Somehow, I am back to playing Civilizations V again.
After playing it for more than 500 hours before, it looks like I am going to play it for 500 more. With increasing work responsibilities, culminating in a near 45 days 12 hours shifts (with no weekends) starting December 5, I realized I will have little free time for my regular video games. Instead, Civ V made a lot of sense, to play a little before I go to sleep in preparation for another busy day.
Mostly, it is the fact that each new game is its own emerging story, something that is familiar but unique every other time.
The Aztecs, increasing their science output from the jungles they call home, but going to war at the slightest provocation to feed their bloody need for human sacrifices. Napoleon’s France was a relatively good neighbor at first, but their continued expansion started to irk Montezuma who warned them against further settlements. As such, when new French settlers were sighted, the Aztec’s declared war, and French musketeers were driven to the sacrificial table by promoted Jaguar warriors who were looking more for a long drawn war rather than a quick victory. From that point, the Aztec’s became just warriors, attacking warmongering civilizations and defending the weak. Ostensibly, that was less to do with justice, and more to do with feeding more people to the Aztec gods. With most of the Jaguar army in such adventure in another continent, the Venetians, old allies of the extinct French, attacked the Aztec’s lands in full force. Only with intelligent, and very opportune, use of social policies and gold did Montezuma manage to quickly raise an army to protect the homeland.
Best of all, the Venetians came to the sacrificial table in their own two feet.
He frowns like a lord
In an earlier game with the Aztecs, Montezuma was between the Ottomans and the Shoshone. Early in the game, it was obvious that conflict was imminent, and so the Aztecs allied with the Shoshone to protect their rear while moving their army north to meet an advancing Ottoman army. When war seemed most likely, the treacherous Shoshone showed their true colors and attacked the Aztec’s undefended cities. Having supplied Iron to the Aztec’s, they now had them at their mercy.
Montezuma found no glory in that game.
Sometimes, the game accidentally follows history in a surprising way. Like in a game with America and Washington, where the first civilization that I conquered happened to be the Iroquois, whose cities were dismantled, and their remnants surviving in an enclave trapped by the Americans.
One interesting part of these emerging stories is that they wouldn’t necessarily organically emerge if you are playing at a very high level. On Emperor and even Immortal, you can afford to make small mistakes or deviate from the optimal path. That’s why games change every now and then. However, on Deity, there is really an optimal path that you just get killed if you don’t use it.
I am not going to leave Civ V now until I finish the game with each of the game’s 43 civilizations.
I hope America is in my Iroquois game so that I can get some vengeance.
Never again Pocatello, never again
S- In celebration of his 30th birthday, Adam P is going to review 30 little-known games throughout the month of December, wish him luck in completing that quest, which I am covering this week from entry 18 to entry 24:
They feast on blood
To dominate, or be dominated
T- I guess Kirbykrumper1 really liked this one moment in Red Dead Redemption 2.
?- I really have no idea what Greygore's blog is about.
Here's GHANDI
Last week, we managed to get 20 blogs, which is a good rate.
Starting this week, I will be working 12-hour shifts with no weekends, so I won't be having too much free time, which is why I won't be able to recap for a month or so. Keep on gaming and stuff.
Next week, you will get another Weekly Recap, covering the days from 11/25 to 12/1. So keep reading and writing these blogs.
Be Lucky
Blog Count: 20
Last Posted Recap (11/11 to 11/18)