Part 97: The Deconstruction of Falling Stars

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Welcome back to the Civilization Battle Royale part 97! We’re nearing the 100 episode mark, and the competition is fiercer than ever. Here we have some wishful thinking for Mongolia’s future, courtesy of /u/GRG904. Someday, just maybe, Genghis will have his day.

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Here’s /u/Spherical_Melon’s city map, impressive as always.

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And the tile-accurate map as well, provided by /u/DerErlekonig. Spot your favorite bordergore! Mine’s the Swedish tiles south of Gaza.

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As for the Power Rankings, Kruger retains his iron grip on the #1 position. It would take a lot of surprises for him to lose this position anytime soon.

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We open today with a shot of the Siberian/Swedish war front, where Sibir has claimed Antioch on the Black Sea while Sweden has flipped Moscow. This front is full of city flips, but Sibir definitely has the upper hand at the moment. The Swedish military looks pretty thin on the ground.

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Here’s the Indus River valley, the current front in the Boer/Vietnam war. Eagle-eyed viewers pointed out last part what is highlighted in this slide: the destruction of Lashkar Gar, joining the list of cities in this area nuked off the map (see also: Tarsus, Susa, Herat, and Isfahhan). Vietnamese forces have assembled near Mazar-i-Sharif, wary of the Boer reinforcements en route from Gordium.

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On the other Vietnamese war front, against Australia, things haven’t changed much. Aussie forces have Thi Li Bi Nai at the moment, but most coastal cities down here are flipping regularly. Incense is banned at the UN, over Boer objections. Meanwhile, this part of the Pacific is relatively quiet, with most of Australia’s units having been sent to the front. Also visible is Crowfoot making good decisions and building naval melee units, with 2 on this slide compared to Australia’s 0.

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Meanwhile, this part of the Pacific is relatively quiet, with most of Australia’s units having been sent to the front. Also visible is Crowfoot making good decisions and building naval melee units, with 2 on this slide compared to Australia’s 0.

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Australia’s Chinese beachhead has a serious supply of units, primarily Biodrones. Cities on both sides of this war are frequently bombed into the black, making city flips a constant inevitability.

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What was a war front a few parts back between Vietnam and Sibir is now relatively quiet, besides the radioactivity on the mountaintops. Apparently the major powers are feeling merciful these days and are letting badly out-of-date Armenian units leak into their territory.

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Sibir’s busy elsewhere, flipping Nicaea, at the edge of eastern Europe’s citadel pile-up. It’ll definitely flip back, but the technological discrepancy between the combatants is on full display here. Sweden’s only able to supply Organic Infantry at best, with even weaker Mutants filling in the gaps. Sibir, on the other hand, is sending mostly Robot Infantry and BioTroopers, which are endgame units.

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On the other end of the front, Jyvaskyla North and Stalingrad seem secure as Kuchum’s troops aim for Linkoping.

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Tampere falls, as Sibir pushes further and further. Note the horde of Siberian workers trailing behind the front, cleaning up pillaged improvements. Evidently Kuchum wants these cities online and productive ASAP.

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Vietnam is struggling on their main front against Australia, but that doesn’t mean the Trung Sisters can’t still hit Parkes where it hurts. Their Indian Ocean navy has let them nuke the Australian cities of Mowanjum and Kadjina, which is mostly symbolic. Notably, the outback looks much thinner on units than it has in a long time, showing the toll their war of attrition is taking on them.

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That Vietnamese army group that massed near Mazar-i-Sharif has failed to hold the city, and is instead trying to stall the Boers along the Indus, near the ruins of Lashkar Gar. Sri Lanka continues to exist.

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Here’s a view of the nearly-empty core of Sweden. Those Cybersubs won’t help you defend against a land invasion, Gustavus. (Bonus: spot the Inuit unit!)

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A rare shot of Iceland’s home island reveals the influence of Big Carrier on the nation’s navy. At least there’s a couple of Advanced Destroyers, but not many. Still, this North Atlantic Garbage Patch makes the idea of anyone reaching Reykjavik infeasible.

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Apparently Pedro has decided to take Carnival on tour this year, as Brazilian units overflow into Icelandic and Boer-held Iberia. But it’s not just Europe…

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In fact, the Brazilian military has spilled well into orange Africa, as far as Old Kongo. It’s not just a handful of units, either, but a rather substantial force.

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Our spies have given us a report about the pirate haven of Port-au-Prince, apparently attempting to build a hotel and rebrand itself as a resort for Inuit and Blackfoot tourists. The reviews, however, are less than impressive. “The whole place stinks of rum,” wrote one disappointed visitor.

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Kandahar, on the other hand, has been flipped between Vietnam and the Boers down to 3 population. The few survivors are apparently trying to set up a marketplace in the basement of the damaged Kremlin.

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The Brazilian carpet in its natural habitat, demonstrating that South America is indeed 100% full, hence the overflow overseas. While the number of units is somewhat inflated by out-of-date paratroopers, there’s also substantial numbers of endgame-tier units here. Clearly Pedro wants to be taken seriously as a military power.

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The Buccs are hard at work trying to carpet to match, although the shortage of land tiles in the Caribbean means their carpet is mostly naval. Though there’s still more carriers than are useful, Morgan’s diversified his navy at least a little bit. Those poor settlers aren’t likely to find anywhere to settle, though.

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The Brazilian carpet’s not just leaking to the Old World, but also to Inuit North America. The Inuit are apparently struggling to make room for their own units, contending with overflow from both Brazil and the Blackfoot. It’s so crowded that Brazil’s leaking troops as far north as the Hudson Bay.

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Icelandic-occupied Germany looks pretty barren. Ingolfur ought to be careful not to let his capital-filled territory become an easy target.

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Boer North Africa is full of optimized tiles, but it’s nearly empty of units, other than workers in Old Carthage and Brazilian vacationers.

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Vietnam flips Tianjin, although it’s not likely to last. Every city here looks liable to be flipped a few dozen more times.

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This Vietnamese fleet won’t be able to do much but harass the ex-Kimberley homeland, but the sentiment is there. Rubibi, once Jandamarra’s capital, appears to have taken a nuke.

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Kaneohe: beautiful, serene, and peaceful. If you can handle the crowds, it’s a lovely vacation spot. Kamehameha would rather stay out of the spotlight for his own safety, so let’s move on to the next slide.

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And this slide, as it turns out, is the stuff of nightmares for Vietnam fans: Hanoi’s in the red, with embarked Aussie melee units in range. Also, despite the heavy bombing runs and bordergore, the city still has population of 46, which is close to the world’s largest at the moment.

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The Vietnamese troops in the Indus valley have fallen back to Gaur. Kandahar is barely being defended, and the flow of Boer troops shows no sign of slowing down.

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Nicaea’s Swedish at the moment, but Siberian reinforcements are coming through Gothenburg to flip it. Vaasa also looks quite vulnerable.

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Up to the north, it seems Gustavus has thrown every possible unit at the Tampere/Linkoping front as possible. It seems to be holding the line, at least for the moment. Also on this slide: look at numbers fielded by the Swedish air force!

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Northern Sibir, a bit east from the front, shows Kuchum’s army of workers en route. There’s also a new little settlement, Surgut. In-settling is all the rage these days.

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Vaasa flips, and Minsk and Nicaea are extremely open targets. Sweden may be holding out at the northern end of the front, but further south it’s a lot less stable.

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The Swedish Organic Infantry are assembling in Old Poland, and Sibir’s troops down here seem a tad short-handed. Also, Boer carrier party in the Black Sea.

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A nearly-dead Boer BioTrooper pounds on the gates of Gaur. Vietnam only has a handful of units on this front, and they’re not doing much to slow the orange onslaught. Kandahar has fallen, handing the Kremlin and Taj Mahal to the Boers.

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Here’s where those Vietnam fans breathe a sigh of relief that the capital has not fallen, nor are there any Australian units in range of doing so at the moment. The danger is far from over, though. Still, the Trungs are forcing a battalion through to reclaim Vijaya.

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Blackfoot peacekeepers, leaking from the long-held exclave of Olongapo, are starting to fill Australia’s East Indies. Is this going to interfere with Parkes’s strategy?

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Icelandic St. Louis, on Nova Scotia. Just look at all those specialist slots! That’s what Future Worlds is all about.

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Korean-held Shanghai may not be growing, but it too has substantial infrastructure in place. It’s pretty impressive what FW lets one do with a city that has very few workable tiles.

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Vaasa and Tampere flip to Sweden, while Sibir settles Long Xuyen right on the battlefield. It’s immediately bombed into the black by Sweden’s air force, but it isn’t at risk of flipping at the moment.

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Viyaja is back in Vietnamese hands, as is Thi Li Bi Nai. As more Vietnamese troops approach Panduranga, it’s possible that the whole Cham coast may end up in the Trungs’ hands soon. It seems like Parkes sent all his embarked units to China instead.

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Ah, the Kimberley Antarctic holdings. With Hanoi taking a bit of a beating, Wulungarra might be our new #2 for population (after Porto). If you don’t mind absurdly overcrowded islands, snow, and foreign powers sailing ships carrying nuclear weapons through your waters, it’s not a bad place to live.

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Looks like Vietnam nuked Middelburg, a Boer city they briefly flipped a long while ago. But what’s that I see in the corner…?

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That’s right, Sibir and Sweden have made peace! And just as Gustavus seemed to have rallied a more substantial army to the front, too. Kuchum conceivably could have pushed for more, but I can see why he would stop where he did. He gained a capital and a solid vertical stripe of land from Jyvaskyla North to Jyvaskyla South.

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The barren Swedish core. With substantial but non-crippling losses to both Iceland and Sibir, Sweden will have to quickly tech up and rebuild if it wants to stay relevant.

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Kuchum’s worker crews are already hard at work cleaning up his new holdings. Sibir needs these cities online ASAP if it wants to remain competitive with the front-runners.

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Peace in Europe means little down here in India. Gaur has flipped, and the Vietnamese defenders have seemingly surrendered it and retreated to Agra.

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Panduranga is Vietnamese once again! Kimberley and Blackfoot units immediately start to fill the space. The forces near Dong Hoi, Saigon, and Than Hoa seem closer to evenly matched than they have in a while.

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Sweden’s still receiving 500+ GPT from Exclavia, which is probably propping up their economy. Kekkonen will only owe it for a few more turns, however.

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Middelburg is re-nuked. This won’t have much practical effect on the Boers, but it’s a big middle finger to Kruger courtesy of the Trungs.

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Gaur’s last garrison is still in place, but it’s not likely to live much longer. Agra’s garrison is also depleted, both by casualties and partial retreat to Phu Xuan.

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I have a hunch Ekeuhnick is planning not to renew his open borders treaties. His own troops aren’t able to fill his lands with so many others in the way. At least he finally annexed Charlottetown.

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Blackfoot troops are trying to fill Borneo to peacefully protest Parkes’s invasion, but it’s not doing much. Vietnam’s embarked BioTrooper is unlikely to ever make it to the island.

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Tianjin’s in Aussie hands, and a substantial force of Drone Fighters out of Rach Gia Airbase are assaulting the Vietnamese forces. I think Australia’s short on aluminum and nanomaterials, judging from the terribly out-of-date artillery.

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Agra has fallen! The city, once the Mughal capital, is another crucial prize for Kruger’s orange empire. Phu Xuan has either been nuked or flipped, or maybe both.

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It’s worth remembering that Vietnam also holds the southern end of the Indian subcontinent, and these cities are also being heavily bombarded by the Boers. A single Boer Robot Infantry has landed near Trincomalee, but Vietnamese forces are there to flip it if need be.

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Autocracy is voted world ideology, which is unsurprising giving its omnipresence in domination AI games.

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Ingolfur’s weakened military and scoreboard of capitals have attracted Kruger’s attention, and plans are at least being considered by Skynet’s algorithms. The main obstacle right now looks to be Brazilian vacationers, who have reached as far as Paris.

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Brazilian units have started to fill the outback too. Parkes’s carpet certainly has a lot more holes than it used to, further proving how much of his resources have been committed to the war effort.

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Gustavus Adolphus, in his temper, throws darts at a board of potential military targets for Sweden’s big comeback. He hasn’t updated it in a while, though, and Texas is just a Lone Star Battleship at this point. (Also, spot the moai!)

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Sri Lanka continues to not want to be seen, building units capable of hiding underwater. Parakramabahu just wants to survive to the end, under the radar. And honestly, I can’t blame him.

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Blackfoot Honolulu’s building Paratroopers. Of note is the fact that the Blackfoot have the tech for some futuristic units like BioTroopers, but seem to be building a lot of cheaper, older units anyway.

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Phu Xuan has flipped again, and the remaining Vietnamese forces in the area are scattered and weak. The Boer presence in the area is a bit lacking, too, but they should have the region on lockdown.

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Trincomalee did indeed flip, but the nearest Boer melee unit in this shot is all the way in Basra, meaning further damage to the area is unlikely for the moment.

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Tianjin is Vietnamese once again, and the Australian presence looks a little thin. Is Crowfoot and Jandamarra’s interference paying off? Than Hoa even looks flippable.

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Parkes isn’t giving up, though, and manages to squeeze enough units through to flip the Cham coast again. Vietnamese troops are already en route to flip them back.

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No, this isn’t the end of the episode, and no, your eyes aren’t lying to you. That is indeed Brazil topping the military charts, substantially ahead of the usual front-runners. Clearly Pedro’s plan to carpet everywhere that will give him open borders is paying off in spades, and his military capabilities are quite intimidating. The question then becomes: what is Pedro planning on using his military for?

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Thi Li Bi Nai flips to the first Australian Advanced Destroyer I’ve seen in a while, although it won’t hold.

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A scorched pile of rubble is all that’s left of Kandahar, once home of two world wonders. The Kremlin, the Taj Mahal, and thousands of years of history are destroyed in a nuclear strike. It looks as though the Trungs have taken a page from Henry Morgan’s playbook: against an enemy as powerful the Boers, scorched earth tactics may be the only thing that can slow them down.

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For every city destroyed, though, a new one can be built. The Boers have established Silkokitsimik on the Horn of Africa, and it’s likely that the new holes in the map will be filled before long. Today, the Indus valley may be scarred by radiation and death, but someday, it will be rebuilt.

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Stats time! The Boers’ green-Sahara project has paid off with plentiful food supply.

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Australia continues to hold the most territory, but Kruger’s catching up.

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A look at the religion stats shows how rapidly Arianism and Catholicism have spread. Leonidas XIV “Mallock” cries from beyond the grave at Dodekatheism‘s failure to catch on.

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And here’s our religion map! With that, so long! This has been /u/1760s, signing out.

Part 97: The Deconstruction of Falling Stars – mk2

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