GOTM 24 - PTW 1.27f - Predator (1st time) - Playing with the Epics spirit (shooting oneself in the foot)
Well, like each month, a short summary of my game, as I don't lurk the spoilers during my game...
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QSC
You'll find my detailed 80 first turns in my QSC log... when it becomes available... Here is my position in 1000BC :
12 cities.
Treasury : 412 gold.
Resources : 1 horse, 1 dyes, 2 wools.
Army : 17 workers (+1 slave), 11 warriors, 4 otomo spearmen (and 1 sunk junk).
Diplomacy : 3 civs at peace (no embassies).
Culture : 308.
Science : not discovered yet (damn slow AIs) : Construction, Currency, the Republic, Shamanism (Polytheism), Monarchy.
Score : 399 (1st of the 4 civs).
And of course I settled right on the starting hill !!!
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Post-QSC Ancient Times
My goal is the Medal like always (but a good Jason score is welcome too). So I made everything I could to reach Fission as fast as possible.
My main concern after the QSC period was to settle 3 cities on the barb island, which took some time (110BC : last barb camp destroyed by culture). I built libraries in every city very quickly. In 730BC I discover the Republic and the new government is proclamed in 650BC (4-turn anarchy period). One thing important to note is that, despite going quickly to Literature, I didn't want to build the Great Library. From my experience in GOTM 21, it only slows down the research pace, something I didn't want at all. All the more with slow AIs... Instead, Kaesong (the Goguryean capital) completed it, but I've never captured that city. In 570BC I enter the Middle Ages, drawing Engineering as my free tech.
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Middle Ages
In 150BC one of us gets contact with Japan, and I meet a lot of new friends... and see the power of cracker's crew : damn good map, who got the idea to invert north and south ? Very nice.
Crazily in 130BC I declare war on Baekje. The early Middle Ages were slow like they are all the time ; and the fact that my warfare wasn't very effective made me think I was losing precious turns there. I mainly researched the gunpowder/chemistry path first, due to my free tech (Engineering). In 330AD I eventually discover a tech first : Chemistry, thus allowing me to make some profit and tech the lead. In 340AD Baekje is left with one city in the far south, I sign peace. Universities flourish, increasing the tech pace...
In 390AD I declare war on Goguryeo, paying the Han to join my effort ; on the same turn, a Han city completes Copernicus's Observatory, too bad, but wait a little more... In 510AD Goguryeo is gone ; the Han made good use of their riders, capturing many cities (including their capital). In 520AD, after some good efforts, researching essential techs only, I hit the Industrial Ages, and get Nationalism as my free tech (didn't want that one).
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Industrial Ages
I delayed my Forbidden Palace a lot, but in 600AD I complete it from scratch in Ch'onan (no leader in this game, very little warfare), a former Baekjen city (in the east). In 620AD Seoul completes Newton's University, helping the tech pace and filling half the requirements for a Golden Age. In 640AD I sign RoP with many civs, already thinking of the Diplomatic Victory. At that point (roughly) I was thinking of invading Shimazu (the black ones), because I wanted to keep the Han as my best trading partner, and Shimazu held at least 2 luxes. But I didn't build up an army for that purpose, thinking that it would delay my victory and that I could get any lux through trade !
In 760AD Seoul completes Smith's Trading Company, and Korea enters a long expected Golden Age ! This 20-turn period saw Korea doing some 4-turn research all the time, blitzing through the Industrial Era. In 950AD Seoul completes the Hoover Dam, and Wonsan the Theory of Evolution. The Golden Age ends in 960AD, a wonderful one ! I capture the last Baekjen city in 990AD : would you have thought I'd keep them with me in the new millenium ? That's one more foe gone for the vote.
At that point I started to give obsolete techs to Japanese civs for almost nothing (unless they could give me some gold). In 1070AD I enter the Modern Era, drawing Rocketry as my free tech (me sad). Samchok was pre-building the UN through the Palace, but was almost done completing the Palace on that turn. I starved it so that the Palace was delayed, but found out 3 turns later that with 1 citizen gone, all the others go back to work... completing the Palace !!!
So I reloaded the game (yes, I did it, stupid feature), so as to irrigate many grassland tiles around the city, thus delaying the starvation... Here is the pic :
I hope it's OK for anyone. If cracker's crew finds something odd around 1070AD-1100AD in my game's saves and reloads, it comes from that.
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Modern Era and Victory
In 1130AD I discover Fission at last, and Samchok (a very few shields from the Palace completion) is switched to the UN. In 1140AD I put everything into place for my victory. Knowing almost for sure that the Han would be the other candidate, I sign every civ, except Chosogabe (MPP with the Han), in a military alliance against the Han, after declaring war on them myself. I had a deal with them : they were giving me 181 gpt for 1 more turn, so it's no exploit, I don't care your gold, Wu-Ti !!!
I failed to capture a Han city with my few cavs, and in the IT they started to invade my land (no city attacked)...
The year is 1150AD... Samchok completes the UN...
Here are my notes of the end of the game...
1150AD : Samchok eventually completes the United Nations.
I accept to hold the elections... The candidates are Wu-Ti of the Han Dynasty (as expected) and myself (Wang Kon, better not mess up those names now)...
The best I could get : 7 votes for me (including mine) and 2 votes for Wu-Ti (himself and Chosogabe)... So that's a UN victory !!!
Many civs got their golden age, some by UUs, others by wonders. The only civ I recognize (after watching the replay), except the obvious Han Dynasty with their riders, is Baekje : they got a golden age just after completing the Pyramids, meaning that they were replacing Egypt. Too bad for them though, there was no horse near their capital...
Overall, a nice game, maybe not as excited as it could have been, mainly a builder game. My 1st goal is the Medal, which meant science, science, science.
Superb map of Japan and Korea ! Inverting north and south surely is a neat idea ! Kudos to whoever got that one !
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Diplomatic victory
1150AD
time spent : 30h 40m 12s
score : 6459