Ah, there I am, between two huts. Knock over one, it's Ancient Wisdom. Knock over another and there's a friendly charioteer. So I build a city at a point where there's a whale and a fish, with hills to be mined, and send the charioteer running around to explore the area. By the time I've built my second city, at another Whale-and-Fish, the situation is clear. I am on an island, possibly room for six cities if I squeeze tightly!

I have a feeling I'm either going to be a Major Maritime Power, or a complete dud.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this seems to be the scenario for a Giant Island Stronghold, producing all the necessary military might to keep me alive, with trading fleets braving the vast seas and bringing back riches from foreign shores. Throw in some judicious colonizing, and I could well make my cherished trip to the stars very early.

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-GeoDan, Apolyton Geography Expert
AKA GeoDude

quote: Originally posted by Geography Dan on 05-22-2000 12:09 AM You need map making, harbors, and the colossus. And quickly!!

Mapmaking is always one of my first priorities, and harbours comes in well up on the list as well. Actually, I prefer the lighthouse, so I don't just have to follow coastlines.

As the game went on, last night and into this morning, Ifound myself in the very early AD years with gunpowder and Leos, meaning everybody was quickly musketeers.

I've been doing my best to make friends with people, while still keeping my tech level above theirs. I'm still annoyed at the Balheri! One turn after we signed a peace treaty which was to last until the stars fell from the sky and the rivers ceased to flow, they launched a sneak attack.

Fortunately for me they launched it against a charioteer fortified on a hill protecting a mine for me.

As I look around the map, I see I'm likely to have trouble with the Spanish, who have been taking over the Southwest part of the world.

However, as a man of peace and a growing army of musketeers, I think I can manage.

Any further hints would be welcome.

quote: Originally posted by SilverDragon on 05-22-2000 04:18 PM [QUOTE]Originally posted by Jim W on 05-22-2000 03:08 PM a charioteer fortified on a hill protecting a mine for me.

Force of circumstance. The Balheri had two big cities, plus a fortification, in the immediate vicinity. After my charioteer got done discovering that and getting back to my colony, I had a mine under construction right next to the enemy fortification. I could see trouble coming, but I didn't have a phalanx to guard the mine, unless I took the one out of the city. So the charioteer ended up in the fort.

But in the normal course of things, you are quite correct. Chariots are for running around, phalanxes are for static dfefence.

To do this, I gave away some techs I would rather not have done, but I had the Balheri on my side for all of two turns, then the UN forced them out of the war.

At this point, there was a terrific exchange of techs, and then everybody was headed for space. Now, I had a little head start with Apollo, so I got Apollo, and with the SETI program, I had a Research Station in every city. Unfortunately, the Spanish have somewhere around twice the Units I have.

To get at my home base, though, they have to either cross a heck of an ocean, or go through the Balheri. This also means that I have a similar problem.

I've been producing cruise missiles in two cities every two turns, and making little nicks in the Spanish forces.

Unfortunately, we're all in the Space Race together, and I have only about four cities producing SS Structural and Components. The Spanish have about six doing the same, and the Baheri, I think, have about four.

So far, the Spanish have only been producing Structural, me and the Balheri are producing mixes of the two, and I'm trying to hinder the Spanish military as much as possible.

I doubt that the Spanish can conquer me, though they just might launch their sdhip before me if they can get it through their artificially intelligent heads that they need more than Structure.

Have I learned anything? Yeah, like don't let anybody get too far ahead of you in military units, even if you are too darn peaceful for your own good!