RFCC Challenge: Earliest UHVs (or virtual UHVs)

[AnotherPacifist]

The Angles and Saxons should have never left the mainland.
Compass, calendar, paper, bulbed education, optics, astronomy, SC, partially bulbed physics, electricity, radio.
The first great person, as usual, is the great spy to steal from the Dutch (guilds, engineering, gunpowder as soon as they know it, banking, literature). Mali researched aesthetics and drama for me.
Miscalculated in that I went for Arts Patronage first for the free GA, thinking that it would help me with Radio...instead it wants Liberalism. Then it wants Nationalism! Electricity needs a GE, so I should have saved it instead of using it for the Notre Dame in Southampton. Way too many late great scientists which were useless (all of them want chemistry!). So I used the GA and another GS for another golden age which just ended as I won.
I OB'd with Russia and liberated 3 Asian cities to him, and Peter spontaneously vassalized after I made peace between him and Otto. Mali and Portugal were the other vassals.
Early Mali vassalization and a lucky Christian event spared me the angst of not hooking up the iron for cheap warriors/happiness.
Got a little unstable temporarily with all those cities given away, but no declarations of independence. 2nd plague just hit as I won.
So with really tight management, this could be maybe 20-30 years earlier. (i.e. not researching arts patronage or liberalism)
Another interesting thought would be to take Athens early on (for Parthenon/ representation and switching away from vassalage which is expensive) but the Turks got Constantinople, so no war for me.

Spoiler :

 

[Jusos2108]

Founded Salonae and Tarragona with the starting settlers. Conquered Greece first with the starting Legions and then Carthago. After that everything went on quite easily: killed a ton of barbs, no GW, and let the cities flip to rising civs. Can be improved as Rome builded wonders instead of settlers.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

OK Corossol I have to give it to you. You wanted a peaceful weak civ like Phoenicia without the mercenaries to get 5 cities. Well, short of getting some more settlers, it's impossible. The declaration of war on Greece was actually a hint from you, in retrospect. I tried several variations of squatting (including conquering Jerusalem as capital and even just having Rome as my only city without workers) but all failed because Rome is just too powerful with their legions (there's NO COUNTER to them except archers in a city). What is needed is Greece. If you're lucky, they'll have sent their Macedonian phalanxes off to conquer distant worlds while leaving only a warrior in their cities. You can capture Athens with 2 archers in that case. Make peace, then wait for them to do the same thing again (this time they went after Hattusas). How appropriate that I captured Pella. (how come nobody from Rome thought of the same thing when Alexander was out conquering Asia?)
Crete is actually a decent city with access to the copper (your culture there predominates), and can generate a great scientist after a cothon and library. And no need to defend it really.
Then conquer Jerusalem, which thankfully wasn't encumbered by Babylonian culture (who has long collapsed under barb weight). Persia declared on me but also collapsed for some mysterious reason (probably barbs). Then Rome and I kept the war going until the golden age hit, then made peace, and pounced on Syracuse when my ships tell me there's only 1 archer left there.
Egypt vassalized but couldn't help me much except research monotheism and exchange horseback riding for me.
Arabia declared war twice, I let Jerusalem go but conquered it right back, and easily beaten back by my pikemen and knights.
Spain was really tough...I lost a city to them simply because there were 2 flips (one at 720 and one at 750--unfair!!). Kept Madrid though.
Germany vassalized at the end.
Could be optimized (e.g. founding a city in South Africa) but I was so afraid that I was going to collapse that I just continued building courthouses and economy.

Spoiler :

 

[Jusos2108]

I tried the same tactic as you did, but the spawning of Alexander didn't make it worth while IMO. So I thought it is better to conquer Yerushalim straight away and leave the mainland Greece alone, couldn't resist taking Knossos though, and as AP said it is a decent city and gives you copper. I also founded Qart Hadast and Barca, which is a science center with a library and cothon. A settler from Barca also founded Tingi (5th city) on the Dye near the pillars of Hercules.

Avoided to fight the mighty (check last the screenshot) Romans the best I could, since Phoenicia really has no chance against them. Naturally we fought the evil Persians and Greeks together. So I spammed culture buildings to Carthago, since I was fairly certain that the Sicilian dye tile only needs 50% of Phoenician culture. Turned out it did, so took it peacefully from the Romans. My last addition was indy Babili, which was first hammered by Persians, but I took before them and scattered their tired army. Later I also fought the Arabians off quite easily (Camel archers suck against musketmen).

As I said earlier: It is possible to win with Phoenicia without seeing any spaniard. The second screenshot proves that I was right.

EDIT: sent two spies from Babili to China in order to save some time for the circumnavigation. On the other hand, I could have saved a turn by circumnavigating along the ocean, but for some weird reason I decided to go through the archipelago.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

I really should stop researching philosophy, aesthetics, literature and drama so early for the Phoenicians. Those wonders just don't come in time for any benefits (I built the Pantheon and Parthenon among other things). Stability can't tolerate a switch in civics anyway. All you need is the Great Library which is available with alphabet.

 

[Jusos2108]

I didn't go there at all, partly because Hellenism was founded in Ninua. Didn't get the GL (Carthago was 3 turns from completing it), which eventually cost me lots of turns. I just built the Great Lighthouse and Colossus in Carthago. I think that with the current settings (and bit of luck) it possible to complete the CN around 500AD.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Um, the pattern's kinda clear--Jusos you're just killing me in 3000BC. Care to knock off some of my 600 AD records?
I think, to be fair, I'm going to wait until Corossol fixes the conquistadors before playing any more 600 AD civs (easier for Aztecs, harder for Spain and Japan).

 

[blizzrd]

Um, the pattern's kinda clear--Jusos you're just killing me in 3000BC. Care to knock off some of my 600 AD records?
I think, to be fair, I'm going to wait until Corossol fixes the conquistadors before playing any more 600 AD civs (easier for Aztecs, harder for Spain and Japan).

I was very disappointed in not getting conquerors in my Turkey game (save recently posted). It took a whole lot more effort to vassalise Russia than it would have to vassalise the Incans with some conquerors.

 

[Jusos2108]

Um, the pattern's kinda clear--Jusos you're just killing me in 3000BC. Care to knock off some of my 600 AD records?
I think, to be fair, I'm going to wait until Corossol fixes the conquistadors before playing any more 600 AD civs (easier for Aztecs, harder for Spain and Japan).

I may give it a shot after the conquerors are back, but even if I manage to beat one of them, I am guessing that you'll better them soon enough.

 

[blizzrd]

Could be improved with conquerors. Arabia was first capitulated vassal, then Aztecs voluntarily vassalised and then Russia also capitulated (see screenshot). Later Portugal and Khmer also voluntarily vassalised, while Russia eventually declared war and was again capitulated.

Very important key step at the start was to send 2 settlers via southern Russia to found Yas and Bosnia before Germany takes this territory. Some crossbow escorts eventually make it to these cities also just in time before the Byzantines send some troops out to meet and greet.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

600 AD start. Only flipped 1 barb jaguar. Those native archers are much tougher now.
Not very spectacular, since I wimped out and avoided the conquistadors (could have gotten the enslavement part earlier if I didn't). Inca was vassal which helped a lot with researching stuff like aesthetics (who knows that a great scientist would bulb THAT after you know alphabet and paper?), drama and literature. It pains me to say that now that we have to learn monotheism and theology for scientific method. I was still first to physics though.

 

[blizzrd]

I feel that this could be improved upon, but I'm happy with this as my first attempt.

Razed Frankfurt before German spawn, then founded it for myself shortly before eliminating Germany. Then conquered Athens (early Representation) pre-gunpowder and Constantinople and Rome post-gunpowder. Got (much reduced) conquistadors from both Aztecs and Incans but never fought against the native American civs. Aztecs voluntarily vassalised, as did Netherlands, Portugal and Turkey. Vassalisation meant that my culture claimed extra tiles to work around Amsterdam and Constantinople which was very helpful.

Waited until just before the English tried to found cities in Canada before using the settlers, to get maximum research under the 10-city cap for as long as possible.

EDIT: Got date wrong in the post title, should be VV in 1640AD not 1635AD.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Very nice blizzrd. I see you saved probably 2 GEs for the wonders. I'm afraid the Parthenon is way overpowered, and should expire with, say, Gunpowder (after all it was blown up by the careless Turks). Both Russia and Germany can probably be done much earlier if I went for Athens earlier.

 

[blizzrd]

Very nice blizzrd. I see you saved probably 2 GEs for the wonders. I'm afraid the Parthenon is way overpowered, and should expire with, say, Gunpowder (after all it was blown up by the careless Turks). Both Russia and Germany can probably be done much earlier if I went for Athens earlier.

I had GEs coming out all over he place. I had 3 GEs in the late game actually and only used one on the ET, as I had already partially built the SoL when the first GE spawned. Well, strictly my first GE was used for Notre Dame.

I think that the stability penalty for owning Athens (Greece home area) balances the benefit of the Parthenon. Russia certainly and probably Germany too should have stability problems running Representation anyway.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Could be even better since I got a great priest instead of a great engineer, so the Statue of Liberty could have been 5 turns earlier (in the end whipped it with 2 turns to go killing 10 pop!) and probably 10 turns earlier if I had fewer vassals.

It looks like the Germans are leaving Berlin undefended again, which means that as long as you station a longbow and 2 axemen (or whatever that the AI doesn't dare attack) in the forest north of Berlin, they will leave Berlin. The rest of the troops went for Spain as usual who unfortunately built Leon (useless city) so after I got Athens I liberated it to Portugal. Mali, Turkey, Netherlands and Khmer were the other vassals.

All cities in America were founded at once and liberated to the Aztecs.

One continuous golden age after Taj Mahal, Olympic Park, 2 great people, and Triumphal Arch. Building a faraway city meant that I got a lucky Islamic Chartres/Kiev, and that gave me both the Univ of Sankore and Spiral Minaret.

Everybody in the world was pleased or friendly except for the Vikings, who was able to declare war on me no less than 4 times (at start, then 3 turns after peace treaty, then when Egypt spawned then at the end). Aztecs were still at war with me because they were vassals of Vikings once, but they're actually pleased with me. A friendly Russia is essential.

Spoiler :

 

[blizzrd]

Building a faraway city meant that I got a lucky Islamic Chartres/Kiev, and that gave me both the Univ of Sankore and Spiral Minaret.

Seems good, how lucky was it though? Of course now I might have to try again...

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Um blizz, the Aztec game was 600 AD. And unless you're planning to overturn my French record...

 

[blizzrd]

And unless you're planning to overturn my French record...

I am, but two small children have prevented me from getting a good run at it for the moment.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Really didn't optimize this time, but I just wanted to prove to myself that you don't need 3 great artists for the culture as long as you have more than enough cities. In fact it's probably impossible to generate 3 great artists since you need guilds for apprenticeship for unlimited artists, so you need to get a great spy and get some techs from China (and unfortunately they collapsed as soon as I got Engineering and I had 4 more techs to steal from them), get aesthetics and drama and hope for the best with 2 great artists. And there's no Pacifism (well, I chose not to use it) with this mod-mod.
Got Turkey as a vassal but that was it, and had to declare on my Arabian friends (useless anyway since they're in theocracy, and BTW, no gifting of units means you can't spread it at all in Mongolia, Spain, Arabia, Turkey, Russia, England, Germany and Vikings!).
Then I made the stupid mistake of going for the Incans first but a terrible plague hit them and my 29% became 27% in no time. Should ALWAYS spread to the Europeans since they grow much better.
My caravel chain technique is rusty (often missed by 1 move).
So if somebody has the patience to replay this, it should be done in around 1550 at the latest.

Spoiler :

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Classical Rome and Greece were both dead, no cities were built in Austria. Under Heinrich Schliemann (who didn't excavate Knossos, BTW), Hellenism was rescued from oblivion, and the Pantheon and Colosseum were built with Gothic style.
Too bad the Parthenon could not be built, otherwise I foresee VV maybe 10-15 turns earlier.
BTW, there's a bug with the amphitheater (since you can't build them) quest.
Spain vassalizing was a very good thing.
I'll let the pictures do the talking.
Now do I really have to play on?

Spoiler :