Finally Moving Up From Cheiftan, Need Help

[The Omega]

I've finally decided that cheiftan ahs become too easy, and I've decided to finally move up. I've started a few Warlord games, but because of bad starting locations (all desert, or surrounded by jungle and marsh). I've decided that before I start another game, to learna little more about the higher difficulties. One thing that I'd like to know, is what is octipul(sorry for misspelling) city placement, or OCP? I've heard alittle about it, but not in great detail. Another thing, is it a good idea to trade lots on warlord? I know that trading is vital for the very high difficulties, but I was wondering if it was that neccesarry for warlord. Also, what wonders are vital? My strategy is to make a giant empire, and get as far ahead in the tech race as possible, so I'd like to know what the main wonders I should focuss on getting. Thanks for the help!
Smilies! groucho

 

[The Omega]

No replies.....I feel so loved.

NO SMILIES FOR YOU MEAN PEOPLE!

 

[Vizurok]

Trading is always good idea!
Micromanagement: workers & city tiles... very important thing!

I suggest you playing with Persians or Ottomans... good traits, good UUs...
Pyramids, Great Library, Sun Tzu, ToE, Hoover Dam... these are the best.

Hope it helps...
Try to ask certain questions... they are easier to answer.

 

[alamo]

Hey - I used to live in Austin! Now I'm stuck in Dallas

Let's see - It's been awhile since I played warlord.

The common theme among all difficulties is good military managment.

Focus on getting a core of productive cities around your capital and get them set to build a massive amount of troops rapidly. Use the old pre-build and upgrade trick, too. Be especially aware of your UU - building a few and triggering a GA is a great way to pump out troops. Be sure you're all set to build troops first, though.

If you're playing PTW then you MUST use ring city placement. Otherwise, just plop them down where the land is good.

The finer points of city placement, trading and wonder building are important. However, you will be best served by the dark side on warlord. You should be able to improve your military skills rapidly, which will serve you well.

 

[The Omega]

Try to ask certain questions... they are easier to answer.

Okay.
1. What is octipul city placement? (OCP)
2. I normally played as the germans, because of militaristic and scientific(my favorite trait), and their unique units is in the age that I fight the most. Should I try another scientific civ?
3. I've always been bad at worker micromanegement, so can I get a few pointers?
@alamo: There really doesn't seem to be many Texans here......
Smilies!

 

[alamo]

There's quite a mix of people on this forum for sure. I've seen a few texans - mauer is the latest one. We're on a SGOTM team this month.

OCP is placing cities 'optimally', which means using the best of the available land to make cities that have the right mix of food and shields to become big and productive. You can also consider the boost you get from rivers and various bonus tiles. Making your first few cities productive quickly gives you a huge boost in the game.

Try playing something with an earlier UU, like Persia. You should be able to dominate before tanks, with some practice.

Worker mm is a tough one. Focus on the basics first - connecting cities and reduce the number of unimproved tiles that your citizens work. Eventually you'll recognize which tiles to work first to get the maximum return.

 

[Tomoyo]

About worker management:

Most of the time, in the beginning of the game, the most important resource is food. Food lets you build settlers, which let you claim land. Therefore, in the beginning, you want to work the tiles with the most food, especially (sp?) the ones with food bonuses (cows, wheat, wines on grass, game) if you have a food bonus that is not wines on plains, the most urgent worker action is to irrigate it (You may have to chop down a forest to irrigate a game). After that, the next important tiles are generally Bonus Grassland tiles. Mine and road these because you are in Despotism. The general rule is "mine green, irrigate brown", but that doesn't always hold true. Later in the game, irrigating a grassland might allow you to send a citizen to work on a high shield hill or mountain.

Make sure every tile you have a citizen on has a road, and connect your cities with roads eventually.

 

[The Omega]

I heard something about placing cities somehting like 5 tiels away from each other, but it wasnt' very clear. Can somone elaborate on this?
Smilies!

 

[bingen]

OCP: one row (guess it is a diagonal row) of cities has its borders touching after expansion. The next row fills in the gaps from the first etc.

X0000X0000X0000X
0000000000000000
00000000000000000
00000000000000000
00X0000X0000X000

Xs denote cities (turn on the graph view ALT-G)

The game tends to be a little easier with a bit denser packing though, as you will be able to have more cities.

 

[alamo]

If you're playing conquest then that's fine. If Vanilla Civ or PTW then rings are much more important than tile overlap. Also, building/rushing a FP is huge in Vanilla/PTW.

Another good civ is Japan - the samuri is a devastating unit, especially in numbers. You will have a good chance at a MGL or two also.

 

[The Omega]

The game tends to be a little easier with a bit denser packing though, as you will be able to have more cities.

So, what your saying is that I should densely pack my cities instead of spreading htem out?
Smilies!

 

[Black_Hole]

So, what your saying is that I should densely pack my cities instead of spreading htem out?
Smilies!

on tiny/small maps with many militaristic enemies its not a bad idea, but normally I wouldnt
because in the industrial/modern age you want you cities very far apart to they can grow large

also another suggestion: dont use governors at all

Im a Monarch player

 

[huh?]

City spacing for me is based on...

1. Optimal spacing for core (city using 20-21 tiles), mega producing, industrail/modern age cities. Might even require abandoning and rebuilding a city just to improve production.

2. Less-optimal spacing for my inner cities (using 12-19 tiles). These can produce stuff at a decent rate, but more about generating revenue and science.

3. Tightly packed border towns (using 8-11 tiles). These were originally placed during the land rush, just to close off my borders from the AI. I rarely disband these in case I go to war, I don't want losing one city putting a hole in my cultural borders.

4. Tightly packed tundra/jungle/desert towns (using 8-11 tiles). The sole purpose of taking the land for potential future strategic resources. I typically will "thin" them out a bit once the culture expands for some of the others. I tend to keep the ones that can grow to a 5 or 6, and disband the smaller ones.

I gave up on trying to follow a pattern since it just seems to fall apart based on terrain, location of resources, other civs, etc.

 

[The Omega]

also another suggestion: dont use governors at all

Can I at least use them to manage citizen moods?
Smilies!

 

[KCCrusader]

no, because with this option selected the governor also places the citizens on the city squares set by its program. Just press F1 before you end every turn and make sure every city has at least the same number of happy citizens as unhappy. If there are more unhappy, either make one a specialist or increase the luxury slider (usually dont need to do the second on Warlord and other lower levels)

 

[bingen]

no, because with this option selected the governor also places the citizens on the city squares set by its program. Just press F1 before you end every turn and make sure every city has at least the same number of happy citizens as unhappy. If there are more unhappy, either make one a specialist or increase the luxury slider (usually dont need to do the second on Warlord and other lower levels)

This becomes a lot easier with a graphics mod that makes it easier to tell the citizens apart.

You can use the governor for mood in the mid/late game without it hurting you too much.

 

[Aggie]

Regarding worker movements: I learned the most from this article: Cracker's opening play

 

[The Omega]

Regarding worker movements: I learned the most from this article: Cracker's opening play

Well, I understood most of it up until the graph. I'm really bad with graphs.
Smilies! :suicide: