Something to LOL about!

November 6, 2000, 19:32

To test how dumb the diety ai is, I built one city, and built nothing but phalanxes in it. I never moved the phalanxes out, and only built more phalanxes. I did not improve any terrain, and I built on my starting spot and immediately joined with the other phalanx. It was on a large map, BTW. I survived until 1902. I think if I keep trying, I can survive till 2020. And the manual says that's a win?

Richard Bruns · November 6, 2000, 20:13

I tried this on a medium map, just for a laugh. The Indians landed and wiped me out with marines and cannons in 1907. I had declared war on them a few hundred years earlier in exchange for an alliance with a neighbor. They promptly made friends with my allies, but would never agree to peace with me. I got the "We have decided to rid the world of your worthless civilization" message.

The moral is not to declare war on anybody. It might also help if you are not on the coast. Let someone completely surround you, and give them whatever they want to stay allied I'll see if I can survive until the ending date.

Maybe I can set a record and be the first to win the "Phalanx Challenge."

November 6, 2000, 20:28

I tried again. 1957!!

Richard Bruns · November 6, 2000, 21:11

I made it!

After another false start where the French declared war on me for absolutely no reason, I survived to 2020. There was a close call when a Viking helicopter blasted my city down from size 5 to size 2, but then wandered away.

Large Map, 7 Civilizations, Raging Hordes.

Civilization Score 33, Rating 4%, "Richard Bruns the Foolish"

I clearly deserve recognition for this difficult and momentous achievement! This is just as important as being the first to win at OCC!

After "winning", I cheated to reveal the map and then found out why I'd survived. I had started on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere. It was about the only place in the map that hadn't been taken over by the AI.

I think this would be a lot harder on a small map. That way you would be more likely ro run into the AI and thus be killed due to its illigical hostility.

It's fun to see how the AI develops on its own. They were building Cure for Cancer before J.S. Bach's Cathedral! The Vikings built Manhattan Project around 1950, which fit history pretty well. But they never used the nukes they built, as far as I can tell. Nukes and cruise missiles are apparently reserved for the human player.
[This message has been edited by Richard Bruns (edited November 06, 2000).]

cavebear · November 7, 2000, 00:05

I don't normally play special games, but this sounds so weird I just have to try it. See you all in about 12 hours...

cavebear · November 7, 2000, 00:36

Well, that didn't take anywhere near the time I expected! I survived to 2020 AD with just Phalanxes! And I had a size 4 city at the end with about 6 units. No one but Barbs attacked me the whole time, though I noted that the 2 AI civs had at least submarines...

cavebear · November 7, 2000, 00:39

Only takes 30 minutes. Give it a try. It a real hoot.

Mercantile · November 7, 2000, 01:24

Well no contact until 1878 with french, cost 50g
then with russians 10 yrs later cost 150g
Mongols

decided to rid the world of my backwards civ and two years later with one cannon and a destroyer, i was tost in 1958 large map, i was in the center of the map in a little corner, my vet phalanx was crushed by the cannon.

I had 107 attacks by barbs and received only one vet gr...
[This message has been edited by Mercantile (edited November 07, 2000).]

JESSVG01 · November 7, 2000, 01:59

Ever try no military at all?

Makeo · November 7, 2000, 05:30

yep the no military units at all challenge was one on Stewert Spinks old site.

November 7, 2000, 17:35

quote:

Originally posted by Richard Bruns on 11-06-2000 08:11 PM
a Viking helicopter blasted my city down from size 5 to size 2, but then wandered away.

LOL!!

DrFell · November 8, 2000, 22:58

well im gonna try it with a small map, on tot. the ultimate challenge

DrFell · November 8, 2000, 23:10

thats got to be a new record fastest game i ever played... got wiped out by the carthaginians, 420ad!

They landed and instantly decided to rid the world of my civilization... surrounding me with elephants and crusaders! if only i could move my phalanxes, i was surrounded by hills and mountains..

November 11, 2000, 12:47

quote:

Originally posted by DrFell on 11-08-2000 10:10 PM
thats got to be a new record fastest game i ever played... got wiped out by the carthaginians, 420ad!

They landed and instantly decided to rid the world of my civilization... surrounding me with elephants and crusaders! if only i could move my phalanxes, i was surrounded by hills and mountains..

Yep. That can happen. They sometimes don't find you till 1800, though.

DrFell · November 11, 2000, 21:58

i had to laugh tho trying this... it reminded me of civ1... on the world map the romans and chinese especially often got stuck with only 1 city... they were never good occ ers tho..

St Leo · November 12, 2000, 00:00

First try: 1710, but I killed a couple of Catapults and Elephants that besieged my fair city.

------------------
St. Leo
http://ziggurat.sidgames.com/
http://www.sidgames.com/forums/

St Leo · November 12, 2000, 00:16

Second Try: 1480 (I accidentally [Enter]ed through first contact with the Vikings)

------------------
St. Leo
http://ziggurat.sidgames.com/
http://www.sidgames.com/forums/

Dom Pedro II · November 12, 2000, 01:25

LOL

Were the other civilizations signing pacts to "contain your aggression"?

It kind of gives you an idea of what the game would be without you.

FanatiC_KaBaN · November 12, 2000, 20:17

LoL, i used to do this all the time in Civ1, the best way was to take a settler 'NONE' and put it on sentry on the north or south pole. The AI never touched you. I think i got to the end every single time doing that. And it was also fun to be English and just sit there with 1 city and steal techs from the more civilized civs.

I haven't tried it with CivII though ...

Blaupanzer · November 13, 2000, 11:57

It was fun to hide out in Civ I because, if you made it to the end, you could see a replay of the whole game. Following how the different AI civs handled the world gave me some clues as to how to deal with them. I really miss that replay feature.
[This message has been edited by Blaupanzer (edited November 13, 2000).]

Mercantile · November 13, 2000, 14:07

Blaupanzer, i think most of us miss the replay. i am

as to why they didnt' include such a fun feature in civ2. I hope it returns for civ3

DrFell · November 13, 2000, 17:07

i loved the replay and i was shocked when i found it was taken out of civ2

November 15, 2000, 16:44

It would seem more possible if you built the only city on hills. I can't see cannons taking you out on hills unless they hav a whole bunch. But the fact remains if you build off the coast on an island, you should survive every time. I'll have to try this

Mercantile · November 15, 2000, 16:58

Finally survived the whole way through. Started on the poles, no contact at all although an ai shipdid cruise by a couple of times, it was empty

Builder · November 18, 2000, 01:04

Do I have to build only Phalanx?

i'm testing it now.

Richard Bruns · November 18, 2000, 22:13

Phalanxes and warriors only, that's the rule. Also, you should build exactly where you start. The second settler should add to the city instantly; no improving terrain or hut tipping. The key is to be as pathetic as possible and see how the AI treats you.

Albert B · December 5, 2000, 01:50

I played this the other night... I made it to 1959, when the Celts finally pounded my city with bombers.

I have the MPGE and have heard all the talk about how aggressive the AI is in it. This game mostly sent that message home. The Celts made fairly early contact with me and were happy to ally with me. However, this alliance lasted a rather short time as they contacted me a short time later and canceled the alliance for no apparent reason. Then a few turns later I tried to contact them and was planning on giving them everything I could to make them like me again but instead they declared war on me without any hostile action taken on my part.

Anyway, the funny part was that I saved the game a couple turns before I was wiped out. I then reloaded that game and revealed the entire map. I found that was on a small continent/large island with the Celts. They had quite a few large cities and an army you wouldn't believe. I was at the southern tip of the island and although they had continually pounded my little city with different boats over the course of time, they never moved there land forces down the couple of spaces they needed to to take me over.

If I get a chance when I am at home, I will upload the saved file and put a link in here to where you can see it if you'd like. It really is good for a laugh or two, especially if you give yourself a few nukes and start blasting Celt cities/armies since this 'tactic' is usually avoided like the plague in most games.