Chevalier Rides Again: A City Lights exploration

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

I miscounted, I think London only maxes 8 production with Urban Planning - so that would delay walls to turn 60 at the earliest if he's running max production. I won't count on that estimate, but I think I have enough of a cushion to delay D-Day for a powerful alpha strike with all my units.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Randoms, 53:



The fleet is gathering and my army is marching. Oligarchy arrives in 3 turns and we'll go then. 

Sparta builds a GP to get Amani for the governor title. She'll go to Nan Madol, where I have one envoy already, to gain suzerainty and +2 culture per coastal district. That will be an instant goose of +10 culture in 9 turns (4 to build and 5 for her to establish), and we will lock Nan Madol down for the rest of the game. 

Domestic economy is plotted:


One campus from each city nestled in the mountainous center. 

Holy Sites a possibility but I have no religious plans atm. Also might swap the +7 CH for an Industrial Zone instead, which would hit the entire Greek core. A second IZ in occupied England would let us nail most of those eurekas. Would need a second CH for eureka purposes someplace else though. Am considering IZ possibilities, Campuses take first priority. 

Acropoloi are "nice to haves" but probably won't be built.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Turn 54

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

It is, regrettably, necessary.

I didn't plan on it, but then England spawned 4 tiles from my capital AND then lost his entire military, THEN spent ages building a campus with no military at all. Like, I have no further spots for expansion, I can't outdevelop all these naval civs, so...well, these two cities will give me 3x as many cities as any other civ, all of which are on 2 cities. With no ability for them to coordinate against me, that should be GG. It makes too much sense - I just can't possibly NOT murder England at this point.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Randoms - Turn 55

D-1:




Major news is meeting Norway, leaving only Japan in the fog - Norway has met him, too, so he should have met all civs by now. Norway has slightly higher science than average and slightly higher culture than average, but most notable is his 218 milscore, higher even than Sparta's. At 35 strength, it could be as many as 6 longships with the starting warrior, or 5 with like 2 warriors and an archer, or some combination thereof. 

England's execution begins tomorrow.

City Lights games: 

No comment:

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Randoms - Turn 56




Moving up the units tipped England off enough to buy a warrior, which will delay things a bit. He can also rush a galley or walls and seriously delay matters - but Newcastle is doomed and Sparta can build galleys faster than England can sink them, plus 4 warriors in support. It might devolve into a grind but London is, ultimately, doomed.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Looking at the situation map, England has some ugly choices. As I see it, he has 4 options:

Option 1: Sit tight in the city and keep the warrior boosting city defenses by 10. This probably slows me the most, but it lets me place two warriors alongside the city next turn uncontested (I think I can even launch attacks with one), and a third coming along behind that. I think London would fall probably around turn 58 or 59, which could be time to rush out a galley or walls, however.

Option 2: Move south and launch an attack. This feels better emotionally and it stops my warrior approaching the city from the south. But it accepts battle on unfavorable terrain and with an unbalanced strength differential, and it leaves the city exposed to the galley and to the warrior coming from the north. I still take the city around turn 58.

Option 3: Move south and defend. This holds my warrior off the city longer, but again, has that same problem of leaving the north exposed, and I can calmly flank him to the west and bring up my third warrior. He's outnumbered and the terrain is poor.

Option 4: Move north. This blocks the northern attack entirely, at the expense of giving up the southern ground to the two warriors. He can't move and attack but he gets thick jungle terrain to defend in. I think the city falls on 59 here.

Every turn he squeezes is an opportunity to finish a galley - which will make the seaborne attack, the core of my invasion, more difficult - or walls. I have to damage the city as much as possible before walls arrive. WIll work on Masonry next and spit a ram out of Sparta, while maintaining a siege of London as best I am able.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

City Lights I (32)

I don't remember my plans at all:



Tactically, the barbs in the river valley are finally cleared. 

I start a shrine to speed up my religion and, I guess, Work Ethic? A settler will follow. 

Also want 1 more warrior and maybe 2 archers for Hattusa operation. 

City Lights II (44)

Ancestral Hall finishes and I found my next 3 cities:



I literally forgot I had already founded Baltimare so I change the name later. 

The two freshwater cities start Desert Folklore Holy Sites (I miss Russia's half-cost lavras...), the coastal city starts a granary for housing while I save up gold for more tile purchases. 

Room for 6 cities on the three islands southwest of my start:



I will keep my two units in the area to maintain barb clearance while the galley circumnavigates. I need a few more points for monumentality. 

Seoul is a nice city:


Korea has 3 seowons by my count, looks like libraries, too. That accounts for 30 of his 46 (!!) science, but I expect my trade routes, urban districts, and Work Ethic will soon outproduce Korea into the ground. For now the low science rate suits me, keeps me off the scoreboard. 

Overview of the south:

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Randoms - 57

England opted for option 4 - moving north and blocking my northern pincer. That opens the city to attack from the south, and I hit the warrior in the jungle due to my strength bonus (I didn't know Gorgo gets +1 strength per military policy adopted! Must have been buffed!). 







Situation map:

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Thank you! They're quicker and easier than a full report and I thought might be easier to read for any lurkers who don't know Civ VI. 

Turn 58

London has fallen and England is no more. 

New situation map:



Plan is to get out the campus complex, surge out ahead in tech, explore, settle, and then pick a win condition.