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Post by James on Jun 21, 2012 19:40:45 GMT -5
You fuckers are going to get me to go out and buy Civ V... again. I assume Gods & Kings is a proper expansion that requires the original game. Not just a spin-off game like one of the games from Civ IV was.
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Post by JMDavis ((Silver)) on Jun 21, 2012 19:42:50 GMT -5
You fuckers are going to get me to go out and buy Civ V... again. I assume Gods & Kings is a proper expansion that requires the original game. Not just a spin-off game like one of the games from Civ IV was. Yessir.
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Post by Kaez on Jun 21, 2012 20:01:15 GMT -5
Graecia Consurgere4000 BC. Athens is founded in the dark heart of the jungle. The Athenians have long resided in the northern reaches of the Paraguay River basin. The canopy is thick with spices and lush, plentiful sources of food. Marshes pool around the streams and brooks and elephants trample along the wide plains that mark the river's southeastern edge. Athens is settled upon a hillside overlooking the great river. The jungle and the waters feed its people and the gems that fill the surrounding hills foster trade and growth. Though small Athenian villages flowed downstream and many of Athenian scouts explored the far expanses of their continent, very little was to be found. Resources are few and far between. South of Athens, there's little jungle and little food -- vast and mighty snow-capped mountains sprawl over long grasslands. The continent is long and narrow and exploration is safe: but no great settlements form. For a millennium, Athens, unique with its jungle and resources, seemed to be the heart of all human civilization in the world. Exploration to the north was hard. The jungle was thick -- the animals within it ferocious, the weather unrelenting, the insects vile. The rivers in the jungle are chaotic and winding. Land travel is slow and tiresome. In Athens, culture flourishes. The people grow and learn as a community and build great monuments and shrines. Explorers, far from home, continue the great journey north, searching for any signs of life beyond themselves. Following the rivers, the Athenians found a place where all of the waters seemed to collide -- fertile, ripe land, overflowing with the spoils of the water and the land. 'Genoa', the natives called it. Brutish, primitive people -- weak and worn, their spirits are frail and their customs are uncivilized. The Athenians make brief but friendly contact with the lesser people. They see for the first time I view of a northern sea. The wizened and elder explorers contemplate whether the land upon which their people find themselves is surrounded on all sides by water. The warriors speak of conquering Genoa-land. Of taking it for their own. In the years that follow, the Athenians explore the coasts to the east of Genoa, and the jungle that connects the coast to both the city-state and their home. On the edge of the eastern sea, the jungle gives way to sprawling hills that meet the ever-expanding water. On the coast are sheep, offering food and clothing, and gold, precious and malleable. The hills are filled with strong stone to be mined. Here, for the first time, the Athenian people settle a large encampment and the citizens of Athens make the long journey to its borders, seeking new opportunity and a view of the Great Waters: where the Athenian river-god makes his home. They call this new home 'Sparta', and they rush to rebuild the shrines and monuments of their home. Over the years, the Athenians began to learn more of the land in which they found themselves. The waters that flow through their rivers all reach out to meet the Great Waters -- which in turn encircle them to the east and the south, and expand beyond the mountains to the west. The waters wrap around Genoa, but in the northwest they're lost. The jungle grows too thick, there. No Athenian has made the journey that way and lived to report back. Those who took high positions in Sparta were the explorers and the warriors who led the conquest through the darkness. They are firm men with ideals of conquest and glory. Their sights are set on Genoa. They long to absorb the river basin into their own lands, and together to bring Athens, Sparta, and Genoa into something greater combined than any could be alone. These dreams seemed cut short. Pouring from the northwest came hordes of barbarians. They wielded axes and clubs and bows. They attacked at Genoa. They attacked at Sparta. They attacked at Athens. The Athenian warriors stomped out their camps just in time to find another being erected. The high hopes they held began to dwindle. The jungle seemed to be fighting back. But the masons and sculptors of Athens erected a temple: a sacred monument to the god of the waters. It ignited a fire in the people's hearts. Newfound energy burned in Athens. The barbarians from the jungle had begun to be stomped out. The hills were mined more efficiently. The grasslands were farmed and their resources tapped. The people learned to work bronze, gold, and stone. In the heart of Sparta, warriors were being bred like none seen before. To be continued...
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Post by James on Jun 21, 2012 20:37:32 GMT -5
And there goes $40 all because of Pete.
(I figured, I'll just buy Civ V first. Just to make sure it still runs okay on my laptop or the family's gaming PC. And then I'll get Gods and Kings.)
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Post by ASGetty ((Zovo)) on Jun 21, 2012 21:27:42 GMT -5
The Seige of Cusco: It took some doing, drained my resources and ran my happiness into the crapper; but I uprooted that Incan bastard this morning.
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Post by Kaez on Jun 21, 2012 21:30:38 GMT -5
And there goes $40 all because of Pete. (I figured, I'll just buy Civ V first. Just to make sure it still runs okay on my laptop or the family's gaming PC. And then I'll get Gods and Kings.) I can't fathom why you didn't enjoy it the first time. You're gonna' love it. The Seige of Cusco: It took some doing, drained my resources and ran my happiness into the crapper; but I uprooted that Incan bastard this morning. Your people are pissssed.
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Post by WJChesek ((Evern)) on Jun 21, 2012 22:27:43 GMT -5
So... Anyone know exactly what denouncing does? I can't seem to find anything concrete, just "I thinks" and "Maybe it" and other things.
I'm tired of being denounced by my neighbors every time I build a city within my area of influence, or go to war alongside a friend.
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Post by ASGetty ((Zovo)) on Jun 21, 2012 23:21:25 GMT -5
The Seige of Cusco: It took some doing, drained my resources and ran my happiness into the crapper; but I uprooted that Incan bastard this morning. Your people are pissssed. Pissed and broke. I've turned it around and where I left off the empire of Polynesia was healthier than ever before; but yeah, there were some unhappy folks for a while. I think at it's lowest it hit something like 27 Unhappy. But once I got my troops back home and re-garrisoned, finished the roads into the former Inca cities to establish trade, and used the extra income to build courthouses in the annexes, things turned around. I was really annoyed with the Incas though, by the end, I almost just razed it all to the ground and started over. Now I just gotta finished clearing out all that jungle and doing something useful with the place.
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Post by Kwan on Jun 22, 2012 4:15:22 GMT -5
Nuclear weapons are scarily powerful in Civ V, almost to the point of unrealism unless you're supposing that each "Nuclear Bomber" and "Nuclear Missile" unit actually represents several such weapons.
I started up a game as Germany in the Renaissance on the Skirmish map type, Tiny size, with three opponents. Siam had the misfortune of starting next to me and fell early on. Babylon and Japan decided they didn't like that and both independently declared war on me, but were ripped to pieces by the superior production capabilities of Berlin and Hamburg and some deadly efficient Cannons. So they backed off and made nice while I filled out my half of the map and cleared out the barbs.
Babylon eventually comes to me and asks if I want to get in a war with Japan, which I consent to since I've now the border half facing Babylon well fortified (if you put effort into the XP buildings you can churn out some scarily well-trained troops) with Infantry and Artillery. So I sent my Panzers out against Japan, got beat back, then came back stronger and with some Rocket Artillery riding shotgun, letting Babylon take the brunt of the casualties. I actually managed to steal Kyoto right out from under Nebbie's nose and grab Tokyo (sitting at the bottom of the map - the Skirmish type is flat so there's no wrap around) while I was it.
That proved to be his doom since while my tanks were adventuring in Nippon, I'd been busily building up an air force. While stationed in Munich they'd never be able to reach him, based on the other side of the map in former Japanese territory they could hit his entire civilization. The massive resource boon from taking Japan's lands and the Autocracy tree meant that I had essentially unlimited resources. By the time I was done, I had 8x Stealth Bombers (four for city bombing and four for tactical work, which had the Logistics promotion for two attacks per turn out of the gate), 8x Jet Fighters (same split for Interception and Air Sweep work), and 2x Nuclear Bombers and 2x Nuclear Missiles. Plus, thanks to the Pentagon and a golden age, I had everything upgraded to the latest standard, which meant my elite Panzerkorps was now riding in Modern Armor while everything else got upgraded to their modern mobile variants.
Suffice to say that on the opening turn of the war in the 2010's, I'd estimate Babylon lost 90% of their military capabilities. Those four nukes turned what would have been a slog against a technologically equal enemy into a cakewalk. Originally I only intended to nuke two cities (one of them was Japan's third city, Osaka, that went to them during the war) and another they'd just settled in the no-man's-land between us, where I could see most of their units. However, another city just north of Osaka proved to have another large chunk of units around it, and I could spaceship parts out in the field as well, so I dropped one on Babylon proper just to be safe.
Honestly, the actual effects on the city are not that impressive (although the nuke on Babylon was critical for destroying any and all progress towards their space ship, with the remaining free parts mopped up by Stealth Bombers and Attack Helicopters). Yeah, it destroys population and leaves a big scary fallout cloud, but it doesn't damage the defenses too much. The real thing it does is instant death to any units caught in the blast. Babylon had foolishly moved their entire air force into the city right next to my front line, which was turned into a crater by the nuclear missile I launched at it (literally - I've never seen a city just be outright razed by bombardment, but there you go).
The Giant Death Robots I built were basically just there for shits and giggles. Alongside some Mech Infantry they kept the remnants of the Babylonian military busy and seized the remaining cities in the borderlands (plus the westernmost of their core) while the Modern Armor knifed into Osaka and Babylon city. The while thing was over in about ten turns, if that.
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Post by Kaez on Jun 22, 2012 10:44:31 GMT -5
Graecia ConsurgereAfter further exploration into the thick jungle to the northwest, the Athenians discover yet another collection of unorganized tribes sitting atop ripe resources. These people are less civilized and more hostile than the Genoans, and the Athenians keep their distance -- for now. Further south, in the most fertile and rich area of the jungle, an outpost is set up -- the town is small, but it's fueled by vast supplies of food and serves as a strong foundation for expansion further into the northwest. Scouts and warriors continue to invest time and energy into seeking the far borders of the land -- and for once, they find signs that their home might not be an island, though vast mountains and cliffs prevent further ventures for now. Between Athens, Sparta, and the newfound outpost of Corinth, the Athenian people are growing in culture and identity. Generations have passed since Athens was the sole home of their people. Many Spartans live their whole lives without seeing or hearing from Athens. The people themselves are changing and taking new form. A Greek identity develops, fostered in their common religion and culture. The Spartans remain courageous and their leaders are hungry for Genoa's riches. They train soldiers unlike any Athenian warriors before them. The Spartan Hoplites are strategic, defensive, and vicious. And their eyes are set on Genoa. War breaks out. The Spartans cross the Genoan borders. The crude nation's archers do little but bounce away from the Hoplite shields. Athens takes another direction. Whilst Sparta wages war, Athens fosters culture, science, and religion. The Athenian Library is constructed, the center of all knowledge and wisdom of Greek people. The Greek people farm the plains and mine the hills. They trap and farm animals for food and labor, they delve into the riches of the earth and the rivers. They breed culture and science and expand their borders and populations. Temples and shrines are erected to their sacred water god. Holy riverside gardens dot the landscape and funeral rites are marked by sacredness and prayer. The spirits of the Athenians grow as their civilization grows and the great capital of all Greek people becomes a place of holiness and peace. The Spartans assault Genoa relentlessly. The city is surrounded on all sites by their unrivaled warrior caste. The rivers and the marshes provide some resistance, but the spirits of the Hoplites are unbreakable. The city is falling. The Spartans take Genoa for their own. They work to send in workers to begin tapping the resources of the land and water, and utilize courthouses and a strong military presence to keep the remaining Genoan citizens content and settled. The Genoan people dissolve into the Spartan culture and further serve to distinguish the Greek people as a wide and varied culture apart from their purely Athenian origins. Riches pour in from Genoa. The Greek people see money and glory hitherto unheard of. Civilization flourishes. The jungle is slowly conquered to make way for plantations and farmland. Greece enters a golden period, marked by exceptional growth and development on all fronts. Sparta's dry hills are tilled. Corinth's marshes are cleared. Genoa's rich resources are exploited. The blossoming spirituality of the Athenians grows further yet and a holy place like none other is constructed on the city's outskirts. A holy temple that marks the very heart of Hellenismos on Earth, it represents the physical incarnation of all of their beliefs. The faith and spirits of Athenians skyrockets. The Corinthians and the Spartans are fueled by Genoan funds. They create catapults and archers with which to face off against the last stand of non-Greek peoples on the continent. The Spartans wage war against Belgrade -- it's a long and bloody conflict, but the Spartan catapults are ruthless and the horsemen from the Spartan highlands rain hell upon the city at all fronts. Spartan Hoplites again make the heart of the force, and their phalanxes push into the city's walls. An unstoppable force meets a breakable object. Belgrade, like Genoa before it, falls to Spartan spears. The continent belongs to Greece. Seeking further conquests and riches, in the following years Sparta sends expeditions over water and through mountain passes to seek what land might reach beyond the northwestern tip of the continent. The barbarians they face here are unlike those their people have dealt with for centuries. They are stronger, more cultured -- unrivaled over the years, they have crown and developed nearly to the degree of the city-states which the Spartans fell. Nevertheless, the Hoplite explorers crush all those who oppose them. The land offers unbelievable beauty. Great expanses of desert and plains completely unlike the jungle home they've known. The land is dry and foreign and the land and animals within it are exotic and captivating. The natural beauty of the land is remarkable and the stories returned home from the explorations inspire awe and bewilderment in the hearts of the jungle-dwelling Greek people, furthering funds and interest in exploring the world outside of Greece. Beyond the desert, the Greek warriors encountered an even more unexpected sight than the great natural wonders: cities. Vast, sprawling civilization -- farmland and mines, towns and villages. The people here, they would come to learn, are called the Maya. They look differently and live differently. They are unlike the Greece in almost all ways, and yet they flourish and grow. They are not like the Genoa or Belgrade -- they are cultured and scientific, they are clever and strong. The Greece make friends with the Maya, despite their great differences. The Maya trade a portion of their people's riches for the sugar and gems of the Greek jungle -- and in doing so, a friendship is formed. The Greek and Mayan people open primitive embassies with one another, and in the coming years, a select few Mayans make the journey to Belgrade and even Corinth and learn of the Greek people. The friendship between these two cultures is odd and the differences between them remain distinct -- but for now, there is peace and trade between the two and both flourish. Athens is the holiest site in the known world and its borders expand farther than any other city's. Sparta's military might has been redirected toward exploration, and their lands have become fertile and farmed. Corinth -- once a mere exploration outpost -- has since become the very heart of Greece, bringing together all of the cities which surround it. The workers of Corinth are beginning to construct a road network through which trade and travel between the Greek cities can grow faster and safer -- and through which Corinth can reinforce its position as the core of Greek civilization. Genoa's riches are greater than ever imagined. Its gold funds the entire nation and fuels the trade with the Maya. Belgrade is small but growing rapidly: it's taken Corinth's role as the border town and serves as the stepping stone for exploration into the untamed north. To be continued...
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Post by WJChesek ((Evern)) on Jun 22, 2012 14:19:30 GMT -5
I want everyone to know that, in my head, Morgan Freeman narrates Kaez's posts.
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Post by J.O.N ((Dragonwing)) on Jun 22, 2012 16:07:37 GMT -5
I wish they didn't have dual UU's for Civs, I really prefer the longevity of UB's over them. I wish they gave some sort of special culture/faith building for the Byzantines.
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Post by ASGetty ((Zovo)) on Jun 22, 2012 16:35:27 GMT -5
Alright, so I'm having a hell of a time keeping Happiness up. Like, I thought I was doing good just keeping it in the positive numbers; but then that little list pops up that compares all the nations' happiness and I see everyone else on the map is in like the 30s and 40s, and I'm at the bottom with like... 7.
I build all the buildings that give happpiness, I keep my troops garrisoned, I've got a few religious benefits, etc. Is low happiness just a side effect of larger cities? I've noticed a number of other empires are significantly larger than mine, but their cities tend to be much smaller. Is that the key for keeping people happy?
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Post by J.O.N ((Dragonwing)) on Jun 22, 2012 16:42:57 GMT -5
Alright, so I'm having a hell of a time keeping Happiness up. Like, I thought I was doing good just keeping it in the positive numbers; but then that little list pops up that compares all the nations' happiness and I see everyone else on the map is in like the 30s and 40s, and I'm at the bottom with like... 7. I build all the buildings that give happpiness, I keep my troops garrisoned, I've got a few religious benefits, etc. Is low happiness just a side effect of larger cities? I've noticed a number of other empires are significantly larger than mine, but their cities tend to be much smaller. Is that the key for keeping people happy? I believe the AI gets a bonus to happiness. Just make sure you build happiness generating buildings and get your hands on as many different sorts of luxuries as possible. A happiness wonder also wouldn't hurt.
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Post by ASGetty ((Zovo)) on Jun 22, 2012 16:43:31 GMT -5
Alright, so I'm having a hell of a time keeping Happiness up. Like, I thought I was doing good just keeping it in the positive numbers; but then that little list pops up that compares all the nations' happiness and I see everyone else on the map is in like the 30s and 40s, and I'm at the bottom with like... 7. I build all the buildings that give happpiness, I keep my troops garrisoned, I've got a few religious benefits, etc. Is low happiness just a side effect of larger cities? I've noticed a number of other empires are significantly larger than mine, but their cities tend to be much smaller. Is that the key for keeping people happy? I believe the AI gets a bonus to happiness. That doesn't answer the question...
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