Demigod - play-a-long strategy

[DrSpike]

I resolved to do so yesterday but got sidetracked by a problem. As I said I'll write something today this evening though.

[Jon Shafer]

Just entered the Modern Age in demi2.

I got ToE and Hoover's, and I'm laying the smackdown on the superpower Mongols with Tanks and Bombers. Full update later today.

[DrSpike]

Opening

Tricky. The Japanese make you face the difficult archi choice between Pottery and Alphabet first, and before you know the size of the continent to boot. I chose Pottery, but I could make an equally good case for Alphabet. Ultimately it's an empirical question here and I believe a posteriori that Pottery was the best choice. It all boils down to whether or not you can get writing early enough to trade it. If you can't then the benefit from an early granary in the capital is outweighed by the effect of having a better chance of trading writing if you forgo pottery.

This choice meant Alphabet came reasonably late, so I didn't rush to found my second city on the coastal cows. Instead I built it closer to the capital on the road towards the cows, to squeeze out every trade arrow. We must get writing early enough to justify the pottery gamble.

I used the capital to kick 2.5 vet warriors and a settler per 10 turns from 2 to 4, thus freeing up all later cities to pursue other objectives. The key, as so often, is efficient expansion here. I expanded quite slowly really, but efficiently, with the early workers that the other cities could build making sure no tile was left unimproved. The coastal cities would end up doing curraghs and workers, and the inland city a barracks then workers.

[DrSpike]

I used city popping on nearby huts, as is becoming my common practice for C3C. I got a basic tech from one, which actually helped in trade later.

By 1500BC Curraghs were starting to roll, with one having just found the Maya. They already had writing, and contact with the Greeks meant they were quite advanced.

[DrSpike]

We got writing in 1100BC and the French didn't have it. Bingo. One tech netted us everything the known world had except Monarchy, plus a handy wodge of cash. I couldn't believe how nicely the trades went, with each civ lacking enough to give me some leverage. The Mayans were level though, and they were already looking fearsome.

Back on the main continent we still expanding, albeit slowly, with some granaries going up to help us fill the land quickly (map making had just been discovered) and build workers to mine all the grassland. We changed a build in the South to galley *immediately* to grab the 3 little islands around the main landmass. This was crucial......despite the lack of land I was already calculating whether I could hold on to a lead lategame (presuming I could get one) if I got those islands in addition to my landmass. It was tight I thought, but our GA could be held back, and I was optimistic that I would be close enough by ToE to grab that and surge in front. I decided soon after this screenshot not to attack the Maya.

[DrSpike]

We decided Code of Laws was our best shot, with an eye on Republic. It worked out quite well, with Sumeria getting it after I was about halfway done, and I bought it from them and made some further trades. I went for a 50 turn Republic which I felt would be ok on this map, since someone would still need it when we got it so we could pick up Currency, Construction and Literacy. Meanwhile we were building up a nest egg for the middle ages.

Republic came in early AD, and we traded it for the techs mentioned. The money gave us enough to buy one middle age tech, which once again was enough to trade (oiled by some more money and Republic) for the other 2 initial techs. We went hell for leather for Theology, but this is the time where things get tricky. All the wonders were triggering GAs and some AIs, particularly Sumeria were shooting into the lead. Also this was just the break even point for switching to republic, so things weren't buzzing for a few turns yet.

[DrSpike]

For a while now it was touch and go. Each tech I was getting 3rd or 4th, which meant limited trading possibilities. Things were getting better as my libraries went up. After this we did aqueducts if necessary and market or cathedrals. Luxuries were beginning to become attainable. I did Education and took Banking next. I traded for Astronomy, and finally got invention and Gunpowder, which worked out nicely.

The beginning of the end came with Physics, which I got second and made an absolute killing on, getting a bagload of optional techs + muchus gpt. The AI is slippery, but they have a glass jaw. Once you knock em nice they don't recover well.

[DrSpike]

Inevitably I fell behind some civs at the start of the next age. I took a gamble and paid a lot of money for Steam Power so I could go for Electricity. I got this first and that was the second blow to ol' glass jaw. Soon ToE came and the AI folded somewhat embarrassingly. This is my first Demigod game played out till the end (the bugs early on made me play to 1AD or so) so my expectations were formed mainly from Deity games of earlier versions. After this I traded for what I could (industrialization, sanitation), triggered the GA by attacking a Scandinavian interloper to the North of my continent, and cruised home to UN win in 1425AD.

[Aqualung71]

Cool, good stuff Doc. I'll have a closer look on the weekend and see how I fared....not too well, since I'm still going and it's 1610AD!!!

[DrSpike]

Tbh finishing the 1600s or even 1700s isn't shockingly bad on this map.

[Aqualung71]

My game was just becoming too hard and time intensive. Because of the restricted size of my empire, I wasn't able to keep up in research, despite an immense amount of MM involving worker pop-adds, terra-forming, switching labourers between cities to ensure all tiles were used, hospital builds and more pop-adds in selected coastal cities. By the time I got Fission and Rocketry I was behind at least Ecology and Computers and probably more.

The French declared war again on me in the Modern age. They concentrated their ground forces on my Coal city away on the Viking/Sumerian/Mongol continent. Luckily I had been airlifting tanks and infantry there for quite some time in a build-up to take over Scandinavia, so defence wasn't a real problem. They were also hitting me with about 20 bombers every turn, killing pop points and destroying improvements – in short, reaping havoc with my painstakingly crafted efficient empire, which annoyed the crap outta me! So it became draining and then WW started kicking in. I was seriously considering a switch to Communism, though I know that may not be such a good move in a relatively small empire. But the reduction in support costs and the luxury slider saving would probably more than offset the loss of bonus commerce, and corruption redistributions wouldn't have affected me much.

In the end, I was behind the French and Mongols in tech, and it was going to take me some time to build enough military to strike back at the French, and the planned Viking invasion was still a distant dream. I would have been hard pressed to build the SS first, and Domination would have been a serious drag. So I bailed out with a UN victory in 1645AD. Won the vote 6-1 with 3 abstentions, being France (at war), Vikings (who I warred with previously) and Sumeria (who were annoyed because they broke a trade deal with us!). Interestingly, Joan destroyed her own chances by moving into Fascism a few turns before I built the UN, which resulted in her pop dropping from 21% to below the Mongols at 18%.

Overall, a tough game due to the limited land area available. And not a very satisfying way to win I guess. But a win nevertheless.

[Aqualung71]

Doc, you were way ahead of me quite early and it stayed that way, with you winning in 1425.

I feel I do a fairly reasonable job from the mid-middle ages onwards. I think it's my early game where I don't maximise opportunities - perhaps picking the wrong build strategies, working the wrong tiles, improving tiles inefficiently, not building enough workers early. I fall behind in tech quite early, but I don't know there's a lot I can do about that - I usually catch up with some well timed trades, both in the ancient and middle ages.

[DrSpike]

Sound analysis..........the early game is crucial. I played multiple starts as soon as Civ3 was released just to get the feel for the openings. I did the same for C3C, not least because of the new bugs. There are skills late game, but they don't make a great deal of difference, whereas the difference between playing well and not so well early on can snowball into a huge difference, particularly on the levels where not so good play causes you to fall out of the tech race.

I recommend you play a few starts out for demigod. The timing is different for each level; you should aim to be in touch at the end of the first era, with a plan as to how you will switch to Republic. On this map I risked 50 turn since the world was not advanced and I got the necessary prerequisites early; usually I'd do a tech to trade first like currency then do 100% republic. You'll fall behind after the first age (unless scientific) whilst libraries are going up in republic, but should be able to close once and for all sometime around the end of the second age, despite the fact that many golden ages amongst the top civs will be triggered during this era.

If you play some starts out try and find the sweet spot between fast and efficient expansion. Sure the turns go fast but every trade arrow foregone is one you will never see again. Don't forgo those early workers unless you can justify it. Of course sometimes you can - that's what makes it fun.

[DrSpike]

Also whoever discounted the first game because of lack of iron needs to look again. It's a ludicrously easy setup, and a perfect introduction to demigod for newer players. It's much much easier than the demi2 game, I finished by UN for comparison in 1230AD. For a large map that's quite fast.

[vmxa1]

What is a "trade arrow"? Is it commerce?