End Game Help Please

[Polonius]

Dear Wise Ones,

Firstly thanks to all of you who have taken the trouble to post such useful knowledge on other threads. Thanks to some great tips from Belzedar (I’m working through your list of suggested table etc.) Smash, Ferd, and others – I’m slowly clawing my way up the Civ learning cliff (I can’t really call it a curve!)

I’ve played a couple of simple 2 & 3 civ games on easiest just to get the feel of it all but am now attempting my first 8 civ tutorial style game. I’m now up to 1940 and it’s a VERY busy world. The turns are getting slower and events more complex and I need to learn some fresh strategies. If I spell out my approximate position, I would much appreciate anybody’s advice on ways to proceed from here. I seem to be in a good position and don’t want to blow it. Sorry this a bit long, but I'll try and stick to the basics.

OK. – I’m Persia. The game began well but early in the AD years I lost my lead and Babylon and Russia overtook me. Corruption really started to bite and it looked as if the others would accelerate away from me. Babylon pulled out a points lead of over 10% of my score and Russia started making aggressive moves in my direction after taking over my neighbour Zululand .

I thought that I was a dead duck, but Democracy arrived and seemed give me a new lease of life. I also decided that it was “now or never” and went head to head with Russia. I managed to get Germany to help (our other neighbour) and I over-ran what had been Zululand surprisingly quickly (presumably the Russians had not had time to consolidate there). Germany didn’t seem to do a lot, but presumably tied up Russian troops and they did take two cities (a couple of times we were neck and neck and I managed to pinch the plum!). I ended up with all the rest of Russia plus Zululand. Russia itself was a hard slow slog with apparently walled defences. England kept out of the fray, but looked only a modest civ.

The next few years were spent stabilising my expanded empire, getting the citizens happy, banging in improvements, etc. I got back in the lead on points, and way in front with culture. By the late 1800s it all looked pretty good. But then America and The Aztecs appeared out of the fog on another continent and the Aztecs turned out to be dead level with me on points. I also became suspicious that the Babylonians were gearing up for a war against me as I caught glimpse of them moving troops up through Germany in my direction. I thought I’d blown it again by not organising the right sort of pacts etc. Luckily it did seem possible still and I got an MPP with England, Germany, and Babylon (very reluctantly and at some cost). The very next turn the Babylonians declared war on me!

This time Germany had a lot to lose (full of Babylonian troops) and did a great job. We successfully pushed them back. I ignored Babylon’s call for a truce and renewed my deals with England and Germany, who were pleased to accept.

So what next? It’s now 1940 but there’s 110 slow and crucial years left. Do I keep going with the war on Babylon – or at least keep supporting the Germans and English to do so? I have no direct land access to Babylon, except through Germany and no passage agreements.

There are a couple of spots left on the other continent where a settlement could be put, and Germany and England have already popped in one each. There’s also a spot left on an island with 2 Babylonian cities so that looks ripe to be grabbed. I have a good army but very few ships, so am building 2 or 3 galleons and a couple of settlers “just in case”. I seem to have a rough but adequate grasp of battle but not much of a clue on diplomacy, trade (unused) and the finer strategic points of it all. So where now Diplomatically, Strategically and Militarily, oh maestros? And thanks for reading all this!

 

[Polonius]

Well, that was a fascinating discussion! As I write - 26 views and 0 replies. I guess it serves me right for writing too much. No doubt they all thought "What's the old fool waffling on about - oh, who cares, life's too short."

Since posting the above I have tried one possible ending – which went according to plan, and have thought of a number of other options. So I’ll reload tomorrow and work my way through some different approaches and see what I can learn.

The game seems to go in waves – just as things look to be turning really sour a new option opens up and you go back on the upswing again. Then when it looks like you are romping away, something emerges to peg you back. On so on. Clever design. However, the end game I just tried didn’t seem too tough – but no doubt I’ll be sweating when I try a different tack tomorrow. What a fantastic game Civ is.

Dang it though, it would have been nice to get at least one outside suggestion. Brilliant though I am, there’s nothing like listening to others for broadening ones learning experience.

 

[Darkadder]

Sounds like an interesting game you got going.

Youre really the best person to judge what you think you can accomplish in the 110 years remaining. IMO if youre playing on standard or huge map size, you probably dont have enough time to take over the world. It also doesnt necessarily sound like you are far enough ahead tech wise to build a spaceship, that leaves a diplomatic victory and histograph win.

I wouldnt worry too much about how the game ends. My first full game of civ 3 was a histograph win - while its not one of the fancier ways of winning, there certainly isnt anything wrong with it.

If you are close to obtaining nuclear fission and have a leader kicking around, you might want to try for a diplo win - you have the best idea of your relative standing in the world community - you need to gauge how a vote would end up going.

Barring that, examine the score in the game and go after the civs that are ahead of you. As long as there are no significant gaps tech wise, you should be able to outplay the AI in a straight military campaign (especially at warlord level). Map techs to get modern armor ASAP and start hitting them with cavalry until youve got armor.

Just grab as much territory from your closest rivals and your score should increase accordingly. Stay in the lead by killing other civs. *Unless* you're highly regarded in the world community you probably wont win the UN vote, so crank up the war factory and have fun for the next 110 years.

cheers!

DA

 

[Essex]

Interesting Game. Would have been nice if you had given a quck breakdown of the tech situation. Biggest Tip is to try and use the Science Broker Strategy. Check the other civs each turn and as soon as one has a tech buy it from him and sell to all the others for per turn gold. Even better, get the tech first and sell it to all the others. This has two effects: first it gives you more cash per turn allowing you to up your science rate and get new techs your self earlier Second, if the other civs are giving you their cash they cant spend it on science themselves Generally this strat works best if you use it from the start but it may work for you here as well. Also recommend using a lot of artillery type units to weaken enemy defenders. Militarily, in my opinion you should work hard to get peace with the babylonians who are far away and launch a sneak attack on germany

Good Luck

 

[Angmar]

You will want to learn how to use trade. I find that trading for luxury goods is a very important aspect of the game. However the most imporant aspect of trade is the Science Broker approach as mention. I am currently playing a 16 Civ game and being the first one to get a tech can be a HUGE windfall. All I need is each civ giving me 10 gold a a turn and Im making +150. That goes a long way.

If you wish to continue the fight, get a right of passage and go after your enemy. However it sounds like this area of the world is a good deal away from your capital, beware of corruption. I would fortify up your walls, make peace and use your Democracy to build up your infrastructure and hang on for what might be a wild ride to the end of the game.

My first couple games were all about military conquest. I am now learning the powers of Diplomacy. In my current game I was being attacked by Zulu and I wasnt really ready to defend myself. I bribed England into attacking Zulu. Next turn England talked to France and brought France into it. The follow turn France brought in Rome. By then I had taken a Zulu city and they were willing to make peace. In that peace negotation, I gave them back their city, 100 bucks, and a crappy tech for two cities I did want. ( specially the one with salt peter! poor zulu's didnt know about gunpowder ).

Good luck with you game!

 

[Polonius]

Wow - answers! Thanks to you all very much indeed for some very useful and well thought out input. I’ll work through all those suggestions over the next few weeks of play.

As I’m only playing the 8 Civ tutorial (which is Chieftain level and smallest map) the options are probably limited. I seem to be well ahead in the tech race but still not yet in the Modern era, so the Space race still looks unlikely for any of us (?). I’m also way ahead in the culture race with my nearest rival (Babylon) only half my graph width and now wiped out anyway. No one else is even close, but I look as if I’ll still fall short of 100,000 points. I probably did not have enough culture rich cities early enough to seed a Culture victory.

The Histographic victory now looks a cert (if there isn’t any last minute ganging up on me by everyone else). I’ve now reached 1990 and the scores are as follows:

Persians (me) 336
Aztecs 257
USA 215
Germany 207
England 146

I wiped Babylon and razed all the cities as I didn’t feel knowledgeable enough yet to manage a huge empire (maybe I should try that option as a re-reun?). I abandoned the territory for England and Germany to squabble over as they look too far behind to challenge now (?). I left a small settlement which I’d established to use as a healing centre for the invasion of Babylon, so it will be interesting to see if it gets attacked or absorbed.

So it’s now a) Sit on my backside for 60 years and try a bit of trading, or
b) Try and ally with either Azecs or USA and wipe the other one.
c) Turn on one of my allies (not keen to do that!)

I’ve now got the ability to build planes but range to the other continent may be a problem.

What a superb game Civ is!