Askthepizzaguy
Know the Dark Side
Greetings.
So upon re-read before posting it, I've noted this is kinda long and rambly.
I'd like to highlight the stuff I'm looking for specific responses to, in bold and blue.
ABOUT ME:
So that's where I'm at with regard to my skill development. Hardly a world-class player by any means.
That being said, I've been getting more experience at warfare and lately have been trying to base my entire game around the following strategy:
That's the general idea, pardon the pun.
Most of my empire has libraries, markets, is building either wealth or research, and my outer cities are building theaters. I'm setting up Longbows and Spears and Axes on hilly forests on the borders of my empire (and specifically settling cities behind these fortifications). I'm building Forts on these forest hills and clearing the land tiles around it, connecting these forts to each other via road, and manning the forts with sentry chariots, and moving my defensive stack wherever it is needed.
I've been playing with Imperialistic, Charismatic, Industrious, and Philosophical, trying to see which traits mesh the best with this strategy.
If I want to play more peaceful and building-oriented, I pick industrious or philosophical, and if I want to practice my hand at war, I pick Charismatic. I use Imperialistic all the time, specifically for the Great General, and combine that with my use of the Great Wall.
Now, what I'm driving at. Since my strategy here revolves around one city being like a super-military city, I'm trying to figure out what's the best way to set that up.
Obviously Food and Production are the most important considerations for the city. I usually put it on a riverside plains hill near at least one decent food resource and several floodplains or grassland riversides. I mine whatever hills are nearby.
National wonders....
Should I go Heroic Epic, or just emphasize mines and workshops and farms? I'm trying to churn out a unit per turn, or at worst, 1 unit per two turns. If my production is decent enough should I skip Heroic Epic here?
I can always settle a General and make a Military Academy here, for the +50% unit production bonus, but Heroic Epic is +100%. If the goal is 1 turn per unit generated, I probably need Heroic Epic, don't I?
I also probably want West Point, for the +4 experience per unit generated. That way I don't have to burn two generals to get those +4 exp per unit. But that comes kinda late. The game could be won or lost by then.
Should I build Ironworks instead of Heroic Epic? The extra production boosts unit production as well....
What about the Red Cross? The free medic promotion could be handy. I've been using Spain for the Citadel bonuses for siege units, and routinely attach medic promotions to things like chariots. So... I don't think I necessarily need the Medic I promotion. I usually have a few healers in every stack and they aren't powerful units so they don't tend to be the first ones to die. Plus several chariots around means I never worry about axes ever. They just become a chance to promote my medics.
What about the Globe Theater to draft indefinitely? Is that really necessary if my unit production is high enough as it is?
In fact, since I can only put 2 in any one city, should I do like a combination of these wonders in 2 different cities?
_____________________________________
What about this....
In one city, I focus on experience first, production second.
In the other city, I focus on production first, experience second.
I settle the remaining Generals such that the first city will generate level 3 units without needing both vassalage and theocracy, and then the goal is for the same with the second city, and then the goal is to generate level 4 units in the first city by whatever means available (likely with vassalage and theocracy).
Either city should be able to generate one unit per every one or two turns, and eventually both should be generating level 3 units. I should be able to draft my most experienced units in a crisis, and I should be generating lots of my second most experienced units near-constantly.
First city should have excellent Food first, and decent hammers. The food is to replace pop from slavery or drafting. Goal is for each unit generated to be superior.
Second city should have hammers galore and enough food to work it. Will never use drafting or slavery that much, goal is to just work the tiles.
_________________________
How to generate Great General points faster?
I note withdrawing units such as Warlord led units with 30% withdrawal, Flanking units, and siege units, get experience and credit for defeating an opposing unit without destroying it.
So, ideally, I should be softening every stack of enemies with flanking or siege or both, whichever is most appropriate. Then I should be promoting my Combat forces and my City Raiders. Then I should finish up with my Medics to get at least Medic II or the moving medic promotion for all my chariots.
This way I lose the least amount of units and gain the most experience.
========================
So those are the ideas I've read about or blindly blundered into on my own.
But, what do you do?
Do you employ any tactics like this? Do you have a better idea?
I know some folks prefer to attach their warlord to a unit and generate winning battles that way. A heavily promoted combat/city raider with high strength should win as long as the walls are weakened. Thus, it should be winning a battle almost every turn, provided enough medics, plus travel time to the nearest city.
What unit should I use for my First Warlord attached unit?
Many thanks in advance to any useful advice you might offer. Especially if you regularly play at higher levels. I want to be able to beat the AI at harder levels but they usually seem to be much more spammy with their units and likely to attack me before I can get properly set up. I figure having better experienced units and a game-long strategy for generating them would give me a fighting chance.
So upon re-read before posting it, I've noted this is kinda long and rambly.
I'd like to highlight the stuff I'm looking for specific responses to, in bold and blue.
ABOUT ME:
Spoiler :
I regularly play and win at Prince level, so I'm moving up to Monarch.
I typically attempt to win via peaceful means or diplomatic ones, and have been tinkering with my cottage economies and specialist economies. Moving away from cottages has gotten me a bit better and allowed the move up to Monarch for me.
I noticed that under caste system or when utilizing specialists in general I was able to break free of the crippling weight of routine maintenance and research, and could move my gold slider up more, giving me the funds to actually wage war and expand, something I'd been having trouble with. I have also been getting better at the whole binary research concept.
Also helpful is tying up the AI with constant warfare, among each other, and against me. This seems to slow down their research.
And of course, I've been playing more on Epic and Marathon, which I've noted people say drops the difficulty a bit. And now my units are actually worth building as they might be useful for capturing more than 3 cities before being useless.
I typically attempt to win via peaceful means or diplomatic ones, and have been tinkering with my cottage economies and specialist economies. Moving away from cottages has gotten me a bit better and allowed the move up to Monarch for me.
I noticed that under caste system or when utilizing specialists in general I was able to break free of the crippling weight of routine maintenance and research, and could move my gold slider up more, giving me the funds to actually wage war and expand, something I'd been having trouble with. I have also been getting better at the whole binary research concept.
Also helpful is tying up the AI with constant warfare, among each other, and against me. This seems to slow down their research.
And of course, I've been playing more on Epic and Marathon, which I've noted people say drops the difficulty a bit. And now my units are actually worth building as they might be useful for capturing more than 3 cities before being useless.
So that's where I'm at with regard to my skill development. Hardly a world-class player by any means.
That being said, I've been getting more experience at warfare and lately have been trying to base my entire game around the following strategy:
Spoiler :
1) Build Great Wall.
2) Early war to get a great general, use that to promote one attacking unit many times and become very powerful. Use that early war to remove the nearest AI which is an actual threat to expansion and would later become even more dangerous.
3) Expand and develop a specialist or hybrid economy, generate wealth and research up to roughly the middle ages. Get Catapults, Swords, Axes, Horse Archers, Chariots, Spears, etc.
4) Using my deep pockets, fund wars against the biggest powers with the most units nearest to me.
5) Goad them into attacking me, then weaken their stacks with catapults and flanking, finish them off to spread the experience around.
6) Settle great generals in one city, where the Heroic Epic is.
7) Eventually the Heroic Epic city is capable of churning out level 3 or better units. City Raider III Swords and Catapults, Combat 2 anti-mounted Spears, Drill 3 Longbows, Flanking Horse Archers, Combat III Horse Archers, Medic Chariots, Woodsman III Axes, Guerrilla III Archers, etc.
2) Early war to get a great general, use that to promote one attacking unit many times and become very powerful. Use that early war to remove the nearest AI which is an actual threat to expansion and would later become even more dangerous.
3) Expand and develop a specialist or hybrid economy, generate wealth and research up to roughly the middle ages. Get Catapults, Swords, Axes, Horse Archers, Chariots, Spears, etc.
4) Using my deep pockets, fund wars against the biggest powers with the most units nearest to me.
5) Goad them into attacking me, then weaken their stacks with catapults and flanking, finish them off to spread the experience around.
6) Settle great generals in one city, where the Heroic Epic is.
7) Eventually the Heroic Epic city is capable of churning out level 3 or better units. City Raider III Swords and Catapults, Combat 2 anti-mounted Spears, Drill 3 Longbows, Flanking Horse Archers, Combat III Horse Archers, Medic Chariots, Woodsman III Axes, Guerrilla III Archers, etc.
That's the general idea, pardon the pun.
Most of my empire has libraries, markets, is building either wealth or research, and my outer cities are building theaters. I'm setting up Longbows and Spears and Axes on hilly forests on the borders of my empire (and specifically settling cities behind these fortifications). I'm building Forts on these forest hills and clearing the land tiles around it, connecting these forts to each other via road, and manning the forts with sentry chariots, and moving my defensive stack wherever it is needed.
I've been playing with Imperialistic, Charismatic, Industrious, and Philosophical, trying to see which traits mesh the best with this strategy.
If I want to play more peaceful and building-oriented, I pick industrious or philosophical, and if I want to practice my hand at war, I pick Charismatic. I use Imperialistic all the time, specifically for the Great General, and combine that with my use of the Great Wall.
Now, what I'm driving at. Since my strategy here revolves around one city being like a super-military city, I'm trying to figure out what's the best way to set that up.
Obviously Food and Production are the most important considerations for the city. I usually put it on a riverside plains hill near at least one decent food resource and several floodplains or grassland riversides. I mine whatever hills are nearby.
National wonders....
Should I go Heroic Epic, or just emphasize mines and workshops and farms? I'm trying to churn out a unit per turn, or at worst, 1 unit per two turns. If my production is decent enough should I skip Heroic Epic here?
I can always settle a General and make a Military Academy here, for the +50% unit production bonus, but Heroic Epic is +100%. If the goal is 1 turn per unit generated, I probably need Heroic Epic, don't I?
I also probably want West Point, for the +4 experience per unit generated. That way I don't have to burn two generals to get those +4 exp per unit. But that comes kinda late. The game could be won or lost by then.
Should I build Ironworks instead of Heroic Epic? The extra production boosts unit production as well....
What about the Red Cross? The free medic promotion could be handy. I've been using Spain for the Citadel bonuses for siege units, and routinely attach medic promotions to things like chariots. So... I don't think I necessarily need the Medic I promotion. I usually have a few healers in every stack and they aren't powerful units so they don't tend to be the first ones to die. Plus several chariots around means I never worry about axes ever. They just become a chance to promote my medics.
What about the Globe Theater to draft indefinitely? Is that really necessary if my unit production is high enough as it is?
In fact, since I can only put 2 in any one city, should I do like a combination of these wonders in 2 different cities?
_____________________________________
What about this....
In one city, I focus on experience first, production second.
- Barracks, Stables, Walls, Citadel. (+exp)
- I build an Academy (+50% unit production, costs one Great General)\
- Settle Great Generals.
- Globe Theater (National Wonder) (For drafting without unhappiness)
- I put West Point (National Wonder) (+4 exp)
In the other city, I focus on production first, experience second.
- Barracks, Stables, Walls, Citadel. (+exp)
- Heroic Epic (National Wonder) (+100% unit production)
- Settle Great Generals.
- Ironworks (Hammer boost)
I settle the remaining Generals such that the first city will generate level 3 units without needing both vassalage and theocracy, and then the goal is for the same with the second city, and then the goal is to generate level 4 units in the first city by whatever means available (likely with vassalage and theocracy).
Either city should be able to generate one unit per every one or two turns, and eventually both should be generating level 3 units. I should be able to draft my most experienced units in a crisis, and I should be generating lots of my second most experienced units near-constantly.
First city should have excellent Food first, and decent hammers. The food is to replace pop from slavery or drafting. Goal is for each unit generated to be superior.
Second city should have hammers galore and enough food to work it. Will never use drafting or slavery that much, goal is to just work the tiles.
_________________________
How to generate Great General points faster?
I note withdrawing units such as Warlord led units with 30% withdrawal, Flanking units, and siege units, get experience and credit for defeating an opposing unit without destroying it.
So, ideally, I should be softening every stack of enemies with flanking or siege or both, whichever is most appropriate. Then I should be promoting my Combat forces and my City Raiders. Then I should finish up with my Medics to get at least Medic II or the moving medic promotion for all my chariots.
This way I lose the least amount of units and gain the most experience.
========================
So those are the ideas I've read about or blindly blundered into on my own.
But, what do you do?
Do you employ any tactics like this? Do you have a better idea?
I know some folks prefer to attach their warlord to a unit and generate winning battles that way. A heavily promoted combat/city raider with high strength should win as long as the walls are weakened. Thus, it should be winning a battle almost every turn, provided enough medics, plus travel time to the nearest city.
What unit should I use for my First Warlord attached unit?
- Axeman or Swordsman? ---> Macemen, etc? [Aiming for Combat and City Raider?)
- Horse Archer -----> Knight, etc? (Aiming for Combat and Flanking?)
- Catapult or Trebuchet? (City Raider + Barrage?)
- Chariot for the super medic? (Medic III?)
Many thanks in advance to any useful advice you might offer. Especially if you regularly play at higher levels. I want to be able to beat the AI at harder levels but they usually seem to be much more spammy with their units and likely to attack me before I can get properly set up. I figure having better experienced units and a game-long strategy for generating them would give me a fighting chance.