Abegweit's Guide to the UHVs

[Abegweit]

Vikings

The Viking UHV...

This is Abegweit's Guide to the UHV's. If you wish to post your own guides, the forum provides methods to open threads. If you don't want to do that, you can put them on the general strategy thread. I simply ask you not to hijack my thread. If or when I get around to talking about the Vikings, you will be welcome to respond here.

Thank you.

 

[NitroJay]

Abegweit,

I've been trying for nearly a week now to win the China UHV on Warlords. I'd be interested to see if your strategy that works so well on vanilla, is applicable to the Warlords version...

When trying to play your strategy, I can grow my cities fine with your chop and whipping action, but I get bogged down when the barbs start coming... OR, if I'm ready for the barbs, my economy suffers (I just can't get those graneries out fast enough while producing the troops...) It's the classic guns or butter dilema... Although I've even tried to get the great wall built up before the barbs come, but the detour in tech usually costs me...

Getting the temples necessary for (building) the big temples in time for the deadline is killing me... I can't remember the last time I was this fustrated...! I've tried to make variations along the way with your strategy, since it seems so easy for you in that vanilla version, but to no avail. I was hoping, if you have the time, if you could try running through a chinese game on warlords, using your perfected strategy to see if you get the same results... (Maybe it's just me...?) I just don't see why your strategy would work on vanilla but not on warlords... It seems pretty straight forward to me...

Anyway, I'm commited to getting the UHV for China... I'm going to be on it again right after dinner here... If you have any other advice that you may not have mentioned, I'm all for it. Your guides are so complete, it's just amazing, you've got me hooked on the UHV's again! Thank you so much for your time and effort.

 

[kairob]

I did it how he said but stoped his tech line to get masonry and built the great wall, if thats any help, however I did miss taoism, whether this was just bad luck or not I dont know...

 

[NitroJay]

Thanks kairob, you've inspired me to play yet another game... I've tried to grab masonry and construction for the great wall after math, but before i head for calendar, but I end up missing taoism by a few turns... It happened to me twice that way, so it might be more than bad luck... I think I'm going to try it without picking up hunting in there... That was 2 turns that I didn't see a point to... Maybe with some luck, I'll win tonight...

 

[Abegweit]

IMO, this UHV should be easier in Warlords than Vanilla. You have two good trading partners in Europe instead of one and you have a chance at the Wall. There is absolutely no compensating benefit in Vanilla.

It's possible that my advice to wait for IW from the Romans may have been wrong, especially in Warlords. You need Pots, Sailing and Hunting. You should be able to get all this, and more, from the Romans and Carthaginians. They are more valuable to you than IW anyway. Getting these techs should ensure the smooth growth of your civ. Consider researching IW yourself, possibly even before Calendar.

To win you need Iron. But the techs which allow your cities to grow can't be neglected either.

 

[Spearthrower]

In honesty, I tried following this in Warlords too and I had the same problems - either too many horse archers compared to my soldiers, or too many soldiers for my economy. I've managed to get the Chinese UHV before so I assumed it would work out similarly.

I personally find that a slower expansion seems to work, but that I need to b-line more for the required techs and come back later for some of the economy ones.

I think this strat above is a good one for long term Chinese strength (i.e. playing to win by later victory conditions) but it's not going to net you the UHV in Warlords. They seem to be very different in the way they play out!

 

[NitroJay]

Okay, it's 2:00am and I finally got the Chinese UHV... Well, sort of... I got the 2 Taoist Pagotas and the 2 Confusious Academies built about 8 turns shy of the deadline...! I'll finish the rest up tomorrow...

Abegweit, you were right again... You're a f****** genius! Although, with warlords version, I feel you can revise your Chinese tech tree a bit... I went to BW first, fishing second, and then straight for math. With my warrior in the boot of Italy, I was able to trade math for sailing, hunting, pottery, the wheel, and a start on some religious techs leading up to priesthood needed for the temples... I researched IW myself, calendar, and construction. Calendar got me the rest of the religious techs. Currency came next and it became a very good trading tech... NO one had it... It allowed me to make a mad rush to Music (for the big temples) without worrying about falling behind elsewhere...

I was able to complete the great wall before the barbs really got to me... (A few swordmen wandered up, but 2 whipped axemen took care of that.) I never saw a horse archer - thank you great wall... This all came about prior to (or right around) the start of the A.D. years, so I had a good 1000 years to get 2 more cities (I had 6 cities when the wall was built - running at about 40% science but with scientists in nearly every city) and all the temples and cathedrals built. It wasn't terribly hard chopping down forests and whipping my pop... I got a great engineer from the great wall which i used to rush one of the cathedrals, but I would have made it without him...

THANK YOU SO MUCH for openning my eyes to a different way of looking at it! In warlords, Caesar is very unwilling to part with the IW... I had all but discounted Europe as part of my strategy. You got me to revisit that and it WORKED! Thanks again! Once I finish this Chinese game, I have to find a different civ to try... Lovin' it!!!

 

[Abegweit]

It's strange how the only thing of value you can get from the Romans in Vanilla is Iron Working. Yet it's about the only thing you can't in Warlords!

 

[Rhye]

up! I think this thread should not sink

 

[Whitefire]

Why don't you sticky it?

 

[Mowque]

it is quite helpful, mostly (for me) tech-tree mangement

 

[Rhye]

Why don't you sticky it?

because i can't

 

[NitroJay]

I agree, this thread should stay near the top, it's FULL of
good information...

@Abegweit, I'm curious about your take on the Persians UHV...

 

[Abegweit]

up! I think this thread should not sink

Thanks for the vote of confidence. Despite my well-voiced opposition to plague, perhaps it's time that I tried this mod again and forked up my promised Incan strategy.

 

[Abegweit]

I agree, this thread should stay near the top, it's FULL of
good information...

@Abegweit, I'm curious about your take on the Persians UHV...

I really liked your strat. As I haven't played much with it, I can't say much more than that...

 

[Rhye]

Thanks for the vote of confidence. Despite my well-voiced opposition to plague, perhaps it's time that I tried this mod again and forked up my promised Incan strategy.

then try 193/143, posted this morning.

As for the incans, in case you don't know, they and the aztecs get a different kind of plague. As they both are too distant from the old world to contract the earliest instances, they get the plague a couple of times more when they first contact other old world civs. However that's a kind of lesser plague, as it has a lower cap for avoiding it, cannot infect other civs, causes a longer period of immunity, and cannot be triggered past 1800.

 

[Jaguar]

Abegweit, I like your Egypt guide a lot, but I prefer to use slightly different city sites. I moved one square NW and founded on the first turn. That site allows me to keep the horses in my capital's radius, which is nice. Also, the cultural border expands to include the copper, which is important for building the Colossus. Then I founded a second city further northwest, just west of the dye. That site gets two ocean resources and really improves health. It also has forests for possible chopping later. This city can build the Lighthouse and the Colossus, and probably another wonder if you need it.

I used just these two cities, plus a captured Jerusalem. I finished with Stonehenge, Pyramids, Oracle, Temple of Artemis, Parthenon, Great Library, and Leaning Tower in my Capital, with Kukulkan buildable as well if needed. Then I had the Lighthouse and Colossus in my second city, and the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. I did just fine with that.

I like my city placement, and I haven't totally ironed out the details, but I think it may be optimal.