The Mesopotamia thread

[Jaguar]

Nubians exist as barbs. I actually found them quite difficult to deal with on Sid level.

I just won on Demigod level as the Sumerians with 2 wonders. The Phoenicians and Medeans also had two. It was an exciting endgame because the Phoenicians were on pace to get the Lighthouse, and win with three wonders. However I conquered Tyre when it had 7 turns left. The Medeans, then with one wonder, completed it. I won because I had lots of conquest vps. I got a scientific great leader, which gave me Artemis. I doubt I could have won without it.

[vmxa1]

I have wanted to use the traits of the Sumerians, but I have been afraid of the UU making a GA before I can have more than a city or three.
Is that a concern or is it not a problem? They cannot make spearmen either, so it is hard to not use them if you get into a war.

[Louis XXIV]

Originally posted by skywalker


No Nubians to the south? That sucks

One change I'm planning to make.

I have a question about Egypt. Are the Barbs tough to deal with, or would it be more effective to have a civ to take up the space? (I don't want Egypt to have too easy a job, so I might add a Libyan civ next to them).

I'm also adding the Assyrians, and I might add something to stop Sumerian expansion in the Arabian Desert. Any other ideas?

[SirOsis]

I've been playing on Monarch with the Phoenicians. Seafaring is an excellent trait to contact other civs and trade techs. The extra gold per costal city is working quite well to my advantage as well. The Colossus will be built soon and hope to see an even larger boost to my huge economy. I've just entered the Iron Age.

After a quick war to contain Egypt I signed a MPP and ROP agreement with Mycenae only to have them enter my territory and attack an undefended city and destroy it. For that they are going to pay. I've signed an peace treaty so I can focus on building wonders as I've entered a GA due to the Tyrian Guards killing off a Mycenaen archer.

[Jawa Jocky]

Re: The Mesopotamia thread

Originally posted by Jaguar Warrior
I started with this Conquest. Why? Because it was the first one.

I started Mesopotamia for the same reason. I also played Sumeria but only on Monarch. It was way too easy on this level.

Strategy thoughts - I found this to be a builders scenario. I played with a smaller, less corrupt empire. I had 3 good Wonder building cities and several mid size reseach and unit builders. I focused on research and wonder building while keeping a powerful military. I never attacked anyone and was able to avoid all but one war durning my diplomatic efforts. I built all 7 wonders and achieved my 1st wonder victory.

I look forward to trying the compact and efficient empire startegy on a harder level.

[Inverse Icarus]

I played this one as Egypt on Emperor, and was thinking too long term. Phonecians completed three wonders when I only had 2. I took too much time colonizing nearly all of Africa

[joncnunn]

Just less than Half way finished as Egypt on Monarch; just finished the world's first wonder. (Hanging Gardens; it started as the Pyraimds but I switched when I discovered City Planning and noticed it would also give me a GA and was cheaper.)

My thoughts:

1. I discovered that I was wasting resources 30 turns into the game when I noticed that tax men yeild 2 and scientists 3.

2. When the second civ entered the Iron Working era, I felt like I was at war with the Hasademian Barbs! They certiatnely have bothered me much more than any of the offical rivals, forcing many of my workers to switch the areas they were improving.

3. Unless the AIs can switch govts very quickly even with non-religious, the Tribal Council govt should either be removed or else non-religious AIs should be taught not to switch to it. (What's the point falling behind by a tech researching a govt with that minor an improvement if your not religious.)

4. A Religious human player could really exploit going back and forth between Orthogophy [sp] and Monarchy. Alas, I'm Egypt in this game.

5. It was only a few turns ago that anyone made contact with the Greeks. Are they supposed to be a virtual non-factor?

6. Discovered AI exploit accidently: Blocking AI workers off from their homeland freezes them in place. (I founded a city near the distination of the Phonicean workers and placed a unit blocking out any future settlement at the same time, and those workers sat there until I founded a city close enough to that bottleneck where I felt comfortable releasing the one tile block at which point the phoenican workers started heading home.

7. Phoenican AI (and presumably others) needs taught to build culture improvements when in a potiential tug of war situation with a luxary colony just outside their borders. (They are about to lose possesion of the wine in the Sinai to me since I finished the Cerminal Mound in eastern Egypt before they did.)

8. None of the AIs have tried to settle Northern Africa behind me yet? (I presume that at least one of the Phoenicans, Greeks, and Hities are sea faring)

Current colonization of Africa status: I've pretty much have Egypt proper settled, except for my planned South Eastern most Red sea city [settler almost finished]. I think I'm slightly into Libya along the coast, settler and warrior pair are on their way to the incense. [loose city spacing in that section, choser in most.)

[JamesJKirk]

4. A Religious human player could really exploit going back and forth between Orthogophy [sp] and Monarchy. Alas, I'm Egypt in this game.

I'm assuming you mean Oligarchy, but what do you mean, as far as I could see the only difference is in their rush method isn't it? Unless there was a difference in corruption and/or war wariness. Nevertheless, for such a building oriented scenario, the best method is probably to get Oligarchy and tough it out in that the whole way through

[asleepathewheel]

Uber: I agree

It seemed to me the key was to force myself to stop building more cities and focus on maybe 3 super cities (and newer ones would send settlers) While there's lots of land, there's not a lot of time.

[SirOsis]

I just finished the game as the Phoenicians on Monarch. Took ~6 hrs. The last few turns were very interesting as everyone was at war. Fortunately I was able to hold off Hittite and Egyptian chariots with my Tyrian Guard units. It helped that I had built the Temple of Zeus and therefore was pumping out veteran units. When I finally built the Great Lighthouse I'm not sure I would have been able to hold off Egypt much longer. I did have fortresses though at the narrow bridge at the Sinai peninsula with fortified guard units but Egypt was throwing quite a few chariots and swordmen at them.

I did get a Scientific GL late in the game which I rushed the temple of Zeus with.

I built all the wonders except for the Hanging gardens. Would have built it but I decided to go to Monarchy since I was an economic powerhouse with all my coastal cities and the Anarchy period slowed me down enough so I didn't build it.

Seafaring turned out to be a great trait in this conquest due to the extra commerce and early civ contact.

The Greeks were a factor in my game. I was able to contact them early and do some good trading. They also attacked me by getting a ROP/MPP agreement with me and then attacking an undefended city. Sneaky Greeks! Later in the game when I was at war with Egypt, Babylon, and the Hittites they came to my assistance after I bribed them with tech and they declared war on the Hittites.

Here is a picture of Phoenicia just after the Mycaeneans (Greeks) destroyed one of my northern cities. Unfortunately I forgot to take the end game pic.

[joncnunn]

Monarchy allows cash-rushing / Oligarchy allows pop-rushing.

Religious player could effectively alternate between cash-rushing and pop-rushing.

As Non-Religous, yes the only plan that makes sense is stay at Despotism until you get to Oligarchy, then switch to that and stay there. (Oligarchy corruption is similar to Democracy in normal games / Monarchy appears normal for Monarchy.)

Originally posted by JamesJKirk

I'm assuming you mean Oligarchy, but what do you mean, as far as I could see the only difference is in their rush method isn't it? Unless there was a difference in corruption and/or war wariness. Nevertheless, for such a building oriented scenario, the best method is probably to get Oligarchy and tough it out in that the whole way through

[joncnunn]

My plan as Egypt was to move the northern settler north a couple of tiles and found the other two in place. Focus was on that relocated northern settler to build a baracks and then nothing but war chariots to keep my army big enough to prevent Pheonicans from getting upity.

Thebes & Memphis were planned as wonder building cities from the getgo and made it a high priority irrigating the desert in the region (right after mining the grassland & irrigating plains.) Thebes being better of course having built the HG and currently building the big Temple. Memphis is currently building the Mascuelous. I completed Worker Houser in both cities prior to starting wonders. I didn't enter the running for the Colosus : Alexandra too busy building a Court House, but I do plan to have that compete and worker housing just prior to getting the tech for the Great Lighthouse. I anticipate that the only wonder I won't complete will be the above mentioned Colosus unless an AI gets a SL reseraching techs in the Iron branch.

[joncnunn]

Looking at the game SirOsis finished, why didn't you buy some WMs the turn before? It's not like you can cash rush on Oligarchy?

[SirOsis]

WMs?

[Louis XXIV]

World Map, I'd assume.