How do you play the Hittites?

[walletta]

Especially when in game after game they start in a large area free of luxuries (or just one at most) and most resources. I played a large continental game and found myself alone on an island with no iron, saltpetre or coal. And no luxuries either! I could defend myself well enough from marauding enemies until well into the industrial age but the no coal thing was too much.

The Enkidu warrior is very good - cheap (10 shields) and very effective in the early phases. You can mass produce these and doing so seems to keep everyone else at bay for a decent period. In fact, the problem is how not to make too many of them since they spew out in such numbers unless watched. And avoiding an early GA is no easy feat either.

But after several emperor games I don't seem to be getting anywhere with them. The agricultural + scientific traits + well chosen tech path certainly allow the build up of a decent tech lead but I keep getting overhauled.

Ideas please. Also, do some civs tend to start with few or no luxuries because it seems a distinctive trait with these guys.

 

[LordLydon]

Do you mean How do you play SUMERIAN'S? Because that's the UU and traits you're describing.

I haven't got to Emperor level yet, so I don't have any advice but I'd be interested in any responses as well.

 

[justanick]

With the exception of the seafaring feature of some civs the starting position does not depend on the civ you choose.

 

[walletta]

Oh, good point. Maybe I do mean the Sumerians. Sorry.

 

[Lanzelot]

Well, that's quite a difference... The Hittites are one of the weaker civs and not so easy to play, but Sumeria is actually a very strong civ and should almost "play itself"... The answer to your question on how to play them, however, depends on what victory condition you are trying to achieve...

 

[daft]

The Sumerian UU is quite overpoweringly cheap and good on D early on.

 

[templar_x]

i beg to differ. the Sumerian UU rather is the only weakness of this civ. you practically must not use it in combat so to avoid a premature GA. this makes using this extra-cheap unit a bit complicated in practice.
t_x

 

[walletta]

Well, that's quite a difference... The Hittites are one of the weaker civs and not so easy to play, but Sumeria is actually a very strong civ and should almost "play itself"... The answer to your question on how to play them, however, depends on what victory condition you are trying to achieve...

Any

The Sumerian UU is quite overpoweringly cheap and good on D early on.

i beg to differ. the Sumerian UU rather is the only weakness of this civ. you practically must not use it in combat so to avoid a premature GA. this makes using this extra-cheap unit a bit complicated in practice.
t_x

I agree with both comments! The EW seems to intimidate the AI into not making threats if you mass produce them but then you have too many. In one game I got to Republic only to find myself with no money to spare for anything except unit maintenance. If you don't make too many then you inevitably end up using them and triggering the GA.

 

[Buttercup]

Have you tried being pro-active in your scenario set-up and start location choice?

The main benefit of the Sumerians is the Agricultural trait combined with Science as a neat secondary, so, in the pre-game options, if you set the world to arid and rocky and then make sure you have no other opponents with the Agricultural trait then you are maxing out your advantage while minimising the opponent's traits. You should only have a couple of other civs which get lucky enough to have a good start.

You then reload until you get a good start location which complements this, fresh water/desert/floodplains being the primary benefit of a population focused civ.

 

[walletta]

Have you tried being pro-active in your scenario set-up and start location choice?

The main benefit of the Sumerians is the Agricultural trait combined with Science as a neat secondary, so, in the pre-game options, if you set the world to arid and rocky and then make sure you have no other opponents with the Agricultural trait then you are maxing out your advantage while minimising the opponent's traits. You should only have a couple of other civs which get lucky enough to have a good start.

You then reload until you get a good start location which complements this, fresh water/desert/floodplains being the primary benefit of a population focused civ.

This sounds good. Thanks. I had never thought of anything so devious. I have said it before: if you guys ever have a mind to conquer the planet, I'm on your side

 

[justanick]

An early GA can be useful to leave despotism early. That is a sensible way to utilize the increased research during GA.

 

[templar_x]

I agree with both comments! The EW seems to intimidate the AI into not making threats if you mass produce them but then you have too many. In one game I got to Republic only to find myself with no money to spare for anything except unit maintenance. If you don't make too many then you inevitably end up using them and triggering the GA.

if you built offense units instead you would have the same or better results in this regard and could actually do something with them.
t_x

 

[Lanzelot]

Any

Well, then let's pick a research victory condition... Space Race or United Nations.
In that case you can simply re-use the recipe given here

 

[walletta]

Well, then let's pick a research victory condition... Space Race or United Nations.
In that case you can simply re-use the recipe given here

I read that, thanks. I am stunned by the number of things I don't know about this game!

ETA I should confess I did not straightaway recognise the post but when I looked for the thread you posted it in I saw it was thread I started and that I had already replied to it. LOL. I only understood half of it first time round. Now I'm almost the whole way there. Btw. Lanzelot, you are right about everything but is military tradition really an optional tech? I need to go back and check that out.

 

[tjs282]

I read that, thanks. I am stunned by the number of things I don't know about this game!

ETA I should confess I did not straightaway recognise the post but when I looked for the thread you posted it in I saw it was thread I started and that I had already replied to it. LOL. I only understood half of it first time round. Now I'm almost the whole way there. Btw. Lanzelot, you are right about everything but is military tradition really an optional tech? I need to go back and check that out.

In the sense that you don't need it (or indeed most of the 'terminal-twig' techs on the Medieval tech-tree, apart from Magnetism and ToG) to get to the Industrial, yes it's optional.

In the sense that you may want Cavs, and maybe also MilAcad-produced/boosted Armies, to finish conquering your Continent if you haven't already done so, or to enable you to defend yourself against incoming AI-Cavs, or to gain the ability to use the MilAcad -- or its Armies -- as prebuilds for Hoovers or ToE, then no, it isn't 'optional'

 

[walletta]

In the sense that you don't need it (or indeed most of the 'terminal-twig' techs on the Medieval tech-tree, apart from Magnetism and ToG) to get to the Industrial, yes it's optional.

In the sense that you may want Cavs, and maybe also MilAcad-produced/boosted Armies, to finish conquering your Continent if you haven't already done so, or to enable you to defend yourself against incoming AI-Cavs, or to gain the ability to use the MilAcad -- or its Armies -- as prebuilds for Hoovers or ToE, then no, it isn't 'optional'

Crumbs, I had not even noticed that! So, when appropriate, I can bypass it and rush straight for Scientific Method and the T of E in my customary fashion Geez, what a moron!