OCC 2005 Game 2

[solo]

On to 500 AD:

20 wool
40 coal, hides(d) to Bapedi, 336g
60 food

Zulus – trade for Feudalism
Vikings & Persians – give tech, share maps

80 food, Chemistry
100 Copernicus
120 university built, bribe barb legion, 82g
140 coal, wool(d) to Bapedi, 332g; hides(d) to Bapedi, 332g
160 wool, Invention
180 Isaac Newton’s College
200 Gunpowder

Now it’s a tech every two turns by city science, but I suspect StuporMan has been doing this for awhile now.

220 wool,

Zulus – trade for Navigation
Vikings – give tech
Sioux – give tech, 50g

240 Explosives
260 coal
280 Engineers, Democracy
300 Engineers, govt. to Democracy; Sioux – give tech
320 we love resumes

Two settlers are exchanged for engineers who will make quick work of the roads to the Zulu cities.

340 food, size 19, Metallurgy

Zulus – trade for Physics
Celts – give tech, 150g
Greeks – give tech, share maps

360 food, size 20, Sioux – give tech, 150g
380 Steam Engine, size 21
400 food, size 22
420 Railroad, size 23
440 Engineers, road completed to Bapedi, but another engineer is needed.
460 we love cancelled, Industrialization,

road completed to Ulundi,
Zulus – give tech, share maps

480 food, road completed to Zimbabwe
500 oil, Magnetism

Now it’s just a matter of converting the roads to railroads in order to collect that route bonus. I think they’ll be done on schedule.

The Zulus continue to learn at a fast pace, since the road bonus is working in both directions. It's a good thing, since the other AI have been almost worthless in helping to research techs.

[biru biru]

Solo, I played enough turns of your last poasted save to experiment with finishing the railroads to the Zulu's. The increase in trade per route was quite amazing.

[solo]

Yes, with the benefit of these rail bonuses, most SSC's produce enough beakers to sustain 1 tech turns. Without them, 1 tech turns are usually just tantalizingly out of reach.

[StuporMan]

Thank you solo for your kind words, I am not sure if I have come up with the insurmountable tech lead that you suspected, but your faith in me is appreciated.

I have achieved a small tech lead over your position, but you amazingly are much closer to getting the rail bonus to the Zulu. I am still a turn away from a full road bonus to the Zulu! Once your rail route is completed you should have enough city science to pull off enough one turn techs to catch back up. Especially since I am still behind in city size due to some ill timed pillaging by some barbarians . Still I am very pleased with my results from this past turnset. I am now thinking a landing in the 1500's is possible whereas at the beginning of the turnset I was shooting for the 1600's.

I had to think long and hard about almost every turn in this last turnset, but the extra effort was worth it. Here is my log.

1: Sioux 50g, Zulu give tech share maps (will not give Economics to get Coal in demand)
20: Food, Sioux 25g
40: Food, Celts 25g, Sioux 50g
60: Food, Chemistry, sell temple, Sioux 50g, Celts trade 50g back and forth
80: Newton's, tech every 2 turns, Celts 25g, Sioux 50g
100: Size 21, Dye, Economics, Barbs Land
120: Settlers, Size 20, Celts 25g, Sioux 50g
140: Bribe barb trireme, Celts 25g
160: Wool, Democracy, Barb Leader 150g, Celts 25g, Sioux 50g
180: Coal
200: Food, Navigation, Celts 50g, Revolution!
220: Food, Democracy, Dye to Bapedi(d) 236g, Sioux 50g, Persians give tech, share maps
240: Food, Physics
260: Food,
280: Food, Steam Engine, Wool to Bapedi(d) 242g, Celts 50g, Sioux 50g, Persians 50g
300: Food, Magnetism, Persians 50g
320: Leonardo's Workshop, Celts 50g, Sioux 50g, Persians 50g
Yes, you read that right, I built LW in an OCC. I decided it was worth it to upgrade my Settlers to Engineers and keep them None supported, and to upgrade my ships and caravans. I believe that this ended up being to my benefit in this game, particularly once I bribed a third trireme (from the Sioux) a few turns later.
340: RailRoad, Wool, Persians 50g
360: Dye, Celts 50g, Sioux 50g, Persians 50g
380: Food, Explosives, Persians 50g
400: Food, Vikings give tech, share maps, Celts 50g, Sioux 50g
420: Food, Industrialization, Dye to Zimbabwe(d) 236g, Wool to Bapedi(d) 172g, Wonder-Flip
440: Wool, Metallurgy, Vikings give tech, share maps
460: Oil
480: Food, Corporation, Coal to Zimbabwe(d) 442, Oil to Zimbabwe 177g
500: Electricity, Coal, Celts 100g, Sioux 100g, Persians 50g

I originally was concerned about sacrificing so much to get Isaac Newton's College so early in the turnset. It cost me heavily in gold and I was dancing with bankruptcy almost the whole time. Fortunately I had a few rich financeers who kept me afloat during the hard times. I believe there was only 1 turn where I did not produce anything in Madrid, which is not too bad all things considered.

Like solo I have also found that the Zulus have been a wonderful research partner. It is not often that you can get both Invention and Gunpowder from the AI, and at this stage any free tech from the AI is a rare and wonderful gift. Unfortunately I am finding that they are researching Communism, which means that MPE will be expiring soon. This will make trading techs with the AI much more difficult, I will have to pay close attention to the tech messages from now on.

I still think my best move in this whole game was bribing the settlers early on. It cost me heavily during a time when gold was hard to come by, but it has already more than paid for itself twice over. I will have to remeber this trick for other games as well as I believe it has shaved at least 10 turns off my landing date.

I now have to get back to planning my next round as it looks like it will require as much thought as this last one, and possibly more. The difficulty will be to not get to Space Flight so fast that I cannot build all the parts in a timely manner. I am already thinking I will have to buy Apollo's outright and will be relying on economy to allow me to buy the Modules and Components.

Good Luck all, I will see you on AC!

StuporMan

[solo]

Actually I was hoping you wouldn't think of building Leonardo's, which was the best move in your situation. This gave you a lead in producing freights, with several of your trades producing 1 tech turns, which contributed to your present tech lead.

In OCC, you can only build one thing a turn, so every OCC build is very precious. Leonardo's enabled you to build more freights for trade instead of "wasting" turns building unit upgrades. It's not really so unusual to see this wonder built in an OCC game.

A landing before 1600 is very likely. I know from having already completed my own game, but I was a bit pinched for cash around the time that Apollo had to be built. It is in addition to several other costly city improvements needed for building a ship. Fortunately, in OCC you have to take at least 21 turns to build a SS, so this allows a lot of time to build up some cash for the most expensive parts. The rail bonus will contribute a lot here when research is done and taxes can be maxed out.

Too bad about Communism a little earlier than usual. The AI are usually good at providing Feudalism, Chivalry and Conscription if you feed them the right prerequisites and are able to monitor what they are researching to make sure they don't waste a research opportunity. Unfortunately they are also uncannily good at learning techs that expire thehuman player's wonders. I am convinced they are given more than a few bonus beakers behind the scenes when researching techs like Communism and Flight.

Also too bad about your AI problems. I had a major problem with them later in my own game. Dealing with that threat added a few turns onto my game and distracted many of my units that could have been put to better use.

[StuporMan]

Actually I was hoping you wouldn't think of building Leonardo's, which was the best move in your situation...

It's not really so unusual to see this wonder built in an OCC game.

Aww you weren't afraid I was going to beat you too badly were you? And here I thought this was a friendly competition.

I guess on maps where you need many support units for your OCC as is the case in this one, Leo's would not be that uncommon. In OCC's where road/rail bonuses cannot be achieved, however, most of the time it would appear that Leo's is an unnecessary step (provided you do not bribe a large ship chain). I just did not remember it in the standard list of OCC wonders and it was a "new to me" accomplishment. As was playing with rediculously low sums of gold in reserve. There were many times when I relied on getting a cash gift to float my turn expenses.

As to Communism, I think you are correct in the extra beakers for wonder killers. They seem to be chosen often and finish faster than other techs! Fortunately this will only add between 2 and 6 turns to the game and I may still get lucky with an AI happening to choose the correct techs without any "guidance."

Other than that and a pillaged square or two I have not had much to complain about from the AI. I should be up to size 23 in a few turns without loss of research and I am hoping to get some 1 tech turns as soon as superhighways are built.

I will find it interesting to see if I can keep this pace up. I am fairly confident in beating 1600, but I am not sure I can beat 1500 on this attempt. I will try my best to come as close as I can though!

StuporMan

[rjmatsleepers]

You guys are way ahead of me, but I'll keep chugging along. This set of turns was fairly typical of the mid game doldrums that I frequently find myself in. I'm not sure that waiting for someone else to discover the republic was a good idea.

AD 1 hit enter
AD 100 complete 4th van for copes; hides-ulundi(u) 92; start to build copes and realise I need 6 vans, so rush it instead
AD 120 Navigation->sanitation; hides-hlobane(u) 30
AD 160 swap with Zulus for republic
AD 220 revolt to republic
AD 280 rush shakes
AD 380 sanitation->physics; swap with persians for university
AD 440 Physics->gravity
AD 500 hides(u) Susa 226; hides(u) Susa 226; stop celebrating at size 15

[solo]

Next stop, 1000 AD:

520 Darwin’s Voyage, The Corporation, Electricity
540 Refining
560 coal
580 oil, Steel
600 wool, Celts – 50g, Greeks – 100g, Sioux – 150g
620 transport, Combustion, Zulus – give tech, share maps

Time for some overseas trade to build up cash.

640 factory
660 Automobile, coal(d) to Little Bighorn, 570g

It will take two more turns to finish the railroad. From now on, techs will being coming every turn.

680 superhighways, Mass Production, wool(d) to Slim Buttes, 888g
700 gold, Atomic Theory
720 Mass Transit, Electronics, railroad completed almost on schedule
740 hides, Nuclear Fission, hides to Zimbabwe, 226g

Greeks – trade for Chivalry

Hides will not last long, but the rail provides instant deliveries. I line up idle units along this route at strategic points to block access to the Zulu units that would just love to hop on and block the freights I want to send to Zimbabwe each turn.

760 hides, Nuclear Power,

Hides to Zimbabwe, 226g
Vikings – trade for Conscription, give tech, share maps

780 hides, Leadership, hides to Zimbabwe, 226g
800 hides, The Laser, hides to Zimbabwe, 226g
820 gold, Tactics
840 beads, Machine Tools, beads(d) to Ulundi, 420g
860 Nuclear Plant, Mobile Warfare, gold(d) to Zimbabwe, 678g
880 food, Miniaturization

The Zulus learn Flight, spoiling the Colossus and delaying Computers by a turn. Their ability to learn techs was surprising, even though they had 9 juiced up trade routes to boost beakers. After my game I checked their cities. They had built a library in Ulundi, and further checks of earlier saves revealed that this was done very early on. I was also fortunate that they did not get sidetracked into researching an unwanted tech I could not supply.

900 gold
920 Offshore Platform, Computers
940 Zulus – trade for Flight

Now my bad luck with barbs starts off. A barb frigate appears 2 tiles away from Madrid. This usually means many good mounted attackers, who are probably willing to jump next Madrid and capture it if I am not careful. So I line up my engineers and any other spare units along the coastal tiles to prevent access. At least the engineers can continue to mine grasslands into forest to boost shields, but sooner or later this frigate must be destroyed.

960 wool, Radio, gold(d) to Zimbabwe, 326g, wool to Zimbabwe, 109g
980 Advanced Flight
1000 gold, gold(d) to Zimbabwe, 326g

Things had gone very well so far this game, but this was about to change. In addition to the barb frigate already parked next to Madrid, the following turn greeted me with a major barbarian land invasion. They appeared just east of Madrid and they took delight spoiling a lot of my trade arrows by jumping onto city tiles. This ended up adding on a few more turns of research and spoiled any chances of a pre-1500 launch.

(Note: I will be away, staring next week, so am posting results in time to finish by the time I leave. Otherwise I would want to wait for everyone to catch up before moving on.)

[StuporMan]

Here is my log up to 1000AD:

520: Hides,
540: Hides, Refining, Zulus get Communism, well that was fast! Sioux: Give Techs, Share Maps, 200g
560: Darwin's, Steel, Combustion, Celts 50g, Greek trade for Fuedalism, Zulu give all but Combustion (no flight for Zulu! Not until I get computers at least.) same with Vikings
580: Automobile, Hides to Zimbabwe 183g
600: SuperHighways, Chivalry
620: Electronics, Hides to Zimbabwe 306g
640: Hides, WLTPD, Conscription, Coal to Zimbabwe (d) 764g
660: Hides, Leadership, size 21, Hides to Zimbabwe 306g
680: Hides, Tactics, size 22, hides to Zimbabwe 306g
700: Hides, Mass Production, size 23, hides to Zimbabwe 302g, Zulu trade for Communism
720: Hides, Machine Tools, WLTPD ends, hides to Zimbabwe 302g
740: Hides, Minaturization, hides to Zimbabwe 302g, Zulu trade for Mobile Warfare, give tech, Vikings give tech
760: Hides, Computers
780: Hides, Atomic Theory
800: Hides, Nuclear Fission
820: Gold, Nuklear Power
840: Beads, Laser
860: Factory, Robotics, Sioux 250g
880: Nuclear Plant, Flight, Wool(d) to Wounded Knee 644g
900: Offshore Platform, Radio, Beads to Little Bighorn 210g, Celts 100g
920: Manufacturing Plant, Advanced Flight, Gold to Zimbabwe 480g, Wonder-Flip
940: Gold, Rocketry, Gold to Zimbabwe 480g, Celts 100g, Persians 150g
960: Coal, Space Flight, Coal to Zimbabwe 400g, Celts 100g
980: Apollo Program, Celts 50g, Persians 150g
1000: Structural, Plastics, Sioux 250g, Persians Warrior Code , Vikings trade for Polytheism

I did not record every time I gave techs to the Zulu and Vikings. I pretty much did every turn during this phase up until Space Flight was acquired. I really had to scrounge for the money to pay for Apollo. Had I discovered Space flight on a later turn I could have converted my two hides frieghts into two gold frieghts (using wonder flipping) and would have easily had enough money to complete it. As it was I got there so fast I had to sell off my sewer system and beg for gold to get enough to build Apollo the turn after Space Flight was discovered.

I was very fortunate not to have any barbarian problems during this segment as this could have wrecked my very tight budget (I had under 25 gold after buying Apollo IIRC).

This turnset went very well. I actually avereaged greater than a tech per turn during this period (due to Darwins and tech trades). I also was very lucky to have the Zulus research Mobile Warfare in time for a trade. This I believe negated any loss of turns due to Communism obsoleting MPE. Barring any unfortunate disasters, I should land just after 1400 , which is far earlier than I would have ever dreamed possible on this map. I credit this to two unexpected blessings. The first is all the hides vans and frieghts I was able to produce throughout the game. The second is the amazing rate at which the Zulus were able to learn technologies for me to trade.

I am quite relieved to (hopefully) have the most difficult turns behind me. There for a while I agonized over every last action, knowing that on some turns one misstep could cost two or three turns. Now all that is left is to play out the remaining turns building the rest of the SS and waiting for it to arrive.

StuporMan

[solo]

Wow, nice job StuporMan! You might have a slight problem scraping up enough gold to build a SS part per turn, but even with a delay of a turn or two you are sure to land before 1500. Congrats on the best OCC game I have seen to date!

Your success is due to expanded trade, especially when you were at size 7 and again during the Rennaissance when a few trades gave you 1 tech per turn. Bribing Zulu settlers was another very smart move.

Things have really changed from the old way of playing OCC, where trade was almost non-existant and when we would accumulate caravans and freights to build wonders and SS parts. By Space Flight we used to have 20+ freights hanging around. Not any more!

[Kaak]

i've never played a OCC before...does anyone have a link to the guideline thread?

[solo]

There is a link from the Great Library and from my strategy guide in the strategy forum.

[StuporMan]

Originally posted by solo
Wow, nice job StuporMan! You might have a slight problem scraping up enough gold to build a SS part per turn, but even with a delay of a turn or two you are sure to land before 1500. Congrats on the best OCC game I have seen to date!

Wow! Thank you Solo!
I am not sure I would say it was the best OCC game so far. Didnt you manage a pre AD landing in one and didn't samson finish one in 25AD or am I mistaken?

Since I was so close to launching I went ahead and played through. I was very fortunate and got a few gifts from the AI that enabled me to build a SS part per turn. Unfortunately I was not the only one who was interested in getting to AC. It was a horse race to AC winner take all! However, since I am evil and contrary I will wait to let you know who won the race until everyone has posted their 1000AD save. Either way, someone lands before 1420AD!

Heh, maybe we can start a new variant, first one to get the AI to AC wins

StuporMan

[solo]

Samson's game was an EL game on a small map.

The one where I had a BC landing was done with an edited map full of rivers, huts and ideal SSC sites. A different game altogether based on tipping many huts before founding the SSC.

This game was from a random start on a medium map.

There were other games in the past with earlier landing dates, but they were on edited maps or involved some other special starting advantage.

[rjmatsleepers]

Brilliant job, StuporMan

I'd like to see you have a go at an EL game next.

RJM at Sleeper's