Coming in late but here we go.

http://www.dos486.com/civ4/adv34/

Maybe I need to learn a bit about brevity; everyone else's reports are nice one-pagers hitting the highlights, but I'm incapable of covering a Civ game in less than four full pages...

Summary: Great Engineered the Pyramids, Space Race win in 1852 AD.

Also, here's the report of my Great Artist attempt to flip the English capital early:

http://www.dos486.com/civ4/adv34/page5.shtml

EPIC SPEED:

Despite creating the game, upon playing it myself I had a long and hard thought about which great person I would choose. The Great spy was out as you get that often enough through the GW and I am not a big fan of espionage. The Great Artist.. I thought long and hard about that and played another map as Charlemagne as a test. Despite building my capital right next to some other capital of a non-creative civ it seems an early flip (making it the best strat) seems impossible. I only managed one revolt before loosing steadily in the culture war.
I was disappointed that this strat that I wanted to try in the real game failed so miserably in the test.


So that left only a performance enhancer for a massive Imperialist city sprawl. The merchant seemed like a nice idea, but I opted for the Great Engineer and to settle it down. This would boost my research a bit and provide me with massive initial production, making Aachen an industrial powerhouse from the getgIf I got time, I will try out something more insane, but GE it is.

Despite a tempting plains hill to the south, I settled in place as I decided the delay of one turn and the sacrifice of the clam was not an option. And cursed as a sponsor I knew that there was a bronze at this start, making the city placement a no-brainer. One south is valid though as you get another food ressource into the BFC. With 9 possible hammers, I could build the settler in 15 turns from the getgo and as I didn´t have fishing or agri, I thought this a good idea.

My scout meanwhile encountered Lizzie to the east. A good rush target and she actually started on a hill without my doing making it not too easy to overcome her.

In 3550 BC Prague is founded, quite close to London to avoid Lizzie going too far into my direction and with cows and an oasis after the expansion, a good site. Despite loosing Mediation, I tried for Polytheism. Of course I fail, London gets it, making Prague a risky affair. Awesome, I thought at that time, I might screw my own sponsored game up.

2325 BC

I quickly build 2 workers, followed by a warrior and settler and after a quick monument wipe, I start the Stonehenge in Prague, if it doesn´t get finished, I might be forced to rush Lizzie to avoid being culturally strangled. And it fails. Great, two plans down the hole.

1750 BC

I rush the Great Wall with 1 wipe and 3 workers and follow this up with a big push on settlers and galleys. Seems I have to play a more classic game then I thought. My early settler managed not too much. I hoped that I could pressure London not the other way round.

1100 BC

My production advantage shows as I manage to get a late Oracle after Mathematics and I go for the catapult. Together with Iron Working I will take London the hard way. My inital expanion is complete with 6 cities including marble island (a nice site which hopefully some guys spotted. The marble was one of 2-3 ressources I added/moved)

950 BC

Supported by 5 workers chopping, I am working on a catapult supported axe force (as iron is nicely outside my borders, damn you Lizzie!

525 BC

London is taken as with catapults 3 archers don´t stand a chance against 5 axes. The islam capital is mine, I decide to utterly destroy Lizzie to get much needed space.

500 BC

A great Spy is born and settled in Aachen.

410 BC

A great general is settled in Prague.

320 BC

After razing all her measly three cities, Lizzie is no more, disappointing, I have to find stronger enemies, but only after a small round of economic buildup.

200 BC

I have replaced both of Lizzies cities with my own and I advance onto code of laws with all speed to raise my teching above 50% and 57 beakers again.

125 BC

I convert to my own dominant religion Islam as Augustus asks me to. Why not, Mansa will trade with me anyway and Isabella is perhaps my next target.

80 BC

Two turns later, Augustus goes Confucianism. Finally Rathäuser are built all around the country.

145 AD

Economy catches up, thanks to a settled GM in London and Rathäusers getting finished, I decide to expand somewhere and after converting to Christianity I plan to hit Augustus next.

880 AD

After playing happy builder for quite a number of years, in 880 AD, Augustus dows me and forces my hand.

910 AD

I manage to involve my spanish, christian ally in the war with Rome.

1100 AD

Slowly rolling back the roman empire which encroached right south of Aachen.

1200 AD

I manage to take Neapolis and in light of Liberalism being around I start a golden age with a GP to recover economically.

1250 AD

One city is taken by a sneak stab by Mansa Musa, prolonging the time of war in my empire.

And that´s where my time constraints kicked in. I actually played quite mediocre, but I was leading in tech, land and everything else.

My Report to Adv #34
http://species.h1227954.stratoserver.net...adv34.html

Short summary - took engineer for Pyramids, rushed Liz semi-competently, expanded into clear lead in all categories. Retired in 1200AD after taking most of Caesar's mainland with cannons + a few drafted rifles and had started hitting Izzy as well; no AI was close to any units on that tech level. Domination was assured but I just didn't feel like playing it out.
Also, as I noted in the game thread, I didn't realize right away that Epic speed was not intended, and played my game out on that speed.

Quick thoughts about the GP options (written before playing):

Settling options are pretty bland. Not that they wouldn't be good, but most of them would be like having a grassland gems or something added to the capital's fat cross - cool but not especially novel. Any tech bulb is also a bad idea; by the time to you get to techs expensive enough that you're not wasting most of the bulb, there are usually other ways to get the GP needed so that also wouldn't be new.

GG is right out, one unit can't do that much. An early medic III would be cool but you still need an army to support that.
GSpy - could be interesting, but I don't have enough experience with tech stealing. I assume that Archduke gave us a map with neighbors we'll meet early so we could use this (and the GG) but still, I don't like the small chance of isolated start here.
GM - Early trade mission for gold is more attractive than any tech bulb. It may be possible to do a mass warrior->axe upgrade a la Civ3's swordsman rush. But early rushes on Monarch are generally easy enough so this wouldn't open any seriously new options.
A GA would be cool if you could settle next to and flip an AI's capital very early, but the math doesn't work out. Assuming settling as close as possible, an insta-bomb will start dumping 20+ per turn in the city tile, but a capital will soon pop borders a 2nd time and be getting 40+/turn. If the leader is on a peninsula and you use your Imperialistness for a very quick 2nd city you could maybe seal them in completely; that would also be fun but I'm not taking a chance on the map being shaped that way.

This leaves the obvious choice - GE for early Pyramids. With all that food, the capital is gonna benefit hugely from the Rep happiness even before specialists come into play. Besides such a powerful wonder, it gives us another wonder of our chooising fairly soon through the GE points. I also rarely do a SE with Pyramids outside of OCC (Epic 19 is probably the closest, but I built a lot of cottages too) so for me the option is farily novel (although maybe not for some of the vets). I'm sure this will be a popular choice, but frankly I don't see any other option that could be anywhere close to as good.
----
After playing, at the time I posted I only saw one other person had done the same. Guess it sort of worked like no one picking Rome in Gourmet Menu. Now for the game...

I've just recently been getting into a mockumentary web series called Pure Pwnage. After telling Aravis about it online I thought I'd throw it out here on the forum as well...

Pure Pwnage

So, like uh, watch that 'n stuff to learn how to pwn noobs with ur uber micro 'n stuff.

I am looking for an article that explains how score is calculated. Does anyone know if one exists, and if so, link it for me? Thanks in advance.

This is just a placeholder. Cultural Victory in 1752. I chose a GS. Not very original I know. Report will come sooner than later I hope.

Well, like I'm sure most people did, I settled on the Corn ...



You know something good is coming after that :neenernee

Short version: Chose a Great Prophet and settled it immediately, eventual Religious victory/Backdoor Domination in 1690 AD (turn 248 normal speed).

Much fuller report later ...

After being away from Civ for a year (due to a Guild Wars addiction) I figured it was time to return. Adventure 34 had just opened and promised to be interesting. Though Monarch is definitely above my level of play I decided to try it, with the help of the Bug-mode. So I'm not sure if that disqualifies me from actual scoring, but I wasn't too worried about being in the running for the top spot.

So, never having played Charlemagne and with my issues of keeping up with the AI tech-pace at this difficulty level, I chose the Great Scientist.

With the starting spot showing 4 sources of food I simply settle in place and start on Fishing to get the workboats cracking.

Around 3925BC Elizabeth runs into me so she must be close. My early exploring days end when the scout is eaten. My techs have gone from Fishing -> Agriculture -> mining -> BW. Needed BW to clear some trees and mine the local hill.

From BW -> wheel -> pottery -> writing -> AH. AH and my second city gave me a nice present - horses!


I wasn't able to spread east as Lizzy had dropped her city in the nice flood plains. But it would work out for me in the end.

In 1375BC I ran into Isabella. We didn't hit it off too well as Elizabeth and I were happily Taoist and Izzy was the founder of Christianity. After obtaining IW in 825BC from Lizzy I find no iron in my immediate area. I was to later snatch it just before Izzy with a new city.

In 535AD, Izzy has finally had enough of my Taoist self and declares war. I am unable to find anyone to assist so I plan for the worst. In past games of this difficulty level I have relied on catapults for defense of the cities - they are cheap and can devastate the enemy stacks outside the city. So I fall back to a basic strategy of turtle up and build cats.




She would end up sending 4 waves of troops at Nuremberg - once taking out my iron - before Lizzie had enough and joined the war. As Izzy moved her troops up the gates of the city, I would simply hammer them with the cats, she would suicide some troops, and then I would attack out of the city. Mansa (to the east of Lizzie) joined the fight but I wasn't able to see anything of that warring. By 980AD I had the Heroic Epic up in the capital was churning out 2 cats every 3 turns.

In 1040AD, Izzie stops making her attacks on Nuremberg, allowing me to start building a small attack force. She and Lizzie are battling over Valencia. Civil Service has just come in so I'm cranking military out of the capital - cats and swords.

In 1160AD Holy Roman forces moving south from Tartar make the attack and take Pamplena!


Izzy starts fielding maces in 1210AD, but thankfully the brunt of those is felt by Lizzie as they continue to trade Valencia. In 1265AD the AP votes to fight against Izzy and Augustus (good trading buddy to my west) and Louis join the fight. Never saw anything from Louis and only saw a few units from Augustus.

As I prepared to launch another offensive move against Izzy, everyone else makes peace with her. She crushes my forces with ease and sends the few units left into Valencia which is held by my good neighbor Lizzie. In 1370AD I check with Izzy to see what peace would cost me - Pamplona and Aesthitics. Tell her nope and she can have Pamplona when she pries from my troops' cold dead hands. She does exactly that in 1380AD.

At the same time I get my first special unit - landsknecht. Pretty nice! I am able to snipe at Izzy's troops now by hiding in land held by Lizzie. The AI doesn't really know how to handle that and it stalls her attacks. She then accepts my pleas for peace and I give in to her demand for paper in return. That war lasted from 520AD to 1420AD and was truly a world war (I would later find Peter was out there and didn't participate).

Continued......

This was the first RB adventure/epic I have entered but rather unfortunately I didn't manage to complete it. Real life was hectic with family commitments up the yingyang…

Still - this is what happened:

Mused over which GP to take for some time… but settled on an Engineer in the end for an early wonder. Seriously considered early academy and an early general for xp 5 units with barracks! Early rush would have been fun! (And in hindsight the English would have gotten a pummelling!!!!)

My plan was to win a cultural game without using the slider by more than 20%. As a rule I don't like culture wins using the slider. I know to get into the position it take a lot of skill and I am not knocking that at all - I just like my games to last a little longer and involve grabbing lots of cultural buildings early.

Settled on plains hill and got going researching to masonry first and then completing Pyramids in capital asap to get those GPP's going!

Oracle went in 2nd city and took Metal casting for early forges and more GE points. This would help building those wonders as we are not industrious.

Managed to get Great Library in the FP rich 3rd city and around this time got pillaged by some barb galley… whipped a trireme and beat it down to the bottom of the ocean and was rewarded by spotting marble on the island near by! Beeline settler, worker and galley!!!!!!

The marble helped a lot and soon I had National Epic in Capital along with Maoi sp?? statues for production. This city was an immense GP farm!

I built Hero Epic (had an early fight with izzy when she got a bit cocky after she nabbed a barb city right near my capital... then she started demanding stuff.) Could produce 2 turn maces and another city could do 3 turn cats. Izzy declared again and so I raised and army, paid the English to come in too (They were my Jewish pals! (I was Jewish only for that fact as most of my cities were Conf)) English lost Warwick which I then stole and then we jointly marched into their core, me with maces and cats and the English with Knights. Izzy got a pasting! Ha ha - I love it when the aggressors get beaten back! She can't help herself! Around this time the malinese vasselized on their own free will to the English….

Uh oh… That’s a teching giant right there!! And I'm best friends with them… They already had about 4 techs on me and their combined GNP was going to be HUGE!

I knew I wouldn't be able to hit them hard anytime soon either as I was reeling economically after the war (Izzy destroyed!) and then they would have had redcoats! Give me a break! My only chance was the UN… F4 - everyone loves the English although - I am a close 2nd…

At this point real life opened the door - said hello - calmly poured itself a scotch and settled down for a long chat… I wouldn't get back to the game… I intend on going back to it soon...