how to achive domination on immortal or diety

[Laniko]

i need help,i can achive every victory exept domination i just dont know how to do that.What civs are best,what strategy,what tips moves,what path should i pass to victory???

[Denkt]

An easy way to get domination is to rush for the capitals of the other civs. If ou think that you can take all civs capital about the same time you can win without allowing the civs any chance for a counter attack. Also attacking early may give you much land and make the later game easier.

[Laniko]

i realize that i need to rush attacks but unhappines becomes high,my cities dont give me much gold and other civ instantly declare war on me alone

[Khadroth]

That's what your policies and religion are for. If you're annexing a lot, pagoda's can be very helpful. If you're puppetting stick to beliefs like Goddess of Love (Pantheon), Ceremonial Burial (Founder), or even Asceticism/Peace Gardens (Followers) on the off chance that your puppet produces one of those. That being said you don't have to take all of them or even any of them, but if you don't you need to be on the ball with your CS allies, trades (if anyone likes you still) and happiness buildings/wonders. As for gold, Tithe (Founder) can do wonders for your output if you make sure to spread your religion.

Policy-wise there's some key ones that can really help out:
Tradition: Aristocracy provides +1 happiness for every 10 citizens in a city, while Monarcy reduces unhappiness by 1 for every 2 citizens in the capital.
Liberty: Meritocracy is huge. +1 happiness for every city with a trade route and -5% unhappiness from citizens in every non-occupied city.
Honor: Militrary caste increases happiness by 1 for every city with a garrison. Professional Army increases happiness by 1 for every defensive building in a city.
Patronage: Cultural Diplomacy increases resource gifts by 100% and increases gifted resource happiness by 50%
Commerce: Protectionism is huge. +2 happiness from every luxury resource.
Rationalism: Humanism is huge. +1 happiness from every university/observatory/public school.
Freedom: Democracy makes specialists produce half their normal unhappiness.
Autocracy: Police State allows you to annex more without a big happiness hit as courthouses now provide +3 happiness as well.
Order: Opener is huge. Provides +1 happiness for every city.

[Resonance]

Here is how I do it:

In the beginning, keep it slow. Do not wipe out the first AIs you fight. Try to be DoWed, and leave them a city. They will hate you, the others wont care. The trick is to keep warring but try to avoid all but one war if possible. Never do anything that annoys the AI in the first 100 turns. But build up your forces. Favor ranged units with a few melee, later add siege.


Total domination has to happen later in the game. Initially, the AI is too strong but aside from that, you need to have your happiness fixed. So you play catchup. Fight the wars the AI brings to you, train troops, try not to lose any. Fix your science first, money will come from your first puppets. Invest some hammers into culture and let hell break loose lategame.

The AI can only use one unit properly: atomic bomb. Once artillery is there, your moment has come. The AI cannot stop you until it has bombs, maybe flight. So pound them. Go for the happiness wonder cities. Once your empire gets larger with puppets, take the happiness policies.

Long story short: Play defensive until industrial, then use the fact that you know how to fight with you units, while the AI is clueless.

[Laniko]

thanks,i played with celts yesterday defensive until industrial and then wiped inca who were the strongest civ in the game

[smallfish]

Originally Posted by Resonance

The AI can only use one unit properly: atomic bomb. Once artillery is there, your moment has come. The AI cannot stop you until it has bombs, maybe flight. So pound them. Go for the happiness wonder cities. Once your empire gets larger with puppets, take the happiness policies.

lol no, they don't use nukes tactically

Tubes are nice, but they just don't pack enough firepower like Bombers and Battleships. Or nukes.

Originally Posted by Resonance

Long story short: Play defensive until industrial, then use the fact that you know how to fight with you units, while the AI is clueless.

I'd say there are two waves you can do Domination: the early good ole Tabarnak style Classical/Medieval rush, or Lategame (which includes one more turn). For lategame, I'll say wait till Modern, get Battleships and Bombers (with fighters), then go rolling. Much safer than solely relying on tubes, and gods help you if you do that against an England with hilly terrain because longbow machine guns are insane as hell.

[Resonance]

Originally Posted by smallfish

lol no, they don't use nukes tactically

Tubes are nice, but they just don't pack enough firepower like Bombers and Battleships. Or nukes.

I dont say they use nukes tactically, but they know how to throw them at you and since they are so powerful finesse is no longer the key to success.

Tubes have firepower against cities. You do not kill units with them. 4-5 Artillery + a lancer will take most industrial cities in a few turns. All you need is a path for your lancer. Unit killing is done by your upgraded ranged units in this scenario. Of course, as always there are exceptions, like the great wall AI on hilly terrain or lots of rivers to cross. I find unit killing easy enough, especially with the help of GG bombs, which also mitigate the effect of choke points.
Taking 100 defense cities can be a pain even with rifles, but artillery + a lancer do it easily and without losses.

Originally Posted by smallfish

I'd say there are two waves you can do Domination: the early good ole Tabarnak style Classical/Medieval rush, or Lategame (which includes one more turn). For lategame, I'll say wait till Modern, get Battleships and Bombers (with fighters), then go rolling. Much safer than solely relying on tubes, and gods help you if you do that against an England with hilly terrain because longbow machine guns are insane as hell.

England on hilly terrain is a beast, I agree. I do not rely purely on tubes though. I would rather say tubes are usually the moment were I start to be aggressive even if no AI decides it wants a fight. So tubes define the point were I start declaring wars by myself, unless of course the AI stays peaceful in early game but that is rarely the case.

Classical rushes as a strat were you initiate the conflict and fight the war you wanted are a rarity on deity in my opinion. You will have your war anyway, at least most of the time due to aggressive neighbours. So usually, at least for me "rushing" is equivalent to staying alive as you get swarmed by one or two AIs turn 40.

Once you beat their units, you start the counter offensive, true. But that is not the same as domination right? I do not see how you would beat 7 civilizations in classical/medieval times. You do not have the infrastructure necessary to support your domination. Neither units nor happiness will be developed enough.

Of course, I dont start warring in industrial, but for me it is the first time where I will get both the momentum and happiness going to conquer lots of cities. Up until then, I will probably have defeated 2 or maybe 3 AIs, but more? How?

[smallfish]

Originally Posted by Resonance

I dont say they use nukes tactically, but they know how to throw them at you and since they are so powerful finesse is no longer the key to success.

Yeah, especially now the new Bomb Shelters give them more longevity for those aiming to decap their arsenals in a couple turns

I've seen like AI stacks of 32 aircrafts getting wasted by a single nuke, because it didn't have a bomb shelter. Placing all his eggs in that border city might not have been a wise move lol

Originally Posted by Resonance

Tubes have firepower against cities. You do not kill units with them. 4-5 Artillery + a lancer will take most industrial cities in a few turns. All you need is a path for your lancer. Unit killing is done by your upgraded ranged units in this scenario. Of course, as always there are exceptions, like the great wall AI on hilly terrain or lots of rivers to cross. I find unit killing easy enough, especially with the help of GG bombs, which also mitigate the effect of choke points.
Taking 100 defense cities can be a pain even with rifles, but artillery + a lancer do it easily and without losses.

I'm curious about this, actually. Just relying on 4 heavy-duty ranged and 1 melee, and without losses? In my experience, the AI on Immortal+ will spam so many units that just sending in tubes with little melee cover is tantamount to failure (unless they are Battleships, oh boy those can keep a beachhead clear for quite a while).

Originally Posted by Resonance

Of course, I dont start warring in industrial, but for me it is the first time where I will get both the momentum and happiness going to conquer lots of cities. Up until then, I will probably have defeated 2 or maybe 3 AIs, but more? How?

Probably beelining bottom techs and focus on getting ND too

I'd figure playing as the Huns and Mongols would help a lot, especially those Huns with their rams and double razing speed.

[Wuddel]

I found it easier on naval maps. Get Iron. Beeline/steal to navigation. Get left side of Honor and commerce. Pound them into submission with range 3-Frigates.

[Laurwin]

battleships are the answer for archipelago, and obviously carriers+bombers. I did domination as carthage with that. Carthage on archipelago is pretty beast

haven't really gotten a hang on the G&K yet, still wondering what to do with each civ, social policy strategy, and religion strategy etc...

I might try a celts game and maybe try rush buying units with religion if I get up to there.

[Halcyan2]

1. Choose Marathon for a distinct advantage.

2. Choose a civilization with a strong, early UU

3. Rush the AI's very early before they can build up. If you focus on military you can take several of them out before they can put up a meaningful defense. Mainly concentrate on military technologies, though Writing is surprisingly helpful (lets you set up embassies so you know where to attack).

[Khadroth]

I personally don't find early (ancient/classical) warmongering worth it anymore, that is unless your civ is geared towards that (alex/atilla/etc). Seems to just take too long and be inefficient at taking cities. I've had much more success sitting back for 2 eras, improving my tech rate and heading for steel to get longswords, which by then seem to still roll over cities with minimal dmg.

Originally Posted by Resonance

Here is how I do it:

In the beginning, keep it slow. Do not wipe out the first AIs you fight. Try to be DoWed, and leave them a city. They will hate you, the others wont care. The trick is to keep warring but try to avoid all but one war if possible. Never do anything that annoys the AI in the first 100 turns. But build up your forces. Favor ranged units with a few melee, later add siege.

Easiest way I've seen to do this is to simply settle right near them. Almost always results in a DoW in 20 turns or less.

[SlithyTove]

Originally Posted by Khadroth

Easiest way I've seen to do this is to simply settle right near them. Almost always results in a DoW in 20 turns or less.

With the added bonus that they lose half their army off the bat to the one archer you have stationed there while your real forces are held in reserve to rollup and do housecleaning.