Very late thoughts on Civ 6

[PLATO]

Well played! Thank you for the recap!

[Dinner]

Honestly, I got bored with the game and Uninstaller it a year or so after release. Odd, as I even liked Civ5 but not as much as 4 or 2. 3 still strikes me as the worst of the series though.

[Jon Miller]

I am currently playing Babylon on Deity. I flubbed up the tech tree a bit and while I am currently leading in technologies, I don't think I will keep leading. And while I am leading in military... I am concerned because I have really only eaten most of two civilizations (playing on Huge).

It wasn't my best start, just best early-mid game. I may start again, or go back to playing Dwarf Fortress for a while.

edit: by flubbed I mean that if you get the eureka but can't get the tech, then later even if you can get the tech you don't get it. So you really need to hit the eurekas, otherwise you can miss later ones because you missed earlier ones. I had biplanes when everyone else had crossbows, but I missed some eurekas (I think due to not having two forts? and commercial districts?) and then the slow tech speed of Babylon really hurt me and has allowed everyone to catch up.

JM

[Jon Miller]

I have been doing some random or Babylon True Earth Huge Deity games.

I ended up with Babylon from random, and am finally winning in Deity. In past games I did pretty good (Ethiopia and Babylon), and with Babylon often had 1 and sometimes even 2 stolen second or fourth turn settlers. This game I had none. But I also had no one in Northern Africa or Western Asia (other than Georgia).

My opponents are Zulu in Africa, Korea in Asia, Maui in Oceania, Maya in Central America, Canada in North America and a lot of European Civs, most importantly Georgia and Sweden in Europe.

I am now first or second in every Victory Condition.

JM

[Jon Miller]

In the early game I fought off an early assault by Georgia, and I got Religious Settlements. I also got an early Golden Age which I chose Monumentality. This did mean that I had to defend a little against early religions by Georgia and Sweden.

I built my first city near where Anshan is normally (a slow start, but now a star) and then built 4 more nearby cities during Monumentality, including where Alexandria normally is (a slow city, but now becoming a star), near Lahore (where Samarkand normally is), along the coast near Lahore (Modern Karachi, I think) and near where Gondor would be if Ethiopia started.

Sweden also took Poland (who I never met) and Georgia took Macedonia (which I did meet, briefly). This has meant that Sweden and Georgia were first and second for most of the game in Domination. Currently Sweden is second, despite having one of the weakest militaries.

My third age, a Golden Age, I chose Evangelists to keep myself strong in religion (Georgia and Sweden were pressing me, and later Zulu started being aggressive in religion). This kept me from using Nihang until after I got an Armory.

JM

[Jon Miller]

Sometime at the end of the third age, my Golden Age, Georgia had Yerevan and Hattusa and decided to attack me. I easily faced them down with my Crossbowmen, who were the upgraded Archers from the earlier time I repulsed Georgia. Georgia then asked for peace, but I refused, as I moved my Line Infantry and Pike and Shot to attack up between the Aral and Caspian Seas against Georgia's cities in the Ural Mountains. I didn't want to take Yerevan and Hattusa, after all.

I could tell that the Crossbowmen were enough, with Walls, to rebuff the invasion in the restricted space near Yerevan and Hattusa, but that they would not be enough for taking Georgia's walled cities. So I built two Bombards, which did most of the work of taking Georgia's cities. However, the first city was primarily taken by the melee units, joined by a Knight. At the end I brought in three Nihang, a Biplane and another Knight to assist. The Nihang mostly took fire, which they did very well (Babylon had a Military Academy).

The Crossbowmen have been weak, and haven't done much but soak damage (And I have accidentally lost two). This is normal in my experience with Babylon, I often don't get Metal Casing until later, and so Crossbowmen aren't upgraded until after much stronger units are common.

The Crossbowmen were the only losses other than a Nihang that was moved poorly and took a lot of fire from cities and an encampment.

I might have missed Steal by not getting an Ironclad in time. My Science production is very bad, unfortunately, I should see if I can still get an Ironclad somehow.

I currently have three forces: one in Northeastern Europe, next to Sweden, which consists of the two Fighters, a Pike and Shot, a Line Infantry, two Nihang, two Knights, a Crossbowman and two Bombards; one in Northeastern Africa, getting ready to liberate Zanzibar from the Zulu, and consisting of eight or nine Nihang and a Bomber; and a expeditionary force being built in the East which currently consists of a Nihang in my city in Sri Lanka and a soon to be completed Submarine Armada. I also have a city in Brunei which is defended by walls.

I would like this to be a Domination Victory, but with Canada I am not sure how realistic that is. I do clearly have a good shot at a Religious Victory, since I have Yerevan, Hagia Sophia, Mosques and Holy Order (I also have Lay Ministry, which may not be very good, and Work Ethic, which is giving me a lot of production).

JM

[Jon Miller]

I did have to change things a bit, and playing Babylon is giving me a big advantage for tech. Using True Earth Start is helping me by knowing where things are in general (very important is resources).

I did read some strategy.

I had thought I was good at getting eurekas, but I got a lot better. I still build Ruhr Valley due to the strategy I read. This time I also got Kilwa Kisiwani and I didn't try for Oracle. I also got Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and Taj Mahal. I missed the Forbidden Palace but got Pyramids instead.

This is a more focused wonder game then usual and I think more successful.

This is the first game I have really used Lahore. I bet I generally don't use the City States best, even though I really like them.

I have had some success with Babylon before, but generally I have run into problems with not getting enough resources, particularly having late Iron and Coal and not enough Aluminum. This time, maybe due to luck of not having anyone else in Western Asia (Georgia was too European focused) and North Africa, I have have been fine for resources (maybe a bit slow on the Iron, but that is OK, I think, due to the next point). I have also tried to be more rounded, as in the past I have had a weak Culture game when playing Babylon which is unnecessary. I have still been relatively weak on Culture, but due to some choices I make as much culture as anyone (if not more). I definitely have more Harbors and Commercial districts than in my past Babylon games.

I really got the full picture focus from my Ethiopian game.

I am not planing on going on total war even if I open up a third front against the Zulu (and keep the first front open against Sweden... or Greece). I am going to keep building districts and wonders, maybe even return to building settlers to keep settling Central Asia and Oceania.

JM

[Jon Miller]

Somehow I forgot to say it, but I am second or first in every point (first in Science and now Religion and Domination, Korea is close in Science, Sweden is close in Religion and Zulu is close in Military score), and first in score by almost 20%.

Babylon is bit broken on tech, and Lahore is a bit broken. You can get Nihang which are stronger than Line Infantry at the front for 450ish faith, which seems broken, and in Babylon I can get them for 130ish faith, which seems crazy.

JM

[Jon Miller]

Well, my Apostles and Religious Rock Bands converted the final Canadian cities, giving me the victory.

Seoul has been holding out for a while, and I was just about to learn my final technology which is the one that would me to boost my spaceship that had already been traveling for 14 years.

Maybe more review later. This is the first time I have won Deity since Civ2? It was with Babylon and True Start Huge Earth.

JM

[Jon Miller]

Korea had air defense on their Robots, which had destroyed 5 of my jet bombers. I am not sure how I would deal with upgraded Robots. I had just built a second one of my own.

JM

[Jon Miller]

I actually started the war with Korea when I saw the 4 robots they were moving towards Lahore. This was right after I launched my spaceship (so about 14-15 years ago). Their robots initially went down quickly, because of my dominance with planes (I have never seen Jet Fighters or Jet Bombers from them).

I spent a few years taking out most of their army, and then took out their city near Chattogram. Then I moved on to their city near Kunming which fell quickly and moved to their city near Ho Chi Minh City. I had not defended Hong Kong a few centuries before, who had been an ally, so liberating Hong Kong was next.

At this point I felt that I was getting extended, I didn't have many troops and only one robot, and Seoul was inland (near Chongqing) and I only had two armada of missile cruisers in the South China Sea. I hadn't lost any planes yet, and the city near Kunming had had an airport (I also had an airstrip in Tamil Nadu, my cities in the area were in Sri Lanka and near Kuching in Brunei), and I moved in my Modern Armor Army, Rocket Artillery Corps and Mechanized Brigade. But Korea had just upgraded their last robot to have Air Defense and moved it into Seoul.

I lost 2 bombers to Seoul in the first wave of bombers

Then I lured out the robot by moving my Rocket Artillery in, which it killed without taking any damage. I hit it with many troops and my Robot... it has just a sliver of life left but moved back into the safety of the Encampment.

Also, Korea has moved in a second Robot.

And I lost two more Jet Bombers removing the last of Seouls fortifications. This is the 3rd or 4th year fighting in Guizhou and Sichuan. Obviously I liberated Hong Kong so my only line of attack is from Kunming. I do have my second robot approaching, and I think I can take Seoul, probably next year. But I might be in danger of being overextended.

It took me only two years to liberate Hong Kong.

But I have no surviving Jet Bombers (I have lost a total of 5 I believe) and only 3 Jet Fighters. It is the weakest my air power has ever been.

Since I did win with Religion I probably will not play any longer. Especially because I don't think I can actually declare war on Canada?

JM

[Jon Miller]

For whatever reason my first 6 rock bands, maybe 7, were one hit wonders.

But my first two religious rock bands went to Canada where they converted 4 cities in the last two years. This coupled with none of the civilizations putting a real fight over religion since I defeated Georgia means that Canada switched to my religion with little contest and like 7 or 8 translator and debater apostles (I also had 4 in Mayan territory to convert their final cities if need be and a few back in Europe and Asia in case.

JM

[Wiglaf]

Oh no. HAVE YOU GOTTEN THERAPY FOR YOUR CHEAP COFFEE ADDICTION AND PURCHASED *GATHERING STORM* YET? As you advertise heavily that you are "CANADIAN" I assume you will love the expansion, given that global warming is far and away the NUMBER ONE issue in Canada (trumping even the extraordinary poverty, uncontrolled migration, and fake currency). The expansion presents global warming in an accurate light, ie it's something you can completely ignore to no detriment whatsoever. Here's a hint for you "JON MILLER": The Global warming propaganda is definitely most certainly NOT the only thing about this game that's Canadian. The military AI is about as useless as civil servants in Ottawa when the beaches are getting stormed and Humphrey Bogart is jackin' it to the fall of Paris if you know what I mean. Eagerly awaiting the expansion where you can murder truckers in the street for protesting eh? WELL SORRY LOOKS LIKE FIRAXIS GAVE UP ON CIV 6, THEY DON'T CARE THAT THE AI DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO PLAY THE GAME THEY DESIGNED SO THEY SURE AS WELL WILL NOT BE ADDING A PATCH TO APPEASE **YOUR PSYCHOPATHIC TENDANCIES**

[Jon Miller]

This is my fourth day without coffee, so I have survived the worse. The idea of a nice espresso sounds good though.

I do have Gathering Storm. It does seem to be the case that you can tech/build out of any real global warming consequences, a good criticism. I basically only build Coal Plants.

I agree, the AI in Civ6 is pretty terrible. They can occasionally make an attack on you or an allied city state, which seems to be good effort, but anything more than that is beyond them.

JM

[COckney]

america should be taken out of the game
it isn't a real civilization