I know you cant have a true OCC domination game unless you check the box. But I think this makes it a little too easy for the human if you do. So I would like to discuss how to approach an unchecked OCC pangea domination game on the highest level. I envision a scenario where you are raising any non caps as fast as you can and you are keeping only the caps as puppets. You cannot annex.
Which civ would you choose? I know Egypt and the Huns can clear a map petty quickly, but I think that could be an all or nothing proposition.
I have a civ in mind and if I can make it work with them I will issue a challenge map. In the mean time I would like to discuss other options.
The strategy for self-enforced "OCC" is not all that different from a standard chariot archer rush. The big exception being horses. If you don't have horses, your first capture is with composite bows, and that first captured capital better have horses, otherwise, you're doing a standard CB rush.
Standard CB rush is harder in OCC than chariot archer rush in general, and especially in OCC, because how quickly you reach Machinery actually matters, whereas with Chariot archers, you can pretty much ignore tech after the Wheel. Construction, Optics (and arguably Engineering) are the only techs you need beyond luxuries/strategics. (IMHO)
As this game demonstrates, chariot archer rush can work with any civ on Deity:
http://hof.civfanatics.net/civ5/game_info.php?dsply=&entryID=7609
However, again, horses are the key. If you want to start talking about "It has to work on any start", then I assume you're also talking about an OCC Deity strategy that somehow works with crappy no-resource starts? Because, there really isn't one...
But, like I said, "OCC" chariot archer rush works even without horses in the first city, as long as they're in the first capital you capture. It's arguably easier to take the first city with CBs, simply because you can upgrade to them, meaning:
* You don't need to improve a pasture as early.
* You don't need to beeline the wheel to (rush-buy) and start building them as early.
* You get archers earlier to help with barbs and CS quests.
The second point is big, because it frees you up to research luxuries, mining, bronzeworking, pottery, etc. before the wheel, frees up the worker to build farms/mines/improve luxuries/iron, and allows you to trade those horses for early gpt. If you really want to do a first-city CA rush, you need to beeline the wheel and you *must* have a worker by t25, which if you don't steal them, means you have to build one ASAP. On any level below Emperor, I do scout->monument->worker to ensure I get a pasture by the time I tech the Wheel. But on Deity, 2 scouts is better. More cash = more chariot archers.
I emphasize that chariot archer rush is entirely valid starting with CBs. This "blended" approach ends up working like so: You target the close opponents with your first army (CBs) and the far opponents with the chariot archers. You need a bigger CA army than usual, because, since your chariot archer army came second, they'll never have enough upgrades to hit logistics or range, and their first opponent will come on t70-t80. You beeline Machinery so that your CB army can upgrade by t130 or so for one last capture if necessary. Worst comes to worst, you join your armies for a kamikaze run on the last opponent. You go full liberty and use the closer to rush the Great Wall (if possible) to avoid fighting your way through it. Plus, this REALLY helps against barbarians, which will plague you throughout the game. If GW isn't there, consider planting a GS or spawning a GM to get a CS ally and some gold. Gold tends to become a real problem with "OCC" as your puppets are going to build granaries and water mills. Happiness also becomes a real problem, as you can't buy happiness buildings with faith. For this reason, I highly recommend pillaging all farms and replacing them with trading posts, and *staying* at -1 to -5 happiness to limit growth, if possible. Your CAs are excellent at doing barb quests, so you can usually solve this problem with mercantile CS allies, but trade away luxes to keep yourself at -1, then cancel the trade with a DoW if you lose the ally. Or build a fort on your only copy of a lux, and keep it one turn from completing the lux improvement. Staying at -1 will make everything much easier.
Lots more to this story, but CA "OCC" rush can be reliably accomplished sub-t150 with any civ. IMHO.
