Carl v.
Chieftain
It is difficult to play CIVIV as a strategy game when administration on lover levels takes all attention. To lift gameplay to the strategy level, the gamer can increase the size of everything by playing 10 AI civs on a tiny map (Number and size just as an example).
This is definitely not the way to play for gamers who like to have lots of everything.
How does it work? First, it might be possible to build three cities before the whole map is crowded. But still the country is complete, with all possibilities. And the AI-nations start with the same limitations as the gamer.
To serve the cities, I needed one worker.
I first got Hinduism, researched basic technologies (in this game I needed to build roads, and had cows and furs as initial resources), and then directed my research towards writing to get open borders. At that time, highly spirited Asoka had infested the Romans and the Greeks with Buddhism, the Mongols were Jews and Mansa Musa Cristian. Only Napoleon was still a pagan, and I let him see the light.
In this small map-configuration the gamer meets the other nations quite early in the game. Therefore I got alphabet and traded techs. By knowing so many other leaders (and being the first to get alphabet), it was a great harvest.
But by knowing so many other leaders, it is also a great risk; they start to demand resources (including techs and money). I was still too weak, so I mostly gave them what whey wanted. And if I did not, I gave them gold to keep the good mood.
Napoleon and I got a great relationship; we sheared religion, I gave him a tech now and then and traded resources primarily with him. And when he called for help against the Mongols, I send an expeditionary force.
After crushing the Mongol improvements, this corps became the nucleus of a strong force, build up to invade the Romans. Napoleon got rich gifts, and I bribed Asola to be my even better friend. With no fear of an immediate invasion, I took the Roman Empire.
It was two cities, and few units were needed compared to big map warfare.
Now it was time to build infrastructure, so I spread my war-experienced army as garrison troops in my cities. Suddenly Isabella, as usual, got pissed, and invaded in an amphibious operation. The units destroyed a few improvements before I could take them out. Then I called for my friend Napoleon, who invaded Spain and took the capital.
Mansa Musa was my closest opponent. I bribed Alexander to attack, and so did the Zulus after appropriate gifts.
After Mansa Musa was gone, the situation was: Isabella had lost her capital, the Greek and Zulu nations were exhausted (and probably insolvent), and Napoleon had a big empire, a strong but old-fashioned army, and got half of his techs from me.
Asola had cultivated his peaceful corner with a lot of culture, and his borders were expanding. I had given him no reason to arm; trading with him, giving him gifts and so on. It was time to capture the Indian empire. Besides; my diamond mine was now inside his borders.
After that, I barely bothered to build a few tanks and bombers when that became possible. I headed for space victory. No other nations were any military treat.
The main reasons for the latter, was my diplomacy (or intrigues). I had fought three wars, at times when I was prepared. But that was peanuts compared to the damage the other nations in my vicinity had done to each other.
The main reason for testing such a small map-configuration was to find out if it is possible to play CIVIV with fewer clicks. I mean; with all the possibilities and challenges of a big map.
I think it is. To me, it meant I could focus on diplomacy, trade and other strategical matters. Modern age was also interesting; I was not bogged up in an orgy of clicks and mouse movements.
This configuration has also other impacts. First; the desperate need of money that follows the initial expansion in default-configuration, did not occur. Second; wonders work different. Compared to default-configuration, the percentage of the production capacity of the whole nation allocated to build a wonder, is enormous. The best impact comes from wonders benefiting only one city (National Epic, Hermitage and so on).
But it is hardly any barbarians.
This is definitely not the way to play for gamers who like to have lots of everything.
How does it work? First, it might be possible to build three cities before the whole map is crowded. But still the country is complete, with all possibilities. And the AI-nations start with the same limitations as the gamer.
To serve the cities, I needed one worker.
I first got Hinduism, researched basic technologies (in this game I needed to build roads, and had cows and furs as initial resources), and then directed my research towards writing to get open borders. At that time, highly spirited Asoka had infested the Romans and the Greeks with Buddhism, the Mongols were Jews and Mansa Musa Cristian. Only Napoleon was still a pagan, and I let him see the light.
In this small map-configuration the gamer meets the other nations quite early in the game. Therefore I got alphabet and traded techs. By knowing so many other leaders (and being the first to get alphabet), it was a great harvest.
But by knowing so many other leaders, it is also a great risk; they start to demand resources (including techs and money). I was still too weak, so I mostly gave them what whey wanted. And if I did not, I gave them gold to keep the good mood.
Napoleon and I got a great relationship; we sheared religion, I gave him a tech now and then and traded resources primarily with him. And when he called for help against the Mongols, I send an expeditionary force.
After crushing the Mongol improvements, this corps became the nucleus of a strong force, build up to invade the Romans. Napoleon got rich gifts, and I bribed Asola to be my even better friend. With no fear of an immediate invasion, I took the Roman Empire.
It was two cities, and few units were needed compared to big map warfare.
Now it was time to build infrastructure, so I spread my war-experienced army as garrison troops in my cities. Suddenly Isabella, as usual, got pissed, and invaded in an amphibious operation. The units destroyed a few improvements before I could take them out. Then I called for my friend Napoleon, who invaded Spain and took the capital.
Mansa Musa was my closest opponent. I bribed Alexander to attack, and so did the Zulus after appropriate gifts.
After Mansa Musa was gone, the situation was: Isabella had lost her capital, the Greek and Zulu nations were exhausted (and probably insolvent), and Napoleon had a big empire, a strong but old-fashioned army, and got half of his techs from me.
Asola had cultivated his peaceful corner with a lot of culture, and his borders were expanding. I had given him no reason to arm; trading with him, giving him gifts and so on. It was time to capture the Indian empire. Besides; my diamond mine was now inside his borders.
After that, I barely bothered to build a few tanks and bombers when that became possible. I headed for space victory. No other nations were any military treat.
The main reasons for the latter, was my diplomacy (or intrigues). I had fought three wars, at times when I was prepared. But that was peanuts compared to the damage the other nations in my vicinity had done to each other.
The main reason for testing such a small map-configuration was to find out if it is possible to play CIVIV with fewer clicks. I mean; with all the possibilities and challenges of a big map.
I think it is. To me, it meant I could focus on diplomacy, trade and other strategical matters. Modern age was also interesting; I was not bogged up in an orgy of clicks and mouse movements.
This configuration has also other impacts. First; the desperate need of money that follows the initial expansion in default-configuration, did not occur. Second; wonders work different. Compared to default-configuration, the percentage of the production capacity of the whole nation allocated to build a wonder, is enormous. The best impact comes from wonders benefiting only one city (National Epic, Hermitage and so on).
But it is hardly any barbarians.
