American Openings?

[MetaSkipper]

My current opening goes to the tune of Scout, Worker, Stonehenge, Great Library, Hanging Gardens while filling Honor, and saving for a Settler, with hopes for a (Long)Swordsmen/Catapult push. However, after losing to wide Ethiopia and Arabian rushes, it's become fairly clear it's not working. I play a Tall America, King, standard Continents. Help?

 

[geolawyerman]

I wouldn't try for all three wonders, maybe get two if you're isolated, focus on infrastructure instead, but be prepared for rushes around turn 70-80ish, although I once got rushed on 38 (emperor), but that was an anomaly. All you really need is some good defensive terrain and some archers/comp bows(to hold off enemy rushes). On prince, I get away with two, so maybe take three.

 

[joncnunn]

My current opening goes to the tune of Scout, Worker, Stonehenge, Great Library, Hanging Gardens while filling Honor, and saving for a Settler, with hopes for a (Long)Swordsmen/Catapult push. However, after losing to wide Ethiopia and Arabian rushes, it's become fairly clear it's not working. I play a Tall America, King, standard Continents. Help?

The building multiple wonders that early doesn't really go well with the Honor social policy.
Going with Honor pretty much implies your planning conquest.
I would suggest your first wonder be something like the 4 Archer + 2 Sword wonder to go with Honor. (cash upgrade the Archers to Composites)

Now, if your more interested in early wonders; go tradition. But 3 wonders back to back to back without some other city building defense units (such as archers) is asking for problems.

 

[Browd]

Depends on difficulty level. OP doesn't say, but if you're playing warlord or prince, you can dabble with early wonders and still go on an Honor-fueled conquest-spree. For the reasons others have stated, that won't work on higher levels.

 

[Monthar]

At King level you can easily go with about 5 archers and 2 warriors to take out the first couple of civs.

A good build order is scout, scout, worker then the archers and 2nd warrior.

If you follow the GOTM forum you'll see that those with the fastest times, for the domination games, didn't build any wonders. They just cranked out units, sold everything they could to get gold to buy settlers and upgrades.

 

[Bandobras Took]

As America, you should get your wonders by taking them away from the Civs that have built them.

More seriously, America has a scouting advantage. I often go two Scout just so I can get that much better and idea of what the map requires. I also tend to ignore religion with America unless I scout out a Faith National Wonder nearby; again, just take your religion from somebody else.

 

[MetaSkipper]

Might try those. Any good non-rush openings?

 

[sabre364]

As America, you should get your wonders by taking them away from the Civs that have built them.

More seriously, America has a scouting advantage. I often go two Scout just so I can get that much better and idea of what the map requires. I also tend to ignore religion with America unless I scout out a Faith National Wonder nearby; again, just take your religion from somebody else.

How exactly does the taking religion from others work? I only play king and my typical style is go tall initially, get a bit of a tech lead from 2-3 cities/religion, go on the warpath taking out say 2 civs. Then sit on their wonders. I recently played a game where I took ethiopia and their religion was annoying even though I took their holy city and hit it with a great prophet.

If i just have a pantheon or a weak religion, go on the warpath and take over a holy city, can I 'change' my official religion? Or do I only get the follower bonuses, etc.

 

[Browd]

Just follower (and pantheon) beliefs. But, depending on how underwhelming your religion is, those beliefs may be sufficiently superior to make accepting the other religion worthwhile.

 

[sabre364]

Just follower (and pantheon) beliefs. But, depending on how underwhelming your religion is, those beliefs may be sufficiently superior to make accepting the other religion worthwhile.

So if you hit a religion and youve used your great prophet on it, just ignoring sending out missionaries would let you gain the influence of the other religion in your cities? I mean there will always be pressure from your holy city/capital.

 

[Aaron90495]

So if you hit a religion and youve used your great prophet on it, just ignoring sending out missionaries would let you gain the influence of the other religion in your cities? I mean there will always be pressure from your holy city/capital.

Pretty much. If you don't have Itinerant Preachers or Religious Texts, your religion should eventually be overwhelmed if you don't spread it.

 

[joncnunn]

Pretty much. If you don't have Itinerant Preachers or Religious Texts, your religion should eventually be overwhelmed if you don't spread it.

This may take a long time; while some of the AIs do like to share their religion; others don't.
And even if you don't pick one of those two and make no effort to spread your own religion, it will eventually become entrenched on its own.

 

[Bandobras Took]

How exactly does the taking religion from others work?

Don't build Shrines in your starting cities; build troops and take over cities with Shrines. Let them go through all the work of setting something up; once the cities are yours, you have your pick of religions. Unless you're for some weird reason trying to play a peaceful game with a warmonger Civ.

 

[sufficiency]

Since America has a renaissance UU, I think tradition 4-cities opening is great. Liberty start is a bit of a stretch.

 

[MetaSkipper]

So I tried my first rush and failed spectacularly. How do I best pull one off?

Is it worth waiting a bit for a Catapult, or should I just go with Archers?

 

[Browd]

Generally go with archers for an early rush, but needs to be early. Cats come too late (usually) and die too easily (always), so they aren't worth the hammers (extra archers are more useful -- if the cat is a gift from a militaristic CS ally, OK to bring it along as a distraction for the defenders).

What turn did you try the rush, what units did you bring and what did the defenders have (including city defense strength)?

 

[MetaSkipper]

Turn 67 or so

2 archers, cats, warrior, spearman

City was about 15, had n archer, couple spearmen further back

 

[Browd]

Kinda late (usually unlocking Construction for Comp Bows by then), and you need more ranged for a 15 strength city -- 4 archers and 2 melee should get you there, but you will take a bit of a beating (particularly with an archer in the city). For roughly the hammer cost of a catapult (75 ), you could have two more archers (40 each). You also want to draw out the defenders so you can destroy them in the field, before attacking the city itself, if you can.

 

[MetaSkipper]

What tech path are you using? I can't imagine going that fast.

 

[Browd]

Depends on the map (what techs are needed for what luxuries and how close your nearest neighbor is) and your desired strategy. For early domination, scout well, steal a worker or two, take archery early, build a bunch of archers, and its 3 techs (Mining, Wheel, Masonry) to Construction -- and at least one of those techs (Mining) is probably an early-priority tech anyway (for luxuries and forest chopping). Doable by turn 60 (or maybe a bit after -- timing will depend in part on whether you popped a ruin with any useful tech, like mining or masonry, and whether you got stuck with a bunch of sailing, trapping and calendar-based luxuries).

Does that mean you're making a choice not to chase the GL and early NC, shrine, hard-built settlers, water mill, and what not before going to war? Well, yeah.