Dracandross
Warlord
This time I'll go for the cultural win with the PA strategy. This guide aims to win after 1400ad on quick and about 1300ad on marathon on good start. Although this works easier for normal+ and usefulness is low on quick. Remember that if you have PA option checked you dont have to form one if it is not beneficial. If you win culture around 1400AD AI wont launch with partner significantly faster.
Permanent alliance will most likely benefit also on lesser difficulties to some extend but its worth is seriously downed as AI won't research so much. Maybe monarch could still pull some worth outta it but not on quick at least!
1) MAPS
Picking map is harder for this style of play. Definitely inland sea is good but I think great plains could be better as on that map you get more religion spread that will affect endgame hugely (Ive gotten all 7 which will mean at least 14 caths easily pre 1400ad). Id pick great plains if going for inca and maybe inland for others as it has more room for cities.
2) Speed
For cultural win quick is easiest because speed is 66% but culture needed is only 50%. But for permanent alliance (PA) you need 40 rounds of defensive pact or shared war to form that almost rules out quick. It is doable with one aggressive civ (that wont start near you) like Monty and then bribe others to war with him or wait till they attack and go along for free rounds. Slower speeds its not a problem. On marathon you can get PA easily around 800 ad.
3) Opponents
You don't want to produce defending units so only 1 aggressive civ is possible if you want to get PA on quick. Id go for standard Mansa, Eliz, Hatty, Wash, Roos, Asoka as I dont like Gandhi but its good too if you need more opps. If going for Inca-rush take max amount of opponents otherwise minimum
4) Own civ
Inca-rush [Ind/Fin] is decent on slower speeds as you get terrace +2 culture and 3 cities in 10 rounds or so. On quick id go for Gandhi (warlord+)/ saladin (vanilla) [Phi/SPi] or Eliz [Fin/Spi]. All but Eliz start with mysticism so aiming for buddhism is quite possible.
5) Teching
Well teching is covered in other culture guildes. Quickly to alpha then maybe sidestep to music. Then to CS-Liberalism. You surely want to get pacifism first for extra religion (well not so needed on great plains). Way to alpha depends on start techs as you could grab buddhism first too with good start with any non eliz civ.
6) Permanent alliance
How to get PA is already discussed before but simply get your relations over +8 if you are last as being behind gives you bonus, +10 if you are leading (status friedly). Bonuses are +1 for peace, +1 for open borders, +4 for trading net +6 easily. Extra can be gotten through religion or def pact/shared war. As opponents are generally friendly you dont get penalties from anywhere. (check out Wasting Time's diplomacy article for extra knowledge if needed)
The point of permanent alliance is to get techs in late game. This will also give you way to rip your partners food resources and money. You can easily get so much money that you can buy 5-10 cathedrals+temples for them.
Techs you can get extra bang are biology (+1 food for farms), electricity (+windmills if you have them even), Democrazy (universal suffrage and maybe democrazy to get towns faster as its +3gold per town), radio/mass media (broadcast tower, +50% culture, wonders too slow most likely), flight (airport for +1 traderoute), way to get voted for Secretary general (+1 trade route, wont lose pacifism to free relig). You also might get other wonders like Statue of Liberty or +2culture per artist (cant rememb name now) that can affect your score.
What you lose is parthenons +50% gpp production, monasteries become obsolete and therefore can't build missionaries, each GP you parther gets nets you +half GP cost for your GPs.
In the end on slower speeds losing few gpps are nothing compared to rushed buildings etc.
7) Picking PA partner & timing it
Most important thing when picking PA partner is that he is not Philosophical as then he'll get GPs so easily and you will lose you own GPs. Next consider that you have GP coming in the next round (to increase his GP cost to slow him down) and if possible he has had GP few rounds ago so that theres not one coming so fast. Also consider wonders already built. Finally check whos leading in tech race and producing most gold/beakers.
Make sure that you have religions that you want already spread and at least one monastery up for them (that is enough as you can rush missionaries). Also if you play spiritual leader you can go for 5 round dip to org religion to get missionaries. That will be worth few gpps again if it nets you 2 religions in 3 culture cities (+3/6 cathedrals and +3 temples for 5 rounds of org rel and 2/4 rounds of building the building than building culture). Specially on the slower speeds.
8) Epilogue
Also worth mentioning is that if you have problems winning on culture due one AI launching with PA there is one less AI to worry about launching! When writing this I had quick culture on 1640 and none was even close launching (standard 6 opps) and on mara 1370 win (standard) and its fastest for marathon! And even though it beat last submission by 100 years it was still just quite bad game. Ill post writeup to be analyzed later. Theres about 100 years to be shaved off that.
(to be edited soon as I get some dates and such right)
-Dracandross
Permanent alliance will most likely benefit also on lesser difficulties to some extend but its worth is seriously downed as AI won't research so much. Maybe monarch could still pull some worth outta it but not on quick at least!
1) MAPS
Picking map is harder for this style of play. Definitely inland sea is good but I think great plains could be better as on that map you get more religion spread that will affect endgame hugely (Ive gotten all 7 which will mean at least 14 caths easily pre 1400ad). Id pick great plains if going for inca and maybe inland for others as it has more room for cities.
2) Speed
For cultural win quick is easiest because speed is 66% but culture needed is only 50%. But for permanent alliance (PA) you need 40 rounds of defensive pact or shared war to form that almost rules out quick. It is doable with one aggressive civ (that wont start near you) like Monty and then bribe others to war with him or wait till they attack and go along for free rounds. Slower speeds its not a problem. On marathon you can get PA easily around 800 ad.
3) Opponents
You don't want to produce defending units so only 1 aggressive civ is possible if you want to get PA on quick. Id go for standard Mansa, Eliz, Hatty, Wash, Roos, Asoka as I dont like Gandhi but its good too if you need more opps. If going for Inca-rush take max amount of opponents otherwise minimum
4) Own civ
Inca-rush [Ind/Fin] is decent on slower speeds as you get terrace +2 culture and 3 cities in 10 rounds or so. On quick id go for Gandhi (warlord+)/ saladin (vanilla) [Phi/SPi] or Eliz [Fin/Spi]. All but Eliz start with mysticism so aiming for buddhism is quite possible.
5) Teching
Well teching is covered in other culture guildes. Quickly to alpha then maybe sidestep to music. Then to CS-Liberalism. You surely want to get pacifism first for extra religion (well not so needed on great plains). Way to alpha depends on start techs as you could grab buddhism first too with good start with any non eliz civ.
6) Permanent alliance
How to get PA is already discussed before but simply get your relations over +8 if you are last as being behind gives you bonus, +10 if you are leading (status friedly). Bonuses are +1 for peace, +1 for open borders, +4 for trading net +6 easily. Extra can be gotten through religion or def pact/shared war. As opponents are generally friendly you dont get penalties from anywhere. (check out Wasting Time's diplomacy article for extra knowledge if needed)
The point of permanent alliance is to get techs in late game. This will also give you way to rip your partners food resources and money. You can easily get so much money that you can buy 5-10 cathedrals+temples for them.
Techs you can get extra bang are biology (+1 food for farms), electricity (+windmills if you have them even), Democrazy (universal suffrage and maybe democrazy to get towns faster as its +3gold per town), radio/mass media (broadcast tower, +50% culture, wonders too slow most likely), flight (airport for +1 traderoute), way to get voted for Secretary general (+1 trade route, wont lose pacifism to free relig). You also might get other wonders like Statue of Liberty or +2culture per artist (cant rememb name now) that can affect your score.
What you lose is parthenons +50% gpp production, monasteries become obsolete and therefore can't build missionaries, each GP you parther gets nets you +half GP cost for your GPs.
In the end on slower speeds losing few gpps are nothing compared to rushed buildings etc.
7) Picking PA partner & timing it
Most important thing when picking PA partner is that he is not Philosophical as then he'll get GPs so easily and you will lose you own GPs. Next consider that you have GP coming in the next round (to increase his GP cost to slow him down) and if possible he has had GP few rounds ago so that theres not one coming so fast. Also consider wonders already built. Finally check whos leading in tech race and producing most gold/beakers.
Make sure that you have religions that you want already spread and at least one monastery up for them (that is enough as you can rush missionaries). Also if you play spiritual leader you can go for 5 round dip to org religion to get missionaries. That will be worth few gpps again if it nets you 2 religions in 3 culture cities (+3/6 cathedrals and +3 temples for 5 rounds of org rel and 2/4 rounds of building the building than building culture). Specially on the slower speeds.
8) Epilogue
Also worth mentioning is that if you have problems winning on culture due one AI launching with PA there is one less AI to worry about launching! When writing this I had quick culture on 1640 and none was even close launching (standard 6 opps) and on mara 1370 win (standard) and its fastest for marathon! And even though it beat last submission by 100 years it was still just quite bad game. Ill post writeup to be analyzed later. Theres about 100 years to be shaved off that.
(to be edited soon as I get some dates and such right)
-Dracandross
