Is the Roman Empire too weak in Civ 5?

[Druin]

I feel people underestimate the usefullness of the UA because it is unspectacular. Something taking 24 turns instead of 30 isn't 'wow, that won me the game' but it definately adds up.
Also, not much can stand up to a Legion/Ballista army.

A note of critique to the start bias though: from what I read the start bias for Rome is a start near river, which is nice historically (the river Tiber, iirc?) but really the built-in bias here should be 'Iron in capital range' or something. True, you don't need iron to be dominant (yay horses) but playing Rome without Iron isn't much fun.

My 2

I couldn't agree more!

The UA has enough synergy with ICS that Rome is a perfectly competitive Civ while not being terribly overpowered. However, the iron thing is pretty annoying. Not having iron doesn't make Rome a bad civ, it just makes the game you are playing with Rome a lot less fun.

I just played a deity Rome game last night where I (valiantly) defended my empire against two civs while expanding and teching iron working and felt really good about my play. Then, ironworking landed as I built a settler in order to plop a city wherever was needed and BAM ... no iron ANYWHERE in all the unsettled territory or my current empire. I could have kept playing, I was in a pretty strong position for an early longsword rush on two neighbors ... but I was so looking forward to making ballistas and defending my expanding empire that I just started a new game

New start bias plx!

 

[CHEESE!]

The British lost control of it's empire and were beat by a militia even.

That's a good one!

.... Oh God he's not joking.

 

[Duo]

No, I'm glad Rome isn't OP for once...

 

[scytheavatar]

Do people actually build swordsmen and catapults? I always just rush for Longswordsmen and I never understood why anyone would bother to build those 2 units.

 

[Sonereal]

The test is not how well the human can play the Romans but how well the ai performs. Augustus seems to be not a competitor in the games I have seen. Prob due to his depression.

Then it's an AI problem. Not the problem with the civilization itself.

 

[Vulgus]

I can't vote in your poll because you are missing:

Rome is great if you know how to play them.

lol, epic win

 

[Sonereal]

Do people actually build swordsmen and catapults? I always just rush for Longswordsmen and I never understood why anyone would bother to build those 2 units.

Because the Longsword rush is only useful if you're going for a domination victory.

 

[Martin Alvito]

Because the Longsword rush is only useful if you're going for a domination victory.

This is not true, but it is much more true post-patch. Since my puppets won't staff Libraries and Unis, I actually have to build cities, which sharply decreases the utility of puppets. But clearing out the continent and crippling the locals can still be advantageous, especially if you're Montezuma.

 

[Sonereal]

This is not true, but it is much more true post-patch. Since my puppets won't staff Libraries and Unis, I actually have to build cities, which sharply decreases the utility of puppets. But clearing out the continent and crippling the locals can still be advantageous, especially if you're Montezuma.

If can be advantageous but at that point, I don't see why you just don't go ahead and finish the job.

 

[CultureManiac]

I couldn't agree more!

The UA has enough synergy with ICS that Rome is a perfectly competitive Civ while not being terribly overpowered. However, the iron thing is pretty annoying. Not having iron doesn't make Rome a bad civ, it just makes the game you are playing with Rome a lot less fun.

I just played a deity Rome game last night where I (valiantly) defended my empire against two civs while expanding and teching iron working and felt really good about my play. Then, ironworking landed as I built a settler in order to plop a city wherever was needed and BAM ... no iron ANYWHERE in all the unsettled territory or my current empire. I could have kept playing, I was in a pretty strong position for an early longsword rush on two neighbors ... but I was so looking forward to making ballistas and defending my expanding empire that I just started a new game

New start bias plx!

Does anyone know if the start bias changes with different levels? In my last three Immortal games with Rome I had no iron anywhere. Is it just trying to make the game harder? Sure, you can continue to play, but I like watching my legions build roads back to the capital from the cities they just captured.

 

[Martin Alvito]

If can be advantageous but at that point, I don't see why you just don't go ahead and finish the job.

Takes too long, especially on Continents. UN's faster.

 

[Slowpoke]

Rome is only weak because almost all buildings aren't really worth it in the current game. With building cost reduction mods, rome really shines.

 

[Roxlimn]

Sonereal:

I'm assuming that due to the absence of war weariness, Alvito is letting some AIs live, have constant war against them, and farms their units for XP and culture.

 

[Bandobras Took]

Rome is only weak because almost all buildings aren't really worth it in the current game. With building cost reduction mods, rome really shines.

Wouldn't cost reduction make Rome's ability less significant, not more? Just set up the capitol to be a production monster, and it's fine.

 

[Slowpoke]

Wouldn't cost reduction make Rome's ability less significant, not more? Just set up the capitol to be a production monster, and it's fine.

Not really, the thing is currently some most buildings aren't worth it even with a 25% production buff because of the maintenance. I think the only buildings I've ever made are colosseums, libraries, circuses, and markets.

 

[Niniux]

I noticed that in my last game with Rome (Only King, mind you, but Diplo Win at 1845 or something with no specific beeline or strategy.) that the production bonus seems to mesh well with having lots of puppets. I allied a few Maritime CSs (overpowered, I know) but rush-bought most important and non-important buildings in Rome and watched my puppet empire send my Gold, Happy and Culture gradually up. I had something like 10 or 12 puppets near game end, all over 10 pop, with my core 4 cities close to the 20s and being production powerhouses (over 100 hammers).

 

[skallben]

Their UUs are powerful. Warfare in that era is great fun, just as it should be. I think Rome is balanced, as should all Civs be. And they are fun to play.