The Superpower

[dexters]

Just out of curiosity, when you are a suporpwer in a competitive CIV III game, what are some of the things you like to do?

Any interesting anecdotes?

[Deathwalker]

No extra functions are given if your a superpower

[SpencerH]

In my last game I physically blocked the French from getting at the last Russian city. Every turn the French would move 50 units onto my territory to get around my mechinf and every turn I'd tell em to get out or declare war (and they left rather than cause an incident).

[spy14]

See if I can shove em about. Which usually I cant, until I land a stack on their doorstep..

[zulu9812]

Everything in CivIII comes down to your military. If the AI has vastly superior numbers, they'll bully you mercilessly. If you have vastly superior numbers you can bully them mercilessly.

[Marquis de Sodaq]

I like to toy with the AI by setting up a line of units across the continent. With no way to the other side, the AI units (usually settlers and escorts) turn around to go home. Then I move one unit aside to open a gap in the wall of units. The AI turns everybody around to go back thru. Then I block it again, repeat ad nauseum.

It takes a pile of units to do this - extras not needed elsewhere - but I like wasting the AI's time/settlers this way. I wouldn't bother if I didn't have a large military, tho. In a current game, I've kept 4 french settlers walking back and forth for at least 40 turns - I look at it as plugging the settler diarrhea, a way to buy me time to claim the land they want.

[Gangerolf]

I once put all my conquered enemies into "reservations". I would build a city on tundra or desert or on a remote island, name it eg "Egyptian Reservation" and give it to them just before I capture their last city.

[Navyman]

I once "trapped" a stack of ~50 French infrantry in my territory. I was not at war with them but they needed to get the stack to a front without a RoP with me. So instead of having the computer take a minute or so to move the entire stack, I sent in 8 Mech. Inf. and surrounded their stack on all sides and wouldn't let them move. I also didn't ask the French to get off my territory so while their cities were getting pounded on my the English, their main attack force was twiddling their thumbs in my territory. The French wouldn't dare attack me either cuz I was stronger than them and the English combined.

[kmill25]

I have pulled off the unit block. Since the AI likes to move massive amounts of troops through your territory without asking I routinely, when possible, position troops to block their passage. It usually results in me no longer seeing foreign troops on my soil. It gets tiring to ask them to leave or declare war.

[Arrian]

Originally posted by Gangerolf
I once put all my conquered enemies into "reservations". I would build a city on tundra or desert or on a remote island, name it eg "Egyptian Reservation" and give it to them just before I capture their last city.

Now THAT's funny. I like it.


To answer "what do you like to do when you're the superpower in a competitive game" well, I set about making the game no longer competitive. I target luxuries. I look for openings overseas where I can build cities and steal luxuries from the AI. The AI will often attack me for this, which is fine by me, as I'm the superpower That just gives me the excuse to take the rest of what they have.

-Arrian

[Andreiguy]

Yes, but it seems that even that gets boring after a while. If I'm a superpower for a while, I usually save, quit, and start a new game on a tougher difficulty level.

[Marquis de Sodaq]

Originally posted by Gangerolf
I once put all my conquered enemies into "reservations". I would build a city on tundra or desert or on a remote island, name it eg "Egyptian Reservation" and give it to them just before I capture their last city.

This I hafta try! I'm currently on the marlamap, so it should be easy to set up their camps in the canadian arctic...

[Theseus]

Destroy all access to strategic and luxury resources prior to my full scale invasion.

Give necessary strategic resources to lesser-developed nations.

Get the whole world to go to war.

Haven't done it yet, but capture every city in the world in one turn.

[Arrian]

Speaking of this superpower stuff, I am considering a thread on the game I'm just finishing up now.

Theseus: remember my concept of "ultimate power?" Well, I think I have achieved it. This game is the reason I haven't touched mini tourneyiii yet. It's been unbelieveable. Due to this, I will probably continue my search for "utimate power" on Emperor instead of Monarch.

-Arrian

[khyron]

Originally posted by Gangerolf
I once put all my conquered enemies into "reservations". I would build a city on tundra or desert or on a remote island, name it eg "Egyptian Reservation" and give it to them just before I capture their last city.

I've done similar. Played a round on Marla's map because I was having a generally bad day, wanted to nuke people, and wanted to know generally where I had to throw the ICBMs.

Anyway, the Greeks in this game had left Europe at my encouragement (I was Babylon), and at this point were down to a city at the eastern edge of Canada. I was busy ripping up the Aztecs. They surrender, hand over half their kindgom to me, including a little island off the west coast of South America. I gave it to the Greeks because I felt bad and knew their time was coming. A couple turns later, their other enemies found the city in Canada. Eventually, though, they started randomly declaring war on me. Their savior. So Alexander's long journey from Athens to Canada to the Pacific ended with a battleship and a marine shoved where the sun don't shine.

[dexters]

Originally posted by Arrian
Speaking of this superpower stuff, I am considering a thread on the game I'm just finishing up now.

Theseus: remember my concept of "ultimate power?" Well, I think I have achieved it. This game is the reason I haven't touched mini tourneyiii yet. It's been unbelieveable. Due to this, I will probably continue my search for "utimate power" on Emperor instead of Monarch.

-Arrian

I'd like to hear more about this ultimate power. how do i subscribe to your newletter ?

[Theseus]

Let's hear it.

[Arrian]

I'm actually kinda amused by the game - I will post about it, but I want to gather some screenshots from the various saved games to do it right. I'm amused because it is not my highest scoring game, despite being the best (or perhaps 2nd best) game I've ever played. The other contender was with the original release (read: screwed up) 1.17 patch and I got 2-3 settlers from huts, so I discard that one.

I ended up winning in the late 1700s, as usual by mistake. Domination. The border expansion that screwed me was a city on the other continent with the Iron Works (rushed by my 11th leader). I could go back and prevent it, but I figured what's the point. I was killing barbarian warriors with Mechanized Infantry (which was nice, since I was making 25-50 gold per turn off the camps).

You guys will get a kick out of the "reservation" for the Iroquois. Heh. Talk about being stranded on a desert island...

-Arrian

p.s. The two things that make this game stand out for me: 1) I switched to Monarchy as soon as I had the tech, and never switched governments again.. and this did not slow me down tech-wise, and 2) 12 Great Leaders.

[Kingof the Apes]

12??? JEEZ!

Can't wait for those screenies!

[dunk]

Originally posted by Arrian
12 Great Leaders.

You always play on Huge maps don't you?

I think promotions and leaders should happen with greater frequency on smaller maps (fewer units, fewer chances). I haven't gotten a leader in a LONG time. I don't always perfectly employ the Veteran / Elite tactic, but I think I do okay with it. Usually any time I attack with my veterans, they win. And then my elites will lose since there are no beat up units left.

I think I fight enough to at least get one or two.

[dunk]

Anyhoo...

As superpower, I beleive I will attempt to trap AI units within my territory from now on. I thought that was very funny.

The reservation strategy I usually employed in Civ II. I would capture all the cities in the world save 1 from the most backwards civ. Then I would improve every tile surrounding my cities and launch the spaceship.

[Arrian]

Originally posted by dunk999


You always play on Huge maps don't you?

I think promotions and leaders should happen with greater frequency on smaller maps (fewer units, fewer chances). I haven't gotten a leader in a LONG time. I don't always perfectly employ the Veteran / Elite tactic, but I think I do okay with it. Usually any time I attack with my veterans, they win. And then my elites will lose since there are no beat up units left.

I think I fight enough to at least get one or two.

Nope, I always play on Standard maps. This game was standard, 70%, continents, 8 civs. This is why I thought 12 leaders was worth a

I'm not sure how to properly balance the different map sizes w/respect to Great Leader generation. Perhaps the standard 1/16 chance should drop to 1/12 on tiny, 1/14 on small, 1/16 on standard, up to 1/18 on large and 1/20 on huge? Dunno.

-Arrian

[W4r_Machine]

Originally posted by dexters
Just out of curiosity, when you are a suporpwer in a competitive CIV III game, what are some of the things you like to do?

Any interesting anecdotes?

When I'm the superpower, I'ld take the time to build and improve all my cities.

However, you can always count on the AI attacking you while you're on your building phase.

[HazieDaVampire]

Super powers should have new enemys, like Terrorists and Cuban missle crisises! Like a certain civ stockpiling loads of nukes and planning to launch them at every one of your citys! That would be sweet, cuz it just gets boring after a while!

[dexters]

Heheh. HazieDaVampire, good ideas. But I think being a superpower is tough as it is with all the AI seeing you as a prime threat and thus, world wars with half the planet declaring war against you is quite common.

And I'm pretty sure AI doesn't gang up on the human, it gangs up on their biggest threat, which usually is the #1 power, AI or human.

I'm playing a game where I'm #2, and the AIs are a lot nice than another game where i became de facto superpower. I had 10 civs join military alliances to declare war on me in 5 turns.

[miccofl]

As a Superpower I try to get the other civs to declare war on each other. I made a rule alteration that gives all submarines the hidden nationality effect. (If you know anything about subs and their weapons or have read Clancy’s non-fiction work submarine you will know “a torpedo is a torpedo, and a harpoon is a harpoon. Lots of countries have them or have access to them. It could be anybody”) I then sink all of his or her ships. The hidden nationality effect is a farce since they all get really p-o’ed about it, but it’s still fun to do.

[Christantine The Great]

I like making a nice invasion force, invading, destroying and doing as much damage as humanly possible, retreating, and giving them back their cities.

[dunk]

Originally posted by Arrian


Nope, I always play on Standard maps. This game was standard, 70%, continents, 8 civs. This is why I thought 12 leaders was worth a

I'm not sure how to properly balance the different map sizes w/respect to Great Leader generation. Perhaps the standard 1/16 chance should drop to 1/12 on tiny, 1/14 on small, 1/16 on standard, up to 1/18 on large and 1/20 on huge? Dunno.

-Arrian

Well, there goes my theory.