I have to research Computers first, of course, to get the Research Labs going ASAP. That happens. Also, I'm not going to trade Computers around - the time of getting tech from the AIs is over, and I need to make sure they don't out-tech me in the final push for space.
Also, by my count, Germany and India haven't had their golden ages yet. This could get close. Germany lacks rubber, so won't be triggering one with a Panzer, but the Manhattan Project would be an instant GA for them...!
I had Solar Plants prebuilding for all the Research Labs. Space Flight up next. The Apollo Soyuz Program was prebuilt and completes in 1610. But some bad news:
Babylon finally ruins the global peace after two and a half entire ages. Then Greece and Germany join in against Babylon! And Egypt also declares on Greece. But all the wars last only about eight turns before everybody settles down. Otto the Nutcase did get rubber from somewhere, but ludicrously decided to make peace before triggering his Golden Age with a Panzer!
No further surprises. Athens builds SETI for whatever little boost it can give. (I would've liked to stack it with the other science wonders in Moscow, but the city just didn't have the shields to get it done soon.) The three big AIs all start the Manhattan Project in overpopulated low-shield cities. AIs did in fact research both Satellites and Fission before I got to them myself, further speeding my quest for space.
I lack Uranium for the Fuel Cells, but fortunately India has plenty to trade. (And fortunately they're stupid enough to trade it.)
Space Race Victory in 1770 AD.
Look how even and stable the world stayed for an incredibly long time on the power graph. And look at the jump in Germany's when I gifted them a dozen Industrial techs. Babylon apparently got the worst of the late wars; I hadn't even been paying attention to them during the game.
This was a fairly fun game, except for the boring parts, and played right to my strengths as an economic player. I did even only have the 13 cities at the end of the game, but I think I'll still be very competitive for the fastest finish. Moscow getting the Colossus stacked with the science wonders created as much extra science as a fourteenth city would; and running those luxury grabs let me run 0% lux tax for the entire game and put every penny of my income towards research.
The theme was definitely a winner. And as I wrote, it kept running itself without me even trying to play out the theme. If you've read my other reports, you know that I do like to wage one or two well-timed, well-placed wars - I was dying to capture Heliopolis most of this entire game. But the little city-states kept running independently of each other, none willing to build military to contribute to the civ's overall effort, and so I never could until it was too late for another city to make any difference.
- T-hawk, 10/21/2002
