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Indistinguishable From Magic achievement in Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution

Indistinguishable From Magic

Win a Technology victory on Deity difficulty.

Indistinguishable From Magic0
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How to unlock the Indistinguishable From Magic achievement

  • The Major GMThe Major GM
    19 Oct 2009 19 Oct 2009 19 Apr 2011
    I found this much easier to do as the Japanese on the Lightning Round scenario. admitedly i was fortunate enough to be in a position where i could only get attacked from one direction and the computers never bothered looking for me. i didnt get attacked all game.

    The japs gain an immediate bonus by gaining food from sea tiles which is where you get your research aswell. keep restarting until you get 3 cities surrounded by as much water as possible. customise your workforce between water and production tiles. build libraries as quickly as you can then if you are under attack build defensive units, if not use your largest city to spam settlers then settle them as near to the sea as possible.

    i think i got this more through luck than skill however i got it on my 2nd or 3rd attempt as the japanese as opposed to 10 or more trials with the aztecs. the game i did get it in lasted less than 20 minutes. if you notice you are constantly getting beat by the same faction try using them (thats why i used the japs).

    hopes this helps (first attempt at a guide)

    Update: Der Tiroler has made a good point. save your game as soon as you get a ship. then search for Atlantis as this is worth 3 technologies. if going one way yields nothing simply reload your save and search the other way

    Yushir0 also pointed out that to 'win' the lightning round scenario you have to reach the modern era (requiring 24 techs). other than democracy which will give a science boost, ALWAYS RESEARCH THE TECH WITH THE SHORTEST TURN TIME.

    if you are having any issues at all, chuck a comment below and i'll private message you back, i check TA most days so should get back to you within 48 hours.

    Guide not helping? View 7 more guides for this achievement.

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    ryansadiosLoosely used this, the japs and lightening round, built temples in all 3 cities and switched to science and spammed the lowest turn around time, took a couple tries but got it thanks!
    Posted by ryansadios on 02 Jan at 15:37
    IndigoSolaceAI blatantly fucking cheats, one turn I'm ahead 2 techs, then two turns later, someone's ahead by 2, super annoying
    Posted by IndigoSolace on 11 Feb at 02:32
    TendedFatbackgood guide but yes it is based on location. i was behind one tech and next thing i know a random city won 6 ahead
    Posted by TendedFatback on 17 Feb at 14:49
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    So I tried the top rated solution and it just wasn't working. I just couldn't keep my tech up high enough while fighting one or two (or even three) wars at once. And the Japanese didn't seem to really have any advantage that was helping. So I tried something else.

    Stick to the Lightning Round scenario, but play as the Greeks. Starting with Democracy is hugely beneficial, as you'll want that +50% to science and gold ASAP. Switch to it first turn.

    Now, what I found to be the most important bit. The map. Judging by the comments, this is what makes or breaks your game in this case. Restart until you find a map where all three of your cities are, if not on their own island(s), on a remote peninsula with lots of surrounding water and no nearby civs. I restarted at least a half-dozen times in a row until I got a suitable location tucked up near the north pole. When you find a good map, set your government to Democracy and keep a save, just in case things go all caddywumpus later.

    The reasoning behind this strategy is you want to avoid other civs as much as possible. More distance between you and the other civs, the better. Less contact with other civs, less war. Less war, less wasting time and resources building your military. I didn't build a single unit all game.

    The nice part about playing as the Greeks is that you have a very useful bargaining chip right from the start: Democracy. In both of my attempts, the Russians threatened war if I didn't teach them Democracy. Both times I agreed to their deal, and they promptly switched to Democracy and never bothered me again. While you're giving away a tech and the +50% science, the fact that you keep another civ from declaring war is worth it. The computer is extremely aggressive on Deity, but Democracy keeps them from attacking you. And if they do, they'll have to change governments first which gives you some warning.

    In my experience, Democracy is the most common demand you'll receive in the first 70% or so of the game. Later on, you'll get asked for other techs or for money. Keep up to speed on who's winning. Personally, I checked after every time I chose a new tech to research. If you're 5 techs ahead of a civ and they offer 6 turns of peace in exchange for a low level tech, let them have it. As much as I hate appeasement, it's often the best option on Deity, especially when you don't have much of a military to speak of. However, try not to give away techs to civs that have more than you. Which brings me to another reason that being isolated is nice.

    Distance from other civs is useful because it discourages war. I had the French randomly declare war fairly late game from clear across the map. Several turns later, after seeing no French troops, ol' Nap asks for a treaty. The computer just isn't willing or capable to send troops very far if there's an ocean in the way, and will often just give up.

    As far as actual strategy goes, put everything into getting libraries built right away. Full production, save for one food square per city. Once those are built, focus mostly on science. Build a courthouse in cities where there's a lot of nearby water if you really want to take advantage or granaries if you want to boost population faster, but every other building just isn't worth it. Neglect your culture and let your people become Disgusting, there's no one around to culture-flip your cities. Great people aren't super helpful in this scenario. But as the Greeks, you get more of them which is nice.

    One important thing regarding Great Inventors in particular. You'll almost always want to settle them in a city, giving it a 50% boost to science. However, using them to immediately complete a tech can win you the game. I passed up on completing Gunpowder (needed 3 more turns) and ended up losing the game 2 turns later. I was at 23/24, and could have won the game right then if I used the Great Inventor better. So keep tabs on how many techs you have left!

    Build a 4th city if you have a good place for one by the ocean (if you get free settlers, that's a good time to do so) and just keep increasing the population of your cities while keeping the science up. I was getting new discoveries every 2 - 4 turns throughout the game. Always pick the fastest one to discover. Democracy is the only one that would be any help, and you have it already.

    Hope this is helpful, I got this achievement on the second try using this method. On my first try I forgot to switch to Democracy until roughly halfway through the game, which cost me quite a bit of science.
    Showing most recent comments. View all comments.
    EthigyGreat solution. Took me awhile to get a good starting location but once I did, I was able to gain a victory no problem. It’s definitely important to make saves frequently just in case something unfavorable occurs. Also, finding Atlantis is very helpful.
    Posted by Ethigy on 17 Dec 18 at 04:00
    beerthirstFinally got this after numerous attempts with the Japs. I did the Greeks like you said and it worked even starting the game spawning next to the Germans, was never attacked as they went to Democracy. I was in the lead 3/4 way through the game when I found Atlantis, thank God as this cheevo depends mainly on not getting attacked and setting up by the sea.
    Posted by beerthirst on 27 Mar 19 at 22:26
    MiarchesWorked a treat first time, thanks!
    Posted by Miarches on 09 Mar 20 at 11:52
  • ElaineDeShalottElaineDeShalott
    27 May 2009 27 May 2009
    Choose to play the blitzkrieg scenario as the Aztecs. Focus on military technologies such as Bronze and Iron Working so you get archers and legions first. Try to take several cities but don't eliminate any opponents yet, you want them to be under attack from each other so they don't have time to focus on Tech.

    Once your have Iron working focus on getting Navigation. You should get to it first so you will get one free Galleon. Build one other. Since everyone is fighting each other no one is looking for the artifacts so send one Galleon out to look for them. The one you want most is the Ark of the Covenant. It will put a temple in each city and for the Aztecs temples produce science. This will let you get ahead in technology. Once you've found that look around for the other artifacts and any remaining friendly villages on the map.

    You may want to send the other Galleon out with a Settler on it. Find a small island somewhere and build a city. This city can be minimally defended since most of the attackers will go for the main bulk of your civilization. This will let you improve the city to optimize science production.

    Once that is set up head straight for Combustion for the tanks. When you get tank armies on the ground before anyone else has rifleman you can just roll right them. Take out all the remaining cities except for one enemy capital. Keep the cities immediately surrounding it producing defensive units while the rest focus on building Libraries and Universities. When your best producing cities finish those add in the production improving buildings such as workshop, iron mine and factories. The other cities should build markets and banks so you can rush the ship components. Tech wise select only the techs you need to get space flight. Build your ship and send it on its way.
    Showing most recent comments. View all comments.
    Mazraelto add - the maximum ship is

    3 habitats
    4 propusion
    4 fuel
    2 life support

    if you back out when the ship is at this stage you lose the chance to launch, with no way to send it - I would go with 1 habitat & 1 life support 4 engines, least 2 fuel - depending how quick you can build/turns you have before an AI could win
    Posted by Mazrael on 16 Nov 10 at 06:49
    DeadScourge75Thank that help me a lot for the 4 Divinity victory :)
    Posted by DeadScourge75 on 17 Apr 11 at 16:43
    ReliantGung hothat was one hell of a fight on blitzkrieg - ironically, I won with the Zulu, not the Aztecs though. But a win is a win. Thanks for the advice, it was good.
    Posted by ReliantGung ho on 15 Sep 12 at 00:22
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