Issues with OCC

[Pentokoglopolus]

Is there any way to maintain tech parity with the AI in OCC games? I usually do fine until the Renaissance on King difficulty. But then Gandhi or some other peaceful leader usually steamrolls a bunch of other AIs, uses their 20 cities to research faster than me, and carves up my swordsmen with their knights. Is there any way to get around this?

This is on King difficulty, standard Pangaea with 10 AIs and 26 City States.

 

[silent93]

The only way I found to stay even close is to use Babylon as your civ, and milk that doubled great scientist rate for all it's worth.

 

[MykC]

This is on King difficulty, standard Pangaea with 10 AIs and 26 City States.

Seems like extra AI and city states, standard pace, standard map size?

Who is Babylon?

If you have OCC selected, you normally get a pretty good starting location. Its not always possible but playing as Alexander is your best shot at keep up with the times. You normally, (or at least in my experience) start beside marble with Alexander.

Tech Path:
Pottery
Writting
...
various land upgradest that you need
...
Rifling
...
Education
...
Dynamite
...
Replacable parts
...
Electronics

Policy:
Tradition
Aristocracy

Capital:
Warrior
Warrior
Monument
Great Library
Stonehendge
Library
National College
University

A single Great Archetitect is fine but you should avoid more than one of them and when you do get that GA you should have the Porcelian Tower available to be built. Just manage you GP and make sure you producing GS frequently enough to come out when you need them. You don't want them coming out when you don't need them and having used on a lesser tech or consuming your money by sitting around. Remember, GP take more and more each time.

You shouldn't have a problem beating them to Rifles, an from what I've learned from OCC is that if you clear out the cities (and city states not allied to you) around you its unlikely other Civs will declare war on you.

 

[timtofly]

Babylon is the extra DLC you can purchase from Steam.

 

[bryanw1995]

yeah, that semi-warlike OCC strategy sounds like it could work on lower difficulties, but if you manage your diplomace well you can go 100% cultural and not worry about keeping up in tech at least up to emperor level. besides, playing on king OCC you should be able to get himeji 95% of the time so you're at + 58% in friendly territory. just build a couple pikes and take out any knights foolish enough to come your direction. also @Mykc, at least tell him to steal a worker from a CS if you're not going to have him build one.

I find that managing diplo is much for fun than doing the pseudo warlike strategy. however, a OCC AW on emperor can be fun...

 

[Rathelon]

Just bought Babylon the other day, and it's a pretty nice civ. I like their team color and flag too.

 

[JJDR]

It is possible to maintain tech parity on higher levels when playing culturally, but it is not easy. The best way to go about it is to speed great person generation as much as possible via the wonder (Hagia Sophia), building (Garden), National Wonder (33% GP generation), Freedom Social Policy (50% GP generation), and Patronage Social Policy (CS sometimes gift great people). Research Agreements help a lot as well. Unfortunately, Hagia Sophia tends to go fairly early in higher level games, but its possible.

 

[Martin Alvito]

Is there any way to maintain tech parity with the AI in OCC games?

No. But aimlessgun did prove that you can win a Deity OCC without making war.

Some general tips:

- Patronage is critical for the early Science boost. The Great People are also huge.
- Greece is therefore your best bet, because you can maintain more allies.
- If you want a peaceful win, it will be Diplomatic. Anything else is too slow.
- You have to play the local AIs off one another. The general idea is to bribe a nearby threat to make war early on, which makes that civ a hated warmonger. Then bribe other civs to make war against that threat later. Pacts of Secrecy can also costlessly steer other civs into making war as desired.
- Research Agreements are absolutely essential.
- All you really need to do is unlock Biology and Steam, then bomb the rest in with saved Great Scientists and start on the UN.
- Remember to sell buildings for cash if you have to.