Infinite City Sleaze on Prince

[Zulu]

I need help with my general strategy. I've finally starting playing Prince after reading a lot of the posts here which have helped tremendously. I hope to beat Deity one day.

Alright, so I've decided to play using the ICS as it seems like most powerful way to play the game.

I'm deciding between three options. LMK which one you think is best:

1.) Cities 2 spaces apart...reserve a big nice un-infringed space for the SSC.

2.) Cities 2 spaces apart...no wasting time with the SSC.

3.) Cities one beside one another!

I've been trying option 2 with the least success. I know using ICS is supposed to eliminate the problem of unhappiness but it's my main problem!!

Usually...I build 1 warrior for defense and marechal law and then only settlers. [I use the units from huts as exploration]. Should I be building 2 warriors? If so, in what order?

BTW, I'd really like to use democracy and republic but I'm stuck using Monarchy due to the unhappiness...and even then it's a rampant problem. My goal is to get an insurmontable tech lead and then go to Fundy in the end game to finish off all the other civs.

BTW, I'm playing on a large map with a lot of land and 3 civs until I get better.

BTW, how do caravans factor into ICS?

Sorry for all the questions guys!

-Zulu

 

[duke o' york]

You can't have cities closer than 2 spaces apart, so that rules out option 3!
I'd definitely leave the SSC with as much space as it needs, but choose the site carefully! Don't forget that you'll need Hanging Gardens more than any other wonder if you plan to play ICS, and having it in the SSC will bring great benefits for your civ with Monarchy celebrations. I wouldn't bother setting a rule of each city two squares away from the next if it means you'll end up founding on mountains and swamps with no chance of growth but just spread those cities out as far as you can and then work them for all they're worth! It'll be a good idea to go for Map Making at an early stage in the game as this will let you continue your expansion on another continent at the same time as the first!

 

[Old n Slow]

Whether you have small cities, medium cities or larger cities, some things are common to all: build some roads to and from the cities -- both for faster travel and also to get trade arrows. Second double click on the city icon & in the city window click on a citizen (say to two food grass space) & move that citizen to the two food grass road space (pick the shield ones first) or maybe drop that worker onto a water space for one food & two arrows. These road arrows are probably THE major source for the base for science, tax & luxury.

 

[funxus]

I have never tried ICS, and the reason is that I get bored when I have too many cities to manage. Since I conquer my enemies in modern era, they grow large, just like me and that means I sometimes get over 120 cities to manage every turn. This means I sometimes spend half an hour on each turn ,and is not to recommend. It is very possible to win at Deity without playing ICS, so IF you get bored, you can always try thenon-ICS ways

 

[Zulu]

LOL, I just noticed option #3 doesn't work Duke! I thought I had read that somewhere...

I guess I'm just looking for the perfect strategy. Using ICS I've finally been able to beat the game on Prince which is an accomplishment for me. [I'm beating Prince easily]

When I move up to higher levels I want to know how to modify my strategy.

I'm thinking of [using a large map with 3 civs---This strategy is on a large continent, to be modified on islands]:

Using ICS Early. 2 spaces apart unless it's ridiculous to do so as Duke pointed out.

No irrigation, roads, whatever, just expansion.

Rush to monarchy while doing this.

PROBLEM Here: What military units should I build? For defense and marechal law? ANd in what order? I really need help here. If there are enemies, I'll take them out immediately and this strategy is modified accordingly. I figure ICS should work great for early battles and demanding tribute.

Once I hit AD and I have [hopefullly] 50 cities or so including one reserved for the SSC I go all out for caravans and improvements preparing me for Democracy. All remaing settlers will build roads and irrigate frantically. Then I switch to Democracy and if all goes well I'll have a great deal of cities to work with and caravans will be pouring in money and techs. I'll look for my enemies and trade with them for the tech. [Seafaring and all that should be discovered so I can go far away with caravans].

When I have all the techs, fundy for the final battle.

Now, I need help piecing this together. I've yet to find a single place with a complete and thorough strategy to follow so I'm devising my own!

Thanks a lot guys...any comments and criticisms are welcome!

-Zulu

 

[ElephantU]

Originally posted by Zulu
No irrigation, roads, whatever, just expansion.

My understanding of ICS was that you needed at least one road between the different cities, for getting extra trade and being able to rush defenders to threatened spots.

Rush to monarchy while doing this.

Definitely. And rush to Hanging Gardens too.

PROBLEM Here: What military units should I build? For defense and marechal law? ANd in what order? I really need help here. If there are enemies, I'll take them out immediately and this strategy is modified accordingly.

Assuming you have a simple road network connecting the ICS cities, you need a few cheap defenders (Phalanx/Pike) and a few cheap mobile units (Horse/Chariot). Keep them OUT of the cities once the number of cities starts to exceed the limit for generating "very unhappy" citizens (usually more than a dozen, a few more if large map) once you have Hanging Gardens. There is a trick to using HG with ICS that requires you NOT have martial law defenders in your cities. So they need to be able to move fast to get to the threat.

Once I hit AD and I have [hopefullly] 50 cities or so including one reserved for the SSC I go all out for caravans and improvements preparing me for Democracy. All remaing settlers will build roads and irrigate frantically. Then I switch to Democracy and if all goes well I'll have a great deal of cities to work with and caravans will be pouring in money and techs.

With a decent SSC established in the first 1000yrs, you should be hitting Republic before 1000BC. Consider switching for extra trade.

When I have all the techs, fundy for the final battle.

Read up on Power Democracy, either follow Starlifters link to check Apolyton.Net/civ2.

Now, I need help piecing this together. I've yet to find a single place with a complete and thorough strategy to follow so I'm devising my own!

The best strategy is your own... But study other peoples games to learn some tricks and tactics!

 

[Zulu]

Thanks a lot Elephant U....I appreciate it.

I did a lot of thinking and here is my revised and complete strategy:

NON ISOLATION [7 civs]:

ICS!!

Settler, Warrior, Settler, Warrior, Only Settlers [No roads, no irrigation, only cities till later]

Rush to Monarchy while continueing expansion.

Research Early useless wonder [Colossus for example] and switch to GL when it becomes available. Once the GL is acquired set Science to: 0%. Lux: 30%. Tax: 70%.

Forget the Pyramids, Colossus [no SSC], lighthouse.

Go for: Great Wall, Hanging Gardens, Marco Polo,

If necessary get trade to build food caravans for key wonders.

[Still expanding]. Upon contact demand tribute. Keep demanding tribute every turn and attack if they refuse.

Set Science back up temporarily and rush to Fundamentalism.

Switch to Fundie.

Science: O%, Lux: 20%, Tax: 80%

Demand Tribute, Fight, Bribe and fight till total domination.

=============

ISOLATION [3 CIVS]:

Build Cities in good locations-- plan for 15 in total.

Order of things to build: Settler, Settler, Temple, Settler [optional at this point...once 15 cities are established and sufficient settlers are improving the land]

Rush to Monarchy and then Philosophy.

Have several settlers improve the land. Only have 7-8 settlers for such purposes once 15 cities are there.

By now and Ideal SSC should be established.

Get Pyramids. [Not all that necessary]. Build Colossus in SSC. Get Hanging Gardens. Forget the Great wall, Marco Polo and GL.

Start major trading with caravans. Make peace [you have no military units anyway!]. Be very nice with 2 other civs and ask to trade maps. Send caravans to far away civs!

Rehome several caravans to SSC!

Rush to Democracy. [Every city has a temple and no military units]

Get all wonders from here on in with food caravans primarily.

All Science wonders built in SSC.

Set Lux to 40-50 and get PDS for max growth.

Use Airport Trick.

[Go all out for Tech with trading and improvements. ]

Finish with space ship [major tech edge] or switch to fundie and conquer all.

=========

I'm beating the game on King [not by all that much tho] having played extremely badly. I automated everything, built random things, barely traded and entered pointless wars and I'm still winning. WIth these strats I think I can beat the game on Emperor...

What do you guys think?

Cheers!!

-Zulu

 

[Dark Ascendant]

The key to winning is strict micromanagement. Don't trust things to the computer, do it right on your own.

 

[ACR]

What is an ICS?

 

[funxus]

I have never played it, but it's a strategy where you found a lot of cities close, i.e. overlapping. Then you keep the cities small so that wonders like mike's and HG is enough to take care of unhappiness in your cities. Something like that at least