AU302: One City - Strategy, Spoilers and Comments

[BigDork]

Originally posted by Hueij
Maybe going after the science wonders would be a better approach.

That was my thought. I did get Newton's University but was beaten to Copernicus. It was built by the English before I even had contact.

BigD

[Hueij]

I just looked at the poll. Am I the only one that founded my city on the hill on the coast SW of the starting position? I thought that having your city on the coast is one of the most important things in an OCC game. When I started I send my worker to the hill north because I thought that would be a better place to found my city and my settler to the hill sw just in case that it would be an even better place. It paid off, but even if not I would have lost at most two turns.

Any thoughts?

[BigDork]

I'm thinking of giving domination a try. And if I do I'll probably build my city on the hill you started because without boats it's a no go.

I'm gonna see just how powerful the siphai are. I'm doubtful that I'll actually pull it of but I think it's worth a try.

BigD

[BigDork]

Okay, I'm stupid. Can't dominate if you can't build more than one city. I guess it's conquest. That's definatly gonna be hard.

BigD

[Master Zen]

Ok guys, so far here goes:

Played on Monarch, using AU mod, PTW 1.14.

Right now I'm in the year 1350 AD. I just entered the industrial age and am exactly on par technologically than my rivals.

I have tried concentrating on wonder building, and have been very successful. I got the Colossus, Great Library, Sistine Chapel, Copernicus Observatory, Shakespeare's Theater, and Newton's University built (basically all the ones I need). My city has every improvement except Granary and Courthouse.

True to a warmonger like myself, I could not resist in undertaking at least SOME military enterprise, in this case two wars with the Indians. The first time was because they placed a city right on top of the Ivories, it had to be destroyed. Fortunately, that city diverted a major barbarian uprising before I captured it myself

As for my start, I poped all the huts around the city, true to my traditional goody hut bad luck, I got 2 free settlers (why don't I get these in my PBEMs??) and pottery among those. Only good one was getting CB.

As for the international situation, Korea went to war with India and left them with 3 cities, making them a superpower right next to me. The Romans took out the Celts too, so only 4 of us remain. All 3 of my rivals are relatively equal in strength.

My next objectives are not staying too behind, getting sanitation, Theory of Evolution, and stock markets. That should pretty much pave a way for a possible spaceship victory later on.

BTW, I don't remember if I disabled diplomatic victory... I think I did but is there a way to check? (or to hack it in case I didn't?)

Anyway: here's the map of my city, Megalozenopolis, and you can see the ruins of Karachi and Jaipur up north. Who says warmongers can't have fun in OCC??

[De Gaulle]

Originally posted by Hueij
I just looked at the poll. Am I the only one that founded my city on the hill on the coast SW of the starting position? I thought that having your city on the coast is one of the most important things in an OCC game. When I started I send my worker to the hill north because I thought that would be a better place to found my city and my settler to the hill sw just in case that it would be an even better place. It paid off, but even if not I would have lost at most two turns.

Any thoughts?

I agree 100% with you Hueij.
This is the single most important move of the game IMO.
This move provides us with the coastal location needed to build two improvements that give us enough trade to get a reasonnable chance a keeping up in science: Colossus (vital in OCC I think) and commercial docks.

At the same time it is also important to be close to fresh water in order to grow freely to size 12 in the ancient age. This is really useful for building wonders and other improvements quickly enough.

I sent my worker up that hill to get a better idea of the map and the fresh water lake/coast/wheat/cow/fish/fur combo that this position provides was too good to pass up...

Additional benefits from that position were the defensive bonus (hill) which can come in handy when you look like such a juicy target with more wonders than units defending them... and the close proximity to Ivory. If you build enough cultural improvements early enough (my build queue (Babylon):temple/worker/defenders/library/GL...) you can control them culturally (you also need to place military units on positions not yet covered to prevent AI settlement too close). Having these 5 ivory patches has proved invaluable in the tech race: it is 1800AD and Babylon is five turns away from building the UN while researching computers.
Looks like diplo or cultural are possible but I want to try space race. I think I'll lose that though... Unless I start World Wars to keep AIs busy while avoiding being smashed at the same time...

[Master Zen]

The hill south of the starting position is IMO the best site. It offers fresh water (the lake) and is on the coast. The immediate benefit is that you can build the colossus ASAP. The next benefit is that you can reach size 12 without an aqueduct.

Coast also makes you able to find your neighbors. There's a nice "sea lane" which makes for reaching the Celts easy using suicide galleys (I lost like 4 ) but the advantages of getting contacts (especially since I had the GL) was immense.

[De Gaulle]

Originally posted by Master Zen

Coast also makes you able to find your neighbors. There's a nice "sea lane" which makes for reaching the Celts easy using suicide galleys (I lost like 4 ) but the advantages of getting contacts (especially since I had the GL) was immense.

Exactly! I did that too and it was worthwhile even if it didn't last until navigation...
In my game the Indians built the great lighthouse and were able to reach the other continent fairly quickly unfortunately...

Master Zen: were you able to build the Great Lighthouse and play the tech broker until Navigation?

[Master Zen]

Originally posted by De Gaulle


Exactly! I did that too and it was worthwhile even if it didn't last until navigation...
In my game the Indians built the great lighthouse and were able to reach the other continent fairly quickly unfortunately...

Master Zen: were you able to build the Great Lighthouse and play the tech broker until Navigation?

De Gaulle:

I did not build the Great Lighthouse, I decided to get the Great Library and hoarded $$$ while I let the AI do its research for me. Immediately after Literature I started researching Map Making so I could try and get contacts. I say that "sea lane" and decided to explore. After 4 lost galleys I finally saw the Celts and they later traded my contact with others so I got to see them all. With the GL I got their techs.

-MZ

[Konquest02]

My first OCC try

Hi everyone!

I had a little free time this afternoon so I turned on my computer and started my OCC game. In fact, I finished it too. It was pretty frustating, but let me tell you how it went...

I'm playing the Babs on regent, AU mod. I was aiming at a 20k cultural victory all along, and the Babs with all those cheap culture buildings were an obvious choice. I might try it again later with another civ though...

I agree, the first move is probably the most important of all game. I decided to move one tile SE, in order to be near the river and on the coast. I think the last point is a priority, as it allows easy commerce with the other civilizations. In retrospect, I think I made a good decision. Maybe not the best one, but a good one.

Going for culture with a religious civ, my initial build was a temple. With culture doubling at every 1000 years, it was a priority to get a temple ASAP, when the turns are worth a lot of years...

I made a couple of mistakes in the early game, the worst one being shown in the screenshot attached. My 3 warriors were out exploring the continent and my capital was producing the Colossus. It was only guarded by a conscript warrior I popped from a nearby hut. It got defeated and I lost all of my production. I was 5 turns away from completion... I lost that wonder to the Indians...

[Konquest02]

My research path was a bit screwy too. I researched mysticism to have the opportunity to build the Oracle. In fact, I only used the Oracle as a shield-holder for the GL. I then beelined for Literature and I managed to build the GL succesfully. I got a couple of techs from it and it was worth it.

I managed to build the Lighthouse, GL, Sistine, Shakespeare, Leo's and JS Bach's Cathedral. I also built every single improvement except for a courthouse, which was mostly useless... I also have the IW and the Military Academy. At the end of the game, I got 4338 culture points from the GLibrary and my ultra-early temple gave me 1812. Not bad!

Things were going good, I had the ivory monopoly, I traded it for a lot of gold and luxuries. I even got 4 luxuries and 3 resources from the English for my ivory, near the end of the game.

So culture was piling up for the people from The One and Only. Things were doing great because their great culture blinded them from the world around. When the AIs hit the modern times, I was 8-9 techs behind. At that point, I did what I should have done a while ago, set my research at 0% and buy the techs from the AI's. I was doing pretty good and I counted the turns seperating me from the 20k culture victory...

[Konquest02]

But then, I got this message...

We are disgraced!

You have sufferd an embarrassing space race defeat.

Time spent: blah blah blah...

WHAT ?!?

Screaming at the pixels began... and stopped after the steam went out... I lost with 3 turns left until my victory. I was really frustrated.

I'm probably gonna start another one, with another civilization, later, when school is over (in 2 weeks! )

--Kon--

[Dominae]

Nice try Kon! Maybe you could have used all that money on Espionage missions to ensure that ship never got into space on time...


Dominae

[Konquest02]

Things I learned...

- Don't mess up in the early game. It's really important. Try to think about every single move you do. Try to think of a better move each time. If you can't come up with a better move, then you have the move you gotta do.

- Diplomacy is really important. Check the other leaders EVERY TURN! You don't know when they'll discover a new tech you can buy or sell...

- Research only the techs you need. In OCC, your biggest enemy is tech lag. By skipping unnecesary techs (Navigation, Military Tradition, Economics(?), Nationalism(?), Espionage and Communism are the ones I can think right now.

- Free Artistry IS useful... You can't underestimate the power of 8 content citizens... and a lot of culture!

- If not aiming at a diplomatic win, try to get the AI at war against each other. They will probably fall into communism and you might have a chance to catch them up...

- After you lose (which will probably happen at your first tentative), don't be afraid to restart the same game if possible. That way you can correct some mistakes and maybe win this time around! That's what I'll do for sure!

- Korea got really powerful but England amazed me during the game. Looking at the replay, I notice they got a settler really early (i.e. 3000bc) They became a real killer AI, crushing the Celts and the Romans. Good job Dom...

--Kon--

[BigDork]

Kon...

The only real problem I see with where you chose to start is that you won't have control of the furs. Mind you it isn't a big problem but it's more more luxury you can control.

Okay I have a kinda OT question. It's something I noticed from Kon's games. How do you get the alternate terrain graphics while playing an AU game. I really don't like the standard one but can't figure it out. Thanks. Also I finally found a program to replace Photoshop so I'll be posting screens again soon. Yay!!!

BigD