Island Tactics

[SesnOfWthr]

In my games, I have found that I really dislike archipelago maps. When I stopped to think about it, I realized it's because I generally do poorly on them. Some coincidence, huh? At any rate, I think my biggest problem is the early game. In many of my games on continents and pangaeas, I will have an early war with a close/weak neighbor to hamstring them and give myself more room. With an islands map, this is nowehere near as easy as you can only use galleys until the end of the Medieval times.

So I guess what I'm looking for are some strats for the early game on an islands map. Are islands more conducive to a diplomacy type of victory? Do people that play them really use an invasion force of 15 or 20 galleys to transport the thirty or so troops? Or do people just mass troops until they can use caravels etc. to launch major offenses?

I generally play C3C 1.15b and I'm currently trying to get the hang of Emperor.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Longasc]

You can have some scenarios: a small island, little ressources. You are alone. Or a bigger one, some ressources and no enemy. A good starting position, but bad for trade.

A bad thing is to start besides Rome or the Mongols and some other Civ on the same Island - on higher difficulties. I played the Byzantines and used Dromon Fire Support to take coastal cities, but I agree, only weak Civs on small Islands can usually be overrun this way, as often there are few passages for galleys. Building the Lighthouse may help bridging gaps on Archipelago Maps, being seafaring is helpful, too.

Island Maps are great for Space races, and in the later game you will have a great advantage as the AI sucks on seaborne invasions.

Tech progress will be slower, the danger is that 4-5 civs are in contact and you are far away and cannot trade, lagging behind in tech.

Suicide Galleys help, if you make contacts early on and can trade you can be the middleman and become a world power.

Okay, this was rather sketchy, but I hope you got the idea. An Island start might be detrimental but offer protection by the sea at the same time.

 

[elhanna]

I've started my first game at emperor on an archipelago map (normal size) playing as the Mayans. I found myself starting just south of tundar with the Roma, Persia and Inca as my three neighbours. Having other civilization on the same Island did help but of course in 3000BC, Rome declared and I had a nice dogpile on my back. I was lucky enough to have a very good starting position, my capital became a settler factory very early with my second and third city sharing 3 cattles and 2 wheats between them. Had a couple of luxuries as well and horses. I did manage to get out unscattered except that my city were badly lacking improvements. What save me was the fact that I went straight for the great Library and the early GA. I've now cleared my continent and left Persia, Rome and the Inca as city state.
My other experience on archipelago was at Monarch level. I was an island all on my own, nice chunk of land but no resources. When I say no resources, I mean 1 horse, no iron, no saltpeper, no coal, not one resource. I miss the GL by 2 turns, there was no land around my island, and did send sucide galley by the tens (even when I got the world map, it showed that there were none around) and that was the end of me. The dutch found me and were starting to pulverise me when I gave up.
Anyway the whole point is that Archipelago games requiere a decent starting location. In the second example I had to limit my city to size 8 or 9 due to unhappiness. without big city, no cash, without luxury no happiness, so no cash and without cash no science. Without neigbours no trading.

From my own experience, only with a decent starting location can you have a chance to win, especially on the higher levels.

 

[whitecow]

Same as what Elhanna said, when you start game on Archipelago maps it is almost impossible to win if you do not have the neccesary rescoures in the beggining. If not, you can't build citys and have nesscesary units to defend them. The only ways you can win are if

1) you find refuage on another Island that has those early resorces


2) amazingly you meet someone to trade with before you reserach the tech Astromaty


3) you do find the nesscesary rescorces on your starting island

Be careful if you play the higher levels with Archipelago maps because if the AI finds you before you find them, they will go to war with you and probaley pull their friends into it to and if you don't have the rescorces your done for.

 

[Arathorn]

Islands are easy to defend. Period. That's a huge difference from land campaigns, which are comparitively easier. That's true for both the human and the AI. If you're alone on your starting island, you should never be conquered. And in Civ3, not being conquered is often enough for a win.

1. Suicide curraghs -- early and often
2. Your economy will probably depend more on commerce and less on shields. This requires some adjustments.
3. Continent-wide wonders (Hoover, Pyramids, especially) become MUCH less important.
4. Early warfare is still possible, but it's much harder. You really do need a safe passage to the place to attack and a very large initial landing force. In general, it's not worth it, IMO. 15 galleys is a lot of shields to spend early. Become an early builder instead. Then land later with 80 infantry, 60 artillery, and 50 cavalry! (Oh, and a settler.)
5. Different war goals. A single, safe city on an opposing landmass is often my goal for a first war on 'pelago. The beachhead is the hardest thing. Once that's won, later wars have a natural launching place and place to heal.
6. Commercial docks are very VERY valuable.
7. Resources are not necessary. Yes, they make the game easier, but the game can be won without. (OK, starting on an island with precisely one really aggressive civ, like the Zulu, and no resources on deity or sid is probably a loss, but...) Artillery requires no resources and artillery/guerilla wars transported by galleons (I think that's the right ship name) are possible to win, even on deity. And, the AI will trade resources if the price is right.
8. Great Lighthouse makes a huge difference. It's incredibly powerful on many 'pelago maps.

Generally, though, I find I do more expanding and exploiting of the land before I go exterminating on 'pelago maps. That's a nice change of pace....

Arathorn

 

[Point13]

adding on to Arathorn, if you are alone on your island, TSoZ and Knight's Templar, are only useful as denial to other civs you would like to see languish, so unless you have a nice navy (galleys only really) you should steer clear as well...

 

[SesnOfWthr]

Thanks for the advice guys. I guess I probably should have figured most of it out, but I'm so used to warring early and often.

Maybe I should try to play more to expand my playing style ....