Session 5, hopefully the last one. You may have noticed my faith counter getting up around 5k recently, this is mostly because I am completely apathetic to the religious combat mechanics. If I could just spread my religion without having to deal with the combat, I might actually bother with it, but right now I don't feel like it. IBT Kongo attempts to give me another pile of books for peace, I refuse.
T307: I have the opportunity to claim a Great Admiral who will reduce WW by 25% if I burn him, I of course take him. The battleship made a mistake and got too close to the city:
Doubt it will bother me significantly from here on out. I don't know why this unit is over here, but because of Redcoats he can hit 3-4 cities at once.
Japan wants peace and will pay for it, I accept because I don't really have access to their cities at the moment. Rome also wants peace, and offers pennies and luxuries, I refuse.
T309: Mbuji - Mayi falls:
I discover that if you have a harbour you can pull off the redcoat trick with any unit:
Also, THE MAP HAS OIL:
Gonna buy a builder and hook this up once the battleship is gone. Tank model happens to be a sherman:
I really hope they made different tanks for each country, and are only using a sherman for the brits because of lendlease.
T309: Get a GE, he will increase the production of "Regional Buildings" by 2 and their range by 3, I assume it means factories? I take him and put him in Plymouth's district next turn. IBT Kongo wants to sell me books for peace, I say no.
T310: Get Suffrage, I lose my 1 amenity for 2 districts policy and instead get 4 housing 2 amenities -8 gold for 3 districts. I take it as an experiment, and my gold income goes down by 60 but stays positive, so I think I will keep it. Next research Conservation. Arretium falls to my new tanks:
I burn the city, its a terrible tundra iceball that will take up valuable luxuries. I then see the oil and start kicking myself, but the free infantry reminds me why England is broken. Memphis falls:
Another free infantry. Keep the city, it has tea nearby (it feels like the different continents have entirely different amenities). Denounced by China IBT
T311- 312 I keep moving up, nothing interesting happened.
T313 I get advanced flight, next tech Advanced Ballistics. I already have some aluminium hooked, and could easily get 4 more. American tank rolls into Washington:
Kongo is in the modern era now, not sure if that is what's making their cities sting a little more. They are getting a tank army of their own to fight however, so things should be fine.
T314 I finally start dealing damage to Kongo and Egypt's last remaining cities.
T315 Aquileia falls:
Tanks are fun.
I don't have a single other unit that can output that level of damage. I don't know exactly how cities work, but all I know is that blue bar greatly reduces damage and takes a lot to reduce. IBT Kongo expects me to pay him 1.3K for peace + books, I decline. China asks me for a gift of one of every luxury, I decline.
T316: I take Akhetaten:
And Sais:
Thought this was the end of Egypt, will probably lose a unit to that battleship because I was wrong. If it isn't obvious based off of those damage values I keep showing, tank armies are killing everything on the western front. Keep Sais because it gives me a luxury, burn Akhetaten. My cannon outside Kongo's capital can attack twice, with predictable results:
Scratch another capital. Northern forces start moving up to attack China.
T317 Get advanced ballistics, start upgrading my cannons. Next tech Synthetic materials. Have the opportunity to get a GM, but they only help with tourism so no. Mpinda falls:
The animation for killing the last guy in a unit for infantry is hilarious, he does this weird shoulder charge thing, then jumps around to the right and blasts him. Much prefer the Redcoat one. Burn the city. Also you can't stack on top of opposing religious units:
Worst design ever.
T318 get Conservation, on to Cold War. Cumae falls:
Lights out:
Keep the city because I can. I stumble around a bit trying to find Egypt's last city, it must be well hidden.
T319 is a shuffling of units for the eventual invasion of China and Japan.
T320 I get synthetic materials, next is Composites. Take Mbumbi:
It is size one after capture, so burnt. Found Egypt:
Not sure why they are there, that city is right next to China and half a map away from their start. China is massing knights:
T321 Kwila falls:
Goodbye Kongo:
City is kept for the Jade. Egypt's last city doesn't even have walls, so the only redcoat that made it there should be enough. I almost declare on Japan, but I have to denounce them 5 turns in advance to use a CB, so even though it isn't necessary I hold back. I spend the turn shuffling units on all fronts. For some reason I get a relic:
No idea why. Archaeologist I built a couple turns back also finds something.
T332 is more shuffling of units. IBT Japan denounces me back.
T333 I get composites, enter the Information Era. Next tech Stealth Technology. Get a GS and a GA, scientist gives +4 science to universities and Artist makes me 2 great works of writing. Scientist eurekas combined arms. Realise I need uranium for modern armour, so I switch my research to Combined Arms.
T324 I declare on Japan using Colonial War CB for maximum disrespect. Kyoto:
Ouch. The eastern and western fronts have linked up.
T325 I get cold war, next civic Rapid Deployment. I didn't take a picture of it, but I think everyone should be aware that sometime when you kill a unit with an embarked one the boat literally sails onto land through the enemy unit, knocking it over. Tank armies are good:
Goodbye Kyoto:
Japan is still strong in the north.
I declare on China because my boats are in range of their knights. Use colonial war again. Does not feel fair:
T326 Combined arms, next tech Nuclear Fission. Get a GE who helps with space, might as well. Edfu falls:
So does Egypt:
Only 2 left. Keep the city. Fukuoka suffers the same fate:
Goodbye Japan:
One to go. Entire army moves NW, this should be over quickly. Keep city. Killing land units with subs should not be allowed:
The torpedo looks so silly.
T327 I realise that only the capital matters and start moving all my troops there, ignoring China's other cities.
T328 get 2 GA, one admiral and one artist. Bonuses don't matter.
T329 Range on Battleships is insane:
The city is taken down by the double attacking machine gun, because I think there is a glitch that means they count as not having moved if due to being embarked they finished their move with their maximum MP on land. However, because I attacked with the tank first I have to wait one more turn. IBT they attempt to avenge their city with a knight:
They of course die instantly in their effort.
T 330 THE CITY IS TANKED. Oh, but first I get rapid deployment, next tech space race. Anyway:
Glorious victory animation showing an artistic recreation of the game:
If I did this again, I think I would rush Rome. Ranked between Henry VIII and Ivan the Terrible. I think I only lost 2 units the entire time, and the graphs showing the units lost and units killed stats are hilarious. I had an insane amount of stored faith at the end.
I was reading through it as you posted over the last few days. The AIs were noticeably different in your game compared to mine, with Rome eating up lots of territory in your game while they mostly sat around doing nothing for me. Our second city went in the same spot, and our third city in nearly the same location. I liked your Birmingham/Plymouth locations for cities, I think you got better use out of the west coast of this starting position than I did. And your initial impression was correct: this was a poor starting location. All of the other civs that I've seen in the other reports had significantly better starts. No fresh water + cramped peninsula start next to Rome? This was a challenging spot. 