A Guide to Rapid Expansion (REX)

[troytheface]

i suggest that (hold it, thanks for the thread) , at any rate i suggest that a non financial civ might be more beneficial as an example, (although non imperialistic and non expansionistic might also fit in there- not sure- most info i get is after the fact)

i am experimenting with city build based on a Echelon formation - an attack build rather than city placement per se' (standard, fractal monarch+)

the evidence is clear- hard to go broke with a financial civ

 

[mi6agent]

i find it very very difficult to win any sort of victory if i don't have 10+ cities around 10AD, (prince difficulty) what's ur secret?

1 good production city (very important) , 6 cottage city , 2 great scientist. 1 great merchant
Wise dilomacy and aggressive & smart tech trading required
Very effective with a financial leader
timeline :
4 city before/right after Writting (REX a little bit)
1000 BC Alphabet or Aesthetics
1st scientist for academy
50 BC- 1AD Civil Service, after that beeline Lib
2nd scientist for half of Education
400AD-600 AD Liberism
Start build Maceman (City Raider) in your HE production city after trade Mechinary,
Musket after Gunpowder, Catas and Trebs in your capital, some spy in other city.
Science slider somewhat 60-70 % to slowly accumulate money (1000 is ok)
1000-1200 AD Economics , Rifling. Find the far and highest pop capital to burn the
merchant
Upgrade your Maceman & musket to Rifle. Should have 20+ now. 4 turn to draft 10+ more . Now use
your SOD with 30 Rifle Catas Treb Spy and attack your chosen victim while teching Steel.
Last thing : Doesnt work on Deity (in my experience) . I got raped . I definitely need 10+ city when playing Deity

 

[Crusher1]

It works on Deity ^^ as long as you can get to that point in the game. Besides, on Deity you accomplish it much faster because you get better trade. What Deity AI can stop 30+ Rifles before 1000 AD?

 

[Dirk1302]

^You'll need quite a good start on deity to hit them with 30+ rifles before 1000 ad, quite good indeed.

 

[Gooblah]

i suggest that (hold it, thanks for the thread) , at any rate i suggest that a non financial civ might be more beneficial as an example, (although non imperialistic and non expansionistic might also fit in there- not sure- most info i get is after the fact)

i am experimenting with city build based on a Echelon formation - an attack build rather than city placement per se' (standard, fractal monarch+)

the evidence is clear- hard to go broke with a financial civ

Hehe, sorry for the delay, guys; I've had grad parties and the fallout from school to deal with this weekend. Expect the next roundup around...Tuesday, tops. After that, there will be another two-week delay, since I'll be in CA and away from a Civ-computer.

Troytheface: I agree that a non-financial leader would have been best - this leads me to my questions:

1) How far do you want me to take this, guys? After recovery from the crash or to victory?
2) Should this become a series? If so, who should I pick as a leader?

 

[Crusher1]

^You'll need quite a good start on deity to hit them with 30+ rifles before 1000 ad, quite good indeed.

True! In the Jbossch Deity Roosevelt game that I won (amazing I know, lol) I was only able to get around 18 or so. Then again, we were boxed in and only to get 6 cities founded too. Either way, mass upgrades is probably one of, if not the strongest methods in the game.

 

[mi6agent]

True! In the Jbossch Deity Roosevelt game that I won (amazing I know, lol) I was only able to get around 18 or so. Then again, we were boxed in and only to get 6 cities founded too. Either way, mass upgrades is probably one of, if not the strongest methods in the game.

I always play Epic speed . It ussually take like 10 turn for Printing Press, 10 for both Guild + Banking , 10 for Replacable Parts and 10 for Rilfing . In these 40 turn, you want to build 20 Maceman, so 2 turn for 1 Maceman. You'll need a HE city have a base production of 24 to do that, or your capital with 20 production. To have such city is pretty map dependant. And having so few city make you underpower for a long time, it's a only weakness of this strategy.
Mass upgrade is very strong . It like you are able to build much cheaper Rifleman 40 turn before Rifling !

 

[Crusher1]

You don't have to limit yourself to making Macemen so late. The higher the level with the exception of Deity, the more macemen you will have because trade is better. I don't wait as late as you do. If I am playing Immortal as an example its not uncommon to have the HE and Machinery before 1AD. This makes it very easy to get 40-50 and beyond - of course, it takes like 7000$ bucks to upgrade 40 mace.

 

[Lord Chambers]

Should this become a series? If so, who should I pick as a leader?

REX, like it's brethren "economy," is just strategy babble which has recently taken on a life of its own. It used to stand simply for Rapid Early Expansion, and was only shorthand for "instead of rushing or building wonders." Today it's some panacea for all that ails a new player, just like running a specialist or cottage economy was (or espionage economy, or trade route economy, or relgious economy, or . .. .. .. . your mother economy) a year ago. It is terminology which obfuscates actual game mechanics from newbies and simply lures them in to a pyramid type scheme. "Play REX in your games, talk about REX on the forums, and magic success will come to you!" Meanwhile 4 newbies flounder while they try to "rex," and even worse, 2 of them come to the forums and make the aformentioned posts, "how to I am REX?"

I would encourage you not to make this a series, unless it was the PFM series, where players Played the . .. .. .. .ing Map--and willingly forgoed rapid early expansion when it made sense to. Organizing a series of games around a leader (what would the leader matter?) with a mandate to expand rapidly early is quite literally a game which ignores the map. Any such series has only an academic interest to this forum and is not helpful to newbies. You'd be better off organizing a series around leveraging Camel Archers or something.

 

[Lord Chambers]

Which I would read, because Camel Archers are the . .. .. .. ..

 

[Indiansmoke]

I don't really understand what you did...You have 3 top tiles improved to work and when settler comes out your capital is size 1! Did you slave settler? If you did, it is totally wrong to slave cow and copper or clam, lots of food/hammers/commerce lost.

 

[Dirk1302]

REX, like it's brethren "economy," is just strategy babble which has recently taken on a life of its own. It used to stand simply for Rapid Early Expansion, and was only shorthand for "instead of rushing or building wonders." Today it's some panacea for all that ails a new player, just like running a specialist or cottage economy was (or espionage economy, or trade route economy, or relgious economy, or . .. .. .. . your mother economy) a year ago. It is terminology which obfuscates actual game mechanics from newbies and simply lures them in to a pyramid type scheme. "Play REX in your games, talk about REX on the forums, and magic success will come to you!" Meanwhile 4 newbies flounder while they try to "rex," and even worse, 2 of them come to the forums and make the aformentioned posts, "how to I am REX?"

I would encourage you not to make this a series, unless it was the PFM series, where players Played the . .. .. .. .ing Map--and willingly forgoed rapid early expansion when it made sense to. Organizing a series of games around a leader (what would the leader matter?) with a mandate to expand rapidly early is quite literally a game which ignores the map. Any such series has only an academic interest to this forum and is not helpful to newbies. You'd be better off organizing a series around leveraging Camel Archers or something.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

I'd be especially happy if he copy/pasted this into every other thread that focuses on one E aspect then .

In all fairness, if the rookies looked before they leaped, they wouldn't be drowning in extra-focuses threads and posting nonsense. The forum has a lot of material available and people *can* improve.

I must say all the CE vs SE garbage (and the fact that they are non-terms for most of the game that's relevant) definitely confused me at first. What's fun is that much of the ignorance that existed when I was learning still exists now!

 

[r_rolo1]

Leveraging Camel arcehrs... hum....

Must sign under what you said Lord Chambers. Atleast until REX, CE, SE and others are clearly defined , they are meaningless terms......

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Leveraging Camel arcehrs... hum....

Must sign under what you said Lord Chambers. Atleast until REX, CE, SE and others are clearly defined , they are meaningless terms......

For difficulties below immortal, one can always just trade/research guilds and go CA + spy to take down a continent or so. The AI doesn't really counter knights well with pikes so as long as you have some longbows to chase your knight SoD it's actually pretty simple. Now, is it better than using cuirassers, cavalry, rifles, or cannons...that's another matter .

 

[noto2]

My thoughts exactly. You don't need to "REX" to win at Immortal and certainly not any lower (and at Deity it's impossible). Rex is a lower levels strategy, but there are other ways to beat those levels.

REXing is not about diffulty level, it's about playing the map and/or your leader/civ traits. If you're playing a philosophical or industrious leader, for example, you might spend more time and effort on wonders, specialists, and vertical growth. If, however, you're a financial or organized leader you benefit more from expanding faster. The map is also important. If you are able to block off lots of productive land quickly, why not do so? I certainly don't REX all the time, but I will when the situation calls for it.

 

[slobberinbear]

One of my favorite REXers is Cathy. Not just Imperialistic, but with cheap Creative libraries to jump into a SE post-REX. Just build a bunch of workers and chop and whip your way to a gigantic territory.

 

[noto2]

yep Cathy is an early game powerhouse with her traits, and the UB helps a little in the late game

 

[Gooblah]

Yeahhh, so I haven't had time to play the next round yet at all. I'll be out of town for the next two weeks -> this game is effectively dead unless someone wants to pick it up.

I'm sorry, but time constraints have been a female dog.