New challenge: earliest possible UHVs

[AnotherPacifist]

Only new thing I did this time was to raid Byzantium for those workers. The best way to catch them is to go by the NW route and block off the 2 workers who're working on the horse ranch south of Faustindorf. Sent half my but it was worth it (I was afraid if I didn't send a big force they could be picked off one by one by the cataphracts).

Unfortunately missed out on Spiral Minaret and Univ of Sankore (so there's potential for improvement). Stuck strictly to 10 cities until late 1850, then razed all cities in Britain except 2, and declared war on Russia in 1868 who collapsed the turn after. Had to switch to police state/nationhood when declaring war on Russia (who was in a pact with Spain), then stole Genetics (last tech) from the Americans this turn (all those scientists were sacked and retrained for espionage )

The best thing that happened was that I was able to sign a defensive pact with Turkey who's pleased with me after all these years of war with Spain. Athens needs to be captured first so that Byzantine Constantinople can be captured rather than it flipping to Turkey.

Stability is only shaky due to expansion and razing cities, but it's guaranteed that I win since the only possibly respawns are France and Rome (which I don't need after 1870) and Vikings (Umea is the only possible city that I can easily recapture the same move). Russia and England have just recently collapsed so very unlikely they'll respawn. Plus my stability should improve after cities come out of rebellion and I can run viceroyalty again (had Aztecs, Incans, Khmer, America and China as vassals).

Very annoying that Veneza won't flip (90% German) although Portugal tried to offer it to me twice. But since Marseilles counts as "Italian" I got the 1870 criterion.

Spoiler :

 

[TDK]

I liked the suggestion by AnotherPacifist to use espionage to speed up research. TDK blew me away. It's obvious that spreading by land is faster, but how he remained stable is a mystery to me (but then again, I'm a noob RFC player, I never played the Khmer before this weekend).

Espionage is definitely something I will use in the future. I got one GSpy in this game by a mistakenly placed spy in Jakarta, and I spend it in China which was then very cheap to steal from(same religion, OB and close Hanoi). I just wish I knew this before all that effort was put into researching Engineering.

As far as I can see, a GSpy is worth several other GP's bulbing power hands down.

I wasn't exactly stable all the time. I was between -20 and -40 and lost Sirajis which became independent.

Did you have OB with Arabia? I was thinking if it's possible to build fortresses on Arabian territory to use as a canal.

I think Fierabras' record should stick until TDK can play out his UHV until 1450's 2/3 UHV. TDK used an exploit that was supposed to be fixed by the last patch. And with Khmer stability biases (food-wise) it is very possible that he might lose those cities with culture.
Unorthodox but interesting strategy though.

That is fine by me, but I will not play on with this game as I gifted about 10 workers to Russia etc. and kind of aimed for this date.

I also hope that that bug is fixed. I used the Artists in Anatolia just to see what would happen with Turkey but I certainly didn't need those cities anymore, nor did I need to detonate the artists there.
Allowing Turkey to settle cities and convert them to Buddhism might actually be faster than destroying them.

 

[blizzrd]

Which one is Bang Makok?

One tile S of the Stone.

 

[Fierabras]

Did you have OB with Arabia? I was thinking if it's possible to build fortresses on Arabian territory to use as a canal.

I definitely tried to get OB with Arabia in my first game, but whatever I gifted, Saladin wouldn't grant it. In my 2nd I didn't bother trying and focused on the 8 caravel chain around Africa.

P.S. In my report I showed where Bang Makok is located. Check out my screenshot.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

It's impossible to use any canals unless you own that tile. (i.e. even if you have OB with Arabia it won't help you). The AI never builds a fort there, and I don't think you can improve any tile that is owned by the AI anyway.

 

[ambassoon]

Quoting Wessel V1: Do you think that "lose no cities before X AD" should count towards a UHV?

What do you guys think about declaring virtual victory, showing the screen shots and everything to verify it, and then playing the game out and showing the actual UHV in the last screen shot to prove the victory. It seems as if there are times when you can declare a virtual victory too early and ultimately lose the game if something unexpected happens. This way, you can count the early date virtual victory, but still be assured that victory will have happened if things play out.

 

[Tigranes]

I totally support the last post. Also 600 and 3000 starts are really different, so why not to expand challenges by having earliest 3000 BC victory and 600 AD victory for the same civ?

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Found that Germany built Kiel and didn't have Frankfurt (presumably razed by horse archers). I.e. they'll collapse when I build lots of culture around them. So built Frankfurt and 1S Budapest. When the Germans did collapse, the Spanish, instead of conquering me, were nice enough to conquer indy Berlin and give it to me.

Sent 2 crossbows and 2 pikemen to Sirajis and unfortunately the spice cannot be included since Kandahar's culture is too strong. Should have gone for Pagan instead for free religion or pacifism.

Spices are from the 2 Caribbean islands (the one on the east needs to have a fort with road rather than plantation), 1 from Tultan, 1 from Papua (the northern one is tough to get to because of the mountains), 1 from trade by Khmer (purposefully destroyed my Mexican spice first), and 2 from Adriaansfort in South America (Suriname).

Should be doable in 1500 with really careful planning. I attached a great general and got 2+ movement, navi 1 and 2 but didn't really use him that well; also, was planning for a great spy to steal civil service from the Vikings but got a great engineer instead, so built Spiral Minaret. The great spy was born later and now exploring Turkey.

Spoiler :

 

[Tigranes]

Very impressive
What are your civics, btw? I thought you are running castes, but only 2 hummers for workshops...

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Just HR, slavery, OR and vassalage. Changed to viceroyalty (Inca was vassal) and serfdom near the end to finish up the spices. If I had gone for Pagan presumably would have gone for pacifism and bureaucracy too. (As of right now Japan's probably going to beat me to liberalism).

I love workshops now. I used to always build cottages but I realize now that the plague destroys them and it's better to get indestructable workshops for the hammers early on, and change them to watermills after electricity for more food and gold.

 

[blizzrd]

What do you guys think about declaring virtual victory, showing the screen shots and everything to verify it, and then playing the game out and showing the actual UHV in the last screen shot to prove the victory.

An excellent idea, let's run with this going forwards shall we?

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Sirajis, Shush flips, India conquered (just has 2 measly warriors and Lahore was already conquered by barb chariots), Babili only has Sur and archers, Egypt was a little problematic but no copper just horses which were pillaged, stopped conquering and founded beaucoup cities (even in Arabia which won't flip because I'll win in 350 AD!).

Traded for alphabet from Romans, then metal casting from Greece and agriculture from China. Oracled Aesthetics (in retrospect should have built the Oracle a little later for currency, but having early Parthenon means earlier great priests which will allow me to win earlier).

Wonders: Moai, Oracle, Temple of Artemis, Great Lighthouse, Colossus, Parthenon, Temple of Zeus, Hanging Gardens; conquered Stonehenge (Egypt) and Pyramids (Babylon).

Après moi, le déluge (of barbarians, but as long as I can hold on to Dehli (Hindu shrine) and Jerusalem (Jewish shrine) I'll win).

Addendum: won with score of 34228, got an extra shrine (Buddhist), and saved a great engineer for the Great Wall (which seems to traverse continents!). Also built the Shwedagon Paya and Colosseum. All those barb elephants and camel archers were destabilizing other civs like China and Carthage.
Also, I'm still in the iron age and don't have Calendar. Long live the Pyramids.

Spoiler :

 

[TDK]

I replayed my Khmer game without moving into Anatolia. I instead founded Harihalaya with Wheat, Sheep, Copper, Iron to have a good missionary city closer to Russia. I was also planning on gifting this city to Turkey in the hope of converting them to Buddhism but in this case that wasn't necessary because I win before they spawn.

I got a GSpy as my first gp after seeing what they can do in the last game. It's extremely powerful in certain situations, in this game with a return of more than 3 times what other gp's would be able to bulb.

Arabia attacked Harihalaya in the last turn and China collapsed.

 

[blizzrd]

What Year Is It?

To see the year, give yourself Calendar using Worldbuilder.

 

[blizzrd]

I replayed my Khmer game without moving into Anatolia. I instead founded Harihalaya with Wheat, Sheep, Copper, Iron to have a good missionary city closer to Russia. I was also planning on gifting this city to Turkey in the hope of converting them to Buddhism but in this case that wasn't necessary because I win before they spawn.

TDK, could you please play out this game to 1450AD to confirm that it is a virtual victory? Your empire looks decidedly unstable in that screenshot and may not last another 200 years?

 

[TDK]

Isn't it like winning 2 times? I mean, even if I did lose some of my culture which is the only risk there really is, what would prevent me from just generating another artist? Or am I nor allowed to do that either?

TDK

 

[blizzrd]

Isn't it like winning 2 times? I mean, even if I did lose some of my culture which is the only risk there really is, what would prevent me from just generating another artist? Or am I nor allowed to do that either?

It's about not collapsing. All you have to do is survive until the Khmer has won a UHV comes across the screen to show that your empire at the virtual UHV was all that it purported to be.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Can somebody please give me calendar in my Persian game? I really don't mess with worldbuilder because I don't think it's very user friendly (last time I tried to create the Exarchate of Ravenna it took me an hour to figure it out how to create cities and units).

 

[rjaco31]

well you just have to "ctrl+w", then select a player (i.e. you), go in the Technology panel, and clic on the one you want
it is really not that hard

 

[Wessel V1]

And, Rhye has put the entire turn-time table on his website. The thread (can someone please give me the .... ?) is still on the first page. But it seems that you've done incredibly well since it is still BC.