Another pair of newbie questions

[Jim W]

So I've got a cease-fire with the Spanish. Fine. Then their settlers come pusing in on my irrigated land, building settlements, and their troops come edging in asnd edging in.

So I send out some guys to chase these snoopy people off, and this whiny voice comes out and tells me Hey, you got a cease-fire with the Spanish. This will violate it!"

At which point, it's very much up to my mood as to whether I let it go or attack.

Does the harm to your reputation outweigh the strategic disadvantage of having these folks hanging around your territory?

Second thing. I started off working for a half-decent military machine, since I knew that pacifists generally get buried, and even if you don't want to fight, you have to be ready to fight back.

Shortly into the AD period, I started going for Space Flight, with occasional pauses to get such things as Destroyers, Alpine Troops, and the like. Unfortunately, I ended up with one of the AIs suddenly running around with Tanks and those nast little fast boats. 1946, and very little tile left to catch up.

So, what kinds of things can I do to pseed my progress next time around?

JimW

[Ri-jon Boom!]

Excellent questions. Although I can't help you on the second one, I can provide help with the first one. Try hard to keep a perfect reputation. Get them to break it for you. Just demand money or ask for troop withdrawel every turn untill they give in. When they do, strike hard and fast. One of my beliefs in warfare is that on the first turn of war, you should damage your enemie's lines to the point where they can't fight back. Knock 'em down, then step on their face. Then, when they beg for mercy, finish them off.
I know this sounds pretty simplified, and things NEVER go exactly according to plan. Just pick a strategy and stick to it. You said that you had an army, so use it.
Even a small task force can put crippling effects into your enemies nation. I remember the time when I bribed a size 2 enemy city for a couple hundred bucks, and it turned out that it was the staging point for all of his attacks against me. There were 20 marines, and a couple transports. With a large chunk of his army gone, He had no choice but to surrender.

[Miner]

Sod reputation! if you get anywhere the AI Civs just gang up on you anyway so you might as well just kill the f******.

For the second point, it sounds like you are driving for Space Flight at the expensive of everything else which is generally not a good idea.

[jpk]

I agree with Miner's second point. Once you get railroad and engineers your shield production can pick up but you can't build any parts for your spaceship. This is a good time to cut the AI civilizations down to size.

Fill a transport or two with your finest veteran offensive units and either diplomats or spies. Sail as close as possible to the AI capitol and take it. The AI civilization will probably move its capitol. Take the new capitol. Repeat as often as is necessary. AT some point the AI civilization will run out of money to build new palaces. Bribe or subvert the remaining cities.

In case you wish to preserve a spotless reputation, subvert a city near the AI capitol. Then use that city as a staging point for incursions into the AI territory. When they AI demands that the units leave the AI territory, they will go to the newly subverted city.

If you are playing a space race game, a civilization with 20 to 30 cities is always a threat, a civilization with 5 to 10 cities is much less a threat.

[Sten Sture]

Jim W - Probably the best advice I could give you is focus on Trade arrows. That means caravans and roads and trade specials like wine, silk, gold, and whales. Build roads on rivers, and trade, trade, trade. Try to deliver a caravan the first or second turn after you get an advance. Caravans can only get you 2/3? (or something like that) toward the next advance so deliver them when your total science beaker is empty. I think the science bonus you get from caravans is the key to the game at any level. Don't focus too much on shield production, buy what you want instead. don't go to republic too early, wait until you build Mikes, or have coliseums and some advanced defensive units; and don't build more than ten cities in Monarchy unless you can deal with the unhappiness. Once you are in rep or demo, use happy wonders and celebration days to grow, you won't need the pyramids. Keep your science allocation maxed except when you are going through a round of We Love The Leader Day. I try to take a direct route to Monarchy, then a direct route to Trade, then Monotheism, then Invention, then Democracy. If you can
build the Lighthouse and Magellans in a world with water, your trade routes will be very happy with you for the quicker movement.

If you are having trouble with AI encroachment, try to block access to your frontier with early horseman expansion and setting up choak points. The AI will not build cities in forests or on hills so use that info to deny them a good place to build. If you have a city and the AI has a city that are close together, be the first one to work the overlapping squares, especially if you are allied. Don't worry if they aren't the best squares available, as long as they are okay, use them.

In recent games in the MGE edition I have been much more friendly to the AI civs, they aren't much of a threat militarily if you defend in difficult terrain, but they just leave me alone more if I give them a tech or two that I don't care if they have.

ramble, ramble, ramble...

[Campo]

Originally posted by Sten Sture on 11-10-1999 11:42 AM
Once you are in rep or demo, use happy wonders and celebration days to grow, you won't need the pyramids. Keep your science allocation maxed except when you are going through a round of We Love The Leader Day.

I haven't been playing very long. I found this forum last week, and I've seen a lot of references to WLTxD. I've been going through back postings to look for more information.
Can anyone provide (or point me to) tips on getting WLTxD? I get the main early happy wonders (HG, MC, and Bach) plus temples and colliseums, and still rarely get the Love days. What else do you need to get them?

[This message has been edited by Campo (edited November 10, 1999).]

[DaveV]

Campo,

Probably more important than a colosseum is a marketplace. You need lots of luxuries to get WLY days, and a 50% bonus can sometimes put you over the top. Banks and stock exchanges can be helpful as you grow.

[geofelt]

For your first question, a cease fire is different from a peace. It lasts 16 years(don't count on it). The ai can roam your territory, but can't damage it. With a peace agreement, you can ask them to remove themselves. They will comply or declare war. If you are not a democracy or republic, you can demand tribute, and they will leave and perhaps give you gold or something. You might also get war.
A spotless reputation(never break your word) may let you get a peace agreement that lasts a while. Under a democracy, you may be able to continue a war by ignoring the opponents request to talk. Half the time the senate declares a cease fire, and the other half, it authorises more "peacekeeping" action.
The game is best played with a balanced approach. Build some military, some science, some shield capability. Above all, expand by building/capturing cities, and improving them. Other approaches also work, but their success may be dependent on the situation. It is possible to win the spaceship race with only one city(OCC).

[Sten Sture]

Campo - WLT_D is tough to get without raising the luxury rate in your taxation window to 30% or 40%. Temples are a must, markets are VERY helpful and when you are done growing and reset the lux to 0% or 10%, cathedrals or coliseums are good to keep from slipping back into disorder.