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1.27 Open
This is my first ever GOTM attempt and let me just say up front that this is a great format. I wish that I had manufactured the time to participate sooner. As others have said too, great map Cracker.
The first mistake, of many, that I made is not taking the time to keep good notes, especially during the early game. I have managed to reconstruct events somewhat from the game replay along with a look at the saves I have. For the next game I will definitely keep good notes, at least for the QSC period, for I really recognize the value of doing so for improving my play (and sharing with others).
I am aiming at a Domination win for consideration in the Medal Play Tournament, even though I cant play enough games to qualify for anything this season. As a last note, I have resolved to wage only honorable wars.
Ancient Age
4000 BC Like many others I moved my scout to the south first revealing the flood plains and decided to move my settler SE into the nook in the river.
3950 BC Settled Makkah.
I opted to produce scouts first for exploration trying to exploit the early advantage of being an Expansionist civ. This paid some early dividends. I built a total of four scouts and popped a total of either 5 or 6 goodie huts (my memory is vague on this), garnering 1 advanced tribe-city (far away), 1 settler (also far away), and three conscript warriors. Not too bad, though no techs, as I recall.
2230 BC Settled Madinah (south of Makkah)
Here is a screenshot of the minimap showing exploration (2190 BC):
1990 BC Settled Diriyah (This city was popped from the hut mentioned above. It was quite far from Makkah, being near the east coast of the Pangaea between France and the Zulu on the far side of Spain. I wonder if I will be able to hold it.)
1725 BC Settled Damascus (east)
1150 BC Settled Baghdad (northeast)
570 BC I complete the Pyramids in Makkah. Nice wonder, but this was a mistake. I was concerned about food production from the beginning, but having settled Makkah closer to the flood plains, it was in a good position to produce settlers. The Pyramids seemed to slow growth too much and in retrospect, though a nice wonder for a Pangaea, was not worth it, given my poor expansion in the Ancient Age.
ca 400-300 BC. I am getting some settlers out, but the barbarian activity, which was not that bad at all earlier has really picked up and greatly disrupted the movement of settlers to good locations. Carthage manages to beat me to the good spot south of the lake (after barbarians turn my settler back into the mountains), annoying me to no end, settling the city of Cadiz (you will hear about Cadiz again). The Ottomans manage to beat me to the eastern horses as well. Surrounding civs are starting to close in around me and I am clearly falling behind in the land grab phase of the game, more than negating some early fortune with goodie huts.
230 BC Trading has gone pretty well and I have managed to secure a number of techs and gold by researching the Mysticism, Polytheism, Monarchy line. I manage to secure the Republic and the rest of the Ancient techs through trading. At the end of the Ancient age I have ONLY five cities, one of which is all the way across the continent. I have tech parity with the leading civs, France, Rome, Egypt, and Spain; Zulu and Carthage lack the Republic tech; Ottomans and Persia lack Republic and Construction; and the hopeless Indians lack Republic, Monarchy, Currency, and Construction. I have managed to bankrupt all the other civs except for France (99 gold), while I have gleaned 318 gold and will begin a revolution to Republic. I have not been at war, but barbarians are currently impeding my progress.
Here is a screenshot (230 BC):
On to the Middle Ages.
Link to Middle Ages
Herse
