Wide/ICS
- Thread starter Zerrigan
- Start date
Aaron90495
King
That's the key: you have to expand hard and fast, lest all the good settling spots get taken. The higher the difficulty, the harder it is to go wide, but it's completely doable with the right civs (Maya, Egypt, etc.). It's much easier with civs that have happiness or religion bonuses, as religion can be a major boon to the happiness problems that usually come with wide play.
You're just gonna have to take the hit and ignore some buildings to crank out Settlers; it's a trade off, and it'll pay off if you do settle effectively.
My trouble with wide strategies is the gold and science chokes I'm getting. I'm not quite sure how to overcome them and its kind of frustrating since wide approaches don't seem to work well with changes to the gold system and science increase on a per city basis.
Even though early warfare is easier than ever in harder difficulties its so damn hard to balance the happiness, gold and science. I've tried this with Zulus, steamrolled two civs before 150 turns but started running up a massive debt (-21 gpt) this is after i filled up the trade routes to capacity and disbanding workers. Had to finally give up the game when my only trade partner DOW ended up deadlast in tech with -38 gpt. Early expansion and warmongering seem extremely difficult to manage even though its easier than ever to wipe a civ early.
Even though early warfare is easier than ever in harder difficulties its so damn hard to balance the happiness, gold and science. I've tried this with Zulus, steamrolled two civs before 150 turns but started running up a massive debt (-21 gpt) this is after i filled up the trade routes to capacity and disbanding workers. Had to finally give up the game when my only trade partner DOW ended up deadlast in tech with -38 gpt. Early expansion and warmongering seem extremely difficult to manage even though its easier than ever to wipe a civ early.
Honestly, I wouldn't say religion is a massive boon to wide play, I'd say it is one of the only ways to make it at all feasable. Pagodas and Church Property probably should be your highest priority, bar NONE, that added 2 gold and happiness per city is an absolute lifesaver. I have a lot of trouble playing wide with anyone but the Maya and the Ethiopians (and maybe the celts?) because otherwise its a total gamble on whether or not you'll be able to get those absolutely imperative beliefs.
I don't think going wide and take opponents cities is really the same, for a peaceful wide start i usually scout a lot, then drop 3/4 city, then there a happiness break where i wait for key techs to be researched , all techs related to lux improvements plus trapping (circus is upkeep free) plus construction (coliseums) and the wheel for city connections, sometime during this period i'll have to stop city growth in order to keep the empire happy, i try to build the NC in one of my towns at this time.
This is the hardest time for you, you need to try and keep your science high without too much citizen, spread your religion because it can provide happiness per city (it's what your looking for instead of global happiness) build international trade routes because they provide science and gold or sometimes use hammer local trade routes to get your key buildings quick in newly founded cities.
I'll then beeline education and astronomy for science and scouting (you also need compass for ports that provide city connection), and after, while your looking for new spots with your caravels you need to reach physics (notre dame is good but i don't get it often on immortal) and printing press for zoos.
I usually have a very small army during the first 150 turns to keep gold coming, you also need CS happiness, so going patronage is probably a must.
After turn 150 it will probably be a lot easier to found new cities, and that only then that i really become wide (going over 6 cities).
Maybe it's not the best way to go wide, but i can't keep science and happiness if i try to plant too many cities before turn 100, you also need to focus more on production than growth in the beginning.
I play low profile with IA in the beginning as i feel my empire is a lot more fragile this way than if i open tradition, try to not upset them with town too close from them.
Early gold should go for workers(you'll need a lot of them), settlers and tiles purchases (you need lux ASAP), you can also consider planting settlers right on top of a lux if in a hurry.
This is the hardest time for you, you need to try and keep your science high without too much citizen, spread your religion because it can provide happiness per city (it's what your looking for instead of global happiness) build international trade routes because they provide science and gold or sometimes use hammer local trade routes to get your key buildings quick in newly founded cities.
I'll then beeline education and astronomy for science and scouting (you also need compass for ports that provide city connection), and after, while your looking for new spots with your caravels you need to reach physics (notre dame is good but i don't get it often on immortal) and printing press for zoos.
I usually have a very small army during the first 150 turns to keep gold coming, you also need CS happiness, so going patronage is probably a must.
After turn 150 it will probably be a lot easier to found new cities, and that only then that i really become wide (going over 6 cities).
Maybe it's not the best way to go wide, but i can't keep science and happiness if i try to plant too many cities before turn 100, you also need to focus more on production than growth in the beginning.
I play low profile with IA in the beginning as i feel my empire is a lot more fragile this way than if i open tradition, try to not upset them with town too close from them.
Early gold should go for workers(you'll need a lot of them), settlers and tiles purchases (you need lux ASAP), you can also consider planting settlers right on top of a lux if in a hurry.
Anyone have any videos or replays? I just tried to go wide as England...and ended up with 4 cities xD I was next to Assyria and the Dutch so I was sort of trapped, and there wasn't a lot of good land, but I still just need something to watch so I can sort of learn the timings of when to crank out settlers etc.
bonafide11
Worker
I'm not an expert player, but I'm good I think, but I've been trying to go wide on emperor in my last few games and I just find it extremely difficult to get enough good cities early on without falling behind in military or science and without angering the AI enough that they declare war on me. Going tall and peaceful is so much easier it's ridiculous.
