Age of AOE part - II

The golden days

"oye Rod, jaldi kuchh bhej de yaar."
"Arey bachao, mera castle tod diya."
"heman ke ghode aa gaye re."
"yaar, yeh ghode ke ghode, ghar todke chale jate hain, dimmag kharab."
"Yeh kya chindi leke attack kar raha hain, chal gayab ho ja."
"yahase attack kar raha hain woh, jaldi wall bandh de."

I started playing AOE in first sem of IIT, in the Old Software Lab. From some site, I got the full vesrion of Age of Kings, and I saved it in my chandra account. I finished all the scenarios except the Changez Khan scenario.
Our seniors used to play the game in their own labs. Because of this the people in our batch were already heard of this game. Somewhere at the start of second semester, I palyed a game with Shyam and Nitin. That was the first multiplayer game I played. Before that I played only with computer. I amazed by the skills of those two in the game. Shyam was known as the champion of the game in the branch. In this game, I was playing against him. He attacked me at the early age, but fortunately I have gained enough resources to defend myself. He lost most of his resources attacking me, but could not conquer me. And again he had to give up as Nitin defended both his partners, and attacked him.
Somehwer near this period our classmates took interests in the multiplayer game. I exactly don't remember the order, but it was like Rodney, Harsha, Kattu, Sattu, Shivak, Suresh, Santhosh, Arun, Satwik, Vishal. After the dinner we used to gather in NSL. If there were not enough players, Rodney used to call them from their labs. Once, four or more than four members gathered, we started playing in two teams.
Initially my strategy was diffensive. I used to collect the resources till the imperial age and then attack the opponents, with full researched paladdins. But one day I played with some Btech guys. There were two btech guys vs. me and Balaji. The two guys attacked me too early when I was in just fudal age. Somehow I managed to defend, by building wall and tower, but soon my resources were out. I asked Balaji to give me some resources. He said, "main to pehlehi resign kar diya, yeh dusra single player game khel raha hoon". No need to say who won that game.

But that game gave me new strategy, and I started attacking in the early age. Send three villagers in the enemy's camp just when fudal age research is started. By the time, they reach their, my fudal age research would have been completed, and then I used to build towers and archery range. Build this where the enemy is mining gold. Then attack enemy with archers. Even if enemy has army, the towers will protect them.
I used this strategy in all multiplayer game, and destroy one or more enemy before he reaches to fudal age.
Each one of us was having his favorite civilization. I prefer Persians as they have high research for paladdins. Turk was favorite of Harsha, Rodney used Brtish. Sattu likes the koreans because of bombard towers. Others I think more or less were using persians.

My Best victories -
1) It was the time when Rodney also used to play the game. Later he left playing game and used to only watch the game. We played one game 3 vs 4. In my team there were Rodney, me and one more person, while in other they were Harsha, Sattu, Sivak and one more. We won that game, on better strategy. The combining resources of our team were less than that of other team. But me and Rodney found out the holes in the attack of opponents, attacking them from different sides, at the same time. One by one we took the enemies and won the game. In this game that incidence has happened between Harsha and Sattu. Sattu send some help for Harsha and Harsha said,"yeh kya chinbdi bhej raha hain". Sattu gets disappointed and returned back. Harsha did not stand that attack.
2) On one occasion I was alone playing against Sattu and Arun. At that time I was using the defensive strategy. I won that game. But the next game, we played, I loose. I loose it because of the bombard towers in Sattu's town.

My worst defeat - Me ans Satwik vs. Harsha and Sawa. Sawa was a good player in water attack. In this game, I destroyed Sawa's original base. But he made other base, and grow while I was concetrating attacking on Harsha. It was a very long game, and finally they won becuase I was out of resource. It was the matter of just 200 gold here and there. I say this worst defeat because one of the enemy was already displaced from the base, still we lost.

Most irritating game - Me and Vishal vs. Kattu and Harsha. It was interesting game except Kattu was snooping over his shoulder and watching our screens. This was his definition of spying. Finally me and mama got frustrated and resigned.

Cheated game - me and kattu vs. Rodney and someone. We were about to loose when we started building wonder and protect it with all of our strenght. Finally wonder was completed and we won.

Some more scenarios -
1) It was when satwik used to play the game. We start playing at night and continue it, When we finish and got out of lab, the climate was alreay lighted with sun light, and Satwik said, "yeh kya hain, subah ho gayi". After that incidence he left playing AOE.
2) Kattu as usual would get irritsted as the game was taking his lot time, and he could not resist not playing. So he used to delete the games from all PC's. But he was not knowing that I have saved the game in my chandra account. So I used to install the game again. Each night he was wondering how the game was installed again.

Some day some stupid guy from BTech compained that NSL was used to play games. After that window was banned from NSL. In the next sems the members got shifted to different labs, and so our days of AOE finsihes. I remember a line from a famous english song, "Those are the best days of my life."

visit to shivganga temple - A lesson for life

Today we visited shivganga temple, outside bangalore, around 40 km on the tumkur side. There were 4 people (me, vishal, pramod and sunil) and 2 bikes. I went to mama's house, put my bike there, and then we started to travel. Somehwere outside the bangalore, we did our breakfast, and reach to temple around ammmm... some time.
All the temples are made inside the rocky caves. The entire hill was of one single rock.
There was one temple at the base, where it is said that if you pour ghee on shivling, you get butter. We didn't wait for butter, and move on after drinking Jaltirth. We move further on the hill and start what approximately can be called as treking.
First, I thought it won't be difficult, as there was no slippery, and presence of well maintained stairs. As I have done trekking before, and completed it properly, I know that this trek will be as a normal trek. Meanwhile, Pramod was taking our snaps with his camera. That is one of the advantage travelling with pramod. You wont have to worry of the camera. The other is he knows the local language.
As we start the trekking, to my utmost surprize, after walking about 50 stairs, I started loud breathing. Vishal was giving company to me. The distance between the two groups start increasing. And somehwere near the middle, I thought this trek is not possible for me. There is no point in testing the body, when you can feel that your body will not stand up against it. But still as Vishal was insisting I somehow managed to trek about 75% of slope, sitting and taking rest at approximately each turn. This was a great shock for me, as I never tired so much before in any of my trips, let it be IIT trekking, or again temple climbing at Tirupati. Due to loud breathing, I was not able to speak, unable to answer or comment on Vishal's statements. I started thinking about the reasons why my body is not cooperating with me. It can be because of slipping for short hours at previous night, or not taking lunch daily, or may be because its heat and no humidity in climate. But I do not enterain the thought that my physical stamina is reduced.
Then somewhere about 75%, I gave up and told Vishal that I am not continuing, and he can go ahead. I was feeling shame, but at the same time, keep telling myslef that don't do the things which you cannot do. Here then Vishal departed me, leaving a 2 litres of Sprite bottle, and two chocolates, and I sit there in front of Nimbu-paniwala under the shadow of tent.
Sitting there, I watch childrens going up and down, tired girls putting one hand on knee and trying to walk, ladies trying moving with the help of stick in hand, one group of tired men sitting at each step but still continuing, monkeys waiting around the customers for when will they throw the foo.. I kept sitting there for a long time, and when my breathing was normal, the thought of climbing up came in mind.
The battle of mind is always unpredictable, you never know what thought will cross you and which mind will win. Same was happening with me. One mind saying. "why to carry on? most probably the chances are that I will give up somewhere in between, and my friends will pick me up while coming down. Even if I somehow reach the top what am I going to gain? Will I have enough energy to enjoy the scenery? Aur badme chutiye utarna bhi to hain."
Other mind tell me,"what the worst would happen? I will stop in between and the party will pick me up while coming down. And while coming down, I can always take rest, if I feel exhausted. But lets see what are the advantages. I will feel good as I have seen everything. Will I really feel good, when someday I realize that I came so close to my target, but can not complete it. If I do not complete this today, I will never put myself to the extreme."
Finally I made up my mind, I remembetr my own words, "Nothing is impossible, given enough time and resources." I was having plenty of time, and just enough resources (remember one sprite bottle, and two chocolates). So I started climbing saying my favorite words.
"
Vakratund Mahakay suryakoti samaprabha,
nirvighna kurume deva sarvkayeshi sarvda
".
My legs were trembling, sight was not at full, hearts beating with double ratebut I walk using the rails at the sides. In that journey too, I rested at each turn, I gave sprite to some peoples, talked with monkeys, shaking head after every step so that chakkar vakkar na aa jaye. And finally I reach at the top. Pramod and Sunil were there. After seeingg me Pramos shout, "Arey yeh dekh kaun aa gaya, kya Vishal tu kya bol raha tha?"
Thats it. One more small achievement in life which I will remember when all hopes will start vanishing , when all the misfortunes and all guru, shani, rahu, ketu target me. I didn't visit any of the temples which were there. I don't feel I should. If the God was not supporting me, I was not have been here. Going inside, those caves will not do any favor for me.



And then lying there, I thought what is the God? Most of the peoples finds in in statues, and rocks, or pictures. Scientists say that the God is out of the universe. Some peoples say that God is everywhere. But for me God is in the most beautifull thing on the earth, and that is our brain. If not then who give me the command to continue tracking. Who tells humans what to do. Its our brain, and thoughts inside it, who drives us. And as opposed to God, Evil also lies in our brain too. Evil takes care that God will always have work to do. See my theory is perfect.
After that, two more times my legs pain while returning. Once while coming down from hill, I got a cramp in my one leg, and on the next step, one more cramp in the other leg. And other time when we stop for lunch, and as soon as I got from bike, the cramps return and I was unable to walk, and even stand. But till now, I got lesson of my life, that I am never exhausted, never till I have my brain at place.
And I learnt one more important lesson,
I have to start regular excersize as early as possible.