The "Al Gore" Challenge -- beeline the Internet!

[jerVL/kg]

Thanks for the feedback. Sometimes I think I overdo it on the pictures, so I'm glad to know it's appreciated!

Here's some graphs from circa 1600AD:

















Score's not bad for being down about 40 billion techs. Power could use work, but at least we're keeping pace with the more aggressive civs. Crops? Well...as you can see, we were pretty much in the dark ages until I caved in and "acquired" agriculture. Seriously, I don't know how this variant could be beaten without that tech. It probably could be done, but it would NOT be fun.

GNP...Ouch! No wonder Washington's running away with the game! At least we're beating him in production. Mansa's the runaway Culture leader, but with three religions in each city, that's to be expected.

Relationships are a bit lopsided, with some close friends and bitter enemies. But that's all about to change...(heh heh, stay tuned...)

Oddly, Alexander and Hatty haven't even made contact yet...

 

[jerVL/kg]

1635AD: I suddenly realize that Hyderabad (the silver mine city) DOES have enough food to support both mines! Turns out, a fish net w/work boat earns +6 food, not +5!! That makes me -- so much, in fact, that I open the World Builder and move the city to a more ideal location:



Okay, I can't deny it...that is *definitely* cheating. For what it's worth, I'll let the city regrow from scratch -- it does cost a turn towards Replaceable Parts, after all.

Nothing much happens for the next several decades. Build stuff, move troops around, etc. Workers run out of stuff to do, so I have them build useless improvements on tiles no city can use:



1650AD: Hatsheput adopts Organized Religion!! Cool, now I can finally convert her cities to the Buddhist faith! Delhi & Madras start pumping out Galleon-loads of missionaries...

I suddenly realize there's an available plot of land on Huyana's territory, with FUR on it! Unfortunately, once I got a settler party together, George Washington beat me by ONE stinkin' turn:





Hey George, your middle name wouldn't be "Cyrus" by any chance? You're sure acting like Cyrus!

To make up for it, I renegotiate a few trades with GW & Hatty:





The settler party sets sail again, looking for land nobody else has claimed. They'll be out looking for a long time...

1664AD: Speaking of unclaimed land, Cathy finally got around to settling on my continent:



Weird location, I would've settled the desert tile instead. I hope she doesn't poach my corn...

1666AD: Huyana Cupac "invites" me to join Hereditary Rule. I tell him to go bugger off. I do notice he's got Gems available, but look at what he wants for it:



Umm...I think not.

1670AD: Replaceable Parts are in. Here is what's available next:



Time to bite the bullet and research Scientific Method, striking yet another blow to our Monastery-driven research and find all that oil we can't use for centuries...

 

[jerVL/kg]

1670AD (cont.): Our ever-searching Settler party swings by Spice Island, and sees that Mansa's already taken up residence on the available plots:



There's some space left nearby Iron City #2, it's rugged and inhospitable terrain, but in my experience that's always where the late-game resources are...not that we'll be able to see them for a long time, of course!

1678AD: Alexander offers Horseback Riding + 240 gold for Banking. I can hardly catch my breath from laughing so loud, but eventually I'm able to tell him to go home and stop dreaming.

1680AD: Washington adopts Free Speech / Universal Suffrage / Emancipation!!! Our happiness takes a small hit, but we absorb it without a problem. I didn't count on the lack of Democracy, though...scoring the Eiffel Tower and Broadway/Rock & Roll becomes more critical than ever, now!

Meanwhile, I renegotiate the trade with Catherine:



Hmm, looks like she's giving us her only Rice resource. Too bad for her, I guess.

1684AD: Huyana Cupac has Galleons!! Thankfully, our cities have, you know, actual military in them now.

1690AD: Catherine offers to trade Education for Chemistry. A nice deal, but...sorry, honey. Can't do it. We don't need no Education...we don't need no Thought Control...

1692AD: As luck would have it, Mansa's already staked his claim on Iron City Island:



There's only one available piece of land in sight, and it's a crappy island with a (possible) fishing resource. Still...land is land:



On the other hand, Scientific Method is due next turn. So I decide to wait a turn and see where all the oil is...and where the wars will inevitably break out.

 

[jerVL/kg]

1694AD: Sci.Meth in, start researching Physics, due in 25 turns. Nobody has it yet, so we look secure on the beeline for grabbing the free Great Scientist. Delhi could really use that Academy, you know. Meanwhile, I look around the map, and we do have a couple oil resources...sort of. The first one is right in the channel between us & Greece:



Alexander, I note, does NOT have oil. That doesn't bode well. The second resource is waaaaay down by the South Pole, but not in our culture boundary...in fact, Washington's already sent a Settler party to claim it!!





George...are you SURE your real name isn't Cyrus?!?

On the bright side, there is Oil on Spice Island, and nobody's claimed it yet! The settler party abandons the crappy fishing village and sets sail, hoping to get there first. I know, we can't use the oil for a long time, but might as well get ready for when...hang on a minute, what's this?



Another Settler party? From Huyana Cupac?? My bitter arch-rival, trying to poach my valuable resource and gain a foothold onto my continent???

Uh-uh. DON'T think so. AIN'T gonna happen....



IT'S ON, BABY!!!!!

 

[jerVL/kg]

1696AD (cont.): Okay....we're at war. Now what?

I have no idea if my country is prepared for an unexpected war. Of course, the best way to find out is.......start an unexpected war.

First thing I need...money. And rifles. Well, probably don't need rifles, but they would be good to have. Thankfully, Mansa Musa has both:



Man, he got that for a song. But I want to keep Mansa enriched, with that runaway juggernaut G.W. on the loose. Okay, next thing...allies. Everyone hates me except GW, Alex & Cathy. GW's out of the question, I got nothing to bribe him with. Alex won't declare war on his best friend, but Cathy's got no problem with it:



Heh. This is why looooove Cathy. Keep her in style, and she'll be your attack dog. She probably won't do much, but it'll keep Huyana occupied. And going to war totally gets her wet.

Next...take troop inventory. Plenty of frigates, total naval domination. Each city garrison looks secure, and there's plenty of troops to assemble a strike team with. What I *don't* have is Galleons...they're all busy halfway across the globe!! Gonna have to whip a couple. Production capacity looks real good, though:







Karachi and Bangalore are set up to start producing catapults once their observatories finish. Jaipur doesn't even have a barracks, and it's so production-poor that about all it's capable of is a single Medic Explorer.

And finally, the most important thing...how much of Huyana's land do I want? This slice of land looks quite tasty:



l want that whole island. And I plan to get it.

Am I missing anything? Oh yeah, killin' stuff. The whole reason I started this mess. HC, say goodbye to your Mayflower:



...and your stinkin' spy caravel too!



Meanwhile, frigates blockade Villacumba harbor. I so hope he tries to set sail. I really do.

 

[jerVL/kg]

1698: Nicolas Copernicus born...in Washington??!? What in the....AW, CRAP!!!



:suicide:

HOW THE HELL DID HE DO THAT?!? I swear to God, he did NOT have Scientific Method, last I checked!! And look at that smiley bastard...he's actually GLOATING! Okay, that's it. I'll get you back, G.W. Well...maybe not you personally. But as I rape and pillage Huyana Cupac's lands, I'm gonna think of YOU the whole time I'm doing it!!

1706AD: Nothing happens for awhile -- a rogue caravel tries to sneak out of Villacumba, but he doesn't get far. Another frigate scouts out HC's cities, and I see lots of longbows & pikes everywhere, with the occasional musket. Sheesh! This is gonna be a cakewalk. Finally I the new galleon (because I'm feeling petty)and assemble the strike force:



Mostly veterans of the Hellenistic wars, upgraded and ready to rock. I can probably take the whole island with 'em, but of course reinforcements will be following. Meanwhile I soften up the target (actually a diversion):



And revolt to wartime civics:



LET'S ROCK AND ROLL!!!

 

[jerVL/kg]

1710AD: As the invasion force sails ever-onward (boy, Galleons are slow) my own Mayflower finally lands on Spice Island, and claims the Oil:



It's gonna be a rough border war, but with any luck I'll claim those horses and maybe a forest. I hope. With no production or food specials, this city's gonna be a real money pit for a long time!



(Do not look at city maintenance...do not look at city maintenance...)



Jesus wept. Knew I shouldn't have looked!!

Frigates continue their patrol, ripping up fish nets & killing the occasional caravel. OUCH! This one hurt:



Oh, forgot to mention that as soon as GW discovered Physics, I switched right over to Steel in order to get the Ironworks started. GW has steel by now, too. (Of course.)

1714AD: Hatty demands Printing Press. She gets it. Hey, no skin off my nose. Suddenly realize that GW's been holding on to 12gp/turn all this time. Renegotiate the Ivory trade so he's paying me money:



1716AD: The Strike Force has landed! Not at Ica...at Arequipa, where the garrison's a mere longbow & pike! I don't even bother suiciding the catapults -- just toss a few rocks, and storm on in:









Next turn, the only musket on the island counterattacks. Gotta give him credit, he's got heart:



I'm sure he'll receive a hero's funeral.

Hatsheput completes her first Wonder, the Spiral Minaret. Hey, way to go! Props to ya, girlfriend.

 

[jerVL/kg]

1720AD: The Battle for Ica commences. Give 'em one last good Frigate-pounding, and Bob leads the attack:







Nice, the gems are already mined. Of course, it's a bit annoying having to transport all my troops from city to city by Galleon. Hey Cupac, at least ya could've built, y'know, ROADS everywhere? Would've made my invasion of your island sooo much easier...



On the diplomacy screen, I see that Mansa & Hatty have drawn up a Defensive Pact. Plus they're no longer Annoyed with me, only Cautious. Probably just glad I'm not attacking THEM. And Hatty still hasn't met Alex yet...in the 18th century? That's unheard of!

1724AD: Arequipa comes out of rebellion -- it's already got a lighthouse, so I start a forge. Oops, make that a Confucian temple...gotta get culture in this city ASAP.

Out on the open sea, an empty galleon LOSES to an enemy caravel! Not to worry, my frigate got 'im back:





My own scouting caravel spots another Settler party, this time from Mansa Musa. Probably heading for my oil...I really, really don't want to pay for another junk ice city, so I position a settler in place and wait...JUST in case.

 

[jerVL/kg]

1726AD:Reinforcements land at Nasca. Same tactic as Arequipa, but this one does go so well...











The city stands, and I lost a Woodsman II Grenadier. Sheesh, why did I even bother making those?? Seemed a good idea at the time.

War Weariness brings Karachi to a standstill:



Raise the Culture slider to...oops, I don't have a culture slider! Need Drama for that. Oh well, the gems from Ica will be online soon (they give +2 happy with a forge!) so I'm not concerned. Still, I queue up a Buddhist Temple anyway. Haven't really built many of those!

1728AD: Huyana sends a new garrison to Nasca, so my wounded troops can do nothing but hole up and wait. Once again, you shoulda built some ROADS, HC! Meanwhile, an Incan GALLEON shows up unexpectedly, and sinks one of my own (thankfully empty) boats:



Luckily, another Galleon (this one full of troops) manages to finish him off. Blub, blub, blub...



1730AD:An Indian revolt has taken place in Portland!



Looks like I'll have yet another city to pay for, soon. I don't know whether to be or

Meanwhile...HAHA! My frigate accidentally sails into an Incan Caravel, and toasts it:



It's so funny when that happens.

1732AD:Catherine makes peace with Huyana! I wonder if she actually, you know, did anything. Didn't see any of her forces anywhere. In other news, out of the blue, Mansa offers to trade Silk for Silver:



I was starting to wonder if that resource even existed on this map!

Steel finished, start building Ironworks in Delhi. Surprisingly, Calcutta actually has more production than Delhi while not running Bureaucracy! That'll be good when it's time for more Wonder-building!

 

[jerVL/kg]

1732AD (cont.): More troops land at Nasca. This time I don't mess around...suicide three catapults, and two actually survive! The rest is a mop-up operation:











I choose to raze the city, since it's in a crap location. (This will come back to haunt me...)

 

[jerVL/kg]

1734AD:Mansa Musa declares war on Huyana Cupac!! I wonder if that's why he traded me the silk...he probably was trading with HC, and wanted a new customer. This could get exciting.

Forces land at Anda...whatever. Meanwhile, there's an Alexander caravel sniffing around. I wonder which side of the battle he'll join?



1736AD:HATSHEPUT DECLARES WAR ON HUYANA!!! Hahahaha, it's an AI dogpile! I love it!

I've got too many catapults. Every war I never bring enough catapults, and now I've got too bloody many. Might as well suicide a couple, and send in a City Raider Grenadier:







Only one defender left. Hey Bob, it's all yours baby. Make Daddy proud!





Anda falls, claiming a Worker. (I wonder what would've happened if I razed the city while Alex's caravel was in it? Would the boat wind up on dry land?)

And...that's it. Time to make peace with HC:



Kind of a crappy settlement, but that's all he has. Except for those basic techs we chose not to research millennia ago. Don't need 'em, don't want 'em. Well...I could sure use Code of Laws. Hell, I could use freakin' STATE PROPERTY at this point! Just look at our expenses:



Youch. Next time I try this...I'll play as an Organized leader. Perhaps Financial/Organized, like...Washington!

OOC: Okay, Imageshack is giving me fits, my mouse hand is cramping, so that's all for tonight. Trust me, nothing significant happens for the next hundred years or so...but I'll be back with another report tomorrow! Stay tuned!

 

[DrewTate]

Haha yeah dude take a break you deserve it. And if you are goin to keep doing stories dont stop using pictures it makes it literally a hundred times better.

this is cool man.

 

[balthamael]

This is a really good story, Congratulations.

I await the next update readily.

 

[jerVL/kg]

Okay, I've decided there will be fewer pictures from now on -- Imageshack is being a real pain in my ***. Don't worry, there will be enough to let you know what's going on. Oh, and you know how I said nothing interesting happens? I lied. Well, I meant it at the time....

1736AD (cont.): After declaring peace, the first thing I notice is that Inca's borders now block the entire channel. Well, that's gonna be a real nuisance:



Fortify troops in newly conquered cities, see that research is commencing apace, and revolt back to Bureaucracy. Ironworks now due in 22 turns.

1738AD: All of a sudden, the orange barrier between me & the sea disappears. I guess it was a glitch or a temporary thing...no, wait a minute. Mansa Musa just razed a city!



He's still got maces? That's bizarre. I was sure he was up to Muskets by now.

Huyana Cupac demands Scientific Method, saying it will "Heal the unfortunate rift between our peoples." I tell him to go stuff it.

1740AD: Buddhist missionary arrives in Chittygong-gong. At last, the town can start the culture battle for the horses!!



Settler parties from Mansa Musa and Alexander are sailing everywhere. Probably claiming land I've left unnoticed. I really should get in the habit of putting together those Mayflower ships...you know, the Longbow/Worker/Settler Galleons that the AI always seems to have on hand.

1742AD: [Phone rings] "Hello? Oh, Cathy. How you doing, babe? Uh-huh. You say your people don't understand you? Uh-huh. They spread rumors behind your back? Uh-huh, uh-huh. Yes, I know. Being a national leader is tough, tell me about. I totally sympathize with your feelings. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Listen, babe. You caught me in the middle of something but I promise I'll make it up to you, sweetheart. Is there anything you want from me?"



"What's that, a big hunk of Steel? Umm...whatever. You got it, baby. Ciao." [Click] Aw, man. Next time, remind me to get a girlfriend who's not so high maintenance...

1744AD: Alexander adopts Nationhood, not that it makes any difference. I also keep forgetting to check the ice oil for intruding Settler parties, so I bite the bullet and found Punjab:



Let the culture battle commence!!

1746AD: George Washington and Mansa Musa both have Steam Power now.

1748AD: Out of the blue, Hatsheput founds a city right where Nasca used to be:



Well, I guess I can live with that. It's not like she's gonna use it to launch an invasion on me or something. I hope not, anyway...she really is being "Evil Hatty" in this game!

1750AD: Looks like I ended the Incan war none too soon. Huyana has Chemistry now...and therefore, FRIGATES!!!



So much for naval domination. In fact, the next several centuries will be very dicey. We've got Rifles & Grenadiers, but that's ALL the military we will have for a very, very long time...well, we'll pick up Artillery & SAM Infantry along the way, but everything else will have to wait until The Internet!

1752AD: Delhi has maxed out at 17 population. Another useless Great Prophet is born, so I add him to the city:



Calcutta is due for its own GP soon, so I set the city to Max Research (3 Scientists) in order to try and squeeze out a Great Scientist. Delhi could really, really use an Academy!

 

[jerVL/kg]

1754AD: Strangely, the Incan frigates & galleons are returning to port, EMPTY. What happened, did the troops revolt or something? Oh wait...that new Egypt city is GONE!!!



I guess she forgot they were still at war.

1758AD: Hatty & HC make peace.

Caravels take a quick patrol around Huyana's continent. He doesn't appear to have any oil except a few spots in the water, which means he'll have to wait for Plastics to obtain it. Something tells me he won't ever get that far.



Mansa Musa, meanwhile, has a pair of frigates bombarding Incan cities at random. Kinda like how I do it, heh. I don't see any of his land troops, though.

1762AD: Uh-oh, new residents have moved in:



Well this is just dandy...Catherine & I are now neighbors. Now I get to deal with her insisting on talking about her feelings all day and all night long...

1768AD: Calcutta has popped COPPER from a mine!! Awesome! Now we have a second source to build The Internet with!

1770AD: Physics done. Turns out we have two Uranium sources, one in Jaipur:



Sucks that it's under a lumbermill. That naked tundra looks so terribly gross. The second one is in...Arequipa? Where the hell? Oh yeah, it's one of the cities I just conquered!



Cool!! Uranium isn't that critical a resource, but at least we got an extra to trade if necessary!

Out by Chittygong-gong, Mansa Musa is building a railroad. Which means he must have...Railroad. Just a hunch.

Electricity set to research next, due in 22 turns.

1772AD: Cathy offers a straight trade of Education for Rifling. Love to honey, but...you know how it is. We don't need no education, no dark sarcasm in the classroom and all that.

1774AD: George Washington "requests" that we adopt Universal Suffrage. He's trying to kill my Representation- driven research, isn't he?? Well...as much of a friend as you've been to me, Georgie-boy, I gotta say no. We've got the Internet to build!! He doesn't take the news well:



Poor baby.

1778AD: Delhi finishes building the Ironworks. Meanwhile, out on Gem Island, Anda-whatever is STARVING!!



This could get ugly. I just checked Catherine's civics, and she's running Free Religion AND Free Speech. Couple those with a Creative civ, and you've got a Cultural MONSTER. Man, once you invide the Russian mob into your home, you can never get 'em out....

I also notice that the crappy Fish Island where I almost placed a city, has now been swallowed by American culture. Nobody's going to place a city there, now.

Mansa Musa offers Steam Power + 500 gold for Physics. Thanks, but no thanks. We're building The Internet, baby! We don't need no...umm...dark steam in the classroom? Feh, I got nuthin'.

1780AD: Renegotiate Hatty trade, now I'm getting Wine + 8gpt for Copper (instead of Iron). No reason, I just felt like screwing with her head. Washington has Fur now, so I trade Gems for it.

1790AD: Long time passes...build stuff, send missionaries to more cities, keep researching Electricity...OH WOW! I just flipped an American city!!



I wonder if I can flip Houston, that mega-Sugar plantation? Probably not, but I'm gonna try!!

1792AD: Mansa Musa finally adopts Free Religion. With the "heathen" penalty erased, his attitude improves to Cautious. Huyana Cupac also switches from Theocracy to Organized Religion, but with closed borders, there's no way to spread faith in his lands.

1794AD: Enough missionaries have spread the faith to Egypt, that Hatty converts to Buddhism!! Welcome to the meditation club, baby!

1798AD: Mansa demands that I stop trading with Alexander. Oh b*tch, b*tch, b*tch. Shut up and go away.

I also notice that Mansa Musa now has a Defensive Pact with America, too. Good...more negative reactions from the other civs! A Diplomatic victory will be tricky, though...Washington's only Pleased with Mansa, but MM is FRIENDLY with GW!! Somehow, I've got to make sure that Mansa is high enough in score to be my rival for the Global election. MM & GW have been swapping first and second place all game long, but lately, GW has been pulling away to an astronomical lead. He MUST be stopped at all costs!

 

[balthamael]

Keep it coming

 

[jerVL/kg]

Oops...I lay down to rest my eyes, and accidentally fell asleep. Not used to actually doing that while playing Civilization. Anyway, let's take this opportunity to sum up what we've done so far, starting with a look at "the usual suspects", as it were:



Here's George. My Buddhist buddy, but trust me, it's a sham. He's the runaway tech leader and dominating everyone in population, military power, and overall score. He's got Artillery (which I need, but have nothing to trade for it) and Steam Power, and he must be stopped at all costs!!!



Mansa. Former Hindu Isolationist, he's seen the light of Free Religion and has warmed to the Buddhist bloc. He's in second place, and also has Steam Power, but no Artillery. Hopefully by the time I get Radio, he will have Artillery and I can trade for it.



Ah, Catherine. My wonderful darling. She doesn't have Physics or Rifles yet, but she's running a solid fourth place thanks to gifts from a mysterious benefactor (gee, I wonder who THAT is??) and is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with.



Alexander, my other Buddhist buddy. His dreams of taking over the whole world were shattered in the early A.D. years due to his failed invasion of India, but despite that little misunderstanding, he's my friend and is running a distant fifth. Doesn't have Steam Power, or Physics & Steel, and oddly, doesn't have Horses either! That's probably why he tried, you know, invading me and everything. Despite our shared faith, he's somebody to keep an eye on, but at the moment poses no military threat.



Hatsheput. With Hatty, it's all about religion. She used to be Mansa's Hindu buddy and was really snotty about it, but now she has joined the Buddhist block and we're becoming close friends. She's still upset about my arrogant demands and declaring war on her earlier in the game (man, she likes to hold a grudge, doesn't she?) but no matter, she's tied for last place in score and seems unlikely to advance much further. She could also use a little more Iron in her diet, apparently.



And...Huyana Cupac. Angry, bitter, and misunderstood by all, he's the lone Confucian worshipper and has become the "odd man out" in this game. I'm sure he dreams of sweet revenge, but having lost a good portion of his land and precious resources, I don't think he'll be a threat to anyone for a long time to come.



Here's the Diplomatic window. Thanks to religion swaps and lucrative trades in their favor, Mansa & Hatty are now Pleased with me, as well as Alex, and Cathy & George are Friendly. HC is pissed, really pissed. But he hates everyone, and everyone hates him, so it's tit for tat. It also appears that Hatty & Alex have finally made contact, at last!

Now for some graphs. First, Score. We're doing good, holding steady in third place:



Next, Crops. Yeah, there's no doubt, "cheating" for Agriculture & Animal Husbandry really saved our bacon:



Next, Culture. Mansa's still the runaway leader in this worthless category, with George & Catherine quickly gaining speed. My own people are too busy working on the Internet to worry about getting cultured, so this is a category we'll have trouble with for a long time:



Next, GNP. As you can see...OH MY FREAKING GOD!!!!!!!!



That...is SICK. I have never, EVER seen an AI run away with the game like this. It must be that Sugar plantation GW poached from me...at least, we're beating everyone in terms of Manufactured Goods, despite our piss-poor city production:



And finally, Power. Levelling off a bit, but at the moment, the only rival we have to worry about is Huyana.



Coming up next...the Internet beeline continues!

 

[jerVL/kg]

1800AD: Karachi has maxed out at population 13:



Unfortunately, there's no way to irrigate the corn w/o farming over a bunch of mature towns, so it's stuck. At least the city's able to pay for itself now!

Punjab borders expand, the oil is now 78% American and dropping.

1802AD: Caravels scout Vilcabamba harbor, and find NO navy there, thank goodness. There's a Frigate guarding the fish, but only a Rifle & Grennie for defense. More cities in Egypt & Russia become Buddhafied.

1806AD: George Washington has Electricity now! In a fit of pique, I beg 100gp from Mansa Musa...and he agrees!

1808AD: Electricity finished. Start research on Radio, due in 25 turns. Begin building Broadway in Delhi, which has maxed out at 17 pop:



I was concerned about the health impact from Ironworks, but apparently that's not going to be a problem. The bright side of this rugged, inhospitable terrain is that we can't support enough population for health & happiness to become a major issue!

1810AD: My caravel finally locates Huyana's navy, or what's left of it:



I don't think it will be a problem. It's a brand-new city, built to replace the one that Mansa destroyed (and Alexander already placed a city on its ruins, which I forgot to mention.)

1814AD: Mansa Musa becomes Emanicpated! No unhappiness issues...yet.

1816AD: Mansa begs for Electricity. I'm feeling generous, so I give it to him. I'm also disgusted by the ugly naked tundra around Jaipur, after building the Uranium mine, so I open the Worldbuilder again and replace the forests that I had chopped...purely for aesthetic value, I swear!



1818AD: Jeanne d'Arc is born in Calcutta, and he's...ANOTHER stinkin' Great Prophet!! As before, he'll only teach Polytheism, so into Delhi he goes, adding another 2 hammers & shaving a turn off of Broadway:



(Note: This was a mistake. While the extra hammers & gold are nice, I forgot about something that becomes critical at this stage: GOLDEN AGE. Trust me, I was *dying* for a Golden Age for the rest of the game!!)

GW cancels the Ivory trade, so he must have Industrialism now. Sure wish I'd built more elephants...

1820AD: Mansa has Biology now, and I've also located his fleet:



Youch. Sure glad he's my friend now! In other news, a wandering missionary also spies on the state of Hatty's forces:



Hey, she's got Grenades now! Good for her!

Various Banks & Markets come online, so I'm able to raise science up to 60%, shaving 2 turns off of Radio with only a slight deficit. I also try begging GW to give me Artillery, but of course he says no.

1822: Spare workers from the outlying islands are delivered home, not that they have anything to do at the moment.

1824: Huyana, the jerkface, asks me to adopt Hereditary Rule AGAIN. What's your problem, HC? NO means NO!

More Markets built, more cities Buddhafied, etc. etc.

1828AD: My caravel has discovered UNCLAIMED LAND!!



It's a crappy island covered with tundra, but at least there's a forest and a hill and TWO possible fish resources (if I can steal the second away from Mansa!) I've already got a Mayflower loaded, so it sets sail for the far side of the globe. In other news, the borders of Bengal have expanded, stealing two tiles away from Alex:



We're lookin' good so far.

 

[jerVL/kg]

1830AD: Cathy has Railroad, although the only way I can tell is that she's building one:



I will bet $1000 that mine has Coal in it. Meanwhile, I renegotiate my trades with her to look like this:



GW also has Biology now. Cool, another tech for us when the Internet gets built! I start deleting excess pikes & axes to save money, and workers chop a bank in Karachi.

1832AD: Bengal is STARVING!! Apparently, the new tiles from Alex's city have made the food balance lopsided. There's no worker in the city, so it has to build one itself in order to farm over the lumbermill (sigh).



GW has Destroyers, not that that's a surprise.

1834AD: I whip the temple in Chittygong-gong, shaving 9 turns off its build:



We'll get those horses, I swear! I also demand that Huyana Cupac pay me 5gp/turn -- like a whipped puppy, he agrees. I also try begging more money from Mansa, but he won't hear of it.

1836AD: Two Buddhist missionaries FAIL in St. Louis! The city's already got Christianity in it, so you know how pesky those Christians can be. The Fur/Gems deal with George gets cancelled, so I guess he's got Plastics now.

1838AD: Hatty begs for Steel. She could use a leg up, so I give it to her. Andahuaylas expands, pushing back Catherine's borders and stopping the starvation problem in that city. Bangalore (Copper City) has now maxed out at population 14:



At least it's making halfway-decent production. Good thing I cheated for those sheep, huh?

 

[jerVL/kg]

1840AD: BROADWAY!!!



I'm so happy to get this Wonder. The AI almost always beats me to it.

In other news, Zhou has maxed out at a whopping population of 9:



It wouldn't have even gotten that far if I didn't farm over the two tundra forests. Maybe it would've been better to keep one forest (for a lumbermill) and replace a mine with a windmill, but in that case, I don't think I could have worked the second mine. Oh well...once it builds that Market, the city will actually be paying for itself!

Here's a look at Lahore, which is still growing slowly (I set it to Max Commerce in order to work all the cottages):



Calcutta will never see another Great Person in its lifetime, so I turn off Max Research. It's pumping out 40 hammers/turn, not too shabby! They are getting a little close to the happy cap, so I queue up a Colosseum -- hey, it's got literally NOTHING left to build!

I also look around for the next city closest to producing a Great Scientist. Turns out it's...New Hyderabad, the silver city. Setting it to Max Research allows for three scientists with a GP of +9, meaning it will sprout in...83 turns. Longer, actually, since Delhi's certain to pop a few more GPs. Yeesh, the game will be long over by then. Still, might as well go for it. This means I can no longer work the silver mines, so production plummets to a measely 1 hammer/turn...but hey, it's got nothing useful to build anyway. Queue up a Buddhist Temple, due in a blistering 20 turns!

And finally, way down south, the Americans are slowly building a railroad towards the oil near Punjab. The Oil itself is down to 70% American...we might just get it! (And wouldn't it be nice if America builds a well for us?)



1842AD: Cathy offers Steam Power for Physics. Thanks honey, but I'll pass.

1844AD: MANSA MUSA DECLARES WAR ON ALEXANDER!!!



A massive fleet descends upon Rhodes, which is guarded by a mere two Rifles. Predictably, two turns later, the city falls:



He must really want that Rice!! Or, whatever's in that mine...

George Washington has also finished the Apollo Program. You know you're in trouble when a civilization completes Apollo and you're still two techs away from it!

This could get...dicey.