DoC Domination Challenge

[blizzrd]

To blizzrd:

Not a general question, but I am very curious as to the methodology used to produce the results you've shown in your
Russia and Aztec games (UHV, not Domination), since it appears that most of it can be applied to Domination.

In both cases, spawning a Great Spy and using it to steal key techs is a factor. The other factor is bulbing the right key tech(s) with early Great People.

For Russia, the important things to do were:
Get contacts in both east and west and keep them
Build (or preferably steal) lots of workers
Get a religion early, having no religion in your empire will slow things down a lot. Catholicism for AP hammers is best.
Learn Meditation after Sailing, for Monasteries and trade value for $$.
Get Stone hooked up (near Urals) and beeline for Engineering and Notre Dame.
Spawn a Great Scientist first and bulb Education with it.
Whip key infrastructure, in most cities, most of the time.
After Education/Great Scientist, aim for a Great Spy with next GP.
Build as many Courthouses as early as you can. How early you can start to accrue espionage points matters.
Set espionage against just one civ (usually France) early and keep it there.

On the Aztecs, I think I posted a lot of my strategy in the UHV thread at the time. Do you have specific questions about Aztec strategy? Stealing a bunch of techs from the first colonial civ to settle the east coast of North America is key to UHV goal if reaching Industrial Age, but if you are playing for Domination, this wouldn't be as important?

 

[Jusos2108]

At first I switched to absolutism and Mbanza Congo began pumping out Pombos, which conquered Eastern Africa up Egypt. I left few behind to face the TC-troops and they were easily crushed. After getting few cities up and running I focused on catching up the tech decifit and Congo's tech modifiers turned out to be quite decent and I was able to settle Chicago in 1770s. Soon after France collapsed and I got New Orleans from a congress. I was unstable at that point, but managed to keep the empire intact and Americans on the East Coast.

I rushed the CR in Mbanza Congo and began preparing for conquering the insanely advanced Ottomans. At this point Japan and recently respawned Arabia peace vassalised. Ottomans were huge even after losing Arabia, they controlled France Northern Italy, Sweden and Spain. HRE and Iran were their vassals. Basically this meant that I had to collapse them quickly, so I took Istanbul and Athens by an amhpibious assault, I had MBTs, Jet Fighters and Stealth Bombers by then. Next up was new capital Baghdad and they were gone. During the short war a really huge Khmer peace vassalised (they were also fighting the Ottoman alliance). I proceeded to capitulating Iran and then focused on getting rest of the land in NA and Australia, when I had the land, I was still behind in pop, so I declared on Russia and the Netherlands, launched 26 ICBMs and won soon after.

The development of the World:

Spoiler :

The mighty Congolese Empire:

Spoiler :

Other pics:

Spoiler :

 

[blizzrd]

Monarch/Normal
Date: 1625AD
Score: 16011

Very similar strategy to previous attempt, but I managed to fine tune things along the way this time and shave 50 years off the time and thus also achieved a better score. Aztecs, Inca, Indonesia, Spain and Persia were my vassals (all voluntary).

 

[blizzrd]

The mighty Congolese Empire:

That's quite impressive.

 

[ace99]

I'm trying Congo out too, by abandoning the Congo and settling my first city in Durban. I'm going to see how that goes.

 

[mykeedee]

I'm trying Congo out too, by abandoning the Congo and settling my first city in Durban. I'm going to see how that goes.

A massive stability hit from occupied core if someone else gets the bright idea of going there.

 

[Fresol]

China, M/N, AD 1110, 23311

MAD, RUSH, WORKED.

Settled Siberia and Australia and culture bombed North America and Africa, 2 or 3 turns after the cities were settled I won Domination Victory.

 

[Tomorrow's Dawn]

China, M/N, AD 1110, 23311

MAD, RUSH, WORKED.

Settled Siberia and Australia and culture bombed North America and Africa, 2 or 3 turns after the cities were settled I won Domination Victory.

Congratulations!

This is the quickest Domination yet, isn't it?

 

[Fresol]

Congratulations!

This is the quickest Domination yet, isn't it?

Thanks. I believe so.

Jusos: Please let me keep this record for a while . Don't do China yet.

 

[Jusos2108]

That's quite impressive.

Thanks!

Monarch/Normal
Date: 1625AD
Score: 16011

Very similar strategy to previous attempt, but I managed to fine tune things along the way this time and shave 50 years off the time and thus also achieved a better score. Aztecs, Inca, Indonesia, Spain and Persia were my vassals (all voluntary).

Nice! Did you found Durban and Cambridge (Zanzibar) with two of your starting settlers?

Thanks. I believe so.

Jusos: Please let me keep this record for a while . Don't do China yet.

Good job!

I think that even pre-1000AD Domination victories are possible, but I am still figuring out the optimal civ to do it with.

 

[youtien]

Doing Indonesia, spawned 2 great spies and stole many techs including military science from China, now it is near 1600 and I'm #1 in score, on my way to liberalism, having 3 vassals, settled North America and Durban, defeated Spain near Manila but inflation and city maintaince cost is so painful.

 

[blizzrd]

Monarch/Normal
Date: 1706AD
Score: 13486

Early years were all about stealing workers (4 from Byzantium and 3 from HRE) and beelining for Notre Dame. Only just beat France to it, even with all the chop-rushing I could muster. Never adopted Orthodoxy, Christian temples and monateries are just so much superior.

Got a really lucky event from a goody hut, which sped things along significantly:

Spoiler :

Apart from a little warring with Turkey (who capitulated after I took Constantinople and threatened Athens), this was a very peaceful game all round. In the finish, the population goal was the issue, not the territory.

 

[Fresol]

^ Could you post a game save perhaps? There are quite a few things I want to check and learn.

 

[Fresol]

Monarch/Normal
Date: 940AD
Score: 25761

The goal was to win a pre-1040AD Domination Victory. I optimized the previous settler rush strategy, cut all unnecessary research and buildings. 30+ settlers were built and sent to Siberia, Australia, Africa and South America starting from 600AD. I made several mistakes with the settlers, some cities were not settled, and some settlers got killed by barbs, but still got just enough land for a Domination Victory.

 

[strijder20]

France
Date: 2043 AD
Not nearly as impressive as above post crazyeye and 23 years after the game should have ended (I won space in the 1930s IIRC), but it's a long time ago I managed to get a domination win and I'm still stable Oh, and I'm running city states (what else).

Manchuria

Spoiler :

South America

Spoiler :

American west coast

Spoiler :

Europe

Spoiler :

I have America, Egypt, Mexico, Indonesia and Arabia as vassals.

 

[Barbuesque]

Gives me an idea, peaceful domination!

You can only acquire cities through culture flipping or congresses or founding them yourself, unless you take back cities you lost. No vassals. Wars must end as soon as possible, unless you have cities you lost that you want back.

 

[youtien]

Man, that France was sick.

Was doing my second attempt as Indonesia, 600 AD scenario, conquered Patliputra at start, then India. Discovered liberalism and astronomy in 1500s, this time I didn't manage to get Topkapi Palace (what a crucial wonder for Indonesians), and had to agree to sell Manila to Spanish. Stability went to collapsing after I revolt to republic - free market, for I razed 3 cities in India and all those occupied core... and English got their trading company troops for India. Was on my way to destroy Dutch before they attack me, then I collapsed.

 

[ace99]

If you can't smack the Dutch in time it might be better to turtle and destroy the trading company stacks that spawn.

 

[mykeedee]

American west coast

Spoiler :

Today I learned that my completely irrelevant town is in DoC.

 

[ace99]

Yes Kansas City is irrelevant