Through the Ages

DennisS · April 07, 2018, 02:34:37 PM

Quote from: Geezer on April 07, 2018, 05:30:28 AM
Keep a close eye on the card deck in the upper right corner so you will have a good idea when an Age is about to end.

This is also good to watch, to see whether you want to upgrade to Iron/Irrigation, or the next level up.

FarAway Sooner · April 07, 2018, 05:31:39 PM

Yeah. I remembered that as soon as it told me I no longer had enough resources to finish the Eiffel Tower! ;D

DennisS · April 07, 2018, 10:39:44 PM

Quote from: FarAway Sooner on April 07, 2018, 05:31:39 PM
Yeah. I remembered that as soon as it told me I no longer had enough resources to finish the Eiffel Tower! ;D

It helps to have a plan for the last two turns. I look hard at what big-ticket items I can finish, like Hollywood, or Fast Food Chain.

I am getting a little better..still play only with three opponents, but all on the easiest setting.

FarAway Sooner · April 11, 2018, 01:25:54 AM

OK, after one defeat and three resignations, I won my first game! I jumped out on top of him with Food Technologies and never let him off the mat. I got lucky that I got a jump on him technologically and then militarily, and he never recovered.

Somehow, I only beat him 185-153. It sure felt like I was crushing him, but I guess not! This is a really good game. Very well balanced and seemingly very deep. This was, of course, against a Training AI. I'm not yet planning turns ahead in this game. I suspect that's the next layer of the onion to peel!

DennisS · April 11, 2018, 08:45:07 AM

Quote from: FarAway Sooner on April 11, 2018, 01:25:54 AM
OK, after one defeat and three resignations, I won my first game! I jumped out on top of him with Food Technologies and never let him off the mat. I got lucky that I got a jump on him technologically and then militarily, and he never recovered.

Somehow, I only beat him 185-153. It sure felt like I was crushing him, but I guess not! This is a really good game. Very well balanced and seemingly very deep. This was, of course, against a Training AI. I'm not yet planning turns ahead in this game. I suspect that's the next layer of the onion to peel!

Outstanding! Try with two opponents next. It took me about ten games to "get it." Knowing what cards to select is the biggest challenge, as well as to see what the combo plays work best.

Geezer · April 11, 2018, 10:04:33 AM

Quote from: FarAway Sooner on April 11, 2018, 01:25:54 AM
OK, after one defeat and three resignations, I won my first game! ...

Congrats! :clap: I've been sidetracked by Factorio but plan to continue with this one again soon.

DennisS · April 12, 2018, 11:27:55 AM

Quote from: Geezer on April 11, 2018, 10:04:33 AM
Quote from: FarAway Sooner on April 11, 2018, 01:25:54 AM
OK, after one defeat and three resignations, I won my first game! ...

Congrats! :clap: I've been sidetracked by Factorio but plan to continue with this one again soon.

*sigh* Factorio. I don't have the attention span to learn factorio thoroughly. I wish I did. I also wish I could devote six hour a day for three months to master Fortnite. Too many games...not enough hours in the day.

Bardolph · April 15, 2018, 01:00:53 AM

Won a game after one false start that I quit about 4 turns in when I realized I should have played the tutorial. ;D

DennisS · April 15, 2018, 12:22:25 PM

Quote from: Bardolph on April 15, 2018, 01:00:53 AM
Won a game after one false start that I quit about 4 turns in when I realized I should have played the tutorial. ;D

My tutorials were about every youtube video I could find!

Bardolph · April 15, 2018, 03:30:42 PM

I tried to watch one video (one of Quill's I think) before I bought the game to see if I would like it but it was way past my bedtime and my eyes glazed over about a minute in lol.

The AI seemed to make a couple odd decisions in my game, and destroyed several buildings at what seemed odd moments but it was closer at the end than I was expecting. Mid game I had a sizable lead in Culture but ended up winning by maybe 30 points.

Was definitely a brain burner.

DennisS · April 15, 2018, 05:30:54 PM

Quote from: Bardolph on April 15, 2018, 03:30:42 PM
I tried to watch one video (one of Quill's I think) before I bought the game to see if I would like it but it was way past my bedtime and my eyes glazed over about a minute in lol.

The AI seemed to make a couple odd decisions in my game, and destroyed several buildings at what seemed odd moments but it was closer at the end than I was expecting. Mid game I had a sizable lead in Culture but ended up winning by maybe 30 points.

Was definitely a brain burner.

OK..there are times when getting more population is difficult. You don't have the food, or if you DO get another population point, you may not be able to keep them happy.

So..when you want to upgrade a building, frequently it is completely reasonable to use an action point to delete a one-science building, to build a two-science building..or iron mine, or any number of other buildings. Counter-intuitive, but effective. Addition by subtraction when food is in short supply.

FarAway Sooner · April 16, 2018, 12:19:24 PM

Yeah. Unless you have a leader who gives you a food bonus, the 2-player game is brutally hard if you don 't get Irrigation (to give you L2 farms). I hosed my AI opponent by taking both Irrigation cards off the board and he never really recovered from a population standpoint.

Of course, I had to burn some Civilization points to do that, but since I had already built the pyramids and grabbed Theology early, I had some early-game Civ points to burn. Figuring out how to play offensively in the card game, versus just picking what you need, is clearly a whole different dimension in this game.

I can see why this is rated as the #3 game of all time on Board Game Geek. The mechanics aren't too complicated, but the combinations and permutations call for a really delicate balancing act between all the different resources (food, resources, technology, culture, happiness, civ points, war points, size of your military, etc.).

RedArgo · April 16, 2018, 12:42:20 PM

Played the tutorial and my first couple games against a single easy AI. Ran out of food and had no military and got stomped the first game, had lots of food and big military the second game and won easily.

I have Nations the board game and this seems very similar to that.

Can't really comment on the AI since I don't know what I'm doing yet, but the UI is easy to use and the game seems fun, so for $10 it was a great buy. :bd:

DennisS · April 16, 2018, 01:44:51 PM

Quote from: RedArgo on April 16, 2018, 12:42:20 PM
Played the tutorial and my first couple games against a single easy AI. Ran out of food and had no military and got stomped the first game, had lots of food and big military the second game and won easily.

I have Nations the board game and this seems very similar to that.

Can't really comment on the AI since I don't know what I'm doing yet, but the UI is easy to use and the game seems fun, so for $10 it was a great buy. :bd:

Against just one opponent, I found that an early, strong military was unbeatable. Winning the first war gives you a nice advantage, winning the second just cripples the only opponent, especially if he has to destroy buildings, or lose resources to you..a nice double benefit.