Are you the Puppet or Puppet -Master

[Junzi Nicuzn]

I'm sure most of us have been in a game where our AI neighbor got super-powerful. Then for the rest of the game we did what ever our big brother asked in exchange for "protection"

And some of us lucky few have been in games where we got super-powerful while one of our AI neighbors stayed weak and feeble. In these games our neighbors did what ever we asked (being so weak that usually wasn't much)

So which are you - Puppet or Puppet-Master, Whipped or Spanker?

 

[barron of ideas]

Yes, to both.

You do what you have to to survive. See Diety right of passage (TM Sirian, I think).

And when you prosper, you do what makes the most sense to win the way you want to. If the UN is the way you want, you need client states to vote for you. If you eliminate all the Ai's you may win faster than you want.

Milkers have very definite ideas of how they want to win, too. And the only victory that gives you a nice movie at the end (love the flowers in the wind) is the Space race. Killing everbody and let god sort them out makes it difficlut to access the movie as the last act of your triumph.

Sometimes you just want to win (quickly), baby. Then, probably you want all the land that is yours, and all the land adjacent to it, and chose to terminate with extreme prejudice the AI with the temerity to be your neighbor, even if on another continent.

 

[PresidentMike]

Originally posted by Junzi Nicuzn
I'm sure most of us have been in a game where our AI neighbor got super-powerful. Then for the rest of the game we did what ever our big brother asked in exchange for "protection"

I played a game once where I was the weakest and meekest civ that I can ever remember playing. I had a small island all to myself, and then some cities on a nearby continent, which was inhabited by two huge empires (Babylonians and Americans). Let me tell you, I was their squishy play toy, and if one declared war on me despite it all, I would pay the other whatever they asked to come to my rescue. I managed to win by building the spaceship (the Babylonians were finally beginning to conqueor the Americans, btw) but it was a tiny miracle that I managed to win at all.

I also once tried an experiment in meekness. I was an average size civ on a pangea continent of average size civs. I had a large army, but I decided to drastically reduce it because of "budget cutbacks" and see how the AI reacted. Oddly enough, with my small military the AI's opinion of me generally improved. The French had hated my guts, but eventually they became polite. I also don't remember them demanding much either, even though they outnumbered me by about three or four to one.

And some of us lucky few have been in games where we got super-powerful while one of our AI neighbors stayed weak and feeble. In these games our neighbors did what ever we asked (being so weak that usually wasn't much)

I imagine most civ players have been in this position more often than not, and I'm no exception. It's fun building your civ into a hyper power but not very fun playing it once you get there, because when you're all powerful there's no challenge. Crush anyone you want, do anything you want, demand anything you want: it's just not fun for me. I prefer playing mid-size civs, where I've got some power but the AI isn't groveling at my feet. It preserves some challenge and makes it more fun.

So which are you - Puppet or Puppet-Master, Whipped or Spanker?

I guess I'm in between. Does that make me a switch?

 

[Yaype]

I prefer to take over any surrounding civilizations early in the game (between swordsmen and knights), then keep the rest of the world at war for as long as possible. Just pay everybody off to fight against the remaining most powerful civ (beside yourself, that is), and suddenly, you are the only civ focusing solely on techs and improvements. Even with war weariness, this is very effective, because with the slider, you can keep your civ happy, while the AI struggles to keep its citizens content.

I just did this with the Celts on Monarch (taking surrounding civs over early on is not as feasible on higher levels according to most--no personal experience) and had my most successful game yet. I ended up with a huge tech lead, so I was able to easily conquer the world (kind of conflicts with the whole tech/improvement thing I mentioned earlier). It is quite fun to be the puppet master. Of course, now I am stuck on a small island with a huge Viking civ on the next continent over, so there is quite a role reversal.

In response to the poll, I will say that it is more fun to be master, but that does not mean it is my usual role.

 

[The Last Conformist]

I don't know what I do to the AI, but they'll frequently go to war at impossible odds rather than do anything my way. I was once unable to extort Gandhi's worldmap till I had taken 90% of his cities.

 

[Junzi Nicuzn]

Squishy Play Toy


Good One, PresidentMike

 

[Penguin Glory]

Sadly, I most often pay tribute to survive, as I hate early wars. Then as soon as it hits industrial, I take back every thing they took, and sue for more! *evil chuckle*

 

[PresidentMike]

Originally posted by Penguin Glory
Sadly, I most often pay tribute to survive, as I hate early wars. Then as soon as it hits industrial, I take back every thing they took, and sue for more! *evil chuckle*

I'm the exact opposite. I wage war as soon as possible to get tech, acquire strategic resources/territory, etc. By about the mid-middle ages I'm ready to settle down and concentrate on internal development, and I usually don't fight industrial wars unless I have to (AI attacks, need coal, etc.)

 

[Spike59]

I’m sort of the whipped puppet just doing what I’m told. Wait, this isn’t a thread dealing with marriage. In Civ I usually jump out to an early lead, or at least an early parity on regent. I don’t seem to ever get the AI to do anything I want them to do. Just last night, I have a really huge lead going and China attacked a city with 3 fortified infantry with one; count them one, swordsman. I had several deals going with them where they were paying gpt. I think it’s there way of canceling the deals. I was playing on a pangea map so of course there were two continents. They had to spend 7-8 turns transporting that one swordsman.

 

[barron of ideas]

OT
Penguin glory, is that a reference to Linus?

 

[NeonInfusion]

usually, early in the game, in the puppet (im so ashamed) then later i go back and kill them all. if i cant do that, ill just ask for "protection" from the biggest (and or richest) civ.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Neither. It's either death or victory for me.

Unless of course, my military's a real wimp, then I may put up with their puny demands. For a little while anyway...

 

[RX2000]

I've been another country's ***** several times before. Having to bend to another nation's wishes is actually kinda cool sometimes. This game would get boring to me pretty fast if I just completely dominated all the time.

 

[Aramazd]

Neither the AI never gives into my demands or vice-versa

 

[bru]

I think we would all like to be Puppet-Master but it does not always work out that way

 

[Johan Lackland]

I never pay tribute to the AI. I stick to this (foolish) principle both in Civ and in SMAC, and I have lost many times b/c of it. I just hate giving the AI something for free. Of course, MP is a different story, since I need the AI to weaken the other human player(s).

 

[Darkness]

On deity I'm definately the puppet and sometimes on emperor too. On any lower level I am one very evil spanking puppet master...

 

[Civrules]

Puppet master. Never do I give in to the demands of the AI. C’mon scared because of a computer? Huh, I have almost never seen the AI do serious damage to my empire. Of course on higher levels I do.

 

[JonathanValjean]

It depends on the level. On emperor and below, especially after the middle ages, I'm usually the puppet master. On deity, I am still usually the puppet.