Colonizing as a defensive action

[hecubus]

Anyone ever released some island or overseas cities to a colony in response to a declaration of war?

Playing as Willem van Oranje on a Big and Small map, I had three cities on a narrow strip of land just off my western coast. I'd just learned Rifling, but my defenders and defenses in these cities were thin -- Two in each, a mix of Rifles/Longbows/Muskets. Gilgamesh declared war and took one of the cities immediately with maces, knights and siege. As his troops moved toward the next city, I tried something. I granted independence to the cities on that island. This immediately spawned two Riflemen under the control of Roosevelt (my new vassal) in each of those cities. Gilgamesh, suddenly facing steeper resistance than he expected, was easily talked into peace.

 

[Wolfshanze]

Interesting... but you could do something similar if you have Nationhood (Draft units).

 

[hecubus]

Interesting... but you could do something similar if you have Nationhood (Draft units).

True that, though fond as I am of the whip I tend to shy away from the draft. No good explanation for that, it's just how I am. These were also recently settled/captured from Barbarians cities, so they were ~size 4 or 5 anyway. Going for a cultural victory, they were also not crucial to my empire and I was considering liberating them anyway.

 

[Riker]

Do you know if a new colony can give away your techs ti other AIs, since they know them?

 

[AfterShafter]

Do you know if a new colony can give away your techs ti other AIs, since they know them?

Yes. And they do so quite consistently. You have assembly line but not military tradition? Bye-bye assembly line.

 

[Riker]

Well, I'll never create a colony then...

 

[digitCruncher]

I can think of a reason to whip, rather than draft...

Drafting a unit: Cost 1 pop, and 3

Whipping a unit: Cost 2~3 pop, and 1

The 3 adds up. I often can't draft much more than 2 units before the unhappiness kills me, whereas I often whip 3 units up, and live with the 40 extra turns of unhappiness (which usually doesn't bother me).

Its either 9 for 10 turns, or 3 for 30 turns, with a decay.

(That and you can whip a recently captured city, while you cant draft one. Also, I prefer Vassalage over Nationilism, for the extra XP (I don't war much) and the larger milatery limit)

I hate medieval colonies however, as that same tactic spawns 2 explorers.

 

[PimpyMicPimp]

Well, I'll never create a colony then...

If you turn on 'No Tech Brokering' then your safe, but this also hurts the tech rate of the AI. I really want better colony/vassal controls. I won't go into it here, but I have ideas for different levels of vassal states, a lot of it based on actual colonies (e.g. Canada, US, Australia).

 

[DrewBledsoe]

If you turn on 'No Tech Brokering' then your safe, but this also hurts the tech rate of the AI. I really want better colony/vassal controls. I won't go into it here, but I have ideas for different levels of vassal states, a lot of it based on actual colonies (e.g. Canada, US, Australia).

I actually think "no tech brokering" should be the absolute standard. With turning "tech brokering" ON an option in custom game screen. This is partly because of vassals. The ai STILL gives just about all its techs to a voluntary vassal.

A recent game example, Gandhi vassals to Cyrus, a powerful tech leader, much larger in power and land area.Cyrus gifts all his tech to Gandhi. After around 30 turns, he breaks the deal. Gandhi then vassals to Carthage, then later back to Cyrus, then again later to Carthage.

Now if I was playing tech brokering on, Gandhi, being friendly with most of the world, would ensure that virtually every tech ended up with someone else. It ends up making a mockery of any kind of trading pact.

Even sillier, one game a while back(with tech brokering on), Washington had virtually been conquered by Shaka in the very early middle ages, who then over the years, gifted everything to his vassal. Now Washington, down to just 3 cities and dead and buried, amazingly becomes the tech leader, long enough to get Astronomy first, finds a big chunk of empty land, ends up with a dozen cities, breaks free of his master (who's still attacking people for looking at him in a funny way), and ends up fighting his former master and winning

Anyways, you get the picture. I agree with Pimpy, I'd love to see better colony/vassal controls, and again agree that "no tech brokering" probably more often than not (depending upon map and circumstances) halms the ai. Still I just play up a lvl then, cos there are too many flaws at present with vassals/colonies, and I fear them too large to be easily rectified....

Apologies for thread derailing btw (if it was going anywhere ), didn't mean to go on so

 

[IAM]

Inquiry? So if you turn some of your cities into a colony then are the techs they have considered self-researched and therefore tradable with the 'no tech brokering' option? ... or are all the techs they have at the time of colonization considered gifts from you?

 

[Ringan]

I actually think "no tech brokering" should be the absolute standard. With turning "tech brokering" ON an option in custom game screen. This is partly because of vassals. The ai STILL gives just about all its techs to a voluntary vassal.

Actually, you can already do this with some simple modding. I don't remember the exact filename (not near Civ computer, can anyone help me out here?), but there is a file which contains the default settings for a game. So I changed this file, and now whenever I create a game "no tech brokering" is automatically checked; I did the same with "choose religions" etc...

 

[DrewBledsoe]

Actually, you can already do this with some simple modding. I don't remember the exact filename (not near Civ computer, can anyone help me out here?), but there is a file which contains the default settings for a game. So I changed this file, and now whenever I create a game "no tech brokering" is automatically checked; I did the same with "choose religions" etc...

Probably the CIVIV.ini file, yep simple. I really meant that if firaxis has made this the standard game option, virtually everyone would use it..