Too Many Financial Empires

[Bkeela]

I've been trying to get back into Beyond the Sword, but continually feel frustrated facing sometimes two or more financial empires in every game.

I feel the game was more balanced with the original and Warlords, but I don't want to give up cool things like corporations.

Despite the financials, I always seem able get the Oracle and Liberalism, which seems a path purposely left for the player to pursue in order to compete. But I'm so sick of always attaining confusianism, and always striving for powerful mounted armies through the slingshot to Nationalism.

I love being left alone on a continent, free to pursue a cultural or space victory in peace, and feel excitement then competing with maybe one financial. But if I share a landmass with many, the tech race is impossible with continual invasions, and then I feel forced into a domination victory.

Anyway, this is just an expression of weariness.

[mechaerik]

For the Confucianism problem: Turn on choose religions.

[Ramesses]

Originally Posted by Bkeela

Anyway, this is just an expression of weariness.

WAR weariness?

*ahem* Anyway, plenty of people on this forum would probably disagree with you. For one thing, the leaders are more balanced if anything, because where there used to be 19 unused trait combinations, there are now only 3. Not to mention there's added techs and wonders which allow for even more strategies than before.

But I think the problem you're having is that you're not utilizing the custom game options. If you really dislike having financial AIs, then you can always handpick your own roster. And if you don't want Domination victory, you can always turn it off.

[Bkeela]

I just messed around with custom game features, and noticed upon checking 'always peace', that I cannot contact other civs, even if I wanted to trade resources and such. The little list of opponents in the bottom right corner is gone. Even if I can't contact anyone, I still like the list there so I can check what their traits are, and see if what they are researching through espionage.

[TheMeInTeam]

Financial is not the only source of tech. On some maps it might not even be the best. It is a very good trait but a number of others compete with it easily.

[Scoottr]

Choose your opponents in the custom games and random personalities. Might shake it up a bit.

[Willem]

Originally Posted by Bkeela

But I'm so sick of always attaining confusianism, ...

Then play a different civ, one that starts with Mysticism and go for Buddhism or Hinduism. Or you can go for Judaism with any civ. And if you happen to miss it then keep going to Christianity. It sound to me like you're just playing the same strategies over and over, which is really what you're sick of. Try something different for a change.

[Unconquered Sun]

Choose opponents.

[PibbZ]

Originally Posted by Willem

It sound to me like you're just playing the same strategies over and over, which is really what you're sick of. Try something different for a change.

This is exactly the trap i went into. After playing Victoria for 3 years i finally decided to break free of my habits and started a new marathon game as Japan, with everything random on a fractal map. The only thing i checked in the custom game options were "No City Razing" and "No Tech Brokering" + "Lock modifying assets".

One of my most awesome games ever! Cant wait to get home from work to continue playing

[DMOC]

Financial civs don't meant that they are automatically the most advanced. It's mostly the land that they have that matters. The only fin civ that I can think of that manages well with approx. 4 cities is Mansa.

[Bei1052]

Originally Posted by DMOC

Financial civs don't meant that they are automatically the most advanced. It's mostly the land that they have that matters. The only fin civ that I can think of that manages well with approx. 4 cities is Mansa.

Elizabeth seems to do pretty well with few cities. At least, in my experience.

[DMOC]

True.

By the way, if you check out my Julius Caesar game here, the most advanced AI's turned out to be Mansa Musa, Zara Yaqob, Ramesses II, and Cyrus (until around the 1500s). Only Mansa is financial, and Cyrus' land was 50% tundra/ice/snow.

[moscaverde]

Try having more units, just build them (no need to go conquering). You'll find that other civs wont attack you so often and you are free to do wathever you want.

[DMOC]

I think other civs won't attack you only if you have 150% (or more) of their power, so that might not be an efficient way to deter attacks.

[samthedagger]

Play a rocky map and laugh at the financial civs that lack the grasslands and plains to build efficient towns.

[TheMeInTeam]

Originally Posted by DMOC

I think other civs won't attack you only if you have 150% (or more) of their power, so that might not be an efficient way to deter attacks.

Some are even higher (IIRC monty is like 195%).

[Badtz Maru]

Originally Posted by Scoottr

Choose your opponents in the custom games and random personalities. Might shake it up a bit.

I used to play with random personalities exclusively because it makes the game easier. The way the game is now, warlike civilizations have traits and unique units that synergize with their AI. If you scramble those up, you are bound to have at least a few civilizations with peaceful AI who would otherwise be a threat to you, and civilizations with aggressive AI but no traits that help them with that.

Whenever I move up a difficulty level, I play with random personalities at first.