Desert Sands In Game Notes (c) Copyright Brett Paufler 2018-10-10 Playing as Egypt # # # 2018-10-10 RESEARCH ORDER Animal Husbandry Mining -> Masonry Pottery -> Writing Mysticism (only if Stonehenge available) Bronze Working -> Iron Working Mathematics Currency -> Code of Laws (pre-req for Civil Service) Civil Service (for Bureaucracy, Heavy Footman) Aesthetics -> Literature Drama -> Music Paper -> Printing Press (+2 to towns) Divine Right Theology (only if Christianity available) Philosophy (only if Taoism available) Education -> Liberalism (Astronomy) -> Economics Astronomy (assuming upper island is reachable) Steel -> Assembly Line SHOULD WIN BY THIS POINT Scientific Method -> Physics -> Communism IMPORTANT WONDERS The Pyramids (for Government Civics) Stonehenge (not so important) Hanging Gardens (+1 Health) Shwedagon Paya (for Religion Civics) Great Library (+2 Scientists, huge this game) Globe Theatre in Thebes (no unhappiness) University of Sankore (+2 research from state religion buildings) The Spiral Minaret (+2 gold from state religion buildings) # # # The start build order should be: Worker -> Worker -> Settler And that may well be enough advance planning. # # # 2018-10-10 4000BC T0 Odd, how moments later (and I do mean only moments), I cannot remember the first technology I decided to research. Worker -> Worker -> Settler On the other hand, I've got down cold. # # # 2018-10-10 3640BC T9 Opted for: Pottery -> Mining -> Masonry As I will be working on: Worker -> Worker -> Settler For a while, yet. # # # 2018-10-10 1200BC T70 I did not build the early wonders in order, but opted for: Stonehenge -> The Great Wall -> The Pyramids For a standard early game, things are going well. But it's going to get... um, stagnant in a bit, I believe. Since I know my next build site, a half dozen tiles away to the Northwest, I'll start exploring with a chariot in that direction and build a settler. No contact from anyone, which is as I expected given the panther situation. Though, it is time for me to start clearing the panthers and start earning a little experience. I should also mention that Memphis (my second city) is going to be one crappy city. But that's alright, as its main purpose in life is to work cottages for Thebes, to insure my hamlets become villages and towns as fast as possible. # # # 2018-10-11 125BC T110 Darius of Persia is my neighbour; and he made contact a few turns back. I got one trade out of him before he turned off the spigot. But I should not worry too much. Eh, maybe I should. I wonder what it would take to get him to trade again. The problem is: the technologies he has that I want are only take one and two turns to research. And the ones he needs take a bit longer. I am not going to trade Mathematics for Monotheism... or even gift him Mathematics. We shall be going to war soon enough. It is my understanding the maximum experience one can get from animals (or barbarians) is five. So, I am nursing that, building a unit up to five, then returning it to garrison duty, as another unit is promoted. By giving the computer crappy starts (but really, only as crappy as my own, as I was careful to give my major competitor an equal start {but after playing as Arabia, the competitor, I can say that they were not equal, Egypt was better}), I believe I have hobbled them sufficiently. I mean, maybe not. Darius was happy enough to send out a scout (an axeman who is at full strength), so maybe he is coping just fine. I settled the cow/iron to the Northwest. And next turn, I will start on the settler for the port city to the Southwest. There are a few other city sites on the map, but they are minor... like, single oasis minor. Still, on this map, they count towards land for the point score and will slowly pump out troops. In the end, one works with what they have. I will have iron hooked up in a few turns. At which point, the war machine will start working on macemen to fight Darius. I might need a catapult or two, so I shall look into that technology eventually. Three wonders are stacked up in my capitol with The Great Library being the most important. It would really suck if someone else snagged that from me. But I think I am far and away the most technologically advanced. Unlike the panthers, I will not clear the triremes in the center sea until after I have control of the islands. No sense doing that hard work for Ragnar... and the rest. Who? Gandi and Hammurabi, if memory serves correct. I need a Great Scientist to build an Academy in Thebes. Hopefully, I'll get one after The Great Library is in. And that is all for this push. # # # 2018-10-11 780AD T149 My research path is breaking down, so researching: Guilds (for Grocer and Knights) -> Philosophy (for Taoism, the final religion) My mistake! I had inserted my final grouping of technologies under wonders, so I still had some advance planning. After Philosophy, I'll be going for: Education -> Calender -> Optics -> Liberalism (get Astronomy this way) -> Economics And from there, I believe it will be: Steel -> Assembly Line For the win! I need to start working on my War Machine... but not yet. Thebes has been cranking out the wonders non stop. And the land is so poor, no other city is online. Still, soon enough. Maybe I will trade for construction and get me some catapults. That and knights should do the trick. Either way, I am second in soldiers; and I need to bring that up. So, I think it shall be: Granary -> Temple -> Monastery -> Lighthouse (in coastal cities) -> Unit Spam I am questioning the utility of barracks anywhere but in my capital. And building theatres was for naught, as Thebes can't support much more population that it has with or without unlimited unhappiness. It doesn't have the health bonuses. I, also, could use a few more missionaries. But I think those are a low priority. I'm light on workers. I only have two. But I doubt I will build more. Yes, I'm a city behind {it's not developed yet, so working unimproved land}. But only one city. Soon enough, there will be nothing for the few workers I have to do. Eh, maybe I should build one more... OK. I'm building one more worker. I don't know if it will help with these cities. But I'll need it eventually. Time is slipping away. The technologies seemed far advanced for the epoch (as in, I'm ahead of schedule); and now, I'm slipping into normalcy. # # # 2018-10-11 1170AD T177 Quite a few turns later, and I don't know that I've made any progress. I'm cruising on the Great People. I generate 167 Great People Points a turn in Thebes. But I am not doing anything inspired with them. I think I have settled every last one, which makes Thebes a powerhouse. But I'll never make up my return on investment. About half of my cites (yep, three out of six) are producing military units. But maybe it should be more. Eh, nah. Thebes has better things to do. A university and observatory will add over a hundred beakers per turn... much better than another wonder at this point. Eh, I just checked only +41 twice (so, +82 for both). But still, that's a lot. Anyhow, going into straight on military mode. I wonder if I should have attacked sooner? My chariots rolled over Darius's axes, which I should have known they would. It's almost not worth upgrading them if I'm going against axes. Anyhow, we have a treaty for another nine turns, Darius and I, we do. And on the dime, I'm declaring war again. At the moment, I do not have a big enough stack to do much damage... but he'll sue for peace again. And sooner or later, my units will be at the point where I'm invincible. War! War! War! From here on out, it's war! # # # 2018-10-12 1290AD T187 The hated Persian's have been removed from the face of Desert Sands! Darius helped me a lot in the attack. It was almost as if he were a turn coat traitor and opened the city gates for me. I lost a knight and a chariot (of the four that could attack that turn), taking over his secondary city (a complete waste of space, who's only saving grace is that it will let me see how desert lighthouse cities fare). Anyhow, after taking over the one, Darius decided to launch a counter attack against a poorly defended border city of mine. I mean, it wasn't such a bad idea. The only problem was that he left a lone spearman in his capitol that a knight got 31.3% odds on, which is not good. But I took the chance and won. And just like taking the king in chess, that's all she wrote. Post battle, I'm building two more missionaries, a duece of galleons are in the queue, and eventually I have a settler for that Northern Island, which is heavily defended by bears. Oh, my! # # # 2018-10-12 1515AD T213 The steam roller is starting. None of my adversaries are close to me in power. So, they shall all fall. Perhaps, I am waiting too long to attack. Probably, although it would change my strategy significantly to go from wonders to weapons in the early game. But then, to improve my game/score that might be exactly what I need to do. I doubt I will research Scientific Method. On the other hand, once I do, I will get a Great Spy and a Great Scientist soon after on account of Communism and Physics; but losing The Great Library (2 free Great Scientists) and The Parthenon (+50% Great Person Points) is the real reason to avoid researching Scientific Method. It is all very moot, as none of this is required to win the game. Victory is Mine! # # # 2018-10-17 1600AD T230 There's not much doing. I am waltzing over the competition. It's just a matter of time. Their outdated weaponry is no match for my twenty strength infantry. Now, I will give it to Saladin that if I had not shown up, he would have taken over Ragnar's sole remaining city. But whether that would have yielded him any advantage whatsoever is another story. I can't remember exactly where (or even, in-exactly where) I located Saladin's main city. But once I locate it, he's dead. I'm sort of hoping either he or Gilgamesh will capitulate before then. But you know they won't. Upon winning with Egypt, I will try my hand at Arabia, going an all war route. # # # 2018-10-17 1610AD T232 Saladin just capitulated. And I did not take over a single city. Though, I have a huge stack headed his way. And have already decimated his army. Gilgamesh is the last man standing. # # # 2018-10-17 1650AD T240 Score: 5330 Normalized: 63710 There was not much to learn in the final turns. Building fishing boats in the Home Country worked and brought the one island state up to speed very quickly. It is the way to do such things. Because Saladin capitulated first and so easily (as opposed to Gilgamesh), I won a good 5-10 turns faster than I might have otherwise. The final bit was a Death March. And if every play session were like that, I doubt I would continue to play. # # # 2018-10-17 (c) Copyright Brett Paufler