Is wanton agression the only way to win?

[Northraven]

Okay, I just had my first win on Noble...I haven't really played much Civ since the first one years ago and this was only about my 7th or 8th game (The third one that I have won). I beat the game via a space race victory using the Mongols and I basically flooded the ancient world with Kashyks (The Mongul UU) and took over about half of a standard map before 1000AD...I managed to completley eliminate the English and those damned Romans who always want to war-monger and decimated Spain to the point that they were a non-factor for the entire game.

After all this carnage I had about 12 cities under my control and my treasury was fast depleting with science grinding to a halt. I shored up my borders and built up my civs' economics, eventually having to start a modern war with the Americans and their German allies in order to distract them long enough to secure the space race win. All in all a fun, if somewhat bloodier game than I like. This brings me to my question, three previous games in which I started on Noble and attempted to use a more financial-oriented civ like England and build quality cities over quantity I had given up in disgust after being overwhelmed militarily by various civilizations...in anger I decided to just flood my opponents with Mongol UU's becuase they are fairly easy to get resources for and they are very fast moving in the early game. This tactic is the first that seemed to work, but I really don't want to play a game like this too often. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong in the quality over quantity games? Maybe someone could give an example of general strategy up until 0 AD if you're trying to go for a quality over quantity strategy with about 5-7 cities.

 

[Vardis]

I'd suggest trying to keep defenses up so your territory isn't as tempting. That, and watch who you have agreements with to try and reduce other civs getting upset with you. At noble they won't be as aggressive, so as long as you aren't completely skimping you should be OK.

 

[walkerjks]

I routinely win cultural victories on Emperor with 6 cities. You mention that when you play peacefully, you get overwhelmed militarily. The real key is figuring out why this is happening. On average, I fight 1 (purely defensive) war a game. Some games are completely peaceful and a few have 2 or more wars. I do lose wars (defined by losing one of my core 3 cities or having the cottages around those cities pillaged), but it's rare.

The biggest key is preventing the war from happening in the first place. Do you have adequate defense? If the AI sees you as an easy mark, they will attack, regardless of relations. Keeping 2 military units in every city, including at least one of your best type is the minimum I try to maintain. Do you adopt a state religion different than your opponent's? Try playing will no religion at all. Do you always decline demands for tech or money? Try giving in to these demands. Do you keep closed borders? Open them wide. Do you have excess trade goods? Gift a few of them to the AI's that you have poor relations with. You won't see an immediate improvement, but give it time and a bribe of a resource can do wonders.

In many games, I manage to maintain cautious, pleased, or friendly relations with multiple AIs, despite having -4 "You have traded with my worst enemy" and -4 "You have fallen under a heathen religion" relations. The key is having +10 or more to offset that. That won't guarantee safety, but it comes close. particularly when combined with sufficient unit strength in your cities.

 

[cleverhandle]

Yeah, you're either pissing someone off diplomatically or leaving a juicy military target. If anything, the game is really easier to win playing in a fairly peaceable fashion, especially if you don't mind a small expansion somewhere early on.

 

[anton_z1]

1) Ai is not smart. To win wars
1) Get specialized units. You can kill all ghenghis Khan stupid Keshik armies with only 3 speamen D).
2) Fortify soem units with cover on a hill next to an ennemy city. They will spen time killing this unit (By wasting Stacks and Stack ).

 

[Enkidu_Warrior]

actually, i find that one of the best tactics is to get an early religion and send missionaries out to your neighbors. i find that if i can be the first religion to them, they will adopt my religion as their state religion. then i'm pretty much guaranteed good relations with them the rest of the game.

in my most recent game, as china, i was late to religion, only getting confucianism. but luckily, judaism had only spread between two of my neighbors (greece and england). I managed to get missionaries into japan and the mongols (my other two neighbors), and we now have an ideologic war between the two camps. great fun.

importantly though, japan and the mongols have been neutralised as threats, and they are eager to help me fight those barbaric judaism civs.

ew

 

[Jarrod32]

I just had a cultural victory (as Frederick) with nine cities. Other than the core three cultural cities, I would routinely build up my defenses in the other cities. I had a large military (I was on a continent with Russia and France), but never fired a shot all game...I maintained excellent relations with both of them.

"Peace through superior firepower".

 

[dh_epic]

The great thing about the game is you have people saying war is too hard, and a whole other people saying war is the best and only strategy. (I tend to fall into the latter camp.)

Truth be told, the 'attack then rest on your economy' strategy is the trump card in all Civ games. But you can win peacefully if you build up the proper defence. And if you do it right, you'll never actually have to use those defenders. It's not just hatred that attracts an enemy but weakness.

 

[FenrysWulf]

It also depends on the luck of the draw as to who your neighbors are. I haven't extensively observed everyone, but I know that the Romans will declare war on you. So will the Greeks, Aztecs, and Japanese. It doesn't matter what you do, they just like to fight. Others like the Indians, Egyptians and Americans probably will leave you alone if you don't piss them off.

 

[Gargoyle]

<-------"Walk softly and carry a big stick" (hehe)

But its true, to win a peaceful game you still need to be ready for war and execute one if necessary. Many time I just "police" the world. I fight when my friends need me or to quite down and aggresive Civ. I've won 2 Space & one Time Victory (turned off Space) in 5 games on Noble.

 

[Control Group]

<-------"Walk softly and carry a big stick" (hehe)

*cough*

I'm reasonably certain that was Teddy Roosevelt...

...I'm just sayin'.

 

[Gargoyle]

*cough*

I'm reasonably certain that was Teddy Roosevelt...

...I'm just sayin'.

Hmmmmm.... I should know this, but you might be right.

Okay, try this one:

"There is nothing to fear but fear itself".

OKAY

 

[diamond geezer]

Well if it was, "There's nothing to fear but fare itself" it would be Dan Quayle.