Tips for playing Sumeria?

[kamex]

I only just discovered you can get cheap courthouses on priesthood, The UB, UU and Gilgamesh's traits all look good, but how does one bring them all together? Is Gilgamesh a warmonger or not?

If their are any existing articles please direct me to them!

 

[budweiser]

Sumeria, world's first civ.

Cre/Pro. Starts with AG & Wheel. Grow baby!

You can go Pottery>Writing first for a research boost for chaep libraries and a few scientists or you can go Mining>BW for the UU. Then go up the line to Priest and unclock the UB and a shot at Oracle.

Good times.

You can get big pretty fast.

 

[§L¥ Gµ¥]

sumeria is an early game powerhouse. I've tried almost everything with that civ, from a REX monster to a power-house SE, a wall-whipping cheap-ass, to an early cottage spamming mansa clone.

It's hard to go wrong with them, as a human or in the hands of the AI.

 

[madscientist]

Gilgamesh is the ultimate "Play The Map" leader. He can do anything early on but later his traits are not useful except for the draft.

 

[ahcos]

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?p=7535110#post7535110 by mad scientist. sums it up pretty well.

edit: see, the big man himself shows up a sign! simply what i posted, if you've more specific questions afterwards feel free to post them.

 

[budweiser]

Wow. I just started a game as Sumeria at lunch. I posted a screen shot in another thread. It has a chance to be another 3 city cultural win. Wish me luck.

 

[JammerUno]

The earlier date on the UB is hard to use effectively since PH is a dead end tech unless you want the oracle, in which case you might as well take CoL if you need it. Currency is the real early game economic tech, so I don't get any use out of the UB. The UU useles except when you get to rush an AI without metal. PRO is a weak trait every way you look at it. CRE can be useful for easy early expansion and the cheap libs. I see no real reason to do worse with any other leader in the early game, although the UB probably gains some strength when the gamespeed is slower, since early militairy expansion then becomes a real option.

 

[Agramon]

+1 strength axes + early courthouses + easy border pops/cheap libs = early war

Turtle up with protective Archers and wait until steel for mass draft.

Depending on difficulty a high number of zigs should net a esp advantage.

 

[Agramon]

@jammeruno

on monarch you can easily trade for Priesthood with aesthetics and slave a number since they are dirt cheap as well. No detour needed and the zigs are still up in no time. Would be nice to have rushed first though for a higher number of zigs.

 

[Whiskey_Lord]

It's good to take advantage of the early espionage from Zigs and steal techs from the AIs. You could also use it to make war easier via inciting city revolts.

 

[eireksten]

The earlier date on the UB is hard to use effectively since PH is a dead end tech unless you want the oracle, in which case you might as well take CoL if you need it. Currency is the real early game economic tech, so I don't get any use out of the UB.

- Priesthood opens up Writing and Monarchy (and CoL). That's hardly a dead end when you also get access to cheaper courthouses. Writing and Monarchy are pretty essential techs.
- With Gilgamesh, I consider Metal Casting way more interesting than CoL for an Oracle slingshot.
- The fact that you can postpone CoL opens up more options for choice of strategy.

The UU useles except when you get to rush an AI without metal.

Are you serious? Axemen with +1 strength? You can rush anyone you want, as long as you find copper/iron. Hell, you don't even need to rush. Vultures are practically cheaper Swordsmen with +50% against melee that become available at bronze working. Do you consider ANY UU useful?

 

[Glouglou]

Are you serious? Axemen with +1 strength? You can rush anyone you want, as long as you find copper/iron. Hell, you don't even need to rush. Vultures are practically cheaper Swordsmen with +50% against melee that become available at bronze working. Do you consider ANY UU useful?

Although I disagree with JammerUno, the sumerian UU is not that wonderfull:
- only +25% against melee unit so less powerfull than axeman against melee unit (5->6 base strengh means +20%)
- still an axeman not a swordman so vulnerable to chariot

But it is better against archers ...

 

[kossin]

But it is better against archers ...

That's the idea.

Axes are fairly useless in general compared to other units in their era... 5 strength and 1 movement just doesn't cut it. They're limited to stack defense or early rushes. They're not a very good investment on taking barb cities either because of their low odds, especially if it's on a hill.

 

[madscientist]

The benefit of the Vulture is against Archery and Mounted units (even against HAs). Against other axes it get's a very slight disadvantage than another axe.

Vulture against defending Axe in open

6 vs 6.25 (5 +25%)

Axe against defending axe

5 vs 5

They also defend better against chariots then an axe although still very susceptible.

I'll take then, especially since I can get a CR promoted 6 strength unit without researching iron working.

 

[JammerUno]

Do I consider any UU useful? Yeah, redcoats are pretty sweet, so are jens and oromo's, and praets are good as well.

As for PH; it's the long way round to writing, monarchy isn't something I tech myself since the AI heads for it, and writing is actually a prereq for CoL, so there's no gain there. The only reason to go PH is the oracle, and although the wonder is good enough, on higher difficulties you need to skip vital techs to get it before the AI does, making it less attractive. On top of that courthouses are vastly overrated, markets will usually outperform them and currency gives better passive benefits than CoL.

 

[kossin]

Actually Ziggurats are often better than Markets since they only cost 90, 30 less than regular courthouses. Markets are 150 and only contribute gold when the slider isn't at 100%. With cheap libraries, Gilgamesh is a very good REXer that can afford cities earlier. Unless you're going pure-cottages in a city Ziggurats are often better.

Sumeria is one of the rare non-Org civs where I might pursue 'courthouses' early. HRE being the other of course.

That being said, I usually don't build non-Org courthouses unless the maintenance is 8+. Just not worth the hammers earlier.

 

[madscientist]

That being said, I usually don't build non-Org courthouses unless the maintenance is 8+. Just not worth the hammers earlier.

Except they are for the espionage. 2 courthouses doubles your espionage output, plus spies are opened up.

 

[kossin]

And you risk angering neighbors when you can't afford to

 

[madscientist]

And you risk angering neighbors when you can't afford to

Only if you send spies early! Accumulating eps to eventually send a city into revolt during a war is very useful, and you don't really care if you tick off the leader then (well I don't at least).

 

[kamex]

Only if you send spies early! Accumulating eps to eventually send a city into revolt during a war is very useful, and you don't really care if you tick off the leader then (well I don't at least).

I have trouble manging an my espionage while building my economy and my empires other needs. Although I could incorporate it into my strategy. The Great Wall is my favorite wonder, and I nearly always get a GS from it.

But I never touch the esopinage slider until late game, so how can one accumlate enough EP to steal a tech? Do you just put a weight on a neighbour or techer (like mali) and then steal exclusivly from them?