A problem with an early axe rush

[flamesweet]

Hello all.
I have started a new game. Random continents, Nobel, Normal time, standart map size.
I started the game and of course I have explord what ground. I found that there was another civ on the island. It was Rosavelt from America.
Well I thought maybe I will rush on him but then I sad to my self that I wont because he can be a useful ally at the start.
When I got IW I saw that I dont have any iron on my side but just across thre border the american had Iron.
I did not want a war but that iron told me: "please come! please come and take me!" and I just could not say no...
So I have started an early wae with about 10 axemans and I destroyed that amrican civ.
Well after a few turns I saw that my reserch is going down more and more untill it got to 0% and there was nothing I could do because I didnt have court house, market or grocer avilabe.

I will really like to hear on your opinion about what happen here and what I have do about it because I find early was really useful. Thanks!

 

[Refar]

Early game a economy can not take too much abuse, so you have to be careful.

You overextended youself. Cities (and troops outside home soil) cost lots of money in maintenance. They (cities) become more expensive if they are far away.

Typically in a early rush you will:
- Not found too many cities of your own (perhaps 3 - some people would even say, that if you took time to make 2 Settlers, you was to slow to call it a "rush")
- Take only those cities from the enemy, that are really worth it (often it is just the capital). Burn the rest.
- Don't let your troops wander outside your boarders, once the war is done. (Unless they do someting helpfull, like taking some cash from a barb city)
- Try to tech some economic stuff (CoL for example) in deficit research, using the money you took from your victim.
- Try to let your cities work tiles giving your the best commercee revenue (Quote DaveMcW: "Cottages!!!"... a gold mine is fine as well...). If you can (have library+food) running a couple of scientists can help you with research, untill your economy recovers. (Unless you running SE - in that case disregard the "untill..." part)

 

[flamesweet]

Thanks for the great tips.
Well so you say the in most times I should burn all the cities exsept the capital and then when Im ready to bring my own settlers and to make new cities?

 

[Bushface]

Capitals are always (well, very nearly always) well situated, but this does not by any means apply to other AI cities; for example, the AI often plants cities one tile away from a river and/or the coast. Early in the game, therefore, it is often better to burn cities that are not ideally placed for your purposes, certainly ones that you can't currently afford. Things may change later on: a captured large city will come out of resistance much sooner than a new replacement one can grow to the same size and produce as much.

 

[Noobzor]

True, your military units cost money per turn, wich will be deducted from your 100% wich is by default used for research.

At times its totally possible even at 0% research and lossing money every turn to keep warmongering, the trick is don't stop conquering, keep pillaging enemy tiles such as cottages and the hundreds you get from invading a city.

You will most likely loose some units taking the city, so it will balance it self out on to a percentage you are comfortale with.

For example its a good practice to initally expand by settlers until you are at 60% research, then improve your city tiles to grow and bring in cash and build courthouses to cut down the maintenance by 50%, pop a few great prophets for +5cash or Cathedral and +1 cash per city with that religion, this will take you back to 80-100% then start building an Army until youre at 50% and start attacking.

Also study your Civics, Pacifism gives you +1 cash support per military unit plus a ridiculous 100% to great person growth. This civic can be adopted very early in the game by building the Shwedagon Paya (enables all religion civics) meditation+aestetics needed.

Finally, Vassalage(Feudalism) lowers unit support costand gives new units built +2xp. There are many ways in wich you can support more than one army, if you take the time to read up these forums there are great strategies and great ideas on micromanaging.

 

[warhead66]

when you start conquering other civs you're usually living off the raid. so you have to either stop and start working on your cities or keep going.

you had a military way larger than what your economy could support and your country was obviously way too big.

i would try building more workers and improving the land only on economy so that you could research far enough to get to courthouse.

 

[druidravi]

Each of your cities should have a definite purpose don't take mediocore cities that early . Production cities / Commerce city /specialist city . For an axe rush it might be too early for a specialist city but keep one city with alteast 2 food resources , build library and start running 2 scientists they will give you some research even at 0% .

You need at the most 2 citieies as production that early pumping axes , cottage rest of cities. Having a lot of workers who can quickly cottage and develop captured cities is also helpful . Try to capture as many workers as possible the turn you declare war .Between your capital and enemy capital select one of them as commerce and cottage it.

Also code of laws is extremely important tech concentrate your research to it . Since you will have a big empire forgot about keeping forests and chop courthouses / librarys /granary asap . You can also adapt caste system with code of laws and run merchants to prevent getting broke .

 

[countrygrl]

yeah, listen to refar!

the worst thing about an axe rush is that axemen move too slowly and are vulnerable to chariots!

chariot rush > axeman rush