1.18 Russia UHV

[Temujin8k]

Anyone here managed to complete Russia UHV3 on default settings (Regent, Normal)? Any tips?

I am currently in 1920 AD. I have researched all early Global techs except Synthetics (in 2 turns) and Social Services, and I've got Electronics as well. I am actually way ahead in tech compared to the rest of the world (the mod is balanced s/t civs enter Global around 1920). But I still don't think I can create 30 ICBMs and 30 Satellites within 50 turns... based on my current tech I still need 12 techs for the UHV.

Ever since I managed to stabilize my economy around the 1700's I tried to run on positive gold as much as possible. I could easily steal missing techs almost on a whim also. Should I have invested more money into research? When should I target to enter Global to achieve this part of the UHV?

 

[Temujin8k]

Update: Oh wait, I think I can actually clutch it... I ran out of stuff to build so I started building wealth on most of my productive cities and then turned up the research slider incrementally. I build commerce, wealth, and science buildings whenever I get new techs, then put them back to wealth. The new Central Planning bonus of +50% to conversion actually helps a lot here.

I am in 1940 AD now. Got all early Global except Social Services, all middle Global except Fission and Geopolitics, and just got Computers. Beelining Spaceflight next, then Nuclear Power for ICBMs, then finally Satellites for... well, Satellites. Assuming I can fund all these researches without going too negative, I can get everything by 1959, give or take. Then I'll spend the remaining 11 turns creating ICBMs and Satellites. I'm not gonna forget the friendly Commies as well. We'll see how it will all pan out. But for now, I need to sleep...

 

[Dracosolon]

Yeah, I think the conversion bonus really gives Central Planning a more unified focus. Prior to that it was "here are boosts for opposite ways of generating " that limited synergy, but now itself is more versatile.

 

[Logoncal]

Question about the 1st UHV: How do i place the cities? Do i even take the Ruthenian lands? Do i settle beyond the urals?
I have been quite confused, cause i barely been failing the mission. Not sure what to do.

 

[Dracosolon]

Ruthenian cities are essential. They have better resources than most of your territory, it's less settlers to build, your armies can usually handle the conquest, and if you don't take them European civs will. I believe there's enough space for cities west or near the Urals: your territory is big and it's hard to get optimal city placements so overlaps are necessary. You will usually have:
Initially:
- Moskva on first turn and Novgorod on flip.
- Kiyev and Minsk from the Rus, sometimes an extra city.
- A city to secure the Iron south of Moskva, probably on one of the hills since they're a lot easier to defend against Light Cavalry.
- Riga or Pirny in the Baltics, assuming nobody else has already settled there and you can defend from barbarian Axemen.
- Vyborg 1N1W of Sankt-Petersburg. In all my test games Sweden sends a Settler in Finland around your spawn so don't wait. If you fail to get it your only sources of Stone are in the Urals for the Cathedrals and wonders.

Later:
- Yaransk in the northeast of your core, can work two Salts and a Sheep.
- Arkhangelsk to get the northern Fish and Furs.
- Kazan to the east.
- One or two cities by the Black Sea once you've produced enough defenders.
- A city by the Caspian Sea that must be either conquered or settled, since it's likely to be razed.

Then two or three cities to fill in the gaps between the above, and start expanding toward the Urals.

As for general strategy I'll have to replay it to be sure.
- Elective seems to me the best option early on though Despotism and Monarchy are both tempting. I had to switch back to Despotism in my run to finish the Churches.
- Spying early is essential to steal the early techs that your neighbors are more likely to have.
- The UB is awesome and should be built early everywhere.
- Most of the techs you have to get on the way to Firearms and Statecraft aren't that useful to you outside of Paper and Gunpowder, maybe Education but you probably don't have time to build a National College. The Kremlin can potentially be snatched away by an Orthodox rival, especially if the Ottomans convert, so Gunpowder is high priority anyway.
- You have quite a lot of work required to get the Cathedrals, between Settlers, defenders, Missionaries (Monasteries or Syncretism), Churches and Cathedrals. I'd like to find an optimal strategy for to be as efficient as possible with them, ideally without switching back to Despotism.

 

[Kott]

But without Despotism you do not use the UP, does it make sense?

 

[Dracosolon]

There probably is a good strategy centered around Despotism, but I personally never use it very much, especially when is so critical.

 

[AOS9001]

I use despotism to whip out the churches and cathedrals, after that I switch to monarchy, and then far down the line, state party.

 

[Dracosolon]

How do you handle the techs?

 

[AOS9001]

How do you handle the techs?

I beeline Judiciary at any cost, set research to 0 and esp as high as I can, and steal as much as I can from Sweden, Poland, and the HRE. Sweden and Poland are pretty easy to steal techs from.

 

[Logoncal]

Two questions:
1) is global era in 1902 too late? got it by Psychology
2) what is the easiest way to get friendly commies? i know you can force switch them thru spies, which is the reason i rushed psychology.

 

[Dracosolon]

Great Statesman missions help a lot. Choosing a leader with a favorite civic you want to have too.

 

[Kott]

From 1.17 - there are three ways (two already mentioned):
1. Take a friend and ask them nicely to convert.
2. Take a communist and send a great statesman to reset the old grudges.
3. Take a vassal and force them to convert.
Pay attention that too many vassals means fewer friends, as civs take into account their relationships with a vassal when assessing the relationships with a master and that usually leads to "hates a vassal -> does not like a master".