Jesters Fifth Turn
(0) 1600 AD: I take a look around, and notice a couple things. First, we dont have either Oxford or Wall Street in Timbuktu. We should get on that. Second, were way in the lead in terms of technology. Peter should fall quickly. Third, our tech options look very nice. Im going to finish chemistry, and go for physics or railroads, havent decided yet. The SoL is in no danger of finishing for the AIs, but we should guard against that happening. For now, though, we dont have the production to finish it in a reasonable span of time. Fourth, I notice that a lot of our cities have unhappiness. I add on 10% luxury tax, which brings us up to +11 gold per turn, and cuts our research down some, but not a lot. Fifth, were not mercantilist, so I switch us over. Im not actually sure that was the best idea, as it hurt both our income and our research, but it increased our production by giving us free engineers, and were certainly getting more Great Person Points. It might all come out in the wash.
(1) 1605: Djenne finishes cavalry, starts another cavalry. Gao finishes barracks, starts cavalry. Walata finishes caravel, starts courthouse. Delhi finishes granary, starts a library. Hilariously, the AI then recommends that I build a library there next. Uh
sure. Ill do that.
I move our troops towards Bangalore. It looks like game over for Asoka!
(2) 1610: Timbuktu finishes cavalry, begins Oxford university. Awdaghost finishes cavalry, stays on cavalry. Tekedda finishes library, switches to barracks. Madras starts granary. I attack an Indian maceman in the field with our cavalry, and, at totally staggering odds against, the maceman forces the cavalry to retreat, and remains at half health! What are the odds of that, something like 1 in 400? Yikes. Our macemen clean up the mess, though, and the Indians lose a mace and a chariot. Our main force advances up to the very gates of Bangalore, squaring off against two longbows, a pike, and a catapult. Should be a pushover. However, I notice our triple-upgraded city raider maceman is still back in Madras! Well, that wont do at all, so I send him up to join the main force. Somehow, Im not afraid of sneak attacks from Asoka anymore. On the fishing front, Whales are now hooked up. Our great merchant, Pytheas, boards his caravel, and sets sail for Beijing. We could have gotten some missionaries on there, but I didnt think it was worth waiting for.
(3) 1615: Chemistry comes in, and I switch to steam power, tentatively. I want to be the first to Physics, so Im going to see if I can trade anyone for astronomy. If not well research scientific method first, and go from there. Madras has an Indian revolt, which is not pleasant, but at least we can feel safe that those wont go on for much longer.
Bangalore is bombarded down to 24%.
(4) 1620: Two workers sent to mine Iron died from an indian catapult! Sorry, that was totally my fault, I didnt see any way for them to be under threat. Apparently, I was wrong. Well, the Indians will pay, Ill see to that. Niani finishes courthouse, builds cavalry. Bombay finishes library, starts barracks. I bombard Bangalore down to 0%, and kill a longbowman. However, I hold back from attacking this turn, and will wait for our troops to arrive next turn, just to be safe. No point in losing units when well be fighting Peter next. Our caravel finds Roosevelts island, to the deep south. Our workers are mostly now employed building lumber mills.
(5) 1625: Asoka prays for his life, but he just doesnt understand. There can be no peace for Asoka. Kumbi Salesh goes from a market to a cavalry. Bangalore falls to our troops, wiping Asoka off the map! Victory for the Malinese! Not content to rest on my laurels, I take stock of our foreign situation: Roosevelt is willing to trade incense for corn. Given our superabundance, I make the trade, and turn down our culture to 0%.
(6) 1630: Tadmekka finishes the Heroic Epic, switches to cavalry. Tekedda finishes its barracks, and starts on a cavalry. Noticing that were now building almost exclusively military units, I switch us to theocracy and vassalage, with Judaism as our religion. I have to turn our science back down to 80%, but this means were making 28 gold per turn. Well switch out of war mode once we have a dozen cavalry or so, but for now, the free experience is too good to pass up. Plus, it reactivates the Spiral Minaret, which was fallow up until now.
(7) 1635: Peter declares war on us! Wow. I wasnt quite expecting that. Well, at least were getting well prepared! Cavalry ought to give us the edge, but itll be touch and go for a little while. Steam power comes in. I set our research to assembly line, for two reasons. One, it gets us infantry, which is very nice. Two, it doesnt negate Chichen Itza, like rifling does. It also happens to open up some of the nicest city improvements in the game, factories, for when were done making cavalry. Djenne finishes another cavalry, and keeps building them. Gao finishes cavalry, keeps building them. Delhi finishes library, builds a Jewish Temple. Peters forces move into the absolute worst (for him) or best (for us) position they could, right in range of our existing cavalry. I send out our cavalry, who kill two knights and a crossbowman without difficulty. I also note that the Russians only have one source of Iron, so Im going to send a cavalry up to disconnect it.
(8) 1640: Roosevelt offers sheep for gold. Were not having any health problems, and relations with him are irreparably damaged already, so I decline. Awadhagost finishes cavalry, keeps building cavalry. Bombay builds a barracks, switches to cavalry. Blaise Pascal pops in Timbuktu, another great engineer! Id wager we could get something nice out of that.
Maybe hes the one to help grab the SoL? I send one cavalry to kill a longbow at yakutsk, which we can take without difficulty.
(9) 1645: Walata finishes a courthouse, switches to market. Niani finishes cavalry, switches to colosseum. Yakutsk falls to our cavalry. Our main force is healing at Kumbi Salesh, and waiting for our catapults to advance.
(10) 1650: Tadmekka finishes cavalry, switches to theatre. Once thats done, it should build infantry. Delhi finishes a Jewish Temple, starts on a bank. Our cavalry disconnects Iron from Peter.
So, thats that. Were doing well on pretty much every front. In 4 or 5 turns, we can switch off theocracy and vassalage. We could go back to free religion, or we could use organized religion to speed up infrastructure builds. Well definitely need to convert our new conquests to the true faith, though. Regardless, some infrastructure will be a priority for the second half of the next 10 turns, and probably the turn beyond that.
Asoka is gone, were at war with Peter, and well have over a dozen cavalry within a couple turns. Our catapults are almost at the front lines, and I suggest we move as fast as possible to take the core of Peters empire. Some units will need to be trained to garrison our cities, but for now, I think cavalry is the more useful investment, since they have nothing that can stand against it. For technology, I suggest going for democracy next, then using our engineer to get the SoL, then going for our free scientist with physics.
So, there we are! I think this game is pretty much won, but theres still plenty of fun to be had crushing our enemies under our boot.
Good luck, Methos, not that youll need it, with our army of Cavalry.
-Jester
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads10/RB2b_AD-1650.Civ4SavedGame
). Given Peter's current level of advancement, I'm kind of tempted to rush for cavs, and start a small war with him before he gets to cossacks. Some other options I'd be quite open to are going for the statue of liberty, printing press to replaceable parts (to open up some new worker options), or astronomy (and put off war in favor of observatories).
