RFCC Challenge: Earliest UHVs (or virtual UHVs)

[blizzrd]

Now do I really have to play on?

They are the rules I'm afraid. I can't go making exceptions. It won't take that many "end turns" surely.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Well, as requested. Key to stability is conquering cities and liberation (or just giving them away to Mongolia who wants any cities it can get its hands on) and multiple IA/SBs.

 

[BurnEmDown]

America is destroyed, Europe is controlled by Fascists, the 3rd Reich would have been proud

 

[blizzrd]

Still feel like there is room for improvement yet.

Islam spread to both Bordeaux and Paris before Christianity did, so I got both the Spinal Minaret and University of Sankore. But none of my vassals ever had Ivory (no Taj Mahal). Popped Literature from a goody hut in Siberia.

One GE for Notre Dame, one GE for Statue of Liberty and one GE for Eiffel Tower. One GSpy to steal Guilds and Divine Right from the Dutch. Many other GPs along the way also though.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

It's interesting you didn't go for Spain. The extra happiness initially from troops in France and faster infrastructure, rather than having to whip catapults to destroy Spain probably explains your faster tech initially. Longbows are also much weaker in this mod for attack making more catapults necessary. The earlier you can get Athens the better (I got it quite late). Germany has plenty of room to expand so I guess your strategy is the better one.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

I'm really having some difficulty generating a good 3000 BC French start. Either there are no cities in France and Rome is strong and Hellenic, or Greece builds it because it gets Christianity way before I do. Rome declares on me more often than not (WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FREE TROOPS AND WHY DOES THE AI GET THEM?!!) Declaring war on Germany is almost impossible due to flipping of units as they spawn. Spain is easily crushed but as shown by blizzrd, getting Germany is much better.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Rome was strong but collapsing, so on the 3rd turn it did. Rome was good with Great Library and Great Lighthouse. 1st scientist went for Academy in Paris then bulbed paper. Germany was no match for knights and was briefly a French vassal before Aarhus got absorbed by the Dutch. Had Turkey, Russia, Mali, Aztecs and Dutch as vassals.
The Hellenic shrine in Delphi was still erased by Christianity (in fact the first build of Rome was a Hellenic missionary that went to Marseilles, where the Pantheon was built). Why can't the Parthenon be built?
Best French city= Cobourg (presumably Saxe-Coburg)
Got some corn for the Temple of Kulkulkan.
Spain was embroiled in wars against Phoenicia, Portugal, Inca and Vikings, so never had a chance to declare on me.
Could be 4 turns earlier since I went for economics and corporation first (dunno why).
This was a long story with lots of pics so be prepared...

Spoiler :

 

[blizzrd]

The Hellenic shrine in Delphi was still erased by Christianity (in fact the first build of Rome was a Hellenic missionary that went to Marseilles, where the Pantheon was built).

I understand that Hellenism will be overwritten unless it is the state religion of the civ. Have I got this right Corossol?

 

[Corossol]

I understand that Hellenism will be overwritten unless it is the state religion of the civ. Have I got this right Corossol?

That's correct. If it's not working please let me know.

 

[Jusos2108]

Took alphabet first, since I didn't get the Great Library in my first attempt when going for sailing and galleys first, builded Colosssus, GL and GLighthouse, got probably the best (almost) possible huts: experience and a tech (hunting). Invaded China, first coastal cities (Shanghai, Makao) and then the capital. China collapsed, took Korea and after CoL conquered the rest of China, mainly Beijing. Founded Taipei and Shinoyu (whatever city in north with 2 corns and wheat). After that it was just research. Got biology in 1520 and every other nation was way behind in techs, so I gifted away approximately 100 techs, seriously, so that the Internet would be useful. Also took theology, DR and AP, with the Internet, since they obsolete colossus and GL.

This can easily be beaten if you share technologies wider, so that internet gives more stuff (I only got the above+Flight and Artillery).

I also failed to take the "Japan has won a historic victory screenshot", 'couse I was only pressing enter at that point, but the score screen probably goes as well?? I can upload a save if you don't approve...

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Has to be one of my worst games ever (in terms of luck): no Hellenic wonders, Athens and Apollonia were duds, Germany never vassalized, and China got the AL wonders before me. The AI really likes to build Wien in this modmod which sucks for a Russian Budapest. Turkey was a good vassal but collapsed despite my best efforts. In the end only had France as vassal.
Could be probably 20-30 turns earlier if there was a Parthenon.

Spoiler :

 

[Jusos2108]

I am playing as China and I was just wondering do workers count for the army UHV? It is currently 950AD (got the 1. UHV in 780AD) and my total army is almost 100 units, so I need to know before I can play on.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

No, workers, ships, scouts and explorers don't count.

 

[Jusos2108]

Founded capital on spot, sent two warriors to west to collect the huts and to contact other civs, left them there. Built Sphinx and took alphabets with it, founded Shanghai, Fushun, Beijing, Haojing, Kumning and Sanshan in that order and of course conquered Hansheng. Used one GS from the Great Library to bulb Philosophy for Hellenism to get the wonders. Don't know whether that was smart, since the scientist could have been used for bulbing Education, so I could have focused on units (warriors) earlier, unit maintenance is very annoying. Got the 1st condition 780AD. After reaching 120 units I kept building dumbos to counter the Mongols, also vassalised Khmers so that I wouldn't have fight them and lose units (IMO Chinese army must be over 120 units all the time until the UHV triggers). In the end Mongols never even declared war on me, first time for everything. Replaced some of my warriors with knights to complete the noble knights quest, which actually really sucked, flanking promos for 8 knights.

This can be beaten quite easily and with little adjustment and without a plague I could have finished 3-5 turns earlier. I think it is possible to finish China around 800AD.

EDIT: The France triumph moved to OMG thread

 

[Jusos2108]

Founded the capital between stone and corn and then another city 1S from the silver. Beelined straight to calendar and finished the ToK in . After that it was quite boring, founded cities on the spots of Denver, New Orleans and Chicago. After destroying the Aztecs, who once again failed to found a single city that I could use, founded two more cities in Mexico. Made peace with the natives via event and they fought off the occasional barb dog soldiers, and also took New York and Annapolis from the english!

French caravel somehow triggered the conquerors eventhough I had a fleet waiting for it. The conquerors are so weak that it was ridiciously easy to wipe them out with my aztec war leftovers. After that I just pressed enter about 50 times.

EDIT: I think this one won't be too easily beaten, without a little luck from a hut or event, though 680AD is probably doable.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Simply put: more trees and mines= faster Kulkulkan. No free techs, got Calendar at 500 AD. 2 Libraries, some deficit scientist-hiring with starving of Tlaxcala most of the time to get Calendar quicker, then chopped/whipped the Temple in Tlaxcala. Just a little micromanagement, not on the order of blizzrd's technique.
Do I really have to play on? (Can't you just take my word for it that I'm going to coat the landscape with units so that conquerors can't land on the mainland? Or that I'm going to give away Tlaxcala and just do an OCC, (i.e. I can't collapse) with plenty of archers fortified on the stone hill (which I'll convert to a fort)? Pretty please?)

 

[AnotherPacifist]

[OK, people, I think in the future for the Maya, just to have 2/3 UHV should be enough. I'm NOT pressing return for 100 times again.]
The Aztecs were ungrateful and declared war after we liberated Tlaxcala to them, but the threat of 10 longbowmen was enough to scare them away.
The Maya were the most backward but also the happiest people in the world, buoyed by culture and theaters. No silly World Congress or annoyed Aztecs (vassal of England who's at war with Spain) can bother them in their ball courts. Some well-meaning naval officers tried a coup but in the end the stupor of luxury (silk from Japan no less exchanged for stone) was too much to fight against. Longbowmen slept in their armor waiting for an attack that never came.

Spoiler :

 

[Jusos2108]

If you start founding cities on aztec soil, everything is possible. But to be honest IMO it should be counted as a lost city. At least I thought it would be.

 

[Jusos2108]

Since losing cities due to a flip doesn't count as a lost city, I mamaged to squeeze out the Temple of Kukulkan in 620AD. Not much to it. As AP said, it is really annoying to press enter until 1745AD, but rules are rules.

The Dutch somehow managed penetrate my wall of flesh, but they were quickly sacrificed.

BTW, is blizzrd going update the list?

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Just like cetrifugal forces are fictional but the real-life effect is the same as cetripetal, giving a city doesn't equal losing a city in RFC.