ophite
Jan 11, 2008, 06:16 PM
I just realized, today, that the Lanun's main disadvantage -- poor production -- has been completely reversed by the rejiggering of Guilds, the new Guild of Hammers, and by pirate ports.
Build a starting worker, immediately popping him to build a pirate port -- it should shortly be producing like a gem mine+farm. Switch to scouts for a bit to build population and get techs from goodie huts. When you've hit your happiness maximum, alternate workers and settlers, popping your workers to build pirate ports. If there's a nearby bottleneck, wall yourself off with water.
Rush Octopus Overlords, then beeline the economy techs with a short diversion to Way of the Wicked for Slavery and Sailing for lighthouses and coastal trade. If you've got threatening neighbors, you may want to avoid both until later. You won't be going down the metals tree for a good long time, so you'll want to make sure that you have enough mercenaries to compete with their Stack of Doom.
If all has gone right so far, you should have a functioning cottage economy long before any other player has gotten theirs up and running. Actually, better than a cottage economy: your pirate ports, with a Lighthouse, provide a hammer, one less gold than a cottage, and one more food than a farm.
At this point, you have some options. As it stands, your production economy works like this: whips for buildings, mercenary purchases for defenders. If you want Eidolons later on, your high-XP warriors should get whatever mortal-only promotions you want, then be splashed to Drown. You'll want to snag Saverous as well, as a last-ditch defender and hero-killer.
If you're feeling belligerent, you can use a couple turns rushing to Priesthood. If you've gotten Way of the Wicked, you're pretty close anyway, so you can keep heading in that direction. Suicide squads of mercenaries with Burning Blood, even without metal upgrades, can be truly scary--especially if you're Hannah, and those mercenaries have Commando. Don't be afraid to use them when defending, either: that same stack could possibly trash an enemy Stack of Doom better than if they stayed inside the city walls.
If you're feeling like building your economy, you can run up the metals tree to Bronze Working, then the engineering tree all the way to Engineering. This has the added advantage of making your mercenaries competitive. Use your free engineer to pop Guild of Hammers. A good alternative choice is Tower of Complacency in your capitol. Oh, and while you're at it, whip Guybrush in your capitol, immediately disband him, and build the Shrine of the Champion.
If, for some reason, you need production right now--say, someone has teched to the point where your defensive mercenaries are no longer even vaguely competitive--or if your economy is for some reason truly exceptional, you can start the slog up to Guilds.
You can now win the game at your leisure.
Your economy works like this: engineers, at +50% efficiency, provide labor, when you need it. Most of the time, you'll want them to be Sages, shooting your tech through the roof. Your entire country should be an archipelago of pirate ports, except for resources and places where pirate ports aren't buildable. This, supplemented by your specialists, provides food and gold.
In the late game, you can do one of several things. If you have some solid Drown, you can upgrade them through Stygian Guard and (after a brief stint as Ashen Veil) up to Eidolon. Cannibalistic amphibious commandos with March and Fear are nearly unstoppable. If you don't have some solid Drown, detouring to take Blasting Powder nets you arquebusiers and cannons, both solid city-breakers when supported by (again) huge mercenary stacks
-- ACS
Build a starting worker, immediately popping him to build a pirate port -- it should shortly be producing like a gem mine+farm. Switch to scouts for a bit to build population and get techs from goodie huts. When you've hit your happiness maximum, alternate workers and settlers, popping your workers to build pirate ports. If there's a nearby bottleneck, wall yourself off with water.
Rush Octopus Overlords, then beeline the economy techs with a short diversion to Way of the Wicked for Slavery and Sailing for lighthouses and coastal trade. If you've got threatening neighbors, you may want to avoid both until later. You won't be going down the metals tree for a good long time, so you'll want to make sure that you have enough mercenaries to compete with their Stack of Doom.
If all has gone right so far, you should have a functioning cottage economy long before any other player has gotten theirs up and running. Actually, better than a cottage economy: your pirate ports, with a Lighthouse, provide a hammer, one less gold than a cottage, and one more food than a farm.
At this point, you have some options. As it stands, your production economy works like this: whips for buildings, mercenary purchases for defenders. If you want Eidolons later on, your high-XP warriors should get whatever mortal-only promotions you want, then be splashed to Drown. You'll want to snag Saverous as well, as a last-ditch defender and hero-killer.
If you're feeling belligerent, you can use a couple turns rushing to Priesthood. If you've gotten Way of the Wicked, you're pretty close anyway, so you can keep heading in that direction. Suicide squads of mercenaries with Burning Blood, even without metal upgrades, can be truly scary--especially if you're Hannah, and those mercenaries have Commando. Don't be afraid to use them when defending, either: that same stack could possibly trash an enemy Stack of Doom better than if they stayed inside the city walls.
If you're feeling like building your economy, you can run up the metals tree to Bronze Working, then the engineering tree all the way to Engineering. This has the added advantage of making your mercenaries competitive. Use your free engineer to pop Guild of Hammers. A good alternative choice is Tower of Complacency in your capitol. Oh, and while you're at it, whip Guybrush in your capitol, immediately disband him, and build the Shrine of the Champion.
If, for some reason, you need production right now--say, someone has teched to the point where your defensive mercenaries are no longer even vaguely competitive--or if your economy is for some reason truly exceptional, you can start the slog up to Guilds.
You can now win the game at your leisure.
Your economy works like this: engineers, at +50% efficiency, provide labor, when you need it. Most of the time, you'll want them to be Sages, shooting your tech through the roof. Your entire country should be an archipelago of pirate ports, except for resources and places where pirate ports aren't buildable. This, supplemented by your specialists, provides food and gold.
In the late game, you can do one of several things. If you have some solid Drown, you can upgrade them through Stygian Guard and (after a brief stint as Ashen Veil) up to Eidolon. Cannibalistic amphibious commandos with March and Fear are nearly unstoppable. If you don't have some solid Drown, detouring to take Blasting Powder nets you arquebusiers and cannons, both solid city-breakers when supported by (again) huge mercenary stacks
-- ACS