Revolutionary Achievements
I am not normally one for achievement play, but occasionally I play a game enough that having some unusual goals to achieve is nice. Civilization Revolution is one such game, and it includes some pretty unusual challenges: Win with a single city, win by 1000 AD, win without changing governments.
So, last night, I set out to win the game with a single city. Planning my approach, I thought that the easiest way to achieve this would be an economic victory, which involves saving 20,000 gold and then building the World Bank. Plus, as you hit certain economic milestones, the game gives you the techs and tools you need to guild faster - this seemed like a good route. Water produces the most trade, but produces no food, so I thought I'd play as the Japanese and build near as much water as possible: With +1 bonus food from water tiles (a bonus for playing as the Japanese) as I could grow a large city while I generated income; A large population is flexible, able to work tiles (and generate trade and food), or I could re-task them as specialists in my city to get production at the end of the game. I founded my city on a narrow strip of grassland in the distant north of the map.
I just barely won - I was behind on techs throughout the whole game, though I purchased what I would use from my opponents. Mostly defensive techs, though I was never able to get access to gunpowder Between the purchased techs and my city's high economic output, I was able to purchase what defences I needed for most of the game, but eventually the Germans discovered advanced flight, and my pikemen were no match for a wing of bombers. My defences were wiped out to a man, and there was a rifleman literally at my gates on the turn I finished the World Bank... So that was fun and exciting! Economic victory in 1987.
Oddly: My citizens were able to build the World Bank, but never learned about literacy, reading, or mathematics. An oddity of the abuse of the game system, and one which reminded me of a time that I discovered scrolls of ancient wisdom containing the secrets of nuclear power in Civilization II.
I also tried to take on the "win by 1000 AD" challenge, playing as Saladin (so you get the Fundamentalism government for free, which gives +1 to attack to all units - a critical early edge!), and I figured that fast-moving, hard hitting horsemen units would be key here: Get out there quickly, before they can build up their defences, and strike!
Normally, it's pretty difficult to overcome defending archers in cities before you get catapults (it's just the way defences stack), but I thought this combination might do the trick, and indeed neither the Egyptians nor the Romans could stand against the might of my mighty horsemen armies. Unfortunately, the gorram English showed up in the game, and their special longbowmen units get +1 defence, cancelling out my advantage, and even thwarting my catapults for a while. As their defences built up, the situation required that I deploy spies, naval support, and eventually a great general to win the day... pushing my victory back to the 1400s, and losing me the achievement. Gorram English longbowmen!
I love that I can win two games of that in a single sitting. It's a shame that the game didn't get more buzz (or didn't in my circles, at least) but sometimes it seems like my favourite games often don't.
So, last night, I set out to win the game with a single city. Planning my approach, I thought that the easiest way to achieve this would be an economic victory, which involves saving 20,000 gold and then building the World Bank. Plus, as you hit certain economic milestones, the game gives you the techs and tools you need to guild faster - this seemed like a good route. Water produces the most trade, but produces no food, so I thought I'd play as the Japanese and build near as much water as possible: With +1 bonus food from water tiles (a bonus for playing as the Japanese) as I could grow a large city while I generated income; A large population is flexible, able to work tiles (and generate trade and food), or I could re-task them as specialists in my city to get production at the end of the game. I founded my city on a narrow strip of grassland in the distant north of the map.
I just barely won - I was behind on techs throughout the whole game, though I purchased what I would use from my opponents. Mostly defensive techs, though I was never able to get access to gunpowder Between the purchased techs and my city's high economic output, I was able to purchase what defences I needed for most of the game, but eventually the Germans discovered advanced flight, and my pikemen were no match for a wing of bombers. My defences were wiped out to a man, and there was a rifleman literally at my gates on the turn I finished the World Bank... So that was fun and exciting! Economic victory in 1987.
Oddly: My citizens were able to build the World Bank, but never learned about literacy, reading, or mathematics. An oddity of the abuse of the game system, and one which reminded me of a time that I discovered scrolls of ancient wisdom containing the secrets of nuclear power in Civilization II.
I also tried to take on the "win by 1000 AD" challenge, playing as Saladin (so you get the Fundamentalism government for free, which gives +1 to attack to all units - a critical early edge!), and I figured that fast-moving, hard hitting horsemen units would be key here: Get out there quickly, before they can build up their defences, and strike!
Normally, it's pretty difficult to overcome defending archers in cities before you get catapults (it's just the way defences stack), but I thought this combination might do the trick, and indeed neither the Egyptians nor the Romans could stand against the might of my mighty horsemen armies. Unfortunately, the gorram English showed up in the game, and their special longbowmen units get +1 defence, cancelling out my advantage, and even thwarting my catapults for a while. As their defences built up, the situation required that I deploy spies, naval support, and eventually a great general to win the day... pushing my victory back to the 1400s, and losing me the achievement. Gorram English longbowmen!
I love that I can win two games of that in a single sitting. It's a shame that the game didn't get more buzz (or didn't in my circles, at least) but sometimes it seems like my favourite games often don't.