TSG 254 After Actions

[Bemep42]

Diplomatic victory turn 200.

In this game, I built 2 scouts, 2 workers, shrine, granary, stable, 3 workboats, watermill, 2 triremes and 2 trade ships. I bought all the other buildings and units and built only wonders. As a result, at the end of the game I had 30 WW and 9 NW. I used 4 engineers for Broadway, Statues of Freedom, Christ the Redeemer and Neuschweitner. I built Great Library (48), National College, Hanging Gardens, ToA, Petra, MoM (83), Chichen Itza (90) and Parthenon(95) before turn 100, the Oracle at the same time with astronomy at 110 turn, etc. AI built Stonehenge, Lighthouse, Zeus, TA, Mosque and about 190 turn Pyramid. Of the available wonders, I did not manage to build only Red Fort, Eiffel Tower, Big Ben and Big Circus (NC). On the 100th turn, I had 21 pop (2 turns before growth), but in the end thanks to 7 or 8 ruins from the new world - 53 pop. I've never had such a well-fed city before and I don't think I'll ever have it again. With 500+ gold per turn, I bought all available buildings except zoo, stadium, arsenal and military base.
I learned compass at turn 100, astro at turn 110 and PP at turn 126 (used 1 GS). I accepted Freedom and contract army at the same turn (153) on the next turn after teaching radio. Maybe, I could have won 1 turn if I had thought to hold off on destroying unnecessary civilizations and combine this with advanced to the atomic era. For faith points, I bought 2GE + 2GS, but these 2 scientists were not needed for advanced to the atomic era. This means that the victory can be accelerated quite simply as follows: at 119 turn, use GS for physics + chivalry, and at 120 (just borned) 2nd GS for PP.

Religion : DF (36 turn), tithing, religious community (83), divine inspiration, religious unity (110)

P.S. By the way, after the capture of the Great Lighthouse and Zeus, my troops received the appropriate promotions!

P.P.S. Athens is only AI city that survived to the end of the game, but it can be demolished immediately after it ends.

 

[fimbul]

I had a crack at this one and got T210. Reminded me of similiar start long ago for GOTM (babylon, OCC, science) which I think vadalaz won? Was too happily building wonders GL -> NC -> TOA, Petra, HG, colossus, even CI. Slightly before machinary it dawned on me that I needed to eliminate 5 AI and not just capture their capital before atomic era vote, but with such a capital units took only 1 or 2 turns to build. I let the chips fall where they may and didnt bulb PP.

Barbarians and supply cap were the most irritating things in the game. City states got excess units from me to speed conquest up. At least with OCC capitals are razed so you dont worry about what to do with them.

In hindsight, if I didnt generate a GE from all the wonders (GW+ CI is too much), I would probably have enough science to win T199. I didnt lack hammers to squeeze in the forbidden palace.

Went trad, rationalisation, patronage 3 and order 3 as the core. some excess policies at the end went into honour opener and explore opener. Scholasticism was surprising good at this level, even with an absolutely stacked capital. Perhaps going astro / oracle rat before PP was a mistake and patronge 3 is the way to go.

At the end I had World Religion, World Ideology and forbidden palace, ruling over a barren wasteland of city states, barbarians and two frighted AI.

I get why noone really likes fast diplo victories, its all about 1 cycle PP timing on lower difficulties and on deity you are at the mercy of dice throwing for 2 cycle. Very binary for science/gc/conquest requirements, met it and you win, else go around 20 turns later.

 

[zxcvbob]

What is this Printing Press timing thing you are talking about? I usually rush to PP to get the world congress thing started because the cycles get shorter each time. Are you trying to get all the way to Atomic era without anyone opened PP? (kill everybody who might be getting close) Is that possible?

 

[The_Black_Vegetable]

What is this Printing Press timing thing you are talking about?

It is as you said: researching Printing Press founds the World Congress. When it is time to enter new proposal, a world leader vote will be organized (after 10 turns or so? I'm also not 100% sure of the details) in case either: i) there is a player in Information Era, or ii) half the civs are in Atomic Era. So for a fast diplo victory (let's say on Deity), you would aim reach Info Era just before the second round of voting comes around. So, the earlier you research PP, the earlier that vote comes around. If you somehow manage to achieve the Atomic Era condition within the first cycle of congress, you might get an even quicker victory, and that might require you to actually postpone PP to ensure your cities are big and are producing lots of science (for instance, by researching astronomy first and building observatories in your cities).