Ok, there are guides for OCC conquests with permanent alliances.
What I'm talking about is completely solo OCC conquest victory. I tried this on small pangea on noble difficulty with success. I borrowed from the guide for OCC space race victory. I will outline my thoughts and I'd like some input.
Like in space race victory we need a supercity that can produce loads of units and generate enough commerce and science to support them and keep them current. The key to high production is settling great engineers.
I tried this with Bismarck for expansive (happiness can be taken care off with hereditary rule, health is an issue) and industrious trait.
Since units cannot be produced quickly enough it's necessary to produce them till the start of conquest and upgrade them with money gained from pillaging and razing. Conquest must be done between era of archers/longbows and grenadiers, relying in macemen and catapults, it needs to be finished fast to prevent AIs settling the empty area.
Start with floodplains and stone is preferable.
Start building a worker, research towards masonry. After worker is finished build warriors if you can't start pyramids yet. The key is to build warriors, lots of them that will be upgraded to macemen when conquest begins. After that research pottery, then early techs, then research towards bureaucracy. If you get a religion research monotheism for organized religion boost.
Have your worker hook up stone, improve food square, build mines then build cottages (you want to start working them as early as possible). After pyramids are finished switch to high commerce tiles, build library and tech towards civil service, switch to bureaucracy. Then research metal casting, machinery, then construction. When your city has nothing to build build warriors or if you hooked up bronze already axemen. Have about 20 warriors/axemen ready. When you have so many units your tech rate will start to drop a bit. When you have researched construction start building catapults and macemen alternating. You can wait for construction research, then build macemen while keeping your tax slider to 100% and upgrading warriors. When you have 5 macemen and construction resarched you're ready to start. Your city is building catapults now.
Pick on close city of weak nearby oponent, it should be defended by archers. 5 macemen is enough to take out this city and upgrade further 2 warriros to macemen. With few catapults that have been built and 6-7 macemen march on their capital, reduce defence, raze, then mop up remaining cities. With cash from taxes, pillaging and razing upgrade warriors to macemen.
The key problem with OCC conquest is preventing AI from settling empty land and especially preventing single AI from becoming too powerful. So you need two stacks of about 10 macemen and 5 catapults on each side of the continent taking out cities as fast as possible. Go for top cities (holy, wonders) first since they are irreplaceable. AI will resettle empty land but you will be razing cities at faster rate than they can resettle. When you have about 10 macemen and 5 catapults, send them (get a right of passage from intermediate civs or just go through the land of your first nearby victim) to the far side of continent and declare on biggest civilization there. Head through their land to their best best city razing cities on the way.
Meanwhile assemble 2nd stack while mopping up your nearby oponent and then pick on the closest best rival. Thus you have two stacks working down the top 5 cities list. Have the remaining two (one nearby weak oponent we have wiped out, the other strong ones we're attacking) civs join the war if possible.
Keep some units close, have worker build forts on hills where you put crossbows and ofensive unit for defence. You will also have some catapults waiting for escort to take care of enemy stacks. When you declare AI will send their wandering units at you, once you wipe them and weaken them, they will stop. It is really not good to be pillaged with OCC.
If the oponent has been weakend to couple of worthless cities and the rival we have left alone has expanded in their ex terriotry, sign peace and pick on the rival. At some point you'll be in war with everyone but everyone will be weakened to the point that you will be able to mop them up.
Your main weakness is that you must not loose the bulk of your attacking stack (macemen) and thus you will need to stream catapults with one or two escorts.
During conquest switch to police state.
Any GEs you get settle in city (maybe use one to rush GE generating wonder). It's important to have high production since you need to finish conquest before they get too many grenadiers.
I'd like to hear your input, have you try this at higher difficulties or bigger land size
What I'm talking about is completely solo OCC conquest victory. I tried this on small pangea on noble difficulty with success. I borrowed from the guide for OCC space race victory. I will outline my thoughts and I'd like some input.
Like in space race victory we need a supercity that can produce loads of units and generate enough commerce and science to support them and keep them current. The key to high production is settling great engineers.
I tried this with Bismarck for expansive (happiness can be taken care off with hereditary rule, health is an issue) and industrious trait.
Since units cannot be produced quickly enough it's necessary to produce them till the start of conquest and upgrade them with money gained from pillaging and razing. Conquest must be done between era of archers/longbows and grenadiers, relying in macemen and catapults, it needs to be finished fast to prevent AIs settling the empty area.
Start with floodplains and stone is preferable.
Start building a worker, research towards masonry. After worker is finished build warriors if you can't start pyramids yet. The key is to build warriors, lots of them that will be upgraded to macemen when conquest begins. After that research pottery, then early techs, then research towards bureaucracy. If you get a religion research monotheism for organized religion boost.
Have your worker hook up stone, improve food square, build mines then build cottages (you want to start working them as early as possible). After pyramids are finished switch to high commerce tiles, build library and tech towards civil service, switch to bureaucracy. Then research metal casting, machinery, then construction. When your city has nothing to build build warriors or if you hooked up bronze already axemen. Have about 20 warriors/axemen ready. When you have so many units your tech rate will start to drop a bit. When you have researched construction start building catapults and macemen alternating. You can wait for construction research, then build macemen while keeping your tax slider to 100% and upgrading warriors. When you have 5 macemen and construction resarched you're ready to start. Your city is building catapults now.
Pick on close city of weak nearby oponent, it should be defended by archers. 5 macemen is enough to take out this city and upgrade further 2 warriros to macemen. With few catapults that have been built and 6-7 macemen march on their capital, reduce defence, raze, then mop up remaining cities. With cash from taxes, pillaging and razing upgrade warriors to macemen.
The key problem with OCC conquest is preventing AI from settling empty land and especially preventing single AI from becoming too powerful. So you need two stacks of about 10 macemen and 5 catapults on each side of the continent taking out cities as fast as possible. Go for top cities (holy, wonders) first since they are irreplaceable. AI will resettle empty land but you will be razing cities at faster rate than they can resettle. When you have about 10 macemen and 5 catapults, send them (get a right of passage from intermediate civs or just go through the land of your first nearby victim) to the far side of continent and declare on biggest civilization there. Head through their land to their best best city razing cities on the way.
Meanwhile assemble 2nd stack while mopping up your nearby oponent and then pick on the closest best rival. Thus you have two stacks working down the top 5 cities list. Have the remaining two (one nearby weak oponent we have wiped out, the other strong ones we're attacking) civs join the war if possible.
Keep some units close, have worker build forts on hills where you put crossbows and ofensive unit for defence. You will also have some catapults waiting for escort to take care of enemy stacks. When you declare AI will send their wandering units at you, once you wipe them and weaken them, they will stop. It is really not good to be pillaged with OCC.
If the oponent has been weakend to couple of worthless cities and the rival we have left alone has expanded in their ex terriotry, sign peace and pick on the rival. At some point you'll be in war with everyone but everyone will be weakened to the point that you will be able to mop them up.
Your main weakness is that you must not loose the bulk of your attacking stack (macemen) and thus you will need to stream catapults with one or two escorts.
During conquest switch to police state.
Any GEs you get settle in city (maybe use one to rush GE generating wonder). It's important to have high production since you need to finish conquest before they get too many grenadiers.
I'd like to hear your input, have you try this at higher difficulties or bigger land size
