<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>I started out as the Japanese Monarch difficulty, set my Science to 10%, at the very bottom of a continent, everything was set to random, I was surrounded by ice, I moved my settler over a bit and built a costal city on grassland on turn 3. explored North, found the Russians which had an awesome starting location. I knew they would be a problem later so I built 3 cities close to their capital allowing me space to expand in between. Unfortuanetly, the Chinese and Russians got 7 or 8 cities in and around my civilization. Tokyo which was my largest city at the time joined Russia because of culture, it was located 2 squares South of their capital, it also had access to the only Horse supplies in the area.
Being Japanese with the religious bonus, I built a temple in each city, and libraries later, speed built in the ones with low production. Eventually built a Forbidden Palace in Osaka which was a high production city at the far end of my Empire. Culture brought in 4 cities, 2 Chinese and 2 Russian cities, which actually gave me dominance in my own land. Of course, all along the way I was buying tech from other civilizations.
It was late by the time I had the ability to build Marketplaces, when I got them I speed built them in every city with a population of 5 or more. Soon I traded for Chivalry and access to Samurai's, I built barracks in every city that didn't already have them, traded Iron to France in the far North West of the continent for horses, and began pumping out Samurai's. Russia soon after declared war on me for what seamed to be no reason, maybe I pissed them off too much by not trading with them and walking on their land all the time univited, or maybe it was the large army I was raising on the borders. I payed off Germany to declare then walled up my border cities ASAP, luckily the land between Russia and Japan was fairly mountainous, and I controlled all of it from the Eastern Coast all the way to China in the West. The battle was short, my Samurai's cut through the Russian army easily, they were mostly horsemen and ancient archers, some Pikemen, I guess Russia had Feudalism, I didn't, but I had Samurai's =)
Goldenage, I took advantage of the bonus and put everything into sciences, and rushed towards Military Tradition.
First thing I did was invade Tokyo and took it succesfully, walled it up, then moved back and took remaining Russian cities behind the mountains that they built on land that should have been my territory anyways, I had conquered 4 cities total. I attacked their capital, failed, but managed to kill 3 Pikemen units, took my Samurai's back to Tokyo to repair. I sent a force into the Eastern part of Russia and conquered 2 cities with a population of 12 each. India declares on Germany, they're screwed, they lose two border cities and the two cities they took from Russia in the North East.
I eventually take the capital which immedietly returns to them for cultural reasons, I attack again and take it easily, this time, permanently. With their main defensive force out of the way, I swept over the rest of Russia. Due to my government being republic, people began to become upset, and that cut a lot into my income to keep them happy. a new continent was discovered, and I traded the Germans some technology that I bought from the Indians for the map and contacts. I traded the Persians, who were now the most powerful in the game who also had the great library, resources for all their technology. I was close to learning Military Tradition when my Golden Age ended, and once learned, I switched everything back to income by taking sciences back down to 10% (so I can discover some things still).
I sent my Cavalry South to the Snow Plains (I had access to gunpowder) and killed off all the remaining Russian land units which were harrassing my smaller cities in that area. Built Caravels with new technology acquired from the Persians and sunk the Russian Fleet, Russians destroyed. BOOM Suddenly my income skyrockets as my people become happy again. I rush buy banks in all cities that can build them (at least 5, though some did shrink because of mass starvation towards the end of the war, damn republic government). My cities start growing in population and I surpass India and become the strongest nation on the Continent within 10 turns, though Persia is still larger after conquering the entire continent it was on from the smaller civs and also taking ahold of all the surrounding Islands except one. They are huge now, and I think I might deal with them next, I'll need the help of at least 4 or 5 other civs and a Navy of at least 25 Caravels. I ended the game as I changed to democracy, too much studying to do and that wasted three and a half hours at least =)
PS. I'm making about 280 Gold per turn, building Wall street right now, still have no armies, but about 7 or 8 Elite Samurai, too bad they're obsolete as anything other than a defender now that I have a strong force of Cavalry. My army is the strongest on the Continent, and I have 3 wonders, more than any other civilization, though one I captured from Russia. The year is 13xx and globaly technology is about 2/3rds through the Middle Ages, I know, I have all the technology of every other civ in the game, including the Persians who have the Great Library, well, until I capture it =)</div>
Being Japanese with the religious bonus, I built a temple in each city, and libraries later, speed built in the ones with low production. Eventually built a Forbidden Palace in Osaka which was a high production city at the far end of my Empire. Culture brought in 4 cities, 2 Chinese and 2 Russian cities, which actually gave me dominance in my own land. Of course, all along the way I was buying tech from other civilizations.
It was late by the time I had the ability to build Marketplaces, when I got them I speed built them in every city with a population of 5 or more. Soon I traded for Chivalry and access to Samurai's, I built barracks in every city that didn't already have them, traded Iron to France in the far North West of the continent for horses, and began pumping out Samurai's. Russia soon after declared war on me for what seamed to be no reason, maybe I pissed them off too much by not trading with them and walking on their land all the time univited, or maybe it was the large army I was raising on the borders. I payed off Germany to declare then walled up my border cities ASAP, luckily the land between Russia and Japan was fairly mountainous, and I controlled all of it from the Eastern Coast all the way to China in the West. The battle was short, my Samurai's cut through the Russian army easily, they were mostly horsemen and ancient archers, some Pikemen, I guess Russia had Feudalism, I didn't, but I had Samurai's =)
Goldenage, I took advantage of the bonus and put everything into sciences, and rushed towards Military Tradition.
First thing I did was invade Tokyo and took it succesfully, walled it up, then moved back and took remaining Russian cities behind the mountains that they built on land that should have been my territory anyways, I had conquered 4 cities total. I attacked their capital, failed, but managed to kill 3 Pikemen units, took my Samurai's back to Tokyo to repair. I sent a force into the Eastern part of Russia and conquered 2 cities with a population of 12 each. India declares on Germany, they're screwed, they lose two border cities and the two cities they took from Russia in the North East.
I eventually take the capital which immedietly returns to them for cultural reasons, I attack again and take it easily, this time, permanently. With their main defensive force out of the way, I swept over the rest of Russia. Due to my government being republic, people began to become upset, and that cut a lot into my income to keep them happy. a new continent was discovered, and I traded the Germans some technology that I bought from the Indians for the map and contacts. I traded the Persians, who were now the most powerful in the game who also had the great library, resources for all their technology. I was close to learning Military Tradition when my Golden Age ended, and once learned, I switched everything back to income by taking sciences back down to 10% (so I can discover some things still).
I sent my Cavalry South to the Snow Plains (I had access to gunpowder) and killed off all the remaining Russian land units which were harrassing my smaller cities in that area. Built Caravels with new technology acquired from the Persians and sunk the Russian Fleet, Russians destroyed. BOOM Suddenly my income skyrockets as my people become happy again. I rush buy banks in all cities that can build them (at least 5, though some did shrink because of mass starvation towards the end of the war, damn republic government). My cities start growing in population and I surpass India and become the strongest nation on the Continent within 10 turns, though Persia is still larger after conquering the entire continent it was on from the smaller civs and also taking ahold of all the surrounding Islands except one. They are huge now, and I think I might deal with them next, I'll need the help of at least 4 or 5 other civs and a Navy of at least 25 Caravels. I ended the game as I changed to democracy, too much studying to do and that wasted three and a half hours at least =)
PS. I'm making about 280 Gold per turn, building Wall street right now, still have no armies, but about 7 or 8 Elite Samurai, too bad they're obsolete as anything other than a defender now that I have a strong force of Cavalry. My army is the strongest on the Continent, and I have 3 wonders, more than any other civilization, though one I captured from Russia. The year is 13xx and globaly technology is about 2/3rds through the Middle Ages, I know, I have all the technology of every other civ in the game, including the Persians who have the Great Library, well, until I capture it =)</div>
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