WOTM29 - First Spoiler

[leif erikson]

WOTM 29 First Spoiler

Reading Requirements

Stop! If you are participating in WOTM 29, then you MUST NOT read this thread unless EITHER

• You have reached at least 500 AD in your game, OR
• You have submitted your entry

Posting Restrictions

• Please do not disclose information gained post 500 AD.
• Please do not post screenshots that reveal the territory or locations of resources on other continents or islands.
• Please do not name civilizations that requires caravels to contact.

 

[kcd_swede]

Oh how I suck mightily in this game.

Was kinda prepared for a cast of nasty characters, and you sure didn't disappoint there!

Stupidly went for Pottery too early in order to take advantage of massive floodplains cottaging. Diverted cottage-growing for CS sling and missed Oracle by 2 turns. Compounded error going for GLib and missing that as well. Why did I go for GLib? Because even with mined gold and lots of cottages, I found myself WAAAAAAY behind EVERYONE in tech. Crap economy because all the needed units to take down longbows with axes. (see below) Not good! Failed to use EXP trait to full effect like I planned because got sidetracked by barb cities (captured 2).

I tried an axe rush on Monte, though remove the word rush because he had longbows by the time I got there... managed to get 2 cities since I had cats. But I'm still last in every category except land area (first in that). I'm sure he'll take them back when he decides he wants them. I did get a good resource site at a choke point, so EXP wasn't useless for the game I played, but I tried so many incongruous strategies that of course none of them are working very well.

All this commerce and I can't keep up. What's up? Did you WB in some free techs to the AI, or just some +diplo to entice them to trade their way ahead leaving me totally out of it? Maybe I should have just paid more attention to the earlier turns and set some more practical goals. Ugh. No, I can't play this game with one brain tied behind my back.

As for the mystery map... I haven't had a chance to explore yet, so I can't really appreciate it much.

Maybe I can win this one anyhow... but only maybe. I think I'm mostly shooting for a green ambulance at this point.

On the bright side, I needed some humbling XoTM's to keep me interested, and this sure fits the bill. I'll let you know how it goes in the next spoiler, as soon as I am mentally prepared for the beating that's surely on the way.

 

[leif erikson]

Was kinda prepared for a cast of nasty characters, and you sure didn't disappoint there!

Glad to hear you expectations were exceeded.

Did you WB in some free techs to the AI, or just some +diplo to entice them to trade their way ahead leaving me totally out of it?

Nothing different in WB regarding techs or diplo. I will answer your question in the final spoiler, once you complete the game.

As for the mystery map... I haven't had a chance to explore yet, so I can't really appreciate it much.

Sorry about that.

I'll let you know how it goes in the next spoiler, as soon as I am mentally prepared for the beating that's surely on the way.

I look forward to seeing how you fare. Good Luck!

 

[Markus5]

Well, I suck mightier in this game. Regulation contender save. After some early explorations my plan was REX until someone got in the way then military to push them back. Messed up both. Part 1: Settled in the wrong places. What was I thinking? Why wasn't I paying attention? Part 2: Monte got in the way. Used axes to take one very nice city, then marched a stack to the capitol. I was planning some pillaging while waiting for reinforcements and a secondary stack was one turn away from taking another city. Sneaky green menace walked a stack into my backdoor. I made peace. But, I forgot to use the first part of the turn to take that second city. Nooooo. Part 3: Go read a nice book with a nice beer. Its just a game.

 

[leif erikson]

Go read a nice book with a nice beer. Its just a game.

Hope the beer was nice and cold!

 

[Markus5]

Hope the beer was nice and cold!

Rogue Dead Man Ale. Appropriate, eh?

 

[Mad Dog]

So I saw KCD Swede's warning about aggressive AI adding a lot of difficulty, especially on warlords, but hey, it's Monarch, how hard can it be?

Answer: quite hard.

I settled in place and expanded out to claim the gold and located Monte and Ragnar. This gave me a feeling that I wouldn't be seeing too many friendly faces. I decided to prepare for a military win; not easy on normal speed but hey - Monarch - how hard can it be?

I popped out another settler or two, with the idea of blocking off my neighbours at the choke points to the east and north. Alas, barbarians had settled in my favoured slot, and Monte had occupied my desired choke point to the east. I laid claim with one settler to the copper to the SE; the next headed to the NW to claim the horses and other nice stuff in the jungle on the west of the peninsula north of the starting area.

Then I grew some axes and military to take the barbs out. Monte opportunistically nabbed the prime barb city very close to my cap, which pretty much forced me onto the offensive against him. The two cities of his I really wanted were weakly defended according to my scouts...

Round about 0AD I was doing well in terms of land area but not so well overall. One the plus side I was getting well prepared for a fight with Monte, or so I thought.

 

[leif erikson]

Rogue Dead Man Ale. Appropriate, eh?

Very!

I was doing well in terms of land area, but not so well overall.
... but hey, it's Monarch, how hard can it be?

Good Luck as you move to finish, or be finished?

 

[Fluroscent]

Doing "ok" I guess. Settled with gold in the BFC, and was pleased to see room for two good cities behind still. Montys scout came by, and I knew I would have to deal somehow.

Wars/Diplo:
My scout found Monty's copper, unmined.. Hmm. Sent two impi over and pillaged the mine he built in the meantime. He didn't have a road yet, so my impis happily pillaged all his farms too.
So, basically, Monty was running around with hordes of archers, which were dispatched by axes if they came within reach, while his workers were hiding in his capital. Only when he finally got iron (assuming, I haven't got IW yet..) did he force my impi away. But I had already taken his closest city by the horse/gold and have cats/axes/phants en route to his mainland. Should not be too much trouble dispatching him, although he has many archers. Also want peace for techs before finishing him.
Met Ragnar from the far north at some point, but I had not scouted through the jungle since my scout and first warrior were eaten. Met Toku's trireme much later, and he was way more advanced , he even had the Oracle. The rest of the world is still a mystery.

Cities built:
2nd city founded by ivory/pig/corn for a GP farm/whipping site, 3rd S with fish/copper/wine as the future HE city, 4th with pig/wheat (commerce), 5th with 2Crab (whip/specs/prod), 6th with sheep/marble (for NE/HE boost, but quite poor site).

Other/outlook:
Monty's lands are good, and the inbetween has room for plenty of cities to fuel whatever lategame plan I haven't decided on.
No wonders at all, missed Oracle and GLib went early. Also missed CoL, but did bulb taoism and have a good HR/Bureau capital going to help catch up in tech. Ragnar has caught taoism, so maybe he'll be willing to trade techs soon.. (still cautious though, even though he has +4 from HR).

 

[Htadus]

This was an interesting game to say the least. Settled on the spot to findout what a bad idea it was. Second city was to the north to work the gold and many FP's. Third was the war city which just built a Monument, a Grainary, Ikahende (?) and the HEpic and then units

It was a story of a builder finding out the world is full of commerce but not many hammers. So we lost the Oracle, TGLH, The temple of Artemes, GWall and the Pyramids. But the lost showed up as gold in the bank and we were able to tech fast in a world full of grumps. Things were looking gloomy for a 5 city empire. That no one wanted to share knowledge with.

But a 4 star Impi opened the Heroic Epic and we built it in the hammer city located northeast of the capital with wine, pig, ivory, a flood plain and many hills. Built many axes (5), WEleph (4) and cats(7) and attacked Monty. Took his capital with brand spanking new Pyramids and his horse city against LB's to minimum losses (Hooray to cats).

We did built the GLib and an academy in the capital. The marble city built the parthenon and it is helping the academy churn GP's. Alex is the only one who is trading with us. So he will survive for a while.

The short term plan is to finish Monty and the long term plan is to annex all of the original continent and then take over Japan and Stalin who has most of those wonders. I am heading to space as ususal. Likely a fast one this time. oh year, Cavs are a part of the plan.

 

[leif erikson]

Keep up the good work!

Took his capital with brand spanking new Pyramids and his horse city against LB's to minimum losses (Hooray to cats).

<snip>Stalin who has most of those wonders.

Reminds me of something I read on this board some time ago.
"Wonders won are sweeter than wonders built!"

Good luck!

 

[Htadus]

Keep up the good work!


Reminds me of something I read on this board some time ago.
"Wonders won are sweeter than wonders built!"

Good luck!

I first read it when DaveMcW wrote it and Thanks.

BTW that was very slick (and sick) to place the Monti so close knowing he was the only trading partner we have. It should have been Ragnar. And to place Japan so close to block the other AI contact. Very sly.

 

[Arnold_T]

This is a really fun game! Most fun I've had in the four or five xOTM games I've played. thanks for the design Leif! I'm enjoying the WAR emphasis in this one! And I've found the Impis' mobility make for a lot of fun too.
I've made some mistakes though, and I think I'm going to have a really hard time winning this one. I decided to settle first by the gold, but I don't think I chose the optimal spot, and it kinda screwed up the rest of my city placements. I place my second city near the start location with two coppers, wine, and somehow another copper hill popped up later in the BFC, so now it has three coppers. I thought Random Events were off! does this sometimes happen even when Random events are off?
Monte decided to settle close to my capital near the elephants so I quickly went to take him out there with axemen. It's been an ongoing war with him ever since. I think I'll have to wipe him out. But then I also have to deal with the japanese who've settled by MY crab, and MY dyes.

Somehow I managed to get the Oracle built, and got feudalism for a tech advantage with LongBows for a long time. But I missed the GLib by just one turn. Couldn't believe it! I guess I shoulda whipped it when it was just two turns to go.
The Japanese are way ahead on techs, don't know how I'm going to catch up. Nobody seems much interested in trading techs. So I've started building more cottages.

 

[Ronnie1]

I thought Random Events were off! does this sometimes happen even when Random events are off?

Resources can "found" under any mined tile....there is something like a 2% chance of "finding" something every turn I believe. I usually mine every tile that I find just in case I can discover resources at some point in the future.

 

[leif erikson]

I thought Random Events were off! does this sometimes happen even when Random events are off?

No random events in Warlords. Ronnie is correct, there is a small chance every turn that something may pop up on a mined tile, a metal or a commerce resource.

thanks for the design Leif!

You're welcome. Good luck with the rest of the game.

 

[godotnut]

Do golden ages eliminate anarchy for civic switches in Warlords? It's been a while since I played a Warlords game.

 

[leif erikson]

Do golden ages eliminate anarchy for civic switches in Warlords? It's been a while since I played a Warlords game.

No, they do not.

 

[Htadus]

Do golden ages eliminate anarchy for civic switches in Warlords? It's been a while since I played a Warlords game.

Sadly no. All changing civic does in the middle of the night (aka half a sleep) during a GA is to ruin 3 turn of GA for Incas recently. I was their advisor.

 

[Mitchum]

Resources can "found" under any mined tile....there is something like a 2% chance of "finding" something every turn I believe. I usually mine every tile that I find just in case I can discover resources at some point in the future.

I thought you actually had to have a citizen work the mine for a resource to pop. If so, then just building random mines your city can't support wouldn't help.

 

[Silu]

I thought you actually had to have a citizen work the mine for a resource to pop. If so, then just building random mines your city can't support woudn't help.

Yes, you have to actually work the tile in order to have a chance of popping random resources. At least in BtS. Can't see why they would have changed that. 0.01% chance per turn for each poppable resource (Aluminum, Coal, Copper, Gems, Gold, Iron, Silver, Uranium) you have the tech to reveal.