Finished T181 with SS
Game: Civ5 GOTM 90
Date submitted: 2014-07-16 19:08:43
Reference number: 31415
Your name: Acken
Game status: Culture Victory
Game date: 1210AD
Turns played: 181
Base score: 1098
Final score: 3050
Time played: 2:13:00
Submitted save: TSG90_Win.Civ5Save
Renamed file: Acken_C509001.Civ5Save
Screenshots:
World at victory 1/4
World at victory 2/4
World at victory 3/4
World at victory 4/4
Culture progress, highest is Ethiopia at 3376
As I said on announcement I'm fairly convinced fastest strategy is SS. You just have to do a slow detour through NC because astronomy to make it work and I guess hoping to not get your stuff picked before you. King also allows for early wonders.
Opening:
Capital went scout monument shrine worker granary GL StoneHenge NC Settlers x2 Caravan x2 (bought archer)
First expo went Library Monment Shrine Granary Oracle
2nd expo went Monument Shrine Temple (bought granary) 2x Trireme
Every other cities will go Shrine Temple Monument, Monument first until reformation
Techs(obvious): Potery, Writing (free Mining), Masonry, Archery, Calendar (free Philosophy), AH, Wheel, Education, Astronomy
Ruins gave me: Tech(mining), Pop, Gold, Map. I delayed the south ruin at T20 in hopes I get faith but I got a stupid map.
T24 Steal a Moroccan worker
This is continent so only one scout and I want fast shrine anyway. Like most SS strategy I aim for Liberty first then into Piety up to reformation. Map is full of cultural CS and we play Alexander so I expect good timing for reformation. If no cultural CS I might have delayed collective rule/republic and went first into Piety. One is usually enough and we have 3 on this map, so yay. Oracle is an obvious must have. I got Reformation T100, only one AI had already taken it and lucky me it was Jesuit Education.
So since its King GL is usually available. I finished it T47, grabbed philosophy and while Liberty free expansion was finishing library I grabbed Stonehenge. After a few tests grabbing both these wonders on King felt a distinct possibility. GL goes away fast on King but stonehenge not as much and I got it T60 after GL.
T47 and T60 GL and Stonehenge
Religion:
A quick shrine allowed for an early enough pantheon and Stone circle was the obvious choice: 4 faith in capital, 6 faith in first expo, 2 in second expo.
I was able to grab a worker from Morroco which I used with mine to improve quarry as fast as possible. With Stonehenge this quickly made me rise in the 13-15 fpt area and I got a prophet fast enough. Since my Fpt was good, I then generated a second to be sure to grab the beliefs I wanted. Mosques first (probably best building for this strategy) and then Pagoda (other very good choice is Monastery which may even be superior if you can handle happiness). I took the 100gold founder belief and religious texts.
1st Prophet
2nd Prophet
After that I generated a mosque and then a missionary. From there religion spread almost naturally and I just spam mosques and pagoda (mosque first).
At T110 I grabbed Borobodur to give the needed boost and free gold I needed just before I start spamming cities.
T100 Reformation
T110 Borobodur
Other civ strategy:
T130 Astronomy
I got Astronomy T130. I rushed a university in Athens (only univ I'll build) and worked the 2 slots, with the already accumulated points from GL I got a fast first GS which I used to bulb Astronomy (or half of it rather since my bpt was really low and I was already getting hurt hard by the tech cost penatly from extra cities).
I upgraded my 2 triremes and rush bought a 3rd Caravel. These went in opposite directions unveiling the 5 other civs. As soon as I met them I got open borders (I also OB with the 2 at home). Highest cultural ended up being Sejong, Genghis and Haile. Gengis probably was high due to having conquered Sweden.
I rush bought a cargo toward Sejong, planted a city near gengis and near Haile and sent both a Caravan. I made sure no AI was allied to a cultural CS.
Sejong and Haile will be the last 2 AI to be influenced at T180 and T181 respectively.
Spamming cities:
I stayed at 4 cities up to around education. After Borobodur and Oracle my 2 main cities started spamming settlers (until end of game) and I started to plant some between education and astronomy. Strong pressure and Morocco being completely converted (borobodur) insured all cities were quickly converted to my religion.
I planted a total of 25 cities over the game. 3 of them being useless. I lost one of those 3 to Babylon angry for my forward settle. Anyway, none of these 3 got my religion (they were there just in case I needed them in which case I'd have created a missionary). 1 other didn't get my religion but it was useful for a route toward Gengis.
Obviously you'll want to save space to plant as much as possible and I used the little east islands to make 4 or 5 cities there. Planting on luxuries also help happiness.
Being able to ally my neighbour CS I was in positive happiness most of the game. Capial will also build writer guild and artist guild for extra tourism. I basically stopped growing after 10pop.
Errors:
I made a large mistake at the end. Should have researched acoustics instead of guilds. This would have allowed me to generate a musician (or 2 ???) for a faster finish, cutting some turns. I stupidly made an artist for the work of art, which is clearly inferior.
Also I should probably have invested into Aesthetics to try to reach the bonus to routes/OB. Doubt I would have reached those but at least I would have gotten faster GW/GA. I instead went Exploration and right Liberty... meh. Exploration helped meeting civs but it was probably overkill and I doubt I really needed the 5 happiness I got from lib.
I thought upgrading to caravel cost more than that. Should have just made a third trireme.