So, what's next?

dathon

In what I hope will become a future tradition, the sponsor's comments are listed at the following location:

http://www.garath.net/Sullla/Civ4/comments.html

These were written before the reports were posted; the biggest surprise was seeing how many players struggled with the map. I honestly didn't think it was an overly difficult start (the cramped start was designed to HELP the player, so the AIs would declare war and create opportunities for expansion without incurring a penalty) but it looks like I was wrong. The Slavery scoring item was not intended to be a red herring, but perhaps it turned into one.

I'll complile the results tomorrow evening and post them after the game is officially closed.

We ran the Conjuring Cripples build that Wyrm has posted in the thread by that name.

4 of us showed up from RB:

Wyrm - one of the crip war/eles
Moo - mind blast ele
Fox - ZB monk
Hawk - RC monk

We had 4 guests from Amazon Basin (I will list their character names, since I'm not certain of their "real" names):

This Aint Spartaaa - the other crip war/ele
T T Ecko - icy shackles ele
Rad Mesmer - the name says it all...
Lively Life - LoD infuser monk (he actually joined after the first 2 matches; I can't remember the name of the first guest in this slot... )

Wyrm, Fox, and Moo were the split team, and I went with the AB guests to the flag stand. This Aint Spartaaa was our leader and target caller.

We played 4 matches, and in every case we were the higher-ranked team. The first match was on the Isle of Wurms, the second on Isle of Solitude (but with us attacking), and the last two were on the Isle of Meditation (cue sound of pained groaning...). We won all four matches, largely due to the Awesome Power of the Split Team!

Seriously, I was amazed at how strong the split team must have been. In only one of the matches were we (meaning the flagstand team) even in the enemy's base when the enemy GL went down.

This Aint Spartaaa was a very capable leader - we moved all over the map as the situation dictated, and probably most important, we did a lot of pushing forward as soon as the opposing team started to pull back. We were able to control the flagstand pretty effectively in consequence. (our team was pretty capable, too - we didn't have a whole lot of deaths) Only in one of the matches on Meditation did we get pushed back into our base, and in that case, it turned into a race to kill their GL before they could kill ours. And our super split team did just that.

This build is definitely one worth running for a while.

Here is my attempt. It might have lasted a lot longer than some others, but might not have been much more successful.

PS – This is also my very first HTML creation ever as well, and the extent of my training is IM'ing my CS (computer science, not Civil Service) majoring friend while he's watching TV...so bear with me.

PPS - For any that notice the domain name I'm having this hosted under, no I'm not Matthew Velie, that would be the CS majoring friend mentioned in the write-up.

PETA Crusaders

4000BC – A glorious sunrise awaits the Indian people as Delhi is founded in place. Beautiful black and white beasts spotted just outside reach; Not the smartest of creatures but free they shall be… Research set for Meditation.


3800BC – Strange fellow with feathers and a skull on his head shows from the northeast. Montezuma met.
3800BC – Another strange fellow with a gold and feather hat found due south. I really need to find me some feathers! Huayna Capac met.
3770BC – Arrogant fellow met down south – not a feather to be found on his hat – mustn’t have got the message. Frederick met.


3600BC – Meditation in. Must go contemplate more these feathers. Buddhism founded.


3360BC – Hinduism FIDL
3240BC – Berlin discovered SE of Delhi
3040BC – Beautiful Piggies, all penned in and being *eaten* by that nasty Huayna. My black and white beastie friends, hundreds slaughtered by Frederick


2800BC – A lovely lady with a golden snake on her hat wanders in from the west. Maybe these feathers aren’t it after all. Hatshepsut met – founder of Hinduism.


2680BC – Huayna’s not getting all the piggies. Bombay founded securing pigs and copper, with dyes inreach.

Since its minus two points for declaring war, and plus five points if I get through without declaring war on anyone,
I will not declare war. Simple as that. (This, of course, does not mean that I can stop some crazy
neighbor from declaring war on me!)

Seeing no real reason to move, I found my capital, “Bovine Haven” in the starting spot.
When the borders expand, those cows will forever be protected from the cruelties of those other meat eaters.

Since I start with mysticism, I start researching Polytheism, and the corresponding Hinduism religion,
thinking someone would probably found Budhism first.



Motezuma suggests we slaughter fifty thousand slaves to celebrate our meeting. “That’s fine,” I tell him,
“kill all the humans you wish, just don’t hurt any of those cute little furry four legged creatures.” Sniff.
I then ask, how many birds gave their lives so you could have that really cool headdress, huh?
How many? He didn’t seem pleased. We agree to make nice with each other.

The first villagers I meet give me a map, which exposes the area to my northwest.
Looks like we might be in the northern hemisphere.

Was it Sirian who said, “Remember your chess strategy. Occupy the center of the board, rather than
the edges.”? So I move the warrior southwest to get him into the center of our world.



As soon as Bovine Haven reached size 2 I switch over to a fast worker. Why? I dunno, I think I read that somewhere …

Sullla. Are we allowed to kill bears? What about lions? Having no control over what my warrior does,
he defends himself and kills one of each. I guess the warrior didn’t get the “no killing animals” memo.

Of course, I’m totally wrong about Budhism. No one went for it, but I found Hinduism. I figure its just a superstition.
But why did I go out of my way to discover it?

I make peace with both Persia and Egypt. I tell Hatshepsut, “It’s a good thing that cobra on your hat is fake,
or I’d really be outraged, and in your face about that one.” She was not impressed.

I spot 2 separate herds of elephants just south of Egypt’s capital.



I love elephants. They’re so … so … oh, I dunno, so big! I hope Hatty leaves them alone.
(Sniff. I love them, so much … sniff … you know?)

I realize I can’t “pasteurize the cattle” (what will my citizens do for milk?), so I better get to calendar sooner,
rather than later, so I can at least build plantations on my silk resources. And I’m nowhere near being able
to chop any of these forests, so my so called “fast worker’ is stuck building farms everywhere.

In 2240 BC I get this:



Now I know why my worker has nothing to do, we’ve been chasing religions like the crazy PETA civilization that we are.

In 2240 we found our second city, Elephant Swine, just west of Bovine Haven.



Again, when the borders expand this city will be a haven for all things swiny and elephantine. ? ??

I discover, to my horror, that Monty has entrapped my poor beaver friends:



He has fenced them in, and forced them into a camp where they were, no doubt, subjected
to the most unimaginable horrors. I shudder just thinking ‘bout it.

If only I could save those poor sheep, just to the east of Monty’s borders. Knowing Monty,
and his evil, carnivorous ways, I fear for their safety.



We are hopeless. 7th, out of 7, the most backwards civilization known. Who is this Tacitus.
What does he know? Has he been connected with any crimes against furry animals?
My scientists set out to find out.

My third city, Fishcows, is founded to the southeast of Bovine Haven.



More protection for our bovine friends. But the fish, Be Damned, I say! Farm those fish, place them in nets,
sure, we’ll accidentally kill a few dolphins in the process, so be it. Our citizens need food.
Fish food. Ha Haaa.

OK. At 850 BC I finally realize I’m a spiritual civilization, but I haven’t even bothered to research
Priesthood, so my speedy temples have done me absolutely no good.
I should just retire at this leadership thing. I decide not to quit my day job.

Well, my culture building has paid off.



The people of Tlatelolco wish to join our nice civilization. I say “Yes,” all animal lovers are welcome.
You are animals lovers? Aren’t you? (No answer.)

My capital builds not only Stonehenge, but immediately thereafter, this:



Cool.

In 425 BC, Monty chooses unwisely (well, that remains to be seen) and declares war on me.
Maybe he just doesn’t get the “no killing of animals” thingy. This forces me to go zero science so I can
upgrade all my warriors to half way functional units.

In 150 BC, Monty manages to take my capital!



The bovine are no longer protected! Monty has long since destroyed my only connection to copper,
so I haven’t been able to build any axemen for years. My workers frantically try to reconnect that copper
with mines and roads. I’m in real trouble here. Perhaps my fetish for all things furry has come back to haunt me.
Maybe we are, from the very beginning of our caveman existence, nothing but carnivores, and that any
other contrary philosophy is just nonsense. Hmmmm. I pause for thought ….

In 125 BC, to kick a man when he’s down, Hatsheptsut declares war on me too. Will no one recognize the
struggles of our furry creatures? Hatty, in the same turn, takes my northern city of Tlatelolco,
with one of her war chariots.



Fencing, breaking, and then domesticating horses, is not the way to go, Hatty.
Haven’t you been reading my flyers?

This world may not be hospitable enough for an animal lover like me.

Fishcows is captured by the Egyptian war chariots.



Do they not understand? Should we parade our
people down fashion runways, wearing ridiculous furs, and silly signs, as a means of non-violent
protest against the corruption of all furry things? How else to get our points across?

I believe I lost every single battle against the Jaguars. Even my warriors, fortified in my cities,
lost to every jaguar challenge.

In 76 AD, I research Archery. Unfortunately, the same year I lose Elephant Swine to my nemesis.



Could I be more pathetic, as a leader?

In 225 Ad, what used to be left of Stone City is quickly destroyed by more Jaguars.



I’m really not very good at this game. (But yet, its so damn compelling.)

When Fishcows was taken, I was duly informed that I had been defeated:



In sum: There is no place in this world for those who will pretend that we are vegitarians,
rather than carnivores. Even though all the scientific knowledge points toward our meat eater’s roots,
some will always pretend that we can somehow, some way, survive this world by eating plants.

Such folly.

Let us hope that we take this game to heart. And cast aside our silly, vegetarian ways.

Defeat in 250 AD. Dan Quayle, you’ve got nothin' on me.


Oh. My score:

Its either zero, or (as Sunrize089 pointed out)

10 (+5 for not declaring war, and +5 for not adopting the listed techs.

Came across this:

http://tech.monstersandcritics.com/news/...nd_Malware

Adventure Nineteen will open next week; the basic premise is that you may choose any ONE technology to begin the game with. Due to this unusual setup, we're going to have to email the starting files out individually, so go to the Adventure Nineteen page for more information.

Special congratulations to darrelljs for sponsoring this variant!

Short report, add me to the list of losses in this event.

Played without slavery. Started by founding hinduism. My plan was to convert Monty and them make him my puppy dog. Monty has the highest tendency of any AIs to raze cities and also is easy to bribe. Strategy is: bribe him to attack someone, then settle in the ruins. If he keeps a city, pressure him culturally for it, hopefully before he build a pasture on any of the animal tiles.

First city went to the SW, getting corn and copper, also a pig in the BFC. Second city went SE, getting fish.

Successfully converted Monty, he is pleased. Built stonehenge and oracle, taking code of laws, prophet builds hindu shrine. Founded Taoism too with scientist pop. Monty wanted all my techs (4 of them) to declare, so I decided to wait a while until I had some more troops and a settler ready. Current troops numbered about 7 axes, 2 catapults and 2 spears (had just got constrution).

But I hadn't really thought my strategy through properly. We are boxing Monty into his corner. His capital is amazing BTW. His only option is to settle on my borders. Quickly we get -3 border tensions, he goes down to cautious and attacks me.

First stack consists of about 5 jags and a couple of cats. No problem, they die to my axes. Then more and more stacks come along, these have elephants and longbowmen in addition to cats. Not a lot you can to to that stack except let it hit you. I lost Delhi to a horde of cats and elephants, then retired.

Game was strange - not lost at monarch for a while. But being forced to box in monty, who had one of the best captials I've seen, is always going to make for a weird game. Probably best strategy was just to rush him with axes or something before he gets construction because without copper all he could build is archers and jaguars. Ironic that the PETA crusaders got trampled to death by a horde of elephants.

Can be found here. Unfortunately I forgot to disable the better AI mod so it is a shadow report, but I still had a heck of a lot of fun playing it .

Darrell