Help with inadequate food supply

Well, since you have SoL, go Fundamentalist, set science to zero, tax at maximum to buy an army and try to take out an AI in one turn, if possible. IMO you should have done that the moment you decided to take on the Aztecs. But it's not too late

[Sieve Too]

Since all the AI civs are small, you could do whatever you want at this point. Conquest will probably by the quickest. Set science to 80% until you have Tactics. All your Dragoons will become Cavalry. Switch to Fundamentalism. Build/buy nothing Spies and (vet) Cavalry plus any ships for transport. Tear down walls, attack with Cavalry, bribe what's left.

[Sieve Too]

If you have the Lighthouse and Steam Engine, you can build Ironclads that will be vets automatically. Since they have 30 hps and ignore walls, a vet Ironclad easily takes out even vet Musketeers.

[George Garrett]

Sieve Too, are you sure about Ironclads (of any ilk)versus Musketeers, and/or City Walls? -that was not my experience in a recent game.
Fair play, my games tend to be inexplicable, anyway...would you believe in my most recent,
played as Despot Warlord throughout (in which I survived til 2020!),a camel having a crafty smoke outside one of my coastal fortresses, was set upon by an AI destroyer - and blew it away with a puff or two, getting itself "promoted to veteran staus for valour"?
Talking of caravans, I discovered that I could solve all the food-shortage problems inherent in the Despot mode by chucking caravans at the suffering city till its hunger pangs eased, nor did it seem to affect the donating cities...their food supplies seemed to grow rather than dwindle...I now love caravans. Boy, did I learn a lot by playing under this handicap!

One thing I did not learn, however, was how to aid an invaded allied neighbouring A1 Civ. in a practical way, which I deem to be sending in defenders (yes, Sieve,musketeers!) to occupy its cities, rather than hurl my units futilely against the oppressor. In my games, defence seems to be the best form of attack - again, in my last game an enemy destroyer was, itself,destroyed by attacking one of my GALLEONS for Heaven's sake! Of course, emboldened by this I sailed one of my destroyers into the sea-battle, and it promptly crashed in flames. (told you it was a weird game)...so, folks, what's the best way to aid an ally in war?

------------------

[This message has been edited by George Garrett (edited March 14, 2000).]

[Sieve Too]

All ships and air units ignore city walls. For extra defense against ships, you need Coastal Fortress. For air units you need SAM Missile Defense.

I guess I should have said that vet Ironclads usually defeat Musketeers, not always. I have used them this way many times. Defendering Musketeers can still get bonuses for vet status, fortifying, terrain and for the Coastal Fortress. All together, this may negate the Ironclads otherwise superior attack and extra hps. In any case, it's still better than hurling Dragoons at the city - with or without walls.

To aid your ally, I would argue the opposite of your stand: attack is the best form of defense. Take out attackers before they get in range of a city where they'll attack and pillage. Good attackers tend to have poor defense so you should strike first. That being said, a fortified hill or mountain can survive a quite a barage.

[Campo]

Just to complete the story, I finished the game last night. As suggested, I got tactics, went fundy, bribed what cities I could while I built a big army and spies, then conquered the half-dozen or so remaining cities. Finished in the mid-1950's.

So I kind of won my first Emperor game except that I cheated by restarting. I think I could manage a fair win now, if I get decent starting terrain.

I'm looking forward to trying. My wife isn't though. With the restart and all I spent a LOT of time on this game. I might have to change my name to "My Wife Hates Civ Too".

[George Garrett]

Thanks.Sieve Too for your advice on aiding allies...I had the chance, yesterday, to "gift" - via emissary - a few nukes to Bodeacia against her barbs (she's not a very good fighter. I'm afraid, I even beat her), but didn't, cos I reasoned a) She'd probably miss with 'em anyway, b)She might beat me over the head with them next time we get into an argument over whose round it is.

As for attack/defence one never can tell in this game...since my last post, I lost a walled city with a fortified vet musketeer- a combo that has withstood oodles of evildoers, hitherto - to a boatload of barbs (armed., I suspect only to the degree of baseball bats)
I retook that same city, by accident...I "ordered" a mere frigate to nip round for a recce, it charged right in, and knocked out the barb garrison of this - I would have thought- impregnable stronghold - leaving it to my storied vet camel to wander in, and repossess...go figure.

Yes, I'm very high on Coastal Fortresses, too, if I had my way I'd build them ere City
Walls.

Campo,next time you have trouble with food shortage, why not try what I'm gonna?...i.e. have the starving city send caravans to - anywhere, it doesn't matter, just get them out of town, so that they may come back to you as "food supplies" Casting Bedouin upon the waters, so to speak. I haven't tried this, myself, yet so dunno if it's feasible...feastable?...edible, even?