Posts: 49
Threads: 7
Joined: Feb 2006
Hey all,
Abject foolishness for me to even try this game. But I won my first GA, so emboldened I tried anyway. I took the "with help" start. It was pretty close to my guess of where I would have gone.
I send my warrior home and batten down the hatches. The blizzard of warriors starts, and so do the upgrades.
Got Bronze working done 2270 BC. Slavery implemented. Whip out my first archer. Archer on a hill, it's barb slaughter time. City Garrison 1, then 2, then 3. Woot- this guy is a grizzled vet! One of my warrior gets the medic upgrade to keep my archers healthy.
While I am surviving ok, and very slowly expanding the Barbs have shot by me (as have the other Civs).
The cost of my army (the only thing keeping me alive) is killing my reseach dead.
By 1382 the Barbs have Macemen to my Prets. I use hills and mountains to my advantage as I am now surrounded by Barb cities. HUGE ones. I steal some needed gold from pillaging, then my expedition get slaughtered.
by 1556 I am still alive (stunning!) but am constantly managing bugetary disasters and fighting off a numeracially (and technologolically) superior barb force. Finally meeting the Chinese, open borders. Beg for tech. No luck.
1685 Barbs have riflemen, at least some. I have prets, some maces. Eap.
1748- the Barb cities are loaded with lots and lots of riflemen. I have no gunpower units at all. I can be easily slaughtered any day now.
In disgust, I call it a night and decide to let my mind work out a solution.
_______
Stay tuned- will Coolhand become Barb Chow?
Posts: 49
Threads: 7
Joined: Feb 2006
As I lay trying to sleep, and idea forms. The rules say just stay alive. Barbs hate water (like cats I guess). If I can find an island with my awesome fleet of a single galley. I can plop a settler on it. Of course I can't build a city that far away- my army would tank due to the cost.
For you Stargate fans-- it's my version of an Alpha Site. Just in case the worst case senario happens.
I build the settler, galley and longbow and set off.
1780- Still alive, no alpha site yet. No Angry Civs either.
1788- Found it- I can live on if the attack comes now. It is the tiny island to the north of the big island to the east of our starting position. I drop off the Alpha site team and wait for the final attack. Galley goes exploring.
1800-15 Alpha Site is stocked. My economy is too fragile for research, and I have checked my notes-- still building Prets, then disbanding them if no attack comes that turn. I only have contact with two Civs Ghandi and the Chinese. Both are pleased but not giving the tech to their wayward cousin. I keep gifting them maps- to curry favor and show them all these nice bard cities they can plunder.
1821 Silver discovered at one of my mines- the extra cash allows 30% research. Woo Hoo. It's sad how excited I get about this.
1822 Qin swaps to Police State. Umm, oh crap.
1840 Qin builds Manhatten Project. I have no gunpowder units. nice.
1856 Having finally researched Calender (it was hard!) I hook up all the spices ASAP. The first extra I trade to Ghandi for 20 GPT WOO HOO!
1862 The Second extra spices comes on, I offer to Qin. He offers me Coal or something. Yeah, I need that. . . 20 more GPT. Research increases more. Out of the Dark ages at last. Barbs are leaving me alone- something must have them spooked (and its not me).
1876 I get Construction from a GP. I do or switch to everything Qin and Ghandi ask. Fortunately they like each other and me. I am a good little suck up. They have been scrapping with someone though. Probably two advanced Civs that will be Annoyed as soon as they see me.
1903 Amazing I am still alive, researching quickly. I won't win, but I made it this far.
Posts: 49
Threads: 7
Joined: Feb 2006
Project Keister Kiss is still in full effect. I love anything and everything my big beautiful (and VERY powerful) Indian buddy asks.
By 1921, I can abandon the Alpha site, as in 1878 my Big Brothers appeared in force and whipped the you-know what and of the barbs in disgustingly easy fashion, except for one Barb mega city on the island whose culture popped over the Alpha Site. Now I am surrounded by Qin and Ghandi's reclaimed Barb mega cities.
1929 No Great Depression here, as Ghandi is Friendly with me. The #1 Civ likes me, he really likes me. Defensive Pact is white not red. I feel giddy, as he agrees to a Defensive Pact.
Now, having survived but in dead last, what to do next?
You will have to tune in tomorrow to see how "scappy happy hero pup" the civilization moves forward now that it's safe, can research and may be able to explore some.
Same Bat Time, Same Bat Forum!
Posts: 49
Threads: 7
Joined: Feb 2006
Sorry for the delay-- real world stuff.
__
On with the show.
1960 I start building my infrastructure to avoid cultural domination and flipping from the former Barb cities. Culture and economic buildings are high orders. Qin and the Big G have left Barb Island, and a big chuck of the Northeastern continent alone. They may be at their growth limits maybe?
How the economy was saved-- 73 GPT from trading!
1977 the Big G cancelled my defensive pact. I am now fair game again. Spent some of my limited cash for a world map. THERE the other two civs are. The Big G is going to have a hard time getting at them. I avoid them, as I don't need two advanced civs hatin' on my pathetic military right now.
2002 Qin and the Big G seem disinterested in Barb Island, and the empty NE area. I easy a settler and defenser up there- found a city with three resources. Woot.
2019 I swap to Representaion and the people are less happy and it costs more. Grr. I am going back after the delay. Besides King Coolhand has a nice ring.
2030 The Big G, switches back to Organized religion. I dial him up and sure enough, defensive pacts is available again. I offer he accepts. Safe again. My mighty LONGBOWMEN stand behind his Modern armor and Stealth Bombers. FYI- Carib to my immediate north is a size 29 city. Nice.
2036 Still have not introduced myself to the two remaining civs. As The Big G has gone to war with one or both of them, and I have his religion, they will hate me so what's the point?
2040 Build second city up north. Some prime spots available but QIn and the Big G seem "expanded" out. Maybe there super massive stacks of Modern Armor and Stealth Bombers are costing them too much. My tiny military and coattail riding approach is much cheaper. So I expand. Barb Island still there too.
2052 I finally reach 10 milion pop. 3-4th overall. Tech at 90%, I am starting to catch up finally.
2054 80-10-10 allocation to preserve my cultrural boarders from the supermassive converted barb cities around my main core. The NE expansion cities thriving though. Will need 20% culture soon.
2058 The Big G asked that I goto Universal sufferage. I trip all over myself to do it. Got to keep the sugar daddy happy. $$$ but worth it.
2083 My empire is improving, but it looks like a deadlock is likely now.
Posts: 49
Threads: 7
Joined: Feb 2006
2092 Welcome to Communism comarade! With a split empire, this helps with the costs.
2109 Culture is flipped to 20% to presreve borders and make the red faces go away.
2117 No coal anywhere. Sigh. Qin extorts 37 GPT for some of his. I start build railroads stat!!
2121 No oil either. Grr. Lots JUST over the borders.
2132 First global warming strikes. I start up an invasion force to take Barb Island. Qin and the Big G cant be bothered. It's a prime spot, so I can be. Plus my military is itching for some Barb smakcdown after the number they did to me for 1700 years. No prisoners.
2147 Attack Force Alpha takes Barb Island with zero casualities.
2163 Found another NE city. But no Aluminum either. Gah- what are the odds? Oh well, not picking a fight or going to space.
2178 Northern Rom prospering and taking land from Qin and the Big G. Cultural war is my only hope for expansion, so focus on not only preserving borders, but expanding them. Lots of radio towers needed!
2193 Border pops in Southern Rome allow for the first new city down there in 1800 years. I think the AI's are tapped out.
2201 Last major city built, I start the culture expansion war.
2247 Louis XIV finds me, and HATES me. Neener neener, can't reach me and Big Daddy G is protecting me with our defensive pact. Still I start to upgrade to infantrymen just in case.
2249 I seek out and find Izzy, no sense not to now. Cultural expansion gets me a coal mine!
2251 Izzy cautious. I open borders for trade. WTF, spy sabotages my iron mine! Louis maybe?
2265 Spy strikes again. My workers are busy rebuilding. Parking military on mines not helping. Grr.
2271 The spies are getting old.
2273 Cultural wat gets me an Aluminum mine!
2277 Again, spy attacks. Culture to 30%
2291 Caught and killed a French spy. Louis you SOB.
2292 My first golden age.
2294 I built the Internet. Anyone else could have built it 100 years ago I bet, but no one bothered. I did and got 4 free techs.
2300 The french spies are back. I need to stop them. I build spies for counterspy program.
2306 Two spies killed, by my hunter killer groups headed by a spy each.
2343 I culture steal oil and that turn a spy gets it! Grr! I pop Uranium out of a mine.
2353 The Big G declares on France again. My DP is gone, some I devert resources into military spending.
2358 Big G asks me to declare war on France. I am happy to join him. Of course we can't do much to each other. . . .
2362 I lose two fishing boat area, but sink the sub that had been delivering spies.
2367 Big G gets peace. Oops. Now I am alone in war.
2370 Global Warming is really brutal now for everyone. Peace for me as well. Reinstate our DP. Yeah, that's more like it.
I will go to 2400 AD and them evaluate the sitaution.
Posts: 49
Threads: 7
Joined: Feb 2006
2404 AD. After reviewing everything, the game is at a hopeless stalemate. No one can win, and no one is really close. Qin and the Big G are close in military power, size and are quite chummy (same religion ect). I am third, but in no way can threaten them militarily. Declaring war would lead to my rapid pointless destruction. I love my subjects too much for that. They can't be bribed to fight each other. The mountainous civs are safe from us, but cant win either. even subs can't reach them safely (10-15 destoyers waiting ect).
It's a draw. I am happy with that.
Qin had 36.0% of the land and pop, with little prospoect for more (I was culturally nibbling away). I was 16.21% land 16.41 population.
Score:
12844 Gandhi
9873 Qin
3354 Louis
3465 Me
2761 Isabella
Demo's were interesting to say the least:
I was 3rd in everything, except approval rate which I was 4th (but with 73%!) Number one approval rating was 91%! With an 89 year life expectancy! No top 5 cities.
I built 18 cities, lost none.
I Killed:
149 Warriors
88 Horse Archers
89 Archers
29 longbows
9 axemen
16 maces
15 riflemen
9 spies
1 sub
Overall quite an amazing game, and I am pleased given how hard it was, and how above my normal level it was.
|
