What have been some of your "ultimate challenge adventures " in SP?

[Smash]

DaveV-I have also been gunning for that record but am having a helluva time.No prob conquering the world by 400AD or so.Had a few early AD games but can't quite save those turns I need to.

questions:

1.What kind of small map? completely random or did you go for continents? for example

2.Did you get any help?(ai destroyed by barbs or each other)

3.Did you go heavy on hut hunting and take out a few that way?

4.Elephants or knights?something else?

5.what civs?
I notice some civs(England for example) build barracks and walls early.Would this make a difference?

I always seem to get a few "stubborn" cities on rivers with walls and barracks.I lose many turns on these cities

6.Did you have any techs to start?I go for Monarchy>Feudal>Chivalry>attack(Smartfart).I will trade for any pre-reqs I can.What happened in your record?

7.Wonders-I was building Sun's but have been trying barracks and Gardens to get max production out of small cities.Did you build any?

[DaveV]

Smash:

1. Random. Not a great starting position, actually - I was in a corner of a single continent.
2. I know one Japanese city was destroyed (the names were out of sequence). I destroyed/captured three cities each for 5 AI civs. I don't think the orange civ could find a staring place on the map.
3. I tipped 16 huts, picking up 1 horsemen, 1 chariot, 4 archers, 1 knight, 425 gold, Pottery. Got a barb horsemen out of one hut.
4. Knights (vets, see #7).
5. Japanese, French, Egyptians, Chinese, Indians. I never encountered a walled city.
6. No starting techs.
7. Sun Tzu, no HG

I have a log file and some save files; I could email them to you if you want.

[Smash]

I imagine you use ICS.Last night I did my first attempt using ICS and conquered the world in 200BC.Or at least I though I did.I couldn't figure out why I didn't get the guillotin screen.Until I saw there was 1 civ left .Took another 600 years to build boats and get to them.

Had a nice river system for my first 4 cities but I always seem to get something like above.1 civ on an island.A few walled river cities...argh.

This is very difficult challenge.I shouldn't say "no prob" by 400AD cuz its not quite that easy.You need to get fortunate to break AD

It really helps if you can get some gold huts early.

I will keep trying

[SmartFart]

Smash: once i have Sun-Tzu i switch all my production to knights...even if that means i'll have defenseless cities on board.

I use entertainers alot and i don't bother with huts except in 1st millenium.

I don't use ICS. I rather build my cities far away one from another because i cover larger part of map and my knights need less turns to reach their target.
It really doesn't matter if you start with or without techs.
With-some but not ALL of AI's are close to you.
W/O -you're alone and you can expand w/o worries that AI charriot will bump in your fresh city and demand 150 gold from you.
By the time you have enough money to rush STWA,you'll have all techs you want even if you had a clean start.

All my maps are completely random.

[Smash]

I 've got it timed pretty good so that Sun's is ready by the time I get Chivalry then science goes to zero.I'll up luxuries as "extra"unhappies appear.

The biggest problem I have is finding all the ais and getting my first 4 cities down ASAP.

For this challenge I want to have at least 4 cities and be in or very near to Monarchy by 3000bc or so.Thats not so easy.

I just finished a 200AD game where I got 2 advancers and 100 gold in my first 5 huts.That made a big difference.I had all my cities(6) built by 3000BC.

I did another 200AD game where I built nothing but non vet horseman.It takes alot of horseman to take a phalanx defended river city

These 2 games went very well but I'm still many turns away.I may be at this one awhile

someone remind me not to play MP duels against DaveV or Smartfart
[This message has been edited by Smash (edited May 17, 2000).]

[ColdWizard]

I find the nomad challenge pretty challenging (see lancer's thread in the general/community forum for more info)

and i've yet to try the OCC, it just goes against my basic civ-playing instincts

[Carolus Rex]

The most fun has been OCC.

But I think fastest conquest is the ultimate challenge for me. I'm a crappy warrior and would really have to struggle to get below even 1000 AD.

GP suggested an interesting one: keep hitting space bar, doing nothing. Wait as long as possible before founding the first city and then try to win the game (either way).

If I remember correctly he successfully waited until 1000 AD, maybe even later.

The most boring, my own "staying in despotism" (the whole game). Never finished any tries... Slow!

Carolus

[SmartFart]

Smash: now when you mentioned it...an idea of turning down science to zero and increasing luxuries to 30% never stroke my mind