You can still conquer a few central america cities (mexico comes to mind) and found 1-2 south africa cities that prosper and grow big.
They are a good base for later producing the settlers you need for UHV2.
UHV3 is easy, at least on Monarch difficulty if you conquer Rome and found Protestantism.
No I have not tried the strategy yet.
Ok, I have to admit that I can't match the UHV technology requests. I always play monarch/marathon and in a flexible historical way, so London-Manchester-Dublin (11th century)-Edinburgh (12th century), don't invade other European territories, I've only tried sometimes to capture Jerusalem before Ottomans spawn.
I've tried different civics set (Monarchy-Vassalage-Clergy or Republic-Citizenship-Monasticism), but they were both uneffective.
I usually go for Firearms first, then Exploration, then again Economics and Sci Method in order to get free GM and GS. I only exchange techs in balanced trade, mainly with Byzantines, Scandinavians or Asian civs.
I settle Charlestown-Anna Regina-Port Royal-NY + conquer Yax Mutal asap, then I rest to improve my UK core. Maybe I rush a bit my colonial empire; I usually have 3 US East Coast towns (NY, Portland, Washington) + 3 Africa towns (Zimbabwe, Kilwa, Mombasa) by early 17th century.
France is usually horrific tech competitor, obtaining Geography before me, but I can mention Mongolia almost always reaching first Logistics, many others (HRE, but even Japan or Mughals) beat me at every humanistic/social techs.
I convert to Protestantism every time.
Ok, I have to admit that I can't match the UHV technology requests. I always play monarch/marathon and in a flexible historical way, so London-Manchester-Dublin (11th century)-Edinburgh (12th century), don't invade other European territories, I've only tried sometimes to capture Jerusalem before Ottomans spawn.
I've tried different civics set (Monarchy-Vassalage-Clergy or Republic-Citizenship-Monasticism), but they were both uneffective.
I usually go for Firearms first, then Exploration, then again Economics and Sci Method in order to get free GM and GS. I only exchange techs in balanced trade, mainly with Byzantines, Scandinavians or Asian civs.
I settle Charlestown-Anna Regina-Port Royal-NY + conquer Yax Mutal asap, then I rest to improve my UK core. Maybe I rush a bit my colonial empire; I usually have 3 US East Coast towns (NY, Portland, Washington) + 3 Africa towns (Zimbabwe, Kilwa, Mombasa) by early 17th century.
France is usually horrific tech competitor, obtaining Geography before me, but I can mention Mongolia almost always reaching first Logistics, many others (HRE, but even Japan or Mughals) beat me at every humanistic/social techs.
I convert to Protestantism every time.
It seems you already detailed both the problem and the solution in your own post: France is a horrific tech competitor, and you also don't invade other European territories... Well, you need to invade France! I haven't played big map England yet, but on the small map, a big key to the puzzle of winning as England was to invade and vassalize France. (If you are having hangups about the historical aspect, remember that had England won the 100 Years War, it would've looked very similar to this strategy.)
I will say also, colonizing early isn't that nessesary. England didn't really do anything major until 1600s and you can sort of keep to that. There will be easy places to settle or conquer in the americas up to the deadline. Also, playing on marathon gives you so much more wiggle room. I feel like it's more important to develop england and not drain your resources over extending.
As for France, I'll need to try again, but I never found them that threatening. Make sure to spy on them and see what they are teching. You could always just declare war and blockade Nantes and Bordeaux if conquest isn't up your alley.
The national college being unlocked at education was a major game changer for the tech requirements.. Oxford University is still lacking, used an engineer to get it just because.. well it's Oxford University! But didn't make a big difference tech wise
Spam Jails and Exchequers? Also, for me, buying a Library on advanced start and slotting a Scientist afterwards helps with UHV3. The first Great Scientist I build an Academy, the second I use to bulb techs (I got it around column 8).
Other things I did: colonize a bit ahistorically early, and found Protestantism. (Think of it as the Anglican Church instead, lol.) I go Firearms > Academia > Exploration > Optics > Geography. I trade for a few techs outside those. I also try to get a bunch of gold trading techs to less advanced civs, just enough to keep me afloat while running the science slider a bit higher.
I'm still trying to do my best to achieve UHV victory; my games are long Marathon ones, so I can give only few attempts.
I decided to found York: it gives more space to my capital, great scientific center with Academia and so on. I agree that Oxford isn't mandatory; i prefer to save an engineer for more valuable late wonders, such as Westminster, a real (late) game changer.
Another trick is to conquer Zimbabwe native town to get many slaves and sell them to fuel your finances.
I was eventually able to achieve UHV1, but I failed 2 because I thought I could keep some valuable Canadian cities (Quebec, Montreal, Missisauga and Winnipeg), but it sank my economy.
I managed to do it on Monarch/Marathon difficulty.
The key not to overextend is to have as few cities as possible outside green expansion areas.
All of India and Australia are all such green expansion areas.
You have to be more careful in America and Africa though.
As mentioned before you should probably somewhat delay you big colony expansion until you have completed UHV3.
If you want to place your NA cities inside Americas core you have to do so a few turns before they actually spawn, as it will be treated as rising civ core area, and settling then will be disabled.
I finally did it, Monarch/Marathon. With the new expanded core, stability is no more a pain. As suggested, I delayed colonization, staying all by myself and buliding whatever I could in my 4-cities-kingdom until 1620s. Some tips from my experience:
1) Ziwa was my first colony, it will be the factory for all my needs in terms of soldiers and settlers in Africa, India and Oceania. It gives you access to a lot of slaves, I sold all of them so I had no worries for my economy.
2) After Ziwa, I founded Washington and three towns between Carribeans and SA (just some good happiness resources), then I waited until Dutch colonized East Coast and South Africa. I took their colonies by Redcoats before Dutch discovered Replaceable Parts. I completed NA colonization with 3 inner cities just before the deadline; same for one last SA town, which was in Chile, so Argentina would get it later.
3) If Korea survives, it became your best tech partner. I ended up the game being Korea's master too.
4) I built Trading Company only in 1836, I had to face Indian arquebusiers with my riflemen and artillery; more than a half of my army came from experienced African units, by which I gained my doorway from the Cape to Nubia. Twelve Indian cities were easily added in a long campaign, then I shifted my veterans in Egypt to face weak resurreceted Fatimids.
5) Techwise, I matched Scientific Method, then Economics, then I went (almost) straight to Journalism in order to build my life-saving Westminster. In the Middle Ages I traded only with Byzantines, then I met Korea and, after some decades, I gave them a free tech to gain their respect: a solid friendship, even if they can beat you for a pair of techs.
It was a pleasant game, way more balanced thanks to the last updates: America filled up Great Plains, Rocky Mountains and West Coast, no tech-beast France or Spanish monster.
It seems you already detailed both the problem and the solution in your own post: France is a horrific tech competitor, and you also don't invade other European territories... Well, you need to invade France! I haven't played big map England yet, but on the small map, a big key to the puzzle of winning as England was to invade and vassalize France. (If you are having hangups about the historical aspect, remember that had England won the 100 Years War, it would've looked very similar to this strategy.)
I agree . I lost from France in tech race. In 1.18 it is France is a tech monster not England, Korea also and sometimes Moors. So i agree that you need to colonize France somehow . I will try a strategy to make my first gp merchant , make a trade mission in rome, before that train bunch of militia , upgrade them to swordman, maybe buy catapults and other military unit with citizenship and imvade France im some forest tile . Ill try this
Nwm with last git update goal 1 is achivable . I didnt make the railroad . Ethiopia was in my way and Ottomans got all Egypt and my army was slow . I will try one more time . Anyway it was interesting
I finally made it. The scenario is very intense from time limits, research rate and fights in India and Egypt. In my opinion keystones are.
1. Contact asap Byzant , Arabs and Turks, afterthat Mongols and fad east nations. Trade with them and open borders.
2. In home - London build market- buy from advenced start library , fishing boat, and horse in london. Workers chop in sheep tile. Setle york and build library, baracks and 4-5 militia wich will be upgraded to swordsman after we have money and iron.
Research Education
3. Start merchant only when u can and trade mission in Rome. With that money updrage army. After that try for Scientist amd build Library or (whatever it called- ) in London.
After education beeline Firearms, after that Navigation. Have ready 2 galleys to upgrade to caravels. Try beat others with aztec conquest. I do not vassalise them instead i take independent cities in yucatan . They will produce workers and settlers. After navigation beline exploration- after that research ocean trade - i forgot the name of research
4. With exploration setle in amber tile in dominica, new york, 2 settlers in africa- the 3 city conquer etc
Those are my startig point
Do not trade with France, espionage them to see research .
Ps. I plyed more than 10 games of england and i think those keypoints worked best.
Took me a while to get a functional playbook again with all the recent changes.
My current path to victory is Open borders with the celts, and move one settler to the stone, settle Colchester 1 east of London build a workshop in Kent
Load the knight and an archer on the transport and head for Denmark. move the workboat into Colchester.
Research Education and Colchester produces settler/worker/settler/settler. then builds stuff for tech and happiness.
Turn 2 note I haven't changes civics yet
The free build I take as a forge and road to the sheep. and then change civics to Republic, Citizenship, Monastery, Redistribution, Thalassocracy
The settler on the stone, now the Irish culture has disappeared settles Carnarvon. that's it for the British Isles until you bring back your mexican conquerers to kill the Irish and Scotsmen.
The troops you sailed away land and hang around denmark until the Holy Romans have finished teleporting things and then head down to byzantium. the knight is there to escort the archer over the border between holy rome and byzantium. not unusual for them both to die but if you make it, you can then trade with seljuks and byzantium for a long time. The knight goes back up to your baltic holdings to kill the axemen that plague the area.
the 3 settlers you send to the baltic. 1 on the stone(Viborg), 1 between the two rivers(Stolp) and one on the peninsula opposite the stone(Libau). Viborg is the first target and you want to take settler and worker on the first trip. and when you land set an artist and 100% culture until you cover Sweden's coast there to stop the norse building an annoying close city. Worker build mine and workshop while viborg builds workboats and ships until it flips to the swedish. Stolp is a blocking city to stop polish/holy roman/Prussian settlements from weakening Libau. Preferably it is conquered by barbarians. Libau is the jewel in the english crown (fish +3 amber) until the Poles collapse and prussia settles Konigsberg trashing the region
Tech toward Judiciary with patronage detour(engineer built santa maria in colchester) after you have traded for guilds. Then it's a race to Cartography with the Spanish to conquer Mexico use the techs along the way to judiciary as trade leverage as most euros are running the path to Firearms. Colonialism on Exploration gives you the chance to get slaves to build all the plantations across the Yucatan Paying for tech research is heavily funded by map trading even a 10 gold return on a trade is good with 12+ nations to talk to.
Setttle everyone in Colchester no need to bulb. I keep 2 spare for a golden age usually used to pump levees out before switching out of Vassalage for good.
Civics Migrate to (Monarchy/Elective) either works, Caste system (fast build jeweller/weaver is great), secular, vassalage, Merchant trade, Hegemony(Jails). hegemony-> colonialism as you invade NAm
Trade and M/E when the settlers are done the others as you get benefits from a double change
Once Mexico is secure I raze all scottish and irish cities and replace them with York, Glasgow, Aberdeen. This army heads to South Africa and protects you as you work your way north up the Nile.
After exploration, I path to economics -> Geology/Physics - Hydraulics - Metallurgy for Industrialisation (Aberdeen can spent 30-40 turns getting the Bell Rock lighthouse) then run up toward Journalism before stepping back through the top of the tech tree
Libau, Oaxaca, and Belize city are the Naval Production cities for the fleet. Mostly Galleons, I used to build many frigates but you don't actually need many and galleons are just more useful. a galleon on a island group along the coast has pretty good odds against a privateer.
Ok hear me out: Culture boost York and aid the norse to take Edinburgh. Because the culture pressure is too high for the city, the AI will be prone to cede the city to you.
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