Huge Invasion Force... Is that normal?

[dalgo]

How much does your having a Great General (or getting very close to earning one) factor into your plans for preparing for the revolution?

A few well-promoted units (or the ability to obtain them at a critical moment) could be huge. I'd think Privateers are an absolute MUST for this game, so long as you're careful about actually being at WAR with someone once the Great General appears.

Great Generals are obviously very important in the War of Independence which makes the Founding Father Dom Pedro I (+50% GG Emergence) extremely valuable and I seldom declare Independence without him in my Congress.

However I don't bother much with Privateers, maybe one or two to protect my export port, because I expect to do most of my fighting on land rather than at sea.

 

[Antilogic]

I use a privateer or two for slowing down the other European powers, but I don't care to make sure I get the great general during wartime since its just the AI.

 

[yturk39]

I use a privateer or two for slowing down the other European powers, but I don't care to make sure I get the great general during wartime since its just the AI.

I'm not sure what you mean by "just the AI". I don't think the AI is all that dumb.

Unless Great Generals can emerge through some other kind of event besides combat, if one just suddenly appears in your country during "peacetime" the other AIs will know you've been using a Privateer.

The AI whose ship you just sank will know a few things more.

1) They'll know WHICH Privateer is yours, and its approximate position at the end of the turn.

2) They'll know how it's promoted (assuming they saw it coming). The AI, I'm sure, is MUCH better about paying attention to this detail than human players are.

3) They'll know what cargo (if any) they lost due to the Privateer attack. They won't necessarily know if your Privateer made off with it successfully, since they can't be sure if your Privateer was already carrying cargo.

I don't think it would be difficult to program the AI to "remember" these details at all, and to convert them into hidden relationship modifiers like in normal Civ IV.

 

[Antilogic]

I'm not sure what you mean by "just the AI". I don't think the AI is all that dumb.

Unless Great Generals can emerge through some other kind of event besides combat, if one just suddenly appears in your country during "peacetime" the other AIs will know you've been using a Privateer.

The AI whose ship you just sank will know a few things more.

1) They'll know WHICH Privateer is yours, and its approximate position at the end of the turn.

2) They'll know how it's promoted (assuming they saw it coming). The AI, I'm sure, is MUCH better about paying attention to this detail than human players are.

3) They'll know what cargo (if any) they lost due to the Privateer attack. They won't necessarily know if your Privateer made off with it successfully, since they can't be sure if your Privateer was already carrying cargo.

I don't think it would be difficult to program the AI to "remember" these details at all, and to convert them into hidden relationship modifiers like in normal Civ IV.

Unless they have improved the code from base Civ4, the AI has no clue who's privateers belong to who. Unless they see it in a city, and I don't even think they track that.

I have sortied out of a coastal colony, sunk one of two visible ships, and gone straight back to my port right in view of the survivor. It gives me a good laugh.

 

[Heiwod Jablomi]

I would also suggest that you read one or two of the strategies posted in that forum section, i've been finding them very useful.

 

[ShuShu62]

I use a privateer or two for slowing down the other European powers, but I don't care to make sure I get the great general during wartime since its just the AI.

Me too. Those founding fathers are mine... all MINE I tell you!

Of course intercept your first double shipment of silver and you don't question whether there was a better use for that gold... hehehe.

I play a naval strategy so I ring the other AI's with frigates to 'spot' the cargos for my ultra nav privateers. In the end game the privateers stay in the navy as MOW spotters. with 50 ships those sneaky kings always try to slip a couple past you.

 

[Drakarska]

You might also want to try TAC mod. He's improved the gameplay a lot, even caused me a few sleepless nights of "one more turn".

 

[volandemord]

Hi and tell at all actually add new ресурсрв to the North in a mod RedForce.SB 1.4.0 (bison,wild game,berries in the forest,cranberries, etc.)

 

[Drakarska]

Hi and tell at all actually add new ресурсрв to the North in a mod RedForce.SB 1.4.0 (bison,wild game,berries in the forest,cranberries, etc.)

Um, Huh? my apologies, but i'm not really understanding your post here. Redforce is a mod for BTS, not Col ( good mod btw, I play it). So I'm not exactly sure what your context is here.

 

[Antilogic]

So I tried a game of TAC and got ROFL-stomped by the natives because I didn't prepare well, but I'm learning. Navy-wise, I'm still using privateers in much the same way. Intercepting enemy goods, building massive warehouses in my border colony to drop off the goods, then going back out to attack.

There are events in TAC that grant free frigates to Euros being harassed by privateers, though, which makes proper spotters all the more important.

 

[Drakarska]

So I tried a game of TAC and got ROFL-stomped by the natives because I didn't prepare well, but I'm learning. Navy-wise, I'm still using privateers in much the same way. Intercepting enemy goods, building massive warehouses in my border colony to drop off the goods, then going back out to attack.

There are events in TAC that grant free frigates to Euros being harassed by privateers, though, which makes proper spotters all the more important.

Missionary's are your friend bro. Especially inland where you have lots of tribal villages. Sending a dedicated pioneer to build roads for your wagons ( ooo, beads, shiny!) to trade with the heathens helps a lot as well.

 

[ShuShu62]

Yes, oh... and don't piss off the French!... And when the first one asks for a defensive pact/to declare war on a European power... be ready to say yes.

 

[Drakarska]

Ah, His Royal Poofyness, how I hate thee. Unfortuneately, diplo with the Frencies is a absolute must in the early game and on higher diff. There's been many an occasion when I just wanted to shove a musket up his pantaloons and pull the trigger.

 

[Antilogic]

Missionary's are your friend bro. Especially inland where you have lots of tribal villages. Sending a dedicated pioneer to build roads for your wagons ( ooo, beads, shiny!) to trade with the heathens helps a lot as well.

I think seizing native lands because they wanted an ungodly sum for it is a more proximate cause for the end of that game.

Dedicated pioneers aren't a problem for this player--I've played enough Civ4 to have several pioneers in the field improving my territory.

 

[ShuShu62]

I think seizing native lands ...

Yes, they tend to take that personally for some reason.

Send an elder statesmen with some beads and they will give you that land in no time. (actually, don't really need the elder statesmen outside of the first landfall city.) After that, I populate creeper cities with ordinary blue collar folks to keep producing liberty bells... and pump surplus resources to the factory hub.

 

[vetiarvind]

Actually defeating the king's navy is not impossible if you have a very high rebel sentiment. That would give your man of wars a 50% (sometimes 100% if your leader has a trait of "determined") boost if you have 100% sentiment. It's not hard to achieve if you train a lot of elder statesmen and good liberty buildings.(rush them in undeveloped colonies). Once you do that your 9 strength ship of lines can take on the 14 strength with almost a 50-50 chance. I usually get a naval port to add 10% strength. Once you fend off the initial wave of ships, your ships ought to be in a position to get more XP. I also save 1-2 great generals to promote a naval stack. Having a few Veteran II ship-of-the-lines is very handy.