Adventure Four - Herbie's Shadow Game

[Herbie]

First: I only managed to get this Game done because of that last week we had more to play. I tried to write a nice, funny report, but I had not much time left: so after some initial stuff, there are almost only my in-game-alt-tabbing-notes. Sorry everybody: if you want to read something funny, try this: "something funny".

And why is it a "shadow game" ? - well... because I cheated... :shame:
read on, and you'll see...

And now for something completely different...

I am Hatsheput, the gods are with me. I am Ruler of all of Egypt, miles and miles of Sand listen to my Command, I am worshipped by thousands and thousands. So: Don't you DARE call me Hatty !!!

These few people with me will be my people. Now, build a town and name it Thebes...
You there, wise men of Thebes: research hunting and then archery, for there are dangerous times. The gods told me, we are on monarch level, and even if I don't know what that means, they said:
* BE PREPARED TO DEFEND YOURSELF *
I command Theben to build a worker, so we will get more food. Our Warrior will explore the lands.
"Oh Great Pharao Hatsheput, your humble exploring warriors found a hut and the inhabitants were overwhelmed with your beauty and gave us their secret knowledge of Pottery !!"
hmm. not bad... search on, my brave warriors. Find me more of those huts !
"Oh Great Pharao Hatsheput, your humble exploring warriors found another hut and the inhabitants also were overwhelmed with your beauty and gave us a map of their surroundings."
hrmpf. a map. go on, find something better !
"Oh Great Pharao Hatsheput, the people of Thebes have built a worker."
Good. The wise men have researched Achery, so now build an Archer. The wise men can now research mining.
"Oh Great Pharao Hatsheput, your humble exploring warriors found another hut and the inhabitants also were overwhelmed with your beauty and gave us their secret knowledge of Mysticism !!"
Very Good ! Two Techs from huts ! thats outrageous !
wise men: research polytheism !
"Oh Great Pharao Hatsheput, your humble exploring warriors found another Civilization: The chinese under Qin Shi Huang."
Hmmm.. hello.
"Oh Great Pharao Hatsheput, the wise men of Theben have researched Polytheism and founded the Religion of Hinduism !".
Good. The Gods will be pleased! Research Monotheism, perhaps we will get more religions !
"Oh Great Pharao Hatsheput, there are Barbarian Warriors coming from the jungles."
Defend our little civilization, my Warriors and Bowmen !
Theben has build a Settler. Go Northwest my Children, take some Archers with you. Found me a City named Memphis !
"Oh Great Pharao Hatsheput, there are more Barbarian Warriors coming from the jungles and the icelands."
Defend our little civilization, my Warriors and Bowmen !
"Oh Great Pharao Hatsheput, there are still more Barbarian Warriors coming from the jungles and the icelands."
Defend our little civilization, my Warriors and Bowmen !
"Oh Great Pharao Hatsheput, there are even more Barbarian Warriors coming from the jungles and the icelands."
Defend our little civilization, my Warriors and Bowmen !
A Great Artist emerged from the ordinary People of Theben. You there: go and be a super specialist in Theben. This will bring some Gold and more Culture !
"Oh Great Pharao Hatsheput, did we mention, that there are even more Barbarian Warriors coming from the jungles and the icelands ?"
Hrmpf ! You know what to do !
500 AD: Another Great Artist emerged from the ordinary People of Theben. You ! Give me Monarchy !
Oh, hello Kublai Khan... How comes, that - as the gods tell me - your Score is over 200 Points higher than mine, while I have more than Qin, Huyana and Roosevelt, which I met before ???
1170 AD: And another Great Artist emerges from the ordinary People of Thebes. Come on guys: isn't there something else you like to do than painting Pictures ? Must be that Hieroglyphes-thing. But Hieroglyphes are sooo cute, I can't change to that "Alphabet" we heard from.
I'm WAY behind in tech... in the moment, there will be no space race win....
EACH and EVERY other Civ has at least three more tech than me. And I have nothing to trade techs for...
An unknown civilization has more land than me ! who could that be ???
found Ashoka and traded a map where I can see spanish borders...
1505 AD:
"Oh Great Pharao Hatsheput, the wise men of Theben have researched Divine Right !".
Good. No Islam ? Must have been founded long ago...
"Oh Great Pharao Hatsheput, a Great Engineer emerged from the people of Thebes !".
Very Good. Build Spiral Minarett at once !
hmmm... Kublai is now 350 Points Score in the Lead...
later...
A Great Prophet emerged my people. Let's build the Hindu-Shrine !
1685: Score: Isabella got 100 Points more than me, Qin 200 and Kublai 400 !!!
Strange: only Isabella has less tech than me, all the others have AT LEAST four Techs more (Alphabet not counting !)
1800: Qin already has some destroyers... I since recently can only build Frigates...
1876: Kublai Khan has finished the Apollo Program... and I am researching RAILROAD !!!! This is going to be defeat as defeat can be...
1890 AD: I am number one in Score. How could that happen ????? I'm still WAY behind in tech... just built some military...
1910 AD: I THINK I am the first one with tanks... hmmmm.... Qin just built SS Casing... hmmm....
1926 AD: Oh people of Egypt, follow me. Destroy those chinese heathen Cateaters !
1928: Noone wants to help me in this war against Qin (pout)
and I was right: he had no Tanks !
...He has Gunships...
1930: Kublai Khan built SS Thrusters... aarrggh. I can never fight both of them... this first war will take forever...
1932: Lots of chinese Gunships...
Took two of his Cities. Still noone wants to help me... Lost about twenty Tanks already (is there a bonus for AI on this level ??)
And now he has Tanks, too...
1936: Will I ever learn ? Sorens AI did it again: A Transport delivered a Tank, two SAMs and two Artilleries to my farthest City... I could just barely upgrade two Horse Archers to Gunships and get a tank there, otherwise I would have lost that City !
1938: Three attacking chinese SAM Infanteries killed two Gunships of mine - in a city... (there MUST be an AI Bonus on this level!)
1945: Soren did a job too well... Qin is hiding his arriving troops at that far away City inside an Incan city.
Since we are both at peace with Huyana I can't bombard them there !! The turn before that, his Ships are out of reach of my Bombers, and the Turn after, his Gunships are marauding around my City !!!! Grmblfx!
1948: And now Isabella declared war on me, too ! must be pur envy of MY natural Beauty (that painted Bi***)... or Qin bribed her into it...

1949: At least Isabella only attacks with cavalry ! I can stop THEM !
And I cut off Qin from Oil and Aluminium ! So, after clearing only two or three... hundred more tanks, Gunships, Destroyer and Battleships...
Ah...darn ! He still has Uranium !
1950: Spanish Cavalry has no chance against Egyptian Tanks... but if there are 6 suiciding cannons, one Rifleman and six Cavalry... that was a VERY close one !
Roosevelt was so nice to help me out with that little problem called Isabella ! Thank you Frankieboy...
Wow ! Qin sure has some Units in that City...


But with a lot of Bombers, some 7 suicide artilleries and some Gunships and Tanks I did manage to get that City. And sink more than half his fleet ! Nice !
Macau is revolting to Mongolian ! But I just got a Great Artist. That Should help....


1966: Macau has just revolted and joined the Mongolian Empire. So much for the Effect of that Great Artist...
Did I not understand it right ? Is there still a "non-revolt Bonus" with Units in the City ??? I thought, now there is only Culture needed ???
Qin is down to two Cities. Apollo-Project is done (at last !), and SS casings are scheduled...
1968: No Chinese Food anymore... what a sweet-sour victory ! Remarkable: Even with only his last City (pop 5) Qin had more Score than Ashoka !
Now I'm going to hurt Isabella a bit, make Peace, build the Spaceship, win the Game and... dream on...

1971:
* And here is the point I cheated:
* Isabella landed some troops up in the Northeast Corner (where I did not expect her ! ). Didn't see them coming... There were three tanks, two artillery, two cavalry and a cannon. I only had one musketeer in the City. Isabella suicide-attacked with the artillery, and destroyed the City with her Tanks. The Rest of her Troops went pillaging. That was the moment I first saw her troops there... (must watch out more for those comments in the upper left corner !!) Okay: SH** happens.
* But in that City, I was building a SpaceShip-Part... So I loaded the last Turn again and upgraded the Unit in the City (to a tank). No Units in reach for the next three Rounds (at least). I shuffled some Bombers and Fighters to the Area and got some tanks and mechs marching. And....
* same result: Isabella did exactly the same with the same result: City destroyed... Hmmm...
* After some thinking (about: probably loosing Space Race with or without this City, and thus the Game, or having a shadow Game, but being more content with the Game at all), I once again reloaded the last turn, and tried to shuffle more Troops.
* No Effect, there simply were NO Troops. So I loaded the Turn BEFORE and upgraded the Troops in the neighbouring Citys, and then put them in the endangered City in the next Turn (where isabella then landed her troops.
* With the Effect, that Isabella went around that City and was threatening to attack the neighbouring City, which she would reach the next Turn (BEFORE reinforcement could have been there...And with me having police State and vassalage - so no buying or whipping a Unit...). So:

Oh ye mighty Gods of Egypt. See your humble daughter Hatsheput fall in the Hands of the Unbelievers. Please help !
* HMMM OH YES. WE SEE.*
* WE ARE GOING TO GIVE YOU 2 GUNSHIPS AND A MECHINF IN THAT CITY*
Oh great ! Goodygoody !
*AND WE WILL TAKE THEM FROM A CITY AT THE CHINESE FRONT*
Oh... well, okay....

* So I placed 2 Gunships and a mech in the threatened City, deleted them from a front City, upgraded all Units around that City, shuffled some Bombers and Fighters in that Area, and got some more Tanks marching.



I have to admit, I don't really recall, what has happened here exactly: this is a Screenshot I made after finishing the game. Here Isabellas Units are damaged, and in my City there is a lonely MechInf. I must have attacked her, since one Gunship and a Tank are missing... But do they do collateral Damage ? Or did I use a Fighter/Bomber ? I don't recall it anymore, sorry.
* well, Isabella went around the City, pillaged some, and got kicked the next three rounds by my Gunships and Tanks...
* By the Way: With loading those previous turns I watched out for her coming... There was nothing to see !!!! She kept outside my visible fields until the turn she landed those Troops !!!

And after all of that: I could persuade Kublai to declare War on Isabella ! Yeah ! Get her, boy!
1972: After Kublai has built the UN, I have been elected General Secretary (with the help of Roosevelt and Ashoka !)
1973: I've build the Space Elevator !!! Wooohooooo ! The Space race is now open again !!! Who would have thought of THAT ???
1974: Made Peace with Isabella. Now Kublai can give her a nice pounding (and neglect his Spaceship a little bit...)
1981: Thrusters done in memphis. Now scheduling some spies to sabotage Kublais Space Ship !!
1983: First Sabotage with this Spy: Got caught... Great !
1984: The city of Vitoria has a spanish revolt (that's the City I took from Isabella. Looks like she's going to get it back peacefully.)
1985: Guanghzuo has a mongolian Revolt grrrr..... that's the second City !!! Next Spy, next try... this time it is success !!!
1987: Marco Polo, a Great merchant got me 2700 Gold for a Traderoute. I am researching fusion, so I can build SS Engine. Kublai needs two more Parts: Life Support and stasis chamber. I need stasis chamber (is under Construction and due in six turns) and engine... and I am only researching that now....
1988: Another Sabotage act: no success ! This gets my relation with Kublai down to only +5 ! And at once the next try: Success ! Kublais life support is now due in four instead of two turns... another Spy will be "in town" next turn...
1991: The most advanced Civs... I am on 5th place... Only Isabella and Ashoka are beneath me...



SS stasis chamber is done. Engine is scheduled and due in 6 turns. Kublais Life Support is due in 2 turns, and I CAN'T sabotage it ! Is there a limit ??? Oh... no: it's just expensive ! 2532 Gold !!!!
And I have only 1020...
1992: UN resolution for universal Suffrage as civic. Now Isabella and Kublai will have some nice unrest in their Cities, I suppose...
found his stasis Chamber ! it is due in 10 turns, and I will have enough Money for a Sabotage next turn...
My Engine is due in 7 Turns. SEVEN ??? what has happened there ???? it was 6 turns LAST round !!!
1993: One sabotage to be sure... not successful ! and not enough money for another...
1998: and one last sabotage: SUCCESS ! Now there won't be a chance for Kublai to be faster than I am !!!! Yes !
:-)
1999 SPACE RACE VICTORY !




I never thought, I'd win this game. Never ever ! Sheer luck... never even played on monarch before ! Woohooooo !
If not for the two early techs out of huts and expecially the space elevator, I NEVER would have won ! And that war between Kublai and Isabella has helped, too.
Now I'm just wondering: would I have won without the cheating part ???? It would have been very close, due to Kublais Launching... but perhaps... who knows...

[Arathorn]

Now I'm just wondering: would I have won without the cheating part ???? It would have been very close, due to Kublais Launching... but perhaps... who knows...

That is, indeed, the critical question. And you'll never know until you can break yourself of the ugly reload habit. I was a reloader back in the Civ2 days. Not fun. It's so much better to determine for yourself whether that seemingly untenable position can, in fact, be salvaged. I found that playing honest adds a tremendous amount to the game. Plus, you learn so much more that way.

Looks like you had an entertaining end, anyway. Hope you enjoyed!

Arathorn

[Sullla]

Initial Archery beeline... Not necessarily bad, but you do get a little bit of a grace period even on Monarch before needing to stand up defenses.

How did you get all those Great Artists? Parthenon? Three in a row is very unusual!

The AI never receives combat bonuses on any difficulty level. You may have gotten an unlucky combat result, but combat is always a fair playing field. And I'd hardly call seeing SAM Infantry shoot down gunships to be unlikely!

It's great to see the win, although of course reloading to recover from mistakes is not allowed. Still, at least you admitted it upfront. As far as the space race goes, you were very lucky that the AIs were doing so much warring, allowing you to launch at the very late date of 1999. The work sabotaging Kublai's spaceship parts was excellent too.

I hope you'll be able to join us for more games in the future.