Builders, warmongers and me

[martin031]

I don't hink that I fit into either role exclusively, I consider myself more of a "meanderer" if that is a word. Currently I am playing the new Total Realism mod on Prince level, huge fractal with 13 civs, and I am Nobunaga of Japan. I move between warmonger and builder.

Reading these forums has helped me realize the importance of an early war and not building everything as well as having a smart, tight tech plan to leverage advantages. I have learned also that not every wonder is important, so I have chosen a few and let the rest go. But at some point I always deviate from this, and as techs open, or I see what techs other civs don't have, my plans always change. I kind of wander through the path, and get side tracked with all the options, and build a few wonders along the way.

It works for me though, I guess, because I find the game challenging at Prince, but I can hold my own. I guess I have no real ambition to try to win the game at the highest levels, but if I did all the strategy on this forum would probably help.

So how this has unfolded in my current game, I am now in second place point wise, with a tiny, highly advanced empire. The leader, Persia (Darius) has more than doubled up the rest of us, and has Kublai Kahn, Carthage, the Vikings and one other Civ as vassals, and uses them to push everyone else around. Except me, who they have been friendly with me all game. And for the first time ever for me, Persia actually gifted me Divine Right, initiated by them. I was shocked. Now Persia has focused her hounds of war on German (who is run by Hitler, remeber its TR) and I might have to jump in on this action.

Wow even this post is mandering along. Anyway, just curious if there are others who just go through the game with no real plans, and do not decide how they will try to earn a win until it may be too late?

 

[Sisiutil]

Anyway, just curious if there are others who just go through the game with no real plans, and do not decide how they will try to earn a win until it may be too late?

That's a criticism I faced in many of the early ALC games--not deciding on a victory condition early enough.

With some leaders, its obvious where their strengths lay and which victory condition you should pursue. Leaders like Tokugawa and Genghis Khan lend themselves to warmongering, which Mansa Musa and Gandhi are stronger at teching, building, and going after peaceful victories like the space ship.

Part of the fun of the game, though, can be pursuing a victory contrary to what seems obvious for a particular leader. And the unique game situation (map, rivals, events) may or may not lend itself to a specific victory condition. So it helps if you're flexible!

 

[martin031]

That's a criticism I faced in many of the early ALC games--not deciding on a victory condition early enough.

I just started reading your threads for the ALC, and am a bit dissapointed that it took me this long to find them. But, when I do find some free time to play, sometimes it is more fun to read though threads like yours than actually playing, then I don't have the time to play myself.

The game I am involved in now, I may be able to salvage a victory. Persia just lost a vassal that I have been eyeballing for a while, and now I dont have to worry about fighting them and all Persia's vast empire a vassals.

 

[scy12]

martin031 I don't hink that I fit into either role exclusively, I consider myself more of a "meanderer" if that is a word. Currently I am playing the new Total Realism mod on Prince level, huge fractal with 13 civs, and I am Nobunaga of Japan. I move between warmonger and builder.

Reading these forums has helped me realize the importance of an early war and not building everything as well as having a smart, tight tech plan to leverage advantages. I have learned also that not every wonder is important, so I have chosen a few and let the rest go. But at some point I always deviate from this, and as techs open, or I see what techs other civs don't have, my plans always change. I kind of wander through the path, and get side tracked with all the options, and build a few wonders along the way.

It works for me though, I guess, because I find the game challenging at Prince, but I can hold my own. I guess I have no real ambition to try to win the game at the highest levels, but if I did all the strategy on this forum would probably help.

So how this has unfolded in my current game, I am now in second place point wise, with a tiny, highly advanced empire. The leader, Persia (Darius) has more than doubled up the rest of us, and has Kublai Kahn, Carthage, the Vikings and one other Civ as vassals, and uses them to push everyone else around. Except me, who they have been friendly with me all game. And for the first time ever for me, Persia actually gifted me Divine Right, initiated by them. I was shocked. Now Persia has focused her hounds of war on German (who is run by Hitler, remeber its TR) and I might have to jump in on this action.

Wow even this post is mandering along. Anyway, just curious if there are others who just go through the game with no real plans, and do not decide how they will try to earn a win until it may be too late?

The opposite is happening to me . Usually , i am trying for domination all the game but in the end i usually win by Space race or Diplomatic win. Generally other than cultural and conquest you can pursue all the other victory conditions if you have an able empire.

 

[Greeneyedzombie]

I just started reading your threads for the ALC, and am a bit dissapointed that it took me this long to find them. But, when I do find some free time to play, sometimes it is more fun to read though threads like yours than actually playing, then I don't have the time to play myself.

The game I am involved in now, I may be able to salvage a victory. Persia just lost a vassal that I have been eyeballing for a while, and now I dont have to worry about fighting them and all Persia's vast empire a vassals.

I like the ALC threads a lot. especially the last one, wich was written like a comedy soap opera.
Sometimes it is fun to take on biggest bad guy on the block. Just put al your military on the master and see if you can break up his empire by conguering/razing al the master cities. Then its ony a matter of time to see the anouncements comming of all those vassals breaking free. or maybe declaring war on there former master.

 

[martin031]

Well, last night I decided to start a new game. I really wanted to stay more focused on a plan, and to try to avoid building early wonders. Also, the previous game was large map, and that just bogs my comp down.

So, I was randomly assigned Monty as my civ, and given a pretty good starting location. And as opposed to my last game, copper was near my capital, and a third city would be able to hook it up. Next door to me was Roosevelt who had stone in his borders, so I was going to axe ruch him and build the Pyramids.

Then a beautiful thing happened.

Just as I was finishing off my last axeman, a notice came up saying Roosevelt switched to "Representation". Thanks. Needless to say, I am now running representation, and Roosevelt is out of the game.

Now, I think I see a domination victory on the horizon. I am on a large coninent with Stalin on my left, Mao and Mansu to my north, then the coninent narrows and east of Mansu is Greece, the Zulus and Germany. So my next plan is to take Stalin out, leaving me with a large empire on the southern half of our sub coninent. Mansa would be target but then I would have a empire that is exposed from everyside to attack, if I take out Stalin then I am only exposed to the North, making things a bit easier to defend.

 

[cabert]

I'm not a warmonger (in fact I don't enjoy the warmongering part that much) and no builder (I know it's a losing move).
But on the contrary to Sisiutil, I tend to decide on a victory condition VERY early = on the moment I know which leader I have.
I may change directions if the map or the diplomatic situation or whatever makes my initial plan fall flat. But I'm a binary kind of player, since I mostly go for domination or cultural.
If I chose cultural initially, it's hard to change path.
I may still try, but mostly I just adapt the plan without changing target.
If I chose domination, it's certainly easy enough to change to space or diplomacy (or even time, happened once).
I sometimes changed path to go for conquest, but never actually managed it (domination limit hit me, showing my initial plan ).

I think you should plan a bit more for the victory condition.
In doubt, domination is the most adaptable target victory condition. The price to pay is it is not the fastest, but who cares?

 

[Rancid Sushi]

It's Tokugawa, not Nobunaga.

 

[martin031]

It's Tokugawa, not Nobunaga.

No, its Nobunaga. Its the total realism mod, as mentioned in the post.

 

[Dan Quale]

Any civ can be a warmongerer, as all traits can be used for many uses, huyana/roosevelt are my favorite civs, as they can easily build almost all the wonders, in a single production center, while leaving the others for millitary usage, also finnancial and organized are both effective for supporting a large empire/expensive civics, and large army.

 

[Rancid Sushi]

No, its Nobunaga. Its the total realism mod, as mentioned in the post.

Feh. If he isn't Aggressive/Protective, then he doesn't have yamatogokoro.