A very fun way to play a game with meaningfull colonies!

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

I found a way to make colonies usefull, though I have to admit that it does take some aspects of a normal game and throws them out of the window. But still, it is fun for a quick fling!

Here`s what I did:

Set optimum number of cities to 6.
Play on huge map
choose Pangaea, lots of land
Choose 6 oppontents or less.

Have Fun!

The AI is so bent on sticking to OCN that it will rarely exceed the number. Currently, there`s 43 cities in my game, and 55 colonies (middle ages), will get lots more later when new resources are found!

Please give feedback here if you liked it or not!

here`s the modfile:

KillermodfilelowOCN.bic zipped version

 

[Cunobelin Of Hippo]

Sounds cool Really forces you to protect your interests outside of your borders. But does the AI know what it's doing when it comes to laying down its colonies?

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Cuno, it does. leastways the important ones, they always have defenders in them, often the AI adds a second, and the battles usually take place on the roads to and from colonies....

On the other hand, nothing like cutting those raods in peacetime

 

[Melanic Sheep]

If you're going to play like that with colonies, cutting the AI's Roads during peacetime is not very fair. I personally try to avoid doing things like that because the ai doesn't have a chance if you do.

 

[Faladin]

Sounds intresting, will probably try it out myself. As for the road thing: Well I might not cut the roads in peacetime but in war, who knows. ;-)

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Originally posted by Melanic Sheep
If you're going to play like that with colonies, cutting the AI's Roads during peacetime is not very fair. I personally try to avoid doing things like that because the ai doesn't have a chance if you do.

Oh come on, that`s cheating,... cheater, cheater,... how old are you? it`s about having fun, man!

If I play it straight, I don´t cut them, but it is very usefull if you want to understand AI trading habits...

 

[Sabotage]

IMO I think that activities such as road cutting and planting forests in your enemy's territory should also be seen as an act of war. Altering our terrain without permission, probably.

 

[CurtSibling]

Cool!
I can see it now;

1939, the Oberkommando Der Wehrmacht gets a memo stating;
"The Polish army has planted a forest near Berlin!"

In a rush to avenge this horror, the Panzer divisions surge forth
to commence WW2.

"Zere shall be no verdamt oak trees in Der Vaterland!"

 

[Jaybe]

Don't sweat it. In 1.21 you can't plant trees within another's borders (or so I have read).

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Originally posted by CurtSibling
Cool!
I can see it now;

1939, the Oberkommando Der Wehrmacht gets a memo stating;
"The Polish army has planted a forest near Berlin!"

In a rush to avenge this horror, the Panzer divisions surge forth
to commence WW2.

"Zere shall be no verdamt oak trees in Der Vaterland!"

How many of us Krauts do you need to change a lightbulb???

Ve ask here ze kwestions!!!!!!


Sure, it`s not fair to cut those roads in peactime, but planting a city on them, then signing a trade embargoe is equally unfair - and the AI does that, too!

 

[alexman]

Originally posted by Killer
I found a way to make colonies usefull, though I have to admit that it does take some aspects of a normal game and throws them out of the window. But still, it is fun for a quick fling!

Here`s what I did:

Set optimum number of cities to 6.
Play on huge map
choose Pangaea, lots of land
Choose 6 oppontents or less.

This is a good idea for fun, but still, why would you use a colony instead of a normal city? Even if it is 95% corrupt, placing a city on or next to the resource will give your empire at least one gold per turn, prevent the resource from being absorbed into the AI territory, give your defending units a place to heal (or extra defense if the city ever grows past size 6), will still remain if attacked by barbarians, and if you are concerned with the population loss from the settler compared to the worker you need for the colony, turn that city into a worker factory - you'll get a new worker every 10 turns!

Colonies will never be useful unless they undergo major changes in the expansion pack.

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Originally posted by alexman
Colonies will never be useful unless they undergo major changes in the expansion pack.

I know that, you know that, but the AI doesn`t. if with the above game you limit yourselv to OCN plus maybe 5 or so and play it with colonies it`s fun! Also, the 1 gold gets more than lost in other cities that go e.g. from 12 to 9 because of increased corruption due to exceeding OCN.

And, as the title states, it`s about fun!!!!

Colonies will get usefull if city building everywhere in Tundra and so on is blocked, no other way.

 

[alexman]

I see your point, and agree it would be fun to play a game like that. I might even try it! I was only saying that even with your new rules, colonies are still not useful. They just don't get absorbed by the AI so you can use them.

Originally posted by Killer

Also, the 1 gold gets more than lost in other cities that go e.g. from 12 to 9 because of increased corruption due to exceeding OCN.

By the way, that's actually not true unless your "colony" is closer to your capital than other cities of your empire. You can't affect corruption of inner cities by adding an extra city further out.

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Originally posted by alexman
By the way, that's actually not true unless your "colony" is closer to your capital than other cities of your empire. You can't affect corruption of inner cities by adding an extra city further out.

True, but usually there is lots of cities further out, especially when you have a large territory and if your FP is far out from the capital. Also, you`ll need units to defend the city since you`d ahve to recapture it if taken, while a destroyed colony just cost one worker to replace (albeit at the risk of someone els being faster!).

Still, it is real fun, especailly if you do as I do and cut lotsa roads, then watch AI diplo and trade offers go to ****. Serious programming black holes here

 

[Random Passerby]

No, all cities' corruption is checked against the ideal city number. If adding more cities gave you extra gold and production at no cost, then it wouldn't be an IDEAL city number at all, because more would always be better; since adding cities above the limit adds corruption to your core cities and only provides 1 gold and 1 shield to compensate, it hurts conventional strategies to get more than a couple cities over the limit.

A suggestion, though: boost the city number to 12 and eliminate the foribidden palace; if I understand the way such things work, as it stands you're limited to 3 full-production cities, then you have to build the FP to get full use out of the other 3, and it seems a bit silly to require 200 shields just for that.

 

[alexman]

Random Passerby: Check out the corruption thread in the strategy articles forum.

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Another thing: I did NOT eliminate the FP because I wanted it in case i want to spread out my empire!

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Has anyone actually tried this out???????


For me it was fun, even up to Deity since the IA stuck to it`s OCN and I simply went to three times that with with a wellplaced FP and thus negated the AI advantages. They offered me lux 1 for 1 deals in the end!


Anyone???????

 

[Jaybe]

A long time ago, in a forum far away (I think it was Apolyton), there was a similar thread,

... but there the method was to make TUNDRA & DESERT have ZERO food.
I disagreed with the desert (I live in Las Vegas)....

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Originally posted by Jaybe
A long time ago, in a forum far away (I think it was Apolyton), there was a similar thread,

... but there the method was to make TUNDRA & DESERT have ZERO food.
I disagreed with the desert (I live in Las Vegas)....

I did that, too in my mod, but it didn`t really work since the AI plastered cities along the coast. Currently, I`m experimenting with zero ffo for hills (but two irrigated) and zero foo for coast (sadly, i can`t make the harbor give +2 food ).

Actually, the only way it would work would be a far huger territory.........