How big is the step from Deity to Sid?

Sucha_Soorma · Mar 18, 2005

Wondering if anyone can give me advice on how to play on Sid. I can pretty much do Deity nearly everytime now, but on Sid it just seems far too hard to fight anyone. So if anyone has won a Sid game that would like to give advice please do.

vmxa · Mar 18, 2005

Number one thought, do not play on pangea maps at sid.
Number two idea is to give your self a bit of an edge by playing island maps with max water.
Number three no barbs. You will still have to deal with barbs, but no goody huts. They are going to be mean to you on sid, since you are not going to want to be an expansion civ. The ai will speed up the ancient age by getting some techs and that is not in your best interest.

Number four play as Iroq. You want that OCN and extra commerce and you must start with alphabet.
Number five, use a huge map.

Now if you find it is still a problem:

Reduce the number of civs.

Still an issue:

Pick the civ you play against to not have anyone start with alpha.

Still can't win: Do not play sid, your do not have the management of your empire down yet or you do not know how to invade civs with hundreds of units.

zerksees · Mar 18, 2005

Have you read SirPleb's article on a SID HOF attempt? Most of these tactics should be applicable

I have not played SID yet but it's coming soon.

Offa · Mar 18, 2005

Some people think it a bit trivial but if you don't want to play for endless hours only to find something beyond your control scuppering your game you could try tiny maps. I think they are a blast, at least occasionally, but I guess I really play them as solo games are a bit flat and I prefer gotm.

Try Aztecs, against two AI opponents neither of which have bronze to start, max AI aggression (my personal preference), tiny pangea. Use mapfinder for suitable starts: cow, river, one forest as minimum. You build a barracks then a jag and then attack.

As might be imagined, not every game ends in an easy win :mischief:

, but it can be fun. A bit like tight-rope walking, you can fall off at any moment.

WackenOpenAir · Mar 18, 2005

The difference is bigger than any difference between 2 other levels.

The first time you are gonna try Sid, you will be stunned by the AI's speed early on.
However, don't despair, if you start well, you can slowly catch up.

citizen001 · Mar 18, 2005

You can compare it to the jump from emperor to diety in Vanilla.

Sucha_Soorma · Mar 18, 2005

Hmm interesting points, probably give it a go over the coming week, i usually play on continents large map, so i'll try to stick to that.

the strategy i'm thinking of is to pick Portugal (i like expansionist civs- they aint too bad) and go for philosophy->great library. then cut science and build up an army and hopefully find someone weak to attack.

Tomoyo · Mar 18, 2005

Expansionist is pretty much the only useless trait on Sid, mainly because you can only get gold, maps, and nothing from goody huts on Sid.

Doc Tsiolkovski · Mar 19, 2005

Also, trying to get Philo first on Sid is almost ridiculous (I know, Tomoyo, it can work out

- but you should never count on it!) .
You can get the Great Library, though. But, you will simply research Writing in 50 turns, and then Literature timed with a prebuild.
Usually your Palace can only hold 300sp, and should be done with that around turn 80; since you won't have a wonder available unless extremely lucky/unlucky (since you can as well loose the GLib to a cascade then), you'll experience the ~8 most nailbiting turns here...

Tomoyo · Mar 19, 2005

Also, trying to get Philo first on Sid is almost ridiculous .

I've done it before...

Doc Tsiolkovski · Mar 19, 2005

As you can see, I remembered that in the very same minute I posted -and edited it. But still, not fast enough....

Tomoyo · Mar 19, 2005

Oh, and in case anyone's wondering, I picked Construction, and since I was Agricultural, I was able to get many cities quickly.

vmxa · Mar 19, 2005

Getting Philo first on sid is a function of your start and the ai not having alpha to start. If that is the case you can expect to be first.

If not first, you can get the GL anyway as Doc said. In fact I will not do a massive prebuild as I will not have Mason and have nothing to use as a pre. I will instead take some workers, mine tiles and then add workers to get to at least size 10 and then I can build it quicker.

sorky · Mar 22, 2005

I don't have a lot of advices but those one are gold:

- read forums.
- never believe those who tells you: "you absolutely need this and this..etc", Iroquois is oki but well...
- you absolutely need to use the GL

(tiny rush map perhaps not...never try that

)

+1 vmxa for the join workers trick. If you don't have enough, join the next settler...GL is more important than just one more town at this stage of the game. Be sure to have 12 tiles worked for 0 food/max shield/the more commerce the better.

Drakan · Mar 22, 2005

sorky said:
- never believe those who tells you: "you absolutely need this and this..etc", Iroquois is oki but well...
- you absolutely need to use the GL (tiny rush map perhaps not...never try that )

Damn, I should give it a go at this level.

Just a question for all you sid-level players; are you guys able to win on Sid without the GL (either capturing it or building it) ? I'm talking of huge maps with either a conquest, SS, culture vic (no diplo) and 15 random civs. Not those tiny shabby maps with the Aztecs.

vmxa · Mar 22, 2005

You can win on Sid without the GL, but I have only done it once. That is mainly because it is not hard to get the GL, unless you do not start with alpha.

I have gotten the GL when I was not the first to philo, because the AI will not go on to Lit at this point. Now I am talking about island maps here. In contients, it is much harder to get the free tech or the GL.

I have not played much on pangea as it is way too much agony for me, but I would not expect to get it there and would have to hope it was some place that it could be captured while I avoided Education. This is no mean feat. More likely you will either die or capture it after it is obsolete.

WackenOpenAir · Mar 22, 2005

vmxa said:
You can win on Sid without the GL, but I have only done it once. That is mainly because it is not hard to get the GL, unless you do not start with alpha.

I have gotten the GL when I was not the first to philo, because the AI will not go on to Lit at this point. Now I am talking about island maps here. In contients, it is much harder to get the free tech or the GL.

I have not played much on pangea as it is way too much agony for me, but I would not expect to get it there and would have to hope it was some place that it could be captured while I avoided Education. This is no mean feat. More likely you will either die or capture it after it is obsolete.

Capturing it after it is obsolete is PERFECT.
I once captured it on sid and got all middle ages techs from it for free.

How big is the step from Deity to Sid?

Sucha_Soorma

Chieftain

vmxa

Deity

zerksees

in remission

Offa

Bretwalda

WackenOpenAir

Deity

citizen001

Banned

Sucha_Soorma

Chieftain

Tomoyo

Fate

Doc Tsiolkovski

Deity

Tomoyo

Fate

Doc Tsiolkovski

Deity

Tomoyo

Fate

vmxa

Deity

sorky

Warlord

Drakan

Voluntas Omnia Vincit

vmxa

Deity

WackenOpenAir

Deity

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