How I stopped worrying and learned to love the (culture) bomb: A Civ IV BTS AAR

[MetalDog]

Any one who reads the Friday thread knows that I play two games: Warlock & Civ IV Beyond the Sword.  That's not entirely true, but, for the sake of argument, we'll go with that.  What I also like to do is talk and as contributing to a forum is like talking with your fingers, I like to do that, too.  So, it looks like I will be inflicting myself upon you, gentle groghead, once again.

I have been playing a lot of BTS again recently and I have noticed that a tactic I once looked down upon, using the Slavery Civic to finish Production in a city, is actually a pretty good tactic.  The attendant Unhappiness hit can be managed with buildings and resources, so, why not?  I have kept up scientifically in most of the games and been prepared to meet my foes on the field of battle even, or ahead, in technology.  So I thought, "Maybe I can apply this tactic to moving up to Monarch."  And thus, an AAR was born.  I mean, why fail miserably by yourself when it's more entertaing to invite the rest of the world to watch?

Now, I will admit that I am not ready for the full on assault of Domination or Conquest Victory Conditions and Space Race might be beyond my reach as well, so, I will be using Cultural as my only VC.  Three cities with 50,000 Culture points each (known as Legendary).  That means a lot of Wonder building and making money to adjust your Culture slider for added Points.  In light of that, I chose Louis XIV of France as my ruler.  His favorite Civic is Hereditary Rule and his traits are Industrious and Creative.  The former gives +2 Culture per city along with double production speed of Library, Theater and Colosseum.  The latter gives a 50 percent increase in Wonder production and double production speed of Forge.





Yes, I am trying to stack the deck in my favor.  It will already be a tough enough row to hoe with the Monarch penalties I face (what they are I do not know, but, they are stiffer than for Prince).  I will not, however, choose my A.I. opponents.  Let the chips fall where they may.  I also chose a Standard map with five A.I.'s along with me.  That is one less than the Standard map starts with.  And I also chose Continents rather than Pangaea or Fractal, which make one supercontinent.  This may be a mistake.  Often, isolating a culture on a continent with noone to trade with, or at most, one or two others, can be scientific suicide.  In any case, those are the parameters.

One last thing.  I very much want to complete this.  However, I find that my time is not as free as it once was, so, this AAR may be sporadic and slow.  Glacially at times.  It is a condition of my narcissism that I think any one will read this, much less follow it all the way to the end, but if you do, I thank you in advance for doing so and for your patience and perseverance.  Now, on with the show!

[undercovergeek]

reading with interest - unleash the culture bomb

[MetalDog]

Thanks, geek!  :)


My initial city site nets me two Clams, one Fish, one Cow and that's all.  A good start that will have my city growing rapidly.  There is a goodly amount of forest that needs to come down, too.  The extra hammers for chopping them down will be essential for whatever Wonders I choose to build early.  The food Resources will help keep population up for the Slavery civic trick.  For those not in the know, with the Slavery civic, you can sacrifice population to complete whatever you are building in that city.

[MetalDog]

The Wheel and Agriculture are as far away from being helpful initially to my goals as to be almost criminal.  I need Bronze Working to be able to chop down forests and implement the Slavery Civic.  Fishing allows me Work Boats which allows me to work the Clams and Fish.  Animal Husbandry does the same for Cows.  And to top it all off, the first Wonder I usually shoot for is The Oracle, which gives a free Technology to its builder.  I always turn that tech into Metal Casting, which allows Forge.  So, I have my work cut out for me. 

I go with Mysticism as it allows Monuments, which generate +1 culture per turn and Stonehenge, a World Wonder that puts a Monument in each city.

[MetalDog]

With Mysticism discovered, my next Tech will be Hunting.  You can build a Camp, which allows you to take advantage of Resources that need it to be used in your Civ.  Things such as Elephants, Deer and Beaver require Camps.  You also get Spearmen which can only be built if you have access to Copper or Iron.  And finally, you can build a Scout.  In the early game, a Scout is essential to opening the map and popping goody huts.

[MetalDog]

Speaking of popped goody huts, my Warrior just opened one and out popped Pottery!  A very useful Tech.  It gives you the ability to build a Granary, which stores half the food it normally takes to increase the population of your city each time you gain a population point.  That's key for the use of the Slavery Civic to complete production.  You are draining your city of population each time you use it to finish production and being able to regain population rapidly is key. 

The other benefit you get enables your Workers to build Cottages.  Now, Cottages are an unsung key to this game.  Have you ever been low on Gold and wish you had more?  Your problem is not enough Cottages built and not enough built early in the game. The amount of Gold you harvest from Cottages as they grow and the Turns pass is like compound interest in motion.  Not an entirely accurate description, but, the sentiment is the same.  Build Cottages early and often!

[bayonetbrant]

that's it?  that's all we get out the gate?  that's not even foreplay - it's just mediocre flirting.  Get to writing, man!

[MetalDog]

A quick peek at our surroundings after ten Turns.  I am at the bottom of the map as evidenced by the Tundra terrain in the bottom left hand corner.  And there is only one other Resource to be seen, Sheep, also in the lower left.  Not as good a start as I had hoped.  Happiness Resources are key to the S(lavery) C(ivic) T(actic) and having them in your control is WAY better than having to trade for them.  That's how wars are usually started.

[MetalDog]

that's it?  that's all we get out the gate?  that's not even foreplay - it's just mediocre flirting.  Get to writing, man!

Just bound and determined to find out my secrets, aren't you Brant? ;)  Seriously though, I'm playing and composing.  I play fast and write slow.  And that's the only secret you are getting.  Use it at your own risk :)

[bayonetbrant]

OK better...  more AAR.  Yay. 

[MetalDog]

Mining is next.  It allows your Workers to build Mines which add hammers to the plot being mined.  It also allows you the use of Resources requiring mines to be accessed: Copper, Gold, Uranium, etc.

[MetalDog]

I always allow my city to grow to 2 population before I start building Settlers and Workers, so, my third Warrior is built and it is time for my first Settler.  It will take 20 Turns for it to be built and in that time, I need to pop more goody huts and pray for Gold and discover Bronze Working, Archery, Meditation, Priesthood and Animal Husbandry.  Oh, and Fishing.  Not going to happen all in twenty Turns.

[MetalDog]

Of all the things I desperately need to research, I choose Animal Husbandry.  It's not for the revelation of Horses, which it will be good to know where they are, but for the ability for my Workers to build a Pasture.  Cows need the Pasture to be accessed (as do Horses) and the hammer and food boost from Cows is significant in the early game.

[MetalDog]

NOW comes Bronze Working.  It won't be in time to reveal Copper on the map before my Settler is done, but I will know quickly where to shoot for when the next city is ready.  No, Bronze Working it is for two reasons 1) the Slavery Civic and 2) chopping down trees.  It's just that 15 Turns is a lot.  No help for it.

[MetalDog]

Due East is where the next city is going.  I need to get Cottages up and running A.S.A.P. and Flood Plains make the best spots to build them.  Animal Husbandry also revealed Horses inside Paris' fat cross.  That is another good Resource for producing extra hammers early in the game.