AU 504 - Dar 2: 2150BC-1000BC

[nbarclay]

Emperor Level, AU Mod Rules

Calcutta, northeast of Gold Peak, became India's fifth city in 1910 BC. With lots of bonus grasslands around, India decided to take an outside chance that it might be possible to build the Pyramids there (after first building a temple to help the city handle a larger size). The capital even built more workers than it would have needed otherwise to improve the area relatively quickly and eventually add a couple workers to the city.

Granaries were completed in Bombay, Madras, and Bangalore, although Bangalore's original attempt at a granary was disrupted by a band of barbarians. The city actually had a warrior available to defend it, but the warrior died attacking the barbarian on the city's outskirts. Hyderabad, on the southeastern edge of the Indian nation, gave me some anxious moments when Chinese and Persian units moved adjacent to the undefended city. But fortunately, those civilizations were not in a mood to attack at the time.

Speaking of granaries, my hopes for the Pyramids actually had me focusing a little less on them than I normally would. Instead, aside from my first four cities, standard operating procedure became to build a temple and then a barracks.

Since I was planning on Feudalism as my government, my research path after Pottery was Writing (since I didn't have Masonry at the time), then Mathematics, and then Currency. I probably should have gone for Construction at a 50-turn pace instead of Currency, but I wasn't thinking of it at the time.

[Modo44]

Re: Re: Gandhi the wannabe warmonger

Originally posted by nbarclay

Used properly, Delhi can crank out a settler every four turns or a worker every two. Four-turn settler pumps sometimes require managing cities yourself instead of counting on the governor to do it (...)

Actually in this case Delhi could do it just fine with a governor. In fact it did pump out 5 workers straight, shortly after 2150 BC.

India is not militaristic and I was focusing on culture, so I had only a couple cities with Barracks until very late in the game. This meant that in my game Delhi had to krank out some Spearmen in addition to Settlers.

I know, this slowed my expansion down a bit, but it didn't matter that much - at least not in this game. The best land I knew of was taken fast.

[Arrian]

Well, I brought my notes to work, because my DSL connection at home isn't working (note to self: call tech support tonight).

Here are the key dates/occurrences:

As seen above, in 2590 bc I was able to trade Alphabet to Persia for Masonry, Bronzeworking, Warrior Code and 10 gold.

1790 bc - Ceremonial Burial to China for the Wheel (!).

1575 bc - An exploring Indian warrior (regular) attacks a Persian settler team (reg warrior) in the far north. It's a close fight, but in the end our little warrior dies for the glory of the empire. Damn.

1525 bc - China finishes Pyramids in Beijing. Trade Alphabet + 21 gold for HBR. note: above I said this happened in 1725 bc. Western hut finally popped... barbs.

1450 bc - CoL discovered. Philo next.

1400 bc - Gordium destroyed by my regular archer. Peace with Persia for Antioch (the city founded by the settler team I failed to whack).

1325 bc - Writing + 9 gold + 1gpt to China for Ironworking and a worker.

1225 bc - Iroquois complete the Oracle.

1100 bc - Having circumnavigated our continent, we attempt a suicide run. We succeed. In committing suicide that is.

... That's all I have pre-1000bc. On to DARIII.

-Arrian

[cracky]

Well... I got a scientific leader from Writing and rushed the Pyramids... That pretty much means game over for me on Monarch. But since we're working on cultural victory, which I've never attempted, this game should still be a good challenge.

Tech: I have all first tier techs, plus Mysticism, Writing, IW, and HR. I'm one turn away from Philosophy. The Philo rush didn't quite work out as planned. Neither China nor Persia took different tech paths, so my free tech (assuming I get it) options are limited. I'm not sure if I should get Polytheism, Map Making, or Math (for my SoZ prebuild). Persia is two techs behind, China is even... Of course I'll be well ahead again with Philo.

REX+workers: I have 12 cities plus one settler, and 16 workers. Using Bombay to pump workers still, with the occasional settler thrown in. My REX to the East and South is pretty well finished due to the expansion of Persia and China. I haven't even started to settle the peninsula to the west though.

Culture: I only have temples in half of my cities so far, but at least 4 other cities are half way through their temples. Maybe I should get Literature as my free tech and start building libraries and the GL.

Other Civs: I'm not sure I know how to play this game without an ancient age rush , so I think all my warriors will be upgraded and sent through the jungle muck after the Persians. Maybe, just maybe, I can pull this off before the Persians have many immortals... The Ancient Cavalry (assuming I get the wonder) will have a much easier time invading the plains of China.

[cracky]

and the screenshot....
(Reading over the DAR2's, I can't believe some people have already built the Hanging Gardens. I guess that's Emperor level for ya...)

[cracky]

One more post to explain some things. Somehow, with 16 workers I think I should be farther along in my tile upgrades. I look at Delhi and it looks positively barren. But a double check tells me that all the tiles it is using are upgraded just fine, and that's all the bigger the city needs to get for now, at least while it's still a settler pump... The big worker drain at the moment is the improvement of Calcutta, my wonder building city. Due to Ghandi's stupidity, there are three cities in that NW-SE 'row' that aren't on rivers, but just look at all those wonderfull BG's.


Still, looking at some of the other DAR's, my workers have been downright lazy. Any pointers on my worker usage would sure be a big help...

[Krill]

Simply build more. I turned the city near the wheat into a worker pump, one worker every 3 turns, and it will stay that way for the whole game (I also did a palace jump and replanted a city where Dehli is, so Inow have 2 pumps on nonstop. I make sure all the improvements are done, then add the workers to cities to increase the pop).

[cracky]

Well

Well. That's the plan, Bombay as a worker pump for the rest of the game. I did use Bombay (2nd wheat city) to build two settlers. I think that slowed down my worker production significantly. With granaries everywhere, even with a 3 turn worker pump, it's going to be difficult to keep up with the population explosion I'm having...

[Krill]

make Delhi build some workers then. for every 2 settlers built there, build one worker. That is 4 workers for every new town you settle, more than enoughto lay down the new roads and mines.

[Aqualung71]

A Great Hosannah – The Saga of the Guru Ravi Shankar

“If we stand here together and we see the world as one
We may think there’s no future, but it’s the same for everyone
It’s like the world has lost its head, and it’s like all the Prophets said
But we will arise to a new world…….”


The Guru Ravi Shankar awoke one sunny morning in early 2150BC (the calendar being based on a dimly remembered prophecy of some seminal event that was to occur in the future) in his sub-continental capital of Holy Grail, yawned and stretched his arms with a gnawing feeling that today the world would change. When he returned to a more relaxed posture, sitting on the edge of his luxurious bed chamber, he cast a satisfied glance back at the huge round bed and glimpsed several slender female arms and legs snaking out from beneath the silk sheets, intertwined with each other yet still silent with exhaustion, and he recalled with a faint stirring in his loins the night of eroticism the four of them had just shared as he pictured the nubile nakedness that lay just beneath the sheets. He made a mental note to reward the girls with gifts, and have them groomed again for his pleasure very soon. Meanwhile, they will enjoy the pleasures that each others’ delights will bring to them.

He pushed all thoughts of the recent hours’ events to the back of his mind. Abruptly, there appeared a glint in his eye. Ravi was thinking and scheming of much grander issues…..matters of State and Empire…and prophecy. It was at this very moment that the seeds of destiny, planted by his forefathers, began to germinate. He would be a King unlike any other. He would truly be the Guru of a glorious and mighty Indian civilisation. It was then that he knew his time had come. It was time to drink of the Cup of Life, passed down to each successive generation of the Shankar dynasty. The Cup of Life had been brought to the ancient city by a strange traveller, who thereupon disappeared without trace, and on that day the city was renamed Holy Grail – the jewel in the crown of the fledgling Indian civilisation, which had now grown to four settlements. The Prophets foretold that only one human could partake of the Cup of Life and continue to live, such was the power and strength of its contents. Should an incorrect judgement be made, the Shankar line would wither and die, and the Empire would crumble and be pillaged at the hands of the powerful Persians to the north. Ravi now knew – he was that one human. It was his destiny to enjoy the fruits of the Cup of Life.

Purposefully, Ravi made his way through the long corridors of the Palace to the Sacred Room. The Royal Guards at the entrance to the Sacred Room snapped to attention and saluted stiffly as Ravi passed between their spears, his tall muscular frame dwarfed by their brawny bulk. Intently, as a man possessed, he removed the large diamond encrusted key from around his neck where it had rested since his ascendance, and carefully inserted it in the simple lock adorning the magnificently carved oaken door decorated with Emeralds and other precious Gems from the mines of his lands. One false movement would prove fatal, activating the booby traps set millennia ago as the ultimate security device for this most precious of treasures. Slowly he turned the key in the lock and after a complex series of clicking noises, he knew he had succeeded. The door swung open of itself and Ravi entered the room. Magically, the door quickly swung shut behind him. His fate was now sealed. One way or another, Ravi Shankar was to be the last human in his line.

Ravi stood in the small chamber alone and eyed the diminutive flask with trepidation. The confidence and assuredness that had welled inside him only a few short minutes ago began to evaporate. Had he made a disastrous error? He steeled himself and steadied his nerves with the discipline of mind that his father and grandfather had instilled in him through countless days of battle training and nights of meditation. Intently he raised the small flask. His moment of self-doubt had passed. His fear had evaporated. Ravi raised the flask to his lips and quickly poured the bitter liquid into his mouth, swallowing every last vile drop. Instantly he knew. He was the one. The ancient Prophecy was at last fulfilled. The Indian civilisation would finally blossom in this terrible world. Ravi Shankar had finally attained the gift that generations of his line had been awaiting.

IMMORTALITY!


Later that day Ravi met with his advisors. He was in an aggressive, confident mood as he strode around the ancient oblong table, hurling orders at his ministers.

“Indian culture is the most magnificent in the world. Yet I see no examples of wondrous achievements in our lands. Go out and build me Temples and Libraries. Get the people out on the streets and make Workers out of them, then start building. Improve our defences against the dangerous Xerxes to the north and send our Warriors out exploring the lands to the west and east”

And so it was to be.

Ravi retired to his chamber satisfied with the day’s progress, and picked up the Sitar bequeathed to him by his most loyal friend and advisor, the late, great, George Harrison MBE…..and began to play.

”Without going out of my door, I can know the ways of heaven
Without looking out of my window, I can know all things on earth
The farther one travels, the less one knows, the less one really knows…..”

And so the Indian nation under their immortal leader Ravi put their collective shoulder to the grindstone and worked, then worked some more. Slowly their citizens were trained to build roads, irrigate and mine stone for the construction of Temples. Slowly (too slowly!) more fighting men were trained to protect the borders against the feared Persians, who seemed to wander in and out of Indian territory at will.

Ravi commenced his diary, dictated daily to his scribe in his personal chambers. Of course, the scribe was under threat of death if he ever divulged any of the diary's contents.....or perhaps more pertinently, if he ever related the hedonistic events he witnessed inside the Guru's bed chamber


2030BC: The town of Lakeside is founded, with stunning views across the lake to the nation’s capital….and behind the town, across the river to the Forest. Ravi made a mental note to construct a Palace there and establish a harem of slave girls for his pleasure.

1750BC: The town of Two Shores is founded next to the Ivory, again in an extremely good defensive position.

1725BC: An Indian Curragh exploring the southern coast bumps into the Chinese civlisation. Ravi is surprised, as he did not expect to find more land there, much less find it inhabited. He retired to his bed-chamber to consider the implications of having a second close neighbour.

When he emerged, limping only ever so discernibly, he agreed to trade the Indian secrets of Ceremonial Burial, Alphabet and Pottery (and 34g) for knowledge of the Wheel…..a vital invention to help the Indian workers haul the stones to build the Temples. It was a simple matter to get Xerxes agree to take The Wheel for Warrior Code.

Ravi considered his research position, and started to think that the days of tech trading must surely be numbered.

1675BC: Indian scientists discover how to Write. “A very useful skill”, mused Ravi. He sent them in search of Philosophical thoughts next, hoping they may accidentally learn Literary skills at the same time.

1625BC: Ravi’s Minister of Religion, the esteemed Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, rushed to the Palace…….”My Lord, we have just completed our first Temple in the town of Lakeside”. Ravi was visibly moved. ”The foundation stone of our culture has been laid. Let there be many more”.

Ravi picked up the sacred Sitar once more……

”Arrive without travelling
See all without looking
Do all without doing”

1600BC: Northport founded on the northern coast. This will be our sea route to Persia. Ravi was pleased that Dyes will soon be provided for Indian grandmothers to colour their Saris.

1475BC: Gold Mountain founded north of the capital. Ravi was even more pleased……because as we know, Indians love their gold

1400BC: Twin Peaks founded southeast of the capital.

1225BC: Marlboro Country founded south of the isthmus to China, near the Tobacco

1150BC: The Venerable Bede claims that India is the 4th Wealthiest nation on earth. This is immediately after Xerxes extorted Ravi for half his wealth! There must be some poor old sods out there somewhere!

Fort Resolute established on the eastern side of the great lake, in a position that is virtually impregnable given a reasonable garrison. (picture Civ2 and Partisans in the mountains!)

1075BC: Fisherman’s Harbour founded near the Banana plantations on the north coast.

1000BC: The turn of the millennium was a seminal year for the Indian civilisation. The art of Philosophy was discovered, and at the same time a separate team of Indian scientists learned how to draw maps (yes, we Indians are not known for our seafaring abilities…..but we will be now!). The secret of Philosophy was promptly traded to the Chinese in return for Horseback Riding, Iron Working and Literature.


Ravi feels that his civilisation is growing according to plan, with the exception that he feels militarily exposed. His ministers have done an excellent job training the people to work and erecting Temples as monuments to Indian culture. However, this has been achieved at the expense of military security.

The following years shall be spent building the Indian military, using the Iron resource that has conveniently appeared in the west. The West shall also be the direction of future expansion, now we have hit up against China to the South and Persia to the North-East.

Ravi is also keen to start engaging architects to design Wondrous buildings, whose secrets may be unlocked by scientific research. In short, pre-builds must begin!


The state of Ravi’s Empire at 1000BC:

Towns: 12
Settlers: 1
Workers: 14
Warriors: 8
Spears: 1
Curraghs: 2
Temples: 6
Granaries: 3

[Aqualung71]

And here is the all-important cultural graph. Temples have been progressing well, though Wonders are still some distance away.

[Aqualung71]

...while the attached Demographic shows the power of a single Settler pump and supporting Worker pump at Emperor level.

Based on this start, I would have considered Demi-God....but the idea of a 100K Culture win on Demi-God makes me shiver with fear!

[Dominae]

!! Nice story, Aqua!

[Aqualung71]

Where's yours Dom? I hope you're playing this game!

[Modo44]

Nice, real nice. The city placement in the southern part of your empire matches exactly my choices. Even your Twin Peaks and Port Sludge were cities-in-progress in the parallel universe at that time.