Warlords and Autocrats (World I)

[Hyreon]

Forum Freeplay​

This is a bit of an experiment: a play-by-forum game with a few major changes.

1. Anyone may participate. That includes you! Even if all 8 factions have been played by someone, play anyway, with or without previous players' permission.
2. You may play as any faction*, even if you've already played a different one.
3. You may play for up to 10 turns before abdicating. You can do less, but you can't do another session until at least 7 turns have passed.

Spoiler *War spoilers :

You can always play as any faction that's at peace with everyone. However, if you read a factions' most recent spoilers, you cannot play as their enemies. For example:

• I play as the Aztecs, who are at war with the Persians and Romans. You read the forum post, but don't open up any spoilers. You can play as any faction.
• Once you read my spoilers, you can play as anyone except the Persians or Romans.
• If Quintillus plays as the Aztecs, you can read my spoilers and still play as any faction. My spoilers have expired.

This is entirely too difficult to enforce, so don't be too strict about it - just respect other people's spoilers if you intend to fight that faction, and feel free to remind people about spoilers if you're sharing sensitive game info on the forums. Easy way:

Spoiler Secrets - don't read if playing an enemy! :

I'm building a nuke but don't tell the disgusting germans. LOL

There's also no rule against keeping proper secrets, and not posting details at all.

Spoiler Some rules :

1. Don't sabotage. All your saves will be ignored, permanently.
2. Don't use exploits. Your saves may be ignored, permanently.
3. First come, first serve. If someone submits a save before you, theirs is canon, so yours is obsolete.
   1. If somone deletes their post within 2 hours, it's no longer canon, so yours may become canon.
   2. To handle overlap better, it's recommended to prefix your save with the last save. So "root- Dutch11.SAV" is replaced by "Dutch11- China21.SAV", then "China21- Rome31.SAV", etc.
4. Don't play more than 10 turns in a save.
   1. Multiplayer games are exceptions, since you could just trade host back and forth anyways.
5. Don't play more than once until 7 turns have passed.

Recommended, but won't invalidate your saves:

1. Don't play too much - give new and casual participants a chance to participate.
2. Don't reload too frequently - unless it's about the lore, or you feel that you can't compete with elites such as myself (who regularly lose Monarch games), it only serves to make your AI turns even worse.

You can submit a 0 turn save, and it will count as if 1 turn has passed for all the above.

The scenario: Warlords and Autocrats! This scenario requires no custom files to run, although they're highly recommended. It's designed for long games, and even for continuity to future games.
The files are linked in the first two posts, under Warlords and Autocrats.zip

Why use a custom scenario? Because I want to, that's why every change has been made to enhance the experience for this particular style of gameplay.

Spoiler Scenario rules :

• Win: Only by conquest, although Space Race allows a New Game+.
• Tech rework:
  • No ancient or modern eras: To make the existing eras feel even larger, and close the gap between the strongest and weakest possible factions.
    • You start with Pikemen and Longbowmen unlocked. Swordsmen and Horsemen are still in the game.
  • Major shuffling: A new tech tree, designed to be easy to pick up while still providing the player with many options - in some cases, even more than before.
  • Advance cost: Entering the industrial era makes settlers more expensive, and replaces all the cheap medieval units you had access to. AIs are slightly averse to doing this, so it's up to us when to advance.
• Rail cars: Railroads are such an extreme power boost that they have been removed in favor of rail cars, fast land units with transport capacity. They can only operate on existing roads, including your enemies', and require population to build.
• No unique units: A bit too tricky to balance with so few eras. I'll see what can be done in future games!
• Government identities: Each government, besides despotism, now has a unique identity by providing a unique Wonder, and then either a Small Wonder or Improvement.
  • Imperialism: Deep in the Ancient tech tree, and not cheap. Fusion of Republic and Monarchy. Exclusive access to the Great Library and the Satrap, another courthouse.
  • Corporatism: An unsustainable play style with free buildings and so little ability to defend itself - but open to those greedy enough to try. Exclusive access to Stock Exchange and Universal Suffrage.
  • Feudalism: Massively improved. No war weariness; unit maintenance of 2 when over. Exclusive access to Great Wall and Knight's Templar.
  • Fascism: A disgusting amount of unit support. Exclusive access to Sun Tzu's and Tactical Center, which produces Blitzkriegs (one man armies).
  • Communism: Exclusive access to the Secret Police HQ and Worker's Commune, a cheap and primitive factory enhancement.
  • Republic: Exclusive access to Colossus and West Point, which produces maintenance free workers.
  • Monarchy: Exclusive access to Statue of Zeus and Hanging Gardens.
• New units: A few new units have been added.
  • Machinegunner: Defensive units that can bombard, lethally.
  • Boarder: Medieval marines.
  • Landship: Early tanks.
  • Skirmisher: Expensive medieval infantry with bonus defense. Unlocked in the Autocrat era and makes old world units obsolete.
  • Blimp: A mobile air unit with some utility options.
  • Escort: Air unit designed to clear the way for enemy bombers.
• Unit changes: A few units have been drastically changed.
  • Siege Engines: Trebuchets with extended range.
  • Fire Catapults: Lethal bombard trebuchets. Not obsolete by siege engines.
  • Carronade: Double-fire cannons that are slightly weaker.
  • Advanced Armor: A tank sidegrade to replace Modern Armor.
  • Missile Submarine: A weaker Nuclear Submarine that only carries missiles, not nukes.
  • Cruise Missile: Doubled attack power. Also has a heavy variant with even greater power.
• Removed units:To fit the ancient and modern removals.
  • Spearmen, archers, warriors, chariots and curragh don't exist anymore. You start with swordsmen, horsemen and galleys unlocked, along with longbowmen and pikemen.
  • TOW Infantry, Mobile SAMs, Radar Artillery, Jet Fighters, Stealth Fighters, Stealth Bombers, AEGIS Cruisers and Modern Paratroopers don't exist anymore. You can still get nukes, cruise missiles, modern armors, and nuclear submarines in a highly modified form.
• Resource changes:
  • Basic resources: Iron and iron dependencies are gone. Gunpowder is now required for most units, and is far more abundant.
  • Oil split: Oil is split into heavy oil and petroleum. This makes oil easier to obtain, and adds variety in play styles (since obtaining both is generally harder).
  • Natural gas: Replaces incense. A new resource which, when combined with coal, upgrades everything.
  • Resource locations: Important resources are now more common in bad terrain.
• Cost changes:The costs of things has been tweaked.
  • Foot units are way cheaper.
  • Tanks are cheaper.
  • Sea units are cheaper.
• ICPTs: A nuke replacement that can carry troops across the map. Very late game. Also lets you carry units into the New Game+.
• Tweaks:
  • Battlefield Medicine is unlocked alongside hospitals but does not require any.
  • Flak are available earlier, and are stronger (6/1 → 8/4).
  • Fighters have 100% interception.
  • Paratroopers are as good as infantry (4/9 → 6/10) with a range of 8.
  • Helicopters have better attack (4 → 6) and range of 8.
  • Musketmen have an attack of 3.
  • Pentagon is removed.
  • Minor cost changes of +-3 to some units.

Spoiler Scenario Technology :

Spoiler Major Civilopedia Entries :

How do I play?

1. Download the most recent save and move it to your civ3conquests folder
2. Load up multiplayer and search for LAN games
3. Host a new game
4. Select "load save" for the gamemode, and load the one you just downloaded
5. Add a "computer" in every slot marked Open
6. Click the "1" by your name until you've got the faction you want to play as, and then make the remaining faction player 1.
7. (Recommended) select "None" for the turn timer
8. Select ready, hit launch, and wait.

Wouldn't this suffer from multiplayer bugs? You can load these games in singleplayer briefly:

1. Do all of the above steps.
2. Save and exit.
3. Load the save in singleplayer. You should be the faction you just selected.
4. Save before hitting "next turn."
5. Continue from that save file.

Can I play multiplayer? Yes! Feel free to run your 10 turns with someone else playing other civilizations. Anything from 1-8 works. They can do the same for you.


If issues arise, I'll modify the rules to better accommodate them.

 

[Hyreon]

World I

• 90x90, 70% Continents
• Normal, Temperate, 4 Billion Years
• Roaming barbarians, Monarch difficulty

Factions

Spoiler Naughty List :

Empty. Yay!

Discuss this world on Discord: https://discord.gg/Bfrue575Qz

 

[Hyreon]

In a short 10 years, the Dutch expand their fledgling population to nearly double thanks to a healthy settlement along the coast.
(It's the start of the game, so not much interesting has happened.)

Spoiler Preview :

 

[Toxicman007]

I think this is quite an interesting concept, with some good civs to choose from. I will happily join in and see how it goes. But how does the play order work? First come, first served? What if I play 5 turns and upload the save but, for example, Quintillus has done the same and now we have 2 branching saves at the same time?
EDIT: Just noticed you start off with a Pikeman? I didn't spot anything about that in the scenario rules.

 

[Hyreon]

I think this is quite an interesting concept, with some good civs to choose from. I will happily join in and see how it goes. But how does the play order work? First come, first served? What if I play 5 turns and upload the save but, for example, Quintillus has done the same and now we have 2 branching saves at the same time?

First come, first serve, exactly. In a more popular game, say, Civ V, that might be a problem. Here, I have a suspicion overlap won't be very common
I guess if Quinti decided you did something way more interesting, he could cancel the post, but that might cause more problems down the line. We'll say that's not allowed after 2 hours - a tight deadline that shouldn't interfere, and still gives the option.

EDIT: Just noticed you start off with a Pikeman? I didn't spot anything about that in the scenario rules.

I built it. Oh, I never mentioned that you start with them unlocked. I'll throw that in there.

 

[dirtysock]

In Chinese news a brave longbowman heroically survives an ambush by a barbarian swordsman, meanwhile local Chinese workers work on a grand road to the local salt deposits on a mountain nearby.

 

[Hyreon]

Thriving India makes contact with the lesser civilization of Persia. India makes a humble trade offer.

Spoiler The trade :

Spoiler Scores so far :

 

[dirtysock]

Meanwhile the Chinese while lagging behind have discovered the Dutch people, who inconveniently only had 30 gold to trade.
In other news a pikeman has stumbled upon a barbarian camp nearby

 

[Toxicman007]

The Roman empire doesn't look too special when I load. I notice Persia to the north but no communication with them yet. Barbarians seem to be my main problem here.

After a bit of cleanup, we take a barbarian camp!

I take a risk to claim the goody hut to the southeast of Rome. It does not pay off AT ALL.

Finally the Roman Empire after 51 turns played total. Not much has changed, but our military has improved and the barbarian threat is much lower.

 

[Hyreon]

War Declared: The Germans are now at war with the Dutch!

Meanwhile, in the Dutch empire...

No workers! And the AI is idling two settlers... this won't do. We don't have escorts, but I have the power of stupidity on my side, so they're going to move out anyway!

Never punished.
Also, Germany proposes a trade: We give 17 gold, a map, and we'll receive nothing. After refusing, they propose a compromise: they're going to invade us and take it by force.

Seeing that there's not much more I can do for my empire, I'm going to stop early. The AI gets a slight production and food bonus, so whenever the remaining moves are obvious, I'll leave it up to the governors.
Also, welcome to the game dirtysock and Toxicman007!

 

[dirtysock]

On the other side of the Dutch-German war

Fantastic city spots by the AI as you can see
Fortunately, the other German cities are actually decent, so a sizeable army is quickly amassed
Suddenly the barbarians nearby magically disappear, no idea why

As master negotiators we even convinced the Inca to sign a right of passage for the low cost of nothing!
Be scared Dutchmen

 

[Quintillus]

Definitely a neat idea! Is Anarchy time modified? If not it might not be very feasible to switch governments for non-religious civs.

I rolled a D8 and got 2, so I played as India.

India has a large, cold empire, and is a bit wonder-crazy.

We notice Delhi is a science powerhouse and switch it to a Library before letting it try again for Sistine. We also found Karachi to the west, discover a couple islands with our previously-idle Galley, and make progress towards building a road to Saltpeter.

Lastly, we sign a right of passage with Montezuma because his Longbow was uncomfortably close to Delhi but we didn't want to threaten war and have him decide that was a good idea.

 

[dirtysock]

Very eventful turns for the Germans

Of course, the cities are producing random stuff but the ai actually managed to move the army, great stuff!

The actual battle of Eindhoven is a smashing success, partly because 1 of the pikemen decided to check on the local fisheries in the marsh nearby
6 gold is looted
Then out of greed the settler rushes, not waiting for the escort
Horrible idea

Meanwhile, the Inca propose to me a strange deal, nothing for nothing
Confused, I deny the deal

After a mild staring contest, the Dutch pikemen backs off for fear of what this German will do to him

Going back south, a settler, unaware of invasions, wondered right in front of the German army
These workers will help tremendously building the great road over the marshes

Then there is a startling discovery
The Dutch have guns.

Calvary the Med Infantry makes a sacrifice to cut off the Dutch from their saltpeter
Except the madman almost destroys the Dutch army all by himself

May he rest in peace
Back at home though, the settler murderers are dealt with brutally

But then the battle of Utrecht starts
1 casualty, but a worker and city under German control

Do you regret not giving us 17 gold and a map, Hyreon?

 

[dirtysock]

Actual save since file limit was hit

 

[Hyreon]

Peace has been made by the Dutch with the Germans.

A double turn, dirtysock, when turns are 10 times as long? That's quite cruel!

Excited to recapture lost Dutch land, and sour the Germans' recent advances, I set out to attack the Germans with -

Ah, right. The AI's been in charge for 30 turns. Not quite the stack of death I was hoping for. What have they been building, anyway?

Hmm.. expanding when surrounded by enemies. I've got my work cut out.

Okay, fine, I'm exaggerating a little bit. They did prepare an attack force!

...it's going the wrong way, though.

After laughing at my deplorable situation for some time, I get to work. The AI is predictable and greedy in their attacks, so by moving my Pikes in, I can eat quite a bit of infantry. And no more settlers! Not until we get the cities we already have back, and with a good garrison. Barracks and units only. I'll need that salt badly, and more production to get things in shape, so the workers aren't the worst. As long as they're not idle!
Despite some shoddy luck in losing my only musketman, I do make even trades on the defense, and Germans force the survivors to go defensive. Unfortunately, they do get a Pikemen to arrive on the scene. With my army as it is, there's no way I win it back in 10 turns. My goals have quickly changed from recapturing my city, to merely scaring them into white peace. I build an attack force, but it would take a minor miracle to accomplish something. An ex machina moment.

When I said "ex machina", I had in mind "deus ex machina" - God in the machine. But instead, I got a little "diabolus ex machina" - devil in the machine. Barbarian knights! From Chinese territory?! How is it even possible? When the battle was already going terribly, it went even worse. I could no longer stretch myself so thin, so my goals have deteriorated even more. All this time, Germany has been willing to take peace for Rotterdam - my last supply of saltpeter. But nothing else. Now, I'm going to make any peace deal that keeps Rotterdam, because without saltpeter, the Dutch are straight-up dead in the Industrial era.
I open the trade menu, and eventually find something they'll take. But it's not exactly what I hoped for...

This is nothing less than utter defeat, and yet it seems like the wisest plan of action. Note to self: If you're going to declare war, show up!

Do you regret not giving us 17 gold and a map, Hyreon?

The save file's coming up soon. I've just got a few admin things to do with it. Also, welcome to the game Quintillus!

 

[Quintillus]

Some drama in that war! Looks like the Dutch are on the ropes.

I tallied up playtime by civ so far:

1 - 11: Dutch
11 - 21: China
21 - 31: India
31 - 41: China (II)
41 - 51: Rome
51 - 57: Dutch (I.6)
57 - 67: Germany
67 - 77: India (II)
77 - 87: Germany (II)
87 - 97: Dutch (II.6)
97 - 107: Germany (III)
107 - 117: Persia
117 - 127: Dutch (III.6)
127 - 137: Germany (IV)
137 - 147: Dutch (IV.6)
147 - 157: China (III)
157 - 167: Dutch (V.6)
167 - 177: Inca
177 - 185: Aztecs (0.8)
185 - 195: China (IV)
195 - 205: Persia (II)
205 - 215: Rome (II)
215 - 225: Inca (II)
225 - 235: China (V)
235 - 245: Inca (III)
245 - 255: China (VI)
255 - 265: Persia (III)

Total:

China: VI
Dutch: V.6
Germany: IV
Persia: III
Inca: III
India: II
Rome: II
Aztecs: 0.8

Pardon the mishmash of Roman and Arabic numerals, it seemed appropriate.

 

[Hyreon]

Using my cheaty admin powers, I've extended the game to 10,000 turns, since time limits aren't supposed to be a factor. Hopefully it doesn't come close.
With that in mind, we're at turn 97, almost 1% to the end. Here's the global power rankings for everyone!

Spoiler Global Power Rankings :

Looks like there's a negative correlation between human playtime and power level. I, for one, welcome our new AI overlords.

Some updates to the rules, also.

1. You cannot war against a nation you've viewed the most recent spoilers for. In other words, your spoilers are supposed to be secrets! Feel free to make a reminder in your posts, if it matters. These expire once another player plays the civilization.
2. You can continue if only 7 turns pass, rather than 10. That way, if you want to do a shorter turn, you won't interrupt others.
3. A 0-turn upload is allowed but treated as a 1-turn upload.
4. Having two (or three) players do a thousand turns in a row is not ideal, but I can't think of any elegant rulings for it. I'm going to allow and simply discourage it.
5. I never made a rule against reloading the save. I also reloaded my last turn (In my case, I think I got a worse outcome the second time around). Once again, I'm going to allow it and simply discourage it. If you think it's a good handicap or you get a much more interesting outcome, great! Just don't push it too far.

 

[dirtysock]

Back in the German lands
The AI has done what it usually does with random stuff

After fixing the queues again I make a startling discovery
The Inca are at war with us

Realizing what this meant the German army rushed to its north
On the sidelines German boatmaking is proven to be the best in the world by slaying a barbarian ship
A lone Med Infantry is going to show the locals what he did at what is now Warsaw

As I get trolled in the recently won and renamed Amhem by a pillaging barbarian

It proceeds to die trying to raid the city
Meanwhile the locals down south are peacefully convinced to move out

Now you may be wondering where is the mighty German army?
The sad news is there seems to be no survivors from the Dutch-German War of Gold
However, being Germans, the AI did a fantastic job rebuilding

In the east a German pikeman fearlessly marches through Incan lands, killing a med infantry with little trouble

Anyways, after some casualties, Machu Pichu is captured and Huamanga is soon to follow

Having taken Machu Pichu, I forcibly take what I can from the Incans, knowing the AI could mess up my advantage

Germans sleep peacefully tonight, knowing they triumphed over their 2 rivals for now
Save coming soon (file limit)

 

[Hyreon]

Another war! Makes me think I could've arranged alliance. Ah, well. What's done is done.

 

[dirtysock]

Save file