9 civs. It was Hindus and Jews vs. Buddhists. Elizabeth was the founder of buddhism, and Monty was the founder of Hinduism.)
n) Things were looking up. It was already 400 AD, and I wondered whether I could actually get Snaaty's Immortal achievement. But then...
o) Mao launched a naval assault right at my capital. Fortunately it failed, since he pillaged my iron mine, and then attacked me directly (which was suicide), but he disrupted my resources. Then, that b*stard Huyana Capac also attacked me from the sea... he attacked York! Although York withstood the assault, it's defenses were permanently crippled. I sent a garrison of 6 longbowmen from the choke point (which I fondly renamed Lighthouse Point) and managed to fortify the city in time to withstand another attack from Mao and a few maces from Roosevelt as well.
p) York was doomed. 3 friendly armies were approaching from either side. Fortunately, I had a good idea, and so I withdrew all defenses from York to the choke point and a few to the other captured English town. Then, as Mao's forerunners entered the city, I retook it and razed it. If not me, then nobody!
q) the armies proceeded to Lighthouse Point, and there, a vicious battle took place. I barely triumphed. When I later counted, the losses were (34 me)-(122 enemy!).
With such luck I withstood, but then a naval assault removed my copper in my island city. I never got it back, even though the city itself withstood.
r) Karakorum eventually fell in 1345 AD, from a whopping 6 armies totalling almost 200 various units. My 43 defenders withstood for the longest time... Lighthouse point was still active, though, so the six armies were restricted on the peninsula, since I managed to sink their puny galleys with caravels and even some frigates. Then they got astronomy and chemistry, and so I was contending for the seas against 5 enemy civs (1 civ except England had been destroyed, and two others were too busy fighting the evil Buddhists to fight me).
s) Sarai fell within 40 years (8 or so turns) from a serious naval assault. The remnants of my fleet, with a lot of defenders and medics aboard fled north, towards the coast nearest the captured English town. The landing went well, but out of almost 50 units, only 21 made it to the new capital.
t) Cambridge (at least I think that's what it was called) stood for the longest time. I actually led the score screen for some time, capturing London from Monty's forces and retaking Karakorum. This time, Karakorum was the most heavily defended city in the world, with a whopping 80 defenders (2 medics, 10 catapults, 68 riflemen with city garrison promotions. Not a lot can stand against a 14 strength rifleman with a 175% defense bonus from culture, city walls, hills, and promotions). My cavalry and city assault grenadiers raped the American cities further south, removing Roosevelt, and nearly eliminating Louis XIV.
u) I was so close in 1700 AD. I was up to infantries and cavalry. Louis XIV and Mansa Musa were dead, Roosevelt was dead, Elisabeth was dead, Tokugawa was dead, Monty was dying, Mao was dying... I controlled 68% of the land area, and 64% population... I was close to a domination victory. So close... and then Bismark and Peter, two previously failing civilizations still clinging to Hinduism suddenly came back with a vengeance at Mao, Monty, and myself. I finished off Mao, Peter's cossacks overcame Monty. I was 2% away from a domination victory... and then Bismark's Panzers tore through my cities. I fell in 1903. Karakorum held, and then, as 2 gunships were deployed from Cambridge, Karakorum fell. I decimated bismark's Panzers with my gunships and then Peter's tanks and bombers tore through the south of my area. Bismark finished off my northern end.
v) My last city was, once again Cambridge. an astounding 105 defenders stood their ground for 34 turns of endless seige and bombing from planes. Then, I decided to go out with a bang, and nuked four cities: Berlin, Hamburg, Moscow, and Rostov (Not St. Petersburg, because I was born there.) before launching a suicide attack with the rest of my army. Peter's newly promoted modern armors rolled into an unoccupied city. Who won? I don't know, I was executed in 1905.
I wanted to make this objective, but my natural flare for the dramatic got the better of me. Hope you like the result.
In retrospective, I did almost everything correctly except for building a navy. If I had a powerful navy, I wouldn't have fallen originally, and I would've had more techs, more units, and more cities by the time Bismark and Peter suddenly rose through the ranks. I didn't use any WB during this game, so knowing I got so far on deity level... niiiice.
Thanks for the challenge, Snaaty. And thanks to anyone who reads these feeble attempts.
- at least I got the Great Wall)/ not sure if Writing then Hunting/Archery or the opposite and then Alphabet/Priesthood (to steal Monarchy on the way to Feudalism) and started Sailing for the Moai. BTW, I also got Horseback Riding from a hut. Really useful here!
I guess the last time I was playing better... So I got that city razed twice. I was thinking of assembling a small stack to claim it once and for all but now Hatty beat me to it. 
)
