Nobles Club V - Hannibal

[Nares]

Spoiler :

Playing at prince I managed to nab all of the wonders you went for, except ToA.

I think it was more than that. I've seen wonders go later even on Immortal. Not that these were necessarily abnormally early.

It was reasonably amusing. I half expected to miss the Great Library, even being the first to Aesthetics, and having a multi-turn start on it in my capital before even trading Aesthetics. Granted, I hadn't discovered everyone at this point, but it didn't surprise me per se.

I'm thinking in the future I might skip teching towards it. There were a few filler techs I needed for the Optics path, such as Calendar, that I would have been better off researching instead of Aesthetics/Literature, while focusing on generating the Great Scientists I needed.

 

[hoberg]

I'v given it a go now. Since I'm pretty new at the game I don't really have much of a plan since I don't know the game. Haven't looked at any of the other peoples spoilers - think I'll wait with that until I'm done. Playing at Noble, normal speed. Help appreciated

4000BC-650BC
Been writing this while playing:

Spoiler :

4000BC - My warrior starts on the hill to the left and I see some fish nearby (and some cows) so I decide to move SW before settling to get the fish in the BFC too. Decide to start with a warrior that will arrive in 8 turns.
3960BC - Poped a hut giving a map.
3840BC - My next city-site atm feels likely to be to the north with rice/cow/2fish in the BFC. Think this will be the first GP-farm I ever build in this game.
3600BC - Warrior done, start building of worker. Starting to think that maybe I should have started with the worker.
3520BC - Hut giving me the wheel.
3200BC - BW done. Sailing next since I'v explored my whole island and need to check out my surroundings.
2760BC - Start build on a settler for my city to the north. Considering a third one down in the forest.
2320BC - Settler chopped. Starting on a Galley
2240BC - Going to go for Masonry and see if I might get GLH. (Didn't get Hinduism - must have missed who got that one.. Noticed later that Mansa had gotten it). Second second city founded in the food centre to the north.
1840BC - Galley done. Starting work on another worker.
1760BC - Yay, truffles near Carthage. I celebrate by whipping out the second worker.
1200BC - Lots of turns with not much happening but I finaly end up meeting someone - Mansa. My exploration expedtion went the wrong way from the start and found none.
925BC - I got horses, just outside my borders tho.. And The Great Lighthouse is built in Carthage. Next plans is to get a settler out to the island to the east and claim the copper and build the colossus.
650BC - Last turn for now.

Techs so far: Agriculture->The Wheel(hut)->Bronze Working->Sailing->Pottery->Mysticism->Polytheism->Masonry->Metal Casting->AH->Writing->Alphabet

World as I know it (abit bad quality but but...):

So what to do now, any help is appreciated? I think I prob did some bad choices at start going for MC since it's very costly but I'm preparing to build The Colossus in my second city (building Forge atm) and some other choices here and there, like missing out on religion, gonna get it from Mansa soon perhaps.
Would have been better if I had started exploring west I think since it took me until now to land on that island.
I got a settler looking for a place to settle in. I was preparing to ship him to copper island for either green or blue dot. Green gives me alot more production but misses the gems. Think that maybe I should have built 1 or 2 more cities on the island, I haven't played enough to figure if the place to the left of the capital (with the gems) is a good position..
But now I feel like sending him west do red dot.. 3 sugar and 5(!) dye? I won't be able to hook them up since I don't have calendar(think that's the one) just yet but I believe Mansa to be close by there so I'd like to beat him to it. I seem to be quite alone to the east but I'd like to hook up copper for my colossus. I just might push out another settler fairly soon to go there and hook it up since I don't think anyone else got MC yet...

Just rememered I have forgotten to build Monument in my capital too, forgot about the +happiness... Fun trivia is I haven't seen a single barb in this game.

 

[Mickin]

First spoiler (up to 1990 BC)
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=6721629&postcount=16

Second spoiler (up to 10 AD)
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=6723795&postcount=35



Third spoiler (up to 1105 AD)

Spoiler :

Emperor, Marathon

No fighting during this turn set, still yet to be a single war. That is going to change soon!

I held a gunpowder monopoly for a long time, before finally being able to trade it away to cyrus, caesar, and mansa for 4 techs, a world map (mansas) and quite a bit of gold. Combined with Mansa's map and my own caravel's work, the world is mostly explored.

I still hold (as of 1105 AD) chemistry monopoly

and obviously, therefore also:

STEEL! I've got a fair number of knight already, and a few muskets and longbows. I'll be spamming out a lot of cannons shortly.

This leaves me with one question... Am I insane enough to attack mansa using galleys?

Yup, I am.

Getting astronomy is just too hard right now. Mansa has it exclusively and I'll have to trade chemistry + a bunch of gold for it, which I don't want to do.

I've been massing espionage against mansa, but I don't h ave enough to steal astronomy even with -50% from tile. I do however, have enough where I can either steal a cheaper tech (paper, divine right... maybe education if I trade for paper... I think caesar just got it) or cause some revolts to save turns from my cannons.

Also I have enough to investigate mansa's cities.. and holy capital city, look at the gold he has in his coffers!

 

[Geoffroy]

Situation in 355 AD. Met 2 civs!

Spoiler :

I got the two wonders I planned (Great Lighth & Colossus, both in capital) Temple of Artemis was built by Ramesses.

This delayed my expansion a bit, so I'll be looking to settle some more Islands soon.

Apart from that, everything was pretty much as expected, the gems funded my research pretty well.

Got only money from the huts, no special random events (got some beakers when researching sailing, though, saved two turns).

Here are some screenshots to give you an idea of where I am.

Carthage (notice the trade routes!!)

Tech situation. Not bad at all.

And the world in 355AD:

Ok where to go now?

I obviously need to settle more land. I could still put a city to grab a bit of those calendar goodies in the west. Horses/fishWine/fish and Clam/clam(copper island) should also be grabbed.

Literature is in next turn, should I try to get the great lib? I might also just wait and see if I get an engineer to rush it.

 

[tycoonist]

took emperor and thanks to insomnia i have played till 1800AD already (mostly in fairly shoddy fashion).

Spoiler :

nearly won twice by diplomatic (first Apolistic then UN) but both times fell a few votes short. then best friend mansa left hinduism so i wasn't going to win now. so i am going for space. on the tech front me and mansa are miles ahead but it is really hard to get any production on this map so it may be a late space victory. heading for space elevator currently.

 

[Jaaboo]

Played a bit to 1150 AD, I'm not sure how I feel about this game. Lot of wonders dropping fast, but I think I need to stick to my guns, tech up fast and then start taking those wonders and land by force.

Spoiler 1150 AD :

Very plodding round, but I started by making sure I secured the Colossus and began to pump out settlers and settled Kerkouane, Hippo and Hadrumtem quickly. I got Hadrumtem settled on the resource rich island north of Mansa and the dye should quickly fuel my research. Mansa was beginning to pass me up in tech, but I am just about to complete Education, which should really set me ahead as the tech leader.

This is definately being played at a lesser level than I played Kublai. War is just so much easier I guess. I suppose that the key to this game is going to be to get to Universal Suffage as fast as I can, race up to the more modern techs and try to take over some islands.

Diplo wise, Cyrus, the score leader behind me is most definately gearing up to take out Ceasar. They share the large island south of me, and I fear that Cyrus is ready to war his way to being an 800 lb gorilla. Hopefully I can get a navy and army by that time worthy to roll over Cyrus. I could score some easy diplo points with the Buddhists JC and Mansa, but maybe better yet is help Cyrus take out JC and poach Rome out from under him.

Another option, though less likely to pay off the way I want to is off Mao (who is to the east of me) before anyone knows he's even on this earth.

Options, options, options.

Tech wise, Mansa has engineering, music and theology on me. I'm not really thrilled about going to religious civics, none of the other religions have spread to me, nor has Confucianism spread outside my borders. Liberalism is next and I'll probably snag Astro with it so I can begin trade with Mao and more importantly, begin to build a true navy. Privateers may be the name of the game to harass my neighbors while they begin to fight themselves.

And to end the turn, I got Magellan's bonus, so Hannibal may begin to look a bit like Ragnar in a bit.

Checkpoints:
Checkpoint 1, 1900 BC
Checkpoint 2, 85 AD
Checkpoint 3, 1150 AD
Checkpoint 4, 1465 AD

 

[BalbanesBeoulve]

Ok, as I mentioned earlier, I’m playing Emperor/Marathon. Played through 1 AD.

Spoiler :

I decided to trust the RNG and settled in place. Very hammer light, I won’t be building many wonders. Too much ocean. Overall it’s not a fantastic capital spot, but I’ve seen worse, and the early gems makes up for it overall.



View of the island. It’s pretty good. Mostly grassland, room for at least 4 cities, but I’ll squeeze more than that on here. Lots of food, not a ton of hammers, but enough. Though the majority of early infrastructure will definitely be whipped.


I can’t remember my exact research path. But I think it was agriculture, bronze, wheel, hunting, archery. Build order was worker, warrior, workboat to explore.

I realized that starting with mining and a gem I could have easily gotten Hinduism. It was founded so late!


I get the shock axe event. Too bad I won’t get a chance to use them.


I meet Mansa.


Another nice event, combat 1 for all archery units. This one will see more use, as I’m sure to spam plenty of longbows and crossbows for garrison units.


I tech ironworking after all the worker techs and the techs for the great lighthouse. As I’m building it I finish ironworking and my hunch was correct. We’ve got a grassland iron in our BFC. Makes me glad I didn’t move as the spot I’d have moved to would have been on top of the iron, and I hate settling on top of resources.


The great lighthouse is complete! This will probably be the only wonder I build until the kremlin, and the only wonder I need. Plus we have no stone or marble yett. Really glad I was able to get it. I had very little production and not many trees to chop.


Here’s the view of everything we’ve got before opening borders with Mansa. Looks pretty damn good. There’s space for around 14 cities, which is more than enough to win a peaceful space race (like that’s going to happen, mwahahahahaha!) Settling the jungle city with the sugar and dye will be a priority.


We meet Rameses.

Mansa discovers alphabet so we make this trade. Mansa built the oracle, hence the early metal casting. And he won’t trade it so he’s building the colossus,. So much for that wonder.


We then found our first city off the main island to grab these horses.


We pop calendar from a hut! I can’t remember the last time I got something even this advanced from a goody hut.


We promptly trade it to Mansa. I don’t plan on building the Mauseleum because I don’t have marble, I’m not industrious, and the capital doesn’t have many hammers. I want alphabet to see if Rameses has anything to trade.


Make this trade with him. Writing + Fishing for Monotheism. Not too bad. I think it’s the only trade I made with him. He’s teching very poorly.


I found Confucianism without even aiming for it. Teched mathematics and currency first.


Made another trade with Mansa. I know people hate this guy, but he’s the only AI that will always trade everything with you unless he’s using it for a wonder. You have to be friendly with other AIs before they do that. Currency for Metal Casting, good trade even if I had to put some turns into it.


And yet another trade with Mansa. Code of Laws for Construction. Again I had to put in a few turns to get it, but totally worth it. We’re going to be so far ahead of the other AIs.


We get another tech from a goody hut as we finally settle the sugar/dye island. Horseback riding. Not fantastic, but better than angry villagers.

I’m just about to finish off bureaucracy. Normally I’d go for aesthetics/literature first, but I’m not going for the great library, as I doubt I’d get it. Though maybe I will if Mansa keeps ignoring aesthetics. He finished off teching machinery and started on engineering. Engineering in 1ad, WTH Mansa.

My tech plan is to tech compass, get Machinery off Mansa, tech optics. Then head to liberalism and try and get astronomy off liberalism. My tech rate is decent. 80ish beakers isn’t bad considering I have absolutely no courthouses or libraries yet. My capital had one but it was destroyed by an event. Been busy building troops, settlers, lighthouses, and monuments. But once I get libraries and courthouses up my science rate should skyrocket.
The great lighthouse is so amazing. Easily my favorite wonder on everything but Pangaea maps.

Here’s the state of the world. I still need to settle about 2 or 3 cities. Looks like there might be some room behind Mansa and Ramses’s island for more cities, but I doubt I can get settlers over there before they settle there first.


Here’s the tech situation. Mansa’s almost finished with Engineering, so he’s ahead of me by a bit. But overall not bad. Rameses has really fallen behind though. He’s not even gearing up for war or anything, so I don’t know what he’s doing. But then again he’s competing against 2 financial civs, so that sucks for him too.


The religion situation is very interesting. Basically the rest of the world doesn’t have any! Between the 3 of us we’ve discovered the first 4 religions. I’m sure I could get Taoism too if I research it next, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Rameses got Christianity. So my plan is to get some Confucian missionaries and spread Confucianism to the rest of the godless heathens on caravels.. That’ll give me a very profitable shrine.


As a result of denying the other civs a religion, they’re at each other’s throats. 3 great generals have already been born. They’ll probably be pretty technologically backwards too.

 

[hoberg]

Played some more... Not sure what to do now so if you any thoughts feel free to share them.

650BC - 1290AD

Spoiler :

500BC - Traded to get hunting and Priesthood from Mansa.
425BC - Founded a city in the Dye-jungle. And also met Ramses at the same time, have to find him too
275BC - Found Timbuktu, and I thought that I had a good start..
150BC - Hippo built on copper island
100BC - switching to Hereditary rule to get rid of some unhappiness that is starting to become a problem
50BC - Kerkouane founded west of capital
25AD - Great Merchant borned, settle him in Carthage
225AD - Colossus built in Utica, traded for CoL
820AD - Bleh, Mansa just beat me to The Great Library
1080AD- Met Mao. Trade for his maps.. he seems ways behind. Going to try and spread some religion there too.
1120AD- Met Lincoln, he's also way behind and only got two cities.
1290AD- Last turn..

Will post some pics later.

As it is now I got 3 cities on the main island and will put up one more in the south soon and maybe one in the north, 1 city on the small island ne, one on copper island and one on dye island (where Mansa put up a small city in the sw to annoy me.. Trying to get up universitys mainly atm to get Oxford in the capital. Everyone except Munsa seems to be abit behind. Munsa only seems to have 3 cities and he's pretty cramped in with the egypts..
I feel like attacking the chineese since they are way behind and only got archers to defend with and the chineese island looks nice. Only problem is I need some sort of transportation for my troops and I don't feel like going Astronomy just yet to obsolete my colossus.. Met everyone but the romans (now where they are) and everyone is pleased with me so in that aspect it's quite nice.

 

[lordnor]

My first thought is that I'd like to move the settler 1SW to save the hill for later production, but I just can't do it since I want to have the corn in my city's first circle. Oh well, starting techs will probably be agriculture with sailing not too far after (I have a feeling lighthouses will be key in this game). Bronze working is early too, since I'll want to be able to chop/whip and hopefully find some nearby copper. Unless I find any jungles I need to remove, iron working will probably wait a bit longer than normal.

I'll start playing tonight, probably noble/epic and post once I get up to around 2000BC. This will be my first real attempt at noble (I've played a game or two just to see how hard it was, but no serious attempts) so I'll be looking for lots of assistance from stronger players.

 

[Jaaboo]

Played a little to 1465:

Spoiler 1465 AD :

Finish Education, and move on to Liberalism. I get a bit more free with my trades with Mansa, a move that may come back and bite me in the ass if I don't get my tech moving. I may have to invade him to cut his research off. I manage some good trades though, getting everyone pleased with me, so diplomacy may be an option. Sure enough, Cyrus and JC are warring, but it was JC who declared. This could be bad if Cyrus wins the war.

Fortunately, it looks like not much happened between Rome and Persia, and I discover Lincoln hiding up north looking pathetic. We fight a brief war over a minor island east of America. America isn't the best looking land, but I might just take it over as a warm up for Mansa. Lincoln has been getting a few great spies, so I'm hoping he's settled them in Washington. My espionage this game has been poor.

This was a pretty boring round. I tech Education > Liberalism (Astro) > Printing Press > Nationhood > Gunpowder > Chem. I backfilled a lot with Mansa, and I think that has paid off, as he has not moved to claim any land, and I am in a good position to settle or conquer America. Cyrus still could be the 800lb gorilla, but if I can knock Mansa off, I'll have enough of a tech lead to easily stomp Persia. Everyone else is pleased with me (besides Lincoln, but nobody else know he exists) so I could be looking good for a diplomatic victory.

Checkpoints:
Checkpoint 1, 1900 BC
Checkpoint 2, 85 AD
Checkpoint 3, 1150 AD
Checkpoint 4, 1465 AD

 

[schwartz]

Round 1 - 4000 BC - 2320 BC
Monarch, Normal

Spoiler Map Info :

Turn 0:
Settled 1 SW to avoid losing hammers from the hill. Going this way gained fish too. Warrior headed SW to the hut.
Built a workboat first, while teching agriculture.

Turn 1:
Hut pops for agriculture, start BW.

Turn 13:
Hut pops for BW. saved me 3 turns, but nice anyway.
Start sailing, looking for GLH and Colossus for obvious reasons.

Turn 14:
Workboat -> Worker

IBT: Buddhism FIADL

Turn 23:
Worker -> Warrior

Turn 24:
Sailing -> Masonry
Worker starts mining gems

IBT: Hinduism FIADL, I'm assuming no spiritual civs in this game.

Turn 30:
Masonry -> Wheel

Turn 32:
Warrior -> Settler

Turn 34:
Wheel -> Mysticism

Turn 38:
Mysticism -> Polytheism

Turn 39:
Settler -> Warrior

Turn 44:
Utica founded and I stopped.

Map:

 

[hoberg]

Just a short update. Going into a slow play now...
1290AD - 1770AD

Spoiler :

Nothing much happening. Had my first(!) combat in 1440AD when my explorer got attacked by a barb.
1520AD - Decided to get rid of Mao since he had a pretty good island but was way behind.
Attack got delayed too long and he got longbows before I got there, had to wait for some infantry and cavalry and then wiped him of the island. Noticed he got one tiny island left but war-weariness was tairing on me so decided to make peace with him. Might go and stack up outside his border and get rid of the last bit soon..
1770AD - Where I stopped..

Nothing much happening atm. Me and Mansa are having a fight for the tech-lead. The egypts are not too far behind and have put up cities on alot of small islands. Decided to make a defensive pact with Cyrus since he wanted it and it will strengthen our relations. And it's not likely anyone will get into a war soon since everybody loves everybody except for Mao who none likes
Atm I Think I'll try to just out-tech Mansa and go for the space race since attacking him won't be an option. Might clear out the weak americans if I feel like it later on.
Good thing I got two uranium and american one and the rest of the world got none.

Capital is quite nice with Gems, fish, corn, iron, uranium in it.
Only got some problems getting production - which is a problem in many of my cities.

 

[baronmonkeyback]

Finished in all of 3 hours on Monarch,

Spoiler :

cultural victory 1948, only formed 8 cities total, had amazingly fast culture, although MM was faster. Built every wonder that MM didn't beat me to (he was also going cultural) NEVER FIRED A SHOT in anger the entire game, not even against a barbarian, only 1 war in total among the other civs, had everyone at pleased although still no diplomatic victory. Won basically because I founded 4 religions and manged to get broadway, hollywood, Rock and Roll and eiffel tower. Never played a game of civ without a single war before, this was really one for the ages. Good thing there were no wars too, because by the end of the game I still had musketmen in my cities while others had infantry and tanks. I just couldn't afford to waste any precious production (I notice others had this problem as well) on military when MM was looking so good at cranking out wonders.

 

[BalbanesBeoulve]

Played through 1540

Spoiler :

Got lazy taking pictures. So I'm at the top. I'm #1 in everything except soldiers, where i'm a very close #2, despite not even building many troops.

Mansa really took off in tech after my last post, he was researching stuff almost as twice as fast as me, it was sick. But he went for astronomy, and that messed him up. We got astronomy around the same time, and while it boosted my science considerably by giving me more foreign trade routes, losing the colossus dropped his by a ton. I managed to get the great people from economics, physics, and communism. I build the Kremlin, took about 70 turns to build, i was very tempted to rushbuy it, even though it would have cost like 10k gold.

But things are going fantastic right now. I've got a very healthy economy. i switched to US so I can rushbuy stuff in my towns with no hammers. I expanded a little, took a few barbarian towns, and started a few more. I'm the tech leader, Mansa is 2nd, and everybody else is very far behind.

It's 1540 and I'm teching flight right now. After that i'm going for assembly line, trading with mansa for electricity, then going for industrialism. Afer that i'm turning off research and starting my worldwide conquest. I haven't decided who my first target will be. Probably not Mansa. He's teching radio right now so I'm gonna wait until he builds those wonders before i take them from him.

 

[Geoffroy]

The screen of my laptop decided it was over and out... Impossible to play CIV until I get a new laptop I guess... aaargghh.

Dunno if I'll ever finish this game. Bad luck I guess.

 

[Nares]

I decided to replay the map with some refinement of my strategy.

My initial plans were to aim for the Great Lighthouse. If we're isolated, it's relatively useless. If we're not, it's reasonably powerful.

My refined plan is to beeline Optics.

For a Great Scientist to bulb Optics, you need to research Writing, Mathematics and Alphabet, as well as researched any requisite techs for Optics. Compass can also be bulbed once these specific techs and Compass' requisites are researched.

To bulb Machinery, in addition to requisites and the three techs I listed above, you need to research Aesthetics, Calendar and Masonry.

I would prefer to bulb Machinery and Optics, if possible, because they are the two most expensive techs of all techs I'll need. One possible means of doing this is to research Aesthetics, and probably Masonry, myself, then trade Aesthetics + Compass for Calendar, and whatever else I can get for Aesthetics from other AIs. I think it's an option only if I can find at least two other civs, and both are willing and capable of making worthwhile trades.

Keep in mind, I would have a number of techs to backfill, so trading is a very nice option if I can get value for my techs.

On the other hand, bulbing Compass and self-researching Machinery has one distinct advantage. Compass opens a new building I definitely want; the Cothon. I'll need time to build it; during that time, I can self-research Machinery. Machinery, on the other hand, opens up nothing I'll be using at the moment. I'd be bulbing it purely to "save" beakers.

Emperor/Epic 2000BC

Spoiler :

Cities founded: 3
Turn 0: Carthage (settled in place)
Turn 56: Utica (settled 2S of the rice)
Turn 70: Hadrumetum (settled 1E of the cow)

Techs researched: 5
Turn 23: Bronze Working
Turn 33: Agriculture
Turn 40: Mysticism
Turn 56: Sailing
Turn 78: Animal Husbandry
Currently Teching: The Wheel

Huts popped: 2
Turn 19: 80 gold
Turn 42: 36 gold

Events: 1
Turn 64: Tower Shield event; Cover to all Melee units

Forests chopped: 9
Turns 34, 40, 47, 53 (x2), 64, 69, 70, 80

Units built: 6
Turn 23: Worker
Turn 39: Worker
Turn 54: Settler
Turn 67: Settler
Turn 71: Worker
Turn 79: Work Boat

I think perhaps my favorite moment so far was on turn 44, when a forest grew on the grassland hill 1W,1NW of Carthage.

Overall not too bad. I'm researching The Wheel currently, with Pottery next. I think after that I'll be researching Writing, then Iron Working. I feel Writing should come first, so I can get started on the GPP I'll need.

 

[schwartz]

My initial plans were to aim for the Great Lighthouse. If we're isolated, it's relatively useless. If we're not, it's reasonably powerful.

I disagree, it's not useless. Especially with an archipelago, you can get 4 3 commerce trade routes per coastal city (overseas bonus). So it's obviously not optimal, but not as bad as you say.
Also, I'd save your bulb for astronomy, optics bulb wastes half the beakers that a scientist gives you at that time.
I'd like to understand your reasoning behind this, because you're a better player than I am (emperor vs monarch).

 

[Nares]

Especially with an archipelago, you can get 4 3 commerce trade routes per coastal city (overseas bonus).

Is that with a harbor?

I'd like to understand your reasoning behind this, because you're a better player than I am (emperor vs monarch).

I'm looking to find the AIs, not settle transoceanic lands.

Astronomy also requires Calendar.

I suppose one option is to bulb Machinery and Astronomy; Machinery requires the additional techs of Calendar, Aesthetics and Masonry.

I don't mind Masonry; walls add to your power graph and I want castles at some point. Calendar I would need for Astronomy. Aesthetics I can trade around.

However, arguing against bulbing Astronomy isn't hard. I believe goodie huts use a similar tech preference system as the Great People do, with some element of randomness involved. Astronomy is purportedly commonly popped from any remaining goodie huts, and I believe it's because it's guaranteed, due to the tech preference system, to be the tech you pop if you can research Astronomy.

I don't mind loading up a spy on a caravel. This is archipelago; most islands are small enough that a ship can explore them. The spy's one movement won't be a major drawback, as it is on a terra map.

 

[Jaaboo]

BLEH. I think this is lost. (Save attached.)

Spoiler :

I hate, I hate, I hate having Mansa in a game. I don't know what to do with him. I have a hard time trading for techs and he is just outpacing me. I can't compete. I feel like I have no production on my island, finally got into my favorite production civic, State Property, and have one of my cities with Globe and Nationhood pumping out green troops. I feel like this is just a total loss. It's 1800 now, Mansa has out teched me, running away towards a diplo victory, and I'm quagmired in an ill timed and poorly executed war against Lincoln to take his island. My cities are all unhappy, my economy has crashed, blergh. Not fun at all.

I think I have suffered from an extremely poor start, Carthage has never been good for anything but making money/research, which was nice, but Mansa has been wonderspamming and getting GS and GEs up the ass. I'm not sure what to do here. A restart might be in order, because I just feel like I can never get stuff built. Half of my cities don't have libraries because I was trying to churn out Cothons, they all have nice food but poor prodcution until I could get workshops online.

What have done wrong? (Besides everything?)

 

[lordnor]

first round up to 1970 BC

Spoiler :

I'm playing on noble/marathon

tech path for this round:
agriculture->wheel->sailing->bronze working->animal husbandry->iron working

3535 BC finished exploring our island, nothing further for warrior to do, so he can go back to the capital and fortify (probably forever)

3325 BC buddhism FIADL

2965 BC barbarian uprising. Putting settler on hold till I can pump out a couple units

2935 BC urm..... I mean 4000 BC

same tech path. I'll hope that I don't get any barbarians this time, plus I'll keep the warrior moving around and hoping to get a few random animals to beat up in the meantime, just in case. I don't know if this will make any difference, but it gives me something to do at the beginning instead of just hitting enter, enter, enter, enter....

4000 BC, I'm tempted to move and get those fish in the fat cross, but I'd rather have the corn in the inner circle for quicker development

3385 BC buddhism fiadl

2950 BC I'd like to found the second city west of the capital for 2xfish and gems, but I'll wait for Iron working to be done before doing that, since I won't be able to capitalize on the gems till then anyway. the settlers are building towards the south. Finish sailing and finally start bronze working.

2515 BC hinduism fiadl

2490 BC found utica

2400 BC finish bronze working. Yes! I feel vindicated in waiting so long, since there isn't any on the main island

2170 BC stonhenge bidl

1990 BC forgot to get screenie of Mansa Musa, but he's obviously more powerful than me. Glad to see I'm not bottom of the pack though.

1970 BC finished IW and check out the shinies in Carthage's fat cross! I'm sure glad I didn't decide to build on that spot this time around!

This will finish up the first post. I'm still not really sure what victory I'm going to go for. Any tips on gameplay are greatly appreciated!