CBG: "Worst starting position EVER"

[Ray K]

CBG : Comic Book Guy


I started a game on Regent, randomized tiny map, with the express intent of playing with whatever hand I was dealt.

Here's what I got: a 3-square island (plains & 2 forests) with no special resources except for a fish square. Not only that, there is no other land in range of galleons. It's 1400 AD and I have yet to encounter another civ!

Obviously, I cannot win the game so my goal is simply to survive until 2050. I've built the Colossus (and named my capital 'Rhodes') and have amassed over 3000 culture points so far. Since I can't realistically keep up in tech, I made a beeline for Astronomy and am about 2/3 rds of the way through with Copernicus' Observatory. I figure that will be the last wonder I can build before I fall too far behind.

Kind of a boring game since I prefer conquest, but I have become reacquainted with the idea of micromanaging a city! Right now, my size-10 city is the #1 ranked city on the map.

I think I can stave off the eventual invasion by building fortresses in my other two squares and putting in hoplites. That way, the other civs won't have a square to land on to launch an invasion.

[nato]

Wow this is hilarious. When your empire is reffered to as "my other two squares" it is one tough day.

[mactbone]

What's even worse about this is that ocean squares are inadequate until harbor and then you still don't get production. You have to wait until youhave the oil refinery thig oget production on the sae.

[Ray K]

Originally posted by MacTBone
What's even worse about this is that ocean squares are inadequate until harbor and then you still don't get production. You have to wait until youhave the oil refinery thig oget production on the sae.

Oil? What's that?

My citizens think the world is just a small, flat plate floating in an endless ocean and they are the center of the universe. I'm thankful that I've got two forests just for the production.

I have no special or strategic resources. I guess I could get rubber in one of the forests eventually. Fortunately, riflemen will not require saltpeter so they will eventually replace the hoplites.

[DaBear]

While not quite as bad as that. Three grass squares, one mountain and then desert four a minimum 4 squares all around. No river or lake. Past the desert was 4 different warlike civs. Two of which quick pummeled me.
Huge world, Deity, Dry, 16 Civs.
Deity level probubly will not make that much of a check to find you a viable start point.

[pchang]

Build every cultural improvement you can as fast as you can and wait. Who knows? If you amass 20,000 cultural points before 2050, you might just win anyway.

[The Flouridater]

How about walking around to find a better place to build your city and then having your settler run into a barbarian on the third turn? That was a quick loss for me!

[Fake Boris]

LOL!

This is hilarious!

[adaMada]

hillarious!

keep posting .

-- adaMada

[zapperio]

Originally posted by Ray K


Oil? What's that?

My citizens think the world is just a small, flat plate floating in an endless ocean and they are the center of the universe. I'm thankful that I've got two forests just for the production.

I have no special or strategic resources. I guess I could get rubber in one of the forests eventually. Fortunately, riflemen will not require saltpeter so they will eventually replace the hoplites.

ROFL!!!

You're pulling our collective leg again Ray K, but boy is it funny!
I'd love a screenshot if you could 'doctor' one for us.

Zap

[Ray K]

Originally posted by zapperio


ROFL!!!

You're pulling our collective leg again Ray K, but boy is it funny!
I'd love a screenshot if you could 'doctor' one for us.

Zap

Actually, this a completely true story. I have been playing the game on a lark just to see where it will go.

I've also been taking notes of important "dates". I finished Copernicus' Observatory in 1630. At six shields/turn, no leaders, no rush-building, you do the math. I was sweating out the last few turns when other Civs completed Sun Tzu's and Leonardo's.

In 1764, I finally learned Magnetism, built a Galleon and made first contact (with the Romans). It turns out that my anal-retentive micromanagement and timing have allowed me to keep pace scientifically, and I soon found that the rest of the world was in awe of my knowledge of Banking.

Being good bankers (the best in the world, apparently) my citizens put their financial skills to immediate use, teaching everyone the deep mysteries of compounding interest and amortization in exchange for maps, knowledge, cash, and installment payments. A lot of good banking will do them with no money!

Now that I can see the map, it's definitely a 60% archipelago, and the biggest civ has only 4 cities (I'm playing against 15 opponents on a tiny map). This bodes well for me.

However, Industrialization is looming large and Kiev has two iron mines. And everyone knows that you can't build a factory without iron. I will be rush-building longbowmen with all of my newfound revenue and paying a visit to my dear friend Catherine. If she thinks I annoy her now, just wait.

If I do somehow pull off a conquest victory in this game, it may end up being the most memorable Civ game I've ever played. Thank goodness for larks.

I also noticed that at least one AI civ was stuck on a tiny island like me: the Egyptians. Unlike me, however, they are still living in the Ancient era and were begging me to explain the concept of Currency.

[EricWright]

Last night, I started a game on the huge Earth map around the location of the real New York. Built capital on first turn, moved worker out to north to build mine. Turn 3, barbarian killed worker. Turn 4, ransacked the city. I quit.

[zapperio]

Originally posted by Ray K


Actually, this a completely true story.

Please continue...what happened then?

Zap

[hoyatables]

THat "IFE" thing might actually be well-suited to that type of game....

With only two forest squares, you could infinitely cut down and replant those forests - not liek you have an empire of cities to worry about.

That's pretty interesting - it would actually be nice to run a smaller empire for once, and I might just try my hand at an archipelago-type game. I really love the thrill of being the first one across the seas to discover new continents. Rolling back the darkness and all that.

I've had some bad starting positions, but never one as bad as a three square island! Just think, until Amphibious warfare is discovered, you can be totally secure with troops on each square - never mind the fortress - they need ground troops to kill them!

[Osprey]

Forgive me Ray, but when I read your post I laughed my ass off!
I would like to play some poker with you some time, hehe.
Actually, I have my own strategy that I use for situations like that. This is the first time I've talked about it in any forum, so it's my copyright (LOL). I call it getting a case of the ARSE! It's the "Automatic Re-Start Event". Open up the main menu screen, hit the quit game button (DO NOT HIT 'SAVE'), select new game. Works everytime for me, right up until I get another case of the ARSE!

Please feel free to use this acronym. I'd like to see if it catches on.


The Osprey