Arab trick

[pku_dwest]

1, Go Constantinople directly. You will see just 1 Longbow. Byzantine move her pikeman to the frontier. Thus you only need 3UU to do so and others go east.
2, Convert to Christianity. Since Rome allegiances Christian Palace, all your temples and cathedrals will provide 2 hammers each.
3，Capture workers from independent cities.

 

[Hangly Man]

Are you sure you need to convert to Christianity to get the +2 ?

Also take Rome and invade Spain via the Northern route

 

[wr4th]

Are you sure you need to convert to Christianity to get the +2 ?

Also take Rome and invade Spain via the Northern route

you definately don't need to convert to get the +2 , but the arabian UP gives free temples and cathedrals of the state religion, that's why it's so powerfull combined with Christianity.
Still, this spoils any attempt to fulfill the uhv and a 3000BC start may be much easier, because then there is a good chance of Christianity in Jerusalem.

 

[Hangly Man]

Ah I didn't know that. I thought you could only spread Islam that way.

Well gentlemen, I'm off to spread Buddhism with the sword. Wish me luck!

 

[BurnEmDown]

But then the 3rd UHV will be much harder, due to your cities having Christianity already and the Islam % will be very low.

 

[coko]

Yeah but you will have good diplomacy with everyone allowing for easy spreading really. The main problem normally is no one likes you...

 

[AnotherPacifist]

well done. I had conquered the Byzantines before but got stalled at Constantinople until the 800's because of pikemen and their walls (Athens has iron). I guess if you collapse the Byzantines really early you just have to deal with indies which can't access iron individually, making it much simpler.

Oh no, Rhye is going to add a pikeman to Constantinople now.

 

[Cethegus]

well done. I had conquered the Byzantines before but got stalled at Constantinople until the 800's because of pikemen and their walls (Athens has iron). I guess if you collapse the Byzantines really early you just have to deal with indies which can't access iron individually, making it much simpler.

Oh no, Rhye is going to add a pikeman to Constantinople now.

Whatever he can do to make the game less exploitable.

 

[onedreamer]

Still, this spoils any attempt to fulfill the uhv and a 3000BC start may be much easier, because then there is a good chance of Christianity in Jerusalem.

Nope, there isn't anything prebuilt in the 3000BC. Actually it's very likely Jerusalem has been razed. The 3000BC start is harder, all 600AD starts are for sissies

 

[BurnEmDown]

Nope, there isn't anything prebuilt in the 3000BC. Actually it's very likely Jerusalem has been razed. The 3000BC start is harder, all 600AD starts are for sissies

Or for people who don't want to wait too long

BTW I thought the Arab UHV requires holy shrines? And in the 600 AD start Jerusalem has the Church of Nativity, which would count for the UHV?

 

[thadian]

Nope, there isn't anything prebuilt in the 3000BC. Actually it's very likely Jerusalem has been razed. The 3000BC start is harder, all 600AD starts are for sissies

not for america! 600 AD starts in USA tend to give the AI more techs than the 3000 BC start does...

(3000 BC = early-mid reniasance tech level world, 600 AD = early industrial)

 

[Rhye]

not for america! 600 AD starts in USA tend to give the AI more techs than the 3000 BC start does...

(3000 BC = early-mid reniasance tech level world, 600 AD = early industrial)

I will try to address this too

 

[Rhye]

pku_dwest, why do you play with that ugly font?

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Hey Rhye, don't go by what he says. I saw a pikeman and a longbow in Constantinople, which cost me 2 camel archers. So it's a calculated risk that shouldn't be nerfed.

 

[Rhye]

if there's a single longbowman left in, there needs to be another one. I'll check when I have time

 

[AnotherPacifist]

There was a longbowman in Ankara (I forgot what it's called) the city which is directly on the way to Constantinople which I razed, to save a step. Interestingly, after Constantinople is captured, Athens was empty of troops, while Alexandretta had no less than 2 pikes, 1 crossbow, 1 cataphract and a longbow, while Trabzon (or the city next to it) had the remaining cataphract. (it later had an archer and a chariot because it never hooked up the iron next to it)

So it's kinda true that Heraclius amassed his troops and lost at Yarmuk to Khalid ibn al-Walid (a great general that does occur in Civ4), but what if the Arabs went straight for Constantinople?

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Apparently this is not because of any particular quirk that the Byzantines have, but a matter of the AI usually amassing troops in the frontlines when they're at war and hiding them when they're not at war. If they don't have enough troops though, they won't attack unless they see a stray worker or longbow that the cataphract can absolutely win.

E.g. Once upon a time, before I knew how to get the Germans to not war with me, I played as the Russians, Warsaw had usually 2 little longbows and a pike, and when they declared on me, they had a stack coming from behind my visual area. War came up unexpectedly a second time (e.g. after a world conference), and since they exhausted their attack from the recent war, they stacked 6-7 in their border city but not attack. I went to world builder to see what was going on, and guess what, Berlin was just defended by 2 rifles, so potentially I could have sent a stack of cossacks and sacked Berlin to get a quick end to the war. (I ended up conquering all of Germany)

I should try this more often (i.e. go for the enemy's capital with tanks and cavalry).

 

[BurnEmDown]

Heh, I always go for my enemy's capital, unless I just aim for some of his cities, or, I want all of his cities so It's better to take a few before I take his capital, which mostly causes him to collapse, which means everyone can take his cities.

 

[Rod]

You know this strategy is normally called Canae or battle of encirclement and annihilation [mil.].

That means by pushing for the capital you will occupy the area between the capital and the heavily defended border city (cities). hence you encircle the border city and condemn them to inmobility while you can wage war in the hinterland.

There is still speculation whether the biggest German plunder (beside many others thanks to the fact that a semi-idiotic lower charge declared himself High Commander) in WW2 was not to let Guderian charge on Moscow.

 

[pku_dwest]

if there's a single longbowman left in, there needs to be another one. I'll check when I have time

It will not solve all the problems. Generally, AI would not put much units in capital if the capital is not a frontier city. Even in the siege of Rome, AI would like go out to some non-sense location or attack if there are more than five units in Rome. I guess you set some parameters which define the maximum of defend units in each city.