Best Settings for an All Warmonger game?

[MooFreaky]

My next game is going to be a predetermined Warmongers Only game.
I will handpick the leaders, to ensure that only the aggressive peeps are on the map.
I will actively avoid being too defensive and will look to be overly aggressive and constantly on the warpath, as a good douchbag aggro leader should.

I am thinking Attila, Genghis Khan, Bismarck, Montezuma, Napoleon, Alexander, Nubanga, Bluetooth... anyone else?
I know Augustus tends to be aggressive, but I know he's not on the level of the above. Or am I just experiencing him being more expansive and less aggressive than others?

Map, I am obviously thinking of a Pangea; however, I am unsure about sea level. High seas means we are forced to fight quickly and constantly, though lower seas means more expansion and thus bigger wars later on. I am concerned that if the AI is too busy fighting each other due to less land they will be weaker empires will I then am able to steamroll them later (I am assuming I will be more efficient in my wars).

Would any other map type be better in anyone's opinion? I can't see how myself, that's why I am putting it here. Perhaps Ice Age for the extra forcing of close quarters?


City States... More or Less or Standard or None? More means more cities to conquer and potential allies (thus influence), but are they just going to get in the way? I know Genghis will be unhappy at their removal. The idea of all the City States mixed in with a bunch of aggressives is hilarious, but I am unsure if it would actually pan out.
Again... thoughts?


I apologise if this is the wrong sub-forum. Wile I signed up in 2003, I don't post here ever.

 

[smallfish]

Map Type: Hemispheres
Terrain Settings: Low Sea Level, Various Tiny Islands, Arid Cool 5 Million Years
Size: Standard
No. of CS: 14
No. of Civs: 8

Civ Setup

Team 1: You (Augustus Caesar)

Team 2: Washington, Napoleon, Oda Nobunaga, Nebuchadnezzar (or Sejong)... if no DLC, the last leader go for Gustavus Adolphus or Darius

Team 3: Wu Zetian (or Dido)

Team 4: Ramkhamhaeng (or Attila)

Team 5: Montezuma (or Kamehameha)


Preferred Difficulty Settings: Emperor+

Extra Settings (Optional): Random Personalities, Disable Start Bias, Random Seed, No Cultural Victory

 

[kamikazees]

My opionion is to give them some room to expand on a pangea with low sea levels. I'd probably do normal CS (1:2 ratio). You don't have to force them to fight... they will. For leaders, you could also consider Carthage, Songhai and Russia. They all warmonger quite a bit.

I'd probably stick to default settings. I would not do random personalities. You might get some peacelovers. If you pick 5 million years, wars will be much more bloody with lots of open terrain.

 

[MooFreaky]

Smallfish... what is the theory behind those settings?

Having team 2 be the aggressive team... surely there are more aggressive than Washington and Nebuchadnezzar (as well as Gustabus and Darius). Unless there is some other benefit of being in a team?

Perhaps I am dull at the moment, I just don't see the reasoning behind the choices as well as I probably should.


And good stuff with the 5 million years... didn't even think about that.

 

[Yalish]

If you want a pure warmonger game, definitely do NOT go with teams that involve AI. They will constantly declare peace for you.

 

[smallfish]

Smallfish... what is the theory behind those settings?

Having team 2 be the aggressive team... surely there are more aggressive than Washington and Nebuchadnezzar (as well as Gustabus and Darius). Unless there is some other benefit of being in a team?

Perhaps I am dull at the moment, I just don't see the reasoning behind the choices as well as I probably should.

They will boost the team's science immeasurably.

Nebby is a high nuker - he will nuke you given the chance, no doubt, and he is an aggressive expansionist. Same thing for Sejong, but he is also good for water heavy maps because he will spam Turtle Ships, and is great at teching through the middle game onwards.

Gustavus is so you will have to face Caroleans in addition to Samurais and FFL....

Darius when in GA is an extremely powerful opponent, and he can be the team's wonderspamming core

Washington is for Minutemen and B17s.

They should provide you a challenge, especially if three of them start on the same continent and run away (hopefully on Montezuma, if he is dumb enough to DOW anyone of them).

 

[smallfish]

If you want a pure warmonger game, definitely do NOT go with teams that involve AI. They will constantly declare peace for you.

At that point, just ignore their peace and go all warmonger.

Or play on a level where they will outtech and outspam you, regardless of continental barriers or not.

 

[Peacemongerer]

I'd definitely go:

Aztecs, Carthage, China, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greeks, Huns, Japan, Mongolia, Ottomans, Rome, Songhai

Go Pangea, low sea level, arid/hot and 5 billion years on age. Small or Tiny map.

Maximum flat land for quick, deadly campagins with no terrain for you to hide behind, large swaths of plains to maximize production without being hilly, all on one continent means you know eachother from the jump.

I say go with a smaller map than the number of civs it's designed for bc when I've done this, I've noticed it causes the AI to covet eachother's (and your) land more. If everyone's running out of space by the Middle Ages, expect a bloodbath.

I put the usual suspects up there (Aztecs, Greece, Germany, etc.) for obvious reasons, but what you also need is a backstabbing machine and a denouncing machine to really get the ball rolling. Enter Suleiman and Elizabeth. The Ottomans have backstabbed me more times than I can count, as will Augustus and Napoleon if you let them. Elizabeth and Genghis will also denounce on sight quite often. I also put in Carthage because she seems to have a tendancy (At least when I play her) to stockpile troops, plus her navy and Elizabeth's will keep things interesting on the water, even on Pangea. The key is not to just have aggressive AI, but AI who will ruin diplomatic relations for other AI through their random actions.

This type of setup was fun in vanilla and promises to be even funner in G&K.

EDIT:
One more idea is to have the AI paired-up into teams while you go solo. Will make any wars two-fronted at all times while allowing you to make peace on your own schedule.