2020-04-09 Brett Paufler (c) Copyright Brett Paufler # # # # # # K-MOD GANDHI GAME NOTES # # # # # # Fresh Install of Civ 4 BTS BTS Patch 3.19 K-Mod 1.46 # # # # # # Gandhi Monarch Fractal Standard Temperate Medium Ancient Marathon Cylindrical Standard The above Map Settings are all the standard, as appeared on first load, except for Marathon. But I've been down this road before. I mean, I think I cleared everything. But perhaps, I did not. Aggressive AI Permanent Alliances No Tribal Villages No Random Events {The Final Game was played on 5-6 (I forget which) Custom Continents with 8 (rather than the standard 6) AI Opponents.} # # # Amended Autolog.ini to: C:\Users\DATA\Documents\My Games\Beyond the Sword\K-Mod\Settings In CivlizationIV.ini at: C:\Users\DATA\Documents\My Games\Beyond the Sword Amended: Mod = Mods\K-Mod CheatCode = Chipotle FullScreen = ask {Midway through this Series of Games, I disabled 'CheatCode', as I never use it. And having hit the option by accident, I was not pleased, as I do not want to know what I do not know when playing a Standard (Non Custom Map) Game: Opponents, Shape of Landmass, etc.} Though, in truth, I probably only needed to amend the last entry. This allows me to start the game in either FullScreen or WindowScreen mode. The former is a better gaming experience, while the later allows for ScreenShots. {I use Gadwin Printscreen, as I have never been able to get the In Game Screenshot function to work.} # # # Logging seems to be working. {The trick here for me is dropping a modified Autolog.ini into the approrpriate directory, modified as I desire: Logging On, Path, Filename. # # # 2020-04-09 4000BC T0 Settling In Place: +8 Food, 7 Hills Settle On NW Hill: +9 Food, 5 Hills Hard to say. I'm going to Settle In Place. This was only the 9th Regeneration. So, that's not too bad. If I find Stone nearby, this is going to go well for me... I hope. I'm going for Hinduism and Judaism. I will be going for as many Religions as I can. Also, the shorter the Turn Sets, the better. {If one is going to Build any of the Early Wonders, Settling near Stone (for most of them) or Marble (for The Oracle) is a huge bonus.} {I would like there to be an option when Regenerating Maps to prioritize certain locations: Heavy Seafood, Bronze, Stone, Cows, and/or whatever.} # # # T5: Bismark says Hello. He came in from the South... South West, if I had to guess. T11: Mansa Musa from the West. T14: A Lion has been spotted. So, there are Barbarians. I thought I had turned that option off. Oh, well. No Stone, yet. The Great Wall and The Pyramids are on my list. But are likely only viable with Stone. T21: Isabella. This is looking less and less like The Game I want to play. Isabella came in from the North East. My Opponents are starting with Archery. T27: Isabella has converted to Buddhism. {Please note how much early reporting is going on in This First Game. In Later Games, I may not make a single note until T300 or so. Still, at this point, I thought this was The Map I would be playing.} # # # I'm pretty sure I'm on a Pangea Map. I'm not sure that's what I want to play. {It's really not. I view Pangea to be a bit of a cheat, as it bypasses the need for Astronomy. As my Final Game played out, I could have turned Research Off after Cannons if I were on a Pangea Map.} {Next Game will be a Four-Way Four-Continent Isolated Start against Techers.} I just got done {going into World Builder and} buffing the start, which will allow me to go through with my typical opening gambit. But we'll have to see. Basically, I now have Gold, Stone, Marble, and Iron, with all the tiles being Floodplains and Hills. So, um. It's a cooked map. But this is what I am going to do. The intent is to have one Mega City for the first bit... and I am sure someone will Self Select for War. # # # Well, I'm still going to go with the Religion Wonder Gambit. Only, now I only need the single Worker. # # # # # # GAME-02 Modified Start {I am intending to include all the Log Files for these Lesser Games (all 21 of them). But I do believe I will only include the Game Files for the Final Map, so as to save on bandwidth. Besides, This Game (This Map) is throwaway. It is not important.} # # # # # # 2020-04-09 4000BC T0 I will be founding two of the three Starting Religions. And I think I will go for the Sweep of Stonehenge, The Great Wall, and The Pyramids. Before long, I will need to build an Army, as I think this is a Pangea Map and I will be small... thus, a target for everyone. # # # T18: There is no need to explore, so my Warrior stayed put. Isabella is the first to make contact... from the North East. T20: Mansa Musa makes contact. T21: Huayna Capac. There are lots of Tech'rs about. T31: Bismark. It would appear that early Wars (i.e. Rushes are not allowed), which seems fair, as the AI gives the Human a grace period. Rushes are pretty much a cheat. {Turns out, I had miss-toggled a selection, opting for Always War / Always Peace. So really, This Map was doomed from the start.} # # # 2020-04-09 2500BC T100 I completed Stonehenge last Turn and have started on The Great Wall; and then, The Pyramids. Two Workers are building Roads and Farms. Though, Roads mostly, at this point, as I have two Farms. Um, I should count Food. Without any Farms, I have 11 Surplus Food. And I have a deficit of 15 Food once I am working all the Mines. So, I will need some Farms. I have been thinking about Running Specialists. So maybe, this is a game where I make a bunch of Farms? # # # T101: I am the least Powerful, which is as expected. # # # 2020-04-09 1560BC T194 I can do better. I shall restart. Worker -> Worker -> Wonders Polytheism -> Pottery -> Monotheism I should have been working Cottages. And I should have resisted the urge to Whip. # # # # # # GAME-03 # # # # # # I like that no one hates me out of the gate. The initial modifier appears to be +0. Of course, maybe some of the modifiers are simply being hidden from me. # # # # # # GAME-04 # # # # # # Nothing much worth reporting on Game 04. # # # # # # GAME-05 # # # # # # 2020-04-09 3850BC T10 There was Enforced Peace in the Last Game, as I had inadvertently hit that option. My nearest neighbour is Tacky and I could Declare War if I wanted to. {Thus, it is clear, I Rolled a New Map.} He came from the South West, it looks like. Researching: Polytheism Building: Worker # # # 2020-04-09 2030BC T147 I share a small island with Tacky. I got Buddhism late. And I likely would have been able to get all three Early Religions, which is nice. I have been going for an Axe Rush. But did not build enough Troops in time. I am calling it a night. I might be best off starting from scratch in the morning. The cooked map {I believe this refers to The Previous Map for The Previous Game} is intriguing. But I'm not really killing it either way. Actually, This Map would not be so bad without Tacky. Eh, we'll see. Either way, this game is over. # # # # # # GAME-06 # # # # # # 2020-04-10 4000BC T0 The start I chose is not that extravagant. Lots of Grasslands and lots of Grassland Hills. And on top of that, two Corn. So, I can either Whip down to Population 2 or 3 repeatedly or work Mines. I have enough Surplus Food to work Six Mines, which isn't too shabby. Also, there are Phants. But I don't tend to get excited about them. # # # Turn 11: Sury from the West. Lots of Grasslands. T49: Sitting Bull has Settled to the North. I am trying for the Starting Religions. No one has claimed Buddhism, so I switched and may be able to claim all three... or lose them all. It's unlikely anyone beyond Sury and Sitting Bull are on this Continent. But only time will tell. T57: Cyrus has settled Persia to the North, sort of West, close by Sitting Bull. T68: Zara of Ethiopia lays to the South West. Um, this continent is getting crowded. I am going for a full on Religious Play. I should have let my City Grow to Size 2 prior to building a Settler, as I have no intention of Settling the Second City until after Judaism. T74: I Founded Buddhism. The gambit was worth it. T87: Founded Hinduism. The reason this is so soon after Buddhism is because I switched out of Polytheism upon guessing no one was going for the Religions. I already had Researched Polytheism halfway. T125: or so, Korea encountered. This is Pangea. Oh, well. I will have a few nice core Cities. And The End Game will be fast {as I can go Full On War after Cannons, or something like that.} T130: I will only be Settling the one Second City. Also, I shall forgo all Wonders. The Capital is Building a Barracks. And from there, Units... assuming I have the Technologies. T174: China Is In The House! # # # 2020-04-10 1500BC T200 I am only still alive because The War has gone elsewhere. I will be Building another Worker and then a Settler in Grass Valley (the Capitol). I'll plop that down South by the Fish, Copper, Cow, which will make a decent City. From there, I think it will be War. Though, I say that while my Capitol is on a Building Spree, and Golden Lands is working on The Pyramids... and will be for some time to come. Still, I haven't a single Resource hooked up. But once I do, Grass Valley will be able to grow another point or two. My sources (the Wonder Screen) tells me it is the Greatest City in the World... and likely will be for some time. Peace means Aesthetics. War means Iron Working. Either way, I believe Writing is a good first step for the added Research Bonus. It is time to expand... by hook or by crook. # # # T219: I Declared War on Sury to Appease Zara, who then made Peace. I had no Troops when Sury showed up on my border with a Stack. Game Over! # # # # # # GAME-07 {In these Multiple Map Play-Throughs, I should add some notes regarding the Selected Map, as I would if it were the First Map in any Write-Up.} # # # # # # Custom Continents with 6 Continents and 8 Opponents. # # # # # # 2020-04-10 4000BC T0 I hope to be isolated. I like starting isolated. It allows for an easier long shot gambit. Though, if others are about, I will try to deal. Building: Worker -> Settlers Researching: Agriculture -> Animal Husbandry I will attempt to Research Monotheism, first and run Judaism. I do not know what I will do if it looks like no one else is interested in Founding a Religion. # # # T41: I am Isolated! Yippie! There is a strong pull to go for the Early Religions... a very strong pull. T75: Hinduism has been Founded in a Distant Land. At least, I had no Research in Polytheism, yet. I'm going to call it again. Might as well. The first city site is OK, but not spectacular. And the same goes for the Second. I'm not going to try that hard. # # # # # # GAME-08 # # # # # # 2020-04-10 4000BC T0 The start is not fantastic. But it is very promising. The surrounding lands look to be predominantly Grasslands, which bodes well for secondary City Sites. One Religion, no more. It's not as Food Rich, as I would like. But dual Gems (with hopefully more around the corner) is not such a bad roll. {In retrospect, Grassland Gems is a pretty fantastic Start.} This will work. Hopefully, Isolated. # # # T28: I share the Continent with The Silly Man. I will have to take him out early. T88: I got Buddhism. And I am going for the other two. Oh, well. The flesh is weak. {I say this because I have conflicting feelings regarding a Religious Sweep. Presently, I feel it is in my best interest. But it doesn't work out well if I nearly Sweep The Religions; and so, the Distant Continent is Religiously Aligned.} # # # 2020-04-10 1480BC T202 I believe I will be able to limit Silly Man to a small corner of the Continent. Shaka just made contact via a Fishing Boat. So, there is a connection. {Shaka lucked out on that Fishing Boat Connection. His Culture gave him a One Way Ocean Bridge, which is very nice. He can War. I cannot.} I need to Settle my lands, first. No War at this time... hopefully. # # # T236: William von Oranje has made contact. # # # 2020-04-10 1100BC T240 It is time to let my Capitol Grow... or at least, pump out a Great Person or two. Silly Man seems content. So, I shall assume he has been contained. I will focus on Settling the rest of my Continent. And get ready for War with one of the Newcomers. # # # 2020-04-10 50AD T355 I'd simply rather go Wonder Crazy. I'm gearing up for War. But there is no gain. I can't afford more Cities. I'd play the Map again, holing up with a handful of Cities. But Philosophical is not doing it for me. I'd rather be: Industrious Spiritual or Industrious Financial Actually, Industrious anything. {And next game, I'm going for Mansa Musa and his Spiritual Financial, hoping to only Build 10 Wonders or so. But we'll see. There is a seductive attractiveness to Building Wonders. Also, though Skirmishers are not that important, I find the Mint (a Forge with +10% Gold) to be highly attractive.} I will review the Industrious Leaders and try again. # # # # # # GAME-09 # # # # # # So, my Leader choices are: Augustus Caesar Qin Shi Huang Ramesses II Stalin And Augustus Caesar it is. # # # # # # I have my start. It's on a Peninsula. So, if it separates two different Civilizations that would not be so bad. Out in the open are Two Clams, One Gold, and One Stone, with the hope that there is Copper in a nearby Plains. Otherwise, the placement of the City doesn't make all that much sense. Still, I shall play it as it landed. But that's on the 'morrow. # # # 2020-04-11 2875BC T75 Buddhism was Found in a Distant Land. I am playing Rome and will be building plenty of Wonders. I do not know whether I will build The Great Wall. It's probably a mistake. Building: Work Boat - to explore Lighthouse - for the food Great Light House The Pyramids I think I will try for Monotheism. I like the icon for that Religion. And it is easy enough to get. Also, it's a requirement to Run Organized Religion, which is one of the main advantages of having a Religion. Oh, I'm Isolated. And I can't say I've found a great location for a second City. We'll see. Certainly, there is no hurry. # # # 2020-04-11 560BC T294 Shaka is about to land with 3 Galley's worth of Troops. Ironically, I had noted Shaka 'Had Enough On His Hands', so I started Building Triremes. Given another 25 Turns or so, since I was dedicating a City to cranking out the Units, and I would have survived the onslaught, sinking his Ships in the sea. Oh, well. I believe the Strategy is viable. Stone Copper Marble Are musts for the Wonder Builds. I will be repeating this {strategy, I presume}, shortly. Ironically, in looking at the World Builder, I would have been better off Settling to the West. It would have gotten me that much closer to the Copper and freed up a Hill. I will be running Huey of the Incan's, next. As in the start I selected, he would have done the best. # # # # # # GAME-10 # # # # # # 2020-04-11 4000BC T0 I moved my Settler North to the Plains Hill {in World Builder, I would guess}. But otherwise, this is the Map as Rolled. Moving gives me the 2H City and access to another Food Resource, a Fish. There is Copper somewhere nearby. I can't recall if I moved that out of the Fat Cross or Not. Stone is in the Fat Cross. And I shall Settle {another City} for Marble... assuming it's accessible. I changed my mind and went for Augustus Caesar, again. I like starting with Fishing. Building: Work Boat -> Work Boat -> Worker -> Work Boat -> Worker -> Settler -> Wonders Researching: Hunting (to save time {in the long run}) -> Animal Husbandry -> Masonry -> Wheel I have more doubts about the Build, because as Fishing Boats come online, the urgency for a Worker becomes more pronounced. Also, I may not need the Capitol (Megalopolis) to waste time on a Second Worker. That can be the Second City's first job. # # # T18: I have Explored the Southern extent. So, there is some chance I am Isolated. I've not found that precious Marble, yet. # # # 2020-04-11 2440BC T106 Bailing. My Capitol does not have enough production. Pure and simple. The secondary building sites suck. But I'm thinking my standards are too high. # # # # # # GAME-11 # # # # # # The Maps are not as rich as I would like. Sea Tiles and Sea Resources will be as important as ever. I will be playing Huey of the Incan. Van Oranje would be good with his Levee. But +2 Culture is meaningless. I'm a Builder. So, I hardly ever lose the Culture War. # # # 2020-04-11 4000BC T0 I changed a Grassland Sheep into a Plains Stone, which seems like a fair enough substitution to me. Four Seafood and tons of Sea will make the Easter Island Statues a practical play. It's not overly strong. I start on a Plains Hill. But that was already there. Copper and Marble are unknowns {I may not have}, making This Map less than a gimme. And like I said, the only thing I really did was switch out a Sheep. It's not too much of a cheat. I mean, it's a cheat. But I've played on totally cooked Maps. So let us say, this is within the realm of what I might have gotten should I have Regenerated often enough. Fishing and a Worker. Then it's a bunch of Fishing Boats before heading off to Masonry, Bronze Working, and Sailing with the Wheel thrown in there somewhere... likely next, as the Worker can do something that way. # # # T93: William von Oranje has made an appearance via Fishing Boats. Likely, he lives to the East... connected by Islands. This continent is mine. Alas, there is no Marble. # # # T111: Calling it a day. This is some harsh land. I am going to have to rethink my priorities... maybe replay an old map. The Gems are calling to me. # # # # # # GAME-12 # # # # # # I'm going back to the 8th game, the one with the Gems. I've already forgotten how that ended... not that I won't remember some as I go along. But as a start, it will be fine. Who knows? Maybe it's Pangea? # # # # # # GAME-13 # # # # # # I am restarting. My beginning Research Choices were not inspired. And I definitely improved the wrong Gem (the Hill one) first. I'll restart, try to sweep the Starting Religions, and go from there. Yes. It's more than a bit of a cheat. But then, I'm at the 13th Restart... # # # 2020-04-11 2500BC T100 I worked a Rice in lieu of Gems for 8 Odd Turns. I really sort of want to reboot based on that... even if I did get all three of the Starting Religions. The Buddhist Monastery is likely a mistake, as well. Well, and that's that. Get The Wheel sooner. And skip the Monastery... though, I don't know what I should be Building, instead. I'll go Agriculture -> Two Religions -> The Wheel -> Masonry -> Monotheism And Settle Up Top: Shaka Blocker # # # # # # GAME-14 # # # # # # In the latest, I've been thinking I would Build The Pyramids. I do not think I have what it takes to make that a winning gambit. So, I will let it go. I will get the two base Religions, Research Cottages, and then get Monotheism. The Monastery is the Winning Play. Once Unity (so, I guess that is the Capitol's name this time through) is up to speed, I will crank out a few Settlers. Also, at top Size, whatever that means, I will be working Specialists non-stop... though, that might come from another City. Unity is perfectly situated to be a Cottage Factory. # # # 2020-04-11 980BC T252 Silly Man Declared War and his Stack of 4 Units was headed towards a completely undefended City. Of course, my real problem was that I over-extended, building Settlers. When at least one City should have been pounding out Troops. # # # # # # GAME-15 # # # # # # 2020-04-11 1020BC T248 Silly Man Declared War and I was not quite ready. I'd say a few more Turns. But it was more like fifty. The City I have been going for is nice. But it's causing problems. After Iron Working, I should Research Calendar to bring my Bananas online. Also, I should stay up North and let Silly Man have the South. Calendar! Megalopolis is just fine. {In the end, giving Silly Man the territory he wanted was the winning play. By the time our borders clashed, I was up to speed. And I had more than enough Cities. In truth, I just don't need that many Cities in the Early Game. And for some time, I have viewed a large empire as a bit of a liability.} # # # # # # GAME-17 # # # # # # 2020-04-12 500AD T400 I'm staying alive. Settling away from Silly Man allowed me to Build up my Forces. I can't say that I am playing optimally. But at least, I was not dragged into an Early War. Since he has so many Cities (and is expanding outward more or less in a circle), I was able to nab a very nice site behind his lines and got two last sites down the coast. I'm not quite at Military Parity. But a few more Cities are coming online. So, we'll see how that goes. Essentially, the big play this game is Building a Library then running two Scientists. I'll be doing the same thing for a Market. There is not much point in building up these secondary City Sites. But I do need the production. Also, I find Slavery to be tedious. So, running Specialists is more in line with my Gaming Style. I'm slightly behind the Power Graph. But only slightly. On the other hand, I am the Military Tech Leader. So, my Troops are the best. Still, I'm a good 100 Turns away from my first War... against The Silly Man. There is no need to export a War when he is sitting right there. Besides, I owe him from previous games. # # # T420: I should really think about starting over. I wasted a Great Prophet Researching Code of Laws, but did not switch to Caste. If I had, I would have never had the need to build a single Library or Market outside of my Capitol. # # # 2020-04-12 600AD T420 I am most definitely cooking the books, here. But I am going to Relaunch. The Oracle Yields: Free Tech: Metal Casting Great Prophet: Code of Laws In Caste System, the only thing my Satellite Cities need Construct are Units... with Barracks and Stables, as optional support buildings. In addition to that, as soon as I get a Coastal City, building a few extra Work Boats as Explorers is a must. I get Trade Routes worth 3 Commerce from Overseas Civilizations. Also, although it is tempting to run Scientists in my Satellite Cities, all the Beaker Modifier Buildings are in the Capital... so, I want to be at 100% on the slider to maximize that. Let us be optimistic and say my goal is to get Cannons by T500. At which point, I will roll over The Silly Man. {I don't know which Game it was, likely the next, where I ran bare Scientists... like a Size 3 City with 2 Scientist Specialists, nothing else, dedicated to slowly Building Units. These Cities were strong early, but not later. I would not recommend such a strategy.} # # # # # # GAME-18 # # # # # # 2020-04-12 1540BC T196 I did not get Confucianism. Thus, I should select it as my Oracle Tech {in The Next Game}. More importantly, Metal Casting is not required in the initial push. I will Beeline Bureaucracy, instead. It is worth a lot more to me. # # # # # # GAME-19 # # # # # # 2020-04-12 320AD T382 I've got the upper hand. The question of the moment is whether to Attack the Silly Man prior to his gaining Feudalism. I doubt I have the strength to push on to victory. But I could nab at least one if not two Cities... plus a Worker or two. Once he gets Longbows, I am sunk until Cannons, which is a few hundred Turns off. And of course, I can sue for Peace and the Silly Man will accept once Longbows are on the field. I probably should. But I shall sleep on it. Library-Less Scientists and Marketplace-Less Merchants are keeping my Economy afloat. But I question their utility into the Mid-Game. My Cities are very Hobbled. Of course, few of the Cities are worth a darn. So, maybe that's about as good as it gets. Eh, I'll find out soon enough. # # # Truthfully, I will go back on this decision all night long. If I Attack I get one or two Cities and make an enemy of The Silly Man. On the other hand, if I do not Attack, he gets Feudalism... and I have a harder time of it. I really am geared for War. {Farms with Feudalism (+1 Commerce) or Cottages (for less Food but way more Commerce) are the way to go. These bare bones Cities make little long-term sense... on a Map as rich as this one. And yes, it is a rich Map. I was just having a hard time seeing it. I was counting Bonus Resources and overlooking the endless expanse of Grass.} # # # # # # GAME-20 # # # # # # 2020-04-13 Rather than Attacking (or not), I have decided to give it another go. My Northern and North East Cities (North Shore and Iron Phants, going by memory) can be combined into a single Coastal City. The site down south that I have been desiring is likely not as rich as I believe, which leaves another site to the far East {Far Point, Maine Shores, the one to the Upper East}. Though, I am less enthralled. {In The Winning Game, this City was never founded. And not being in my core, the one next door never amounted to all that much... going from memory. Actually, one of the strategies for the next 4-Way Isolationist Game will be to have more Super Core Cities.} Also, one or more will Build the Maoari Statues, which makes Stone desirable, once again. {Obviously, this sentence is a bit nonsensical as only one City can Build the Maoari Statues. So, we are talking about one or more Wonders which use Stone or one or more sites wherein Maoari Statues could go, as Maine (or whatever) was always a contender for The Statues.} So, the Stone City may still be viable. {As a Core City with Maoari Statues, it was my Second Build and Second Best City. It was very nice.} And the more I look, the more I wish to add additional Cities. But I think that's a mistake. Yes, I get a bit of Production. But it reduces the effectiveness of Gem Stone, which I shall rename Megalopolis, once again. So, two early Cites, close in. And perhaps, one to the South. I should keep it at one. And one to the East, which again, I should limit to one. That makes 5 Core Cites, the one being propped heavily by Maoari Statues. I should Build The Pyramids there, as well. # # # 2020-04-13 Also, before I start, I believe I made the mistake of having my Specialist Cities top out. I probably should have Farmed my Grassland. I mean, I could have Cottaged them. But being Philosophical, I believe Great People are the better play. For Financial, I'd Cottage. So, Grow Those Cities Tall is what it comes down to. # # # 2020-04-13 500BC T300 The Good News is that I have Longbows, one in each City... with more slowly on the way. The Bad News is that both Shaka and Silly are Plotting. Though, in previous games, Shaka went off into uncharted territory to Attack some unknown. Silly would just be Silly as all he has are Axes and they are no match for Longbows. Seriously, it's 5 vs 6 plus all the Defensive Bonuses. Of Course, he could cause problems... which is really what early Wars are all about. {It doesn't so much matter that the AI wins the War or not. The damage is in having to respond, to switching gears, and being set back. So, it's not about the AI who initiates the War winning, but another AI being able to zoom ahead. Though, I should maybe not care so much about the AI zooming ahead, as they don't build enough Units... typically. Man, that Bismark a few games back had tons and tons of Units. But I haven't seen that since.} Civil Service is 4 Turns away, which seems pretty early to me. Though, I've got a bunch of Back Filling to do. Maybe, I will research Alphabet and see what I can Trade. But that never really works out. I give my lead away... and they all want Tribute {via Techs once I have Alphabet}. Though, if I could arrange to Trade the same Tech to all three of them, that would be alright. I guess the real question is whether Silly will Attack. # # # T303: Silly Attacked. I reloaded so I could double up on my Longbows on Defense. It's not really that big of a deal. I'm not taking back the Attack... nor giving myself extra time to prepare. I'm simply taking back my after Declarations move. I'd split my Longbows {two in the Jungle, off the beaten path, but in his way}. And I should keep them together. Hopefully, Silly wastes his Stack against Jungle Longbows. T310: I repulsed Silly's Attack at the cost of 2 Units. It will be enough to justify a reload. Though, I think this is the appropriate pattern. Sure, I could use more Troops and sending a Missionary down Silly Ways makes sense, overall I am pleased. {Loss of Units mean loss of Power, means I am set back by that many Hammers. Also, if Silly was willing to Attack once, he will Attack again... until I buff up my defences, which are now slightly less than they were before.} # # # # # # GAME-21 {The Final Game: Victory At Last} # # # # # # 2020-04-13 250BC T325 I've really done little else but play Civ IV for the last three or four days and for the last two or so, I've been playing this same Map. So, it should come as little surprise that I am forgetting where I am in this game. I'm doing well, probably as good as I've done yet on this map. I got the Three Early Religions. But I sort of phased out Civil Service and am only going to get it a good 50 Turns after I might otherwise have. But then, even saying that, I was Researching other things, so the Opportunity Cost is not that much. Anyhow, I was thinking of Researching Optics, which is next, but Civil Service definitely takes precedence over Shipping. So, that's first. Shaka is fighting some War. So, he's not Settled the Northern Island like he usually does. I started Building a Settler to snag it. But then, realized it was scrub land. So, I'll be heading down South... maybe. All of my Espionage is into Silly Man. And he must have a Courthouse or two, as I'm not gaining. Ah, he got a Great Spy, so he must have Settled it and has Espionage Points to burn. Istanbul is on my list of Cities to take over. Thus, I'll start assembling that Stack. Catapults! I'll need ten odd, plus support Troops. Then it's War... or not. See, I go this way and then that. Maybe, I'll go East with that next City. It really doesn't matter. Hyper City Specialization is working for me. Iron Shores has done nothing but kick out Troops since day one. It's grown. So, I get +13 Beakers/Turn, which is a nice bonus. But I've never built anything but a Barracks and Troops there. Time for a break. # # # 2020-04-13 250AD T375 I shall quit here on the night. I am not caring much about Diplomacy. There will be War soon enough. And I think I have the Tech Lead. Alphabet is the next Technology. And upon it's Discovery, I need to make a half dozen Spies, lest Silly Steals another Technology. Also, I'll Settle 1-2 more Cities, given the chance. In the meantime, the game says me and Silly are at Power Parity. But he doesn't have Longbows. And I'm Building Catapults and Maces. When I Attack I will Destroy him... likely, completely. But that's not for a long while, maybe 125 Turns yet. I want it to be decisive. And I see no reason to cause problems until I am ready. I'm maybe 25 Turns away from Optics, which will allow me to Explore the Board. I'll find someone far away to Trade with. So, things are looking good... good enough that I don't mind antagonizing Shaka, Oranje, or Silly Man. Hey, I even got the Hanging Gardens. Semi Specialization is working for me, which I will take to mean along with Units (or whatever) the City in question takes care of itself, as well. Iron Shores: Units Moari: Ships Megalopolis: Itself -> Research And since The Game is off, I forget the remainder. Sure, I could lose, especially if two or more Declare at once. But I think I can handle a single front War. Certainly, give it another 50 Turns and Shaka or Oranje will not have the Navy required to land an Invasionary Force. And Silly Man could do damage with a Sneak Attack. But if I know he's coming, he's just going to lose Units. Oh, he Stole Calendar from me, which is annoying. But as a result, I have vision on all his Cities. So, it doesn't seem like he's massing the Units he needs. {The Silly Man Stole Calendar, which cost him a handful of Espionage Points, changing the Espionage Points I needed against him to enable the various Passive Effects, like City Visibility.} # # # 2020-04-14 250AD T375 Prior to beginning, I shall endeavour to avoid War, by which I mean not Declaring War. And when my Caravels set sail, they shall include Missionaries. I Founded Four Religions, Oranje another, which means most Civilizations (all those who are Un-Contacted) have no Religion. They are ripe for Conversion. # # # 2020-04-12 560AD T412 It was a short set. I will try to be Friendly with: Wang Kong Kublai Khan And Shaka's Neighbour I will refuse Demands from everyone else... or judge critically. Silly Man is growing stronger. I have him by at least three Techs (probably four) in the race to Cannons. Though, I don't think he is racing. Silly just gave me Aesthetics... for the asking, which was nice of him. So if I do not Attack by T450, I should ask for something else. I should start Converting Silly's Cities {to Judaism}, which I want to keep, as a sort of pre-planning... also, Gold {as I have The Shrine}. I have a Settler coming out in a Turn. And then, maybe one more City is needed to fill out my Back Lines. And then, that's it. Still, my Army is not yet ready to take on The Silly Man. But the time shall come. Well, actually, he's 16 Turns away from Feudalism. I won't Attack prior to that. So, it will be a Peaceful stretch until I hit Cannons. Unfortunate for Silly Man, it simply does not make sense for me to Attack anyone else first. # # # 2020-04-14 750AD T450 I just got Gunpowder. I'm going to go for Astronomy over Steel, as I may be in a position to fight a Distant War with someone who does not have Feudalism. Shaka comes immediately to mind. We've been fighting a False War, mainly because I can't reach him. And I might Attack Oranje, but I need his trade. Once I get Astronomy, that's no longer an issue. There are two islands, in which neither Wang nor Nappy seem to be interested. But I will likely let them go, as well. The Silly Man has quite the Stack of Longbows. But they are in a Plains City. So when I get Cannons (and a goodly stack of them), they are toast. And that will be the War. I'm feeling cocky. The AI has a way of coming back from behind. But right now, I am doing well. I intend to eat Silly whole... but I do not know my intent towards others. I've got maybe 50 Turns to figure it out, as that's how long Astronomy will take me. I have 7 Cities and am at 50% Research. Though, I am doing the 0%/100% switch thing, as it yields a few more. I guess it all works on a Floor Mechanic. 100% = 9 50% = floor(4.5) = 4 So, 50% loses upwards of a Commerce a City per Turn. Actually, it might be more like upwards of two Commerce a City per Turn. Anyway, 50 Turns out on Astronomy, which seems like a long time. It means any war with Silly is a Good 150 Turns off. # # # 2020-04-15 750AD T450 In the morning (after spending a great deal of time thinking about the game at night while in bed), I decided to cease construction of The Parthenon and Build Missionaries and Trebuchets... at least in Megalopolis. Other items include: 1: Building a Missionary in Iron Shores to Spread Christianity to Megalopolis. 2: Continue Researching Astronomy (I waffled on this quite a bit), but prepare for a Trebuchet Siege War. I likely will not wait for Cannons to launch my first War. And in a few Turns, after it grows, I should take a Screen Shot of Iron Shores to show how it compares This Game to previous ones. It's much stronger. {I don't think I posted (or will post) this last. Simply growing as tall as I could, using Specialists as a Stalling Maneuver, turned out to work the best. Also, I preferred Feudalism over Caste System, so I was building a few Libraries.} # # # 2020-04-15 955AD T491 I will Declare War on Shaka next Turn. He's at Archers. So, he doesn't stand a chance. I have no idea how much of him I desire to eat. Then again, if recollection serves, Shaka is highly unlikely to Capitulate. Oranje is in no position to Attack. Both he and Silly have Optics, but not Astronomy. So, any Attack by Oranje would be funnelled through a very narrow and well defended straight. The Silly Man may Attack. But as his Units are not suited for Offence, I'm not overly concerned. In his main Stack, which I am assuming is in the Border City of Konya, he has 17 Units. But 6 are Longbows. I have 7 Units on Defence in my corresponding Border City of Golden Calf with more on the way... once Produced. I think I can hold off. Both Silly and Oranje are Trading Techs. But collectively, they are two Techs behind in my race to Cannons, which are well over 100 Turns off. Oranje is no longer my major Trading Partner... on account of Astronomy. Kublai Khan, Wang Kon, and Gilgamesh are all Friendly, which is not surprising as we share a Religion (my controlled Judaism) and I have given in to all their demands. I am too powerful for a Permanent Alliance, which is where Silly and Oranje may be headed. But one or two may Peace Vassal. Certainly, Gilgamesh will benefit from the War with Shaka. It is very likely I will allow him to take a City or two... and equally as unlikely I will continue my Assault and Defeat Gilgy. Truthfully, I have no idea how Gilgy lasted this long. I was going to say it would suck if Gilgy Capitulated to Shaka. But Shaka doesn't have Feudalism, which might be the only reason he has not. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'll be eating Shaka whole. I Declare War next Turn... after the Roll. # # # 2020-04-15 T498 990AD Ulundi fell in a handful of Turns, costing me two Trebuchets. In the meantime, Gilgy has Peace Vassalled. So, things are looking good. Oh, no one Declared War, either. I continue to be at War with Shaka, but have no new Offensive Planned. I will take a City or two. But if Gilgy wants it, he can eat most of Shaka. Oh, good news. I Captured The Great Lighthouse from Shaka. So, that's a real boost to my Economy. Well, that's a fine How Do You Do. I was getting ready to shut down and casually reviewed Zulu Lands, and noted I could view Gilgy... who was about to lose his last City. So, I made Peace with Shaka. I'll gift Gigly Feudalism Next Turn. I gave him Monarchy This Turn. And so, he should have Longbows when the fighting resumes in 10 Turns. I'm sort of surprised Shaka took the offer of Peace. He should not have. In a Turn, maybe. But I am in no position to launch an Offensive... not at the moment. And he was about to wipe Gilgamesh off the face of the Earth. # # # 2020-04-15 ---- T530 I got absolutely nowhere in my latest War with Shaka. I dare not Attack him. And he dare not Attack me. So, it was an impasse. In 20 Odd Turns, I get Steel. And then, a few Turns after that, all my Trebs will be Upgraded. At which point, I will Declare again. I'm fairly certain I will be able to Destroy Shaka's Stack with Cannons. And if he is willing to Capitulate right away, I will accept. Though, if I am forced to take a few Cities first, I might just take them all. Considering I was half expecting/hoping Shaka would Crash his Stack, that might be a point in KMOD's favour. Also, the more I think about it, if I could be sure of Peace with Shaka, I am better off Attacking The Silly Man, next. He's who I need to obliterate. He's fast on my heels. Thus, after this last round of Buildings, I will be switching over to full Units, once again. # # # ???? The KMOD Strategy is only so go. Shaka came at me with a sizeable Stack. He could have done some damage. But after Shaka's having moved next to Ulundi (on Grassland, no less, when a Hill was also available), I pre-emptively Attacked, Cannons first, losing maybe a half dozen Units, but winning the rest. And at this point, Shaka should have retreated. But he stayed put, holding his ground, allowing me to repeat the damage. He Capitulated. More surprising, Gilgamesh is still in The Game with a Stack of Arches and little hope of any viable contribution to the game. I'll slowly feed Shaka Techs, keeping him up to date, so he can field a Navy if nothing else. Thus, we see that Cannons remain a Winning Strategy, especially when pitted against Catapults & Elephants. Silly Man is the next target. I will eat him whole. And as far as I can see, he has no Army worth discussing. He's got his Stack in a Border City that my Culture is pressing against, so I'll be able to reduce his forces to nothing before he knows what hit him. And from there, it is just a matter of mopping up. After Silly, I will head north to Subjugate The Oranje. But that is upwards of 100 Turns away. So, who really knows? Missionaries go to Zulu Land, while my Troops come home. And that process will take maybe 10 Turns, which pretty much delineates the time delay before my next War with The Silly Man. The Game is Won! It's not guaranteed. And I intend to play it out. But The Game is Won! The Silly Man is not prepared and Oranje is too far away (from both Steel and Astronomy to help). At some point, Astronomy will become common knowledge. And I will have to worry about a Surprise Attack. But that will come after The Silly Man is no more. And I have every intention of taking him out and eating him whole. Since I won't be Attacking The Silly Man for 10 Turns, I Demanded 210 Gold (all that he had), which he gave. Have I mentioned? I am up Gunpowder and Astronomy on the world. So, my Cannons are fairly advanced. The Ottomans (Silly Man) have a lot of Wonders. Silly and Oranje control four of the five best Cities. Soon, those will all be mine. So, my priorities are clear: The Silly Man The Man in Oranje # # # 2020-04-16 1315AD T563 I am going to save Pre Attack and come back to this later, probably tomorrow. I Declare on Silly and just cripple him on the outset. I've got 14 Cannons poised to Attack... and from there, it just doesn't matter what the rest of my Stack consists of. His Longbows will be reduced to 1.2 Strength. And at that point, anything can mop up. But I've got Knights, Phants, Maces, and all the rest. Silly is just doomed. I will waltz over him. Now, it is possible he has a Secondary Stack. But I had City Visibility a few Turns back. And I saw nothing. I was going to wait to switch into Organized Religion from Theocracy. But my Cities are pretty evenly split. The extra Experience is sort of meaningless. And all the Captured Cities will be Building Infrastructure, as my Research is plummeting. I may be forced to Build Wealth before the War is over. But that is neither here nor there. Courthouses all-around and that will bring in around +50 Gold. So coming out golden on the other side is completely doable. I will Raze Marsin down south. But believe I shall keep every other Ottoman City... which will more than double the Number of Cities in My Empire. All my Espionage is going into Napoleon, as he will be the biggest thorn in my side in years to come... or could be. It would be funny if Gilgy (who Peace Vassalled) decides he doesn't want my protection. He's got a Single City. It will be the Death of him. I just got 80 Gold off of Oranje, which was to insure I did not have to fight a Two Front War. By the time the 10 Turns of Enforced Peace is over, Oranje will not want to Attack. It would be rather amusing if Napoleon decided to come to Silly Man's aid... especially since he lacks Astronomy. When I do this big End of Day write-ups, I tend to go down the various tabs and screens and scroll through the Cities, to take stock and set things up. So, like, I likely would not have bothered with that whole Oranje Peace thing. But here I am doing things, so why not. I nabbed 120 Gold off off of Napoleon as well. I was indifferent. Either I get the Gold or I get a -1 Modifier increasing his chances of Declaring War. Both are a Win. He won't Declare for a few Turns. But then, it would always have been a mistake {for him to Declare War at this juncture}. I will guess that Kublai Khan is Plotting against The French. It's odd how he won't take Gold to Declare. But has enough on his hands. Also, we're on pretty good terms. Oh, well. His loss. He might have gotten something out of it. Education is my next Research Objective, as I wish to increase my Research Rate. Oranje is gaining. Of course, he doesn't have Gunpowder, yet. So, that makes him Three Key Military Techs Behind. Oh, he's got me on all sorts of other Techs. But Cannons are incredible. If I can remember, I shall Build Workshops over in Ulundi in order to make that a Production Power House, which will eventually turn out a Navy... and/or an Air Force if The Game last that long. And with that, I have commented enough. On the Roll, I Attack The Silly Man. # # # 2020-04-17 1315AD T563 I am guessing it will take me until the better part of T600 to eat Silly. That will give both Nappy and Oranje more time to catch up Technically. I could maybe make a last chance power dive. But if I come up short, I will lose. So, I will take the safe course, Build Courthouses, and Research. # # # T571: I'm taking a break to eat lunch. But the Attack is completely one sided. The Silly Man has no Troops, his Stack Defeated. It is Game Over for him. I on the other hand am dipping precariously close to negative income flow. Perhaps more surprisingly, War Weariness has not caught up with me yet. But it will. War Weariness is an Ill Conceived Metric. No Society in The History of The World has ever gotten upset over this type of walk-over victory. # # # 2020-04-17 1380AD T585 For a while there, I thought I might finish the War with Silly Man a bit early. But no, I am going to need the next 15 Turns. Gold has not dipped as deeply as it might. I am Building, Courthouses, Groceries, and the like. I believe I shall build Oxford in Megalopolis. It has been quite a few games since I've Built Oxford. I will Discover Liberalism first and will take Economics as my Free Technology. {I did neither.} I am being sloppy in my Sea Defence against Oranje. Let me fix that. OK. I sent a bunch of Caravels up Oranje way to Scout him out. # # # T599: Mr Oranje beat me to Liberalism. I know not when, as I was not paying attention. And he chose Economics as his Free Technology, which is what I would have done. Bye-Bye, Mr Oranje. Now, it is personal. # # # 2020-04-17 1416AD T603 The Silly Man is no more. Mr Oranje will get a reprieve. I am at War with Nappy. So, I will attempt to finish him, first. I have my eyes on a Forested Hill as my Landing Point. There's nothing there. But hopefully, Nappy will Attack, bring Forces to bear so I can Attack, or simply leave me alone so I can amass Forces. I will stay in Organized Religion and continue to Build Infrastructure. I would like to get my Research back to 50%. I'll continue to second guess Attacking Oranje, instead. But Nappy is a juicier target, we are already at War, and I do not believe Oranje will Attack. Though, I am diverting half my Espionage Points into Oranje, as we are anything but friends. Two Cities are Building Frigates; the rest are on Infrastructure. My Research Path will focus on Rifles and Infantry. And that's it on the night. # # # 2020-04-18 1458AD T624 Nappy is doomed. I landed and handily took over my first French City, destroying gobs of Units in the process, just gobs. He is a broken man... but too stupid to realize the War is over. Shaka has 3 Galleons on the move. So, let's see what he's up to. # # # 2020-04-18 1478AD T634 A Turn or so back, Nappy stole the secrets fo Banking, which is not surprising, as I've yet to land a Defensive Spy on his shore. Oh, well. Wang Kon has Declared War on Oranje, which would be the end of him, if I were not willing to come to his aid whenever he requests. In other news, Nappy is getting destroyed. # # # 2020-04-18 1488AD T639 Mr Oranje launched his Counter Attack and has landed a small Stack in Korea. In response, I gave Wong a bunch of sweet deals. So, we are Friendly, once again. Mr Oranje is coming up from behind. It will go well for me if Wong Rallies. I probably should Declare War {on Mr Oranje} sooner rather than later. But then again, I want the Bonus for helping my Friend when Wong asks. The Khan will not like my Declaring War on Mr Oranje. But I've got Crazy Bonuses with him. Diplomacy Vassals Shaka (765) +10 Pleased Gilgamesh (454) +15 Friendly Mr Oranje (1346) -11 Furious Napoleon (1344) -21 Furious Tacky (525) -24 Furious Wang Kon (1266) +12 Friendly The Khan (1265) +23 Friendly Tacky only has one City left. He is the Vassal of Nappy and is why Nappy will not Capitulate. So, I will be Eating both whole. After my War with Nappy, I may well call it. And then again, maybe not. Mr Oranje is on a roll. Eh, not really. He's still behind on the Critical War Techs, as I have him on Steel and will have him on Rifling in a few Turns. So, he's doomed. Sooner or later, I will simply start landing Stacks of Rifles. In fact, as my Cities finish their Builds, I should switch into my End Game War Mode. This is over. Well, once Mr Oranje is down, it's just counting time, which I will not bother with. Score: 2,543 Normalized: 105,143 This is close to being called. # # # # # # I called it. Game Over! 2020-04-21 (c) Copyright Brett Paufler # # # Only Games 8 & 12-21 will be included in the Game-Save.zip. These are the games I played on the Grassland Gems Map as Gandhi.