It's 3991 AD. Mother Nature has consumed most of the Earth's surface. Humanity has destroyed the rest. Only 10% of the world's population remains and survivors are embroiled in a perpetual three-way conflict. Your empire is rife with internal chaos. Guerilla uprisings threaten your rule as much as rival nations. People are starving because your material and intellectual resources are dedicated to the war effort. Peace treaties are swiftly rescinded with nuclear sabotage. Your only hope is to conquer all.
In what could be the framework of an epic post-apocalyptic story, Reddit member Lycerius has shared the progress of his decade-long game of Civilization II. He describes the world as a "hellish nightmare of suffering and devastation." The ongoing nuclear war has caused the ice caps to melt over 20 times, submerging most of the land. Irradiated mountaintops make farming impossible. The population peaked around 2,000 years ago and with 90% of humanity gone, sprawling metropolises are a distant memory.
Playing as the Celts, Lycerius has been locked in contest with the Vikings and the Americans for about 1,700 years. Every time he signs a cease-fire, the AI betrays him on its next turn. "I can only assume that peace will come only when they're wiped out," he writes. Spies constantly plant nukes in his territory, which converted from democracy to communism at the behest of his empire's Senate. Between the scarce resources and oppressive regime, Lycerius says his people try to revolt every few years.
"Engineers (late game worker units) are always busy continuously building roads so that new armies can reach the front lines. Roads that are destroyed the very next turn when the enemy goes. So there isn't any time to clear swamps or clean up the nuclear fallout," Lycerius detailed further. "This also means that cities are not only tiny towns full of starving people, but that you can never improve the city. 'So you want a granary so you can eat? Sorry; I have to build another tank instead. Maybe next time.'"
"The military sta lemate is airtight. The post-late game in Civ II is perfectly balanced because all remaining nations already have all the technologies so there is no advantage. And there are so many units at once on the map that you could lose 20 tank units and not have your lines dented because you have a constant stream moving to the front." Lycerius plans to keep playing and, if possible, he wants to end the war and start rebuilding the world. He has requested tips and promises to post his progress.