Farsan advertised for a "No Newbies Please" game and we were joined by Stooge_D_Cat, Hari_Smurf, Majetik_id, and one other (orange color). The three stooges allied in a huge continental standard victory game. The game started with D_Cat (phoeny) at 9, Farsan (Hittite) was at 5, and I (Egypt) was at 7. Majetik (Egypt) was at 4, Hari_Smurf (Hittite) was at 2 and Orange (Phoeny) was at 11.
I had a slow start as I was scouting for a good shore fish spot near wood. I had two spots with 2 fish but no wood near by. I also hadn't found my berries yet but I did find three dumbos by gold and stone. I gambled and pitted the elephants first. I needed my first 6 villagers to kill two dumbos and set the 7th to cutting wood. My bronze time didn't suffered too much (about 15 minutes) and I eventually found 4 berry patches in my general area. But for a continental map I was woefully short of fish.
Farsan reported early that Majetik was at 4, which was dangerously close to him---and to me as it would turn out. After bronzing and building a range to go with my stable Farsan reported that he was under attack and needed help. For once I actually had some military units to help him out. I arrived with about 3 camels and 3 or 4 CAs but I ran into a very large Egyptian Chariot archer force belonging to Majetik. Farsan was putting up a good fight and I fell in and eventually helped repel the attack. Unfortunately Majetik quickly reloaded and came again with another huge force of CAs.
Majetik bronzed about 2 minutes before me. He definitely set the tone for the first half of the game for Farsan and I as he sent wave after wave of CAs at us. I had walled off access to my base from the middle of the map but Majetik was coming through Farsan's town. He attacked me killing some wood cutters and sending my villagers in to a panic. I was spending precious resources just trying to fight him off and survive. I mined more stone and began walling off between Farsan's town and me. I left an opening where Farsan had wood cutters near the water. It gave Majetik access but It also funneled his attack which made defense slightly easier.
During this time orange resigned. He had been killed off by D-Cat. D_Cat, who was in iron was now attack Hari_Smurf who was also already iron. Farsan and I were no where near ironing since Majetik had taken the early advantage and was keeping constant pressure in us. The only positive to this was that Majetik had not ironed yet either. I realized that staying hemmed in to my original spot was asking for a slow gradual death. I sent a few villagers to 10 where I found a great spot for boat fishing. I built a dock, started boat fishing, and built a TC near wood. Back at my home base the fighting had eased up and I was farming like crazy trying to get to iron. My new colony was growing and I started building stables to prepare for War elephants and Scyth Chariots as D-Cat continued to spar wit Hari_Smurf from his forward base at 11.
I made iron and started training war elephants at home and my new base. The map was literally covered with chariots so I didn't even bother with offensive priests. I trained my first batch of war elephants and Scyths at 10 and headed toward Hari_Smurf to test the waters. I was meet with heavy fire from the numerous balista towers that Hari_Smurf was dotting the top half of the map with. Fighting continued sporadically at and near my home base as Majetik now came at Farsan and I with scyth chariots. He did significant damage to me more than once but fortunately never finished me off. The fighting near the top of the map was hot and heavy. Hari_Smurf's cats and horse archers followed by balista towers were creating havoc and we waited for Farsan so arrive with his Hittite cats to help clear out those towers.
At one point Hari_Smurf chatted to us to quit toying with them and go ahead and finish it. This was particularly humorous to me because I assumed that he and Majetik were toying with us. At about the 1:45 time frame Hari_Smurf and Majetik decided to build a wonder. We discussed building a wonder also and intended to, but once the enormous effort of destroying their wonder began we never even started it. Hari_Smurf and Majestic placed their wonder in a position with a maze of military buildings standing between them and our positions at 10 and 11. The had fortification surrounding the wonder just out of reach of a Hittite heavy cat. We made a head-long attack running and banging through an hellish defense of ballista towers, hittite heavy cats, horse archers, scyth chariots, and priest. In the first attack I actually managed to get through and bust through the last wall just as the last of my units were killed. We reloaded. This time D-Cat and Farsan transported in to the less defended northeastern shore and busted through the wall with hittite heavy cats and scyth chariots. I was making another head-first rush through the maze with war elephants and Scyths. D-Cat's scyths got through and started pounding on the wonder. Hari_Smurf opened the wall and sent in horse arhcers and villagers to kill and repair. D-Cats last Scyth was destroyed just before he could destoy the wonder. I took advantage of the opening that Hari_Smurf created and managed to get a few badly damaged scyth chariots and a few dumbos to the wonder in time to bring it down with just a few whacks. The final battles to get to the wonder were absolutely incredible. When I saw D-Cat's attack stopped just seconds before destroying the wonder my heart dropped, but then I saw what was left of my force make it through the small opening I was just as elated. What a great game. No doubt, if orange had survived, it probably would have ended differently. If Hari_Smurf had been able to join Majestic in his early attacks on Farsan and I, we probably would not have survived. But such are the fortunes of war. Thanks for a great game Jehu