| “ | In the remote valleys of Sogdia, Alexander builds a city like no other. | ” |
| —In-game summary | ||
The City at the End of the World is the twelfth scenario of the Alexander the Great grand campaign in Chronicles: Alexander the Great. It is based on construction of Alexandria Eschate, a city located at the site or in the vicinity of modern-day Khujand in the Sughd Region of Tajikistan, as well as his campaigns against the Sogdians and Sakas.
Intro[]
Alexander was determined that Darius would not get away from him a second time. Over jagged hills and shifting dunes, Alexander chased the Great King, urging his swift riders on through freezing desert nights and days cruelly elongated by the summer sun.
But when Alexander finally caught up with his foe, Darius lay dying. In this dirt, amidst upturned wagons and mules broken from exhaustion, the Great King of Persian bled out, murdered by his own men. Alexander had Darius's body cleaned and dressed, and returned to his mother.
And so, a mere five years after he inherited the crown of Macedon, Alexander seized the diadem of Persia. A king of kings, to be sure. The killers of Darius he hunted down; the cities that resisted his rule he stormed. But in truth, most of the Persian governing class willingly exchanged one king for another.
Power such as Alexander now possessed is rarely left untroubled. Alexander caught word of a plot to kill him, hatched within his own court. The would-be assassins were rounded up and executed — among then Philotas, son of Parmenion. Philotas had known of the conspiracy, but said nothing: a crime, Alexander declared, as heinous as the plot itself. But what of Parmenion? The moment he learned that his son had been executed, he would be sure to act, and he had thousands of loyal men beneath him.
No... He too would have to die.
[Parmenion] Armed and belted men in my tent. So he's finally decided to do away with me.
[Assassin] Will you resist, sir?
[Parmenion] No, I won't. But tell the boy-king this: the gods cannot abide excess.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Civic Age - Starting resources: 700 food, 700 wood, 600 gold
- Population limit: 200
- Starting units:
- Alexander
- 11 Phalangites
- 8 Bowman
- 4 Bowman
Objectives[]
Income is shown here. Starts at 111 food, 111 wood, 111 gold per minute.
- Main objectives
- Your Town Center in Alexandria must not be destroyed.
- Build an[sic] Mill, Lumber, or Mining District at The Town Center in the heart of Alexandria.
- Reach the Classical Age. Classical Age will be automatically researched once Alexandria has 20 Houses.
- Reach the Imperial Age. Imperial Age will be automatically researched once Alexandria has 35 Houses.
- Own 50 Houses to unlock the ability to build Wonder districts.
- Build either a Garden or a Theater District.
- Side objectives
- Visit the Sogdian Towns in the south to discuss establishing trading links.
- Send 200 Gold to the Sogdian Towns (6, Green) to establish an Embassy in their cities, allowing you to trade with them and train Sogdian units.
- Destroy all military production in the Mountain Bandits' base to make Perdiccas available to be ordered with flares.
- Use a flare on the map to order Perdiccas to send his forces there.
For additional resources:
- Steal Horses from the Scythians by destroying their pens, then bring them to the race track in the north-west of Alexandria.
- Destroy Chief's Yurts in Scythian Villages.
- Destroy the remaining Mountain Bandit camps to stop their attacks.
- Find a cow worthy of sacrifice.
- Bring the cow to the Town Center in Alexandria for sacrifice.
- Decisions
- Choose a new unit for Alexander's army:
Hints[]
- In this scenario, you will have no Villagers. To build your city, use the Town Center to select new districts. These will be built for you automatically.
- Each House in Alexandria generates resources. Most districts you build will add Houses. Economic districts will increase the amount of resources generated per house.
- You can gain production buildings by building other district types. Many districts will also add to the allied patrols which defend the city.
- Raid Scythian camps to gain extra resources and decrease the enemy's strength. Balance your attacks against the Scythians with the need to defend your own city.
- Once you reach the Classical Age, you can train units at the Macedonian Command Post.
- The goal of this scenario is to build a sufficiently grand city; you are not required to destroy all of your enemies, but you can if you wish.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Macedonians): The player starts with a Town Center and some troops in the middle of the newly founded city. They do not directly control the city of Alexandria Eschate, but only the king, his army, and the Town Center whose purpose is only to develop Districts, rather than producing Villagers or Aging up. As Districts are built up, the player gains all types of new buildings (military production, defenses, and research buildings) and soldiers, and also unlocks Ages and further objectives.
Allies[]
- Perdiccas ( Macedonians): His regiment is camped in the eastern part of the city and initailly engages with the Mountain Raiders by both repelling their raids and carrying out counterattacks on their strongholds. Once the threat from the east is ended, the player can command him using flares.
- Alexandria Eschate ( Macedonians): This represents the bulk of the city, ergo its builders, city patrols, workers, walls, and decor.
Allies → Enemies[]
- Sogdian Towns ( Achaemenids - Sogdians): The urbanized Sogdians have two fortified towns in the south of the map. They will initially be passive and the player can forge a diplomatic relation with them by tributing some gold to build an Embassy. Eventually, they will grow restless and break the alliance, sending out large-scale attacks on the city. They will also start to periodically spawn supply convoys of Ox Carts guarded by some troops from the west, which will travel to their towns to bolster their raids. The player can destroy the carts for resources and to weaken the towns.
Enemies[]
- Royal Scythian Army ( Thracians - Scythians): The Royal Scythian Army has a base in north that is well fortified with towers and a Fort. Defeating the Royal Scythian Army will unlock the Scythian Horse Archer and its Elite upgrade for the rest of the campaign.
- Scythian Raiders ( Thracians - Scythians): They have a few camps in the west of the map, and will periodically send mounted raiding parties to the western and northwestern entryways of the city. Their camps can be destroyed to loot them for 400 wood, 400 gold.
- Mountain Bandits ( Achaemenids - Sogdians): The Mountain Bandits have three bases in the east. Destroying their bases will provide the player Siege Ballistae to tear down the Royal Scythian Army base and the fortified Sogdian Towns.
- Scythian Villages ( Thracians - Scythians): They have many villages in the west of the map, with some having a Chief's Yurt, which can be plundered for resources, while others have three Horses each, which can be brought to the race track to be sold for 1,050 food, 750 gold.
Strategy[]
The key is defense. Start by building up the economic districts to increase resource income, while steadily building up defenses. Invest in Barracks and build up a Macedonian headquarter, so the player will have access to Phalangites and all the "colonial" troops, including archers to man the defensive positions. Focus on the northern front, where attacks will be strongest. Try to erect level 3 defenses, which will build a Fort, where the player can research the Ends of the World technology to allow their Fortified Outposts to heal nearby troops. With that, the player's units will survive longer und free up resources. Try to build Market Districts, where the player can then get free Trade Carts and create more to increase gold income. Attacks from the west will be manageable, but eventually, bandits will also attack from the east that incorporate large numbers of War Chariots. However, the attacks can be stopped by destroying the marked Mountain Bandit camps.
The Sogdians will eventually betray the player and start attacking from the south, but until then the Embassy can be used to mass-produce groups of units; a warning will be given not long before the betrayal occurs in order to give the player a chance to prepare for the attack. Make sure to have a strong defense in all directions. To the south, the player cannot build defensive buildings, so make sure to have a strong force nearby to counter the Sogdian attacks. In the spare time, try to raid enemy villages and steal horses or complete other secondary quests to gain extra resources. If possible, try to destroy the Scythian Raider camps, as it will greatly reduce the number of foes invading the city as well providing the player more resources. Trying to destroy the Royal Scythian Army's base will be difficult due to the presence of a Fort. However, the player can obtain Siege Ballistae from the Mountain Bandits' bases with which to bring it down. It is recommended to defeat the Royal Scythian Army, as doing so will unlock the Scythian Horse Archer and its Elite upgrade for the rest of the campaign. The player can also use the Siege Ballistae to attack the heavily fortified Sogdian Towns when they decide to betray the player.
Partway through the scenario, the player will be offered a choice between two units to add to their army: Immortals and War Chariots. Both are good choices, although the War Chariots may be redundant if the Companion Cavalry were upgraded to gain trample damage.
Strong defense, sustained number of troops, and steady economic growth will do the trick. When ready, choose the Wonder district whose permanent bonus will be most useful for the player's expected style of play to trigger the victory condition.
Legendary difficulty[]
The key is fast resources and building. Start by building a Lumber District. Shortly after this, the Farming and Mining Districts should become affordable at about the same time.
Move all the initial forces gained from these districts to the eastern wall. If Perdiccas is left alone, he will fall to the Mountain Bandits, robbing the player of trade, and giving the player another front to fight on. Therefore, the player should use all their initial forces to help him. When possible, build the first Eastern Fortification District, and a Blacksmith District for upgrades. Use any units the player gets from building districts to reinforce the defenses.
It should go like this: The player's initial forces, plus the forces the player gets from the level one economic districts, assist Perdiccas' starting units to fend off the initial Mountain Bandits' attack and then counter attack the main Bandit hideout. Focus the units on clearing out the enemy units as they train. Perdiccas will constantly reinforce this attack. If the player can defend themselves and eliminate the towers and Stable near the front of the base, Perdiccas can usually defend himself and finish clearing out the base. If not, finish off the Stable in the back too. Around this time, the Scythian Raiders should be attacking the west, so pull the forces back and let Perdiccas finish destroying the Mountain Bandits' main base.
While that is happening, the player should try to get a Market District going, and a Temple District. the Temple District gives the player the most Houses with each level, dramatically increasing resources, so it is a key focus. Train a lot of Trade Carts and upgrade their speed to trade with Perdiccas, who should now be a safe, reliable source of income. When the player gets approximately five to seven districts built, that is when the Persian units in the south become available. March them north immediately, closer to the player's Town Center if the timer is low already. Fend off the Scythian Raider attack.
After this, the focus is on upgrading up the Northern Fortification District as soon as possible to the third level, which provides a Fort that should be garissoned to full with archers. Use the army to clear out the Scythian Village near the western wall for a resource boost. Build an Archery District when possible, and a Barracks District if needed. Do not bother with a Stable District, as the Royal Scythian Army is strong against cavalry, and cavalry will serve the player very little in this scenario. If the player can, build up the Western Fortification District to the third level as well, but if the player cannot, they should just use their army to defend. Once the Scythian Raiders are beaten back again, move the army north to fight off the Royal Scythian Army. Once this second wave is cleared, the focus is on building up Alexandria to get to a Wonder District as fast as possible. A Fort with some archers can hold the western wall for a few waves by itself, so the player should keep the army in the north. The player will likely have to fight off a third wave, and it will be difficult to defeat the Royal Scythian Army each time. Focus the defense on the north until the Sogdian Towns betray the player.
By the time the Sogdian Towns betray the player, the player should be at or very close to having the Wonder District available. When it is, trade for whatever the player needs and get whichever one the player can afford first. Move all the forces to the Wonder District. The Scythian Raiders should likely still be held back by the western Fort, while the Royal Scythian Army will be delayed by the northern Fort and burning everything else on their way down. The Sogdian Towns will come from the undefended south and reach the Wonder very quickly. The Wonder itself, if there are enough surviving Villagers, should be built fairly quickly, so defending it is just a matter of keeping the Sogdians back and destroying their rams. It might be a close call, but once the Wonder is up, the scenario is over.
An additional tip: If the player has a damaged building, like a badly damaged northern Fort, delete it. A foundation should appear for Alexandria Eschate to build a new one, which will be the player's again once completed, at full hit points. Be careful to do this with much time left on the attack timer, as the builders might be preoccupied with other buildings. Note that this is does not apply to the player's starting Fortified Outposts and once these are destroyed, the player will not be able to replace them.
Custom technologies[]
Certain technologies, called districts, can be researched at the Town Center in about 3 seconds. Each District spawns units and lays down foundations for buildings in specific parts of the city, which are then built up by the city's workers. At the start, only the Mill, Lumber, and Mining Districts are available. Once even one is built, the other are unlocked. The quantities below are for Moderate difficulty, and vary across others.
- Mill District 1 (500 wood, 250 gold): Houses generate +3 food/min. +5 Houses. 5 free Scout Cavalry. 5 allied Scout Cavalry patrol.
- Mill District 2 (1,000 wood, 750 gold): Houses generate +1 food/min. +1 House. 5 free Scout Cavalry. 10 allied Scout Cavalry patrol.
- Mill District 3 (1,500 wood, 1,250 gold): Houses generate +1 food/min. +2 Houses. 5 free Scout Cavalry. 15 allied Scout Cavalry patrol (maximum).
- Lumber District 1 (300 food, 450 gold): Houses generate +3 wood/min. +5 Houses. 5 free Skirmishers. 5 allied Skirmisher patrol.
- Lumber District 2 (800 food, 950 gold): Houses generate +1 wood/min. +1 House. 5 free Skirmishers. 10 allied Skirmisher patrol.
- Lumber District 3 (1,300 food, 1,450 gold): Houses generate +1 wood/min. +2 Houses. 5 free Skirmishers, 3 free Helepoleis. 15 allied Skirmisher patrol (maximum).
- Mining District 1 (500 food, 250 wood): Houses generate +3 gold/min. +5 Houses. 5 free Spearmen. 5 allied Spearman patrol.
- Mining District 2 (1,000 food, 750 wood): Houses generate +1 gold/min. +1 House. 5 free Spearmen. 10 allied Spearman patrol.
- Mining District 3 (1,500 food, 1,250 wood): Houses generate +1 gold/min. +2 Houses. 5 free Spearmen. 15 allied Spearman patrol (maximum).
- Market District 1 (800 food, 450 gold): +1 Market. +5 Houses. 2 free Trade Carts.
- Market District 2 (1,600 food, 800 gold): +1 Market. +2 Houses. 4 free Trade Carts.
- Market District 3 (1,950 food, 1,150 gold): +1 Market. +3 Houses. 7 free Trade Carts (6 on [What?]).
- Smithing District 1 (500 food, 750 wood): +1 Blacksmith. +2 Houses. Civic Age upgrades for allied patrols. Unlock: Forging, Scale Mail Armor, Fletching, Padded Archer Armor.
- Smithing District 2 (850 food, 1,100 wood): +1 Blacksmith. +2 Houses. Classical Age upgrades for allied patrols. Unlock: Iron Casting, Chain Mail Armor, Bodkin Arrow, Leather Archer Armor.
- Smithing District 3 (1,200 food, 1,450 wood): +1 Blacksmith. +2 Houses. Imperial Age upgrades for allied patrols. Unlock: Blast Furnace, Plate Mail Armor.
- Temple District 1 (250 wood, 500 gold): +1 Temple. +4 Houses. 10 HP/min regeneration for allied patrol units.
- Temple District 2 (650 wood, 800 gold): +1 Temple. +5 Houses. 20 HP/min regeneration for allied patrol units.
- Temple District 3 (850 wood, 1,100 gold): +1 Temple. +5 Houses. 30 HP/min regeneration for allied patrol units.
- Infantry District 1 (500 food, 500 wood): +1 Barracks. +1 Macedonian Command Post. +1 House. +5 hit points for infantry. 5 free Macemen. 6 allied Maceman patrol.
- Infantry District 2 (700 food, 700 wood): +1 Barracks. +1 House. +1 attack for infantry. 6 free Swordsmen. +8 allied Swordsman patrol.
- Infantry District 3 (1,100 food, 1,00 wood): +1 Barracks. +3 Houses. +1/+1 armor for infantry. 7 free Paragons. +10 allied Paragon patrol.
- Archery District 1 (650 wood, 350 gold): +1 Archery Range. +1 Macedonian Command Post. +1 House. +5 hit points for ranged units. 5 free Bowmen. 7 allied Bowman patrol.
- Archery District 2 (850 wood, 1,100 gold): +1 Archery Range. +1 House. +1 attack for ranged units. 6 free Laminated Bowmen. +9 allied Laminated Bowman patrol.
- Archery District 3 (1,250 wood, 950 gold): +1 Archery Range. +3 Houses. +1 range for ranged units. 7 free Recurve Bowmen. +12 allied Recurve Bowman patrol.
- Cavalry District 1 (550 food, 650 gold): +1 Stable. +1 Macedonian Command Post. +1 House. +5 hit points for cavalry. 4 free Lancers. 5 allied Lancer patrol.
- Cavalry District 2 (750 food, 850 gold): +1 Stable. +1 House. +1 attack for cavalry. 5 free Shock Cavalry. +6 allied Shock Cavalry patrol.
- Cavalry District 3 (1,150 food, 1,250 gold): +1 Stable. +3 Houses. +10% movement speed for cavalry. 6 free Imperial Cavalry. +7 allied Imperial Cavalry patrol.
- Western/Northern/Eastern Fortification District 1 (three districts, each costing 200 wood, 300 gold): +1 Improved Guard Tower. +1 House. 5 free Guardsmen. 5 allied Guardsman patrol.
- Western/Northern/Eastern Fortification District 2 (three districts, each costing 400 wood, 600 gold): Improved Guard Tower upgraded to Improved Bastion. 5 free Elite Guardsmen. 10 allied Elite Guardsman patrol.
- Western/Northern/Eastern Fortification District 3 (three districts, each costing 600 wood, 1,000 gold): +1 Fort. 10 free Phalangites. 10 allied Phalangites patrol.
- Garden Wonder District (2,500 food, 1,875 wood, 1,250 gold): In future scenarios, Farmers will work 10% faster. (Can choose either this or the Theater Wonder District)
- Theater Wonder District (1,875 food, 2,500 wood, 1,250 gold): In future scenarios, Gold Miners will work 10% faster. (Can choose either this or the Garden Wonder District)
- Build new districts at the Town Center to increase resource production, receive new buildings and units, and many other bonuses. (non-interactive button just to work as a guide)
At the Macedonian Embassy (modified Trade Workshop) in the western Sogdian town, the player can research the following:
- Sogdian Infantry Regiment (250 food, 225 wood, 38 seconds): Create a mixed group of special infantry. Affordable, but with a long training time. (3 Sogdian Spearmen, 5 Sogdian Axe Warriors)
- Sogdian Archer Regiment (250 wood, 175 gold, 45 seconds): Create a mixed group of special archers. Affordable, but with a long training time. (3 Sogdian Bowmen, 4 Sogdian Javelineers)
- Sogdian Cavalry Regiment (225 food, 275 gold, 52 seconds): Create a mixed group of special cavalry. Affordable, but with a long training time. (2 Sogdian Cataphracts, 4 Sogdian Camel Riders)
Historical comparison[]
- While optional, defeating the Royal Scythian Army and Sogdian Towns can serve as a representation of the Battle of Jaxartes and the Siege of the Sogdian Rock, respectively.
- The acquisition of the Scythian Horse Archer for defeating the former is a historical nod to Alexander incorporating mounted archers from various steppe nomad peoples.
- The Sogdian Towns in the south may represent the aforementioned Sogdian Rock and Parsetakene. However, the surrounding geography is incorrect, as these were built on mountainous terrain overlooking cliffs, instead of the desert terrain depicted in the scenario.
- While the player can besiege the fortified towns, Alexander did not capture the Sogdian Rock with a traditional siege. Instead, he utilized psychological warfare to capture the fortress with minimal fighting by using rock climbers to convince the Sogdian defenders that his army had "winged men" to help him capture the city.
- Despite Sogdians being Indo-Iranian in origin and ethnically related to the Scythian people, their civilization is represented by the Achaemenids instead of by the Thracians who have been used to represent the Scythians. This is historically accurate, as the Sogdian civilization was largely Persianized by this time due to the influence of the Achaemenid Empire, and the Sogdians had already largely transitioned to a more sedentary lifestyle (reflected in their heavily fortified towns in the south).
Gallery[]
_by_Simeon_Netchev.png "CITIES FOUNDED OR RENAMED IN ALEXANDER THE GREAT'S NAME (336 - 323 BCE) by Simeon Netchev.png (7.88 MB)")
Mill, Lumber, and Mining[]
Market, Smithing, and Temple[]
Military[]
Defenses[]
Wonder[]
City center decor[]
