Spoiler: Ancient and Classical Rome.

[al_thor]

Like most of the people here, I absolutely dominated the Greeks with the powerful Praetorians. Even so, I think it took three seperate wars to finally rid the continent of the vile olive-eating Greeks.

The first war was strictly with Praetorians, The 2nd added Cats, and the third was with Cats & Knights (with a few Praets). War weariness did become a factor in the 2nd & 3rd wars, otherwise I would never had had to pull back in the midst of the 2nd

I thought that my start was awesome. As with any of the Civ games, early expansion towards your rivals is always best. Not that we were offered much else of a choice, it was either Jungle, Plains, or a nice spot with Flood Plains, Silk, Sheep, and some sweet hills (see placement of Antium below).

I somehow founded Confucianism ahead of the AI, and it landed in Antium, giving it a huge boost in culture/happiness. Chops were used for either Settlers, or some Wonder or other (Oracle, etc).

I only have the one screen shot seen here. My next save is much later, when most of the World Map is revealed.

I must say that the Roman triats of Expansive & Organized were previously under-rated (at least to me). The cheap Granary, +2 Health, Cheap Lighthouse, Cheap Courthouse (VERY nice), and the -50% Upkeep are actually quite powerful, even though it takes a bit of time to get the most out of both traits (the early Granary's are awesome, though).

A very fun game (I finished today), and I thank the GOTM Staff most heartily for a fine job in getting this out, organizing, dealing with the tech issues, etc, etc.

 

[Shillen]

Thanks for posting your financial numbers, Shillen! Although I am guessing the numbers you reported for gold was the amount in your treasury. I should have said "gold per turn" and not just "gold". Ooops. Were the numbers you reported while running 100% science or close to it?

I think you mean taxes instead of gold per turn? If so I'll go back and change my numbers. And yes until my treasury was empty I was running 100% science.

edit: I changed my numbers to taxes.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I think this is common wisdom about CivIV that will prove untrue in time. My experience is that undeveloped cities are a drag, but once they are developed, they are a net benefit to your economy.

My analogy to this is how Republic was perceived in CiVIII. It does not appear to be the best choice for a war-mongering civ with a large army, but many GOTM/COTM later we know that the economic benefit of Republic outweighs the cost in gold for each unit.

My developed starting continent had around 15 cities on it. I’m going to do some analysis and compare my tech pace to others (DaveMcW). I'll post some results in a day or so.

StanNP

I would agree too. By 1515 when I found another continent, I had 13 roman cites, 6 greek and 1 barbarian. I built 2 more on my home continent later. Once you get courthouses and decent civics all those cities pay off. I have seen the same effect on monarch too. I'm for more cities rather than less.

 

[col]

Well this isnt going to be one of my more detailed reports.

Executive summary:expanded rapidly at a deficit funded by a couple of goodie huts. Met the Greeks. Beelined to IW. Built up a force of 20 Prats. Took out the Greeks.

Filled our continent. Met everyone else. I'm well in the lead. Built up fleet. Am currently taking out second place civ. Now need to decide on what type of win. I'm getting fed up with Space Races so its gotta be - Conquest!! (or maybe Dom if I get bored...)

 

[mzprox]

I wonder, I'm the only one who didn't build any praetorian at all? . (mainly because my iron was out of the city radius) I played peacefully....till 1450 AD. (then I attacked my friends...first... )
How is it possible to win conquest victor before winning by domination? Razing the captured cities?

 

[Stormreaver]

How is it possible to win conquest victor before winning by domination? Razing the captured cities?

Yeah, not covering enough land for the domination victory does the trick, since it's % of total land area, not % of land area covered by some civ...

Edit: However, I've found if you're not going for conquest/domination, diplomatic victory is usually easier to attain, as you end up with enough votes to declare yourself supreme ruler before you're close to annihilate all opponents.

 

[mzprox]

Why someone would like to win by conquest when he can win by domination much earlier? More score ?

 

[Stormreaver]

Why someone would like to win by conquest when he can win by domination much earlier? More score ?

Well, if you've got a strong force but not big enough to hold an entire continent just razing everything could be a solution. If you're certain you're able to defeat whatever's left with what you have, why put on the burden of defending and paying upkeep for new cities that won't be able to produce anything worthwhile before you've won anyway?

 

[mzprox]

I see. My game was very interesting at the end, because....(I think it should go to the next spoiler topic )

 

[crunch]

Rome founded 1S from starting location. Probably to keep the hill for hammers. More cities founded 5W and 5E (iron). No early religion. Greeks got buddhism though.

An early worker (either at size 1 or size 2). Moderate chop rushing (mainly outside fat cross).

Early techs agriculture, wheel, iron. Then the tech for Oracle.

Rome had barracks ready when iron was hooked up, Praetorians started coming. Some of them gained exp on barb city NW from Rome.

With 5-6 Praetorians (more coming each 2-3 turns), declared war on Alexander. Most gathered around nearest city (Sparta I guess), 1-2 marched south to pillage copper (success).
Met approx 1-2 axemen and 1-2 phalanx during the course of war, captured Sparta, Thermopylae, Athens; rested 10 turns to get 2 techs and captured Corinth (NE from Athens). Alex died.

Grabbed Oracle, Great Library, and most of the later wonders. Failed to get Stonehenge and the government civics wonder *sigh*

I remained peaceful afterwards. I did not care at all about exploration, I let the other civs find me. I assumed that in the first civ4 gotm we will get all the resources available nearby. I had tech lead.

Mao was first to find me.

Meanwhile populated most of the continent (not too fast to burden the budget), got three religions in total, researched busily at 90-100 %; goal: space ship.

 

[Thyrwyn]

got this far - still alive, playing nice with the Greeks - no time for a detailed spoiler report.

 

[Nightfang]

My early years ran well. I dropped Rome right at the start position, and sent my warrior around popping huts and all that, and there were a good number of them. Lucky for me, I did not have any spawn any barbs, but man did I get a pile of them later! Animals and barb warriors were pouring out of the fog of war at one point! I also had to take three cities from them at one point, and those cities became big production centers for my empire. But, I digress.

When I met Alexander, I knew I was going to have to do something about him, and soon. So, I beelined for Ironworking, and luckily, I had placed a city right where the first iron resource appeared. I had Praetorians in droves before too long.

Meanwhile, I kept expanding. I had made some good money on the barb huts, so could run in the red for a little while to fuel my expansion. I aimed for Code of Laws next, to get courthouses so I could reduce some maintenance costs. I did not care about religion. Which was good, because I never got a religion.

I moved south into Greek territory, and began to capture everything I could find. However, his last four cities really gave me a tough time, as he had backed all his remaining forces into them. The money I made off the conquests fueled my coffers a bit more, though, and I kept expanding to the north, west and south. I called off the war, and used settlers to fill in the gaps between the cities I captured.

By the time the first civ showed up to introduce themselves, I had covered almost the entire continent, with Alex still in the southeast corner, and owning a three/four tile stretch along the southern part of the continent.

 

[Shillen]

Why someone would like to win by conquest when he can win by domination much earlier? More score ?

So he can get the medal for fastest conquest victory. Also, it is possible to increase your score by staving off domination in order to build up population before winning. That would hurt your chances at the fastest domination medal, but if you alter it and go for conquest instead you can get a high score and a chance at the fastest conquest medal.

 

[mzprox]

So he can get the medal for fastest conquest victory. Also, it is possible to increase your score by staving off domination in order to build up population before winning. That would hurt your chances at the fastest domination medal, but if you alter it and go for conquest instead you can get a high score and a chance at the fastest conquest medal.

huh? medals? I'm new to this GOTM I thought the highest score wins now (which will be the fastest victory anyway...).

I'm also playing an other gotm (with a hungarian community). We always decide the goal at the begining, and the fastest victory count. (So when it's a space race game you should be carefull not to achieve domination victory )

 

[Shillen]

The GOTM gives out many different awards each month. There are the gold, silver, bronze medals that go to the top 3 scores. Then there are medals for each victory condition that go to all the people with the fastest victory with each victory condition. Then there are the shield awards that go to people with the lowest scoring victory for each victory condition. And there might even be more, I'm not sure.

 

[Gazaridis]

My first GOTM. Executive Summary: Once continent was explored primary aim was to wipe out the Greeks. Founded Rome approx. at starting positiong (1 square to east), founded Antium west along the river, and Cumae ESE, in order to get Iron. Techwise went for early Iron Working (I ignored archery and still dont have animal husbandry). With those three cities started cranking out Prets, about 8 of them and declared war. However, I didn't count on Sparta founded on a hill with two Phalanx (ridge SE of Rome). Eventually took Sparta after heavy losses, regrouped and took Thermopylae. Then came the noobie mistake - undefended Iron resource taken by axemen on a galley, while my cities were defended by warriors. Ack. Some panick rushing of prets and archers saw them off but it slowed me down badly. Decided to make a lunge for Athens, again about 8 prets in total with many heavily promoted. Alexander was very lucky indeed - in the end two damaged prets and an archer failed to kill off his last archer, and the last two battles he won against the odds! Agreed peace deal to regroup, got a big stack of 8 Prets for Athens ready and 4 for Corinth (far East). At end of 10-turn peace declared war and mopped up easily (I did have cats researched but didnt bother using them). In the middle I founded Confuscianism, and spent the afterparty sending settlers and missionaries around the continent. By 1420 AD Optics researched, Continent covered and fully Confuscian, and meet a foreigner on the high seas.

Next moves - worker spam to develop all these new cities. Lesson learnt - don't leave your only iron resource undefended!

 

[Corrado]

First GOTM for me as well.

Moved the Settler one south in the expectation of irrigating the Corn and in the hopes of being able to put a city on the river in the Northeast. Didn't happen, obviously, but that was the hope.

Went Hunting->Archery, my standard opening; allows me to pump out two scouts (who *never* spring barbs from huts) and two archers (much better defenders than warriors). Then went BW->IW for tree chopping and Praetorian making.

Rome spawned two other cities, then went to work on Stonehenge. With Alex as my lone neighbors, I spurned Writing and Alphabet and instead went religious. Missed Judaism by 4 turns , but had Monotheism (and Organized Religion) so that when Moses appeared (a product of Stonehenge) I got Theology for free.

Bee-lined for Astronomy as I sent not-enough Praetorians to take on Alex. Managed to capture three cities from Alex before my forces were wiped out, and he managed to take back one city. By pure luck, the one city he took back happened to be the one I had founded Confucionism in the previous turn. I made peace with him for two reasons: first, I needed time to regroup. Second, I didn't want to grab *too* many cities lest my science rate collapse.

Second war with Alex was slightly better prepared, and I managed to completely wipe him out just as war weariness was threatening to end me. Sent a single settler down to the southern shores to get that marble hooked up, and proceeded to slooooooowly fill out my island with cities while sending Caravels to explore the world.

By 1250 AD, I had about 80% of my island covered (with empty spaces left alone for free experience givers- I mean barbarians- to spawn), had just gotten Astronomy, and had made contact with all of the suriving civs. I now hold three religions (Christianity, Confucionism, and Islam) and the Shrines for all three.

I think I'm doing well, but I have no idea whether it'll be good enough for this crowd.

 

[AlanH]

The GOTM gives out many different awards each month.
....
And there might even be more, I'm not sure.

You got most of them. The additional ones are:

Cow: A milker's award for the highest base score. That's score before the victory bonus is added. In Civ3 we calculate this by deducting the victory bonus from the final score. In Civ4 we have the base score as well as the final score.

Red Ambulance: Awarded to the player with the lowest losing score.

Green Ambulance: Awarded to the player with the highest losing score.

 

[eotinb]

Could you explain the shield awards in more detail Shillen (or anyone)? Is that some kind of booby prize? Or is there some reason it's an achievement to have the lowest score for a given victory condition?

 

[Shillen]

Honestly, I never understood them myself. They seem to be just an award to give out for the sake of giving it out. I do believe there were some people that intentionally played in such a way to get these shield awards. But like I said I never really understood it myself...