SGOTM7 - Team tao
- Thread starter mad-bax
- Start date
Mathilda
Queen
Well done team Tao, very convincing 
Crazy Eskimo
Prince
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2005
- Messages
- 367
You guys are such teases! I was so sure you would finish after us with all your talk about going for MT and Sipahi that I saw as I went through your thread. Then you had to go and just steam roll everyone with knights! 
Seriously, good job and congrats!
Seriously, good job and congrats!
I'm sure we'll get it, one way or another, once you guys have had the dubious pleasure of sorting out all the bugs. It's only expansion packs that pass us by.Offa said:
Despite the many visitors in this thread, I drafted our final spoiler. Please comment and amend.
---------------------------------------------------------------
The team (Furiey, Renata, Keath, Sabre, tao, Tone) had agreed to go for The Great Library and we completed it in 1000BC in the city named "Great Library". Stopped research gave us lots of cash from then on. Great Library afterwards built the Forbidden Palace (completed 510BC) and corruption dropped. We never moved the Palace to developed a second core, since Great Leaders came too late.
We built the following infrastructure: 2 markets, 2 courthouses, 2 aqueducts, 1 temple, 1 harbor. And of course some libraries, mostly for territory expansion, but in the core for research on chivalry (see below).
Monarchy came from the GLib in 430BC and we needed 6 turns of anarchy for the switch.
Worth mentioning is that we actively went for contact with America and Scandinavia, since they just didn't show up. Our galley contacted the Vikings 150AD and traded for the world map and American contact.
The occasional landings at Al Bait continued, but all invaders were bombarded and killed same turn.
We had some discussion on whether to research feudalism in the Middle Ages but stuck with a lone scientist on engineering. However, once the GLib gave us feudalism in 260AD, we abandoned (after 34 turns) this aproach and start full speed on chivalry due in 6 at 100% and -90gpt. This switch was also heavily motivated by the idea to finally get a Great Leader and - after capturing Zimbabwe with Hanging Gardens - hurry Sun Tzu's to start our Golden Age. And it worked beautifully. Great Leader Orhan appeared 280AD, Sun Tzu's was built 290AD, Golden Age started 300AD, and chivalry was learned 310AD. We stopped research forever and had +222gpt for upgrades.
In the fightings, the AIs were surprisingly weak (no SOD counter attacks) and it mostly was a question of troop movement to walk over them. In the end, the main problem was logistics and getting settlers to fill the gaps. 6 galleys went north to capture isolated towns and that pushed us over the domination limit in 520AD - announced in 530AD.
The rapid progress is shown in the following map sequence.
---------------------------------------------------------------
The team (Furiey, Renata, Keath, Sabre, tao, Tone) had agreed to go for The Great Library and we completed it in 1000BC in the city named "Great Library". Stopped research gave us lots of cash from then on. Great Library afterwards built the Forbidden Palace (completed 510BC) and corruption dropped. We never moved the Palace to developed a second core, since Great Leaders came too late.
We built the following infrastructure: 2 markets, 2 courthouses, 2 aqueducts, 1 temple, 1 harbor. And of course some libraries, mostly for territory expansion, but in the core for research on chivalry (see below).
Monarchy came from the GLib in 430BC and we needed 6 turns of anarchy for the switch.
Worth mentioning is that we actively went for contact with America and Scandinavia, since they just didn't show up. Our galley contacted the Vikings 150AD and traded for the world map and American contact.
The occasional landings at Al Bait continued, but all invaders were bombarded and killed same turn.
We had some discussion on whether to research feudalism in the Middle Ages but stuck with a lone scientist on engineering. However, once the GLib gave us feudalism in 260AD, we abandoned (after 34 turns) this aproach and start full speed on chivalry due in 6 at 100% and -90gpt. This switch was also heavily motivated by the idea to finally get a Great Leader and - after capturing Zimbabwe with Hanging Gardens - hurry Sun Tzu's to start our Golden Age. And it worked beautifully. Great Leader Orhan appeared 280AD, Sun Tzu's was built 290AD, Golden Age started 300AD, and chivalry was learned 310AD. We stopped research forever and had +222gpt for upgrades.
In the fightings, the AIs were surprisingly weak (no SOD counter attacks) and it mostly was a question of troop movement to walk over them. In the end, the main problem was logistics and getting settlers to fill the gaps. 6 galleys went north to capture isolated towns and that pushed us over the domination limit in 520AD - announced in 530AD.
The rapid progress is shown in the following map sequence.
I think that covers it.
The more I think of it, the more I'm surprised at how weak the AI civs were. Reading some of the other team threads, we were quite fortunate to have no SOD in counter attacks or civs advanced well beyond us. We never even had to fight muskets! We were frustrated at how slowly the AI researched which is why we abandoned Engineering but what did we actually do to stop civs such as the Americans and Vikings from progressing?
BTW if there is one thing that I've learnt from this, it is how much a well-timed GA can swing the balance in favour of the human player.
The more I think of it, the more I'm surprised at how weak the AI civs were. Reading some of the other team threads, we were quite fortunate to have no SOD in counter attacks or civs advanced well beyond us. We never even had to fight muskets! We were frustrated at how slowly the AI researched which is why we abandoned Engineering but what did we actually do to stop civs such as the Americans and Vikings from progressing?
BTW if there is one thing that I've learnt from this, it is how much a well-timed GA can swing the balance in favour of the human player.
Furiey
No Longer Just Lurking
That just about covers it, our Golden Age nearly lasted the rest of the game!
The Great Library was actually 975 BC, wasn't it? It was one turn to go in the 1000 BC screenshot. Same with the Forbidden Palace, or is that date correct?
You could mention a little more, like dates of invasion of the various islands and such. And the date we captured Zimbabwe (Hanging Gardens) and Bapedi (Lighthouse, which really helped in the end game -- I couldn't have taken those overseas towns without it, for example, and we'd have needed several more turns to win).
AlanH also had some questions in the final-spoiler post; let me go see what they were again.
Renata
You could mention a little more, like dates of invasion of the various islands and such. And the date we captured Zimbabwe (Hanging Gardens) and Bapedi (Lighthouse, which really helped in the end game -- I couldn't have taken those overseas towns without it, for example, and we'd have needed several more turns to win).
AlanH also had some questions in the final-spoiler post; let me go see what they were again.
Renata
The questions were:
The only ones that weren't addressed were the civs left standing at the end of the game (all but Arabia, who were wiped out with a turn to go), and the number of leaders produced (the second one used to rush Sistine's in Persepolis for free culture while in resistence).
I don't think anything did go badly for us! And after all that agitation over our early strategy, all the anxiety over the lack of leaders and what to do about Feudalism and such. It's strange, after India fell in less than 30 turns (after I'd been anticipating 40-50), I knew we'd do all right, but I never would have guessed it would turn out this well. It wasn't until Tone's mid-turns report the other day that I believed it.
Still so happy.
Renata
The only ones that weren't addressed were the civs left standing at the end of the game (all but Arabia, who were wiped out with a turn to go), and the number of leaders produced (the second one used to rush Sistine's in Persepolis for free culture while in resistence).
I don't think anything did go badly for us! And after all that agitation over our early strategy, all the anxiety over the lack of leaders and what to do about Feudalism and such. It's strange, after India fell in less than 30 turns (after I'd been anticipating 40-50), I knew we'd do all right, but I never would have guessed it would turn out this well. It wasn't until Tone's mid-turns report the other day that I believed it.
Still so happy.
Renata
Furiey
No Longer Just Lurking
Agreed. I've been walking about grinning all day at work today. Still can't quite believe that we've finished already, and wondering how long until the next one....Renata said:Still so happy.
I think we played well as a team, we did not always agree but we discussed until we were ready, and were prepared to delay play until we were. Then we followed through the plan, but again stopped and discussed if things happened during our turns.
I knew it would be quick once I had no counterattack in Arabia, I just didn't think it would be quite that quick, but our Golden Age allowed us to build enough Knights to do the job!
I know that it's stupid but I am too!Renata said:Still so happy.
People have been asking me today what I'm grinning at and yet I've not actually been aware of doing it! You're right-the GLib wasn't completed until the turn after the QSC period. I thought that our GL was overdue but in the end it coincided nicely with our knight production. (I think that it was a brave decision to abandon Eng research BTW.)
On dates of invasions, I think that the minimaps give enough details-anyone really interested can visit the team threads like I've been doing!
The sequence of targets is an interesting question. It did us no harm at all to tackle the AI in the order we chose. The tornado spiralled around our victims!
I'm actually surprised that a fair number of teams went after Arabia first. They were weakest of the civs known early, but with India taking up a good chunk of our core and the looming threat of resourceless jumbos down the road ... well, let's just say I had no urge to leave them for later.
I'm glad we didn't have to face Zulus with the Great Wall, though, like Team Peanut did -- that's nasty. And there's the bombardment bug attached to that, too.
Renata
I'm glad we didn't have to face Zulus with the Great Wall, though, like Team Peanut did -- that's nasty. And there's the bombardment bug attached to that, too.
Renata
You got there just before me, Furiey. It appears that you've struck a chord, Renata!
Couldn't agree more. This is what I enjoyed so much about the last game as well. 'It's not the winning. it's the taking part that counts' rings true to me. I've learnt so much from these discussions. If we get pipped at the post again, so be it. This game was a great experience-bring on the next one!Furiey said:
Furiey
No Longer Just Lurking
With Arabs having no Horses there was no need to rush for them, Zulu with the Impi early so we were better off delaying them, and the threat of those jumbos made India the obvious target. I think they were the first to land, or was that the Zulu?
Any idea when the next one is likely to start?
Any idea when the next one is likely to start?
All I remember is Arabia was the first to have a unit on our territory, from that popped hut. The first actual invasion was during Sabre's turns; don't remember who landed first.
It'll be a few weeks before the next one starts. There's usually about 2 months between games; this one's just faster than normal. And the staff needs a little extra time to get organized with mad-bax's retirement.
(So go play COTM13, if your software permits! Deity, much evilness, good stuff! )
Renata
The first actual invasion was during Sabre's turns; don't remember who landed first.It'll be a few weeks before the next one starts. There's usually about 2 months between games; this one's just faster than normal. And the staff needs a little extra time to get organized with mad-bax's retirement.
(So go play COTM13, if your software permits! Deity, much evilness, good stuff!
)Renata
No chance of convincing him to carry on then?Renata said:
I have been, but as we've found out recently, Furiey doesn't play solo games so I think your words are falling on deaf ears.Renata said:(So go play COTM13, if your software permits! Deity, much evilness, good stuff!
Personally I've enjoyed the game Renata so thank you. My problem is that I just need you guys around me to provide that extra push when things start to stagnate as my score will not be that great when I do manage to find the time to complete it.I'm not sure whether it's a good or bad thing but I notice the pressure when I pick up a Team tao save to play. How can I recreate this for the COTM games?
Furiey
No Longer Just Lurking
I have been tempted with the GOTM/COTM, in fact GOTM21 was the first Monarch game I ever played (Conquest level). Time is my biggest killer, particularly as I'm not a very fast player, and although I've downloaded many and started a few, I have never got anywhere near finishing any more. In fact by the time I finished GOTM21 it was nearly submission time for the next one. I think I might have played a couple of solo games last year and haven't yet managed to start one this year! I keep promising myself that I'll play one when I get some time off work, but something always seems to crop up 
I don't think that's too unhealthy.Furiey said:I keep promising myself that I'll play one when I get some time off work, but something always seems to crop up
Re GOTM21: I'd recommend Cracker's GOTMs to anyone though. The competition is secondary to me (here speaks someone who's never going to win.) Some of the games have a great flavour as well as well-crafted maps. I know the mods weren't popular with everyone but I remember many of these games with great affection and I owe my first Deity victory to Cracker. In particular my first GOTM (Rome-16) stands out and I will find time to replay it soon. The latin names for the city builds was a simple but effective touch and that map was just soooo clever. The only GOTM maps that come close to it IMO are Renata's Viking map and ainwood's Indian one. (I'l stop here as I could go on for hours!
)
Furiey
No Longer Just Lurking
That when it's announced being different from when it's built can be confusing - it caught me out for a while when calculating when the culture would start doubling in the last game.
GOTM16 was used as a base for SGOTM3, but the map was reversed and the start made to look almost the same.... The latin names were good though.
GOTM16 was used as a base for SGOTM3, but the map was reversed and the start made to look almost the same.... The latin names were good though.
Similar threads
