Game Situation - What would not-a-noob do?

[Klunc]

I'm not a complete noob in civilization. I was very good at Civ 2 (I could play in harder than average levels and still win by), didn't get the chance to play Civ 3 for long (maybe half a dozen games) and never until Civ IV and the advent of simultaneus turns I played multiplayer.

So now me and two colleagues are playing a game in standard CIv IV, no expansions, with 5 or 6 computers. I'm not going to explain the detailed situation, but I have some questions:
I'm the chinese btw.

I pressed for military and before I had chu-ko-nus I
1- desintegrated the Aztecs for three of their cities (includim one holy city), the resources and the 'land coverage' and, now with chu-ko-nus

2- made a solid enough army to hold a combined attack of another player (the japanese) and the russians, who stand between me and the japs. In holding this attack I 'took the offensive' and conquered the russians capital, which happes to be another holy city. Profit.

OK, so now the other player (japs) have 'back attacked' the russians (who now hate the japs and love me cause we share the same religion and I keep giving them stuff).

I've shrinked my military to a size where I can still 'hold' an initial attack and, since everyone else is at war with everyon, I'm getting a nice lead on techs.

The WHAT WOULD YOU DO PART is:
- Would you mantain as long as you could this state of research-leading (the longer I keep like this, the farther behind I'll leave all others) or would you combine forces with an AI (which can't really be trusted, as any AI, either for the behavior or the competence in war) and wage war?

Attached bonus question:
how viable is it to make a small fleet (when your enemy has none) to take several minor groups of units to destroy terrain improvements and later on (sinde they're weak units) dimiss them (to deny the enemy the XP)?
I mean, my enemy sure does have defense in his cities that I can't surpass with such a small force, but I could surely run for the Iron, Copper and Horses and pillage. Is is worth the effort? (He will be at war with the AI).

Sorry for such a long thread and for probable english mistakes.

 

[JBossch]

The WHAT WOULD YOU DO PART is:
- Would you mantain as long as you could this state of research-leading (the longer I keep like this, the farther behind I'll leave all others) or would you combine forces with an AI (which can't really be trusted, as any AI, either for the behavior or the competence in war) and wage war?

Attached bonus question:
how viable is it to make a small fleet (when your enemy has none) to take several minor groups of units to destroy terrain improvements and later on (sinde they're weak units) dimiss them (to deny the enemy the XP)?
I mean, my enemy sure does have defense in his cities that I can't surpass with such a small force, but I could surely run for the Iron, Copper and Horses and pillage. Is is worth the effort? (He will be at war with the AI).

Maintaining a research lead and warring are not mutually exclusive. Sure, for a lot of reasons, a protracted war is likely to cause your tech rate to slip a bit. But assuming Noble AIs and that your friends aren't experts, keeping a lead during war is doable. Use you tech advantage to win quick wars with technologically superior units.

As for the amphibious delta force strike, I would say that a little raid on your enemy's iron is always helpful. Even if he rebuilds the mine in a few turns, any builds requiring it will cancel. If you are to do this, keep the raid small. 2-4 units. Why not follow up with a major attack of your own? With your opponent busy with the AI he will be easy pickings.

 

[DaveMcW]

Kill all the AIs and take their land. Whoever has the most land wins in multiplayer, and AIs are the easiest target.

Watch out for humans allying against you. Try not to provoke such an alliance until you are powerful enough to beat it.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Kill all the AIs and take their land. Whoever has the most land wins in multiplayer, and AIs are the easiest target.

Watch out for humans allying against you. Try not to provoke such an alliance until you are powerful enough to beat it.

This is good advice.

If you hold a tech lead, take short, concerted efforts with a powerful stack of tech-superior units to the AI. Wipe them out, or at least take several good cities and force them to capitulate. If you can hold your front against the human while doing this, you win.

There are few things as funny as a 5 civ dogpile (you and 4 vassals for example) on a hapless human player who isn't even as close in tech.

Do take enough AI land to be the clear leader in it though. Noble AI's suck, and they don't use land well.

As long as you make quick strikes or take relatively few losses you can snipe AI cities and force capitulations without piling up war weariness. In other words, your tech rate will suffer but only BARELY. As you get more land, having not build the universities in your original cities for example won't be hurting you much (and once your production is really strong you can put some up in some places).

 

[Klunc]

Well, thanks for all the tips! I migh be beginning to form a band of Civ-addicted junkies in my college because a lot of people (who never heard of civilization) ask me 'how's the game?' and yesterday three other players joined us in another game (which was just a demonstration). Anyway, that's nice and the 'main game' still goes on.

I decided to attack and it worked. Still have a lot of units in my territory (most of them Cavalry, the top-unit of the world by now - which only I have). My raiding party is a lot larger than 2 -4 units (actually, it's 15+ units, with 5 frigates, 4 ghalleons and a number of smaller ships). I may not be able to raze/conquer any cities (although I think I will capture the largest coastal city of the Japs, because frigates can bombard, that's just beautiful).

The 'main attack force' is not mine: I gave a lot of 'outdated' units for Catherine when she declared war on the japs (which I asked her to) and she managed to conquer a city and probably will conquer at least another couple before the japs eliminate my 'backstab' attack force and focus on her 'stack of doom'.

One thing that bothers me A LOT is: I gave her no short than 5 techs (seeing as she was way behind me and loves me, I thought, well, better make her a match for the japs, right?) and now she discovered Steel and won't give it to me for free -.- She demands 1000 gold or some other tech, the whore. I'm not complaining.

Well, the two other players (who are behind me and Tokugawa both in techs, money and military) are united in war against the strongest AI, which is in their continent. My plan for winning is:

1 - Harass the japs enough till they're not a problem anymore. I'll stop as soon as I lose my 'backstab attack force' and maybe keep giving some grenadiers to the Russians (the best unit for the Japs is Rifleman, which the player CERTAINLY will focus on building, lots of them).
2 - When (inevitably) the Japs outforce the Russians, I will betray Catherine, take her capital (which has 2 or 3 wonders) and a couple smaller cities she built in the gaps between my main cities. This won't be hard cause I am now the only civ to have Cavalry. THis until I secure close to 60% land on my continent.
3 - Make peace with Catherine (if she's still alive, cause the Japs will try to wipe her out).
4 - With close to 60% land on my continent and only a fragilized Catherine and Tokugawa to oppose me, build a large enough navy to protect me from the other player's probable invasion and then, finally
4 - Attack with all I have to seize the closest cities and win.

I must comment that now that I've used boats to attack, the other players are going to 'change paradigm'. Until now they've only waged continental wars, so everyone was pretty 'safe in their sit'. Now everyone knows there is no safe place BWAHUAHUA

I'm pretty confident in a victory, cause it seems I'm the only player who knows when to STOP attacking. All others declare a war and then go for it until either they or they're opponent are wiped out, or until they realize they turned their economy to crap and decide to stop 'before it's too late'.