Last night started a new game a Rome, because I have been reading some books based on ancient Rome and was just in the mood.
Huge map, random generator apparantly gave me continents, Emperor diff.
This whole game started off completely odd. First thing that struck me was the starting location. Cow, Wheat, lake, hills, and bonus grass all within sight. Moved off a cow and onto a hill next to the fresh water lake.
Further exploration only made it odder with bonus grassland nearly everywhere and several other sites with cows and/or wheat and both Insense and Spices within easy reach and furs a heartbeat away from that. I nearly quit thinking it was going to be way too easy when the next oddity appeared.
I had started roughly 13 tiles from Zululand. I have NEVER been that close on a Huge map. I noticed he was stuck on fields, but had several bonuses of wheat, cows, and floodplains within easy reach as well as spices.
It didn't take me long to know Shaka must go, and I had 5 cities up and running, 4 archers waiting for a 5th and a spear when he called demanding Bronze working. Yeah, right, F3 says my military is average with his...so I decline. He declares war.
Nothing new so far, right?
India was my neighbor to the west, FAR, Far to the west. I wasn't expecting a sneak attack of 3 swords from that direction towards my capitol, so I had to divert those archers to the threat of swords, once those were gone, India wanted peace again, and I focused back on Zulu. He, however, had Bronze now and was marching Impi through my territory. He also signed alliances with Germany, Spain, America, and the Iriquois WHOM I HADN'T EVEN MET. I figure he traded my communications and then some tech the next turn in return for the alliance. I could really use a popup telling me when I get a new contact from someone trading mine away...anyway...
I was happily trading with India, but they would not take anything to join me in an alliance on anyone else to divert attention away from me, since India already had a RoP with everyone else and they had to go through india to get to me. It was not long before someone pulled them in on this grand alliance for my destruction.
With what I think is the entire continent at war with me, and I had yet to find either horses OR iron, I was able to hold off all the initial advances of those far off civs , but could not gain peace without paying through the nose, so I kept at war with all of them. I did go about decimating 3-4 cities of the Zulu, but all were size 1, with him pop rushing like crazy. I did secure Iron, began my Legionary upgrades, and take Zimbabwe before gaining all tech from Shaka. That Iron and the roads leading to it have been defended from at least 20 odd archers from Zulu, another 10 from India, and several barbarian horses. Bad news was my GA was activated, good news was I am now caught up in tech, got others pissed at Shaka a bit for breaking the Alliance, and am strengthening my holdings. 20 Legionaries are marching on India another 10 are heading for Zululand again since he re-declared war in exchange for Currency from the Americans. With a few marching northwards to halt some annoying settlements that America and Germany have placed up there by Galley, and deal with Barbs before the massive uprisings.
Fortunately the Indian offensive army is wiped out. It was interesting to see 20 Swords attack my walled city, on a hill, behind a river, with my legionaire army and several spear defending it. Thanks for allowing the Heroic Epic, anyway...
A bonus to all this, though, is that the tech race has ground to a near halt on this continent. I am keeping pace with all the rest of them on my own for now, bettering a few of them, despite still being smaller and supporting a large military. It is 110 BC, and we are all still in the Ancient age. My continent has gained all wonders to date as well, so I don't expect other land-mass(es) are fairing much better at this point. It was a alot of fun getting that iron, and needing to shuffle all the defenses around defending it. I am 4 turns from the Heroic Epic, have at least 7 elite Legions runing around, and should soon be able to leader rush some wonders. (Sun Tzu's is intriguing for this game) I look forward to trying to take out India and up through the others. I still lack horses, and a decent map of the continent, though, so it may be through medieval infantry.
So, what made all these new acquaintances immediately target me for war? Germany is not entirely surprising, but the sword rush from India was strange to me esp 1400 BC, and the rest joining in so early...?
Huge map, random generator apparantly gave me continents, Emperor diff.
This whole game started off completely odd. First thing that struck me was the starting location. Cow, Wheat, lake, hills, and bonus grass all within sight. Moved off a cow and onto a hill next to the fresh water lake.
Further exploration only made it odder with bonus grassland nearly everywhere and several other sites with cows and/or wheat and both Insense and Spices within easy reach and furs a heartbeat away from that. I nearly quit thinking it was going to be way too easy when the next oddity appeared.
I had started roughly 13 tiles from Zululand. I have NEVER been that close on a Huge map. I noticed he was stuck on fields, but had several bonuses of wheat, cows, and floodplains within easy reach as well as spices.
It didn't take me long to know Shaka must go, and I had 5 cities up and running, 4 archers waiting for a 5th and a spear when he called demanding Bronze working. Yeah, right, F3 says my military is average with his...so I decline. He declares war.
Nothing new so far, right?
India was my neighbor to the west, FAR, Far to the west. I wasn't expecting a sneak attack of 3 swords from that direction towards my capitol, so I had to divert those archers to the threat of swords, once those were gone, India wanted peace again, and I focused back on Zulu. He, however, had Bronze now and was marching Impi through my territory. He also signed alliances with Germany, Spain, America, and the Iriquois WHOM I HADN'T EVEN MET. I figure he traded my communications and then some tech the next turn in return for the alliance. I could really use a popup telling me when I get a new contact from someone trading mine away...anyway...
I was happily trading with India, but they would not take anything to join me in an alliance on anyone else to divert attention away from me, since India already had a RoP with everyone else and they had to go through india to get to me. It was not long before someone pulled them in on this grand alliance for my destruction.
With what I think is the entire continent at war with me, and I had yet to find either horses OR iron, I was able to hold off all the initial advances of those far off civs , but could not gain peace without paying through the nose, so I kept at war with all of them. I did go about decimating 3-4 cities of the Zulu, but all were size 1, with him pop rushing like crazy. I did secure Iron, began my Legionary upgrades, and take Zimbabwe before gaining all tech from Shaka. That Iron and the roads leading to it have been defended from at least 20 odd archers from Zulu, another 10 from India, and several barbarian horses. Bad news was my GA was activated, good news was I am now caught up in tech, got others pissed at Shaka a bit for breaking the Alliance, and am strengthening my holdings. 20 Legionaries are marching on India another 10 are heading for Zululand again since he re-declared war in exchange for Currency from the Americans. With a few marching northwards to halt some annoying settlements that America and Germany have placed up there by Galley, and deal with Barbs before the massive uprisings.
Fortunately the Indian offensive army is wiped out. It was interesting to see 20 Swords attack my walled city, on a hill, behind a river, with my legionaire army and several spear defending it. Thanks for allowing the Heroic Epic, anyway...
A bonus to all this, though, is that the tech race has ground to a near halt on this continent. I am keeping pace with all the rest of them on my own for now, bettering a few of them, despite still being smaller and supporting a large military. It is 110 BC, and we are all still in the Ancient age. My continent has gained all wonders to date as well, so I don't expect other land-mass(es) are fairing much better at this point. It was a alot of fun getting that iron, and needing to shuffle all the defenses around defending it. I am 4 turns from the Heroic Epic, have at least 7 elite Legions runing around, and should soon be able to leader rush some wonders. (Sun Tzu's is intriguing for this game) I look forward to trying to take out India and up through the others. I still lack horses, and a decent map of the continent, though, so it may be through medieval infantry.
So, what made all these new acquaintances immediately target me for war? Germany is not entirely surprising, but the sword rush from India was strange to me esp 1400 BC, and the rest joining in so early...?
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