How to play India in MP

[morikahn]

Any tips on this guy? Not someone I'd normally play, but on a game that was random leaders, I got stuck with him.

Went Tradition route as, I couldn't see how to pull off early expansion with Liberty and deal with the massive unhappiness penalty for cities.

Getting Elephant Warriors early helped me against a player doing a sword rush, but I only really pulled it off cause I managed to score the pyramids and hanging gardens (had a real sweet city with marble and 4 stable resources), and had a river to defend across.

 

[Tabarnak]

Not easy to play with this guy especially against rushers. Expansion is not instantaneous like other civs, more like step by step situation. Get a lux or 2 before settling other cities i guess.

 

[apocalypse105]

Going straight to civilil service to hold off rushes

Pikeman and a few archers can beat rushes

 

[morikahn]

Is this a Civ where its actually recommended to go Tradition route?

 

[Silverfuturist]

Conquor a city state, annex and build courthouse. Big happy bonus from that, based upon India's special treatment of happiness, net impact of +6 happy on the empire. Can also do with any puppet.

 

[KiffeLesBiffles]

You cant play India in MP if you are not isolated or protected.
Maybe in industrial/futur start games are ok because city start with 4 pop near the break point at 6 pop ?

 

[tommynt]

India isnt as bad as many people make it out to be.
Well at least if you got some lux around you.

I d definatly go normal liberty - maybe if cap land is good free worker before settler --> grow cap to 5/6 fast.

Settle new cities only at position with Lux - depending on map you ll end up with 4 cities and a big cap (which can have gl in it if u r good) after like 40 turns - thats good enough start.
On the mirror map which got loads of lux I managed to build 6 or 7 cities before turn 45.

But well obviously india is only civ with a penalty instead a pro and no1 likes it for a reason.

 

[TheH1tcher]

I've not played India on MP as yet, but I think prioritize workers get 2 or 3 (depending on terrain) pop the settler from Liberty and make sure you've got the tech to connect all local luxuries. At this point, I think its debatable whether its worth finishing liberty or switching over to tradition.

The advantage with Gandi is once you have the happiness to overcome the initial costs of cities you can build much bigger ones, therefore it is worth promoting growth and reducing unhappiness.

 

[DaveMcW]

Have everyone agree to reroll if anyone gets India.

 

[apocalypse105]

You know india is the ICS king right in civ 5 ?

I don't know why but it is true

 

[Silverfuturist]

You know india is the ICS king right in civ 5 ?

I don't know why but it is true

In the longer term, yes! Once a city grows past size 6 it is all gravy. However, in skirmish-type team games, there is so much pressure applied quickly that early produciton is essential for survival.

 

[morikahn]

Yah, I don't see how India could be Infinite City Sprawl King in multiplayer.

Every city you plop is gonna add 7 unhappiness right off the bat. If you managed to get the Forbidden Palace, had Meritocracy, Military Caste, Professional Army, either Organized Religion or Humanism, and had opened Communism for the +1 happiness per city.. yah it could work.

I'd love to see someone pull that off thought against competent players.

 

[Silverfuturist]

Yah, I don't see how India could be Infinite City Sprawl King in multiplayer.

Every city you plop is gonna add 7 unhappiness right off the bat. If you managed to get the Forbidden Palace, had Meritocracy, Military Caste, Professional Army, either Organized Religion or Humanism, and had opened Communism for the +1 happiness per city.. yah it could work.

I'd love to see someone pull that off thought against competent players.

Consider this: a regular city adds 1 unhappy per person. India adds 1/2 unhappy per person. A size 6 India city is "break even" compared to other civs, and a size 7 city in India causes less unhappy than a size 7 city from another civ.

With tradition/monarchy policy, the capital further cuts its unhappy in half! With tradition aristocracy, each 10nth person adds no unhappy. So the capital can virtually grow without causing unhappy. The lux/happy buildings in the capital are "used" to help offset those starter cities.

So I accept your challenge! I will try this on a continents map. However - how do you define competent players?

 

[DaveMcW]

With tradition/monarchy policy, the capital further cuts its unhappy in half!

This actually means Monarchy is worth 3 to India, and 6 to non-India at size 12.

 

[Silverfuturist]

This actually means Monarchy is worth 3 to India, and 6 to non-India at size 12.

Thanks for replying. I must have interpretated it wrong! I was thinking 50% x 50%.

Also, adding in Meritocracy (an extra 5% + every city connection), and the wonder lottery (can I get Chichen, Notre, Taj, etc) I am anticipating many large Indian cities!

 

[Silverfuturist]

This actually means Monarchy is worth 3 to India, and 6 to non-India at size 12.

I can verify this for sure. Played a game as India today and popped Monarchy when capital was size 8. Got 2 extra happy, not 4.

The game crashed (I read steam is down, that prob caused the crash) but my happy was 21 and I had 4 cities, with the capital being size 12! I was fortunate enough to get Chichen and Notre, so minus the wonders I was doing well at 21-14 = 7 happy. This is without coloseums, circus maximus or meritocracy! (I did have 1 circus.) My 3rd city was a puppet I annexed to get the +6 happy bonus... I was getting ready to plant a few more cities with a backup plan of being able to generate +6 happy from the other puppet. I had 5 unique lux to go along with the 4 cities.

 

[morikahn]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Infinite City Sprawl is about having a lot of cities, not 3 or 4 with large populations.

If you can pull of, say... 8 cities, I'd be impressed.

As for competent players, I'd say anyone on this forum would suffice.

 

[Silverfuturist]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Infinite City Sprawl is about having a lot of cities, not 3 or 4 with large populations.

If you can pull of, say... 8 cities, I'd be impressed.

As for competent players, I'd say anyone on this forum would suffice.

I will get a screenshot with an India game that goes farther along than that one did in the near future.

 

[Silverfuturist]

I will get a screenshot with an India game that goes farther along than that one did in the near future.

India succes:

Today's continents FFA: 3 of us left (France and Rome) I conquored my continent (Iroquois and a city state, razed the Iroquois cities w/unique lux cuz it was earlier in teh game) Germany conquored by France. Annexed an Iroquois puppet to get the +6 net happy benefit.

The only happy wonder I got was Chichen. Notre, Taj, Forbidden taken by others. I didn't build Circus Maximus because I still have coloseums to build. Most of my cities do not have theatres yet and my happy is +8. Got some happy from CS allies. I have over 20 happy available in buildings I have not made yet.

France and Rome were both slightly ahead on tech. But my population was crushing and I had 5 great scientists saved up.

I did not make more cities because I did not want to delay rationalism. I had liberty and tradition filled out, and used the freedom opener for more great people.

Conclusion: France entered modern, declared war on Rome who was not prepared. Rome left, then France right a fter, so I won by simply not quitting I could pop nukes or mech infantry at any time, but because the higher techs take so much more science, I was gonig to hard tech every thing and only pop great scientists if pressured. If they didn't pressure me, I would save the scientists and rationalism to build a spaceship.

At the start of the game I had 2 cities until I conquored the Iroquois. Those elephants made a big difference, they could survive mohawk strikes. 5 elephants + 2 swords quickly take down a city in that age.

 

[Tabarnak]

You could also win by diplomacy. I don't know how much cs you need when you drop the number of them. Probably a percentage. If you need 9 of them for a standrad map, i guess that you need approximatively a bit more than half of them to get a diplo win.

What if only 1 or 2 cs are on a map? Can you still win by diplo?