2018-12-27 (c) Copyright Brett Paufler # # # Holy Cow # # # Wouldn't it be nice if this were the only play-through. Well, I guess maybe I can insure that... especially if I am willing to accept defeat in the first Religion Race. # # # 2018-12-27 4000BC T0 After my scout moves, this is looking like a lot more crappy start than I had at first imagined. The game wall lies to the north (not bad in that it blocks me). And a lake lies to the south. # # # 2018-12-27 2240BC T44 The lion was kind enough not to kill my settler. Eh, maybe I should have escorted him... but not if animals are unwilling to attack... or will give me a second chance. # # # 2018-12-27 400BC T88 I just lost a city to a barbarian. I've not been paying attention for a variety of reason... and have been hitting end a turn {without thinking to much about what I am doing}. In the end, it does not matter. First, I am going to have a hard time keeping track of all these opponents. Second, my start was not very good. Many of the previous starts that I had looked at had loads of floodplains, but after my Screen Edge River, I have a rather broad expanse of desert. So, restarting... and rerolling. We'll figure out what to do with the webpage image later. I do not think this is the map I wish to play... nor do I wish to replay any map repeatedly. I may have to rethink my desires for this game. # # # # # # # # # 2018-12-28 4000BC T0 Lone Cow River: Restart Losing a city to a barbarian is a good enough reason to reboot for me. It's sort of proof that I was not working the map properly. I, honestly, believe the Three Little Pigs start is a bit better... but maybe not, which means things are close enough. One of the factors that matters the most {on this map} is how much expansion one can accomplish prior to having to chop jungle. Anyhow, I will prioritize the early worker techs and settle as much land as I can early on, switching to war when a target presents itself. Researching: Agriculture -> Animal Husbandry Producing: Worker -> Settler Animal Husbandry and the Worker should come in at more or less the same time. And from there, it's a standard REX, with the expectation of a Barbarian attack at T100, exactly like last game. So, I should be prepared for an attack by T80 or so. But I can be Defence Light until then, as I have no expectation anyone will be in range to Rush me. Last game, the nearest neighbour was well over twenty tiles away. # # # 2018-12-28 3200BC T20 Researching: The Wheel -> Pottery -> Mining -> Bronze Working And for the next bit, I am producing a mixture of Workers and Settlers, planning on settling close enough that escorting those Settlers is not a prime concern. Having scouted my Initial Settlement Area (that part of the map I can access without travelling through any jungle) gives me six plus city sites. I will, probably, settle the marble horse site in the middle of the desert first, using my Scout to Fog Bust. Then, the scout will move off to the South (likely, SouthEast). And the rest of the Settlers will plop down in the desert besides Lone Cow River. They will be a tile in {from the river on the desert}, so as to give me access to more workable tiles. This will deny me any Levees later on. But it's the way to maximize early food. I feel stronger this game already. I have a feel for the map. I'm willing to take a break. The main event for the day is playing this game, but it is not the only thing I will be doing. Without a doubt, breaks make for better play... and more commentary. # # # 2018-12-28 1120BC T72 The flood plains come with enough negative health benefits that the surplus food is meaningless. I am annoyed that I lost the race for Stonehenge. But that is not too important. Far more important is the total lack of traction in development. Reverting to the Three Little Pigs map. # # # # # # # # # 2018-12-28 1880BC T53 This start is much stronger. My research is not as great, due to working more food tiles, as opposed to cottages. But in a few dozen turns (certainly after I found the next city or two) that situation will have reversed. And I will be on much stronger footing than either of the previous two starts. With all the different resources (pigs, corn, rice), I have plenty of health. It will exceed (by far) my happiness cap. Currently, I am researching Iron Working. From there, the goal is Code of Laws for Courthouses and Confucianism. But if there is no Iron nearby (I see no copper), I will take a detour down Archery in order to prepare for the Barbarian Onslaught expected in a short fifty (so not quite fifty) turns. # # # 2018-12-28 900BC T79 I thought about making a run for The Oracle. But I am not in a position to get an expensive technology from it. And I have decided a few more Axes are worth more. Currently, I have Axes in my perimeter cities. But it would be nice to plop an Axe down where I intend to found a city, prior to my Settler's arrival. And to kill Barbarians in a proactive fashion. # # # 2018-12-28 375BC T100 Things are going well. Nothing really outstanding, but well. I am not using the whip very much. I do not find it fruitful to whip Workers or Settlers. And of course, it gets in the way of city growth. I have seven cities and would like to have seven more in the next 25 turns. So, we'll see how that goes. I am researching towards my Unique Unit: Landsknecht, which I have every expectation will prove to be a difficult word to spell correctly during this write-up. The first wave of Barbarians was a cake walk. And expansion proceeds uninhibited... as I expect it to until the first {causing the first war, I imagine}. # # # 2018-12-28 250AD T125 Maintenance costs finally caught up with me, so expansion has not been as fast as desired. That said, I've made the mistake of building a few Libraries when I should have built Rathauses (a Rathaus being a pretty good name for a Courthouse, if you ask me). I think I have enough Axes for the moment. And have a few more Settlers lined up. It's a pretty straightforward REX until I run out of room. For the moment, I'm only running into Russia, toward which all my new Settlers will head. # # # 2018-12-28 800AD T150 I, probably, have not been doing that well. I have: 14 Cities 42 Units Hannibal of Russia will be declaring war soon. So, I should shift my units to that front. For a change of pace, his power is only 80% of mine. And I'm coming into my Unique Unit... fairly soon, which is a good time for a first war. Russia's Unique Unit is a Cossack. And I do not believe good old Hannibal will last that long. Of course, it would suck if Hannibal declared next turn. But I don't think he will. # # # 2018-12-28 900AD T155 It is not looking good. Everyone else on the board is Hindu. So, there is a large religious block that does not care for me. I am going to have to build a lot of units. I got that worried look in my eyes. The early REX was fun. But things are looking less than stellar at the moment. # # # 2018-12-29 900AD T155 Over the night, I have come to the conclusion that I over-expanded: not so much that I have too many cities, but that I have too many cities surrounded by solid jungle {with no workable tiles}. I, also, broke my intended pattern of a city every four squares: c - - c - - c - - - - - - - - - - - - - - c - - c - - c Which may not be the best pattern in the world, but it was tight. But in order to cut my enemies off, I altered the build, which was a mistake. So, I am planning on proceeding from the Rice Island Seed and finding myself a new start. # # # # # # # # # PIG FLATS RESTART # # # # # # 2018-12-29 4000BC T0 I over REX'd last game. Like I said (somewhere), not too many cities, but more cities than I had developed land, so I was loosing maintenance costs for far too long. The land in Pig Flats does not look overly awesome, but I am looking forward to playing it, which is half the fun... or you know, a very important part when it comes to rolling {and settling on} a new map. I intend to keep my scout in close, as I gained nothing from contact in the previous games. Well, there's the research bonus, so maybe I should scout again. And it was nice knowing in what direction to develop. But being right at the edge {I started at the edge of the map}, that was a sort of given {away from the edge, duh}. Whatever the case, the final decision is not to scout. Do a loop, an ever expanding circle, but that is it. I, also, think I want the Early Religions. Yeah, it sets me back. But I'm not going to be rushing anyone, as I think my first war (I am still planning this to be a War Game) will be fought with Catapults and Landsknechts. Researching: Polytheism Not going to scout? OK. Then, here's a scout for you when you pop the hut. Settling in place and building a warrior to grow on. Then a Setter or two, a Worker, and starting on the Wonders at that point... or so goes the plan. It will be annoying if I do not found Hinduism. # # # Early scouting reveals that I am on the right edge of the map. And just between you and me, I called that the left edge in my mind initially. Left and Right are not very good markers for me. Also, I would be happy with more sea on this map. I've revealed the edge of a sea... at least nine tiles, but I would be happy with fifty tile seas to break up the board. {I am happy with the Sea/Land Split in my next game: China.} # # # 3720BC: a hut pops Archery. Nice! # # # 3640BC: a hut provides me with another Scout. OK. I guess I am going to do some exploring... come what may. Three scouts. Not bad. # # # 2018-12-29 3520BC T12 Two Scouts attacked by Lions, both survived. It would have been ironic to loose two in the same turn. I guess I've decided to scout, as well as I am able until my scouts die. Polytheism has come in. I'm going for Judaism. # # # 3400BC: Last turn a scout was killed. This turn, I popped another Scout. Ragner of the Khemer is pretty darn close to the south. Actually, it turns out, the Khemer Empire is nestled into the SouthEast (and/or lower right) corner of the map. # # # 3120BC: I popped Agriculture. I am having very good luck with the huts. So, maybe there is a reason to build a scout or two. They cost 15 hammers. And I've gotten way more than that out of my scout: Three Bonus Scouts (one dead) Two Techs (Archery & Agriculture) A Few Maps (worthless) 232 Gold It's quite the return for a few hammers... basically 15, as my first build was a warrior (building a worker, presently). # # # 2720BC: Judaism founded. # # # 2040BC: I just got Monarchy from a Goodie Hut. That's an incredible return on investment: 450 Beakers. I should count this up when I'm done exploring. Or keep a running total, as both Agriculture and Archery are both worth 90 Beakers each. And I have 232 Gold in the treasury: Scouting +45 Three Scouts +90 Archery +90 Agriculture +450 Monarchy +232 Gold -------------------- +907 Commerce I mean, we can even back out the Scouts as they will (likely) all eventually die. It's a ridiculous head start. # # # 2018-12-29 1720BC T57 Stonehenge just came in. I question it's importance, but it is very nice not having to worry about culture... and the AI really does suck at culture. I will be building the Pyramids next (off and on), interspersing it with at least one Settler and maybe a Warrior or two depending upon how things go. Or in other words, the Pyramids to grow on and Settlers for the infill. I do not have a settlement pattern decided. One of the nice things about straight grasslands was the ability to work a geometric pattern. But no such luck here. Research wise, Code of Laws is the next target. And I hope/intend to found it in the capitol, so no new cities until then. It's forty turns off, which is how far (at least) The Pyramids are out. After Code of Laws, I shall REX, build the Golden Age Wonders in Pig Flats, and research towards my Unique Unit the (imminently copy/paste-able) Landsknecht. So in short, by the T100 Game Save, I hope to have Confucianism and The Pyramids in the capitol and be in a position to start the REX. Finally, I just revolted into Judaism as my State Religion. I like the idea of waiting for Confucianism... and maybe I will convert again. But for now, I want the +1 Happy. That will put my Happy Limit at Seven, I believe. It's hard to tell during a Revolution. And that {level of happiness} should be enough to get me to Pyramids without building any more Warriors. {Ah, I must have been whipping Warriors for the overflow. Or got me, this doesn't make sense.} A solid start. I will need to REX. But not as hard as last game. Oh, the main reason Confucian sounds better is because I plan to settle the map in a square pattern... and then, make deviations as needed for Floodplains. And the Confucian symbol seems to call that to mind... also, Rathaus. {I like playing a little (but just a little, during write-up mostly) about the meaning behind my Civilization's State Religion.} # # # 1680BC: I got a Warrior from a Goodie Hut. Is no one else exploring the board? # # # 1560: I got another Warrior... and Horseback Riding. 907 + 15 -15 (for the Scout I lost) + 375 = 1,282 Insane! # # # 1420BC: Mathematics!!! 1,282 + 375 = 1,657 I should probably be shooting for a score of 100,000+ this game. The roll of the dice is on my side... and/or this is an advantage of Huge Maps... lots and lots of Goodie Huts. This start really is too good to scrap at this point, regardless of any future Wonder/Religion Races I might lose... or even a wayward city. # # # 1320BC: I lost two warriors attacking a fortified warrior guarding a Goodie Hut. Goodie Hut Earnings = 1,627! # # # 975BC: I lost a Scout to a Warrior. Now, I am down to two Scouts. The original (or at least, let's call it the original) and one bonus Scout. Plus 1,612 in Gold and Beakers. # # # 875BC: My extra Scout was destroyed by an Archer. 1,597 to the good. # # # 2018-12-29 850BC T81 Confucianism has been founded. So, Pig Flats is loaded up with three religions. I expect Barbarians to attack shortly, so I am researching Bronze Working (well, Mining -> Bronze Working), so I have some kind of defence. Pyramids are slow. I do not have many hammers. But once I get Slavery, I can whip overflow into The Pyramids... or maybe just whip The Pyramids. # # # 2018-12-29 825BC T82 I built The Temple of Solomon. Thus, Judaism will be my State Religion. So, the funky double triangle clearly is a reference to 'Three Square Meals a Day, Twice a Day.' It was not worth the delay to switch to Confucianism. Pyramids is way out there, another twenty turns. It's slow going. # # # 800BC: Bronze Working to be researched from scratch in four turns. Not bad. # # # 2019-12-29 475BC T100 The Barbarians appeared right at Turn 100. I have an Archer running out to meet them: two Barbarian Warriors. It should not be a problem... well, I hope not. The Pyramids are ten odd turns out. I whipped the crap out of my city, reducing the population to three. I don't know if it was a good move or not. I think I basically got an Aqueduct, Temple, and Granary for free... in that order. I, maybe, should have whipped the Granary first. Further, I was one-stepping my Scout for a while there, as a preservation tactic. I'd move a single square, so I'd have a safety move in case a warrior popped up. # # # 150BC T109 So, only nine turns out on The Pyramids {notice the tension}. I would like to start on The Parthenon right away, but I need to settle a few cities first. The first wave of attacks would have been a lot easier to defeat if I had upgraded my Warrior. I did that after the attack. Also, I'd be sitting much prettier if I had not blown those two axes on a hut. {I think they were Warriors; but then, losing two Axes to an Axe sitting on hut seems reasonable, as well. And I talk Axes a lot in a moment.} But {whatever} the hut is still there... and who knows what is in it? I've got enough big things to build (Temples, Rathaus) that I think I should build a few Axes and chop those big buildings into the Parthenon. Also, at some point, I should settle a city up north to get the Marble. That's, actually, a nice city site. So along with everything else, I need a few Settlers, as well. Or in other words, finessing the whip will require some attention. Settle the Marble. Then, Settle the Gold. Assuming I can trade for Iron Working, of course. The race is on! I can taste the excitement! Gads, I hope I don't lose the terrific tech lead those Goodie Huts gave me. # # # NOTES: Two Goodie Huts up north, guarded by warriors Parthenon is next Wonder Goal Trade for Iron Working Production Queue Finesse {I reloaded the game to satisfy my curiosity. A Jungle Fortified Warrior is camping on the Goodie Hut. And I have lost three Warriors. So, it was a 2 Warriors going up against a fortified one. At this point in the game, I have 1 Axe, none have been destroyed.} # # # 75AD: +46 Gold from a Hut. There is only one more Hut that I expect to get. I will do a final recap of Goodie Hut Goods after that. 250AD: +23 Gold Thus the net Good Hut take is: +78 Gold +33 Gold +35 Gold +90 Archery +90 Agriculture +86 Gold +Experience (I still have this Scout) +450 Monarchy +375 Mathematics +46 Gold +23 Gold TOTAL: 1,306 And since this is a different result from before, it should go a long way towards illustrating how bad I am at adding a simple string of numbers. Let's call it 1,000+ and be done with it. Scouting was an awesome investment. I am not doing as well, otherwise. Probably a solid foundation... but not expansive enough. I need more cities. # # # 2018-12-30 800AD T150 The Goodie Huts were fun. But in all honesty, that is the best aspect of my play this game. I will roll another map and try again. I have made the mistake of going for Wonders. Maybe I should go for a Wonder... or two... maybe the Monk Economy Wonders. Yes, I would like the Parthenon and the Mausoleum of Mausollos, but they do not add enough to my economy. At 150 Turns in, I have two cities. It is not enough. It does not matter that I am the points leader. It simply is not enough. Thus, I may build a Wonder late game. I reserve the right to build The Great Gorges Dam or The Statue of Liberty. But in the early game, I shall get my Great People Points by running priests in my capital. Or in other words, I expanded too fast last game... and not at all this game. Rerolling a map. Pigs Flat is Over # # # # # # # # # PIG HAVEN I'm going to brag and state that I took the third roll on the regenerated maps. It was the first non-floodplains (picking up after the Pig Flats Seed). It's a very nice start: two rice, two pigs. But it has no production. This will be OK, though. I will whip everything that I need... and run priest specialists. Thus, I will construct something to grow on... I have no idea what, maybe Stonehenge, as that has been working for me. Hopefully, I'll found the first three religions (Polytheism, Monotheism, and the one true religion Confucianism) in the capital, but be in a position to spam. And like I said, until The Statue of Liberty, I get three wonders: Monk Economy University of Sankore The Spiral Minaret The Sistine Chapel Not necessarily in that order. I would like to keep the slider between 50-70% Research. Dropping to 30% is to low. And, I want to be in a position: Not to have to give tribute I gave five techs in tribute last game Declare war at the end of the REX. Thus, minimal buildings: Granary Barracks Rathaus Temple But then, the list does grow. So, perhaps I should keep strict discipline and build no more than one building in a row, alternating with Workers, Settlers, or Units... of whatever type. I think that is enough debriefing. In short, in the last game, I behaved like a builder which is not the thing to do with a non-builder leader. # # # 2018-12-21 4000BC T0 I misspoke in the previous. Confucianism is the one true religion. And as such, there is no need to research the others. Pop a hut. Settle in place. Researching: Agriculture -> Animal Husbandry -> Wheel -> Pottery -> Mining -> Bronze Working Build: Worker -> Worker -> Settler (broken up only by a building to grow on) -> Granary (would be best) # # # 2018-12-31 1080BC T73 Perhaps, it is obvious that there is a definite limit on the amount of hardship, adversity, or bad luck I am willing to endure. I have no Copper or Iron by my capitol. I was blocked settling the closest iron by both a Spearman and a Warrior. And since I do not believe the Barbarians will enter my lands until T100, it means I am supposed to fight Barbarians 27 Turns sooner... in order to get the tools to fight Barbarians. No thanks. I've started over a half-dozen times now. I have no problem starting over again... especially when my starting position is so limited: hardly any non-jungle and Barbarians blocking Iron. I believe the strategy is solid, however. # # # # # # # # # Bananas! # # # # # # # # # 2018-12-31 4000BC T0 I settled in place, revealing another rice: 2 Pig 2 Rice 1 Hill 3 Bananas This start is even more insanely food rich than the previous. And it's the type of food rich start I'd have to put on the map myself, typically. The hill is nice. I could do with a few more. But I'll take what I've got. An insane food-rich start. I was tempted to build a scout, but worker -> worker -> settler seems to be the way to go. Maybe I'll build a scout between the first and second worker. # # # 3680BC: I am in the bottom left corner of the map with not a lot of non-jungle in which to expand. Tentatively, I'm thinking of settling close in, the same pattern as before, which means lots of jungle chopping in my future. # # # 2840BC T29 I'm guessing the players are settled in numbered order (whatever that means), as I continually get Ragnar of the Khmer as a neighbour. Build (order was): Worker -> Scout -> Warrior -> Worker/Settler I'll decide the mix on Workers & Settlers (not quite there yet, building the warrior, done in four turns), depending upon the needs of the moment. But I'll likely build straight Workers & Warriors for the next bit. I'll try to remember to note when I switch out. Researching: Agriculture -> Animal Husbandry -> Mining -> Bronze Working (on Bronze Working, now) -> Iron Working Will re-evaluate after I discover the mineral (Bronze & Iron) resource situation. # # # 1880BC T53 I have no Bronze or Iron... no metals at all. There is a lone Silver up north, but that is good for happiness, not Units of War. I have plenty of Horses, so I will rely on Horsemen (6/2/2), which is not a bad unit... and Elephants later on. Maybe I will get Iron by then. The REX is going nicely. Researching: Writing (for Library and the cultural pop) -> Archery -> Horseback Riding (so, I can actually defend myself). # # # 2018-12-31 575BC T92 Barbarians at the gate and I do not have adequate defences. The biggest mistake I made this game was settling two tiles away from those horses, so it took too long to connect them. I could have been pumping out Horsemen for a good twenty turns and have enough to defeat the initial wave of barbarians if I had. The real question is whether I want to try this map again (Food Rich - Mineral Poor) or roll again? Eh, I'm going to re-roll. I need more hammers... or want more hammers. It could have been an interesting game. But more of a struggle than I want. More than anything else, though, I lost because I did not break the pattern in settlement... or settled the wrong cities first. One or the other. This is turning out to be a harder map than I would have at first thought. I mean, I might be able to win... but completely decimate my opponents? I'm having a hard time doing that solid start thing. Of course, that has a lot to do with the roll. I got very little improvable land without researching Iron Working this time around... and Iron Working was completely useless outside of removing jungle. It's easy to say I should have switched to Horseback Riding earlier. But that's all it is, a convenient excuse. Food rich is nice, but hammers are easier. # # # # # # # # # At about roll 32 on the regeneration, I was thinking this would be nice, but I want more hills than just two. After the next roll (or two, 34 total), I wound up with three pigs and ten or eleven hills, depending on where I settle. This is the one. # # # # # # # # # Mountain Home # # # # # # # # # Mountain Home 2018-12-31 4000BC T0 Researching: Animal Husbandry -> Mining -> Bronze Working -> Iron Working Let's see where we stand. Which to start is at the bottom edge of the map, with mountains to the left, and very likely a large body of water to the right, which is OK, as I think we will be in place until Iron Working. Also, I don't need to make this my money city, so no worries if Confucianism is founded in the Capitol or not. It will be a production city... not a food heavy specialist, commerce city. # # # 2440BC: I am in the bottom left corner of the map. 2360BC: I see no Bronze... nor Horses. # # # 2018-12-31 1620BC T62 Iron Working lands and I have Iron, right next to my second city, conveniently in the second circle, which doesn't much matter as I built Stonehenge. Thus, Rock Home will build Barracks; and then, endless Fighting Units. Mountain Home will likely build the Pyramids in a bit. # # # 2018-12-31 700BC T87 The Pyramids came in a few (two) turns back. Gearing up for Barbarians and REX. # # # 2019-01-01 200BC T107 Confucianism landed in Rock Home. After Polytheism and Monotheism (so I can run Organized Religion), I shall research Aesthetics for The Parthenon and its +50% Great Person rate. I would like to expand more, but I am at 40% on the Research Slider, so I need to build things up a bit. One thing is to spam Missionaries, so I get +1g/city for my shrine... it will, also, boost the Organized Religion bonus and make building Rathauses that much easier. I creamed the first Barbarian wave, defeated it handily. I have more power than anyone else I have graphs on. It's sort of a plateau point in the game. I need to get out of it as quickly as possible. # # # 2019-01-01 150AD T121 I will start construction on The Parthenon in about nine turns when Aesthetics comes in. In the meantime, the capitol is producing a Settler... and I don't know exactly what from there: another Setter, maybe a Worker, perhaps some infrastructure. Rock Home (the Confucian Shrine City) is alternating between Axes and Missionaries. I have Open Borders with the four Civilizations I have met and one is already Confucian, so maybe I can convert them all. Either way, a Missionary tends to equal 1gp/turn in the long run, so not a bad trade. I continue to fight the Barbarians at the gate, but they are not a threat, sending Swords against Axes as they are {as Axes get +50% versus Meelee Units, which include Swords, so 7.5 vs 6}. Sooner or later, I will hit a Barb City... and we'll see what happens. The rest of the Cities are on Infrastructure/Worker duty, but that is subject to change... well, not really. They are not up to speed, yet. And I need to get them there. A Rathaus (Courthouse replacement) being the first building of choice in my new cities. # # # 2019-01-01 1020AD T162 I would have thought that I would have had a war by now, but I have not. I will blame the Huge Map Size. My opponents are too far away to justify launching an attack, when I can get a new city by simply building a Settler. Mountain Home (the capitol this game) is pounding out the Wonders. I am not getting all of them... not by a long shot. So much so, I should likely forget about my Unique Unit and concentrate on the technologies required for the Monk Economy. Either way, I am one of the most powerful players on the board... and being flat, it is more of a board than a Map of the World. My economy is not as I would have it. I'm floating in the 30-40% range, 56 beakers per turn, when I'd like to be... more like 100 beakers per turn. I just built the Mausoleum. I'd like to wait a while, yet, prior to launching my first golden age. But maybe I should put a hard limit at T200. I am not the definitive technology leader... but nor am I the decisive laggard. I've settled every other build site. The long term pattern is: c - - c - - c Thus, I have settled: c - - - - - c Which gives me a lot of land to infill once the REX is over. Also, in this last push, which will likely go quickly now, because as I recover from my {GNP, Money} research trough, so does everyone else... anyway, in this last push, I am skipping even more sites, trusting it will be easier to backfill in time rather than push forward. But at least, I have control of a huge portion of the map. I have 7% of the map, Hannibal 5%. But whereas he has 16% of the population, I only have 10%. {So when I infill, I'll easily overtake him.} It's curious how The Whip effects commerce. Reducing the population reduces taxes, so whipping away non-commerce generating population helps one's economy, but whipping away cottages or specialists does not. I predict little of compelling interest for the next twenty turns... maybe a final settlement race, but little else. # # # 1130AD: My Scout is finally killed by a Barbarian Swordsman. Also, I get Civil Service, so I'll do a lot of trading before revolting into Bureaucracy. Um, it turns out, trading a lot means trading one other Civilization for Feudalism. I'm Researching Paper for the University of Sankore. # # # 2019-01-01 1140AD T174 I don't think anyone is seriously racing me, but it feels like a race for the last good land, nonetheless. I've got, maybe, three Settlers in production... with more to follow. After I define the line, which I am not entirely sure where I want it to be drawn, it's a matter of infill, which will take me another fifty turns easy and will be as productive as any war possibly could be. Up north, I have an Axe on some Iron, which I believe will be as far north as I go. Maybe, I'll sink another city to the east of that. But it's getting too far out of the Rainforest Jungle for my Central Planning Committee to fathom, right now. To the east, I have an axe sitting by two elephants, a pig, and a banana, which is as far east as I am planning on going. The line will not be straight, but that does not matter much... even losing an infill city or two will not matter that much. The AI is not going to win a culture war... certainly not if I ever get that Monk Economy up and running. Let's face it, right now I have no economy. Finally (and this is a truly final infill situation, after the border is defined elsewhere), I have room for one or two cities between my land and Portugal. But these cities are not important, as when I set this border, I was expecting Portugal to take all they could get. Once I develop my outer border, I will have to cease trading with Ragnar of the Khmer. And, yes. It is very confusing to me trying to remember who is who this game: a very good reason to keep the leaders standard. Four turns to Schwedagon Paya, three turns for a Temple, and then I discover Paper, and the capitol starts construction on The University of Sankor. For the past bit, the game has felt like solitaire, which likely means nothing to you. So, it has been soothing, but not requiring that much thought. I very much am in a holding pattern. Perhaps, I am wrong. But I cannot see war being more fruitful than settling Cities, at this point. The pickings are too easy. But while I am backfilling, I will have to open borders with a few of my neighbours and decide who I wish to incorporate... my immediate neighbours or someone else farther afield. # # # 2019-01-02 1320AD T192 I launched a Golden Age and revolted into Pacifism. It will hurt the construction of the Rathauses that my economy needs {Organized Religion providing +25% for building production, including Wonders}, but I am judging the Great People more important. By the end of the Golden Age, I will have recouped the single Great Person (a prophet) that I used to launch it. And with any luck, will have founded Islam. I need the Spiral Minaret more than I need another religion. But we'll see. I doubt I will get the Sistine Chapel this game. But there is some hope, as only Elizabeth has Music. The outer perimeter (of cities) is completed, but it's still pretty loose. If land were at a premium, which I do not believe that it is, someone else may well want to settle in my midsts. But that window will be closing soon enough. I am scouting my eastern neighbours (the Khmer and the Vikings) to see if one {or the other} will be an easy target, which likely means the Vikings. There is not much strategy turn to turn. The big insight this game was in building 23 Workers... with more on the way. Their work is far from complete. I was thinking I needed Feudalism prior to starting a war, but I already have it. I don't think it will be a long war against the Vikings. # # # For the sake of the log files, I should probably make note of when the game crashes, but I will not. All the duplicate entries {in the log file} are from picking up after a crashed game. I expect a lot of crashes, as this is a big map and I have found crashes to correlate with the number of units and so on. # # # 2019-01-01 1525AD T215 I declared war on the Vikings a few turns back, call it ten turns ago. And the world has been piling on me ever since. The Vikings capitulated after one city... but not to me, to Hannibal... on the other side of the continent. It is true I am not good at diplomacy. And having thirteen enemies and switching the names around did not help. So, currently: War with: Native American Byzantine English Portuguese Byzantine had a chance to take a city, but I don't know if the AI is programmed to have mercy, pull back, or what; but they did not. I had one unit garrisoning the city and they took their time allowing me to eventually pull in enough units to defend the city. The Portuguese are having a pretend war, sending three Longbowmen and two Catapults across the border. They will regret that decision. Sure, they'll ransack a Town or two, but eventually that stack will die, just like the Byzantine stack died. I revolted into Nationhood and Theocracy. I'm going to revolt out of Nationhood next turn. It helped me, maybe gave me the two or three units I needed, but it's not how I want to build troops. Oh, I'm in a Golden Age. So, I revolted at the beginning. I'll get out of Nationhood here in the middle. And at the end, I'll likely pull back into something else. # # # 2019-01-01 1530AD T216 Save: World War I killed all the invaders in my territory. But I made the mistake of revolting back into Bureaucracy. I should revolt back into Nationhood in five turns. As to Theocracy, half of my cities are producing Landsknechts, so I am OK with that for now. But when this blitz is over, it's back to Organized Religion, most likely. I am not concerned about being at war with so many people. Yes, true. I need more troops. But so far, I have fought off the first two invaders stacks, have captured two cities, and have half of my cities producing units. I will come out of this geared for war. Now, whether I made a good move attacking the Vikings? Well, that is a different story. I should have brought more units. What I am doing now is what I should have done prior to my first assault. If so, the Vikings may well have capitulated to me and I would be onto my next target. As it stands, I will garrison the east and drive north, conquering the Portuguese. They are in no position to fight a war. Longbowmen are not offensive weapons. Still, that assault is a ways off. Who knows? Another stack or two, and I will be launching new units with three promotions out of Rock Home from the Settled Great Generals. More importantly, I don't want to start playing tomorrow until later in the day. Let's get some work done, shall we? # # # 2019-01-03 I tend to make notes (on my iPhone) prior to (or while) playing. These are the notes I made for an Arboreal Map Challenge, which is the origination of this Rainforest Map Game. CIV - Arboreal Map Philosophical +100% Great Person Rate Modify XML Well, think about it, at least. {I did nothing of the sort. This is still on my ToDo List. Oh, yeah. And this is the XML file that causes Gandhi to research and Monty be aggressive.} Team-Mates Team up with Ragnar... or Huyana {After modifying their XML.} Push Buddhism Raging Barbs Goodie Huts No Tech Brokering Maybe always War. Could be interesting. Or aggressive AI... would make Ragnar a real psychopath. I am running Philosophical... though, not very aggressively at the moment. This will shine later in the game when I am food rich due to Cereal Mills, which I (tentatively) think will be be better for this map than Sid's Sushi. But I may have enough Rice it doesn't make much difference as to the (non-existent) Fish situation. Most of the other options were silently pushed aside, as I did not modify the XML or have a team-mate. I should mention, the purpose of modifying the XML was to enable the creation of a team-mate that would behave as I desired... or at least, as I had proscribed. And finally, Normal Barbarians (as opposed to Raging Barbarians) have prepared me adequately for the minor skirmishes that the AI is currently bringing to bear. I think I would be in a bad way if I were playing with Aggressive AI. But that has more to do with veering off into the world of the builder, once again. No. That is not fair. My economy is set to skyrocket and take off at a pace that the smaller civs will be unable to match. And the reason for that is the Monk Economy... a builder economy. Still, I welcome the coming war. Just not right now. Today is supposed to be a work day. And I do not believe I will finish this game for several weeks, maybe going on a month, as I have a two-week computer hiatus coming up. Long Live the Luddites! # # # 2019-01-02 1570AD T224 What's to say? The game is sort of boring, right now. Nothing really exciting is going on. The next race... well, I was going to say it would be for The Statue of Liberty. But that's not going to be a race. I am going to get that. It's going to be for the Post Education Technologies. If I play my cards right, I may be able to use the Free Technology from Liberalism to Bulb Economics and get a Great Merchant. Prior to that, I should trade for Banking (even at incredibly bad terms) and revolt into Merchantillism. I am earning roughly 100gold/turn from foreign trade with an astonishingly few number of trading partners. The Free Specialist will yield me more in the long run. Perhaps, my warlike culture will switch into Pacifism, as well. Oh, now this is fun. I have City Visibility on the Portuguese. It's fun snooping around {inside their Cities, looking at the Build Queue}. And makes planning an attack that much easier. I wonder if I should take peace and just build up the border with more cities. It could be easier. But, no. No one is fighting {with any degree of skill}. It does seem like it will be similar to shooting fish in a barrel. Even if the Portuguese Capitulate to someone else, I can chew up their cities. Thus, slow and steady wins the race. # # # 2019-01-06 1635AD T237 The AI is not very aggressive, so it's me attacking the Portuguese and not much (of anything) headed my way. I am split on the thought of Huey Capitulating. His land is more valuable as raw land. But the Capitulation Cascade will start sooner once he Capitulates... in that, I can go on to the next victim. It's likely a wash. I need more troops and more Settlers. That's likely more important than any infrastructure at the moment. So, TROOPS SETTLERS Time to put this war in over-drive... you know, in a few weeks when I return to the game. # # # # # # And then, I took a two week break... or went on vacation, however you want to look at it. # # # 2019-01-24 1635AD T237 I may have been on vacation, but that does not mean I wasn't thinking about this game. Prior to rolling the turn, I should really implement some changes. First, the game is won. I mean, I may have to prove to the game that I have won, but given a 40% lead in points and the general lack of initiative by the AI, the computer is just going to sit there and wait for me to take everyone over. Unless half the world bands together and attacks me at once, victory is only a matter of time. Second, ordering the workers about is getting tedious... and is only going to get more tedious, as I have decided that even with thirty workers, I need maybe twice that number. Thus, it is time to automate all workers actions, making the absolute minimum manual corrections: roads to the front and overriding existing tile improvements for oil, uranium, and aluminum. I intend to eat up (take over) all of the Portuguese Empire. There is no need for further Espionage against them, so I am switching most of what I had going into Portugal into America... the next victim to the north. America and the Vikings are next. Though, it may well be a day or two before I am done with Portugal. I will no longer accept capitulation from Portugal (Huey). And if that means he capitulates to someone else, then I have a new enemy. In fact, I have no intention of accepting capitulation from anyone who cannot fight back on the assumption those {who do fight back} will make the best war allies. Huey will not aid me militarily and is just going to build a Space Ship as soon as he is able, so no sense letting him live. Now, for some listing: The Shrine Cities need Marketplace, Grocery, and Banks. I likely do not need these anywhere else. I will pick one of these for my Corporate Headquarters. The Iron Works will go in Rocky Home... or so, I believe. And this will allow me to get the Great Engineer I need for Mining, Inc. Drafting will allow me to build infrastructure and siege weapons (cats and cavalry) in my cities. Drafting becomes the new whip. All of my cities should build: Rathaus (my courthouse replacement) Granary Temple Barracks And after that, I shall build military units (including workers, missionaries, and settlers) at a 2 to 1 ratio to any additional buildings. I mean, it would be nice to have a library in every city. But it's not a straight line to victory, so is of lesser importance. Taking Nationhood into account, which allows the drafting quite a few units a turn (presently five), my military builds should be Catapults and Cavalry... or something of the like. I'll have enough foot soldiers. And although it will be difficult to maintain whip discipline (not whipping pretty buildings), victory (at the point level I desire) requires focusing on the win. Finally, before I start again, my technological lead is not as I would have it. I am hardly the run-away leader that I typically am by this time. Oh, well. I shall crush my enemies nonetheless. So, yes. Incredibly confident of a victory at this point. # # # So that I can save, walk away, and do things easier, not just pausing at the turn roll, I wish to have consistent turn orders: On the Roll Forced Actions Diplomacy New Builds Enemy Sightings Military Advisor Espionage Trade Screen Movement Attacks Cycle Cities Drafting The Whip Roll the Turn So, at least four possible break points, during each turn. And if the game crashes, I should know where I am. # # # 2019-01-25 1690AD T246 It is tempting to accept Portugal's offer of Capitulation, but I believe I will be better off incorporating all of their territory {into my own}. It is possible that they will bring someone else in, as this is a crux point; but I don't think anyone has the means to cause serious damage or prevent the inevitable. War it is! # # # 2018-02-02 1730AD T256 I decided to declare war on Stalin of the Vikings, which meant war with Russia. And the American Indians decided to dog-pile on. I am not overly worried, though perhaps I should be. Eh, it's a big board... and I do not believe anyone else has rifles. So, I have the tech lead. I thought about accepting the Incan capitulation, so as to focus my troops. But I shall not. Let's see what the AI can do. # # # 2019-02-02 1755AD T261 The Portuguese capitulated to Russia. With three cities left and no offensive from Russia in sight, they will not last long. # # # 2019-02-03 1775AD T265 I will have to do a long write-up soon, but not now. The Celts have Peace Vassalled to me, which is nice. Pericles {of America} is next on my hit list. He has an interesting bit of land in that his starting area is completely surrounded {so, he only borders Portugal in any meaningful way}. His destiny was never to have a great empire. My research is not as great as others. And in theory, Russia is catching up on the power graph. But so far, the wars have been one-sided. For the most, it's a study in patience. Heck, I doubt I will even found Mining, Inc. this game. Certainly, it is available. But I have no Great Engineer. And one is turns and turns off, dozens upon dozens of turns off. Sid's Sushi is still a possibility. But I haven't got the requisite techs yet. Still, for the most, it is like shooting fish in a barrel. Let's see if there are any surprises in store. # # # 2019-02-03 1775AD T265 Due to Pericles being surrounded by mountains, I have decided to eat him whole. As a War Ally, he'd never get any troops to the front. And I can use the troops {I have} on hand to finish him off slowly but surely... especially after they all get promoted to infantry in a few turns. # # # 2019-02-03 1820AD T271 The Portuguese Empire is no more. The Dutch Empire has, also, been eliminated. But I have no memory of that. I cannot remember doing it. {I think Hannibal of Russia did it around the time of my first war with the Vikings.} Upon capturing the last Portuguese city, I made peace with Russia, as a stack is descending upon my vassal, the Celts. I should have brokered peace with the Russians prior to declaring war on the Americans, as it would have been cheaper... but not by much. Previously, Hannibal (of Russia) had wanted 65 gold. After my declaration, he wanted Nationalism (at a worth of 2700 beakers, or so). But for whatever reason, was willing to settle for 135 gold. I have a stack of troops up north, which should be more than enough to eliminate Pericles of America. While next turn, I declare war on the American Indians, mainly as the Khmer are their vassals and the Khmer look like easy eating these days. I do not expect to accept either America or the Khmer as vassals. Likely, only America will make the offer. My tech lead is not as great as I would have it. But my infantry is going up against longbows. So, who really knows what everyone else is doing. This is a big board. Russia's stack is not bad. There are 15-20 units. But they are outdated and will be gunned down, when we are at war again... likely, in ten turns. The final item would be corporations. I would like to be able to found Mining, Inc. But I still don't have the Great Engineer. I feel confident, however, that I will get Sid's Sushi... in another twenty odd turns. # # # 2019-02-04 1826AD T283 I am a few turns away from researching Medicine; and thus, founding Sid's Sushi. It will not be a game changer, however, as there is not enough seafood on the map. I have 28 rice, which will give me +7 food. Not bad, but not overly-powerful {or over-powered}, either. A few turns back Pericles of America capitulated to the Silly Man of the American Indians. I'm thinking Russia did not want to declare war, so he took what he could get. It will make no difference. The Silly Man had a fairly sizable stack that he just decimated against my infantry. He knocked out a good half-dozen units, maybe more. But he lost two or three to one. He has no interest in capitulating yet. Between America and the Khmer, I am capturing a city every turn or so. Well, maybe not that often, but it's a good clip. {I tend to get spread out over time when on the offensive, so} I am re-stacking my troops up north in America. Thus, the rate at which I capture Cites will go down there. While in the Khmer jungles, I am all over the place, marching towards two cities at once. The Power Graph says that Russia is my equal, but I don't believe it. I mean, Hannibal demanded tribute by way of Steel. But, come on. If you need steel as tribute, you're behind the times, dude. I can't say I have a grand scheme. It really is just grind it out. If anything, not taking capitulation is the key... if that is a key. I may have been better off accepting American Surrender. But I did not. I just did a couple of trades, netting over 75gold/turn for three happiness resources. That was nice. I'm running 70% research, now, after that. The goal is to inch that up to 100% and keep it there for the rest of the game. # # # 2019-02-04 1828AD T284 Russia has declared war on Babylon. I have no idea how to take advantage of the situation. I assume Asoka (of Babylon) will capitulate soon enough. # # # 1830AD: 0 cities captured, 2 cities founded 1832AD: 2 cities captured, 1 cities founded 1834AD: Sid's Sushi founded, Cereal Mills would likely be better, but conceptually I have been planning on Sid's... and it is in. I don't feel like waiting ten more turns to get the ball rolling. But yeah, Cereal Mills is absolutely better for this map. On the other hand, Sid's will give me mega-culture in the border wars to come, which is nice. Eh, maybe I will found both, pushing Sid's to the front... but I doubt it. 1834AD: 0 cities captured, 1 cities founded 1834AD: I killed a catapult with a cavalry, which was subsequently destroyed by Silly Man's grenadier. So, a bad move. It would have been easy to back him up, but I moved the stack without thinking. 1836AD: 0 cities captured, 0 cities founded 1838AD: 0 cities captured, 0 cities founded 1838AD: I hit end turn instead of founding a city, cutting my turn short. {I seem to do that a lot.} Oh, well. More importantly, Silly Man is strong enough that I can only afford to have one stack in his territory. He successfully attacked my secondary stack, killing four units last turn and a few more previously. 1840AD: 3 cities captured, 2 cities founded 1840AD: I will be accepting peace from the American Indians in a few turns, just as soon as I wipe out the Khmer. Assimilation of the rest of America will have to wait ten turns. Oh, and there appears to be a Barbarian City in the Celt territory (my vassal, that is free for the taking). So, I have a half dozen troops moving that way. 1842AD: 3 cities captured, 4 cities founded # # # 2019-02-05 1842 T291 I tracked city captures and foundings for seven turns: 7 Turns: Cities Captured: 8 Cities Founded: 10 So, about two new cities per turn. This will be less, now {moving forward}, as I have just made peace with the American Indians (and their vassal, America). It is time for my troops to rest. I knocked Khmer out, which was the impetus for peace... well, that and the Silly Man was starting to fight back with some degree of ability. In a few turns, I will declare war on the Russian Block Countries, knocking Stalin of the Vikings out of the game, as they only have one city left. And then, going after Caesar of the Byzantine Empire... and their two religious cities. I would like Persia or Babylon to Peace Vassal to me in the upcoming conflicts. But to be honest, it seems like a long shot. Still, that joint war bonus might push me over the top... especially if the choice is to vassal to Russia or vassal to me. # # # 2018-02-05 1844AD T292 Genghis Khan of Persia just Peace Vassaled. And I likely would have held out for a turn or two to amass my troops, but I decided that meant it was time to declare war on Russia, Byzantine, and the Vikings. Stalin of the Vikings only has one city left, so he will not last long. # # # 2019-02-05 1852AD T296 The game feels like it is winding down. But it still has a long way to go. There's maybe fifty turns left. I have: 34% Population 34% Land Area Just due to growth from Sid's, I'll get the population. Land is just two or three adversaries away. I have no great insight at this point... mainly, because I don't need one. I am pushing towards Three Gorges Dam. But it won't be decisive. And I continue to pump out Settlers, Missionaries, and Executives. It would be nice if I had a long range goal. I guess, I would consider it a great success if Babylon were to Peace Vassal or vote for me in a Diplomatic Victory. In the meantime, I will eat Byzantine at the rate of one city every three to four turns... maybe five. # # # 2019-02-06 1856AD T298 My vassal (Hammurabi) was kind enough not to take over a Byzantine city that he was more than capable of conquering. Instead, he weakened it, and allowed me to take it over. Very nice of him. # # # 2019-02-22 1856AD T298 I have not played for a few weeks... sixteen days, to be exact. It is time for this game to end. I believe it will take me thirty odd turns, so I'll set T325 as the goal, but I can see it taking until T350. I'm going to go into full (well, almost full) unit production mode: Settlers, Executives, Missionaries, and Units. And I will accept Capitulation of any viable Civilization (so, not America or Byzantine). I should probably revolt into my end game civics. But I'll wait a turn or two for that. # # # 2019-02-22 1866AD T303 A few hours for five turns, but I lost myself in it and had a good time. Hannibal of Russia (one of my enemies) is obliterating his stack against my Vassal Genghis Khan of Persia, which is good. It will weaken Hannibal and make him that much more likely to want to become a Vassal, himself. Full military production, means maybe 20-30% of my cities are pushing out units. And perhaps, half of my Whip/Drafts actually go for Drafts. Still, I had fun today, which is good enough for me. Maybe, only ten of my cities have Sid's Sushi. While about half are without Confucianism. Those are not the best numbers in the world. But I have just gotten done spamming a ridiculous number of cities: all my infills. So, I easily doubled my cities. Score: 3,432 Normalized: 40,551 I'm feeling good. I might get a Normalized Score of 50,000 or so. Everything will increase, but the timer will knock it back down. Still, fun. Also, besides Hannibal of Russia, Silly Man of the American Indians is getting ready to attack with his stack of thirty odd troops (cannons, grenaders, and some sort of calvary) against eight or so infantry and machinegun defenders. It would suck if he took the city, but not too much. I believe both of those attacks will happen during the turn roll. # # # 2019-02-23 1868AD T304 Russia lost a city to the Babylonian Empire. So, you are welcome Babylon. Meanwhile, Persia lost a city to Russia. While the Silly Man did not attack, opting to reduce my defences to zero, instead. I have fourteen defenders, now. There is another city that the Byzantine Empire is attacking with ten or so infantry. They may well kill some units, but I have three defenders for every attacker, so that battle is a lost cause {for them} in the long run. # # # 2018-02-23 1870AD T305 Silly Man captured the city he was attacking, with more survivors than I would have anticipated. Caesar (of Byzantine fame) did not fare as well. But then, he was out-gunned three to one; and so, never stood a chance. # # # 2018-02-23 1872AD T306 It takes like ten minutes to cycle through my cities making decisions for The Whip and The Draft. And I have a -5 to happiness due to other Civilizations having adopted Emancipation. So, I'll be happy to switch, as well, once I am able to launch a Golden Age. It's like a four turn delay for a revolution with this many cities, so no thanks. I'll wait for the Golden Age. Also, The Whip & The Draft have different countdown clocks. In fact, I'm not sure if The Draft is ever anything but ten turns. Anyhow, the decisions are more complex... and I am stacking up more unhappiness. I am at the edge of unhappiness in almost all of my cities. # # # 2018-02-23 1886AD T313 And this is why a better understanding of the rules helps. I declared peace with the Silly Man, because peace with him came up for vote in the Apostolic Palace and I did not want the world to consider me a villain, once again. But I just discovered Mass Media, which obsoletes the Apostolic Palace. Had I known that, I might have researched it a few turns ago... maybe twenty or thirty turns ago... and saved myself a lot of unhappiness in the interim. No use crying over spilt milk... and the war wasn't, really, going anywhere. Also, turns out my Vassal Genghis Khan isn't into that whole religion thing, so he was happy to Veto the bill in my stead. Still, what is done is done. {We have Peace, as I opted for the cash payment, in lieu of waiting for the vote to force the issue.} Peace with the American Indians means I will turn the war machine north to clean up the rest of the Byzantine Empire and then start on Russia. # # # 2018-02-23 1888AD T314 This turn? Last turn? Sometime recently, Babylon capitulated to Russia. I did not see that coming. I thought they were doing just fine in their war against the hated Russians. # # # 2019-02-23 1892AD T316 It's real easy to see when I got Sid's Sushi. We're all together in a pack {food production wise, but this analysis is wrong} until then. But after that, I rocket off. If I ever get Mining, Inc., I expect a similar curve on the manufacturing graph. There's a 70% chance to get a Great Engineer next turn. I have my fingers crossed. Lightning! {As in a Real World thunderstorm is making itself know.} So, that's it for today. {Time to unplug my computer, lest there is a power surge... or direct hit.} # # # 2018-02-25 1894AD T317 I got my Great Engineer, so I founded Mining, Inc. I hope my production skyrockets like my food did with Sid's Sushi. {This is discussed on the webpage directly, but my Agricultural Production skyrocketed due to a skyrocketing increase in the number of cities, not because of Sid's Sushi. Sushi helped, but was not the deciding factor.} # # # 2018-02-25 1896AD T318 I am not researching very well. I got Advanced MBT... or will next turn. But it doesn't do me much good. I should have researched Computers for Mechanized Infantry, first. I could have upgraded a bunch of units that way. For the MBT's, I have to build them all from scratch. So, the increased power will be a trickle. Not a sudden increase of the power of my stack from 20 each to 32 odd each. I will be lucky if I end this game by T350. There is no way I'm wrapping it up in seven turns by T325. Never mind! It turns out that Tanks upgrade into Advanced MBT, so we're good there. Some serious firepower at the front. # # # 2018-02-25 1902AD T322 I suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Hannibal of Russia. I am strung too thin. I have the troop strength advantage. But Hannibal is fighting the better war. I just lost 10-20 units: infantry and new MBT's. Hannibal must have a big stack... including air support. I, also, declared war on the Incans so I could reach the last two Byzantine cities, but that did not work out for me. Thus, I signed a Peace Treaty with the Russian alliance for one of the cities Hannibal took from Persia. {He gave it to me.} I will get all of those cities eventually. Or at least, that is where I shall attack next. The outlier cities to the north and the Byzantine cities to the south. I also signed a Peace Treaty with Victoria of the Incans for maybe 800gold in total. As I said, the whole purpose of that war was to get to Byzantine. But I felt as if my troops were spread too thin. Next turn, I declare on Silly Man. And I think my advantage is such that he does not stand a chance. We shall see. Actually, I wait a turn, as I get Mechanized Infantry next turn, upgrade my stack; and then, attack. Hopefully, it will be a cake walk. I'm fairly close to victory. So, I'll have to think about whether I want the victory or tease it out further. I think I want the victory. It's been an end of game shoot {death march, tunnel vision sort of thing} since I started playing again a few days ago. So, upgrade... and hopefully, a short campaign to wipe out the American Indians for the game. If I don't nurse the build queues, cycling through, Whipping & Drafting, I could be done today. Might just. The big mistake this game has been splitting my stack, building late game wonders (likely including Sid's Sushi and Mining, Inc) that I did not need, and poor late game technology researching. The last few days have been highly mediocre strategy wise. Yeah, let's pound this out. # # # 2018-02-25 1906AD T326 It was a short war. What? Two turns. And the Silly Man capitulated. I have my culture cranked up to 100%. And after a border pop or two, I will have the land area I need. # # # 2018-02-25 1908AD T328 I believe I will win on the roll. I declare war on Catherine of the English, take over one city, and expand enough on the cultural realignment to win. We'll see. Either way, war. One turn or two. # # # 2018-02-25 1909AD T329 It is two, but Catherine will Capitulate... after a one turn war. So, I wasted a lot of time going after Russia. I really should have gone from weakest opponent to weakest opponent. Oh, well. Live and learn. # # # 2010-02-25 1910AD T330 Score: 5,479 Normalized: 51,611 Lessons Learned or Things to Talk About: 1) Go after the weakest person in reach. I lost a lot of troops battling Russian and Byzantine, needlessly. 2) Graph that Sid's Sushi push. It's amazing. Capital Settled Great People 7 Settled Great Prophets 2 Settled Great Merchants +2 Food +14 Hammers +47 Gold +18 Culture +27 Research (for Representation) Rock Home Settled Great People 8 Settled Great Generals +16 Experience I made the mistake of settling my generals in the city where I wished to build my Shrines & Corporations, so I was unable to crank out as many units. 4200 points for the next Great Person, which I mention only because the Demographic Screen is unclear. I got, perhaps, 31 Great People this game. 92 Rathaus, so at least 92 Cities. Let's round that up to a Short Hundred. Ha! I played for 62 hours (61:52) give or take. And built 81 cities, capturing at least 20, for an easy hundred plus. Yeah, I'm not going to bother counting it. 39 Sid's Sushi Executives 10 Mining Inc Executives 79 Cities w/ Confucianism 57 Cities w/o Confucianism So, I guess I am counting the number of cities. I had 138 Total. It's easily the most ever... and precious tedious. I am thinking about doing a One City Challenge next. 3) My late game play, strategy, research, and basically everything sucked. 4) I kept on building structures (and wonders) after I should have switched to all military. Both the Eiffel Tower and Three Gorges Dam did next to no good. Yeah, without changing the Culture Slider and without Broadway, Hollywood, or Rock and Roll the Eiffel Tower does nothing. {Actually, once I got the appropriate Tech, I believe The Eiffel Tower gave me +50% Culture in every city.} So, lots of turns wasted on that. And I never completed the Three Gorges Dam. I continue to like getting Vassals. 5) My understanding of Slavery and Drafting evolves. They are on separate timers. And I'm more inclined to stack the unhappiness if the booty pays for itself in the meantime. Like a Temple gives +1 Happiness, so it's a wash for the Whip. There is no benefit in waiting to whip it. And now, I'm already plotting the next game. # # # 2019-02-25 (c) Copyright Brett Paufler # # # More notes for the write-up, upon re-reading this: When re-rolling the map, the AI's Opponents stay the same Random Leaders are Confusing