For discussion and criticism 1550 AD: MODALTSIR

[TheViking]

MODA Long Term Strategy Integrated Roadmap (MODALTSIR)

Soon we will have discovered most or all techs we can possibly have before researching/discovering Industrialization. Discovering Industrialization affects us in many ways: Smaller caravan delivery bonuses, more hostile AI civs that start exchanging and stealing techs etc. These are some of the negative aspects. OTOH Industrialization is also a prereq (directly or indirectly) to many important techs and associated improvements and military units like automobile (superhighways for more trade), mobile warfare (armor), communism and espionage (spies), electronics (Hoover Dam) etc. So once we discover Industrialization we want to be prepared sice there will be a whole lot of stuff we want to build.

It is the the view of the Ministry of Domestic Affairs (MODA) that before we discover Industrialization we should have finished building everything we can finish using the techs we currently have (or are about to discover) and that we also should have stockpiled some cash and especially caravans (a few dozens !). This enables us to very rapidly take advantage of the many opportunities Industrialization opens up.

To this end, once we have discovered everything in the current science plan, the MODA recommends the following:

(1) Completely shutdown science to prevent the discovery of Industrialization until we want to/are ready to discover it.

(2) Maximum taxes. Initially 80% and 20% luxuries but we will celebrate once we have some farmland and supermarkets.

(3) Finish building libraries in all size 8+ cities (this is about to start now).

(4) Build banks, stock exchanges, courthouses and universities in all size 8+ cities.

(5) Build temples, supermarkets, marketplaces, harbors and aqueducts in all cities that can build this and do not already have these improvements.

(6) Establish three trade routes in all size 8+ cities.

(7) Build a fairly compact but powerful army consisting of cavalry, cannons, diplomats, engineers, galleons and destroyers. All veteran units except for the engineers and diplomats. Use this army for peacekeeping in western Hell and probably also for peacekeeping in every Zulu city .

(8) Stockpile several dozens of caravans; selected AI civs will be flooded with these once we restart science research. Stockpile several thousands in cash as well.

(9) Discover railroad no later than when we start peacekeeping operations in Hell, maybe earlier so we can connect all cities in Coresux with railroad (we want that to be finished before we discover Industrialization).

When the above has been accomplished set science to maximum, zero the tax rate, build Darwin's Voyage and start delivering the caravans. We should be able to discover roughly 25 techs in 15 turns. Getting three techs in one turn is likely to happen at least once (excluding the turn when DV is bult).

Comments and criticism wanted.

 

[RedBull]

I like the idea of building/rush building libraries to offset a slightly lower science rate, and then producing enough bookworms to significantly alter the land...and since it is in need of a growth spurt, a library in Mt. Leo can wait. But Doughnutia, with it's high productivity and "close but not too close" location regarding those damned Zulus makes it seem like a (temporary) war production city. [I absolutely do NOT trust the Zulus whatsoever. At least the Greeks can be reasoned with. Zulus, no way.] While the other cities are completing the build queues put forth on the poll thread, maybe we could put down the Zulus with simply a couple ships and a few units coming out of Doughnutia? Since we seem to like the idea of hiking taxes at least initially, maybe some of the funds could be used to rush build our way through the Zulus using their own (captured) cities? The science rush would coincide timewise with the time it would take to produce and transport our initially small army. Land our units from Doughnutia near Ulundi, take it, and then produce units for the rest of that war out of Ulundi while Doughnutia is allowed to play catch up after the war. But, that would be *my* can of beans. Completely open to other suggestions.

 

[TimTheEnchanter]

With shakespeare's theatre, this little assault team would not bother any citizens. Not a bad idea at all.

 

[funxus]

If we go through with this plan, I'd rather suggest using one or two of our already existing ships (one in BS, one outside LC, one in RF and one in LP) not used for anything special at the moment, and they don't cause unhappiness in the cities they are supported in anyway.

Still, I think we shouldn't hesitate on building a caravan once a commodity in Dou is released.

 

[RedBull]

Even better. Ships already floating around would save us enough money to rush that caravan you're talking about in the middle of rushing the strike team. Sneaking in the Theatre couldn't hurt either, and if we can't hack that, we can support the units out of the captured Zulu cities to shove the burden onto them rather than our own established cities. Crusaders seem like the best choice for the initial force, and then putting musketeers in the captured cities to keep defenses high. Should we go through with this, bringing those cities up to snuff can be worried about after the war is said and done. All sounds like a plan to me...

EDIT: The Theatre only affects the city it's in, not the continent...my fault!

2ND EDIT INSTEAD OF NEW REPLY: I noticed on our current save game that we're very, very close to Leadership...making all of our mounted units Dragoons, in conjuunction with the Workshop...making for a more durable strike force...making for a good possibility of taking Ulundi and the other 5 Zulu cities without ever losing a CFC-city-based unit. With that, it seems that a lone galleon (which is already floating around) carrying 4 dragoons would be all that would have to come out of Doughnutia to start the blitzkrieg to assimilate the Zulus, and there's a crusader sitting around near Nemoville waiting to be upgraded and picked up along the way. So, theoretically, Dougnutia's cost of beating the Zulus is only 3 dragoons. Just some lower-cost food for thought.

I know I'm *really* pushing the strike against the Zulu, but based on past experience, it'll make for a much less bumpy road in the future. Best to rub them out when they have 6 cities instead of 16. All we need is a long, drawn out conflict, sending our armor after a bunch of cavemen in the 20th century with one hand, while we're in a space race with a legitimate civ, trying frantically to put a ship on AC with the other. (I'm talking too much and need to go to bed. )

 

[TheViking]

I like these ideas (and BTW: Welcome to the game !). I and probably everybody else was too busy thinking of caravans, science and $$ to pay attention to the idea of temporarily turning our SuperScience City into a Super Military City.

Because of the fact that we will be soon be emphasizing science any crusaders or dragoons sent from Coresux to the Zulus now will have become cavalry once they get there. An assault force of just 3-5 cavalries could mean big trouble for the Zulus. I'd recommend sending 2-4 engineers as well.

RedBull has now become military advisors so these ideas carry more weight.

The only messy thing is that to do this we need a revolution IMO. Otherwise the Zulus will ask for peace once we take the first city and the cowards in the Senate will sign a treaty .

 

[RedBull]

Wow, hey, cool, I didn't even realize I had won it until I read this thread. Hopefully I'll be good enough to stick around a few terms.

At any rate, since we're chuggin' along so well in science as stated before, they *will* be cavalry by the time they land...meaning this little "war" has great potential of being won without a unit lost period. From the looks of the Zulu tech tree so far, they'll be defending with legions. Not a problem at all.

We have another galleon floating around near Viking Mine, which will take 5 turns to get to Doughnutia if we start sending it this turn. Since sending a few engineers to get started on improving our cities we'll be capturing is a great idea, we can use this ship to get them there. Yet another unit that doesn't need to be built. Since it'll take it 5 turns to arrive, we should build the crusaders/dragoons/cavalry (no point in using one name, they'll be upgraded so quickly) first, get them onto the closer ship, and then get the engineers on the second ship...that way they'll lag about 5 or 6 turns behind the strike force, out of harm's way of the initial beachhead. Regardless of when the ship of engineers is loaded up and ready to go, we should lag them behind a bit just offshore until the first three or so cities are secured. The more we add things in to this plan, the better and better it gets...

 

[RedBull]

And by the way, about the revoultion problem...for the war, we could temporarily, and I stress TEMPORARILY, go to a Monarchy. As soon as that last city is taken, we'll immediately go back to Democracy and have a talk with Hippolyta. And we won't leave our Democracy until the instant our units make landfall. The end of the war should roughly coincide with the time we plan to hike science rates back up, so our research won't be hampered by the temporary change of government because we'll be back to Democracy by the time the science rush is started.

 

[funxus]

If we plan that our mounted units are to be upgraded on their way over to the Zulus, we probably shouldn't bother building barracks in Dou.

When revoluting, we need to plan which we attack the Zulus, so that the next one is an oedoyear.

Third, any mounted unit from Dou can reach RF in less than two turns (leaving 1/3 of a move), so that's probably where we should load the units on the ships. We can easily get two galleons in there this turn.

RedBull, you're really welcome to this game.

 

[TheViking]

I think we should build SOL. If we do, we will not be constrained by Oedo years and we will also have more flexibility when deciding how many turns the military operations should take (I also mentioned this in another thread). Our trade network is so powerful that we can simply buy the SOL. When taxes are near maximum we only need 2 turns to collect the needed cash and we would probably have some cash left for other stuff as well.