Grand Strategy Thread

[Paul#42]

I disagree! (with almost everything )

Settlers over size
Getting out settlers as fast as possible is WAY more valuable than getting 5 bpt extra per turn. Even a science farm gets 4bpt from the scratch AND production AND cash rush opportunity (in urgency).
And when all space is settled, I'd even try to get 1-turn-workers there (maybe with a disbanded warrior each turn) even if only to feed slower growing towns.
Food is the one most powerful resource (as long as there's growth possible)! We'd waste half of it in our best town if we let it grow to size 7.

I had a recent extremely successful game where I built 1-turn-workers in the capital even in GA and it payed back BIG TIME

trebs over horses
Our temporary military strength (gave us the treaty with BABE and so) saves us from invasions for ~30 turns. When it ends we are close to (or beyond) Metallurgy and also already close to Railroads. Will anybody argue that our railroaded island is safe if guarded by 40+ H'Watchas untill bombers and tanks? Only a force of ~50 Sipahi would make me shiver then. Okay 100 MWs would be tough, too.
The clou is: Nobody would know our military is most arties. Nobody would test it.
If in Middle Ages we built a force of 30 trebs, 10 horses and 10 ACs, I'd feel quite comfortable. And I'd like the investment for the future.
Of course we wtach the power relations and adjust to the development.
Those 20 fast movers are also the force donsig suggested.

horses over ACs
ACs are nice for the moment, nice for the power graph - but obsolete after the Middle Ages. Horses last longer.
If we decide to disband forces, I'd disband ACs rather than horses.

Short term builds
So short term I'd build most of those libs, than get some galleys and trebs. And some horses (in The Admirality and The Silo). Casual workers when a town is running out of workable tiles.
The Chamber provides settlers for the islands, even suicide chain some over to the southern island.

We should chose a town for Cope's soon and start prebuilding it. And uni prebuilds where possible.

Golden Age
Right now I think we should try to delay our GA as long as possible.
I'd like to go head-to-head with FREE to the Modern Age. A Golden Age when (pre-)building space parts and researching the final techs would be huge.
However we should be ready to trigger it when we are threatened or have the chance to take over a weakened opponent.

 

[sirdanilot]

We can always trigger our GA by letting our hwacha bombard a 1 hp mw or something like that when needed, but I agree that having a GA during the space race will go a long way ensuring our win (if we get there intact, together with free of course).

The Internet wonder gives a GA for every trait, so we could prebuild for that and get it as soon as we're at Computers, and then go for all the required spaceship techs. That doesn't only give us our GA, but also a huge overall science boost. At least, as far as I know.

 

[donsig]

30 trebs would be expensive support-wise. I'm also not sure how they would be used in defense. Split into the three groups with the mobile units (10 trebs and 7 mobile per group)? Trouble is the three group strategy is based on the fast units being able to reach any invasion point. The trebs wouldn't be able to do that.

I think we're reaching consensus about settling all we can as soon as possible.

 

[Paul#42]

The trebs are meant as H'Watcha prebuilds.

I'd gamble that nobody will attack us before we have railroads and H'Watchas so the movement is only a minor problem.
Of course it also will take some time to rail our whole island...

Movement still IS a problem because they can't retreat into a save area after they struck but have to stay on an adjacent tile - but at least they can strike at once everywhere on our island, ignore terrain malefits and take out or weaken the intruder's strongest defenders before our fast units hit the rest.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

I do not think we should disband any AC until we have better units (knights/cavs) to replace them with. An AC is very similar to a knight.

The problem with having lots of trebs in our military is that it doesn't *look* strong, because bombardment is not highly rated.

In fact, to make us look strong, we really should build more MDI, which are twice as strong as horse to the Mil Advisor - ironic, of course, because I think that horse make us safer.

 

[tomasjj]

In fact, to make us look strong, we really should build more MDI, which are twice as strong as horse to the Mil Advisor - ironic, of course, because I think that horse make us safer.

Which is an interesting point in regards of team BABE's strength according to our mil advisor, assuming that MW and horsies are rated the same.

 

[Niklas]

They aren't. MWs are rated a lot higher than horses since they have 1 extra attack, and attack is the value worth the most.

 

[tomasjj]

They aren't. MWs are rated a lot higher than horses since they have 1 extra attack, and attack is the value worth the most.

All the better news then.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

well, an MDI is a better unit, in general, than a horse. It's just that in our situation (need a mobile defense so we can focus on infrastructure) and the weakness of the defense of the offensive unit we will likely get attacking us, the horsey is better...

But an MDI is a *much* better unit, in general.

 

[Paul#42]

I agree that horses and ACs are much more deterrent then arties.
I also agree we should not build many rax but rather some regular horses in less productive towns.
MDI's won't help but they are an emergency exit as long as we can keep our warriors around.

However BABE will (should) so totally focus on MWs soon, that we will (should) quickly lose sight of their power. Most important imo is this very moment, it shows a clear order of their potential victims' vulnerabilties. And we are way in front of the other two.

I assume, BABE also listen to their military advisor. Once we are rated weak to them, they won't expect us to get average again but that we would at least try. And they know we get ACs frequently.

So I don't see much need to build up more military to try to match their military power rating. We can't anyway - and we shouldn't.
Our way is science!

 

[General_W]

Couldn't agree with Paul#42 more!

So - ditto, his whole post.

 

[zyxy]

I'm not so happy building regulars. It's a waste of shields IMO. Rather, designate a few dedicated rax towns and train units from there.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

I don't much think we should train regulars.

IF war comes, we can take existing builds and cash rush them to regular horse, if we need them.

 

[tomasjj]

I'm not so happy building regulars. It's a waste of shields IMO. Rather, designate a few dedicated rax towns and train units from there.

Yup.
3 rax towns sounds good to me.

 

[Paul#42]

Three rax is also fine with me.
Although two would be sufficient, too. But no need to argue over one rax.
I'd like to rather distribute them over our island, so one in The Silo might be in order - and one in The Institute for instance.

And building regular units just if we need to build up our military. Might not be necessary at all. I did not plan to build many of them.
Actually I planned building regular trebs but was overruled

 

[Paul#42]

Regarding the Mounties on our island to the north - is that already an official claim by BABE or should we try to claim it by sending settlers (backed with pikes of course) there?

Is that subject to negotiation or is there an unwritten law in this game?

 

[General_W]

Is it just 2 MW's on that island?
From the screenshot, I could only tell that there were 2 units, and I assumed one would be a settler... ie, it's too late for us already.

Is that subject to negotiation or is there an unwritten law in this game?

No law that I know of... but if we don't want to start a war, we'd probably want to check with BABE before we drop a town right next to some of their Mounted Warriors.

 

[donsig]

Is it just 2 MW's on that island?
From the screenshot, I could only tell that there were 2 units, and I assumed one would be a settler... ie, it's too late for us already.

There are only two MWs in that stack - that's all we can see of the island right now. We'll see more of the land next turn- but remember, the center tile remains invisible to us until we land units there.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

if we have a settler there and they don't, I dont' see any problem with dropping a city there.

We have a peace treaty - if they abrogate it, it will hurt them for the rest of the game.

 

[General_W]

If they don't have a settler there already... I'd say it's first-come, first-serve.

Perhaps we should turn that galley around right now to go get a settler? control of those islands will be strategically very important. We could send a settler with an MedInf ideally... but sending at least a warrior along would be good. Hopefully our treaty protects us no matter what... but I'd rather not have an empty city as too tempting of a target.