Spoiler - vs Akots - Map by Rik

[grahamiam]

This is 1vs1, no AI, tiny continents (i think), raging barbs. I do not expect to win this as akots is a far superior player. however, i will enjoy it if i can just make it very difficult for him [fdevil]

Also, I am honored to be able to play Rik's first pbem map! [party]

We started this game with NoAIpatrol=0, as that is my default setting. However, I failed to inform Akots from the very beginning and he let me know that he prefers it set to 1 for pbem's, so we changed it.

here's the starting position. couldn't see the second cow from the starting tile (and the worker moved to the SW cow), and i didn't want to waste a turn moving to the gold. by my calcs, i'd be able to work both at size 5 anyways and still do a 4T settler pump (4.5 to 6.5).

http://www.civ3duelzone.com/forum/uploaded/grahamiam/200531215352_3900BC-turn2.jpg
44.25*KB

[grahamiam]

We've had a single power session last Saturday so we are already up to turn 35.

Tech rate:
Pottery: turn 12 (granery turn 16)
WC: turn 21
Alpha: turn 29
wheel: turn 36 (1T till done)

I'm not going for philosophy as I know Akots will beat me to it. Instead, I went for WC for archers in case the barbs become a hassle and alpha for dingy's to map the coastline. After wheel, i'll probably go for IW so I know where the iron is located, then beeline for Monarchy.

I chopped the forest looking for a BG. If it was there, then I would have been able to do 10spt & 5fpt @ size 5, so I would have setup a nice settler/unit pump. however, it's not to be so all i get is a settler 1T earlier. I believe I need to keep the pop up so I can work both gold hills, so I'm going to have to build a unit next(curragh maybe?) in Persepolis.

http://www.civ3duelzone.com/forum/uploaded/grahamiam/2005312153921_2350BC-turn35-1.jpg

http://www.civ3duelzone.com/forum/uploaded/grahamiam/2005312153949_2350BC-turn35-2.jpg

[Kemal]

Ugh, with some bad luck that volcano can really mess up your day I suppose, or is Pas located on a dyes as well?

Hmm, come to think of it, "Pas"...? Didn't like the full 2nd city name then, I presume? ;)

[grahamiam]

yep, too many letters for my log [lol]

but, i agree, that volcano could make things ugly, especially as i expand N.

[grahamiam]

we are at turn 72. I have not researched Philo yet, but do have MM and Lit (and a Library in Pas thanks to a temple prebuild). Another Lib due in 2 in Persepolis.

Barbs are annoying but we are playing without the fix, so they don't do much but get killed. I have a couple immortals running around, clearing paths for the settler.

Up till a couple of turns ago, I was running the settler pump out of Persepolis. I stressed 1 more settler out in 3 turns and now will focus of a Lib, Temple, the GLight (hopefully). Pas will now get a temple and then will spit out the odd settler here or there between galleys.

1 have sent 1 suicide curragh of my East coast but it sank. However, it did reveal coast, 4 tiles from my coast. It also revealed that sea tiles are only 1 ocean tile apart, so whoever gets GLight 1st can start picking on the other guy and get him into a defensive posture. Akots has let his capitol grow and is now building the Colossus. If he goes for the Colossus, then I have a chance @ GLight, but if he switches, then the game is completely different. I think.

Sitrep
http://www.civ3duelzone.com/forum/uploaded/grahamiam/200541123422_1200BC-turn72.jpg

[grahamiam]

turn 92 and i am seriously screwed. Akots beat me by 7T to GLight. I switched Pers to Colossus and then revolted, drawing a revolting 7T anarchy! On the IBT, Akots captured 3 workers on the Mountain West of Gordium with a vet Legion.

This is going to get ugly real fast, and will be a tough lesson.

In 1 or 2T, I expect he'll land Legions on the gold hills near Persepolis, which will be devastating. However, I do have 2 Immortals in Pers, so I will try to take those spots, which will leave my iron exposed. Another Immortal is in Arbela which will go to Gordium to help the local archer. I should be able to get a spear in Gordium as well by switching a gally build, but not sure. I also have 3 Immortals in the South on a wild goose-chase for gems. I will bring those back N, but it will take 3T till they reach the iron. I also have 2 Immortals in Pas and 2 more in the North, taking out barb camps. 1 galley is in the North (searching for a 2nd possible transfer site) so I will bring him S to try to pick off a galley. Probably without luck but I gotta try.

I have around 8 to 10 immortals, so, if I can hang on thru the anarchy without losing a core city, I will be lucky and should be able to make a game of it. However, with bad RNG luck, this one could be over in 2 to 4 turns.

[Rik Meleet]

That's fucking awful; an invasion on the IBT you revolt... I did design rhe map to be hard to stop invasions. I didn't think there would be invasions this early.

[grahamiam]

hey, I survived!

here's the exchange last night for the most tense turns :)

quote:Grahamiam(91): not sure, but you may have gotten the deciding
> wonder [Great Lighthouse]. congrat's :)
i also revolted this turn, since I lost the race. only gov't available was Republic, and I drew 7T

akots(92): Next. Not sure either, hard to tell. Anyhow, to spice
up your life a bit during Anarchy, I know it is long
and boring and painful:

Mountain W of Gordium, 3 workers captured with
vLegion. Their subsequent fate is a mistery. Rumor
says they will be used as slaves on Roman galleys but
there was room only for two, third had to be disposed
of.
[akots landed 2 vLegions due E of Gordium, on a mountain]

Me(92): lol nice! looks like this one might close out soon. I'll be around
tonight if you want to put it to bed, so to speak :) well, at least
you give me something to do with all that gold laying around lol
I switched useful builds like Libraries, barracks, and harbors to spears and 1 galley, including in Gordium. Also spent about 240g upgrading reg warriors to reg immortals

Akots(93): Next. Not sure how it will turn out, might be this
ain't bringing no stinking good for the great Roman
empire. You have a formidable development and great
unit, I might be doomed anyhow.

Battle report:
vLeg 4/4 kills v Spear in Gordium
vLeg 2/4 kills v Spear there as well

We can try to play a few turns later tonight when you
have time but I doubt the game will end that soon.

Me(93): lol, a good strategist always worries about the future while taking
care of the present :) ah well, i can't say i'm not enjoying the
lesson.
lesson #1 don't revolt when your opponent can reach you lol
I run more stuff into Gordium, as I only had 1 archer left. I also leave a 3/3 immortal SW of the mountain as bait, hoping he gets off that damn mountiain. I didn’t want to have endless Legions parking there, destroying Gordium (it has 2 cows! )

Akots(94): Next. Battle report:

vLeg 2/5 kills Immo in Gordium
vLeg 2/4 kills Immo 2SW of Gordium

Me(94): Battle report:
vImmortal kills 2/4 Legion 2SW of Grodium (4/4)
vImmortal kills 2/5 Legion on Mountain (2/4)

Anarchy GA, that's something new lol Now I make 2x as much corruption :D

Akots is driven off the mountain. I spread out 5 units to make sure no more landings here

Akots(95): Next. Well, at least you waste something. But it was a tough call, these legions would have pillaged your
nice tiles if left unattanded or may be even impale
themselves on the swords of your Immortals and you get
Golden Age anyhow. Also seems your Anarchy is close to
an end if you decided to attack.

Me (95): well, I like that rock. when you look at it with the sun setting just right, it looks like the sillouette of Abe Vigoda :) as far as my
anarchy goes, 1 turn or 10, any in a GA is pure hell lol

So, I made it, though it's not all strawberries and cream. Lost 3 workers, 2 spears and 2 immortals vs his 2 Legions. Also, he has kept the pressure up by landing 6 Legions (4vets, 2 reg) on turn 98 near Samaria and captured another frozen worker on turn 99. I probably killed 2 Legions more by sinking a galley that was will the group(turn97). Also, I revolted into Republic to keep up with Akot's research, but I already have WW, so things will not get better. Probably should have stuck with my plan to go for Monarchy. Well, I have 3 lux's connected, and will have a 4th in 2T if I can drive off that group of Legions. Also have Colossus in Persepolis and research is brisk (doing HBR, 4T total, but Poly can be done in 4T, and currency in 5T, construction 7T). I should reach the MA just after Akots, but with my free tech and cheap libraries, I should pull ahead.

Question: Since I'm on the defensive, would KT make sense for me? I probably need to beeline for Chivalry anyways.

[Rik Meleet]

quote:Anarchy GA, that's something new lol Now I make 2x as much corruption :D -> [lol]

[grahamiam]

we have settled down into a bit of a race. I am trying to get to astronomy as fast as possible (thus negating his GLight advantage), while he is trying to build-up a force to squash me.

It's turn 143 and it's not pretty. Akots leads me in everything except research. His lead is probably due to superior FP placement, which he rushed via an MGL. I handbuilt my in Pas, 4T from the capitol. Not ideal, but is was the 2nd best town and the only one that could handbuild it in time due to the corruption of a small map.

I'm 5T from Astro, Sun's prebuild is for Copernicus (screwed myself out of 100s on that one [blush] ). Plan on running up the lower side of the tech tree once astronomy is done, so I can get some muskets for a landing of my own.

I have 14 units + 1 defender around Sardis, which is the town he is currently threatening (7 galleys in range). I'm not using a coastal block down here, as it would be to my advantage if he landed so far from the core. If not, then I have 2 galleys to pick off his galley pack and can sprint 2 knights and 7 immortals back to my core. I have a total of 34 immortals 3 pikes, 10 galleys, and 3 knights for defense of the homeland.

http://www.civ3duelzone.com/forum/uploaded/grahamiam/200552703918_280AD-turn143.JPG

http://www.civ3duelzone.com/forum/uploaded/grahamiam/200552703945_280AD-turn143-1.JPG

[Ginger_Ale]

Great Lighthouse doesn't go useless until Magnetism, not Astronomy. :(

[bed_head7]

That wasn't the point. He'll be able to safely travel over sea squares, and in that way he negates the advantage given to akots by the GL.

[grahamiam]

quote:Originally posted by Ginger_Ale

Great Lighthouse doesn't go useless until Magnetism, not Astronomy. :(

yes, right now, I cannot reach his coast while he can reach mine (we have disallowed ship chaining, so no suicide ship chains either). I have tried to send 2 or 3 reg galleys across to map his coast, but all of them have sunk on the 1st or 2nd IBT. by research astro, I can build caravels (def 2) + travel on sea tiles + have a 4MP ship. This is what I mean by "negating GLight advantage". Once this happens, I can land something on his coast, so he must play a little more defensively (though he already has Legions everywhere so I can't do much damage atm).

[Ginger_Ale]

ah, I see, your plan is a-ok then!

[Rik Meleet]

Time for an update ?

[grahamiam]

yes, i'll try to get something done later this week or next. basically, we're up to turn 230 and I have no hope of winning as I'm being outclassed :)

[Beam]

230 turns in 4 months [eek]. That's a steady average of 2/day! You're a PBEM junkie. ;) Why do you think you're being outclassed?

[grahamiam]

Sorry for the delays, here are some updated picks showing my issues in this one.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/grahamiam/turn239-stats.jpg

As can be seen, I up in terms of Literacy rate, gold per citizen, and family members. For the rest, I lag despite the fact I have many 2T infantry factories atm (3 right now, plus 1 3T infantry factory). However, Akots has Hoovers, so he only has to build a factory to double production. I must build a coal plant in addition to the factory to keep up. This is currently costing me in the strength calc as I am weak compared to him for the 1st time all game.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/grahamiam/turn239-coretop.jpg

Setting up barracades all over the place, for when the Marines start coming. Not sure if he's going to bother with too many or just try to bomb me into the stone age. For now, I'm concentrating on infantry. I will switch 2 towns to destroyer construction once Combustion comes in.

Actually, I'm debating on whether or not I should switch to an optional tech after combustion. I'm thinking Espionage (spys) or Navigation (Magellan's), but I can't decide.

Either way, I'm not sure I'll be able to handle his excess production. Coal plants are costing me 160s and force me to keep a sizable workforce. Not sure if I'll be able to keep up research-wise either into the next age as the Colossus expires with flight. Hopefully, I can do a better job timing the next prebuild as I've fucked up ToE (underbuilt) and Copernicus (overbuilt) already in this one.

[grahamiam]

Akots gets back from Russia and tears me a new one [eek]

http://www.civ3duelzone.com/forum/uploaded/grahamiam/2005917232142_AvsG-1440AD.JPG

Akots has this game well wrapped up. Just a matter of time and effort on his part. I have been trying to plant spies to steal tech's as my research rate was seriously crippled but I've failed 3 times over 9 turns. really a pity, as I'd at least like to make this a little more interesting for him.

[akots]

quote:Originally posted by grahamiam
... His lead is probably due to superior FP placement, which he rushed via an MGL. I handbuilt my in Pas, 4T from the capitol. Not ideal, but is was the 2nd best town and the only one that could handbuild it in time due to the corruption of a small map. ...


Well, I would have loved to do that but my FP was also hand-built in Veii (same 4 tiles from the capital) before I had the leader iirc. I have formed an army which was standing idle throughout the whole game unloaded.

Nice spoiler! I don't understand though why you were pessimistic. I understand, the Lighthouse was very annoying. But IMHO, the chances were even before I got Theory of Evolution and Hoover and certainly were only very slightly in my favor after that. Which was mostly due to Commercial trait and not my gameplay. Thanks again for great game!

[grahamiam]

thanks, but I made many errors in the late MA, and throughout the IA. I definitely could have played it much better, and am definitely disappointed in the ending. Not in losing, but allowing myself to be completely nuked without having any ability to retaliate. All has to do with how I handled the mid-late IA research. I researched flight next-to-last, thinking I needed the colossus as much as possible. Meanwhile, you built up a bomber fleet and obliterated me before I had my defenses up.