Can't stop the bum rush!!!

[Sultan Bhargash]

How do you play on, say, Monarch level as the Babylonians, and like, build an army big enough to stand up to agressive neighbors and endless barbarians, build settlers to grab land fast and workers to connect them, build the granaries and barracks and temples to get it off the ground, ever complete a wonder, etc???

In simpler turns, how many defenders do you need to make, how fast, so as not to be crushed, crumbled and chomped at the higher levels?

 

[ainwood]

It really depends on the layout etc. Often, I leave my interior cities completely undefended.

As a general rule, early game I put one, maybe two units in each city. A defensive unit, and maybe an attaking unit on the border cities. Road infrastructure is good for moving units to the front-lines in a hurry - horses are good early units.

If you're worried about the AI, normally they demand tribute first instead of attacking, so when they start doing this, it gives you an indication that perhaps building more military is a good idea.

Note that the AI counts workers as units - its often better to build them than defensive units. You can grow quicker (irrigation, mining etc) and still deter the AI.

 

[Cool_Dyl]

urh accidently hit reply.


go the brumbies?

 

[Jason Fox]

I'm having the same issues on monarch.

I've even emptied cities to draw the AI there then disbanded just before they take it. This buys me a little time and allows me to considate units to make a stand since I know my two spearmen would have fallen to a stack of swordsmen.

Also, defensive bonuses play a much larger role in selecting city locations for me than it did on other levels.

By the way, I've yet to win on monarch, so this is hardly tried and true advice.

 

[Jason Fox]

Originally posted by ainwood

Note that the AI counts workers as units - its often better to build them than defensive units. You can grow quicker (irrigation, mining etc) and still deter the AI.

Do you know if the AI counts captured workers as units? I'd think they wouldn't, since we don't pay for them.

 

[God]

I have won at monarch using something similar to this:

I build few warriors, then build settler, and in between spearmen and warriors. The warriors will be used to upgrade to swordsmen later on. Or if you want to use horsemen instead, build chariots.

In between build settlers, when cities reach size 3. I don't bother with culture so early. Build your cities so that they overlap somewhat.

After a few settlers are built and you have 5-6 cities, build granaries in some of your cities. Not all, because some will be used to build barracks and units. Once those granaries are finished, build settler-spear-settler-spear and so on, while the other cities produce spearmen and horsemen and barracks, and upgrade those chariot or warriors to horsemen or swordsmen and take out a nearby civ.

I usually can surpass AI in score and cities once I get those granaries finished. Before I'm usually somewhere in the middle.

Once you have gone some cities over the Optimal no. cities or there isn't any decent land left, which should be around near end of Ancient Ages, build temples or libaries (depending on which trait, if neither then build temples). Core cities should build both. Build marketplaces and courthouses in your productive cities, and you're ready to go for those wonders and wars in the Middle Ages.

I would use this strategy on a large map. If you decide to do the ancient war, then you should go up to 12-15 cities and then war. If you're going builder style, which is probaby better if you're not too good at monarch, then build 20+ cities.

I usally have 1 unit in my central cities and 2 in my outer cities. The units help in keeping happiness, but luxuries+temples should keep cities at an ok level of happiness.

Also if you go builder style, use Middle Ages, to build more improvements in your cities, and maybe a few wonders, and go to war once you get cavalry. I would build knights now and then, because I believe they are cheap in upgrading to cavalry.

To keep up in techs, research at 10%, but buy most of them, with the money you're earning. Also wait till the tech is really cheap, or buy from one civ and trade to another in same turn. Trading world maps also helps.

 

[Sultan Bhargash]

Thanks God for the details and Ainwood for the worker tip.

I have decided to do another regent game to warm up, am playing India with which I have never gone far before. I never really correlated the demeanor of other civs with the size of my military before, but even building regular spearmen in great numbers seems to turn potential warfare into polite bargaining.

It is hard to get high scores without taking over other civs, isn't it. There just aint alot of room.

 

[Maple]

Originally posted by Sultan Bhargash
It is hard to get high scores without taking over other civs, isn't it. There just aint alot of room.

That is a problem eh? I tried going through a emperor game without attacking anybody once. Needless to say, well, that game didn't last long
:aargh3:

 

[el_kalkylus]

It is frustrating indeed to lose a game, because it takes quite a while to play it. I try to learn how to play gotm2 over and over, I think now will be my 4th try, and I will this time try to build alot of workers and some granaries to improve land, so I can quickly produce more settlers...hopefully. I try to play like I never seen the map before.

I think that normal warriors are quite good to train against raging barbarians. It's pretty good chance that the warriors win usually.

Early assaults against the AI is too big of a chance. I tried that, but it's like 10% chance that you win the attacks (i.e take a city), even with elite warriors and hoplites. Maybe if you build about 3 warriors fast in the beginning, you can stack them and go to the AI, then attack a new-built city. Hopefully you will gain some workers in the beginning, but that would only mean long lasting war, and slow development. ....I think

 

[el_kalkylus]

I played gotm2 to about 500 bc now two times to see what is the best way of playing. It seems like building alot of workers is a good way to go. And just producing settlers/hoplites/warriors. Always try to surround the enemy cities with your own, and take them culturally.

When I looked at others savegame (those that has been succesful), I see that they all used galleons to discover new civs. I tried two galleons, but the sank immediately. How big chance is there that they will sink? I had lighthouse, so I thought they wouldn't sink, but then I saw the definition of lighthouse.

It still seems like early war is too risky. I got enough trouble with hordes of barbarians.

When is a good time to start a war in gotm2? Anyone played it?

 

[TheDS]

The lighthouse is supposed to keep your boats from getting lost at sea, until it is obsoleted. that's why who ever builds it should be your best buddy, and you get their maps often so you can contact those other continents.

 

[Zouave]

A reasonable thought. But if they have some bigger maps they might try to sell it at an exorbitant price. Do Lighthouse civs try to stick it to you on map deals??

 

[TheDS]

ALL civs try to stick it to you on map deals. Even when you have the whole map, they still generally want the world for their world maps, won't pay for your world map, and constantly bugger you to trade your world map and a tech for their territory map.

The guy with the lighthouse just gets to stick it to you more.

I find that by the time I contact some one, he's already contacted some one else, who's contacted some one else, etc etc etc. I want his map, but he won't sell it to me because I have so little and he has so much.

One thing I try to do to counter this is get communications with anyone I can, and from them get their territory maps. Then I usually have enough map under my belt (including my ongoing explorations) to trade for a world map from some one who's behind in tech, and then I can trade that with everyone else to ensure I have the most complete map I can have.

Of course, everyone else has this now too, but probably the whole continent is discovered now, and I can look for points where it might be possible to send a boat out and look for islands.

This is a good time to trade maps with only the guy that has the lighthouse, or try to buy it from him, anyway. Once you have contact with the other continent, you get comms with everyone (sometimes requiring contacting 2 or 3 to get them all) and trade your map for stuff, because the first guy you traded it to (to get his) is going to trade it off if you don't. You then have to go to all the other civs and trade your map for something, because if you don't, they're going to have it next turn anyway.

Of course, if you've held your map a secret all this time, then you don't HAVE to trade it to everyone, but at some point, you should, and do it with everyone on the same turn, so you get some benefit from it.

If YOU develop the lighthouse, you can keep the opposing continents in the dark about each other for a while, but watch carefully if the send out caravels or have the tech for them.

 

[Trinity]

I'm playing Monarch this game. Second start. Resigned the first one when I ran into an aggressive Cleopatra with 15 cities to my 4, and after the Americans had the gall to plop Cleveland next to Rheims. There went the neighborhood.

The new game I went on a city building spree. I'm on a pretty isolated continent that is sort of like North/Central/South America. Closed off the choke point (Central America) and now have 10 thriving cities. Nothing like having 3 scouts each disturb an angry camp of barbarians.

This game is modded. Swordsmen, archers, longbowmen upgradable to musketmen so I'd actually build some.

 

[Zeromus]

The Babylonians, you say? They are scientific and religious which lets them build the two main culture buildings fast. Use that ability to avoid being crunched in. Like God said, focus on settlers,granieries, warriors,etc early on to establish your domain. When you run out of room, take advantage of your ability to build those culture buildings fast. Build temples in all of your cities, go for literature and build libraries in all of your cities and so on. Just make sure to keep up in technology. This isn't so you can eventually win a cultural victory, but more to attempt to assimilate all of the enemy cities around you.
Now, as far as war goes, try to keep out. I've found that getting a RoP with everyone in the game helps. Although not 100% safe, you won't have to worry too much about someone declaring war on you. When they come to end the RoP, just renew it. It will probably cost most of the time, but it shouldn't be much gold. Of course you'll need embassies to do this so establish them as soon as you can. All of this will keep everyone polite with you for most of the game, until the major wars break out later on. They will try to involve you, but stay out. You will be the last person on everyone's list to attack usually.

Besides that you just have to decide the best way to win.

Phew. Sorry to ramble but this does work. I've done it enough times to have confidence in it. My first victory on Emperor was done like this. It is possible to win peacefully(as in you weren't involve in any war besides maybe a 5-turn or so skirmish).

 

[MirandaCore]

Always build roads to where u want to expand before expanding there. U can build cities so much faster that way.

Also, build wonders in cities on rivers. That way, ur cities will grow while u build.

I frequently play Monarch on continental huge maps. I start slow early, getting 6 or 7 cities crunched around my capital (minimizes corruption). But after I get Pyramids (ALWAYS ALWAYS GET IT), I start out with massive settler waves. If any other civ have the gall to attack me, I can normally fend them off w/ 1 or 2 spearman in the border cities and lots of horseman (which I think are better defenders than spearman because they can protect multiple cities at once).

I am a peace loving guy until I get Military Tradition. Then, I go on a killing rampage.

Mobility in Offense and Defense is Key.

 

[Sullla]

How to play on Monarch level as Babylon? Well in LK25 we played a pretty successful game on Emperor with Babylon (domination victory in 1465AD, score 6200+). The game description's at this location.