The Immortal Challenge Lineup - Game #23 Assyria

[Gustavus Rex]

The Immortal Challenge Lineup - Game #23

Welcome to the Immortal Challenge Lineup and the glorious return of me, Gustavus Rex, the very first ICL-host!

ICL Game #23 - Assyria
Settings: Default + quick combat
Map – Pangea
DLC - All DLC - map packs

Starting location:

Information & rules:

Spoiler :

All games in this series will be set to IMMORTAL difficulty. User civilizations, maps, and opponents will change each game, but the pace will always be set at standard and the starting era will always be ancient. We will try for a variety of starts, and not just having a crazy warmonger as your next door neighbor (although there will be that too). This isn't a competition so there will be no predefined victory conditions. New challenges in the series will be posted every other Wednesday.

Who can play?
Anybody can play. The more the merrier. Even if you normally don't play immortal games you are still welcome to try. The games can become great learning resources for the player trying to improve. Even if you don't finish the game, we are still interested to hear about your experience.

Do's and Don'ts
We are going to be using the honor system. Feel free to restart, reload, play the same game multiple times, but don't use the science overflow exploit. Also please don't edit the game in IGE. If you do chose to cheat, please don't share your results in the comments. Also, please use the spoiler tag if you post a picture, comment about neighboring civs, close by wonders, or locations of ancient ruins.

Also, please tell us about your Build Order, Social Policies, Tech Order, and what type of wonders you went after. I know a lot of this stuff seems pretty mundane to the experienced player, but the details are incredibly useful to people trying to learn.

Future Games in the Series
I want users to submit saves from turn 0. Preferably the person submitting the game has played enough turns to know the map is either difficult, fun, or unique in some enjoyable way. Write a short description as to why it is special and email the save to immortalchallengelineup@gmail.com

Important
If you submit a game for the challenge, you must have the DLC map packs disabled. Not everybody has them and they are honestly kind of useless. Having them disabled will allow more participants.

Links to all recent ICL-games:

Spoiler :

Game #1 - Japan
Game #2 - Poland
Game #3 - Ottomans
Game #4 - Arabia
Game #5 - Brazil
Game #6 - Denmark
Game #7 - Songhai
Game #8 - Sweden
Game #9 - India
Game #10 - Russia
Game #11 - Germany
Game #12 - Aztecs
Game #13 - Egypt
Game #14 - France
Game #15 - Austria
Game #16 - Siam
Game # 17 - Venice
Game # 18 - Iroquois
Game # 19 - Greece
Game # 20 - Persia
Game # 21 - England
Game # 22 - Ethiopia
Game # 23 - Assyria

All results gets documented in a spreadsheet by Consentient. To help him with his work, please use this headline tXXX victory-type in your finishing post. Example: t210 DV

Link to ICL Spreadsheet


.

 

[Gustavus Rex]

This map has an unusual surprise!

Spoiler :

A ”workable” Krakatoa very close to the starting location!

I will need some flexibility due to the horrific terrors of being adult so from now on I will post a new map every 8-12th day. I’ll have to start the chaos right away and post this one day before agreed upon.

I will however try to place my posts in between the DCL.-posts. I hope you can have patience with this.

If you have suggestions, requests, want send me a map or say hello. Send a PM or mail me at immortalchallengelineup@gmail.com

 

[consentient]

So it seems, despite my recent comments to the contrary, that I can't resist the ICL!!

Loading this now!

 

[budweiser]

Welcome back!

T55 The game is a little bit broken,

Spoiler :

stealing settlers

Picture

Spoiler :

But then the cycle breaks, but the damage is already done.

Spoiler :

 

[Gustavus Rex]

@consentient: Let's face it. Immortal is more fun!

___

I play along!

t50

I played about 25-35 turns when I rolled this map so I remembered a little were to go. Anyway:

Spoiler :

Moved settler and settled by the mountain. Decided to try a liberty warfare this time and se if I can get som use of Assyras UA.

BO: Scout/Monument/Scout/Granary - then I continued with library and archers waiting for liberty-settler to show up.

Nebby sent his troops away so I could steal 3 workers and 1 settler. I'm still lurking around for more...

I have settled 2 cities. The first with Krakatoa and second with Kllmanjaro. unfortunately I don't have the gold to buy the Kilmanjaro-tile..

America and Denmark is spamming cities like no tomorrow and I'm planning to take them all for nice techs! Soon... Very soon!

t50 Empire

t105 update

Spoiler :

Going a bit slow. I have little to no experience with liberty. I go honor 99 times out of 100 and regret not doing so. Gold turned out to be my main issue this this time. For the urgent matter I met a city state and sold some horses to buy the Kilmanjaro-tile and the faith is now flowing from the one with nature-pantheon!

I aimed for a early NC and had almost finished philosophy when but lack of happiness and gold combined with strong looking America and Denmark lurking on my borders made me change plans... I got mathematics and construction and started to build an army instead of Oracle for earlier liberty-finisher.

I accidently stepped to close Americas borders with some archers witch made him ask if I wanted war around turn 60isch. I wasn't ready but what the heck... Now it was my fresh made Siege Towers time to shine! I took the closest city then I "dipped" my army with Kilmanjaro-magic before I took on the rest of America!

While at war I founded a religion at turn 82. I took Initiations Rites to get some quick gold to update archers.

Picture: Religion

Spoiler :

NC was finished at turn 95 when I also got the last liberty policy. My engineer had to wait two turns before Guilds when he grabbed Machu Picchu!

Washington fell at turn 105. So far I got Sailing, Trapping and Optics from conquered cities. I fought pretty bad and lost 2 comp bows and 1 Siege Tower but since I can't afford my army anyway it didn't hurt that much...

Picture: T105 Empire

Spoiler :

So whats next? Finish of America might be a stupid idea? I probably need all trade I can get for a while. I have to decide if Denmark or Babylon is next. I also thinking of the next SP choice. Commerce or maybe Honor?

t150 Problemz

Spoiler :

I decided to spare Washingtons life. I left a worker to hang around and keep the eyes open for American settlers before I completed my religion.

Picture of my crappy religion

Spoiler :

Initiation Rites was a fail. I have had luck with it before but for some reason my religion refused to spread by itself... Crap! Meanwhile Harald finished Great Wall so I decided to go after Babylon instead since I do not have any range-units yet. I reached Machinery, around t115ish, upgraded to Crossbows and conquered Babylon at turn 121. It contained two world wonders and nothing else... it also gave me Metal Casting.

I razed another of Nebbys empty cities before I spared him and moved towards Addis Ababa that fell on turn 138.

Now the world had enough of my terror. Alex and Nebby(!?) dowed me. I started to work my way against Alex and forgot about keeping the warmongers of the east busy until it was to late....

Picture: Turn 150 problemz!

Spoiler :

Harald declared war and except for a single Crossbow my entire army is up north fighting Alex. This is not good at all. I will probably lose Nimrud. I'm thinking of selling it to Oda or something. I should have prevented this situation by diplomacy and/or bigger army...

What do you experts say? What is the best way of taking control over the situation?

 

[budweiser]

@Gustavus Rex - I wish I hadnt looked at your map. You have more lands scouted than I do.

Spoiler :

Its interesting and at the same time sad, that we both managed to poach so many workers-- each from a different source. At least mine were settlers.

 

[consentient]

T83 1st capital is mine

Spoiler :

And it would probably have been one of the hardest to get, had I left it until later.

I stole a worker from Nebby and never made peace, so it seemed logical to go pester him while getting friendly with GW.

The problem is, all the other capitals are miles away. I guess Addis will be next to wipe that weird look of Haile's face.

T150 - 4 down, 3 to go

Spoiler :

I can see this being over in less than 30 turns, possibly

I have Japan, Denmark and USA still to roll. USA have a slight tech lead but I've been steadily killing their units. My plan is to finally accept their expo in a peace deal, then citadel bomb them and just hang out while I kill them. DOesn't matter if I lose 80% of my army as long as I take Washington.

I'm not so sloppy as normal this time around, but still chose a pretty silly sweep order, I think: Babylon - > Athens -> Addis

 

[adcarrymaokai]

The start looks cute. Never played Assyria before, but hey, everyone's gotta start somewhere!

 

[consentient]

@Gustavus

Not sure what you can do. I think that probably the mistake was to build the city outside of the natural fortress in the first place. I guess you were going for NW for religion? I think religion is a distraction at the best of times, especially with Ash.

If Oda will pay, then yes, I recommend selling it.

 

[adcarrymaokai]

What if you sell it to Oda in exchange for DoW on Harald?

 

[budweiser]

Turn 115 - So far so good.

Spoiler :

Spoiler :

T167

Spoiler :

 

[adcarrymaokai]

So you don't even need CB's with these siege towers? Ok Imma get my hands on this as soon as I get the chance to play.

 

[budweiser]

Are we supposed to end up at war with everyone? Because now I am at war with everyone.

 

[consentient]

Yeah I am at war with everyone except the people who have temporarily bought peace from me.

 

[adcarrymaokai]

Holy crap, this is annoying. I played so cat-and-mouse with Washington, stole a worker, enslaved a settler, and expanded into his face, but he went Liberty and littered the area with cities exactly 3 tiles away. Getting through those hills and mountains with lose Ethiopian scout in the way is simply painful. But better now than later because this carpet of cities will only get more annoying later.

 

[adcarrymaokai]

Around t100, I burned 4 American cities, and captured Washington. I think he entered the Medieval through Metal Casting, so I wasted time delaying Currency because I had hoped to get Guilds. Anyway, I am delaying Machinery just a bit because I am going to build another army of CB's. Babylon is getting concerned, and he has Terracotta Army, so there is that.

The plan was to spread intrigue and make AI's hate each other. Somehow, I was sure that Oda would go get that piece of hot Dutch ass, but Harald decided he wanted some sushi and payed for it dearly. My goal is move East and clear 3 AI's there. The new army or CB's turned XB's will go north to deal with Nabucco.

Also, god bless pillage repair with Liberty and Pyramids. It was hella useful

 

[Acken]

I finished this on turn 158. Some annoying caps (America, Ethiopia and Athens).

Spoiler :

 

[consentient]

Nice one Acken, I knew this map had the potential for a quick finish due to how compact it was.

LOL @ CI being finished in Kaupang the turn you won!

 

[Gustavus Rex]

I did not solve the problem at t150 very well. (see my previous post)

Spoiler :

Japan showed little interest in the city and I didn't want him in the chokepoint anyway so I decided to give Harald a pityful fight. Also it would be easier to take the city back if it got weak... So I lost my beautiful expo at t157

I think this setback were I lost my momentum costed me about 50 turns...

I belined Artillery and started to build an army based on Trebuchets and Musketmen. I took back Nimrud at t172 and conquered Copenhagen at t201. Harald gave up Arhus in (wich was next to Kyoto) in a peace deal the turn after.

I conquered Kyoto t210 and headed for Amsterdam which was newly taken over from Oda by Alex.

Alex put up a fight as usual and after i took Amsterdam t224 I had to sit back and wait for Artillery to finish him of.

I finished commerce t235 and solved the last happiness-issue and let me faith buy a Great Merchant. I bought and build a pretty huge army of Cavalry and Cannons that got updated to Artillery for the final puch and t256 the game was over.

This was my second ever game with Assyria and one of few attempts on Liberty domination and I know I did many bad choices and moves...

I liked this civ. The UA let me keep up i tech and Siege Towers were amazing early game not to mention the great war theme!

I will try another game with them right away. What SP-path do you think suits Assyria better between Liberty or Honor? (Tradition is banned from my games)

 

[Acken]

Liberty vs Honor:
-Liberty will give you a faster rush having overall more production through Republic and Collective rule. Honor start is very slow in comparison.
-Honor units get experience faster, allowing you to get promotions faster.
-Honor also is money friendly. You get gold for killing units, promotions cost less and you don't need to make roads everywhere for the happiness.
-If you abuse of repair pillage with Liberty, Liberty can also give you a stupidly high income.
-Liberty gets a Great Person. A Great scientist will help you reaching later tech if necessary and a great engineer will give you a wonder like NC, Machu Pichu or Notre Dame.

The free golden age, free general (and faster generals) and better melee units have never impressed me for domination.