McMicha vs. Sun Tzu I

Really fantastic game, 2x2x king, 50x60, no bribes, no Steals, no gw, no lighthouse.

Sun gets pottery in a hut and this one off path tech forces sun towards monarchy while McMicha (very strong player) goes strait into Republic.

The pottery/monarchy start , while working out great for Sun in one way, enabling both HG and Sun Tzu's...

.... works out badly in the areas of getting to a celebration/growth Gov about 12 turns later, getting boats and serious exploration about 12 turns later... and getting a trade game established about 12 turns later Sun's path being Monarchy then Republic, then Feudalism. Let it be noted that Republic, while a fine government in 1x1x deity, is a vastly more sensational gov in 2x2x king. Most every city goes from size 3 to size 6 or 7 in 3-4 turns with no wonders or buildings.

McMicha by contrast with a 12 turn head start in these areas puts Sun into a defensive posture early, arriving in Sun's core with boats, horses (and Phalanx's!) before sun even completed Republic, capturing one core city before Sun could Rush 2 barracks and 4 vet Elephants before capturing it back.

McMicha meanwhile sets up a beautiful self-trade game from one continent to another... amazingly the separate lands able to be joined by a north pole road... to make a fast blitz to both Mikes and Magellans while Sun fumbles his way towards building a continent to continent self trade game of his own... yes, about 12 turns later .

McMicha then makes a frightening blitz to Magnetism and is building large numbers of 6 movement Frigates while Sun is still carefully keeping to the shores with Triremes

All the while, McMicha is keeping the pressure on Sun by capturing cities and always placing enough defenders so that Sun can only destroy the city and capture no badly needed techs .

Summary along the way:

2500bc:

McMicha 13 cities, 10 units, No Wonders, Republic.
Sun: 12 cities, 4 units, No Wonders, Monarchy.

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In 1100bc. McMicha now with an 80/18 canal city launches an attack and captures 2 of Sun's grassland cities with Catapults, supported also by Crusaders and Elephants. Let it hereby be known that it is tough to defend grassland cities against Catapults in double movement games

By 1100bc, we have the following summary:

McMicha 33 cities, 50 units, 167 tons, Mikes, Republic, thriving trade game.

Sun Tzu: 46 cities, also 50 units, 134 tons, HG, Suns, Republic, no trades as yet.

In 975bc, McMicha emerges with Magellans and is researching Physics. Sun, following McMicha's path since Mc can capture any tech Sun Gets is researching Monotheism.

In 725 bc, in a fearful year for the Chinese, McMicha completes Magnetism while Sun has yet to complete Navigation.

Sun, now with a thriving self trade game of his own and while trade values are still "pre-navi double", did however, make a sneaky little blitz to Theology and take Bachs, as well as the researching the iron working tech before choosing Navi .

Also in this time, Mcmicha picks up Pyramids and Sun builds Colossus in an off shore city which by no coincidence demands Hides

Let it be noted, that foreign trade is allowed, but for Sun it has been nearly impossible to reach this Navally dominent enemy.

So in 725bc we have the following summary:

McMicha 47cities, 108 units, 232 tons, Mikes, MAGELLANS WITH MAGNETISM, Pyramids. Republic, thriving trade game.

Sun Tzu: 57 cities, 130 units, 309 tons, HG, Suns, Colossus, Bachs Republic, flourishing trade game.

3 turns later, by 650bc, Sun has completed Navi, Physics, and Magnetism, in one turn each, nearly leveling the playing field in the sea after being completely dominated pretty much for the entire game.

Colossus, somewhere in this time loses it's hide demand forcing Sun to work a lot harder

In this year as well, McMmicha captures 113/17, an east coast grassland city, safely defending it with enough defenders to make it uncapturable and Sun destroys the city with catapult fire. McMicha also captures "Tsing" at Sun's other coast 80/4 as Sun prepares to recapture that city, partly utilizing Frigates in such a way as to pick up a tech, with the plan to command a diplomat to "investigate city" first. Neighboring Milan is housing 8 veteran attacking units, more than Sun can use against Tsing without destroying it.

McMicha with Bridge building and Construction is researching "The Wheel" in what is anticipated to be an exciting race to Leos then Statue. Sun with no techs that McMicha does not have is landing gold only trades while holding back on completing Construction.

Sun has yet to be able to exert pressure on McMicha, but now, soon with Frigates of his own is finally able to work towards that objective realistically.

By the end of the Chinese turn in 650 bc we have the following summary:

McMicha 51 cities, 114 units, 296 tons, Mikes, Magellans, Pyramids, Republic. 15 Frigates , 16 Settlers, 13 Caravans.

Sun Tzu: 60 cities, 154 units, 324 tons, HG, Suns, Colossus, Bachs, Republic. 0 Frigates, 20 Settlers, 48 Caravans .

In 600ad, Sun is ready with 4 frigates to assault "Tsing" in the hopes of capturing a tech. McMicha, meanwhile, has completed "The Wheel" and is researcing "Engineering". Sun Investigates the city, makes a plan, attacks the strongest units with catapults, then utilizes 4 Frigates to take the city down to one defender. Inside the city it shows the population as 2, but outside the city it shows as "1". Sun hopes the "2" is the correct number and kills the final unit with a Crusader. Is the city still there? No! A flaw in the plan was that a 5th Frigate, slightly weakened did not have the fortitude to make the 4th step and in the end didn't really know if the city was size two or size one.

So sun decides to complete Construction to keep closer in the race to Leos.

Sun with Super Wealth from landing countless demanded self-trades is able to out-rush McMicha in Frigate purchases, now with 29 Frigs to McMicha's 11. Should be enough rushed Frigates now to hold us over until something made of Iron (with "university" in a hut, probably a strait path to vettable Destroyers, skipping Iron Clads).

By the end of the Chinese turn in 600 bc we have the following summary:

McMicha 57 cities, 105 units, 314 tons, Mikes, Magellans, Pyramids, Republic. 11 Frigates, 13 Settlers, 7 Crusaders, 5 Catapults, 44 pikes + 12 phalanx's, 12Caravans.

Sun Tzu: 63 cities, 188 units, 344 tons 29 Frigates , 19 Settlers, 17 Crusaders and 6 Elephants, 5 Catapults, 98 Pikes, 44 Caravans .

In 550bc, McMicha completes Engineering and chooses Invention. Unable to capture, in the same year, Sun also completes Engineering and Chooses Invention. McMicha with fewer trade opportunities is unable to finish invention in one turn, while Sun with nearly unlimited trade opportunities is able to do so.

In 525bc, Sun completes Invention, Chooses Gunpowder and lays 400 shields into "Beijing". Respecting McMicha's extreme aggressiveness and resourcefulness, Sun Surrounds the city with units to ward off any attempts to sabotage... trusting that McMicha would do exactly what I would do given the chance .

So in 500bc, McMicha has 3 dips searching out Beijing to make the sabotage ... but finds a completely surrounded city. Believing it would now be impossible to emerge the victor, McMicha resigns.

Final Save, middle of McMicha's turn, 500bc.

McMicha: 59 cities, 132 units, 358 tons, 442 trade, Mikes, Magellans, Pyramids, Republic. 22 Frigates, 11 Settlers, 8 Crusaders, 7 Catapults, 63 pikes + 12 phalanx's, 4 dips, 14 Caravans.

Sun Tzu: 71 cities, 180 units, 374 tons, 785 trade, HG, Sun Tzu's, Colossus, Bachs, LEO'S with 400, 19 Frigates, 20 Settlers, 11 Crusaders + 4 Elephants, 4 Catapults, 109 Pikes, 48 Caravans .

congratulations allmighty suntzu

nice to see that you're playing games....

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