2018-06-06 (c) Brett Paufler # # # Pre Game Planning # # # Wonders of Note The Pyramids (Masonry: Government Civics) The Colossus (Metal Casting: +1c on Water) The Great Lighthouse (Sailing & Masonry: +1 trade route, coastal cities) Holy Shrine (+1c per city with religion) The Oracle (Priesthood: Free Tech) The Sistine Chapel (Music: +5 culture from Temple) The Spiral Minaret (Divine Right: +2 gold from Temple) The University of Sankore (Paper: +2 research from Temple) I would not object to picking up other Wonders. But it is important not to get carried away. Also, I can see limiting my buildings mainly to Temples... and Granaries for The Whip. Technologies Polytheism (Hinduism) Masonry (Pyramids) Monotheism (Judaism) Pottery (Cottages) Animal Husbandry (Cows) Bronze Working (Slavery) Priesthood (Temple, Oracle) Sailing (The Great Lighthouse, Sea Trade) **I should have researched Sailing prior to Priesthood Iron Working (Jungle Clearance) Metal Casting (The Colossus, Forge) Theology (Christianity) Paper (The University of Sankore, Map Trading) Music (Great Artist, The Sistine Chapel) Divine Right (Islam, The Spiral Minaret) Printing Press (+1c Village, +1c Town) Nationalism (Draft) Rifling (Riflemen) Steel (Cannons) Steam Power (Dykes) Railroad (Machine Gunners) Assembly Line (Infantry) Fascism (Great General) {Note: the research order is what I did, not as I planned. I mean, I planned these Techs, but it became apparent that some were more practical to research next: say, Steam Power after Steel, as it only was one Tech away.} National Wonders: not looking into very hard, just noting the synergy of a few combo's. Heroic Epic West Point Red Cross # # # Well, the research order is not set in stone. And it does look like I am opting for a bunch of religions, once again. One of the items I have not mentioned previously is the desire to pack my cities closer together, in a grid every two squares or so X - - X - - X - - - - - - - - - - - - - - X - - X - - X In this last game, I had tons of undeveloped jungle between my cities, doing me absolutely no good. And if we assume my military will crush the opposition, I can stop building settlers, once I have made contact. # # # 2018-06-06 4000BC Ha! I restarted, because I didn't like my micro-managing. And almost immediately, I messed up on my micro-managing, again. I doubt I will count that second start long term. Besides, third time is the charm. Work Boats in Snake Dream to build Population. See, even in the third play, there was a mistake here. As when the City increased size, it started working the Stone rather than another River Tile. Settlers and Workers in Snake Charm, though I have yet to Research a Worker Tech. Revolt to Organized Religion, which will eliminate the need for Monasteries. Maybe, I should revolt again into Judaism. It will make things easier. I think I will. So much for the micro. Add an extra turn wasted for a secondary revolt. I think I will cut Gandhi off early this game. # # # 1440BC T64 Truthfully, I can't see much difference between the two play throughs. Well, I say that. And then, I list the differences. 1) Fewer Wonders, only The Pyramids is in construction 2) More Religion, I have both Hinduism and Judaism, and both of these are spread to more Cities 3) I expanded further into Gandhi's territory right away, so... micro-fitting (and/or over-fitting) to the map. My Research order is helping. But I should have Researching Sailing first. Of the things soon to do, cut Gandhi off by sea. Truly isolate him. # # # 660BC T89 And an isolated Gandhi branches out to the islands faster. Hopefully, I will cut him off by settling the next island. If I do, I do not believe he can get to the big island. Things are looking good. But I do need to build up my army, as Gandhi will be looking for war eventually, if I cannot crush him. At 40% Research, but a slow REX is underway, as I have Iron Working. I have no idea how things compare to the previous game. Temples are keeping me happy. And I should revolt into Monarchy. So, I just reloaded {I'm sure I quit for the day, so I just fired up the game again} to do just that. I am choosing Monarchy over Representation, which I usually take, as I need to build my Military. Thus, this gives my garrison force a dual function (deter attack and keep folks happy). Now, it's break time. # # # 2018-06-07 400BC At the start of the REX, which will take the next 1-2,000 years. I feel more focused. Though, as with any REX, money is going to be critical. Hopefully, I will have enough workers to bring the new cities on line, just as fast as they are made; and this will turn things in my favor. # # # 2018-06-07 50AD T117 Can't say much exciting is happening. I have a slight Tech lead down my chosen path. Isabella hates me on account of differing Religions. I am constructing more Buildings than I said I would, Barracks included. But I am skipping the Wonders I said I would skip. And the REX seems to be in order. I do not know how I compare to last game. But the Cities are packed closer together, which was the main reason for the restart: the first time through, I had never developed the land that I controlled. As it is, I have enough Workers, so the development and settlement are proceeding in a wave. # # # 2018-06-07 475AD T134 I forgot I was in Monarchy! So, time to build Troops for Happiness. Also, I may want to move up to Nationalism. Isabella is expanding my way... Also, I pulled up the previous game to look at it briefly. And although there are about the same number of cities, the ones in this game are packed together more tightly. It remains to be seen whether that is a good thing or not. # # # 2018-06-08 760AD T148 Originally, I was going to research Nationalism after Railroad, but I decided to bump it up and research it before Rifling, as I want that Draft mechanism. # # # 2018-06-08 940AD T157 My score is not as high as it was last time around (in the 120,000s vs 130,000s). But I think that has more to do with my having less land. On the other hand, my Cities are packed. And when I take over Gandhi's land (note the when, not the if, he simply does not have the Cities to wage a war), I will expand on his Cities. So, there is a definite give and take between number of Cities and the development of the Cities one has. In the last game, I got land... less so this game. We will see in another 500 years how I feel. About half of my Cities do not have Judaism, so I will need to pump out some Missionaries (in lieu of more Settlers, I think... maybe even more workers). Either Ragnor and Gandi are plotting against each other... or against me. We shall see. A few turns ago, I was in second place when it came to the number of soldiers (on the Demographic Screen). But now, I am in first place. And as Nationalism comes on board, that will skyrocket. After all, after the REX comes the... well, WAR! I am trailing Gandhi in Tech. Eh, despite the Northern Expansion coming to a halt, I still need upwards of ten more Settlers for infill (two islands, Charming Highway, and two by The Cove, possibly more). # # # 2018-06-08 1210D T181 I declared war on Gandhi this turn. And two turns later... nothing has happened. He does not have Gunpowder. And in six or seven turns when I attack, I will be attacking with Rifles and Cannons. Gandhi does not stand a chance. Both Delhi and Bombay are Wonder Cities. And Bombay is the Holy City for Confucianism. Um, so I may be counting my eggs a bit before they hatch. Ragnar and Isabella have a Defensive Pact, which should not matter. Ragnar's empire is not big enough for him to muster many troops. And just like last game, I expect to go after Huayna Capac first. Though, such a Defensive Pact is good for Ragnar... a wise decision on his part. I may have wanted to pick him off. But Isabella is number two in this game {behind me}. And he's tucked in behind her. So, he's safe. I might never get to attacking him. Anyhow, taking a nap, as the war with Gandhi will be slow going. I am in no hurry. Right now, I'm waiting to see if he'll send any troops my way... also, waiting until I Research Steel so I can build Cannons in five turns. # # # 2018-06-08 1250AD T185 Sure enough! Gandhi's stack crossed the border and got decimated: ten straight losses. It was like shooting fish in a barrel {or fish launching themselves against gunfire}. Now, I have a few turns to heal, before I get Steel, promote my Catapults to Cannons, and take over the Injun Lands. # # # 2018-08-09 1480AD T208 I redeclared war on Gandhi. And will be happy to make peace in a few turns for a Tech or two... after I take his last City on the Mainland. I have Troops moving into position to attach Huayna Capac, but that is a few (twenty) turns off. My build order (for minor Cities) has been: Granary Barracks Temple (as soon as Judaism is in City) Courthouse (much later, as I've only gotten Code of Laws through a trade rather recently) Actually, the order isn't accurate. Granary comes first, unless on an island, in which case, Lighthouse comes first. But on Mainland shore, Lighthouse comes last. Dyke is in there, as well, now. Anyhow, I've got the build queue cut down. This late in the game and I've only got three Theatres. So, it is a low build game. The Jewish Temples are very nice, as I have the three Temple modifying Wonders: The Sistine Chapel (Music: +5 culture from Temple) The Spiral Minaret (Divine Right: +2 gold from Temple) The University of Sankore (Paper: +2 research from Temple) So, each Jewish Temple gives me: +1 Happiness +2 Research +2 Gold +12 Culture Which is not bad for 120 Hammers: 40 Hammers Missionary 80 Hammers Temple Even if for the most, I am letting the Holy Shrine spread Judaism. # # # 2018-06-10 1480AD T208 I added a Theatre to the Build Queue of a bunch of Cities that border the Spanish Empire, as I want to be able to build the Globe Theatre in my Capital, thus being able to spit out a Drafted unit there every other turn or so. # # # 2018-06-10 1525AD T215 Gandhi is wiped out, but not out of the game, as I have the Complete Kills setting on, which means he has a lone Scout running about (and likely not much else). Heck, maybe not even that, as I don't know how that Scout got past me. Eh, probably ages ago, before I put up my wall. I switched to Police State for the War Happiness Bonus. And after I crank out 25 or so Missionaries (so, maybe never, I'll switch). Wait! Hold the phone! One of the reasons I was going to wait to switch, was for the ability to build Missionaries without Monasteries, but The Cove has a Monastery, so I can switch just as soon as the game will let me. Thus, it is time to get that +2 Experience from Theocracy. # # # 2018-06-11 1585AD T227 Well, at this point, it has definitely turned into a slog. Whenever I get around to designed the next map (Desert Sands, or something like that), I will be making it much smaller in scope. Maybe the same map size, but resource poor with few places to build cities. Infantry {20 strength} is walking over a Medieval Incan Empire. They stand absolutely no chance... and by all appearances, are not aware of the problem. # # # 2018-06-15 1640AD T238 From here on out, we are mopping up. So, the goal is to maximize points as I do so, while minimizing the mouse clicks. To that end, I will be Revolting into Universal Suffrage and Emancipation. I had a few turns stint of building infrastructure. But I think I am back to Infanry production. It's weird (or stupid) how clueless the AI is. There is definitely something lacking. My competition is simply waiting for me to win at this point. They haven't a chance. And are doing nothing to change that. # # # 2018-06-17 1645AD T239 Time for the Final Countdown. I have no idea how long the game will take from here. But it is just a matter of tidying up, conquering everyone, which sounds sort of arrogant, but as they are offering no resistance, and I still have the advantage of Cannons and Infantry, victory is certain. I accidentally declared peace, so reloaded. Also, I deleted the relevant line in the log. # # # 2108-06-17 1690AD T248 So, ten turns to mop up the Incans. I wonder how long Spain will take me. I'm out of Slavery and into Emancipation and Universal Suffrage. The score is decaying quickly due to time; but for now, conquests have held me steady. We shall see how it goes. I'm backfilling the Research Tree to get a few more points for that. So, long story short, I'm nursing the points as I clean up the board. # # # 2018-06-21 1780AD T260 Well, the fight against Spain was fun for a few turns. They've researched Artillery. So, I'm winning the war, but losing lots of troops. Time to call it a day, as it's getting to be a bit of a slog. I need to remember to draft units. My size is so much greater than Isabella's, I can afford to trade unit for unit. But I went in with too many stacks, thinking it would be a cake walk. And it is not. I lost a lot of troops over that blunder. I probably should have kept it down to a stack or two until Isabella had crashed all her troops against mine, killing 15 Calvaries against 20 Infantry. As it is, the Infantries are getting worn down. It's tempting to take peace to regroup, but I only need five turns to regroup. And anything past that just delays victory. As I'm shutting down, I'm noticing two wayward units in my territory. They won't do any damage, but they really should not be there. It really is a slog. I mean, part of me says, reload it to get better {better at playing, feel what a good war feels like}. While the other part says, why bother. It just doesn't matter. Isabella will take peace the moment I offer. And there is no way she can out-produce me. Still, those two units should not be so deep in my territory. In an effort to end this fast, I split my stacks. Instead, I should have let Isabella come to me. Huh, maybe I will reload. If I do, the save at Turn 248 is the one to load. It's after the Incan's fell, but before I declared war on Isabella... or really even re-stationed my troops for the attack. Yep, probably going to do those twelve turns over. # # # 2018-06-21 These are the troop losses, 1690AD at the start of the Spanish War, 1750AD when I stopped for the day. 1690AD Infantry 107 current 3 lost Artillery 25 current lost 6 (including cannons) 1750AD Infantry 115 current 32 lost Artillery 15 current 22 lost (including cannons) Which means, I lost 45 units! Yeah, I'll be reloading! 1) Two stacks at the most, one on each end of the front. 2) Let Isabella come to me, delaying invasion by 5-10 turns depending upon how long it takes her to mobilize. I think this is the first major reload; but at this point, I can't remember for sure. Oh, right! And I started over from scratch, too. Cheater! Or as I prefer to think of it: Learner! Also, for comparison: Turn 260 Score: 4886 If Won This Turn: 147472 # # # 2018-06-22 1725AD T255 Well, it should come as no surprise that the second time around, I am in a much better position. Of course, the counter attack has just begun. Isabella has researched Assembly Line... Oh, wait! She hasn't. What happened was that Assembly Line, which gives Infantry (a 20 power unit), has been moved into the can't trade column. So, she is still behind by Cannons (then Artillery) and Infantry. But the reason I am writing at the moment is because her stack attacks a well defended City next turn. I have City Garrison promoted Infantry (14 of them) defending against a stack of 24 units, the highest one being Calvary (at 15 power). Let's see what happens. Ah, but first a shower. And now, I'm all nice and clean. But before I hit the Turn End button and let Isabella attack, I should note that I have been told that if the AI brings siege, they sometimes wait to knock down the City defences. And if Isabella does that, I'll have enough time to bring in more reinforcements. The AI chose to bombard the City and weaken it's defences... um, big mistake. I really do like crushing the snot out of the AI. I am in the middle of conquering two Cities this turn... with my two stacks. What fun! Dragging it out! Taking it slow! Enjoying myself! Well, three Cities, which means I have to be careful about splitting my troops up. Good thing the AI has decided bombarding my City is a good idea... with a Trebuchet no less. Anyhow, I've done my Draft, gotten three more Infantry, so now it is time to end my turn... once again. I'd be surprised if Isabella attacks, which she should, since I now {only} have 16 Infantry in the city and 1 Artillery and it's only going to go up. Hey! Soon enough, I'll have enough troops in the City, it will make sense to attack my attackers. This War Against Isabella is going much smoother this time around. I've actually just gotten done moving some troops backwards so as to keep my forces massed together. # # # 2018-06-22 1740AD T258 Isabella wasted her stack! Wasted it! Not a single casualty on my side! Yeah, that's why I reloaded! I knew I could do better! And I did! # # # 2018-06-22 1750AD T260 Score: 4895 If Win This Turn: 147877 Infantry: 166 Current, Lost 5 Artillery: 27 Current, Lost 7 The points are about the same, but I have way more units. Units Current: 193 Units at Reload: 130 That's sixty Units. There is absolutely no comparison. My play is much better. Sure, I knew what was going to happen. But at some point (at some skill level), I should know what is going to happen. I mean, I did not know where the counter-attack would take place. But I did know it would. Anyhow, part of my main (web page) right up will likely go into the concept of cheating, so maybe I should make a detour there now. First, it is better not to reload. There is more honor. And there is no debating this. I cannot see anyone disagreeing. Second, there are various reasons to reload: 1) An honest error (i.e. hitting the wrong button). I figure it is fair game to reload when this happens... and I don't even consider it bad form. OK. It is to be avoided. But it doesn't count as a reload. 2) To redo a bad roll (combat result or some other Random Number Event). Eh, this is just a stupid thing to do in my opinion. Take your lumps. 3) In order to revise or replay a strategy. Once again, this is not ideal... and should have some percentage hit when comparing points. But, well, until one gets good, it's probably the best way to learn. I had a theory that my game play was bad (cities not stacked closely enough) on the first play through; and on replay, my theory was confirmed. In this latest game, I should have waited a bit and concentrated my attack against Isabella. Is this true or false? Well, why not reload and find out... so next time one can play the optimum strategy and there is less (or no, but probably just less) of a reason to reload. # # # 2018-06-26 1750AD T260 Time to kick some Spanish Tushy! # # # 2018-06-26 1770AD T264 Yes, indeed! I am kicking Isabella's derriere! But I am not going to be able to win the war without attacking Ragnar, as well. So, time to start planning that. I need a path, assuming I will declare peace with Isabella for Valuable Cash & Prizes, first. And I want to own Madrid, Barcelona, & Toledo, as these are Isabella's Wonder Cities. # # # 2018-06-26 1785AD T267 That is enough for the day. 6,809 points 166,215 if I won this turn. I am getting tired (i.e. bored), so time to quit. I've split my troops into three stacks War Weariness from the Gandhi corner is causing unhappiness. And I've likely got 20-30 turns left. Anyhow, Isabella has no stack; and so, her defenses are static. While Ragnar (the noble Viking) is all holed up, waiting for me to attack, which I will... just not today. # # # 2018-07-08 1785AD T267 I am anxious for the game to be over; and so, I can move on to creating the next map, which will be much smaller in scope: a much quicker play. As such, we are at Total War! # # # 2018-07-08 1806AD T273 It is a cake walk, a simple mop up operation. # # # 2018-07-08 1822AD T281 Isabella is out of the game. And Ragnar has lost his first city; and hence, most of his troops. I expect to win the game in ten turns or so; basically, as soon as the borders pop on the Newly Annexed Spanish Territory. So, maybe I will pound this out, tomorrow. And yes, it is a bit like pounding it out at this point. I am sure there are more points to be had in the end game {than I am squeezing out of it}; but at 165,000+, things are looking pretty sweet. # # # 2018-07-09 1830AD T285 Domination Victory Base Score: 7426 Score: 170,654 The next game will be on a much smaller map. There was a lot of cleaning up long after victory was certain {which isn't very fun or exciting for me}. Also, the higher levels don't seem to make the AI smarter, just better equipped. So, if I cheated by giving myself a wonderful start, at higher levels, all the AI does is cheat; thus, allowing silly strategies to appear efficient. Any further write up will have to wait for the web page. 2018-07-09 (c) Brett Paufler