indians; trade with or loot?

[gr8ful wes]

I allmost always prefer to trade with the natives, especially tobacco. I have often recieved over 3,000 g for a cargo of tobacco and then bought a ton o silver for 50 g. This works primarily with the incas or aztecs. Set up little trading colonies near them and disband before revolution.
All the best,
WES

[GenghisK]

I always play French so I have never ever burnt any Indian village. I always sent missionaries to convert them but I promise no harm has ever been done to them and that had always helped me since they wiped out the ennemies for me sometimes.

[spycatcher34]

Hmm I trade with some loot others depnds mostly on who Im playing with. If I get attacked ofcourse I hunt them down and get them but the negative effects are costly.

[Matrix]

Hmm... In that case I should try to trade with the Indians more next time I play te game. I always play the Dutch (of course) so trade is quite important.

But ok, the Aztec and Inca's want to trade very lucrative. But they also give a lot of treasure with destoying them.

[gr8ful wes]

ok, here is my only reasons for fighting the natives, one is because their village is in a square within my city and I really NEED it. or after I get washington I'll send some soldiers out to gain veteran stattus by fighting roving natives, not by attaking the villages though. They are very valuable trade partners, and can be your friends.
Try this one, follow other rivals, especially the spanish. as they loot or get attaked by the natives, you then steal their treasure or attak their unarmed soldiers.

[GenghisK]

Bah you could watch first before building your colony that there was no indian village around 1 sq. radius
I always have them at least 3 sq. away from me. then build road to trade. The only annoying thing is that they often come and yell they're starving and request food... Giving them half of my production will slow my growth. Not giving them.. well... I just can't I'm French after all

Btw, if you want to get rich, don't loot their village, go explore rumors and get the 7cities of gold. then get one of the founding father, the one who allows Royal galleon to carry your treasure for free... I'm sure you know who I mean. Forgot his name though.

[gr8ful wes]

Genghis,
Some spots are too good to pass up for my style of play, I dont mind the close neighbors too often.
I also dont mind throwing them some food or other gifts, Like very small cargos of tobacco, or one gun or horse. It seems to keep them content. Then hit them up for a major purchase on trade goods or tobacco on the next turn.

[LordAzreal]

Originally posted by GenghisK
Btw, if you want to get rich, don't loot their village, go explore rumors and get the 7cities of gold. then get one of the founding father, the one who allows Royal galleon to carry your treasure for free... I'm sure you know who I mean. Forgot his name though.

I'm certain that your referring to Hernando Cortéz (or otherwise spelt ingame Hernan Cortes). He also increases the abundance of treasure when you burn native settlements. So his bonuses accomodate both peaceful exploration and military conquest.


BTW. Whether or not I burn the natives or trade with them depends on who I'm using.

As Spain, I'll always be looking for spoils of war (though I get my missions up and wait for Cortéz before I begin). Especially when I am near the Aztecs or Incas (preferably Incas because they have more cities).

As England, I would only fight them if I needed the room (which is hardly ever since I am careful as to where I throw my colonies up) or if Washington has joined my congress and I'm drawing close to a declaration of independence (only veteran soldiers turn into continental army. Not regulars).

As the Dutch and French, I prefer to trade with them, particularly with the Aztecs and Incas (the Incas don't hold much productive farmland away from their capital anyway, and you can always buy the silver off them very cheap). I will also establish missions and maintain favourable relations (early on, converts can really help with productivity. And later, get the religious advisor who turns them into free colonists, and train them or make them into soldiers to prepare your forces for independence).

[GenghisK]

Yes I have just checked the colonizopaedia. It's (the sadly cruel) Cortez. Thanks
And just adding something: if you prefer have more people than getting rich, then try to discover the fountain of Youth. Seems that there can be as many as there are rumors squares!

[Kurek]

wow ppl still play colonise, readin all this makes me wanna dig out the old disks and play it again, for old times sakes.

[hr_oskar]

Personally I always looted all Aztec and Inca cities, no matter what nation I was playing. It was my routine for winning the game, the gold you could make from it was simply so much.

[Matrix]

(Wauw, someone from Iceland! )

Doesn't that cost you many points and wouldn't you get much more without all this looting, raping and killing?

[hr_oskar]

It costs points, but it's worth it. Looting those advanced Indians will get you about 100000 gold very early on in the game, which I found vital for getting started. It allowed for an earlier completion of the game, and saved you a lot of tedious fur-trading-struggle!

This was my formula for winning the game:

1. Get some fur, sell it

2. Buy artillery, go killing Aztecs or Incas

3. Use loot to buy more artillery and a Galleon ASAP

4. With your by-now formidable army, kill of all the other Europeans

5. Mine all the silver you can find

6. With your huge treasury, buy whatever specialists you need

7. Build up your colonies, aiming specifically for the following:
a) Ore-, tools-, and muskets-production centers
b) Liberty-bells center with three Elder Statesmen
and Newspaper
c) getting new Colonists, either through farming or preaching
(whichever way, just make sure you specialize)
d) make sure every colony is breeding horses
e) effective education system, keep those specialists coming
- especially Veteran Soldiers later on

8. Systematically build up independence sentiment in your colonies

9. Get all the founding fathers, build up a horde of Veteran Dragoons, and a road system between all your colonies, stockpile guns and horses.

10. Declare independence. During the war, never let the Tories make attacks - attack their beachheads with all your cavalry. This gets you the attack bonus and, very important, the terrain bonus as well. This simple strategy lets you win the war against incredible odds.


Last time I played Colonization, I built up a large and prosperous "civ" stretching all the way from real-world New England south to Argentina, all connected in one road system, with large prosperous colonies all the way through. It was on Viceroy, but I can't remember my score... except it was definitely more than 150%. How much are people scoring (or have scored) on this forum? That game was the "Game to End All Games", haven't played Col since.

[SunTzu]

Quite a nice system u have going there.

[GenghisK]

Nice, maybe, morally no
Killing, raping, looting all those poor incas
Oh it's just a game? Hehe, but still. I would never kill them. Trade is much more interesting.

[KingWilly]

Sounds like hr_oskar has got a decent strategy for Col.

Normally though, I like to trade with the indians, unless they start sending out some attackers. This is normally my cue to start wiping them out.

[gr8ful wes]

I will rarely wipe out a town, but will sometimes fight them individually in the field to gain vetran status.

[Andrew Livings]

Did anybody work out the formula to maximise gold when haggling? I never managed to get reliable results; plus the increments were different to the first attempt if you saved and reloaded.

[Becka]

I liked to trade with the Incas, and when the price of silver drops too low, get rid of them.

In negotiations, I always used a calculator to see if I was getting a good price. If I was, then I bought what they were selling (usually silver- I usually throw furs overboard in the tea party first) and took it to Europe.

[SunTzu]

I can't ever get a strong foothold in South America. The Tupi's always attack me(i'm overusing their land) heyeah right! lol
Plus the other imperial powers always harass me in S. America, and i can't get a good colony near the inca's