ancient wars

[Infantry#14]

when is the best time to start your first war? Most of my games, my first war begins after I can build adequate amount of catapults

my second war would be getting cannons

third war would be getting tanks/bombers

fourth (if necessary) would be after getting modern armors/mech/stealth bombers

 

[cabert]

when is the best time to start your first war? Most of my games, my first war begins after I can build adequate amount of catapults

my second war would be getting cannons

third war would be getting tanks/bombers

fourth (if necessary) would be after getting modern armors/mech/stealth bombers

my first war starts when I have 4 axemen
my second war starts when my first war finishes
my third war starts when my second finishes
...


Well, it's not totally true, but the earlier the better.

 

[JimT]

when is the best time to start your first war? Most of my games, my first war begins after I can build adequate amount of catapults

my second war would be getting cannons

third war would be getting tanks/bombers

fourth (if necessary) would be after getting modern armors/mech/stealth bombers

My second war sometimes starts with catapults and this is usually too late IMO.

Plan for an early war. Once you have got 1 or 2 workers and a settler build axemen (if you have bronze) or an alternative (try Quechua!) then get a capital. From here you are in a dominant position and can churn out axemen or wait for swordsmen.

Be warned the longer the wait the stronger the opponents cultural defences so if it is too late avoid the capital, cripple his economy and then sue for peace.

If you wait for catapults (on medium to high difficulty) then you may find yourself falling behind and not being able to get an edge in war.

For example in my present game (Kublai Khan) I researched animal husbandry (no horses - bit of a waste of a UU and UB), then bronze working (no bronze), finally iron working (got settler to iron just before Mehmet). I crippled Mehmet razing three cities and keeping one (left him three due to cultural borders). By this time Napoleon was a strong neighbour and I was boxed in, but couldn't prosecute a seccond war until catapults (I may still recover - soon as I get Ivory/Horses).

If I had waited for catapults the war with Mehmet would have been longer, possibly unsuccessful (his production sites were much better than mine) and I would have found it extremely hard to come back to a position capable of taking on Napoleon with his full complement of strategic resources.

Obviously with different luck in the resources distribution I could have used Keshiks to capture Mehmets capital early (strong production site) and then with this capture Napoleons recently founded cities boxing HIM in.

To cut a long story short, early wars are good but a late seccond war with catapults is sometimes unavoidable

 

[futurehermit]

It's possible for your first war to come with cavalry (see Snaaty's thread).

However, if you are going to war early you should build 1 city to claim a strategic resource (copper [ideal] or horses [ok]). Barracks in both cities. Mass 6 axes or 9 chariots (so i've been told ) and then attack your closest neighbour. Don't build too large of an army (although replace your losses) and don't keep too many cities or ones that are too far away because you want to keep your economy afloat...

 

[KMadCandy]

my first war starts when I have 4 axemen
my second war starts when my first war finishes
my third war starts when my second finishes
...


Well, it's not totally true, but the earlier the better.

this from the harvester of culture! *giggle*

 

[cabert]

this from the harvester of culture! *giggle*

I have as many cultural victories as domination victories
In the last few months, I got a bit more warhappy, obviously (playing higher level somehow makes it necessary)

edit : I changed my title, to better suit my wording

 

[stratozyck]

My strategy is to go for Theology via Oracle. I've gotten it as early as 800 BC on Monarch. You won't need any seige equipment once you have super swordsmen with city raider II.

Going this route is a compromise between builder and aggressor. Initially I start out getting a few religions and building a wonder - a strategy that otherwise would surely lead to someone like Alexander declaring war early on you. However, once you get theocracy and a few of these high quality units, everyone trembles in fear.

Its even greater once you get seige weapons because the upgrades will allow you to take down even a protective civ at will.

 

[flamingzaroc121]

my first war starts when my exploring warrior finds an unguarded worker

 

[Airny]

my first war starts when my exploring warrior finds an unguarded worker

That's what you should usually do.
I just found an example where this is not the best thing in my opinion.

If you have a map where you opponents are quite far away and you start with an scout. Or when you rush your first opponent anyway, I build my first worker and grab others from conquest.