How good are you without trade?

[MeatyThud]

We all know trade is OP. It's bound to be nerfed and I look forward to the day. I'm not saying it's ok or to tolerate unfinished game release.

However I like to challenge myself, so I like to play without using trade to see how well I can do without the OP trade. Yes it's a self imposed handicap, not everyone likes doing it. But I was wondering if anyone has managed to beat Soyuz or Apollo yet without using any trade, and what strategy they followed?

 

[Japper007]

Yup

Beat Soyuz without using trade routes and I think I could've done it on Apollo too, I just started wailing on the AI after I got CNDR's and easily cleared my continent (Terran map) and won an emancipation gate victory of the back of my massive puppet empire (ended up with over 40 cities, after raising about 20).

Trade route spam isn't the worst problem IMHO, it's the viability of going extremely wide/ICS due to health doing nothing. And the AI is appallingly bad at combat (what else is new) and can't seem to get affinity levels in a timely fashion, leaving it with outdated units that get one-shotted.

 

[yanner39]

Why are Trade Routes OP? Doesn't the AI have access to them?

Sent from my Q10 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Xenotitan]

Trade routes are considered OP because they are extremely powerful for the resources put into getting them. It's not just a question of the AI and the player being on equal footing, its a question of balance between different strategies as well.

 

[joncnunn]

Moderator Action: Moved to General Discussions

 

[Soronery]

Why are Trade Routes OP? Doesn't the AI have access to them?

I don't think the AI knows how to use them properly. Even if it did they would still be overpowered because of how much they add compared to other buildings/tiles.

 

[Kaigen]

And the AI is appallingly bad at combat (what else is new)

If I had a nickle for every time the AI made a simple Station attack look like Stalingrad...

 

[Gort]

I don't think the AI knows how to use them properly. Even if it did they would still be overpowered because of how much they add compared to other buildings/tiles.

This. The AI doesn't know trade is overpowered, so it doesn't beeline MAXIMUM TRADE ROUTES as much as the player does and is a pushover as a result.

 

[melcron]

Probably terrible. ;-) I am enjoying the Beyond Balance mod which limits trade routes to one.

 

[bladex]

i never use a single trade route the ai is just beyond stupid to beat their not needed. i thought the ai in civ5 was the worst i've seen boy was i wrong!

 

[Gort]

Probably terrible. ;-) I am enjoying the Beyond Balance mod which limits trade routes to one.

Likewise. I've hacked together an achievements and multiplayer-capable modpack that incorporates the "weaker trade" mod which limits trade routes to one per city. Game is so much better.