Kemal vs Skyfish deity light *spoiler*

[Kemal]

This game started some time ago, we're now at turn 71.

Tricky thing about this one is that we're playing a small map, that's why we've decided to modify the AI starting bonus to 0 free military units, to avoid the early rushes. I'm playing Egypt and Sky is playing the Aztecs, I guess he had a jag. rush in mind...

Here's my starting location, very happy with this one, the cow is actually on a bonus grassland, which doesn't happen in computer generated maps, making it produce 4 food and 2 shields after irrigating:

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads5/startegypte.jpg

I've decided to go for a very tight city placement, mostly because of fear of facing a jag rush, I wanted to be able to rush my defenders from one city to another in one turn. also note that my city placement, dubbed "Queen Kemal's Triangle of Death" by Skyfish, also utilizes the RCP technique, to help fight corruption.

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads5/triangle.jpg

Considering the low costs of the ancient age techs, since this is a small map, I've not done 10% reserch this time, but went for polytheism at the full 100%. Also, I had a good chance this way of beating sky to it for trade with the AI, as I figured he would be going for polytheism as well, since he's religious and starts with ceremonial burial.
100% research paid off, as I've managed to trade poytheism before sky got it. Furthermore, the AI has already researched Mathematics, Sky's now 4 tech behind (CoL, Philosophy, Polytheism, Mathematics), and he had already traded his world map away, since I got his from an AI civ.
This mens he might have a hard time catching up now, unless he's researching literature, because he doesn't have anything left to trade with.

At turn 71, this is what my empure consists of:

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads5/overview71.jpg

And this is how it stands on the minimap:

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads5/worldmap71.jpg

As can be seen, there has been some very aggressive building going on by both the Romans and (especially) the Zulu. As I've concentrated on my military a lot this game, mainly because of fear of the jags, my army is even average with all except the Zulus, whom I'm strong against. Soon I'll declare war on Zululand to obtain Intombe, which will be just north of my soon to be completed FP.

To accomodate for the fact that this will trigger my GA, I've decided against the usual run of play to develop Monarchy, currently at 6 turns. Once I've changed government, the attack will commence, and my GA won't be (partially) wasted. Since I'm religious, changing government is not really a problem.

[Kemal]

We're at turn 102 now.

After becoming Monarchy, war was declared on Zululand and the first archer they sent announced the start of the Egyptian GA (turn 79). I'm planning to ultimately reach Chivalry fairly quick, by utilizing the free tech from the Ottomans, so I decided to research literature to get libraries completed in most cities in my GA, then went after Republic, hoping to trade currency and/or construction with the AI.

The FP was completed in Memphis in turn 81, but since my monarchy was soon to become a Republic, I assembled a strike force against Zululand to take over their valuable incense luxuries located near Ulundi:

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads5/ulundiaanval.jpg

After succesfully destroying Ulundi, I had some bad rolls against impies, losing 4 chariot on a single unfortified Impi defending a Zulu settler, so I made peace again with the Zulus on about turn 90, taking Bapedi in the peace deal:

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads5/Zuluindepan.jpg

my original plan to obtain Intombe was a very poor plan because, as it turned out, not only did the zulu of course rush the city to extreme unhappiness, meaning it wouldn't have had any value whatsoever, they were also very reluctant to give that specific city in a peace deal, even thoguh no (now known) resources/luxes are nearby, in the end it has been burned to the ground, but not by me!:

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads5/romanwar.jpg

The Romans have profited from me weakening the Zulu and have declared war on Zululand too, a good thing as it saves me attacking Intombe myself.

In the meantime, sky has done some warmongering himself too, as he is attacking the strong Ottomans, apparently hoping to capture the Great Library, which he desperately needs, since he's about 10 techs behind. I've sent one warrior with his stack of swords to check up on his progress (I saw an Aztec leader beneath his stack of swords at one time):

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads5/skyhaktwarrior.jpg

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads5/minimap94.jpg

However, sky became irritated with my warrior, who was "in the way all the time" (?), declared war on me and killed him.:(

This of course meant we were now at war, and since I had just made peace with the Zulu my war chariots were without targets, therefore I sent 9 of them to Aztec territory hoping to do some damage there, as I figured most of his armies would be facing the ottomans in the south. In turn 100, my forces appeared next to Evacity:

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads5/evacityhakken.jpg

This was how it looked one turn later:

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads5/nahakken.jpg

I was forced to abandon Evacity in turn 102, and my entire force has been destroyed, but sky's losses are huge too, not only has he lost Evacity, I also took out 4 jags, 4 horsemen and a swordsman in the attack.

As far as my own empire is concerned, I havent't expanded much the last 20 turns, but mostly let my cities grow. All major cities now have libraries online, and some also have their marketplaces build. With 4 luxuries connected I don't need to use the luxury tax, and as I've managed to trade for construction, I've researched feudalism too in my GA. Unfortunately, the Ottomans got Engineering as their free tech, meaning a slight setback in my goal to reach knights.

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads5/overviewegypt.jpg

[ProPain]

Which ottoman town has that Great Lib, and does Sky still have chance to grab it after your war with him?

[Kemal]

The Great Library is located in Istanbul, but as you correctly mention ProPain, Skyfish may have a very hard time conquering that city, not only because I've probably destroyed most of the armies he meant to send as reinforcements to the south with my raiding party.

When taking a look at a recent overview picture of the Ottoman Empire, it seems a valid conclusion to say that wars are not going well for Sky in this game, as the Ottomans have regained control of the city of Izmit they lost to the Aztecs earlier:

uploaded/Kemal/2003821114925_izmitterug.jpg

When I asked sky about what had happened, he said no flip (which was what I though had occured) had taken place but that he had done a "tactical retreat", and didn't seem to worried about losing Izmit. This leaves me guessing what he's up to with his armies there, but I think it will be one of 2 possible scenarios:

1. Now that he has noticed that I, along with the Ottomans and Rome, have entered the medieval age, he goes for an all-out attack on Istanbul with all his armies there, maybe hoping to net feudalism before the ottomans have built too many pikes for him to be able to break through, and to convert his swordsman to more powerful medieval infantries afterwards.

2. Sky is enraged I burned Evacity to the ground and is abandoning his war against the Ottomans to mount a surprise attack on my own empire, and is currently making his way through the jungles separating our empires, where I can't attack him with my War Chariots.
However, I think I should be able to spot him before he comes to close, with a few warriors I left scattered on mountains on different locations on the map.

Another thing that doesn't bode well for skyfish is that he compares average to my army strength, but I compare weak to Rome and the Ottomans, indicating that the Ottomans probably have quite a few armies at their disposal to fend off his attack. Since I'm leading in mfg. goods, I'm certain I'll be able to catch up military with the AI, certainly if I can reach Chivalry soon, but Sky might have difficulties producing new armies with one of his best cities left in rubble.