How soon, if ever do you build Embassies

[bambam190]

I've been playing around with this to see if it makes a difference or if there is any strategical value to when you build embassies.


I usually go for them as soon as I disocover a civ, if for nothing more the future relations and the chance to get a ROP or MPP later on. Ive tried experementing with not using them, building in some Civs but not others and building them later just for espionage missions.

Is there a artical or any other info that anyone has on this?

Thanks in advance

~bambam

 

[MAS]

I build them when I can, that means, when I have the tech, the contact and the gold for it. I delay building them if I was planning to use the gold to upgrade warriors to swords for an early war, or if I need the gold to trade for a tech.

Embassies give information on who has contact with who, who is allied and who is at war, and allow diplomatic agreements such as MA's.

The ability to form MA's can be useful if the need arises, it would be bad if you suddenly need an MA, and then realizes you first need an embassy, but don't have the gold at that moment. So you must lower your SCI slider and wait a turn, but in the inter turn, your enemy allies with the other civ instead.

The value of knowing who has contact, and what kind of relationship with who is difficult to determine, but its very valuable, as it allows you to trade more effectively.

I rarely lower the SCI slider for it though, but I use gold I acquire in trade or busting barb camps.

 

[AnsonMage]

I don't think I've ever built an embassy. I typically have so much espionage against my opponents that they just aren't necessary. I usually have no problem seeing just about anything I want about a civilization (what they're researching, what their military force is like, what each city is building and hell, if I'm close enough I can even tell what they have in each city without needing an embassy.

 

[MAS]

espionage comes in the IA, and embassies with writing, I don't see how you can live without intelligence for that long...

 

[The Professor]

I usually build embassies pretty soon after meeting a civ. If I think I'm going to have an early war with a civ, I may hold off building an embassy until right before I declare war, so that I can get a good look at the military they're building in the capitol, which is usually their most heavily-defended city.

I realize you can accomplish the same thing by using the "investigate city" option on the same screen, but it usually costs about the same, so for me, it's a two-for-the-price-of-one kind of a deal.

 

[bambam190]

^^^ Nice tip ^^^^

I just went home for lunch and played a game which I accomplised just that.

beat the snot out of the Babs.

 

[Nergal]

I've found that its the Civs I dont have embassies with that go to war. I've even had 'annoyed' change to polite just after building an embassy. I always do it as soon as poss.

 

[12 Bar Blues]

I generally spend just about all my cash on research, so it's quite rare that I build embassies early on. I generally do when I need a MA or a ROP.

 

[marineman]

I usually build them ASAP I mean it helps you steal tech, investigate cities, see what the politics are like stuff like that. I also really believe if you are having wars with people before you have embassies you should be playing on chieftain

 

[Sweetchuck]

Immediately, whenever possible.

I've found that, not that it really matters, civs who can build them first do so - but when I build one, I've never had a reciprocal build in my capital.

 

[DBear]

I build embassies if I have the cash available and don't need it for unit upgrades.

 

[iambenben]

as soon as i get the tech/meet the civs usually

 

[The Professor]

I've found that, not that it really matters, civs who can build them first do so - but when I build one, I've never had a reciprocal build in my capital.

This is because when a civ builds an embassy in your capital, you automatically get one in theirs. However, you don't get the free peak at their capital city, which may or may not be important. So, in other words, building an embassy first prevents the other civ from seeing your capital, but letting them build an embassy first saves you money. And you get the same improvement in their attitude toward you either way.

 

[Mao Zendog]

dont waste your free peek at an enemys/allies captial as soon as you get writing! The best time to establish an embassy is right before you are going to go to war with someone. If you want to go to war with a civ, estabilish an embassy with them to get an idea of there production and army size. If someone is building a wonder in there capital that you perticularly want, build an embassy to get an idea as to when they are going to complete it. Whatever you do, dont waste your free look on a 2 pop captial that is still building settelers!

 

[Aabraxan]

I don't build them immediately on writing, but I do build them: (1) when I'm ready to begin trading for gpt; (2) when I need a peek to see how far off that wonder they're building is; (3) to help fill in some of the map; or (4) when I want an alliance against someone else.

 

[Pyrrhos]

Some good pointers here! I usually delay until I want to build a specific wonder (such as the GL). The free look will tell me if I have a chance or not. I hate ending up with the short stick and have to build a 395-shield colloseum...

 

[Flak509]

Personally i build embassies when i need them to make an alliance or right of passage, by the later stages i suppose i end up with having embassies with all nations

 

[Headbanger]

I awlways buld them. THen if I get attack I dogpile the country.

 

[GuitarHero]

I build them as soon as possible. For military alliances and easy troop movement.