2076BC:
Zulu fisherman have organized their own workboat fleets for the second time now. I had sent a spearman north and discovered that they didn't have a city or any control over the fish west of them... which probably means that they founded a city near the northwestern fish or the shrimp to their east for some reason. Perhaps the reason we're doing so well is because the other players are trying to found all their cities too far away?
Meanwhile, I continue exploring the lands to the south. Perhaps we can found cities there and then switch sides when they try to declare independence? I also hope that this continent/large island wasn't intended to be part of the "New World". I've seen some map generations that have a New World but also have civs on nearby landmasses that can reach it, allowing them to settle before anyone else.
Also, I've been producing another settler in Hattusas and I plan on settling the city spot to my north soon. I don't think the Koreans will ever have the might to capture it, and even if they do it won't be that big of a loss with this many cities.
2011BC:
A great prophet is born in Hattusas, which I put to sleep for later use.
1998BC:
I trade with the Turks for Bronze Working, enabling despotism and letting me train axemen. Part of the deal was them giving me contact with Charles V of the Netherlands. The Dutch have 3 cities.
1972BC:
I trade with the Dutch for Monarchy, which puts us into the Classical era.
1959BC:
Thessalonica has been captured by the Spanish from the Byzantines. Given its location:
on the peninsula east of Constantinople I think that this is probably a rebellion (it would probably be too hard for some new civ I don't know about to attack it unless they had a lot of ships). It will probably set them back a lot in the region of Southeast Ceybronvik.
Here is what the Hittite Empire currently looks like:
And here is what's been explored in the continent/island to the south:
I've started researching Code of Laws so that maybe we can get Confucianism first.
Wonboqben, Chieftain of Hatti, 1920BC
Miners near Kanesh report discovering a source of lead. This wonderful metal should be a great material for building pipes and other containers throughout the empire.
If that sounds funny to you, it's because lead actually gives +2:yuk: as a resource. However, it actually makes some things easier to build. It enables potters huts (so does copper), which give you a pottery resource (+1
). If it gets annoying I can always trade it to someone who wants it more than me.
1855BC:
Holy Rome converts to Judaism. Speaking of this, the Aztecs still haven't converted to Judaism even though they have the holy city (in this mod, your starting religious civic doesn't allow a state religion). That will only increase its rebellion even more.
Jonqualon, Chieftain of Hatti, 1829BC
I am sending explorers to scope out the lands to the south by land this time rather than by sea like we've always done. Exploration efforts there so far have revealed what we believe to be an island perhaps twice the size of Hatti and further lands across a sea to its south:
1803BC:
(It's a galley with two explorers in it. I'm really tempted to name them Lewis and Clark but it woudn't really fit so I won't) I'm thinking more and more that the game accidentally put some lands reserved for the New World within range (which would normally annoy me). There are at least three barbarian cities on the continent in the far south. This mapscript doesn't produce Pangaeas much, but sometimes almost all the lands are within reach of the Old World or something like that happens and limits the New World. It would be a lot of fun to found some settlements there, declare independence and fight off the powerful Hittites, and then try to see if we can settle a lot of the New World while fighting the native civs that will pop up. Perhaps we could even just stay a colony and declare independence later somehow. It would be kind of like Colonization!
(Also, I still have no clue if these lands are linked with the lands east of Byzantium.)
I've made peace with the Khmer, who have three cities now. There are a lot of lands up north for the Khmer and Zulu to divide between themselves. Also, Akuwa now has Judaism but I'll wait to see if we can get Confucianism first.
1777BC:
Someone founded Hellenism. We're lucky, the AI could have decided to go for Confucianism instead (which takes about the same effort to get).
Also, our cities are undergoing severe health problems, with Hattusas getting up to +8
(which is counteracted by how much
it brings in). It has various causes, but the largest one is simply how many floodplains are nearby. This problem in turn will fuel the larger one of rebellion, which is already hurt by "financial trouble" (although from a player's viewpoint, our economy is good).
1738BC:
Someone has founded Confucianism, 8 turns before we would have. I still think it's too early to convert to Judaism though.
The shores of Faiquendel, 1739BC
The galleys glide through the water as the men on board find an appropriate place to unload. They make a camp on the beach for a week, gathering resources and supplies from the nearby landscape, before the galleys leave, continuing their explorations where they hope to find land past Byzantium. Staying behind are two adventurous groups of explorers who have been commissioned by Hatti to explore the lands that have become known as Faiquendel, who soon split and continue their journey.
Ainu, 1725BC
Julius Caesar looks around at his newly found conquest. The Ainuans had put up resistance to the siege for years but eventually caved in and were too starved to resist any longer. He decided to rename the city after his own language.
Thinking, he realizes that his empire now controlled most of the upper Vyharok river basin. Perhaps he will be able to have the size needed to keep the Hittites from eyeing his lands greedily. In any case, a new age of Korean might has begun!
So the Koreans have conquered Ainu (and since this event triggered them settling down from being a minor civ, the city's been renamed). Fortunately, unlike what usually happens, he's willing to make peace (for free!). I have no idea what kind of military strength he has. Perhaps I thought he was weak before because his army was off sieging Ainu.
I'm able to make peace with him and I establish an embassy and open borders so that I have easier access to Southeast Ceybronvik through the Pass of Ainu. He got a little free culture in ummanni and Akuwa (only 13% of what I've got in either one though). If I later want to conquer him, I want to know what kind of strength he has anyway. Having conquered a barbarian city (I wonder if I could've done it?), he may have gotten some free units for being militaristic.
Since we're no longer in any hurry to finish Code of Laws and our neighbors are all at peace with us, perhaps now would be a good time to change civics....
Quencelar, Emperor of Hatti, 1725BC
Seeing Julius Caesar's conquests and consolidation of the Korean Empire in the east, I will begin my leadership by beginning efforts to consolidate the empire and centralize my reign. I will be taking the appellative of Pharaoh. There are those that oppose these measures, of course, and it may take some time to root them out, but they are necessary.
1699BC:
That's Despotism that we've switched to (and a couple other less important civics). Last game I chose Monarchy because it enables fixed borders, which helped a lot, but here, I think the +1
from each military unit is more important since we're in no rush to claim land.
I got a tribal village a couple a turn or two ago revealing a map which pretty conclusively showed that Faiquendel wasn't attached to any other landmass. Strangely, it also has some Jungle/Ice and Jungle/Tundra tiles.
Korea has made peace with Azteca and Turkey, and Sun Tzu's Art of War and Chichen Itza have been built (yes, all on the same turn!).
Pharaoh, 1673BC
We have news of a decent Korean force at P'yongyang:
Perhaps they have more forces in Seoul. I have the empire under my control, but there is much talk of rebellion. Between this and Korea, I will have to increase the size of my army.
Pharaoh, 1660BC
I have received a map from those exploring the southeast:
They suspect that the lands south of Faiquendel are part of the lands east of Byzantium. Indeed, that would mean that they are technically connected to Ceybronvik by land, but the gods have decreed that they can only be reached by water. This leads me to want to place more emphasis on our naval capabilities.
I also have reports that the city of Thessalonica that we knew of once now no longer exists. It seems the Spanish conquered it but did not want to govern the area, and so now it lies in ruins. Our ambassador to Byzantium has gotten them to reluctantly give us contact with Spain in exchange for contact with Khmer.
So perhaps it isn't part of the New World after all. I still haven't met any civs that reside there for sure though, but I bet that's where the Spanish and Dutch are from. They must be close to the Byzantines to raze Thessalonica though. I once played a game where a barbarian civ that settled down on a peninsula (which was blocked from mainland access) tried to invade me by sea and would have probably taken a city if I hadn't found a way to make peace.
1647BC:
Korea and the Zulu are now at peace. The only civ that Korea is at war with now that is close to them is England.
1634BC:
Seoul has 3 archers and 2 spears for a garrison, plus one spear nearby. Korea's military still rivals ours so I'll have to be careful.
Rebellion is going to be out of control soon so I need to take decisive action; I might take control of a rebellion eventually but not quite this soon. I will export the lead (it'll have to be for free), despite its uses, to get rid of its +2
. In two turns, Carchemish will have borders reaching to one of its fish (I think), which will help health some. In my experience, unhappiness causes rebellion to happen quickly, but it looks like enough unhealthiness causes it too. I will also use our great prophet to start a golden age, which should help calm the cities a lot and at least buy us some time to make an army capable of holding the empire together. I had hoped to continue expanding but it looks like that'll have to wait. Also a factor is financial trouble for some reason, which a golden age might help some. Hattusas will be done with a Treasury (a national wonder that increases
a little throughout the country) in 2 turns, which will help ease rebellion some too. Code of Laws will be done soon, so then I can build courthouses too (and I think they might help ease rebellion as well as help your economy). Hopefully all these things together will help.
1621BC:
"Word spreads from distant lands: the Portuguese City State has emerged in Yayoi!"
That was one of the barbarian cities in the far south. Neither of the two that I could see were very big (I think around population 2).
Fedok, explorer of Faiquendel, 1608BC
This tribe in southern Faiquendel has been very hospitable to me. I've been able to stay with them and see their lands for a few weeks and have learned much. They are very disciplined when it comes to Military Training, for they need to constantly defend themselves from other nearby tribes. Their organization of their military is like nothing we have in Hatti, and so when I return home I will see if I can explain this new idea to the Pharaoh himself.
Meanwhile Akuwa has a minor revolt. The other cities are getting a little better, but Akuwa has had a ton of unhealthiness to deal with.
1569BC:
I finish Code of laws and start on Iron Working, which many civs have, but no one wants to trade. If we're going to be without iron, I want to know as soon as possible so that we can try to expand into locations that have it.
Pharaoh, 1556BC
I have begun my reign after being chosen and supported as emperor of the Hittites. Like the last four emperors before me, I will use the appellative of Pharaoh. A rival for my position has been working out of Akuwa, known as a hotbed of discontent, and trying to stir the people there to support him as emperor. I am going to pay top gold to have him and other leaders there assassinated.
(I.e. I'm bribing the city with gold to placate it for a while.)
1543BC:
I make a tech trade with the Spanish that gets us Iron Working. It reveals one iron near the Khmer capital, one southeast of Khmer (they have 2 iron so they probably grabbed this one too, securing their country's military success), one north of Tlatelolco, and one one tile south of Hattusas!
1517BC:
London is still population 1. What's going on over there? They founded a religion and then just stagnated. Someone is probably going to conquer them eventually.
1452BC:
A great engineer is born in Hattusas. I'm going to save him until we can build a useful wonder.
1400BC:
We lost an explorer near Navajo. I've been moving them off of Faiquendel and onto the southern continent by war galley. I'll have to be more careful with the next one.
1374BC:
The Zulu and Khmer have made peace and someone's built the Great Wall
------------------------------------------
At this point, I look over the Hittite Empire. I mentioned at the start of this thread that I don't play for the official victory conditions (but I still start games with the expectation that they might need to be used anyway). What I do is play until it is apparent that I've won (or lost), and I've won whenever I can do pretty much anything I want and not face significant resistance (and by that point the game ceases to be fun anyway- I've had my fill of games where I just idly conquer the world like there's nothing to it). By this definition, we have already won this game. Here's all the proof I need:
We might not have the largest army, but I'm sure that with iron, our good economy, and good production, we could conquer anyone we wanted (within a reasonable distance, of course) while eventually outperforming everyone in technology. Hopefully now you all see why I play on immortal. It's perhaps ironic that I played a game before this one and abandoned it because it was too easy, only to have an easy game here. At least this game has some interesting options that I didn't see before. ...soooo...
The glorious Hittite Empire has had much influence in ancient times, but now it is time for their fall/stagnation! (Ironically, this is about the time the real Hittite empire had its downfall.) It's time to play as someone more interesting. Here are our options and their details:
1) Go back to the first game. Personally, I don't see many exciting options there. The Hittite Kingdom of that timeline is an interesting story, but it seems like a closed book with a fitting ending to me, since the nation had an excellent rise (despite overwhelming opposition) and a sudden fall. Perhaps someone else has some interesting ideas to work with on that game though?
2) Start a new game. Although this game is too easy, I still see some merit left in playing with this game though. It has a very interesting map that gives us many options, and it's not even all revealed yet! However, a new map would still probably still be very exciting with the PerfectWorld mapscript being as interesting as it is, especially with this mod. I rarely get maps that are similar, without even changing any of the generation settings.
3) Take over a rebellion in Hatti...
3a) I could go back in time to the rebellion that I almost had- I think if it wasn't for my desperate measures, the empire would have been torn apart. (I don't think future rebels in central Hatti will be so successful; most of our cities are calming down a lot now.)
3b) On the other hand, we could aggressively settle regions that are further away and then declare independence (or even try to conquer the old empire). The Zulu haven't been expanding that much and we could try and found two or three cities near them and then call them and Kummanni our homeland.
3c) We could start colonizing lands to the south (which appear pretty empty). The success of the current empire means that I could probably pull this off and we would have a new civ with an interesting position. I think Faiquendel is in the most interesting position because it is a large island (I would estimate that it's about the size of Greenland) in a position that would give it some control over both the Southern Continent (sorry I haven't named it yet- I hardly know anything about its interior yet) and Ceybronvik. There would be room for 7 or 8 cities. However, I don't think its lands are really all that good: it has both lots of jungle on the southern end and tundra and mountains in the central part. The best land does lie on its western, northern and eastern coastline though, so it would probably not be all that hard to colonize. Perhaps I could try to get a situation like Colonization, where we can stay a colony of Hatti (and not declare independence), thereby getting some support from the motherland but also being subject to its whims when it declares war.
...the only problem with rebelling from Hatti is that our chances of getting strategic resources are very slim. 3a might be able to grab the Hittite obsidian or iron if it's really lucky, 3b probably wouldn't have anything at all, and 3c would have nothing unless it conquered the Aztec city on the copper or took the elephants southeast of it on the Southern Continent (and a city there would probably try to rebel). Of course, there's always the random chance that one is discovered like last game, but planning on being lucky is bad strategy indeed.
4) We can take control of Korea, preferably right after they settled down. The Hittites would be very powerful neighbors indeed, but they would be just about to suffer a rebellion, and Korean military strength is not puny by any means anyway. Korea has a copper too. If Hatti proves too strong, we could always conquer the weak English (or even try the Aztecs) or settle more nearby lands.
5) Some other civs might be interesting. I like the lands in Southeast Ceybronvik in particular and it might be interesting to play as one of the civs there. However, that would mean less interaction with Hatti, and I think without our influence they might run away with the game.
That outlines the good options that I see. I'm having a hard time deciding what to do.
This mapscript will provide a lot of interesting variety anyway: the geography should be a lot different than last game and the geography should affect the game a LOT, like it did with the civilizations of the real earth.
on a tile never hurt.
towards Animal Husbandry, which I'm researching now. Also Metal Casting is now done, revealing three copper on the map: one near Turkey, one two tiles south of the Korean city, and one south of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. At least we have our obsidian.
