Here's my latest story for the APC archives:
I was in a game with disciplejim and 4 'others.' (Forgive me, I don't remember names all that well.) Jim ended up being on the other team. The settings were gig medit, default, reveal map. As usual for me and water maps, I chose Phoenician. I don't recall what my teammates chose. (I don't remember civs all that well either.)
When the game started, I was DEEP in the pocket at 9. I built my granary near berries and had a forest 5 or 6 tiles from my tc. That helped me get off to a good start. (Rare for me.) After a quick strat session with my teammates, we decided I would boom to ships and take the sea while my teammates would protect my flanks.
After a little while (Don't remember how long. The fact is, I just don't remember much of anything anymore.) I had tooled and had 4 docks pumping out fishing boats and scout ships. I started searching out the enemy fleet when my ally at 7:30 starts crying about being attacked by archers and stoners. Seems Jim was getting a little frisky with him. Of course, I'm ship booming and hadn't build any land units yet, so I tell him to run his peons towards the water where I can protect him while I plop down some stables and send help.I'm looking around, waiting for his villies to come under my protection umbrella when he asks for help again. I grab 4 camels and send them over while moving my scout ships around looking for something to shoot. "There!" Down one of the rivers I spotted Jim's barracks and archery just barely within range of my ships. I start attacking them and pretty soon the archers and slingers come back to fight my ships. Well, they weren't much trouble for my massed ships and soon I had made vulture food of his raiding party.
Again I hear my teammate cry for help. "Where is he attacking?" I ask. "He's got slingers and archers all over my continent" he replies. My camels are running all over the place looking for something to kill, but coming up empty. "And he's got buildings over on the other side" he messages. "Already took care of them" I say. I had to laugh a bit as this tool rush put so much fear into my teammate as to have him calling for help after the attack had been defeated. (He redeemed himself by rebuilding quickly and in the next game proved to be a competent player. By rookie standards anyway.)
I proceed to bronze and take control of the seas while my allies pressed forward on land. After destroying all enemy docks and ships, I placed my (now) triremes on the shallows to prevent the other team from aiding each other. Sure enough, Jim tried to retreat his villagers across there when my teammate ransacked his town. Jim resigned (defeated?) and his teammates soon shared the same fate.
For me, this game represented huge gains in my play. For the first time I was able to manage a large economy (~60? vils/fb) with some degree of effectiveness. Not entirely efficient, but enough that I was able to build what I wanted when I wanted it.
It was also a rare game in that a strategy was discussed at the beginning of the game. I don't know if Jim's team did, but knowing rookie games, I suspect they did not. In any event, having a team plan made a huge impact in the game's outcome imo.
I was also surprised at the ease with which I took control of the sea. It seems to me that if you can control the sea, you greatly increase your chances of winning the game. Isn't this true in expert games also?
disciplejim:
I was hoping to chat with you after the game but didn't get a chance to. By the sound of my teammate, you pulled of a pretty good tool attack. But I think you made a mistake bringing your attack party back to fight my ships. If you would have continued to attack my teammate rather than trying to protect your buildings, I think you could have defeated him.
[Note: I have attributed many actions in this post to disciplejim. To the best of my recollection, this post is accurate; however, in the heat of battle my already-poor memory becomes even worse. If I have misrepresented you in any way, you have my apologies and I ask that you correct me.]