Hello. I'm new to this forum, as well as Civ IV. I never played any of the other Civilization games. In fact, I haven't really played any computer games since Return to Zork back when I was about 10 years old. I still have a very soft spot for that game. I woke up one day and decided I wanted to build a computer, even though at the time I couldn't tell you what RAM is and why it's necessary. I researched it and bought a ton of top of the line parts and put it together one night during a massive all nighter involving caffine, a webcam and a very patient and knowledgable friend in Texas. I had this great computer and all I was doing was some lonely games of Solitare and maybe some Google searches thrown in. So I decided to look into some new games, and now I'm hooked.

Anyway, I've been playing Civ IV for maybe 2 months now. I have yet to lose a game, though I haven't done a domination or conquest victory yet. I'm pretty good at cultural victories, and I won my first diplomatic victory the other day. I was kinda stuck on a penninsula (as Catherine) with Julius blocking me in. I was on friendly terms with him, so he provided a nice blockade against all the aggressive civs that were duking it out across the rest of the continent. I actually managed to stay out of war, and I managed a diplomatic victory with only 95 of my own votes, out of about 600. However, this was on Noble and I'm sure it's much harder on higher levels. I'm definitely a builder. I rarely attack and I feel bad double crossing other civ's.

To get over this sensitivity, I decided to play the Epic 4 game. The whole point of this post, other than an introduction, is this question: Can I do a purely written report? I'm not quite sure how to do pictures yet. I can do screen shots and all that, but I'm not sure how to get them in a report. I'm sure there's a FAQ somewhere with the information, and I'm sure I'll find it right after I submit this question.

It's nice to meet you all and I look forward to participating in this forum. Thanks.

I'm sure many of you recall with pleasure the adventures of MongoJerry's naked punching Sorceress, Irene, the Infirm. For the past six and a half months, another Sorceress has been following Irene's path-- and blazing new ground. Trurl's Irene, the Infirm, revisited at The Amazon Basin has all the details.

Turnout was a bit on the low side for Adventure Seven. That's not a problem (it wasn't too low), but I'm interested in getting feedback from folks who decided to pass on this one. If you are willing to explain why you skipped over this event in a short note, please reply to this thread. I'll use the responses to help gauge the Adventures schedule in the near term. Thanks.

- Sirian

So Ice Blade was sitting at Arborstone and contemplating the task ahead when some knucklehead pointed out that Shatterstone (water elite) was available on the northern path around the central hall and suggested capping it with henchies.

Attempt 1: Got the Urn, got part way up the side corridor and... Error 7.

Attempt 2: Reached the courtyard, saw the Elementalist boss, watched Danika get zerged by hostile cabbages and wound up back at Arborstone again.

Attempt 3: Got the Urn, capped the elite, hit the Oni ambush just at the entrance to the last room, retreated a bit and... Error 7.

Attempt 4: Hooked up with Zedf, hooked into a PuG team, read team chat complementing Zedf's bikini, rampaged through the outer hall, read some request for the monk to pick up the urn and... Error 7.

Again. :mad:


Zapping back into Arborstone and reading the guild chat I found that Wyrm had disconnected at the same time and memory, foggy as it tends to be in the heat of battle, had me recalling him uttering displeasure right after one of my other disconnects as well.

That was my third one today and Wyrms' fifth apparently. What is going on with the GW servers at the moment? It's damn near unplayable for some of us under these circumstances and it's certainly no fun.



PS. In the course of this little escapade I saw that the falling rocks tended to hit the northern extreme of the party more than the southern at about a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio. And that was standing still. Practically useless info, I know, but when I was waiting for henchmen to rez henchmen it made all the diffence when I opted to stand north of them and draw off the fire. Weird.

So, i'm not sure if i'll be able to post tonight from home. My computer blew a fuse in my house and i don't know if i'll have comp AND internet access so....

exec summary:
My goal: CCC ~ Capital Conquest Challenge ~ i wanted to win tthis game via Conquest and only keep the capital cities. That's easy enough to do on Noble, right?

Well, it wasn't noble and it wasn't easy. I didn't even realize that we were on Prince until reading these reports Quack's game is very much what i wanted to do . . . can i submit his in place of mine?? switch our reports a'la Bart Simpson and Martin?

call me :king: o' i even amuse myself with these types of shenanigans....

So, i killed Monty first, then Qin, took a couple Russian cities, was declared on by many, made peace, attacked Asoka, didn't realize he had a DP w/Team Mid-East (Alex/Sally) ~

so, how many capitals did i have at game's end? 0...not even my own. I lost in the 30s :blush:

Lesson: READ THE RULES at least a day or two before playing...ahh well...

hopefully, i'll have more coverage of this debacle later on tonight.

I want to get back to playing RB events and this fast-paced adventure looks like it will not require too much time.

Pre-game thoughts: none. There is no scoring, so I am planning to just enjoy the game.

However, I do think a little about the scenario. Instructions say to scout a lot, so I expect horses to be far from starting location, so animal husbandry, combined with training several scouts should be top priority. The starting location looks great from the screenshot (many hills and grasslands by the river, so the scenario shouldn't be too challenging. Getting an early religion might also make sence in this combat-heavy game.

4000BC - Hut gives us some gold. I decide to settle in place, ignoring game's recommendations. Missing a couple turns on quick speed doesn't sound like a good idea. I start research into Animal Husbandry and production of Worker (as is common practice for starts with 2 food resources).

Toku settles in place, and the river provides us an instant trade route. We will learn Animal Husbandry twice faster with Toku's help.

Second hut gives us another scout and I can see that we are next to map's Eastern edge. Demographics screen shows that there are at least 10 civs in the game, so it might be a bit cramped. Shortly after this, Monty's scout steals a hut from under our nose. Starting so close to him makes me uncomfortable. Was Worker-first a mistake? A look at Demographics screen shows that there are at least 10 civs in the game (I am #10 in some categories), so the map will have less space than usual, causing the warfare to start early.

Buddhism is founded in 3760BC. I guess such a fast tech pace is a result of a teamed game.

Next turn, Toku makes contact with the Cat/Fred team, while we discover Animal Husbandry. There are horses close to Toku, but I go for Mining->Bronze Working before HBR, because it will be a while until those horses are connected and HBR is expensive, while Bronse Working gives a more immediate benefit.

Worker finally completes in 3460BC, and goes to camp the deer, so faster city growth will make up for the time spent training him. We meet Quin/Asoka team very close to us, so I start barracks, because with so many AIs nearby war is just a matter of time. Hut gives us 81$. Meanwhile, Toku has trained 2 Warriors and is training a Worker.

Hinduism is founded in 3400BC. Next turn Toku meets Saladin/Cyrus team. Cyrus is the discoverer of Buddhism.

With camp on deer, our capital is ready to grow insanely fast. Working deer camp and corn we can go from size 2 to size 3 in just 3 turns.

We finish Bronze Working and find Copper next to our border. It will be inside in 11 turns. Meanwhile research goes to pottery for Cottages and Granaries. (Early cottages are the key to fast tech pace and with so much grassland around, we'll have plenty of room for them.) Then we'll get Horseback Riding for Keshiks. Both scouts end their turns next to lions. One scout wins. The other isn't attacked, but ends its turn next to another lion. I guess raging barbs will be painful. Second scout also wins, so we can keep scouting.

In 2980 Cyrus and Saladin adopt Slavery, which means we no longer have a monopoly on Bronze Working. We complete Barracks and start Warrior(3) for MP, basic protection, and to give the city time to grow. Toku is building a settler at size 2, (will take 11 turns) with his worker roading towards Furs, instead of camping them first. My high-food start means that I'll be able to put out a settler faster, despite having a larger city. I am afraid my ally will not be very useful. (His building and working order is suboptimal and starting location is pretty bad, with too much jungle and not enough food.)

After discovering pottery in 2920 we go for Agriculture, then IW, because we are still not ready to settle next to horses.

After Granary, we train another warrior to escort the Settler, while city grows to size 5.

Toku decides to ignore my IW efforts and discovers archery on his own in 2500BC. The same year, borders of capital expand and we can start mining the copper. I train Archer to escort the settler, because I decide to send him north, to grab the horses next to Monty. Training the archer will let the city grow to size 6.

In 2380 I start training the first settler, while Archer and Warrior go north to claim the city site. I also connect copper and gift it to Toku. I am too busy to use it myself at the moment. Toku's Settler and Warrior seem to be heading towards eastern city site, so north horses look like the only ones available to me at the moment. Cat founds St. Petersburg near our borders, probably planning to steal my copper. She has horses connected, but is still using warriors for protection.

In 2140 we discover IW and I finally start on HBR, while Toku chooses Sailing. At some point he also discovered Mysticism. Toku has Iron, so even if St. Petersburg steals our copper, he will be able to train good units.

We are quickly losing cultural control of Copper, so I sent a warrior to pillage it and train another one as a replacement. In the north, I see Monty's settler heading for the spot I wanted. My Archer and warrior move to block both possible spots that take horses.

settler_blocking_recreation.jpg
The image above is recreated from an earlier savefile. In the real game, bears showed up the following turn, so they didn't attack my warrior and I was able to safely settle the spot where you see warrior standing.

Monty's settler and two warriors go into the forest, so my settler can settle next to the horses. It's not the best spot, but I need those horses ASAP and don't want to fight a cultural battle for their control. (If I settle further away, as planned originally, Monty could still settle right next to horses.) After finishing 2nd worker, I start Stonehenge(7), because it's so fast and is a useful wonder. It proves to be a great investment later, as it provides Toku with the only source of culture in his cities for a large portion of the game.

After HBR, we go for Writing(3), while the pasture is connected. Stonehenge is done in 1360BC, but I train 1 more Worker, before starting to pump out Keshiks.

After Writing, we go for Alphabet, while Toku chooses Masonry. After finishing Worker, Karakum starts pumping out Keshiks every 3 rounds.

We discover Alphabet in 825BC and buy meditation from Monty for Sailing and Writing, while research goes into Math. Monty connected Iron, so I will attack him right away with my 2 keshiks.


Here you can see my entire army at the start of the first war: 2 Keshiks on a hill, a newly trained Keshik, with archer and warrior guards in Beshbalik, and a warrior on his way. Karakum is finishing a library and about to start an Oracle.

In 790BC the first war starts as I attack Monty. My first Keshik kills an archer at Teot, but the second loses to an axe. Then I lose the wounded Keshik trying to finish off that axe. Then I lose the third Keshik and the warrior trying to finish off that axe. So Monty gets a heavily promoted axe, while I lose my entire army. This will end my involvement in this war for a long time.

In 545BC I use Oracle to take Civil Service. (To set up for that I sold Alphabet, HBR and Math to Asoka for CoL and Monarchy.)

Quin and Asoka, whose tech lead among AIs was strengthened by our recent tech deal, attack us in 475BC. My entire army consists of only 2 Keshiks and an archer with a couple of warriors garrisoning my two cities. At least Beurocracy-powered capital should let me train more Keshiks quickly.

In 265BC our Keshik captures Nanjing with help of Toku's axe despite having only 15% odds.
We also get a great prophet in Beshbalik, because of all our religious wonders. I buy Monotheism from Fred for Monarchy (not a fair deal, but good for us, because we can now use the prophet to discover Christianity). Unfortunately Christianity was founded in Toku's secondary city.


Here you can see the advanced force moving towards Bejing, along with Beshbalik garrison whose Keshiks will join later, escorting catapults.

In 90BC we capture Bejing, capturing Chechen Itza. (Suicide cat withdraws and 3 Keshiks kill 3 Archers.)

We finally discover Currency in 50AD, but that doesn't seem to have much effect on our finances. I also figure out how to ask an ally to switch his research priority, so Toku is helping us learn Metal Casting->Machinery.

In 170AD Quin is down to his last city, Guangzhou, but Asoka learns Feudalism, so Quin begins upgrading to longbows. The same year Toku captures Teot, the first news form Mongol front in a few centuries.

In 410AD we finally discover Machinery, enabling us to train macemen and Toku to train his Samurai. Asoka is finally willing to give Phylosophy for peace, so I accept, to get some time to train macemen and finish off Monty. (Toku keeps unsuccessfully storming Monty's capital.) It turns out that it makes more sence to make the peace deal with the richer teammate, because that way you get more cash. We get Philosophy + 50$. Research is started on Paper on our way to Liberalism.

I check Toku's cities and realize why he always falls behind in tech. He has no buildings besides Barracks and Forges (which are just being built). I was also neglecting infrastructure in my 2 unit producing cities, but I still have some extra buildings everywhere. I also notice that Great Library is still available, but Toku's marble isn't connected. I'll send workers to fix this problem.

In 500AD I connect Teot to my road network, connecting Toku's Marble. I immediately take the Marble from him for Deer and start Great Library(7) in the capital.

In 530AD Cyrus/Saladin attacked Quin/Asoka. This is very good news, because it means that we'll be able to take on Cat/Fred team right after finishing Monty.

In 620AD Toku steals Tenoch from under my nose and we lose Great Library to Cat by 2 turns.

In 740 Saladin asks for help against Quin and we agree, because Monty is about to die and Quin's recent border expansion stole "our" gems near Bejing. We take Monty's last city losing only 1 Keshik (I brought 4 maces, so 1 spear was left over for Keshiks to deal with). Unfortunately, WW with China comes back immediately, putting some cities into unhappiness. It will take some time to get the troops back to Chinese front, but a few extra turns of WW are worth it for improved relations with the only AI team we aren't planning to attack any time soon.



In 995 I am finally ready to storm the last Chinese city. After I sacrifice 2 catapults, 3rd "suicide" catapult wins, 4th withdraws and 5th dies. After this, we capture the city so easily that perhaps last suicide cat wasn't necessary. Unfortunately, it turns out China is still alive in a tiny city Xian in the far south-west.

In a non-teamed game, Asoka would be the runaway AI at this point. His income is about twice higher than the rest. Luckily, Quin had been reduced to a single remote colony, so as a team Asoka/Queen isn't as big a threat. Cat/Fred on the other hand look ripe for the taking. They still aren't even close to getting Civil Service, but they've built a lot of wonders. So I make peace with Asoka/Quin and, after giving my maces a chance to heal and building up more cats, will attack Cat from the north. Another reason to make peace with Asoka now is that Toku recently razed his city next to my border, so all his remaining cities are on the other side of Cat's lands and would be hard to defend in a later war with Russia.

I take Calendar, 100$, maps and some gpt from Asoka. Stonehenge served me very well, but it's time to build that plantation next to my capital, and Music that we are about to discover will let me build Theatres instead of obelisks. A side effect of my hogging of early game religious wonders is that nobody else has a shrine. My 2nd Great Prophet is about to make a Confuscian shrine in captured Chinese city, hopefully significantly boosting my income.

This is the first period of peace since 790BC and after almost 2 millennia of constant fighting, Toku's cities are in very bad shape. It seems AI doesn't build non-military infrastructure when at war, so all of Toku's cities have only barracks and forges. Here is a comparison of our capitals in 995AD:



After discovering Music, I realize that Drama is the tech that allows culture slider and theatres. That was a terrible waste of research and might cause me to lose the race to Liberalism to Asoka, because I still have to research Drama, since WW is becoming a huge problem in all wars. I sell Theology and Music to Fred and Cat for Feudalism and Compass in 1040AD. This might be a mistake, because they could make a trade with Asoka to catch up to us in techs.

In 1070 I see that Cat made the trade with Asoka for Civil Service, and my army is ready at her borders, so I start the war hoping to make some progress before Russian maces show up.

I lose several maces in a stack near Moscow, but stack near St. Petersburg faces little resistance. Suicide cat even manages to retreat successfully. I then lose a Mace to a CG longbow and the rest of my forces take the city with no problems. Moscow is a huge prize with 3 wonders, but I have to retreat, because I have only 3 macemen left in the area and 2 of them are badly wounded. Instead, I retreat to a nearby hill to regroup. This looks like another example of losing half of my siege force parking in the open, instead of on a hill.

Quin/Asoka redeclare in 1175, causing massive WW from last war to return right away.

In 1190 I steal Yekaterinburg from under Toku's nose. (I saw him besieging the city and sent 2 wounded maces and 3 cats there right after capturing St. Petersburg. My force got there just as Toku suicided half a dozen horse archers against the city. Unfortunately, the city is choked by Russian and Japanese culture. Next turn, Toku completed Angkor Vat, proving that he can build something other than units.


In 1220, after a very close battle, I finally capture Moscow. Gungzhou, however, is under siege by a large army and I have few forces in the area. I guess I'll see CG2 longbow in action next turn. In other disturbing news, Cyrus/Saladin cancelled our OB agreement. I might find myself at war with the entire world.


Gangzhou is currently protected by C3 Mace and CG2 longbow and is threatened by 9 units, but I bring in reinforcements while Asoka bombs down defenses with a single Cat. You can also see here the problem with having cottageland near the border. My workers are building a cottage under heavy guard, but I had no hope of protecting the improvements on the other side of the river.

In 1280 I stole Novgorod from Toku's main army, while Ghanzou's troops destroyed Asoka's offense with minimal losses. AI never waits long enough to bomb the defenses all the way down to 0, so it is pretty bad at assaulting cities.

The main reason I keep stealing cities from under Japanese nose is that Toku mismanages them so badly. If my ally was more competent, I wouldn't mind letting him control a few cities himself.

In 1295 WW at the capital is at +17! This explains why my income plummeted over the last few turns. Did I mention that I have almost no experience with combat-heavy games? I switch to Police State, hoping that this will help alleviate some of the problems. In other news, Asoka has knights and is still refusing to talk to me. The revolution didn't help as much as I had hoped, because it removed MP happiness from Monarchy, which had been more helpful than I realized.

In 1345 I take Rostov, taking Cat down to 2 southern cities that have been thoroughly pillaged by Toku. Since Rostov can be retaken by Germans next turn, I decide to make peace now and focus on Asoka. In addition to Optics, map, all his gold and gpt, Fred offers to give back Toku's colony he took, but that city is indefensible, so I don't bother with it. As part of the peace deal I force Fred to adopt Paganism, to make him spend extra time in anarchy.

In other diplomatic news, before starting war with Cat I gave Cyrus and Saladin all my extra health resources for free and/or gpt. This paid off, because, while at some point they had cancelled all existing trades, by now they are ready to start trading again, because "fair trade relations" and "years supplied with resources" bonuses kicked in. I buy the happiness resources and can drop the culture slider from 30% to 0.


This is the view of captured Russian territory. As you can see, it had been very thoroughly pillaged by Toku's forces, so I have to rebuild most of improvements and even roads. The stack listed at the bottom of the screen is at the north, preparing to counter-attack Asoka.

In 1365 we capture Kolhapur, starting a counter-attack on Indian front. All the land on the south-west side of the Bejing River had been fully pillaged by the Indians, so even with Russian WW out of the way we are #7 in GNP. I also lost most of my workers to knights and horse archers in war zones, so I have to train new workers before I can rebuilt my cottages.

In 1375 we discover Liberalism and take Printing Press as the free tech (on the way to Replacable Parts and Rifling). I don't take Astronomy, because this isn't a scientific game, so Lumbermills and Rifles are more important than Observatories. Nationalism is also more expensive, but Printing Press is more urgent and provides immediate increase in income. Research goes into Guilds to go to Banking and Economics/Replacable Parts. Saladin and Asoka already have Guilds, but nobody else has Paper, so we should get the free merchant from Economics with no problem.

We capture Lahoe in 1415 and Bangalore next turn (1425). The cities are still unpillaged. This reminds me that I can try directing AI's efforts. I try this option out, ordering Toku to take Madras (India's southernmost city), while our troops heal and head to Delhi and Bombay, hopefully wiping out India in less than 10 turns.


Here you can see Indian lands (with Madras hidden by bottom-right interface panel. Unfortunately most of these lands will be pillaged by Toku as his pillagers move south from Bombay, while the rest of his units converge on Delhi and Madras.

In 1455 I see that Asoka already has Gunpowder (because I see a Musketman in Delhi). In related news, my GNP recovered to 59 (the best is 71), production is twice higher than competition's, and we are about to discover Banking next turn. I buy Gold from Saladin for Sugar. I don't want to give happiness resources to future enemy, but I am already running the culture slider at 10%, so I really need that Gold.

In 1475, we discover Banking and start research on Replaceable Parts. The plan it to get Gunpowder from China in peace deal and research Rifling right after that. Toku's research is quite pathetic. His help brings Replaceable Parts down by just 10% (from 10 to 9 turns).

Now is the perfect time for Civic switch. I just realized that Free Religion gives happiness boost, so I probably should have taken it a long time ago. Mercantilism is also a no-brainer, because nobody likes me enough to open the borders. Even Saladin/Cyrus, the beneficiaries of a lot of free resources are still at Cautious. Unfortunately I can't take Representation, because WW is going to kill me. It's at +7 in some cities already, which will put it at +14 if I get out of Police State. The final choise is between Beurocracy, Vassalage, and Free Speech. I have about twice the production of nearest AI rival, so production benefit of Beurocracy isn't an issue. Financially, it comes out a bit ahead of free speech (+20 commerce at the capital v. +14 commerce for 7 towns), but I'll have several more villages maturing soon, so Free Speech is a better deal in the long run. As for Free Speech v. Vassalage, the difference in upkeep cost is covered by the difference in number of free units. So I have to decide whether +2xp is more valuable than +2 commerce from each town. I decide to go for commerce for the same reason of "I can just train more units or turn on Vassalage later". My first priority is to get to Rifles ASAP. So the civics I choose are: Police State (keep), Free Speech, Slavery (keep), Mercantilism, and Free Religion.

My income goes from 197rpt, 154cpg, 189gpt to 209rpt, 339cpt, 198gpt even before reassigning free specialists.

We also capture Bombay the same year. Those Musket and 3 CG2 longbows didn't look that scary when hit by 3 cats (one of which withdrew). A couple of elite macemen helped too. As did C4 Keshik and a CR1, C1 pike.

I also got a Great Prophet, whom I save for a Golden Age.

I start production of workers (all new cities are working unimproved tiles and lumbermills are about to become available) and missionaries (extra religions now add happiness). I think the extra happiness for each religion during free religion is new in this version, because I don't remember this effect before.


In 1545, after an extended siege and several unsuccessful storms by Toku, we capture Delhi. (The picture above was taken a turn earlier, before we bombed down defenses and Toku suicided a lot of the units you see there.)

At some point Izabella declared war on Quin/Asoka. I wonder how well she is doing against much weakened, but still technologically superior, Quin.

Replaceable Parts are discovered in 1565 and we direct research towards Nationalism->Military Tradition, while the troops close in to finish off India. Replaceable Parts were discovered a turn later than it should have been, because I dropped science slider, hoping for Toku to put more beakers into it. This is second time this happens, so I guess lowering science slider to let the partner discover a tech is a bad idea. On the bright side, we'll discover Nationalism in just 6 turns at even speed or 5 turns at -56gpt.

I start Forbidden Palace in Bombay, because it's the closest city to the center of the map with good production. Rearranging tiles makes sure that it will finish in 8 turns.


In 1585, after an international effort involving Izzy's swords, Toku's assorted troops, and our Knights, maces, Keshik, and Cats, we capture Madras, wiping out Indian civilization. I also make peace with China for Gunpowder, opening the way towards Rifling.

Thus begins the second brief period of peace since the wars started.

I now have to make two choices: what to research and whom to attack. My research options are Nationalism(3)->Cavalry(8) or Rifling(8). I go for Rifling, because it will allow me to upgrade my maces and, since Rifles are slower, it makes more sense to research it first and start producing Rifles, then research Cavalry and switch to producing that when war starts, because Cavalry can get to the front faster.

Next question is whom to attack. Saladin/Cyrus are quickly gaining on us both technologically and militarily. They already are up Economics, so they are behind by just Printing Press and Replaceable Parts. Toku's forces took a large hit near the end of the war and are now similar to mine on power graph. However, I have a long unprotected border with them and it will take a long time for Toku's reinforcements to get to the front. Russia/Germany on the other hand are quite weak, close to Japanese border, and close to the current location of our troops. So my plan will be to let troops heal and get allocated while I research Rifles and finish spreading around my Confucianism and Toku's Christianity and doing infra builds. Then I'll upgrade all maces to Rifles and attack south with me focusing on Germany, while Toku takes Russia's last two cities. While that is going on, I'll start training Rifles and deploying them along Persian/Arabian border. When I feel I am ready, I'll leave the southern front to Toku and declare war in the north.

Diplomatically, my resource gifts to Saladin and Cyrus have finally softened them up enough to agree to open their borders. I'll do that when I am ready to scout out for an invasion, because I still prefer Mercantilism.

In 1595 we get a Russian Revolt in Novgorod and a German revolt in Rostov. Another reason to start the war soon. Rifling is due in just 5 turns, with Toku's help.

In 1605 readjustment of German borders trapped Madras within German territory. Arabian culture surrounded Delhi on 3 sides, so the city will starve. I consider giving it to Toku to serve as his base in Arabian war, but decide against it. Instead I build culture producing buildings all along Persian/Arabian border, hoping to push the borders back a bit.

In 1635 Spain finally captures Xian, wiping out the Chinese.

That same year we discover Rifling and have 668$ to upgrade our best maces to Rifles. I can finally start the war against Germany/Russia. Saladin already has Gunpowder. We are now #1 in every area, with production more than twice larger than that of nearest rival. Toku did all his upgrades instantly and still has 500$ left. I also notice that he is finally building some infra, so perhaps he was just stuck in war mode.

The first few turns of the war went quite badly, culminating in loss of Madras in 1645 to Fred's stack of knights while my massive stack of CR rifles was still outside, prepairing to attack Cologne. I don't want to raze the city, so I just move the stack to a hill near Cologne. Unfortunately, I decide that after one CR3 rifle attacked the city, so I have to leave a couple knights to guard that rifle.

In research news, we discover Nationalism and start Military Tradition(4), while Saladin is ready to buy Replaceable Parts. So he is just 2 techs away from Rifles. It looks like we will have no tech advantage when fighting him.


Next turn we lose the mini-stack near Madras and the stack heading for Berlin is hit by so many cats that it has to retreat to spend 5 turns healing. In the next 2 turns, I lose the entire Cologne stack, including most of my City Raider Rifles. This is the penalty for underestimating the opponents and not adequately protecting my attack stacks. The Russians and Germans are also threatening Novgorod, while Toku is having fun pillaging. If the war against Germany is going so badly, what will I do against Persia/Arabia? I tell Toku to stop fooling around and attack Yaroslavl. Let's see if this suggestion works.

In 1670 we get Military Tradition and start researching Chemistry to go for Steam Power and Assembly Line. The war had been a complete fiasco so far. Let's hope arrival of Cavalry will improve things. As cities finish up their infra builds, the are being switched to Cavalry.

In 1685 we completed the Taj Mahal, triggering first Golden Age. That year we also capture Berlin, capturing the last wonders we haven't yet captured. (Due to our and Quin/Asoka's constant warring, most early-mid game wonders had been built in Moscow and Berlin.)

In 1695 Toku finally shows that he is good for something by capturing Russia's two remaining cities. This helps decrease anger in our two cities that used to belong to Russia. However, WW is still so high that we'll have to use culture slider pretty soon. I switch research to Constitution for Jails, because I've run out of other ways to gain extra happiness without hurting our finances by culture slider. I also feel brave enough to renegotiate the deals with Saladin and Cyrus who are all the way up to Pleased with me. They have rifles already, but lack Liberalism and Nationalism, so they are still 3 techs behind (although they are up Economics).

Next turn we capture Madras. Now that Fred exhausted all his reserves, his cities should start falling quickly. I ask Toku to attack Hamburg, the easternmost remaining German city. I hope this will keep his troops from venturing further west and pillaging the land around cities I am about to capture. I also open the borders with Saladin/Cyrus and send a Cav to scout out their lands. I find that there aren't too many Rifles, but Saladin has a stack of over half a dozen camels that my Cavalry will have to deal with.


In 1715, as the Golden Age ends, we capture Cologne. This pushes back German culture far enough to prevent towns near Berlin and Cologne from being pillaged by Toku. I see that Saladin and Cyrus have large reserves in their rear, so that war will be pretty tough. However, I have such an overwhelming production advantage by now that I am not really worried about it. Meanwhile all our cities are building Jails.

As soon as I opened my borders, Cyrus started sending his missionaries, which gave me an idea: I am running Free Religion, but Toku is still Christian and we share line of sight. So if I spread Toku's Christianity to Arab and Persian cities, I'll be able to keep tabs on them during the war! Saladin is running Theology, but I can at least do this to Cyrus. I also go through all cities turning on Avoid Growth, Emphasize Production and Emphasize Commerce. I no longer have time to MM them and I don't want them to keep growing into unhappiness.

In 1725 Toku captures Hamburg, while we discover Steel and start producing Canons for Persian war. Research goes into steam power for railroads and assembly line (if the game lasts that long). Next turn we capture Munich with minimal bombardment, while a large Cav stack rides towards Hurian and Frankfurt. Border adjustment after capture of Munich will let our cats get to Frankfurt in just 2 turns.

In 1740 we capture Frankfurt and our Cav stack easily captures Hurrian, which was defended by just Pike, Longbow and 3 cats. This wipes out German civilization, leaving only Izzy and Cyrus/Saladin team. Since Cyrus/Saladin team controls 31% of land, it's unlikely that I'll be able to get domination without attacking them. So I will leave Izzy as a barrier to channel Persian and Arabian forces into a more manageable front line.

In 1750 we discover Steam Power, find lots of coal, and start researching Railroads. Saladin starts a golden age and is about to discover Military Tradition, so this looks like a good time to attack. While some of our troops are still healing, or in transit, each of the 3 frontline cities has over half a dozen units in it. I was also able to spread Christianity to 3 Persian cities, so I have some idea of what reserves they have. Delhi finally managed to win culture battle for last of the squares in its immediate vicinity, so each frontline city now has at least 1 square buffer against enemy territory. I decide to start the war now, because it will take a few turns for enemy attackers to get there, so I'll have plenty of time to bring in the rest of my defenders.

During this war, I try a new strategy: waiting several turns for the enemies to bring most of their forces into my territory, so that they are the ones destroyed with help of collateral damage. This strategy works out perfectly.


During the first few turns of the war I kept destroying Persian mini-stacks, like the ones you see above, while Toku kept losing units in Arabia. It seems that these 5 turns were well-spent, because Cyrus and Toku (who couldn't be stopped from attacking) are going down on the power graph while I and Saladin are going up.

In 1775 I trigger a golden age, to make sure it completes before my cities begin suffering from WW. Next turn I will start an attack in the north. This time I hope my stack is large enough. (Over a dozen units with a mix of Rifles, Cav, Grens, and Canons.


In 1780 We learn Railroads and I go for Assembly line, while workers begin constructing military railnet. Toku's invasion forse in the south is destroyed, so I am beginning to deal with counter-attacks. In the north, I approach Arabela with the killer stack. The city falls easily after a canon and a gren are sacrificed, while in the south I lose several battles despite good odds.

In 1800 we capture Pasagadae, pushing northern borders back by several tiles.

Next turn I stupidly lost Pasagadae because of forgetting to reinforce its defender. The defenses are back to 80%, but only 2 cavs are holding the city. Anti-horse rifles easily recapture the city and this time I reinforce it properly. I also capture Calcutta on the Arab/Persian border and move a second stack of Canons towards Tarsus. I switch all production to Cavalry, because I have more units than I know what to do with, so I might as well cavalry-blitz into Spain.

Next turn Toku captures Baghdad and Saladin offers Democracy for peace. No way. We are at 57% territory and need another 9%, which is about half of Persian/Arab lands.

In 1820 we discover Assembly Line and start Pentagon(20) in the capital. I hope the game will be over long before it completes. I have over 1200$ in the treasury to upgrade the rifles, which only cost 80$ each.

In 1825 I attack Izzy, who still has no guilds or Engineering.

In 1830 I've lost Calcutta. I am playing so carelessly now that I've left a frontline city with only skeleton defenses and Saladin didn't miss this opportunity. My cavalry in Spain suffered heavy catapult fire, so it's good that I've split them into several small stacks. Persepolis is assaulted by an army of Canons, RB13 style, and falls easily, with Rifles and Cav doing just mop-up after canons are done.

Next turn Toku recaptures Calcutta for us. Arabella comes out of unrest and has 31 unhappy faces. Whipping the Jail reduces this to manageable level, but I notice that we are suffering Emancipation anger. I switch research to Democracy, which can be completed with Toku's help in just 3 turns, running at -144gpt (60% research). The same turn I easily capture Damascus. 8xp West Point educated canons prove very helpful in this battle. In the south, Seville and Salamanca fall easily, while our Cavalry decimates Spain's early medieval forces. (No Pikes or mounted units.)

In 1850 Toku captures Mecca, while we capture Madrid, Basra, and Susa.

In 1855 Satsuma comes out of resistance and we are at 65.11% land mass. Looks like I will not have time to take Medina.

Domination victory in 1860, as my troops were preparing to assault some of the last remaining cities near the western edge of the map. Final score is 36257.

PS Do you have any suggestions for things I could have done better this game?

Also, what do you think about my report? Is it too long? Should I use less details? Add more pictures?

I played a test game with one partner first. It demonstrated to me that if you have an AI partner, you will crush the opposition on any level below Deity if the other AI's are not also teamed. I also learned a few things about micromanaging tech discovery so that a specific team member gets a tech first. I also discovered the irritating lack of an announcement of when your partner pops a new tech from a hut.

Since this was not a gentle Adventure, I then assumed that some of the AI's were in teams as well. Our team doesn't start with Mysticism, so I assumed that an attempt to grab an early religion would be very risky.

I founded right at the start, started on a worker right out of the gate, and popped Pottery from the nearby hut, like I would presume most other players did. Montezuma beat me to the other nearby hut. Shortly thereafter, we meet the Russians, who are part of a team.

Uh. This is kind of cramped, isn't it? Why don't we research Archery for defense, then Mining and Bronze to see if we've got any copper? After I finished the worker, I built a barracks. Nope, no military here, I'm taking a risk there will be a grace period until I can get up a 4-XP archer.

I should say a word about Tokugawa in this game. For those of you complaining about his performance this game -- did you see how wretched his start position is?

The discovery of Bronze Working reveals copper in the third ring from Karakorum. Great! Here is The Plan: I will not ever settle another city. Those settlers cost a lot, why bother when you can have others pay for them? Instead, I'll take all of them by means of war, starting with city raider I axes. It looks like Montezuma is my first target, as he's nearby and NOT part of a team.

I get up my barracks and an archer (phew), while next researching Agriculture (to develop the nearby corn) and then Animal Husbandry (to check out if we have any horses).

To be continued ... as usual. 8)

I would like to play more multiplayer civ 4 but the games on gamespy are usually rubbish with people quitting after less the an hour.

Mainly I'm looking for players who have no life and can play civ a lot, with at least 3 x 5 hour sessions per week.

I prefer map sizes either standard or large, I play quite quickly but am not impatient, I am a fairly good player able to win on monarch but I don't spend much time with micro-management of all my cities.

I am finding it very difficult to locate someone who has a similar desire for multiplayer games, who want to continue them and to play quite a lot. If you think this suits you give me mail on to_steaton@hotmail.co.uk or add me to your MSN if you use it.

Adventure 7- Quick speed-Prince level. Teamed with Japan. Only coquest, domination, or diplomacy. Unknow map info, but I know that I am near my teammate. Raging Barbs and Aggresivve AI. My only concern is the quick speed, I normally play epic or normal speed, so does this mean that I need to sword rush my opponents, or that I should peacefully build until I am suffieciently ahead in tech to attack with superior units.

4000BC-Set Research all the way to Iron working. Build a worker. I can't figure out why the computer wanted me to settle on that hill to the southwest. I settled in place, furs, spices, corn, and deer with plent of hills *shrugs* looks good to me. Maybe some map info is bleeding through again, who knows? Villagers give a map.

Turn 2- Meet Monty, Fred and Cathy

Turn7 meet Qin and Asoka

3580-Hindu and Buddhism both fall on this turn

3460-So nobody I know has a religion yet, interesting. Looks like Qin is paired with Asoka and Fred with Cathy. I have found Cathy and Qin's capitals. Copper just outside of Karakoum's fat cross.

2920-Meet Saladin and Cyrus. Saladin the founder of Buddhism

2800-IW finishs, next animal husbandry.

Drat, no close horses!

1900BC Writing finshs, now I am gonna blitz for cats and go and get somebody!

965BC- Uh, why has Toku not hooked up his Iron yet. I am gonna have to get some workers down there to improve his land.

720BC-Constuction comes in. Soon there will be cats and conquest!

405BC-I am attacking Cathy with Axes and cats, still no Iron b/c Toku is terribly incompetent. He can't keep his iron connected to due to barbs and won't build culture in the other city that he has iron. None the less I have a worker down there trying to help him. I choose Cathy for three reasons, she is financial, part of a team, and she is close. I figure I can mop up Monty anytime since he is alone, but the teams are trickier. First I demand that she gives us Sailing, and she does, but it won't help her. I am going for Moscow first!!

230BC-Moscow falls, no losses a Miracle. I think that all of Cathy's cities are on hills! Ugh.

140AD Monty Declares war on me.

260AD Novgorod falls and Peace with Cathy is taken, I get currency tossed into the bargin. Now to turn my attention to Monty. I think the Cathy Fred team has been severely hampered.

740AD Monty has tons of troops. I make peace, Toku and I are so far behind tech wise, we have to catch up.

770AD Cathy and Fred declare war.

I never finished b/c I was on vacation for all of May, but wanted to try it. Playing with Toku was interesting. In the beginning I always had at least 3 workers in his lands putting improvments in. He just did not know how to improve his lands. The second problem was that he built so many units (b/c we were often at war) that he was useless as a research partner (too bad all those units were not used very effectively, however he did manage to not lose his own cities, not once so that was good at least) his unit costs were killing him. An interesting excersise. I wish I could have finished it .

Drasca's guide to PuG's

PuG: Pick-up game, or group.

Generally, a team that may comprise of members who come together with no prior association or scheduling to surmount a specific objective, whether it is a mission, a quest, or something else.

What is this guide for? If you're tired of bad pug's when left to completely random chance and don't like henchmen all the time, try my method. Over several occasions, I've had entire teams that have stayed with me through hours worth of repeated missions because they want to be in a good group.

Preperation

Knowledge
It is up to you to research and be familiar with the mission, its quirks, and what level of difficulty it demands of its players. You should know what types of skills are needed, and the classes that can do them. If you're not familiar with what your allies can do, ask. No one person knows all skills. How strictly you micromanage your players skills is up to you. Personally, I keep management to the minimum I perceive necessary. I might ask a ranger to pack 2 specific interrupts, a res sig and troll ungent, giving him freedom to choose four other skills.

With this knowledge and experience of the mission at hand, you'll be in the best position to coordinate team effort.

Group leader
It is also important for you to be group leader. To guarantee this, your party must have equal to or greater than the people you're inviting. If others accept your invitation, they'll be under your group. If you accept the invitation of another group of equal size, their group leader will be remain leader and you'll be demoted to simply party member. Don't do let that happen. Add another henchman to your group and then accept, or don't accept that invite. If you want someone specific out of there, you may attempt whispering them and asking for them specifically.

Party Gathering

Advertising a specific Objective
You must be clear on what you wish to accomplish. Are you trying to achieve a bonus? Go for Masters? Cap off a certain boss? Be clear about what you wish to do! Then, advertise and repeat "We're here to xxx___xxx" as necessary to local and team channels.

A simple LFM for __objective here__ in local channel may be enough at the beginning. Your knowledge of how to accomplish that objective comes into play here. Do you need rangers? Interrupters? Firepower? Advertise for them.

With fairly difficult missions, I like to use: Looking for players capable of following instruction--with few other specifics involved. This sort of advertisement shows you want to communicate and coordinate with your teammembers without excess detail, and that usually impresses the good players.

Selection Process
--Class and skill balance
Sure, you could pickup just anyone, but that won't do. 7 Warriors and one ranger will not readily fight in hell's precipice or vizunah. You must be fairly firm about what you need. You can be flexible, an extra warrior here, an assasin there, or four ritualists or four monks, but you need a solid group dynamic and capable enough to surmount your mission.

Talk to the players coming in, make sure they have skills you desire. With some classes, ask the people to coordinate redundants kills between themselves. I find good players can self govern what skills they bring, so long as you give them a specific objective: Interrupts, defense, etc.

Make sure everyone has a res sig or various kinds of ressurrection. Players can forget or not wish to bring one. The rest of the skill sets control is up to you and the objectives desired of the mission.

--Quality people
To that end, you want quality people. Good advertising can bring out the best of folk to come to you, and your class/skill selection process will ensure a balance to tackle the mission ahead but that's no guarantee what kind of person you're getting.

Talk with the people that are coming into your team. 10 seconds, and a few lines of chat can mean all the difference between seeing a good cooperative player, or a ... I believe you can all think of the expletives for those bad pug stories. Engage the people that you're teaming up with in light conversation, and you'll be rewarded with information on their character. You'll want to surround yourself with friendly people able to listen to instruction, and have an attitude that is helpful towards mission accomplishment.

Kicking: Protecting your interests or taking out the trash
Not everyone's a nice person. You'll have to be firm on keeping the undesireables out. Assuming you've done the preceding steps, talking with the players, and attempted to coordinate their skill sets with you and themselves.

If you find someone to be disruptive or uncooperative. Warn them. If they continue, kick. With certain people, you may wish to consider skipping the warning. No one's so important that they can't be replaced. For healers, most of the time henchmen are more than adequate when a human healer is unavailable. They take some adjustment, but you'll be able to accomplish your goals.

Do not accept major disruption in your group. This may include, but not limited to, spam, scrolling, ill treatment of others, foul language, disrespect of others. It is up to you what preference and quality of people that come in and get kicked out. Exercise your right to protect your group's interests by keeping undesirables out. The quality player and frequency you kick is entirely up to you, but make sure you have a team of people you wish to play alongside, don't bring anyone that will jeopardize your interests.

It may take some time to arrange such a group. You may substitute henchies when you feel it is necessary. It helps to advertise in advance amongst your guildmates

In game

It is your duty as party leader and coordinater to be the most prepared and competent person out there at the task of making sure the group acts within shared expectations towards success. These are some of the tools you may use to ensure that.

Minimap pings and target calling
For important missions, be clear to everyone no one else uses target calls or draws on the minimap. That is reserved for important information. Only you or your designated lieutenants should be drawing or pinging on the minimap.

With the minimap, be sure to to explain all the important moves and directions you'll be taking. Explain in advance how to handle important specific encounters, such as when to retreat, what enemies are coming, and what to do when enemies teleport.

If there are patrols, explain where they are and how to handle them.

Lines and pings
Most people are familiar with the following:

Stop: Line back and forth perpindicular to the motion of the vector (headed direction) of the group. This means stop, head no further.

Rapid ping behind the group: This can mean retreat, or attention to a monster. Usually retreat.

If the team is not listening, repeatedly SHOUT in caps and repeated pings and lines what is necessary to do. With decent preperation, this should not be necessary, but it still may happen. Don't get sloppy, watch out for tactical changes and make sure the team addresses them as a group.

There are methods, and specific details to every mission and group, but this guide should serve you well as a basic means to getting a successful PuG.

In summary, prepare yourself with objective knowledge, select a good team while kicking out the chaff, and ensure everyone else is knowledgeable and acting toward the same overall strategic action. Assuming you can reign in all that, I salute you as a good field commander, and it would be more difficult to lose after so much preperation.