Game Challenge: the Failed Byzantines

[Metra]

Ok heres a game in which I started a looong time ago, played for a bit then went on to other things. I recently came back to it and started playing it. Unfortunately for my civilization (the Byzantines) the Dutch had a commanding lead, as well as a failing infastructure.

I tried to play myself back into the game, but after probibly no more than 30 turns it was all over. The Dutch, in an attempt at world domination, began to destroy their neighbors the Japanese. I attempted to thwart said plans by aiding the Japanese. It was too late. Japan was soon overrun and I was in no better position to mount an attack on the Dutch. Soon, the Dutch declared fullscale war on me, and with them they pulled Portugal. I rallied everyone against the two powers but was soon being pushed back on all fronts. For those of you who would like a challenge, I give this to you. The save is when everything turns sour.

I feel ashamed even sharing such CivTrash as this, but I was young and I needed the entertainment. I would be insanely joyous to hear that someone pulled this off in a victory. If its just not possible than we can all have a good laugh.

[vmxa1]

I think this is winnable, but you really should not be in this hole.

Do Not found or capture tiny island in a game with all seafaring civs, maybe not ever (unless a known resource is there). They will be a real pain to defend and cost too much.

Never let core cities go into disorder and surely not rioting. Use the slider.

Your captiol is size 9 and not growing at 970AD, that is crazy. You do not even have irrigation started towards it.

Most tiles do not even have roads and here you should be putting up rails as you already have steam (did not check on coal).

I would not have researched industrialization here as you have no city that can build a facotry or use it. You have 500+ beakers into it, so too late to switch to Elec. You may as well have gone for the ToE.

Lack of workers is what hurts the most and no place to pop them out right now.

Japand and Vikes are OCC so forget them.

Now a real complaint, no troops and killer only 2 Dromons. Why play the Byz on archipelago, if you do not intend to buld Dromons?

You have war with the two big dogs and you have 18 troops and 8 of them are spears? IIRC two calvs and no horses.

Many towns on banks at size one and others on wealth, excuse me?

[vmxa1]

cont

Most cities are size 1 and not growing, because the only citizen is a specalist??

I do not see any city making troops while you are under pressure, of course they are all too small to build anything.

What was going on those first 5000 years?

You have about 1600 gold, it is better to be building useful things than saving money. It is not like you have any mass upgrades planned.

I would upgrade all spears to Rifles and that will help. Focus on getting growth, while you try to build up some troops. Get more Dromons to interdict any shipping and harass any beligerants.

It will be hard to stop any invasion as you have no roads.

[Metra]

As far as the prior 5000 years, I was in a brutal clash with the Vikings that left me beaten and bleeding (damn Berserks). I then tried to build up my infastructure but found myself in the hole as far as money goes. Pulling myself out of that treasury hole I found myself with a starving populace. I am a much better gamer NOW than I was (thank God) then. But I have no idea how to pull this horse out of the mud.

[vmxa1]

If you have all the normal win conditions allowed, it may be too late. If you are playing conquest only, it can be done. It will be tedious.

I would probably go onto an always war mode and try to grind them down. Do you have a save from farther back in time? A save from around 200Ad or so would give it a better chance.

[Dominae]

Definitely winnable.

(Sorry for the lack of screenshots, but if you open up the game you should be able to follow what I'm doing readily enough.)

1. All cities that do not have large amounts of Shields stockpiled should switch to Workers. As vmxa1 points out, your main problem is lack of tile improvements. Instead of 5 or so Workers (some Slaves, which work even slower) you should have like 20-25.

2. All cities that are producing Wealth should be taken off Wealth and put on something else. Either Workers or Libraries. As a Scientific civ, Libraries are a real steal, I see no reason to build Banks before them.

3. Put Science at 90%, Luxuries at 10%. It looks to me like you've left the sliders at their default values (50% Tax, 50% Science, 0% Luxuries) for the entire game. Your Treasury is too big; with over 100 Gold you can run a deficit and research Industrialization and Electricity in under 10 turns.

4. Your immediate concern is to remove the military pressure from the Portuguese and Dutch. If you deal with this there is still more than enough time in the game to secure any type of win except Cultural. What you really want is to make Peace with both those civs, but it's not that easy.

5. For the Dutch, just wait ~5 turns and ask for Peace, you should get it with a very modest gift of 60 Gold. Portuguese.

6. For the Portuguese, you need to do a little more work. Upgrade all your Spearmen to Riflemen, you have the money to spare. Send all these troops on the western peninsula down to Copenhangen and that Mountain tile close to Stockholm. On your eastern peninsula, put 2 Riflement and your 2 Elite Cavalry into your 2 Dromons. Build more Dromons.

Now, sign a Right of Passage Treaty with the Japanese. This allows you to land your troops on the bumpy terrain near Sardica. Keep ferrying troops over to that location while Henry tries to wipe them out; unless you're very unlucky this should not happen. After a few turns, use the 3-Move Cavalry to walk across a Hills tiles and attack Sagres; if Sagres falls, the Portuguese lose their sole source of Gunpowder, which means no more Cavalry for them. It should be easy to translate this newfound advantage into a Peace Treaty.

7. When you've secure peace with everyone, build up your tile improvements in the countryside (make sure to secure the necessary resources and start building Railroads everywhere, too), and Libraries/Universities in your cities. Keep a reasonable number of Riflemen at the ready in case war breaks out again.

8. After this, it's up to you: set all your cities to military production and conquer Portugal once and for all; or use your ever-increasing tech lead to build the Spaceship.

Really, if you successfully go through with steps 1-7, this game should be a breeze.