AU 100-A DAR 7: Modern Era

[nbarclay]

This DAR covers events in AU 100-A from the dawn of the modern era through the end of the game (assuming players haven't already won in an earlier era). In addition to the kinds of issues covered in earlier DARs, the issue of what victory condition players choose to pursue and why may be especially interesting in this era.

[nbarclay]

Prince Level

The early part of the modern era was a wondrous time for America. Broadway was completed in 1765; the Statue of Liberty and the Pentagon in 1775; Rock ‘n Roll in 1790; the Eiffel Tower in 1795; Hollywood in 1830; and the United Nations in 1840. In the meantime, the core cities that were not too busy working on wonders were building up America’s military in preparation for war. Germany’s theft of a city that America had spilled blood to conquer could not be tolerated, and would not be tolerated.

America declared war on Germany in 1854, capturing Dusseldorf and retaking Seville. American armor with artillery support moved on to capture Berlin in 1858 and Munich in 1860. Battleships promoted to Flanking I and then to Sentry for extra vision range (thanks to drydocks and the Pentagon) formed a picket line off both coasts to guard against possible German incursions.

The screenshot below shows the American-German border immediately prior to the war. You can't see it from zoomed this far out, but America's borders had expanded directly adjacent to the city in the southwest corner of mainland Germany. (That city was founded after the war wtih Spain and hadn't gotten around to developing much if any culture.) America also had borders directly adjacent to Seville.

[nbarclay]

The situation became more complex in 1864 when the Mongols allied themselves with Germany. Lord Nathan had thought his relations with the Mongols were pretty good, and the two nations had even had open borders, but apparently Genghis had also been friends with Germany and was upset with America’s attacking the Germans - or he may just have felt like it had been too long since he’d been at war with anyone. Fortunately, the Mongols were technologically backward, with nothing more modern than riflemen and grenadiers garrisoning their borders.

Since no Mongol troops showed up immediately, Lord Nathan ordered his forces to press on with their impending attacks on Cologne and Frankfurt, both of which fell in 1866. War weariness was getting to be a problem, to a point where twenty percent of the nation’s income was dedicated to culture to combat it.

In 1868, American forces captured the Mongol cities of Old Sarai (the foreign blot on America’s northern coast) and Ning-hsia (which had stolen the ivory Los Angeles had originally been founded with an eye toward claiming). The German city of Essen fell in 1870, leaving Germany with only one city on the continent, and American mechanized infantry took Samarqand in 1872 to clear the Mongols out of the American side of where the continent narrows.

In 1876, as Washington completed construction of the Three Gorges Dam, the invasion of the Mongol heartland began with the capture of Turfan. An assault on Hamburg went smoothly except that there weren’t enough units in the force to destroy the last catapult, so Bismarck got to keep his capital another two years. The year 1878 saw the forced relocation of Bismarck to one of his islands and the capture of the Mongol city of New Sarai.

In 1880, Bismarck had to relocate his capital twice more as SEAL teams stormed first Stuttgart and then Dortmund. The Mongol city of Beshbahk also fell that year. With war weariness reaching ridiculous levels, the American leaders decided to allow Germany to keep its two remaining island cities for the time being. That year also marked the discovery of Synthetic Fibers – and the discovery that there was no aluminum to be had anywhere in the entire nation! Berlin was ordered to build a settler to attempt to gain control of an aluminum source just inside Arabia.

Arabia joined the war against their old Mongol foes in 1882, just as American forces approached the Karakorum. America captured the Mongol capital in 1884 and then promptly declared war on Arabia, capturing Damascus before its borders could expand into the former Mongol lands. Basra fell in 1886; Najran and the island city of Khurasan fell in 1888; and Medina fell in 1890.

In 1892, as American troops closed in on Mecca, two major events happened. First, the space elevator was completed. And second, America passed up an opportunity to unilaterally declare itself victor in the United Nations. (With more than seven in ten of the world’s people living under American rule, the votes of the other surviving nations had become no more than window dressing.) Mecca, the last remnant of the Arab nation, fell in 1894.

America cranked up its culture slider to 80% in 1896 (with 20% tax) in order to get more rapid border expansion in its newly acquired territories – especially those on the Egyptian border. As the turn cycled, word reached Washington that America had officially achieved domination.

[teriakiburger]

Monarch Difficulty

The modern era hopefully will be a peaceful one, I outstrip my rivals in all sectors.

In 1850 Chicago completes the Statue of Liberty it is rightfully ours.

In 1864 our first tanks roll off the lines.

Finally in 1868 I get my first great prophet to make the Kong Miao, about 3000 years too late lol.

In 1874 I get computers, and Broadway is completed by my captial.

In 1882 the Pentagon is completed by Ligurian, the modern wonders are coming along well.

In 1892 Chicago has completed another wonder Rock & Roll. By 1900 I have Fusion, and go for Mass Media next. I use the engineer to complete the 3 Gorges Dam in Philadelphia.

Also timely in 1900 is the Eiffel Tower complteted in Atlanta. Flight is completed, and Rocketry in 1918.

We have no aluminum which is annoying and the others on the continent are in defensive pacts. With robotics, we start upgrading to mech inf.

Luckily, Elizabeth is willing to trade aluminum now that she finally gets it with us for some hit tunes and shows and stone on the side, this will speed up things a bit.

Ohh and the Internet comes into play as it is completed in 1932 and gives me Artillery for free. Finally able to use it for once. Hollywood completes the next year in 1933, as does the United Nations.

After genetics completes, we go on to satillite research in 1935, and the UN election is between me and Elizabeth.

She wins the UN elections, even the Bismark voted against me,and after all these years.

In 1936 we complete the Manhattan Project, fittingly in the desert of Karakorum.

In 1938 the Space Elevator is completed by Chicago.

First 1939 we voted on Universal Sufferage at the UN. We complete the Apollo Program in 1940.

Most of our space ship parts should be done in 11 years, except the SS life suppport since we are starting on Ecology now.

Next up Elizabeth puts up the UN vote on NPT, I vote yes, I am not stockpiling anyways, it unanimously passes as usual.

By 1945 I have all the tech except Facism and Communism which I will eventually get by the internet, I start on future techs.

I get Facism in 1947 via the Internet.

Next Elizabeth wants us to vote on foreign trade routes, which is fine.

Ooh Saladin has finished the Apollo Project in 1947, what a guy!

Too bad he is late to the party and I lauch in 4 years time.

Cool never saw this before, 100 turns left! Good old Saladin has 1 casing done in 1950.

In 1951, 1 turn left until Karakorum completes the final piece the SS Life Support. I control 35% of the land and 35% of the population, an even balance, the next largest is Elizabeth with 17% of each.

Hehe the year the spaceship launches Elizabeth cancels the deal for Aluminum, and I win the UN elections this time with Bismark and Saladin on my side.

In 1952 I get to enjoy the view of Alpha Centari

GNP, land area over 3 times, production 2.5 times, population over 5 times my rival average!

Final score of 20565, quite pleasing score, rating me as Augustus Caesar.

In summary, financial is super powerful when used on the coast and with the cottages. The early wonder trio of the Pyramids, Great Library and the Oracle gave an early tech boost.

It was my latest space launch ever, but I normally play on epic where I was launching around 1790 or so.

I wish I would have tried harder to spread my religion, I really needed a great prophet, but kept getting scientists instead which are also good, but I just wanted 1 prophet which the wonders didnt deliver in time.

Also I should have stocked more troops so I didnt have to have those annoying wars that werent made on my terms.

All in all, I learned alot, it was my first time to play on Monarch and at normal speed. Also first to use financial and first not try much about spreading my religion, so I took free religion fairly early on.

[chriseay]

warlord

DAR 1: 4000 BC - 1520 BC
DAR 2: 1480 BC - Beginning of Classical Era
DAR 3: Classical Era
DAR 4: Medieval Era
DAR 5: Renaissance Era
DAR 6: Industrial Era
DAR 7: Modern Era

1730 AD: I get a great engineer in New York, to be shipped right to Boston to help on Apollo Program. Fourteen turns are left, and all of my cities are ready for quick production of the ship. Since I cannot rush a project, I will add the engineer as a super specialist.

1795 AD: I finish the Apollo Program! I will start immediately on all the spaceship parts I can. I have no aluminum, so it will take longer than it could with it.

1820 AD: I decide to switch to Universal Suffrage, because the ability to rush and the extra hammer per town will speed up my space ship a lot.

1856 AD: I get another great engineer, and rush the space elevator. Wait, I can't rush the space elevator, at least not enough of it. Hmm, instead I use him as another super specialist.....this time in San Francisco, as that is the city that will take the longest to build any of the space ship parts that I have.

I win in 1894 AD, with a score of 20630 and an Augustus Caesar rank. I built the spaceship without the aid of either aluminum or the Space Elevator, so I think this is somewhat impressive. The level made this game much easier though. Here are a bunch of screens from the end of the game.

[Cort Haus]

DAR 1 - Opening
DAR 2 - Rest of Ancient Era
DAR 3 - Classical Era
DAR 4 - Medieval Era
DAR 5 - Renaissance Era
DAR 6 - Industrial Era

Researched Mass Media, Computers, Fridges, Fission (because of 2 Great Scientists), and Robotics (unfinished). I'd also built Eiffel, Kremlin, Broadway, Rock 'n Roll, Pentagon, but didn't really use them. What I did notice while building all theze wonders is that the moment my military lead slipped to #2, up pops Bismark demanding a Civics change. Pfft...

Anyway, I built the UN and got elected, winning Hattie and Lizzie's votes. Bismark was the other candidate and Salidin abstained. Voting went the same way on the victory vote, with a winning margin of about 20 votes. The population from the Spanish cities helped here, as did my total pop of double any of the others, but I nearly got punished for being complacent about the overseas colonies. As I said in the previous DAR, I couldn't be bothered with these, but it could have made the difference.

So, all's well that ends well, and I'm glad I didn't have to go and fight Saladin for some of his Aluminium. Not this time, anyway. I also feel pretty good about my religious abstentionism early on. It didn't stop me being attacked by the Mongols & Spanish, but ultimately those guys didn't get to vote, so it seemed to work out OK in the end.

[Morrissey]

Noble difficulty

DAR1
DAR2
DAR3
DAR4
DAR5
DAR6
DAR7


The rest of my game is just spent building up my empire. I'm not involved in any more wars and spent most of the time hitting enter for next turn. Woo.

Genghis seems to like his wars in this game, he's at it with Hats, Isabella and on and off with Salad. He puts up a brave fight before losing his empire in 1943. Considering he's been at war with at least two other civs constantly since the 1700s, I think he did well to hold out for so long.

Start gifting luxuries to different empires and trading stuff around to make everyone love me (going for UN victory). This seems to work with everyone being pleased, except with Isabella, who remains annoyed at all times (the grumpy old thing).

Complete the UN in 1961, get elected sectary general with no problems, so think I have it in the bag. But no, too many people abstain for some reason and I don't get enough votes. At this point I learn that if you keep gifting things to people, this doesn't make them love you a great deal, there's a limit on how happy it makes them. Good on you, games designers! This means that plan B (space race victory) is formed.

Don't focus too much on going for a space race victory as I realise I have no aluminium and I think I'm still going to get a UN victory, but go about it anyway. Complete the space elevator in 1980 and then the Apollo programme in 1984 (you can tell by this how much planning went into it). Start building the spaceship parts. Hats comes to me in 1999 to offer some aluminium. This is all I need to complete a space race victory, so I agree to give her lots of stuff (186 gpt, wines and crabs) for that and... some other lux in return.

Win by space race victory in 2009.

I've learned a few things in this game. The first is that I need to move up a difficulty level. This is my third game at noble (and sixth overall) and I've easily won all of them. The other thing I'd like to do is be involved with more wars. For me, Civ 4 really has had the emphasis taken off warfare when compared with Civ 3 and it seems because of this, I've done nothing but out-scienced everyone and gone for a space race victory. Hopefully that will change on the next game.

Screenie below shows plan C (which wouldn't really have happened) half an attempt at a cultural victory. Set it a 30% and this really pushed the other civs boarders back, just look at Barcelona.

[ZargonX]

*Sigh* Looks like I get to be the first loser. Lost a Space Race to Elizibeth in 1995. Was 2 parts behind her, which is 2 parts too many. I was 3 techs ahead of everyone else, and she was 3 techs ahead of me! Didn't have the muscle to invade her, and everyone loved her, making a declaration of war impossible.

I think if I had focused more on the Space Race earlier on, and built up a few more monster production cities, I could've won it. Unfortunately, I dithered between conquest and research, dedicating myself to neither.

[Sirid]

Unfortunately due to a lack of common sense and general business around the holiday I wasn't able to write up the rest of my DARs (something that won't happen again) - however I did finish the game with a lackluster Time Victory in 2050.

Is there going to be a wrap-up thread?

[Cort Haus]

Not the first Zargon. I think someone got fatally jumped on Monarch by Spain and Mongolia in the Classical Era.

[Arrian]

DAR7, PART I (Modern Era).

1825: Plastics discovered, Modern Era begins. Furs obselete, three fur deals auto-cancelled, several cities now unhappy. Doh, poor planning there, self! Refridgeration next.

1854: Flight discovered. The Mongols request that I "help" them exterminate the Arabs (who Ghengis has down to 2 island cities). Relations with Ghengis are relatively good... the Arabs are useless... so I say yes. I lose a deal for sugar, but Ghengis is pleased.

It dawns on me that I do not have aluminium, but that there are a couple in now-empty (formerly arab) lands. I try to get a settler team up there, but am beaten to the spot I wanted by the English - by 2 turns. Damn.

So I eventually grab a spot and go culture-heavy with it in the hopes that I can grab an alternative aluminium source on the Egyptian/Mongol border... probably by removing said Egyptian border...

[screenshot to follow]

I revolt over to Universal Suffrage & Emancipation (part of my happiness issue was the desire for Emancipation).

1886 - Satellites discovered, Three Gorges complete! I have gathered a healthy force of Tanks and Bombers, and am preparing to invade Egypt. Heliopolis, the city I need to take in order to finish my play for aluminium, also happens to have Versailles in it. I noted that a long time ago, but now I'm read to act.

1888 - My forces are moving. 2 transports carrying 6 Tanks, 1 cannon, 1 infantry depart escorted by a destroyer & battleship. Simultaneously, 2 tanks are routed through Mongol territory to reinforce my pitifully defended new city near the Aluminium, and 5 bombers are rebased in that same city.

1890 - War, uh, what is it good for? TAKING OTHER PEOPLE'S STUFF, you fools! I land my invasion force next to Heliopolis and start bombing the crap out of it. I also kill most of the Egyptian units that are near my aluminium-grab city.

My Heliopolis Tanks are a mixture of Combat I + Pinch (4 of 'em) and City Raider II's (2 of those). My infantry, IIRC, has combat I + medic. The cannon... meh, I forget... combat 1, I think.

Most of my strike force was built in NYC. New York has both the Heroic Epic and the Ironworks. It built Tanks in 2 turns and Bombers in 1-2 turns.

1890-1918: The War of Southern Aggression.

It started out as "I'll take Heliopolis and raze the city east of my aluminium city, pummel any counterattacks, and then make peace, having gotten my aluminium."

It ended with the conquest of Egypt. I just kept wanting to push back those borders, you know? And Tanks + Inf + Bombers against Rifles & Cav... why not?

The AI did attempt one serious counterattack as I rolled up to Thebes, but the tech advantage was too much. They blew 4-5 catapults (with 2 more retreating) and about 3 Cavalry + 2 rifles and managed to kill 2 tanks and beat up 2 more. This, IMO, was a good move by them. They ultimately still lost, but at least they took their shot! Had they broken a couple more tanks, I might have actually decided to make peace. War weariness actually got quite harsh (-14 on the last turn of the war) and I never had a huge number of my high-tech units (I got to Modern Armor right before the end, incidently).

[Screenshot to follow]

1918 - The last Egyptian city falls. Apollo program complete in Washington (only took 10 turns with aluminium, nice). I am looking forward to the disappearance of WW next turn. Many cities unhappy, despite my attempts to mitigate this by spreading around secondary religions (Taoism & Hinduism), building more happiness structures, building a jail in Washington, and upping the culture slider to 20%.

I have begun SS parts in a couple of cities. I now have 45% of world population and 33% of land area - but that will increase quite a bit once I get border expansions up in Egypt.

I have not gone for the UN yet, but probably will get around to it soon. I *still* don't know the secrets of Divine Right But I own the Spiral Minaret (Thebes) anyway.

Somewhere during the war against Egypt, I made peace with Saladin. The Mongols appear to be doing nothing to take down those last two island cities and I've no intention of doing it. Well, actually, I was pondering doing it for one reason: I have a unit (Modern Armor) with 14XP... if I get it to 17 I can build West Point. Saladin most likely has - at best - riflemen in those two little cities. I could stroll over there with a couple of MA's and use my bombers to soften... 3 XP shouldn't be to hard to come by...

-Arrian

[Fosse]

1750
THE MODERN AGE
Discovering Radio puts me into the modern age. I have had one revolt in New America, so that's going well. The Egyptian city is pushing back,and might not ever flip though. Oh well.

Switching to Free Religion and Emancipation will be coming up soon. That'll make Khan hate me again, but it doesn't matter. I've been giving everyone the tributes or favors they ask for, the keep the world peacful. I'm building Broadway, and might make a go for Eiffel Tower too. I've actually intentionally lowered my science rate now, for the first time. A ten percent difference triples my incoming gold, and I'm a rush buying fool!

Spaceship... here I come.

1866
I discover Rocketry. I need to sweep back to Industrialism to pick up Aluminum, but by the time I finish the APollo Program in Washington that'll be old news. The UN is well under way in Boston, New America has taken shape nicely (Spanish city has yet to revolt... weird. Egypt's will be there until end game, no doubt.) I've generated a handful of Great Merchants from washington and Oregon, and they've all gone to Heliopolis to bring in thousands of gold each time. I'm buying culture in New America, Factories, airports and research buildings everywhere else.

It looks like smooth sailing.
I go ahead and revolt to Free Speech and Free Religion, I'll use UN to get Emancipation (don't have democracy right now... Pyramids.). Genghis immediatly cancels Open Borders and drops to annoyed... the +5 from religion was all we had going. Isabella is less friendly too, but should be fine.

1878
I finish the UN in Boston. We'll see how votes go.

1886
Voting takes place. it's me and Bismark, which surprised me because it always seems the most populous AI is the one with the highest score. Ah well. Votes surprise me a bit, with Hatty and Saladin voting for me. Nobody abstains, which is a first for me. I am easily elected with Egypt's 100 votes on my side... I'll see how the Diplo vote turns out,but first I need to get a few economic things pushed through!

1910
Wow... the first time I've run for Diplomatic Vicotry and had NOBODY vote for me. They all voted for Bismark or abstained... good thing I'm gunning for the stars!

Egypt trades me the aluminum I so sorely need... that'll help.

1912
Saladin (!) completes the Apollo Program

One turn later, in 1914 I do.


VICTORY

Well.. I launched the spaceship.

[Fluffybunnyfeet]

Prince difficulty - 1896-2006AD

Progress

A city in the south is flooded with enemy, while i'm capturing Spanish cities, they're employing suicidal city-sacking tactics. This is annoying (and I ought to have had more defenses in those out-of-the-way places), but the Spanish will simply be wiped out for this. They hit a city with 9 units, sack the city, and within two turns my nearby auxiliary units have killed them all.

My cities begin spewing out Navy SEALs, at the same time, the Spanish capital falls, its Machine Gunners and Infantrymen dying to a wave of my Cavalry, probably the last time that mounted units will achieve such a victory.

After taking four of the seven Spanish cities, the Egyptians decide to kick Isabella while she's down, bringing the first Tanks of the game into play. They sack the one city that they manage to breach.

Some Great Entertainers help to immediately quell unrest in the last few cities that I take. They are far from my cultural border, so making a Great Work in these cities helps mightily.

The Spanish have an unimportant city somewhere, so the war is effectively over. I have 6 new cities and much territory.

World Domination is looking possible, but still... isn't that just a little... evil?

I change my civics back to peace time, and must suffer THREE turns of anarchy.

When the dust has settled, Saladin is constructing his spaceship... hmmm, things happen so very quickly at Normal Speed

Thus far in the game I have built no Markets, or Banks!

The English refuse to trade Satellites because they say "We'd rather win the game, thank you very much". Never seen that one before

I reach my first Golden Age in 1974!

The Kremlin has got to be one of the finest Wonders. In the late game, rush buying can become addictive.

There was no Global Warming. (I was careful with Coal Plants).

With no interest in future tech, and 15 turns to a spaceship victory, I set the Culture slider to 90 percent in the hope of swamping a nearby city

A Space victory is reached in 2006.

Wrapup

An easy game, and the first where I thought I could win it with the difficulty set higher than Prince level. Playing more carefully than I usually do, I made a lot fewer mistakes and spent more time watching the F9 stats screen.

I aimed mostly for techs that were the most expensive, which is not something that I usually do. It certainly worked well in this game as I was able to trade for other techs almost every time I discovered a new one.

The lack of aluminium in home territory was interesting, it was a good starter map.

[Cort Haus]

Re: Prince difficulty - 1896-2006AD

Originally posted by Fluffybunnyfeet
The English refuse to trade Satellites because they say "We'd rather win the game, thank you very much". Never seen that one before

[Arrian]

DAR 7, Part II:

1924 - Begin Space Elevator.

1928 - Mass Media, Fiber Optics next. Begin UN somewhere.

1933 - Fiber Optics, Fission next. Ghengis wants me to declare war on Saladin again. I actually intend to do just that in order to get a level 5 unit (never had West Point before), but not for a little bit. So I decline. Ghengis goes cautious.

1937 - Fission. Fusion next. Declare war on Saladin, begin bombing his pathetic little island 'o sugar (stealth bombers). Land strike force - 2 MA, 2 Tanks.

1939 - U.N. complete.

1940 - Elizabeth builds Apollo. Arabs wiped out. Arrian elected Secretary General of the U.N.

1944 - Fusion, Genetics next. Global resolution for Free Religion succeeds. My free great scientist (fusion) would help me discover... fascism. So I decide to research that myself (1 turn) and see what he can do after that.

1945 - Fascism discovered, Genetics next. GS gives me 1698 beakers towards genetics (I'm producing exactly 1700/turn, so he saved me a turn).

1946 - Lizzy builds her first SS part.

1947 - Great scientist born. +2550 beakers toward genetics (why so much more than the other guy?)

1948 - Genetics discovered. Ecology next. Hollywood complete. No nukes, no nukes, no nukes!

1951 - Ecology. Communism next.

1952 - Commie. Artillery (heh) next. Space Elevator complete. Universal Suffrage global civic vote FAILS. Bismark builds Apollo.

1953 - Artillery. Future Tech next. I drop my research rate a bit and start using gold to upgrade troops (inf -> mech inf and some remaining frigates to destroyers).

1956 - Liberalism (!!) to Ghengis for Divine Right + 200 gold. I just noticed how far behind he's fallen in tech. And the diplo screen tells me he's at -77 gpt.

1958 - Golden Age for Mongolia. Way too little, way too late.

1963 - My last two SS components complete, SS launch victory. 19508 score = Augustus Caesar.

Screenshots will be added - I didn't have time last night.

-Arrian