Spoliers for AU 401: They came down from the Mountains - Page 3

Nor Me · May 23, 2003, 10:29

I thought about playing the NIC but it just didn't fit the way I was playing at the time. I'm still trying to figure out how you get fast tech early and sustainably.

I may even attempt it before starting this proposed thread if I have time (I'm writing this with 3 PBEMs in my inbox which I consequently won't be able to play for a 2 or 3 hours.)

Arrian, you may be right about the courthouse. I thought my building them religiously in this game was wrong at first but I don't know now.

I didn't need more horsemen to take down the Indians or Chinese but I did need as many knights as possible as soon as possible. The question is what effect my marketplaces and courthouses had on the knight curve as it were. More gold gave me more knights straight away. More horsemen instead would have given me more knights soon (after I'd waited for more gold arriving slightly more slowly). Then in the long run, marketplaces and couthouses would mean knights being built slightly faster.

I should have built one more earlyish temple for a total of 3 and then some more near the FP while cutting out libraries entirely. But that's only in retrospect. I wasn't aware that I could win this quickly.

Arrian, if this has given up being still addressed to you at this point, I think that you of all people could benefit from being more ruthless on this. All my potentially UP emperor games have started with pure warmongering or REX. If they've become builder games then that tends to start at building libraries everywhere. Temples often get missed out.

In thois game I had 4 or 5 spaced core cities and I only needed 1 early and 1 late temple for expansion. My capital went to size 10 with a despotic luxury rate of 50% at one point. I built my only other temple in it only after building the Pyramids - the other way round would have slowed it down too much.

In the long term as a warmonger you'll have enough luxuries. In that case marketplaces can provide the happiness. Courthouses give you shields and if you need culture marketplaces can give it as well as useful science.

If in this game, there were another continent on a larger map, more courthouses and marketplaces would have paid off even though Knights would have decided the game.

I was going to enter that argument on Domiae's side but he was doing so well that I didn't have any other points to make.

I'll leave when to decide to build a temple or courthouse instead of the default horsemen to the proposed thread. Not only do I not know the entire answer but I have to go now.

Arrian · May 23, 2003, 10:48

Quote:

Arrian, if this has given up being still addressed to you at this point, I think that you of all people could benefit from being more ruthless on this. All my potentially UP emperor games have started with pure warmongering or REX. If they've become builder games then that tends to start at building libraries everywhere. Temples often get missed out.

I know. I really do. It's just... hard.

[Khan]I try to obey... it is difficult... aahhhh! *removes bracelet, vaporizes self*[/Khan]

I have one ongoing Emperor game. It has failed to become UP, but I am in fact winning. Early leaders allowed me the GL and an early FP (not optimal, but not bad) and I did well in the middle ages for wonders. The thing that's just killing me, though, is the cultural advantage the AI has over me. The Mongols have better culture than I do, for ****'s sake!

Plus, I tried an experiment that went horribly, horribly wrong: I tried to conquer 1 too many civs. I unleashed my Cavalry on the aforementioned Mongols and, for the first time in a long time, got my ass handed to me on a platter (though the major blow was a culture flip, not a tactical defeat). I decided that experiment had been a bad idea (which I had suspected) and consider it a lesson learned. I did too much building in the middle ages to try and take down 2 full-strength civs too (I got the first one with Riders). On Monarch, it woulda worked.

-Arrian

Dominae · May 23, 2003, 10:54

Quote:

Originally posted by Arrian
The Mongols have better culture than I do, for ****'s sake!

I hear Kubla Khan had a pretty happening Ice Palace / Pleasure Dome. Sure sounds like it would beat all those stuffy Libraries.

Dominae

Arrian · May 23, 2003, 11:00

Nah, it's those Pyramids he built. *sigh* Why do you think I wanted to conquer them (aside from "they're there")?

-Arrian

Dominae · May 23, 2003, 11:08

Quote:

Originally posted by Arrian
(aside from "they're there")?

I'm not sure what this says about me, but that's usually my main reason for conquering other civs...

Oh look! Emperor Dominae...I like the sound of that.

Dominae

Arrian · May 23, 2003, 12:13

I usually have other justifications beyond "they're there." Not that it makes much difference... same outcome.

Perhaps I should post my Emperor-level game and you Emperor experts can have a look and tell me if you see glaring errors.

-Arrian

p.s. Think about how many posts being an "Emperor" means...

Dominae · May 23, 2003, 12:20

Quote:

Originally posted by Arrian
Perhaps I should post my Emperor-level game and you Emperor experts can have a look and tell me if you see glaring errors.

I'm pretty sure all the "errors" you make are actually decisions. Your game against Mongolia is a case in point: you said yourself you're doing well, so you can beat Emperor if you want to. You're looking for more than just beating the AI.

Quote:

Think about how many posts being an "Emperor" means...

Well, I've got PBEMs to make me feel better about that. Then again, my average post count per day is ridiculous.

Dominae

Arrian · May 23, 2003, 13:08

I had a feeling you would say that. But then again, the game in which I'm doing well is largely due to some luck with early leaders. Without them...

I think I would need to seriously re-adjust my early game moves to consistently put myself in a good position on Emperor.

-Arrian

nbarclay · May 24, 2003, 01:13

Nor Me, that was absolutely spactacular! It would seem that a free settler for a militaristic civ with a close neighbor is about as good as it gets, and you took advantage of the situation to the fullest.

vmxa1 · May 24, 2003, 02:05

Quote:

Originally posted by Dominae

I'm pretty sure all the "errors" you make are actually decisions. Your game against Mongolia is a case in point: you said yourself you're doing well, so you can beat Emperor if you want to. You're looking for more than just beating the AI.

He knows he can beat emp, but it is not as much fun.
That is the same reason I do not play deity that often, it more work than it is worth. It forces me to be nicer and do some trades, ugh.
Every 6 to 8 games, I make myself play one anyway. Once you get the upper hand it is very satisfying, but I have to eat too much dirt and wait too long for my revenge.

I play lots of impossible level MOO and Moo2, but Moo1 is not as much fun. It is like Civ3, you are in soon in a big hole and have to be careful for a long time.
I enjoy hard level on Moo1 more than impossible. Moo2 is more like civ2, you can beat the higher level with out so much strain. I guess it is a matter of getting use to the way they work.