Any OCC tips out there?

cromagnon

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With search disabled, I can't really take a good look. I saw Charis' 5CC Strategy Article, which helps to some extent, but I was hoping for an article specifically for OCC.

Some problems I've been having:
1. Not having resources within city limits

2. Aggressive settling by AI that destroys colonies not yet in the borders.

3. I heard from someone (?Sirp) that warring may be to your benefit, as you can get GL's for wonders. If that's so, how do you stand a chance of a Diplo win if everyone is Furious at you?

4. Is it possible to win if you have no luxuries or resources next to your city?

5. There are many periods when there is absolutely nothing to build besides units. Do you build Wealth instead?

6. And of course, the dreaded wonder-induced Despotism Golden Age. Is the Colossus a must? Because it has a LOT of traits associated with it.

ps. As I'm relatively inexperienced, I'm using Regent level. I don't suppose you're going to surprise me and say that Monarch or Emperor are actually easier, are you?
 
Well, there are other ways to win OCC, the most common is Culture. You want the early Wonders and you want to rush anything that gives culture. Remember culture points double after 1,000 years not a set amount of turns, so it is better to get things early when many years pass with every turn. The Babs are perfect for this type of game.
 
I've never played OCC beyond warlord, but to tide you over until someone more experienced answers, I think I can help with a few of your questions.

Originally posted by cromagnon
1. Not having resources within city limits
2. Aggressive settling by AI that destroys colonies not yet in the borders.[/quote]

Gotta trade for them. One the upside, you may not need to purchase any particular strategic resource more than once or twice, since you're not going to have many units. Colonies will usually not work unless you're playing aggressively -- sometimes not even then. And luxuries will be very cheap since you won't have many citizens potentially affected. If you are lucky enough to have one or two of your own, though, you can trade them for bunches of stuff (multiple luxes, if available, cash, maybe techs), since they'll be worth so much more to the AI than to you. Also don't forget that you can sell your only instance of either a strategic resource or a lux - this can be very powerful.

3. I heard from someone (?Sirp) that warring may be to your benefit, as you can get GL's for wonders. If that's so, how do you stand a chance of a Diplo win if everyone is Furious at you?

I think this is more to do with one-city 20K culture wins than one-city diplo wins.

4. Is it possible to win if you have no luxuries or resources next to your city?

No idea, but certainly every extra one you get is more potential trade so will help a lot.

5. There are many periods when there is absolutely nothing to build besides units. Do you build Wealth instead?

I did when I tried it before. Don't know what a more experienced player would do.

6. And of course, the dreaded wonder-induced Despotism Golden Age. Is the Colossus a must? Because it has a LOT of traits associated with it.

You could play a civ that has only one of those traits. :) I would consider the Colossus a very valuable wonder for OCC, probably good enough that a despotism golden age would be worth it. If you think about it, the golden age isn't going to matter much anyway with only one city, especially if you're going for the diplo version of OCC.

Renata
 
If you're trying to play a OCC game on Regent, I wrote up a short report on a game I played under exactly those conditions. Trading is the key to winning a OCC game; either 20k culture or a UN diplomatic victory are the way to go. Anyway, check it out, it should answer a lot of your questions. :)

GOTM10 OCC
 
Yeah the war thing is definitely if you want a cultural victory, cromagnon.

Indeed, you'll be able to buy resources and luxuries at low low prices, since you've only got one city.

I would give more advice, but....I've never actually played an OCC....the idea has never really appealed to me, so I can't :)

-Sirp.
 
That was a nice game Sulla, I really enjoyed reading your report :) Inspired me to play a similar game.
 
Sulla did a great writeup. Some other tips:
  • The luxury slider is your friend.
  • You want to get to size 12 as soon as possible. Build a granary before any other buildings, and build 5 extra workers when you reach size 6. Use the workers to improve the terrain and rejoin them when they are done.
  • Be scientific (if you have a choice), it is the only trait you get full value out of.
  • If you can't keep up in research in the modern age, switch to communism and steal techs from the leader. (And build defensive units instead of wealth. ;))
 
I am playing on Monarch with Archipelago. Both times I used my first random start, and the first time it looked awful, but after moving my settler 3 or 4 times and cutting down like 16 jungle with a nonindustrious civ, I got a "god city". The second time it looked pretty good (2 food enhancers), and after 2 settler moves I got another god city. I used Japan for the lack of resources which their unit requires (No horses needed for Knight, and no saltpeter needed for muskets). And for the late golden age even after getting Collusus and Great Library.

This time I'm using Ottomans for the later Golden Age again, and I got Colossus, Great Library, and Great Lighthouse so far. (Still in Ancient age in like 700 AD do to archipelago and me trying to slow down tech pace.

I'm going for cultural for both, (Won first one in 1900's) and I'm aggressive against civs who land on my island to get resources. (First was small map minimum land, second was standard map minimum land). I got 3 great leaders game one and didn't even use the 3rd as I hand built all the industrial wonders easily.

I recommend that you go for Colossus, and then Great Library.
When that expires, research at max, just keeping up with the civs. Try not to research techs that the other civs haven't researched, slowing the game down. If you caught up, just build up money or research at a low speed. If at all possible, don't buy techs, as that helps the strong civ get stronger. After those first 2, the science wonders are very important, and then it’s worth researching Free Artistry first to get Shakespeare’s before the others. It’s amazing in OCC, meaning no luxury even with max size city and hospitals (It’s also worth researching Sanitation first, but don’t trade unless it’s needed to get steam power and industrialization). Do trade Free Artistry – one turn before Shakespeare’s finishes.

Btw, if you want any of my 4000 B.C. saves to play from, I should be able to upload them when I have time. Make sure to move the settler to the optimal location though (if you want 400 gpt that is :)).
 
I've done OCC up to the Monarch level with success.

A couple of things.

First, apolyton.net has something called Apolyton University. One of their "classes" is AU302, a map designed for an OCC (very good start position). I completed this at monarch. Others have beaten it at Deity and someone even got a histographic victory.

Other tips:

1. If you have a luxury resource, trade it for other resources (even if you have 0 available...you can still click on it if you have a trade route). Resource trading is based on the amount of use a civ will get out of something, and the computer figures the smaller you are the less use you will get out of it. It's possible to get 20 turns of a strat resource, two luxuries and a partial tech for one luxury.

2. Don't break deals. I did this in my last OCC and it made it much harder to win....

3. Colossus is your friend...trust me. You might think about trying the Germans....nice late Golden Age and Scientific. I like them better than the greeks (Colossus triggers GA..which is bad) for OCC

If you want to see any of my recent OCC saves, PM me. I'll send any remaining ones your way....Won in 1946 (culture 20k) and I Have 50bc, 690, 1080 and 1710 ad saves.....
 
i did a deity occ at poly some time ago (it was civ3 1.21 that time) but dont know wether it was correct. i attacked the ai and that kind of stuff (one of them lost its capital; not by my hands but due to my attacks).
so where can i find complete occ rules?
 
pandora, there are no 'official' OCC rules. However you can attack other civs if you want, it's just that if you do you risk being pummelled by the other civilizations, since they probably have much bigger militaries than you.

However it is certainly possible to fight limited wars, and even to conquer everyone else on levels below Deity.

The two main variations in OCC rules are whether or not you're allowed to own other cities temporarily, so long as you abandon or gift them by the end of the turn, or if you're never allowed to own more than one city, even for a moment.

Other than that, the rules are pretty straightforward.

-Sirp.
 
@pandora: sure, if you play on fairly contrived settings (tiny map, where all the AI civs start on the same land mass as you), then it's possible to win an OCC on Deity. But really, on more 'normal' land settings it's hard/impossible. Your game is still fairly impressive though.

But anyhow, yes war is 'allowed' in any OCC rules, of course what is 'allowed' and not allowed is entirely up to you, as there are no official rules.

-Sirp.
 
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