***IglooDude's 32-player Strategamer spoiler***

[IglooDude]

32 players, Warlord unpatched (until the 32-player mod developer fixes it). Tech-trading off.

I'm Julius. I've beelined for bronze (and don't have any nearby), so I'm getting ironworking this turn. Still only one city but settler almost done. Two warriors exploring, a third will defend the second city, a fourth defending my capital. I've met a half-dozen players, and have seen the capitals for most of them.

[Whomp]

Lots of pictures, pretty please. :D

[Tubby Rower]

and start researching nukes.

[IglooDude]

Pic the first:

http://img358.imageshack.us/img358/1551/32playerstartep2.jpg

[IglooDude]

quote:Originally posted by Tubby Rower

and start researching nukes.


How about Praetorians? I've got iron right there... :D

[IglooDude]

To my northeast:

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/6276/32playernortheastep0.jpg

To my northwest:

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/2187/32playernorthwestfl7.jpg

To my south:

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/6207/32playersouthbc9.jpg

[IglooDude]

And Visium and I are going after JMaltman...

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/4161/vsjmaltwp2.jpg

[IglooDude]

Visium first decided to hold back half his force to defend his capital, then went away without letting me know for about ten turns and is now AIed. [aargh] JMalt and I made peace since I wasn't up for letting him slowly kill my choke.

HitAnyKey is moving on StudlyBob, and apparently KSCanuck has pledged to help Studly, so I've got one Praet up and two more in the next three turns to safeguard HAK's southern border and with any luck at all knock Canuck out of the game with choprushed Praets. He has horses, but AFAIK no copper yet. He planted a city practically between HAK and I next to some copper, but I'll not let him mine it. [col]

[Tubby Rower]

I presume that this is pangaea looking at the map. Too bad your not next to Visium as you could easily expand into the AI.

[IglooDude]

quote:Originally posted by Tubby Rower

I presume that this is pangaea looking at the map. Too bad your not next to Visium as you could easily expand into the AI.


Yeah, there's another AIized player over there too, Thalatta.

And yes, pancake. It looks like the only player south of me is Agemo, so if I can whack him after Canuck, I'll have water borders to two sides of me and an ally to a third.

[Darkness]

So, where's Matrix in this game? :D

;)

[Tubby Rower]

if the game is more than 30 turns old, then he's likely already dead [doomsol]

[IglooDude]

He actually made a bit of a splash by knocking someone else off pretty early (they'd left their capital undefended). I haven't met him in-game yet, though.

And BCLG's PC couldn't handle the pressure and he's bowed out - if any of you want to take over for him, I won't object even if you've read this spoiler thus far.

[IglooDude]

The fight against KSCanuck:
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/5981/vscanuckdf1.jpg

[IglooDude]

I've beaten KSCanuck, took his capital last turn (and kept it - it's got clam, crab, and fish within the 9-square boundary) and razed his second city this turn (out of deference to HitAnyKey's proximity).

He retired to AI right before I took his second city, and I think there are only a couple workers in the civ now, but the AI won't grant peace anyway. Now to get that ex-capital going quickly, and help HAK and Obey beat Studly to the north/northeast of me. Then, play defense against Agemo (south) and JMaltman (west) until the three of us are ready to attack them.

[IglooDude]

Since our last update, Agemo declared war on me and moved a decent stack toward my capital. I bled it to death. He then attacked the city I'd just settled in my southeast for the silver and fur - I repulsed the first attack, the second one auto-razed the city but then I killed the attackers. Overall he doesn't seem to be very experienced militarily.

Most recently, he's built a stack of axes with a couple spears and we've been sort of stalemated in the treed area between our civs, occasionally alternating single-unit kills. I've assumed he's been arranging for help with WingWah, but none has shown yet. HitAnyKey (with whom I have a complete alliance, along with Obey to the north of him) has gifted me a cat and has a decent force coming south under his own control. With worker roading, I've moved my stack in a quick thrust and taken Agemo's second city (New York, defended by a single spear) but razed it because his (slightly superior) stack would have only retaken it in a couple turns. Anyway, New York had Agemo's copper mine (I think his only one, not positive though). Now my stack will stick to the trees and head for Agemo's capital. HAK will keep his force as cover - I think Agemo will retreat his stack to oppose mine, though. With no tech-trading and (hopefully) no trade routes or indigenous metal, I can now willingly trade unit-for-unit because I can bring more praets and he may not even have discovered archery yet, much less construction.

Once Agemo is dead, I'll become a support civ and support HAK's coming war against WingWah. I'm trying to get them to offer alliance to WingWah instead (he's already killed at least one civ himself, and beating on two others) but HAK wants some expansion room. Ironically, I'll have plenty in the area formerly occupied by Agemo (and Canuck).

[IglooDude]

I killed two Agemo workers, and my recon chariot saw two undefended JMaltman workers (I don't think he has IW yet) and I declared and took them. Looks like I'll be able to get them away, too - he didn't counterattack.

Agemo is now producing cats, but his capital isn't a production powerhouse and he has no metal, so it's just a matter of time I think. We just have to hammer that stack he has, and he'll have no more spears or axes.

WingWah appears to be about to plant a city near HAK's and my capital. Ballsy move on his part.

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/8677/vsagemosi5.jpg

[IglooDude]

Dammit, Agemo has iron in his capital radius...

And HitAnyKey killed WingWah's settler, and WingWah just made peace with Necrominious presumably so he could concentrate on HAK. [aargh]

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/3175/vsagemorp5.jpg

[IglooDude]

HAK (currently subbed by Sparta) and I sorta flanked Agemo's warlord stack, and in the resulting battle Agemo lost 2 cats, 3 axes, and his axe warlord; I lost a cat and a praet, and my remaining units are seriously wounded. But, Agemo has two spears and an axe in his capital, his 2-axe/1-spear stack appears to be trying to get back to his turf (I've got enough to make sure it won't have a chance to make a difference), and we have three undamaged cats and a damaged one, so I anticipate that we'll be able to take Washington in about 3 turns. Agemo will whip another unit or two, but I just don't see it mattering much.

WW is coming at HAK, I've gifted a few chariots and a couple praets so far, and it looks like HAK (/Sparta) will be able to repulse the attack. WW has spread his units out (I assume as an anti-cat measure) but HAK's chariots should be able to rip up his units based on individual rock-paper-scissor type counters.

[IglooDude]

I was able to eliminate Agemo's northern force (2 axes and a spear) at the loss of only a praet, so what he has in his capital is now it (two spears and an axe). And this turn a settler showed up in his capital. Too bad my chariots should be able to nail it should it try to get away quickly via land, and my other units should catch it if it tries to leave with a spear escort. I suppose I don't care if he whips out a galley and it escapes by sea, no one will see any benefit in letting him settle near them.

[IglooDude]

Agemo is eliminated. He apparently attacked my/HAK's stack (killed two HAK cats), and then deleted all his units (including settler) and resigned to AI, and my praet killed the catapult that popped in Washington (now Agemia) next turn to finish his civ.

JMalt has a recon horse coming out of his southern city, hopefully HAK can get his (slightly injured) spears out of Agemia quick enough to pen him in. I have mandatory peace with JM for 3 more turns (which coincidentally is when my units will be healed in Agemia).

Necrominius is (very intelligently) asking for alliance guarantees (and JMalt's capital) if he goes after JM and WW. I'm thinking we go for it (I can't afford to keep any more cities anyway), I don't know about HAK yet, and Obey is making Calvin Coolidge look chatty by comparison.

WW is swarming HAK's lands, I've contributed some chariots and a praet, and met WW's request halfway by not gifting HAK any more units (but I declined to close borders with HAK).

[IglooDude]

When last we left our heroes, they were... ah, nevermind.

Necrominius is onboard the alliance train. Also, I've met BCLG (NE beyond Obey) and Fosse (N/NW beyond Obey), and DaveShack I think to the east of BCLG. I've got a tri heading up the eastern coast for more exploration.

Necro and I are hitting JMalt from both sides. I'm catting down JM's second city defenses and should take the city in a couple turns. Necro should be taking the capital at about the same time, and then it's one more notch on the belt. At that point Necro contributes to WingWah's demise (HAK and Obey already having thrown him on the defensive) and I consolidate given that I've been at war most of the game so far.

[BCLG100]

Just to point out ID i'm only subbing for matrix- i think ive finished that now, may be till tomorrow :)

[IglooDude]

Yep, no worries.

And Necro killed Fosse's scout the same way he killed HAK's chariot - no warning or notification. [wallbash] In response to Fosse's indignation in the game thread, I've been critical as well (and indeed I am, though for different reasons than Fosse) and used the opportunity to publicly distance myself from HAK and Obey and appear a bit mercenary. It doesn't change my actual alliance posture, though really I do need to get off the warmonger track and actually build up my economy. At the moment I have a long border with HAK (who I trust pretty much completely) and narrow borders with WingWah and Necro (both busy fighting HAK) and sea to two sides, unapproachable by galley without either war or open borders with HAK - so I'm feeling pretty comfortable militarily. Three sources of iron, plenty of other happy/healthy resources, and a capital that will bring in an assload of commerce? Life is good. [yeah]

[Matrix]

quote:Originally posted by Tubby Rower

if the game is more than 30 turns old, then he's likely already dead [doomsol]

[rant]

[emperor]

Any more recent pictures to update us with? I'm curious as to how this game is going. :)

[IglooDude]

quote:Originally posted by emperor

Any more recent pictures to update us with? I'm curious as to how this game is going. :)


I'll try to remember to get some pics next time I'm in. In the meantime - Obey and HAK (with some units donated by Necro, whose economy is totally in the toilet after eliminating WingWah) are on the offensive against Fosse, who has support from Pumaman.

Meanwhile, Necro just plopped a couple more cities out (who the hell does that while their tech rate is still below 50%?) which pissed off HAK since they'd agreed on some city placement post-WingWah. HAK sent Necro an email complaining, and Necro essentially told him fuck it, take it all and gifted HAK all his cities. Once HAK accepted the gift, Necro declared on him and is taking them back, razing them where he's able. HAK gifted a couple southern ones to me, I suspect I'll be able to hold them if Necro even comes after them, which doesn't seem likely (and takes my research rate down from 100% to 80%).

Necro's general actions have been a bit odd from my perspective all along, but (oddly) I can actually see the logic in this one - he wants to exit the game without giving anything to the guy he has come to dislike, but can't abandon his own cities (and AIing out will give HAK and I a serious advantage) so he gifts them away, then attacks them. He's probably kicking himself right now, having forgotten that if one has enough culture built up in a city (or maybe it's native population or something), one can't raze it even when one recaptures it. Or maybe he's just figuring the capture (and eventual recapture by HAK) will remove most if not all of the improvements. Funny stuff. Makes me wonder if I should check to see if HAK is one of those "breaking deals is part of the game" types, and if so use the current chaos to take his capital and Greenland.

[BCLG100]

actually necro gifted you one of the cities, the one where i started moving units up to cover, i dont know how that ended but i assume he has no grudges againt you, it might be worth opening communications to try and get some of them gifted to you or send some fast movers to his capital.

[IglooDude]

Here's the battlefield in the Fosse vs Obey war, Obey has a couple substantial stacks with 6-10 cats and 6-10 elephants/axes in them (per stack), but the inbound stack that HAK, Obey, and I have has at least 13 maces, 6 praets, 15 cats, and various other units. Fosse's lack of maces and our wealth of them will probably be critical, given the cat stacks.

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/3140/vsfossewy5.jpg

[IglooDude]

Just for the sake of updating... I think we have over 80 units in the combined stack...

The stack shown listed at left is the one to the NW of the iron square. The one immediately south of his capital is roughly similar, and the city itself ditto except fewer total units and hardly any cats.

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/819/vsfosse2be2.jpg

[BCLG100]

well thats a lot of units!

[IglooDude]

quote:Originally posted by BCLG100

well thats a lot of units!

Yeah, 86 units in that stack, about 20% mine, and the rest roughly evenly divided between HAK and Obey. Fosse has 32 in the northwestern stack, and 20-some in the stack south of his city, and another dozen or two in the city itself though probably a third are Pumaman's. It ought to be very very interesting - I wonder how many great generals are about to get popped?

[BCLG100]

your all screwing yourselves over, you should be focusing getting over that other continent and battering that fella which is like 1000 points ahead of you already!

[IglooDude]

quote:Originally posted by BCLG100

your all screwing yourselves over, you should be focusing getting over that other continent and battering that fella which is like 1000 points ahead of you already!


http://www.strategamer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=874

Frankly if the other three majors on the other continent aren't going after him, we might as well be playing for runner-up.

[BCLG100]

From what i can remember in score changes whilst i was subbing they were just going after each other!

[IglooDude]

Oh the humanity... a 30-unit stack in a fort - gone. Obey (with only a little help from me) lost 7 cats and an axe in counterattacking and annihilating Fosse's stack in the fort after Fosse's 8 or 9 cats hammered our superstack (but actually caused us no losses)...

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/9921/vsfosse3vi7.jpg