Still Alive

Right, it's been a loooong time since my latest post to this blog. I have been meaning to write something a few times but haven't found the time or motivation to do so, so sorry about that.

Obviously my game as the Ottomans ended months ago. I kept notes about the game on a few pieces of paper but the most latest one seems to have gotten lost. :( Anyway, I'll try to finish describing the game based on the remaining notes (until 1972) and my memory and the screenshots I took.

So, previously happened: I started a game as the Ottomans in a map of many islands. Currently it is turn 223, or year 1565, and a Great Prophet is born in Istanbul. I leave him to Edirne to wait for another Great Person to start a Golden Age. I get another Great Prophet a few turns later but d'oh, the Great People need to be of different kinds!

On turn 226 I finally get the Astronomy technology and can start building better ships. Soon after that Gandhi asks for the Civil Service technology and I thought "why not make him happy" and handed it to him. 

Anyway, with my upgraded ships I make contact with Frederick of the Germans. I sell them the Alphabet techonology (how could they not have it even at this point?) and buy their map. I also make contact and peace with Montezuma of the Aztecs. On turn 238 I find a small island with iron, a resource that I don't yet have, so I immediately start preparing a Settler unit for it.

I am currently researching towards the Scientific Method to get some oil. I find a Barbarian city called Visigoth and conquer it right on time, because Scientific Method is researched a few turns after that and oil is found right next to Visigoth! I also establish Diyabakr on the same small island with Visigoth:

I trade some techs with Frederick and get blackmailed by Monty but convince him to just trading. Yet another Great Prophet is born, I use him to discover the Divine Right. On turn 247 I establish a new city called Izmir to a small island far away in the south, next to an iron resource and oil that is in the sea. Then I change my labor civic from serfdom to slavery with the idea of rushing the most important buildings to the new cities. This was not too good an idea, though, as I found out in the future. 

The new cities Diyabakr and Izmir would almost immediately like to join Russia and India, respectively, but I deny them. I finally get iron flowing to my trade network on turn 251, or year 1705. At this point I am leading the second largest civilization, only Frederick is ahead of me...

Moving On

In 1520 AD I use the Great Engineer to hurry the production of the University of Sankore in Istanbul. I also establish an open borders pact with Pacal so that I can better explore the world. Then I finally start researching Astronomy. Edirne completes the National Epic.

By the turn 218 (1540 AD) my troops have destroyed the units defending the perimeter of the barbarian city of Jute and advance to take control of the city itself, which happens easily enough.

After capturing Jute I make contact with a previously unknown civilization: the Russians. Peter sells me their map for 70 $, which reveals not only the Russian lands but Aztec and some German lands too...

Defense Snack

I just tried the Defense-mod of Beyond the Sword and wrote a little wiki-article about it. I made the mistake of having just one city for too long, because I didn't realize that one gets money on per city basis. I was also hoping for some more interesting terrain. I did not try if the terrain is randomized every time but I don't think it is. I lost the game on turn 11 when the Psycho Samurais attacked me...

Parrots

In 1170 AD (turn 177) I get a contact to Pacal II of the Mayans. We agree that there shall be peace in our time and exchange some technologies: he gives me Monarchy and Aesthethics and a little money for Civil Service.

The next turn a Great Engineer is born in Edirne. I use him to discover Engineering the next turn, after first discovering Paper and buying Pacal's and Hammurabi's maps.


Edirne completes the Colossus in 1300 AD (turn 190), which is rather stupid, because Colossus is obsoleted by Astronomy, which I have been wanting for a long time and am about to get soon.

In 1350 (turn 195) I change my labor civic from Caste System to Serfdom. Edirne is building the Apostolic Palace which unfortunately is later completed in a far away land. At least according to some historian, the Ottoman civilization is the most cultured one, out of seven civilizations.

Gunpowder is invented in 1480 (turn 208) which starts the Renaissance Era. Three turns later: another Great Engineer is born in Edirne; I establish Gaziantep to a new island, east from Istanbul; Gandhi of the India contacts me and sells me his map:

Links

The more I write to this blog the less time I have to play the game... Oh well. Last evening I was going to play Civ again but instead ended up browsing the AiGameDev.com blog archive. I found an article called Good AI vs. Fun AI which is about Soren Johnson's lecture entitled Playing to Lose: AI and Civilization. Soren Johnson is the lead designer of Civilization IV. The blog article and the presentation slides are interesting to read. I also found Soren Johnson's own, interesting blog called Designer Notes. Finally I ended up playing Desktop Tower Defense, which turned out to be quite an addictive little browser game...

The Fate of the Mausoleum of Maussollos

In 75 AD (turn 118) I establish a new city called Bursa on an island west from Ankara. Bursa is established next to a herd of horses. I then start to research Mathematics in order to get the Calendar technology, so that I could build plantations and get some silk. I then change my government civic from Despotism to Representation and the religion civic from Paganism to Organized Religion. On turn 128 (325 AD) I also establish Konya on an island south from Bursa and west from Edirne. The island has mostly jungles but rice and spices too. There is also a tribal village, so I start training a scout to pop it. The scout gets to the village in 520 AD (turn 136) and the villagers give me a settler! I use my scout to explore the Babylonian lands and have my settler wait for a galley to take it away.

On turn 130 (375 AD) I complete the Moai Statues national wonder in Edirne. This is excellent, because the Moai Statues give +1 production from all water tiles for the city it is built in, and most of Edirne's surroundings are water. On the same turn I complete the research of Calendar and start researching Currency.

Some time pass with nothing out of the ordinary. I find a new island south from Konya. The island is very special, because there are three gold veins right next to each other! This definitely calls for a new city, but unfortunately there already exists a Barbarian city called Jute, size 5. I unload a warrior, a scout and a settler for placeholders. There is also a tribal village which is guarded by a Barbarian archer, but as my troops have the high grounds, I doubt they will attack me. I definitely won't attack the fortified archer with just a warrior so I am waiting to get better units to help. On turn 159 another archer kills my warrior but dies attacking my scout the next turn.

The Ottomanian Empire holds 1 millions souls when entering the Medieval Era in 920 AD (turn 159). More or less at the same time Edirne completes the Hanging Gardens. A little afterwards I get reinforcements to the island with the gold and the Barbarians, destroy the archer guarding the village and establish a new city called Samsun.

The subject of this post refers to perhaps the most annoying event that can happen in this game. I was one single turn away from completing the Mausoleum of Maussollos in Istanbul, when I get the message that it has been built in a far away land! The Mausoleum of Maussollos would increase the length of a Golden Age by 50 % and I even had a Great Propher waiting, ready to start the Golden Age. Instead I just had to start the Golden Age without the Mausoleum on turn 175 (1150 AD).

Hammurabi

Now that I established Ankara I can use my galley to explore the map. On turn 88 (675 BC) I find a new island with rice, west from my current cities. I enter the Classical Era on turn 90 (625 BC) when my scientist discover Machinery. I set the next research goal to Hunting to get camps, because it turned out that the galley does just fine on its own and I won't need Astronomy any time soon.

On turn 97 (450 BC) I make contact with the leader of the first foreign civilization in this game, Hammurabi of the Babylonians. We agree that there shall be peace on our time and after a couple of turns agree on open borders, too, because I need that to explore the world further.

On turn 107 (200 BC) Tipu Sultan, a great prophet, is born in Islamabad. I use him the next turn to build the holy building of Judaism, the Temple of Solomon, in Edirne.

A while after that I learn the Alphabet-technology, which enables technology trading. On turn 112 I contact Hammurabi. He knows three technologies that I don't and I know three techs that he doesn't. I offer him Monotheism and he gladly gives me Priesthood and Animal Husbandry. The next turn they ask for the Metal Casting technology, but "it's not a rose garden over here either", so I deny them this request.

Istanbul completes the Pyramids on turn 114 (25 BC) and I start training a Settler unit.