To finish my game as well...between 500AD and 725AD, all I did was build Gallic Warriors and catapults. I was attempting to build an army capable of crushing Cyrus, the only AI I knew that had a score comparable to mine.
In 725AD however, things changed...I was 1 turn away from getting MC finally and Shaka turns his back on the Hindi alliance and declares war on me! He places a large stack of cats, HA, and Elephants near my ivory city and closes in on it. Worst of all, more than half my army had been camping in his territory for sneak attacks on Cyrus and were expelled into Tarsus' cultural land, unfortunately three squares away from the nearest road. Thus, My best production city is close to falling and the only reinforcements I can get to it are at least 5 turns away.
I end my turn, learn MC, start learning currency, trade for CoL, and gain a city from Ramesses via cultural assimilation(Pi Ramesses). It, like all my other cities at this point, begins building cats and GW.
His stack closes in and while his cats begin bombardment my army arrives, then he attacks with 2 HA and a crossbow, killing 1 warrior and 1 Gallic Warrior. I rush a spearman and hope Vienne can survive....I end the turn and kill 1 chariot, 1 longbow and 1 crossbow, while losing 1 catapult and 2 more Gallic Warriors.
During the next major battle, I lose 1 axeman and 1 Gallic Warrior while killing 3 Elephants, 1 LB, 1 Treb, 1 cat, and 1 HA. The very next turn, I lose 1 cat, but kill 2 HA, 1 Elephant, 1 Pike, and 1 Treb.
All this time I'm continuing to rush any and every unit I can in all my cities once they get to 1 pop required. The next battle is sorely in Shaka's favor...I lose 2 GW, 1 axe, and an all-important spearman while only killing 2 cats.
Shaka then brings out yet another stack and bypasses Vienne and goes straight for my heartland, with Tarsus squarely in his way. While my forces in Vienne kill another 3 Elephants and 2 cats, the rookies of Tarsus fail to kill a single unit and falls to Shaka, though to be fair to those poor soldiers, Shaka's troops at that location consisted of Knights and Maces. As Shaka leaves 2 Maces in the city, I decide to take it back with the reinforcements I have coming over the jungle road from Bibracte and Tolosa. Somehow I defeat both Maces with just a cat and a GW, and then I defend Vienne from another HA attack. Since even I've noticed that Shaka is relying heavily on mounted troops, all I'm rushing now are spearmen and I've gotten 3 of them fortified into Tarsus now. Alas, My defenses are too weak and Tarsus falls yet again to Shaka as I lose 1 LB, 2 cats, and 3 spearmen in a single turn just as I learn how to count money. This time Shaka razes Tarsus.
He then cuts my supply line between Vienne and the rest of my empire, leaving it without reinforcements ever again. His marauding knights parade across my meager empire, pillaging at will. Viking ships sink my galleys, leaving me with no hope of a seafaring escape. Izzy and Ramesses refuse to declare war on their hindu brother, although Ramesses is willing to allow Shaka to sneak attack my northern borders using his land as a passage.
By 1085AD, My infrastructure is crushed, Vienne is cut off from the rest of my empire, and the 4 cities I have left in my main empire are all basically under seige. Tolosa, my metallurgy city falls to yet another Knight, and Shaka razes this city as well. Just 15 years later, in 1100AD, Gergovia, my only coastal city, falls to the sword and is razed. By now I'm facing Knights and Musketmen.
In 1112AD, the Great Celtic General Scipio Africanus, named for his brave deeds in battle against the Zulus led what would later be known as the Viennese Embarrassment. That once great bastion of Celtic military prowess suffered the defeat of 4 GW and 3 Spearmen in a loss that broke the last stronghold, such as it was, of the Celtic military. Scipio survived that battle only to charge headlong in a suicidal rush into Zulu territory, where he was never heard from again.
1124AD saw the loss of Pi Ramesses to Shaka, this Egyptian city was also put to the torch, as Shaka continued to leave no foothold for celtic survival in his wake.
1142AD saw the defenses of Vienne finally fall, as 4 LBs died in a futile defense of an already dead empire, taking no one with them. Not surprisingly, Shaka decides this city is worth keeping and sends his army of knights to Bibracte to deal with the remaining Celtic troops.
Between 1142AD and 1196AD, Shaka pillages everything within the Celtic empire and waits patiently as his trebuchets destroy the large Dun built around Bibracte. Somewhat inanely, the Compass is discovered in 1172 and research continues on toward Machinery. In 1196AD, the final bell tolls on the Celtic Empire as Bibracte feels the shudders of trebuchet fire upon its barracks just as the Zulu knights rush the dun, only to face the wrath of the Celtic Longbow. 3 trebuchets and 5 Knights are killed before, one by one, the 4 longbow garrisons within Bibracte all fall silent.
It is an eerie feeling knowing that the world you've known has changed forever. The few remaining celtic citizens must now learn to live under the power of a foreign empire that is respnsible for the deaths of over 1 million of their kinsmen. While the Celtic Civilization was never a worldpower, its loss will be mourned by the faithful Hindus in Madrid, where they say prayers for the fallen faithful.
Suffice it to say, I was greatly overwhelmed by the poor starting location and the greatly improved AI. While no one else has noted this, I was surprised to see the AI actually use sacrificial trebuchets whenever it attacked my cities.
In 725AD however, things changed...I was 1 turn away from getting MC finally and Shaka turns his back on the Hindi alliance and declares war on me! He places a large stack of cats, HA, and Elephants near my ivory city and closes in on it. Worst of all, more than half my army had been camping in his territory for sneak attacks on Cyrus and were expelled into Tarsus' cultural land, unfortunately three squares away from the nearest road. Thus, My best production city is close to falling and the only reinforcements I can get to it are at least 5 turns away.
I end my turn, learn MC, start learning currency, trade for CoL, and gain a city from Ramesses via cultural assimilation(Pi Ramesses). It, like all my other cities at this point, begins building cats and GW.
His stack closes in and while his cats begin bombardment my army arrives, then he attacks with 2 HA and a crossbow, killing 1 warrior and 1 Gallic Warrior. I rush a spearman and hope Vienne can survive....I end the turn and kill 1 chariot, 1 longbow and 1 crossbow, while losing 1 catapult and 2 more Gallic Warriors.
During the next major battle, I lose 1 axeman and 1 Gallic Warrior while killing 3 Elephants, 1 LB, 1 Treb, 1 cat, and 1 HA. The very next turn, I lose 1 cat, but kill 2 HA, 1 Elephant, 1 Pike, and 1 Treb.
All this time I'm continuing to rush any and every unit I can in all my cities once they get to 1 pop required. The next battle is sorely in Shaka's favor...I lose 2 GW, 1 axe, and an all-important spearman while only killing 2 cats.
Shaka then brings out yet another stack and bypasses Vienne and goes straight for my heartland, with Tarsus squarely in his way. While my forces in Vienne kill another 3 Elephants and 2 cats, the rookies of Tarsus fail to kill a single unit and falls to Shaka, though to be fair to those poor soldiers, Shaka's troops at that location consisted of Knights and Maces. As Shaka leaves 2 Maces in the city, I decide to take it back with the reinforcements I have coming over the jungle road from Bibracte and Tolosa. Somehow I defeat both Maces with just a cat and a GW, and then I defend Vienne from another HA attack. Since even I've noticed that Shaka is relying heavily on mounted troops, all I'm rushing now are spearmen and I've gotten 3 of them fortified into Tarsus now. Alas, My defenses are too weak and Tarsus falls yet again to Shaka as I lose 1 LB, 2 cats, and 3 spearmen in a single turn just as I learn how to count money. This time Shaka razes Tarsus.
He then cuts my supply line between Vienne and the rest of my empire, leaving it without reinforcements ever again. His marauding knights parade across my meager empire, pillaging at will. Viking ships sink my galleys, leaving me with no hope of a seafaring escape. Izzy and Ramesses refuse to declare war on their hindu brother, although Ramesses is willing to allow Shaka to sneak attack my northern borders using his land as a passage.
By 1085AD, My infrastructure is crushed, Vienne is cut off from the rest of my empire, and the 4 cities I have left in my main empire are all basically under seige. Tolosa, my metallurgy city falls to yet another Knight, and Shaka razes this city as well. Just 15 years later, in 1100AD, Gergovia, my only coastal city, falls to the sword and is razed. By now I'm facing Knights and Musketmen.
In 1112AD, the Great Celtic General Scipio Africanus, named for his brave deeds in battle against the Zulus led what would later be known as the Viennese Embarrassment. That once great bastion of Celtic military prowess suffered the defeat of 4 GW and 3 Spearmen in a loss that broke the last stronghold, such as it was, of the Celtic military. Scipio survived that battle only to charge headlong in a suicidal rush into Zulu territory, where he was never heard from again.
1124AD saw the loss of Pi Ramesses to Shaka, this Egyptian city was also put to the torch, as Shaka continued to leave no foothold for celtic survival in his wake.
1142AD saw the defenses of Vienne finally fall, as 4 LBs died in a futile defense of an already dead empire, taking no one with them. Not surprisingly, Shaka decides this city is worth keeping and sends his army of knights to Bibracte to deal with the remaining Celtic troops.
Between 1142AD and 1196AD, Shaka pillages everything within the Celtic empire and waits patiently as his trebuchets destroy the large Dun built around Bibracte. Somewhat inanely, the Compass is discovered in 1172 and research continues on toward Machinery. In 1196AD, the final bell tolls on the Celtic Empire as Bibracte feels the shudders of trebuchet fire upon its barracks just as the Zulu knights rush the dun, only to face the wrath of the Celtic Longbow. 3 trebuchets and 5 Knights are killed before, one by one, the 4 longbow garrisons within Bibracte all fall silent.
It is an eerie feeling knowing that the world you've known has changed forever. The few remaining celtic citizens must now learn to live under the power of a foreign empire that is respnsible for the deaths of over 1 million of their kinsmen. While the Celtic Civilization was never a worldpower, its loss will be mourned by the faithful Hindus in Madrid, where they say prayers for the fallen faithful.
Suffice it to say, I was greatly overwhelmed by the poor starting location and the greatly improved AI. While no one else has noted this, I was surprised to see the AI actually use sacrificial trebuchets whenever it attacked my cities.
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