Shadowsong
Rumour
For anyone interested, I have started my Deity guide 
. It's covers most of my games submitted to the Hall of Fame. 
. It's covers most of my games submitted to the Hall of Fame. 
Deity guide
- Thread starter Shadowsong
- Start date
A_Turkish_Guy
EminC
eheheh.we need a guide for huge map.do you have any? 
Shadowsong
Rumour
You know Huge is not my preference.A_Turkish_Guy said:eheheh.we need a guide for huge map.do you have any?
I've started work on a "Diety, Huge, Ancient Era" Guide. However I'm still experimenting and trying to finish such a game at all (using HoF rules). If not playing HoF and unlim. reloads are used then its much easier 
Anyway I should have more sometime in the coming week.
Anyway I should have more sometime in the coming week.Spike's Diety Guide for HUGE maps.
When it comes to a huge diety map, the principle is to devide and conquer, at the same time try to slow AI's tech gain on you as much as possible. No matter what you do, the computer will without any doubt gain a huge technological advantage, I'll show you how we can level the playing field. I will number each of important game issues and then follow with an explanation as to why these are important, you may skip reading expl. if all seems logical. THIS GUIDE HAS 14 STEPS (and i may have forgotten certain things but this outline should give you a win!)
IMPORTANT GAMESTART, ALL THESE MUST BE IN PLACE:
1) Choose TERRA map with AGRESSIVE BARBARIANS an also MAX AI (17 comps).
Explanation: Terra will effectively halve the land you and AI play on, if they can't expand, they will be slowed in research. Max AI civs will also reduce the amount of land each of them has. This will slow research and increase intra AI wars. (later on they all share techs anyway, but untill they all have alphabet this is not a problem!) Barbarians will keep new world safe for a VERY long time so you only have to conquer old world.
2) CIVILIZATION PICK: I suggest INCA, however Chinese or Egypt may also work.
Explanation: Inca Quechs will help you dominate early on, Chinese Cho-Ko's would help you win the game later on IF you can make it that far into the game, China starting techs are also an advantage, but you need to get axmen asap with these guys . Egypt chariot rush is also viable, though i'm not too familliar with its workings myself.
3) Starting location MUST have the following:
1 or 2 Gold or silver mines (or gems but only if they are on non-jungle tiles)
1 or 2 food tiles (either farm resources or floodplain)
OPTIONAL: Stone
Explanation: Since mining should be 1st tech to research anyway you will be able to gain a huge amount of $$$ early on, this will help initial research a LOT and allow you to maintain a large number of armies
NOW WE START GAMEPLAY (assuming Inca is chosen):
4) SCOUT AND ATTACK TO GAIN WORKER(s)
Explanation: Immediately scout your surroundings and grab huts if u can, the second you find an AI make sure you attack and grab their worker (only attack if you can get the worker!)
5) BUILD MINE(S) & FARM.
Explanation:You should be researching mining by now, get your capital in shape to pump out units. Food and goldmines must be priority!
6) ATTACK AND CONQUER, BUILD BARRACKS!
Explanation: While the above is going on, attack your closest neighbor (usually the one u stole worker from) Make sure you have at least 1 MORE Quech than they have defenders, preferably you want to outnumber 2:1, capture as many cities as you can! As soon as goldmines are up and running build a barracks, that will cut Quech losses in half due to +25% VS archer upgrade!
7) Research PATH> AFTER BRONZE WORKING SET ALL REASEARCH TO END-GOAL "CONSTRUCTION" (IF YOU PLAY CHINA THEN GO MACHINERY). You will need to research the wheel and pottery (and hunting if you have ivory).
>>>>>> DO NOT CHOP FORESTS DOWN AT ALL AT THIS STAGE!!! (capture the workers you need and save the forests untill contruction is researched, more about that later!
8) SECURE BRONZE SOURCE & SWITCH 1/2 force TO AXEMEN
Explanation: Axemen are just a little stronger than your Quechs, and since economy allows you limited troops you should maximize their strength, balance fastbuilt Quechs with slower, stronger Axemen, this will give ur axemen a huge XP boost and they will remain in use till 1200AD. Make sure you send in expendable quechs first when attacking a city, axemen last.
9) OPTIONAL: GAIN PYRAMIDS
Explanation: If you have stone and secured multiple cities that can take over military unit production you MAY want to try and build the pyramids, only go for it if you have stone AND mathematics is researced. Then chop all forests and you have a fair chance of getting it! If pyramids are built by AI and that AI is closeby, attack and capture it as soon as possible. After you have it switch between representation and police force as needed.(the +25% mil production will help even the playing field with the AI's!!!)
10) CATAPULT RUSH
Explanation: You will probably be the first to discover construction, since it is not AI priority tech. Once you have it chop all forests in and around all cities and pump out as many catapults as you can! (or Cho-Ko's if you play china). If you have Ivory also build a few war elephants, but 2 or 3 in your main army stack will do, assuming you have stong XP'd axemen.
11) TRADE FOR TECHS
Explanation: After your catapult army is complete you MAY wish to trade CONSTRUCTION with all AI's. You will not have aplphabet and they will not trad ethat to you UNLESS you started researching Alpha. SO AFTER CONTRUCTION START ON ALPHABET. Then trade contruction for alphabet from any AI tht has it, then in same turn trade construction AND alphabet with all AI's. This should catch you up almost completely in all techs. Remember that at the same time you hand AI war elephants AND the ability to share research so you need to hustle from this point onward!
12) ATTACK AND KEEP ATTACKING, BUILD NOTHING BUT CATAPULTS OR WAR ELEPHANTS, RESEARCH IS NO LONGER IMPORTANT!!!!!
Explanation: An army with 5 or more catapults in it will always win against any city, an usually you will loose only 3 catapults per city, which can be easilly replaced. This will work even up to the point where AI has gunpowder, but you will need more catapults, which shouldn't be a problem.
13) SAVE YOUR ECONOMY
Explanation: At this point the AI's around you will fall like hotcakes and you need to take most cities over in order to gain a win (if you dont one of the many other AI's will build a city in the spot you just razed and you will never win) Your economy will suffer greatly. Luckilly you can go into the red a bit since you should be capturing a lot of cities =gold each time u take them! In the eman time cottagespam your land (you should have been starting this the second you got pottery!!) Eventually your economy will break about even IF you get "economy" tech. (trade it during construction OR research it ASAP).
Since your army is relatively small (5-8 catapults, 3-4 elephants and 4-6 axemen) you should have no problem with economy. Also later on the Ai will give you cities that have had cottages sicne start of the game, so their cities may actually make you money.
14) EXPECT TREACHERY!!!
Explanation: Your catapult army will be pretty much invincible and take a city every 4 turns or so. However sicne this is Diety the AI will not simply sit still, when you are dealing with an AI in 1 side of your realm, always have 1 strong defended city on the outskirts of your KD on the other side, usually the AI on the farside of your army will attack unannounced. The trick is to have a heavy defended city that they will attack (what i mean is the ALWAYS will attack that 1 city because it is closest to them. Never give them a long straight border. Always have an 'outpost' city so that in effect your Kingdom will look like 17th century STAR Shaped fortress. The AI will run their army against your outpost city and be destroyed or slowed. if you cannot destroy them make peace with AI ur fighting with your main army and bring your army over to deal with the traitors. AI relations will remain tricky troughout the game, however if you have hustled enough early on you will have no problem untill 1300 AD. Your catapult+eleph army will remain efficient and victorious throughout. Not untill Grenadiers does i become risky, but with any luck AI will never get that far!
When it comes to a huge diety map, the principle is to devide and conquer, at the same time try to slow AI's tech gain on you as much as possible. No matter what you do, the computer will without any doubt gain a huge technological advantage, I'll show you how we can level the playing field. I will number each of important game issues and then follow with an explanation as to why these are important, you may skip reading expl. if all seems logical. THIS GUIDE HAS 14 STEPS (and i may have forgotten certain things but this outline should give you a win!)
IMPORTANT GAMESTART, ALL THESE MUST BE IN PLACE:
1) Choose TERRA map with AGRESSIVE BARBARIANS an also MAX AI (17 comps).
Explanation: Terra will effectively halve the land you and AI play on, if they can't expand, they will be slowed in research. Max AI civs will also reduce the amount of land each of them has. This will slow research and increase intra AI wars. (later on they all share techs anyway, but untill they all have alphabet this is not a problem!) Barbarians will keep new world safe for a VERY long time so you only have to conquer old world.
2) CIVILIZATION PICK: I suggest INCA, however Chinese or Egypt may also work.
Explanation: Inca Quechs will help you dominate early on, Chinese Cho-Ko's would help you win the game later on IF you can make it that far into the game, China starting techs are also an advantage, but you need to get axmen asap with these guys . Egypt chariot rush is also viable, though i'm not too familliar with its workings myself.
3) Starting location MUST have the following:
1 or 2 Gold or silver mines (or gems but only if they are on non-jungle tiles)
1 or 2 food tiles (either farm resources or floodplain)
OPTIONAL: Stone
Explanation: Since mining should be 1st tech to research anyway you will be able to gain a huge amount of $$$ early on, this will help initial research a LOT and allow you to maintain a large number of armies
NOW WE START GAMEPLAY (assuming Inca is chosen):
4) SCOUT AND ATTACK TO GAIN WORKER(s)
Explanation: Immediately scout your surroundings and grab huts if u can, the second you find an AI make sure you attack and grab their worker (only attack if you can get the worker!)
5) BUILD MINE(S) & FARM.
Explanation:You should be researching mining by now, get your capital in shape to pump out units. Food and goldmines must be priority!
6) ATTACK AND CONQUER, BUILD BARRACKS!
Explanation: While the above is going on, attack your closest neighbor (usually the one u stole worker from) Make sure you have at least 1 MORE Quech than they have defenders, preferably you want to outnumber 2:1, capture as many cities as you can! As soon as goldmines are up and running build a barracks, that will cut Quech losses in half due to +25% VS archer upgrade!
7) Research PATH> AFTER BRONZE WORKING SET ALL REASEARCH TO END-GOAL "CONSTRUCTION" (IF YOU PLAY CHINA THEN GO MACHINERY). You will need to research the wheel and pottery (and hunting if you have ivory).
>>>>>> DO NOT CHOP FORESTS DOWN AT ALL AT THIS STAGE!!! (capture the workers you need and save the forests untill contruction is researched, more about that later!
8) SECURE BRONZE SOURCE & SWITCH 1/2 force TO AXEMEN
Explanation: Axemen are just a little stronger than your Quechs, and since economy allows you limited troops you should maximize their strength, balance fastbuilt Quechs with slower, stronger Axemen, this will give ur axemen a huge XP boost and they will remain in use till 1200AD. Make sure you send in expendable quechs first when attacking a city, axemen last.
9) OPTIONAL: GAIN PYRAMIDS
Explanation: If you have stone and secured multiple cities that can take over military unit production you MAY want to try and build the pyramids, only go for it if you have stone AND mathematics is researced. Then chop all forests and you have a fair chance of getting it! If pyramids are built by AI and that AI is closeby, attack and capture it as soon as possible. After you have it switch between representation and police force as needed.(the +25% mil production will help even the playing field with the AI's!!!)
10) CATAPULT RUSH
Explanation: You will probably be the first to discover construction, since it is not AI priority tech. Once you have it chop all forests in and around all cities and pump out as many catapults as you can! (or Cho-Ko's if you play china). If you have Ivory also build a few war elephants, but 2 or 3 in your main army stack will do, assuming you have stong XP'd axemen.
11) TRADE FOR TECHS
Explanation: After your catapult army is complete you MAY wish to trade CONSTRUCTION with all AI's. You will not have aplphabet and they will not trad ethat to you UNLESS you started researching Alpha. SO AFTER CONTRUCTION START ON ALPHABET. Then trade contruction for alphabet from any AI tht has it, then in same turn trade construction AND alphabet with all AI's. This should catch you up almost completely in all techs. Remember that at the same time you hand AI war elephants AND the ability to share research so you need to hustle from this point onward!
12) ATTACK AND KEEP ATTACKING, BUILD NOTHING BUT CATAPULTS OR WAR ELEPHANTS, RESEARCH IS NO LONGER IMPORTANT!!!!!
Explanation: An army with 5 or more catapults in it will always win against any city, an usually you will loose only 3 catapults per city, which can be easilly replaced. This will work even up to the point where AI has gunpowder, but you will need more catapults, which shouldn't be a problem.
13) SAVE YOUR ECONOMY
Explanation: At this point the AI's around you will fall like hotcakes and you need to take most cities over in order to gain a win (if you dont one of the many other AI's will build a city in the spot you just razed and you will never win) Your economy will suffer greatly. Luckilly you can go into the red a bit since you should be capturing a lot of cities =gold each time u take them! In the eman time cottagespam your land (you should have been starting this the second you got pottery!!) Eventually your economy will break about even IF you get "economy" tech. (trade it during construction OR research it ASAP).
Since your army is relatively small (5-8 catapults, 3-4 elephants and 4-6 axemen) you should have no problem with economy. Also later on the Ai will give you cities that have had cottages sicne start of the game, so their cities may actually make you money.
14) EXPECT TREACHERY!!!
Explanation: Your catapult army will be pretty much invincible and take a city every 4 turns or so. However sicne this is Diety the AI will not simply sit still, when you are dealing with an AI in 1 side of your realm, always have 1 strong defended city on the outskirts of your KD on the other side, usually the AI on the farside of your army will attack unannounced. The trick is to have a heavy defended city that they will attack (what i mean is the ALWAYS will attack that 1 city because it is closest to them. Never give them a long straight border. Always have an 'outpost' city so that in effect your Kingdom will look like 17th century STAR Shaped fortress. The AI will run their army against your outpost city and be destroyed or slowed. if you cannot destroy them make peace with AI ur fighting with your main army and bring your army over to deal with the traitors. AI relations will remain tricky troughout the game, however if you have hustled enough early on you will have no problem untill 1300 AD. Your catapult+eleph army will remain efficient and victorious throughout. Not untill Grenadiers does i become risky, but with any luck AI will never get that far!
