Now the AI is weak in my game of April 2017, civ2civ3 rules. I am the Americans. There are 23 hard AIs. I learned Gunpowder in 1440 CE (turn 194). I am still the only civ with Gunpowder in 2002 CE (turn 427). Most AI civs have 100% tax and no science. They seem to not want to learn new technologies. I use my Musketeers, Cannons, Ironclads, and newer units to conquer AI cities. My enemies are mostly Phalanx or Warriors. It is a mistake by the AI to forget science. I don't know why the AI makes this mistake in this game. Is it because of civ2civ3? Because 24 civs is too many? Something else?
Game settings
- I am playing Freeciv 2.5.6+ (r35264 of svn://svn.gna.org/svn/freeciv/branches/S2_5)
- This is my first game using the civ2civ3 rules.
- There are 24 players: my Americans, and 23 hard AIs.
- I have set barbarians to raging hordes.
Early diplomacy and research
At the beginning, I did research Alphabet and target Republic. This was a stupid move by me, because I was on the same continent as 23 other civs, and they might destroy me in an early war! But I was lucky. Every civ started with 1 tech, and my tech was Bronze Working, so my defenders were Phalanx, not Warriors. I found Horseback Riding in a hut, so I can build Horsemen to attack. (That was my only hut.) In my brief alliance with the Khmers, I gave Writing and got Ceremonial Burial, Masonry, Pottery. I can use Masonry to build City Walls. So I can defend myself in the early war, with Phalanx behind City Walls, and Horsemen to attack the invaders.
As Explorers wandered the continent, most civs came in contact. I never met the Portuguese, but I contacted all 22 other civs. There was a mess of treaties. I accepted treaties with cease-fires and armistices. I got 2 allies, the Khmers and the Incas. The Khmers wanted me to declare war on the Zulus, so I did cancel my peace treaty with the Zulus. Other civs did cancel treaties and declare war on me. The Khmers and the Incas quit my alliance and declared war on me. I lost all my treaties and became at war against 22 civs.
In 775 BCE (turn 69), I learned Republic and completed the world's first wonder, the Mausoleum of Mausolos. I revolved to Republic, then aimed for Mathematics (Catapult), then Map Making (Trireme), then Magnetism (Caravel). I was lucky again, as my Trireme located a pair of islands just west of my mainland. The Japanese were there but left some open land, so I crossed the strait and settled 2 more cities.
The screenshot shows my 6 cities in 180 CE (turn 109).
Rise and fall of the Persians
To my east, the Persians had a good start. They probably got a free city from a hut, perhaps as soon as turn 1, so they had 2 cities while other civs had 1 city each. They grew large and put many mines on hills. In 180 CE (turn 109), the Persians were 1st in settled area (59,000 sq mi) and 1st in production (60 M tons). The Persians had 12 allies, including the Austrians, Aztecs, Babylonians, Koreans, and Mayans. This was the only big alliance in the game.
The AI might lack skill at playing big alliances. This one went badly. Already in 180 CE, the Persians have 100% tax and no science. The Persians have just 10 techs: Alphabet, Bronze Working, Ceremonial Burial, Code of Laws, Horseback Riding, Literacy, Masonry, Mathematics, Pottery, Writing. Most other AI civs had the same 100% tax as the Persians, and their technology was about as bad. A few civs reached Monarchy; the rest were stuck under Despotism or Tribal government. Those governments have a penalty for good tiles.
The Persian alliance had mostly Archers, Chariots, Horsemen, Phalanx, and the rare Catapult. The hard AI can see through fog of war, so it can quickly send its units to attack enemy units with low defense. Whenever I deployed some Workers with no guard, the AI immediately sent units to kill my Workers. The Persian alliance produced the most units, and they had many units wandering across Persian territory, looking to attack someone. They found many targets in a war against other AIs along the Persian southeast border.
Those targets were almost never cities. A few civs had Pikemen; everyone else used large stacks of Phalanx or Warriors to defend their cities. Almost every city had City Walls. So the cities had high defense. Units attacked not cities. They attacked units outside cities. I suspect that civs built Archers and Horsemen to attack Workers, and then built Archers and Horsemen to attack other Archers and Horsemen. This turned into a stupid war where units died but only one city changed sides. This happened under fog of war, and I didn't know until I invaded Persian territory and saw the stupid war.
My war against Persians
The Persian alliance has one success in 1090 CE (turn 159), when I lost Denver. I had a small army. My 4 Phalanx from Denver were fortified outside the city. I only had a Catapult and a Diplomat behind City Walls. The all-seeing AI doesn't need a Diplomat or Spy to investigate a city; it knows when the defense is weak. So the Persians invaded. I moved to guard my Workers, but I neglected Denver. Mayans slew my Catapult. Babylonians slew my Diplomat and occupied Denver, creating a Babylonian exclave. This happened just one turn before I would have completed Leonardo's Workshop in Denver!
I defended my other 5 cities with more care. My Caravel searched for new lands to settle, but wasted much time crossing open water. In 1140 CE (turn 164), I settled Seattle on a distant island. In 1440 CE (turn 194), I learned Gunpowder. I checked my embassies. Persians had only 10 techs. Babylonians in Denver had only 6 techs. Austrians to my south had only 8 techs. Iroquois to my north had only 3 techs. These civs all stuck with 100% tax and no science. I revolved to Monarchy and attacked.
My Musketeers liberated Denver in 1646 CE (turn 229). I learned Metallurgy and built Cannons. I ended the Austrians in 1836 CE (turn 293). Then I attacked the Persian city of Raga. This battle was long and slow, because Persians moved many Phalanx into Raga. My Cannons attacked Persian Phalanx in Raga. My 8 elite Cannons fired, fortified, healed, then fired again. Aztec Diplomats bribed a few of my Musketeers. I slew the bribed units. I brought more Musketeers to surround Raga, in stacks to prevent more bribes. Raga fell in 1927 CE (turn 352). Meanwhile, in the war along the Persian southeast border, the Vikings took Pathraganda from the Persians. In that war, Pathraganda was the only city to change sides. After the fall of Raga, I conquered the rest of the Persian mainland, and took Pathraganda from the Vikings. Persians lost their mainland but survive elsewhere.
The situation in 2002 CE
I maintained 40% science, even as I took cities from the Austrians, Japanese, Iroquois, Mongols, Persians, Byzantines, Vikings, and Babylonians. I learned Railroad in 1966 CE (turn 391). I have 61 techs. I am the most advanced civ.
The Khmers are the only other civ with more than 0% science. They have 27 techs and are the 2nd most advanced civ.
The Aztecs have 100% tax, but they own Copernicus' Observatory and get a few bulbs from it. They have 26 techs and are the 3rd most advanced civ. Aztecs are 1st in Land Area and Settled Area. While I was conquering the mainland, Aztecs expanded to other islands. Aztecs also conquered some Russian cities. By 1941 CE (turn 366), Aztecs had stolen at least 3 techs from Russians. Then in 1942 CE (turn 367), Aztecs stole Leadership from Pirates, who had stolen it from me. Aztecs don't know Gunpowder and can't build Musketeers, but they use Leadership to build stacks of Dragoons. Russians have no allies. I might help Russians, but Russians don't want treaty with me. Russians don't take free techs from me.
The Persians are almost gone, so the Aztecs are my main rivals. Aztecs have Dragoons, but I have Cavalry, Alpine Troops, Marines, Artillery, Destroyers, while Aztecs have none of those. I recently passed Aztecs in both population and production. I'm too far ahead.