Executive Summary: I only played for 5 turns because I was booked on Friday and now it looks like I wont have any time on Sunday, and I did not want to slow the game down. I razed 5 cities and founded 4 cities, mostly fighting against the Russians and Romans. I got one GL who rushed a factory in Tientsin. We finished researching The Corporation and are now waiting for the next advance we dont have. In the meantime the other civs have gotten Atomic Theory. Were really rolling now, cities are falling left and right.
There is a lot of fighting along the coastline so Ive been building a steady amount of ironclads. There really hasnt been much opposition, what there is comes mostly from the Romans and Russians. Its mostly a matter of logistics now, getting the right unit to the right place at the right time.
1700AD Preturn: Goals:
Build up the navy, have just 7 ironclads.
Try for a 3 prong attack against Romans, Greeks, and Russians.
Keep up with the other civs in research but save money by not going ahead.
Keep building infrastructure.
Ulundi gives a culture win in 74 turns, so dont do anything that takes too long.
I see a 3 wave approach to attacks. First wave is cavalry, infantry, and artillery. Its job is to take cities and raze them. Second wave is workers guarded by infantry, its job is to build rails to keep up with the attacking forces. Last wave is settlers to build new cities in the vacated lands.
Current state of other civs:
Zulus (us) = Monarchy, even military, 48 cities, even tech
Russia = Communism, weak military, 18 cities, +Corporation Atomic Theory
Iroquois = Republic, weak military, 3 cities, -Steam Power Medicine -Communism
Rome = Monarchy, weak military, 12 cities, -Atomic Theory
Greece = Communism, weak military, 18 cities, -Atomic Theory
England = Democracy, weak military, 24 cities, +Corporation Atomic Theory
Aztecs = Democracy, strong military, 34 cities, +Corporation Atomic Theory
Egypt = Democracy, weak military, 13 cities, +Corporation, -Atomic Theory
All our opponents on our continent together have 51 cities, we have 48 so were about equal. Considering we have the Hoover Dam, we probably out produce all of them together so its time to make a push.
From the last time I played (1500AD) heres the change in cities:
Zulus = +21
Russia = +0
Iroquois = -10
China = -9 (wiped out)
Rome = +1
Greece = +0
England = +0
Aztecs = +0
Egypt = -1
I wonder how Egypt lost a city?
Need to watch Umtata, its going to grow in 2 turns and become unhappy. Its cathedral finishes in 3 turns.
I wish there was a command to mark all the tiles that contain a certain unit that hasnt attacked yet. For example, it could mark all tiles that have a cavalry that hasnt attacked yet with a red square. Its a real pain to have to click thru stacks of units trying to find where all the cavalry or artillery is.
I rush an ironclad at Umfolozi.
1700-1750AD Disease strikes Yakutsk. Resistance in Karkov has ended. Lots of infrastructure and units are built. One of our ironclads defeats an English ironclad attacking us.
1750AD Destroyed 6 Cossacks near Kharkov with lots of arty help. Also razed Krasno, a town with coal near Kharkov. Killed 2 infantry, 2 cossacks, and a rifle defending. Picked up 2 Russian workers. No losses so far. I found New Amatikulu on a hill just NE of the former Krasno. It will defend the new coal and be a forward base for attacking the Russians since its on the other side of the jungle. Also its within 2 of Astrakhan, a Russian city of size 10. As a bonus its already connected to everything by rail.
Killed 2 Roman rifles and a longbow near Intombe. There is a stack of 5 Roman infantry and a longbow just outside Antium that Ill have to take care of next turn.
1705-1710AD 9 ships show up off our coasts. Romans invade with 3 infantry and a longbow. Greeks send 2 cav and 1 infantry. Russians send 2 cossacks and rifle. We finish building loads of troops.
1710AD Setting up for an attack on Hispalis next turn. Kill all the troops that appeared. Also killed 2 ironclads and a galleon at sea. Also attacked and destroyed the Greek iron colony near Isand. Its a fortress in a mountain and I put 2 elite infantry to hold it.
1710-1715AD People expand the palace. Lose a cav to a counterattack. 3 more ships show up for a total of nine. Umtata goes into disorder because I forgot to check it. Hire an entertainer. The other civs learn Atomic Theory, I have our research on 0% because we already learned Corporation.
1715AD Sunk 2 ironclads and one galleon but lost an ironclad to a caravel! We kill a couple of miscellaneous troops and then go for the attack on Hispalis. I lose an elite cav taking on a 1hp infantry, but after 2 infantry and 2 rifles we raze it and get 2 Roman workers. It also has rail to it, so I bring in some infantry and order walls.
I have some spare artillery so I bring them over to attack Rostov east of Yakutsk. The first shot brings down the walls. The next hit brings the defending rifle to 1hp. I attack with a cav, raze the city, and capture 4 Russian workers. I found Zimbabwe 2 near the site of Rostov.
1715-1720AD Lost an ironclad but took one down with me near Viro.
1720AD At sea we sink 4 ships, losing none. On land I bombard enemy troops and the garrison of Astrakhan down to 1 hp. My elite cav loses attacking a 1hp infantry on grass, but I kill that plus another with other cav. I also lose an infantry attacking a 1hp Cossack, but another takes it out. We raze Astrakhan after killing 1 infantry, 1 rifle, and 2 cossacks. We capture another Russian worker there. I found Ulundi 2 near the spot. Also setting up for attacks on Antium, Odessa, and Sverdlovsk.
1720-1725AD At sea we defend from an ironclad attack near Umtata and our ironclad becomes elite. On land the Russians lose 2 cossacks trying to take Ulundi 2, they manage to take 2 hp off one infantry (out of 4).
1725AD I bombard Antium and Odessa. Odessa starts as size 12 and gets down to 7 but not quite at 6. Antium gets down to a 6 so I decide to go for it. After losing 2 cavs and defeating 5 infantry at 1hp each, 1 pike, and 2 longbows Antium finally falls giving me 5 Roman workers and a great leader Mpande! There are no settlers available, so I rush one in Eretria, in north central what-used-to-be China. All the attackers (8 cavs) and the 5 workers hole up on a hill near former Antium. 3 Infantry will supply the defence. I decide to rush a factory in Tientsin with the leader.
Notes:
There are some Roman infantry near Intombe that Ive been waiting till they get to a road or rail line before getting. I wanted to found a city on the hill near where Antium used to be, there are now a bunch of troops there and I rushed a settler for that spot that will be ready next turn. There is a large stack of artillery on a hill south of Odessa that bombarded it this turn. After another bombardment next turn it will be ripe for taking. In the same area one of our new cities, I think Ulundi 2, is within 2 tiles of another large city so that could be the next target.
Here's the save file and a map:
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads/lotr2-1725ad.zip
It is not being late that is the worst part, it's the endless stream of nonsense about "it will be different this time". It's comical in its inevitability. I'm immune to that, but only by literally never trusting a word this person says in THIS area. Jester's perhaps close to reaching that point of broken trust with me, but that's not a good thing, since we also play other games. He goes up and down, but each time he gets close to too many screwups he pulls back and comes through enough to de-escalate the distrust. It's a precarious position, and you have my apologies for allowing that to spill over to this game.
