King Younk's Questions thread

[King Younk]

I gotta say, one needs to play with all map settings but size on random, or else it’s not a real game.

 

[pi-r8]

I gotta say, one needs to play with all map settings but size on random, or else it’s not a real game.

Why are you so attached to Huge size? It really has a lot of problems, playing on that size.

 

[sampsa]

I gotta say, one needs to play with all map settings but size on random, or else it’s not a real game.

You can't randomize size nor speed I think. I did you a favor and rolled one randomly: standard size, normal speed. Keep everything else at random!

 

[King Younk]

Why are you so attached to Huge size? It really has a lot of problems, playing on that size.

Because it’s more challenging and realistic.

You can't randomize size nor speed I think. I did you a favor and rolled one randomly: standard size, normal speed. Keep everything else at random!

Huge is the best.

 

[FlyinJohnnyL]

Just so you know, the game was designed with standard size and speed. The devs then tweaked some numbers to add different sizes and speeds. But as far as strategies, tech paths, etc., they were all designed for standard. I only mention that so you realize where people are coming from when giving you advice. You ever heard the old saying "everyone else was playing chess, and I was playing checkers?" Or vice-versa, I'm not trying to imply you are any better or worse than the next player. But the strategies are just different. There are so many military exploits for marathon that don't exist in the standard speed. Consequently, on marathon you have account for things like worker turns-you have this a lot tougher at marathon than a standard speed player. And whipping anger lasts much longer as well.

One thing to consider if playing on huge is that mounted warfare, which is already the best option in the game, is even better. And you play on marathon, which makes them EVEN better. You should become a mounted warfare expert with the settings you play on.

 

[King Younk]

I’m on a huge Pangaea as Bismarck rn. Conquered half of Gandhi to my West, have a GSpy I’m looking to plant in a religious minority when I’m done w mids and Gandhi. Will pursue Mids since I’m industrious, then Metal Casting and compass for the fast harbors.

Will post a screenshot soon. Maybe I’ll beelining Guilds instead of Compass, to take advantage of the huge map, like FlyinJohnny said.

 

[Fish Man]

Because it’s more challenging and realistic.

Huge is the best.

If you're looking for an actual challenge, play on standard speed. I guarantee you it'll be much less forgiving. Huge/marathon is a cakewalk by comparison.

Also, have you tried playing any of the other speeds/sizes? If not, how do you know you'll like them less? If so, what do you not like about them?

I think honestly you like huge/marathon because it fits your "playstyle" of roleplay over effectiveness, building every building, in general being unfocused and inefficient in your strategic decision-making. At the same time, though, you're looking for advice on how to play "the best you can", and I think you genuinely want that advice but it's incompatible with how you like to play the game right now. This dissonance is probably what's frustrating a lot of others who are helping you, like @lymond and @sampsa and @Fippy .

There is a far more efficient and effective way to play that results in far more decisive victory on far more difficult settings. It's not for everyone, but perhaps don't say you won't like it until you've tried it, eh?

 

[King Younk]

I play on other sizes, but they can be easier. I had a relative cakewalk as Ragnar on Emperor (my highest level) on a Pangaea a while back on a standard map. Was relatively easy.

I might try a standard, faster map later - I like smaller maps, if they’re crowded, but don’t care for slower speed. It’s just inauthentic. Maybe when I’m playing on Deity. I’m winning on Emperor about 20% of the time now.

 

[migalhone]

I play on other sizes, but they can be easier. I had a relative cakewalk as Ragnar on Emperor (my highest level) on a Pangaea a while back on a standard map. Was relatively easy.

I might try a standard, faster map later - I like smaller maps, if they’re crowded, but don’t care for slower speed. It’s just inauthentic. Maybe when I’m playing on Deity. I’m winning on Emperor about 20% of the time now.

Why not starting a standard speed and standard size Pangea map with no goody huts and no events, to see how well you fare?

 

[King Younk]

Why not starting a standard speed and standard size Pangea map with no goody huts and no events, to see how well you fare?

I’ve played a few of those and do pretty well. Probably around 50% of the time winning, though I don’t care for them. I’m doing a huge Pangea as Bismarck atm, will post later.

 

[King Younk]

So I'm playing as Portugal, with GW and 'mids in Lisbon. I'm thinking I will researching Medieval weaponry, spam cottages, wealth and military while running Police State, and conquer the Mali, since I have a Great Spy in there. Then I will go for France or possibly Sumeria, though I'm thinking France, then go from there.

Napoleon is a bastard and Mansa Musa a softy, so this seems optimal. What say y'all? Any considerations I should make?

 

[nate46]

Your economy in that screenshot is very poor, you're running negative cash flow at 100% cash. You need to figure out how to get that better before thinking about war. You've already got 14 cities.

Suggestions: Chop more courthouses. Try to grow out your cities larger so you can run more merchant specialists (with caste system). Build wealth or wonders for fail gold. Do you have cottages in your cap? If yes, you can switch to bureaucracy (needs civil service--do you have it?)

You can't run police state if your econ is that bad. You need representation or you're just going to stagnate. Police state is the civic you use when you're absolutely ALL-IN on warmongering and you just want to stop teching entirely and go for conquest victory at your current tech level. Otherwise its not worth it.

edit: also, if your economy is that bad because you have a huge standing army (hard to tell whats going on) then well, I guess you should use it to attack somebody. If you can't take any cities, you can just pillage cottages or something. But more military buildup when you're already at negative cash flow is not helping matters.

Keep in mind that increasing your population will increase your number of free military units you can support, so one of the best things you can do in this situation is to try to grow your pop. I'd suggest building more farms and making sure that all of your tiles are improved.

 

[FlyinJohnnyL]

You're in a good spot for the most part, we just need to figure out how to get your economy out of the hole. You don't need that settler you are building in Guimaries, you've expanded enough! Get the economy back on track, THEN expand again. This game is all about expand and recover, expand and recover. You are in the "Recover" stage here, since you are at a deficit at 0%. I see quite a few cottages, but guimaries, lisbon, and lagos should probably ALL be building wealth right now, until those cottages can mature some more. It's hard to say without opening the save.

 

[sampsa]

Absolutely horrible city management. Lots of nonsensical buildings (walls, monuments, libraries everywhere, building a market), cities way under happy cap working a single scientist, not working max food, way too many mines, slow building a settler and so on. Since you are able to win on emperor/marathon, that difficulty must be even easier that I could've imagined.

 

[Fippy]

Looky what magically happens after i opened borders with Nappy and Giggles, from -3 to +11gpt.
There must be some foreign traderoutes.

Spoiler :

 

[FlyinJohnnyL]

Absolutely horrible city management. Lots of nonsensical buildings (walls, monuments, libraries everywhere, building a market), cities way under happy cap working a single scientist, not working max food, way too many mines, slow building a settler and so on. Since you are able to win on emperor/marathon, that difficulty must be even easier that I could've imagined.

I knew I should have opened the save...

King Younk, walls are THE most useless building in the game. I know you like to roleplay, but you don't want to be playing defense. If you get declared on, you can always whip a wall/castle in the city that is being threatened, though it should rarely come to that. Listen to Sampsa here, I"ve been playing on and off for 15 years and I still learn from this guy all the time.

 

[dankok8]

To be fair there are situations in which I will build Walls/Castles. If I'm anticipating an attack I will prebuild these especially if Pro + have Stone because they become dirt cheap. You can use them to overflow into other build as well. The value of Walls and Castles isn't so much the defensive bonus but that the AI will stop to bombard them down which gives you a ton of time to reinforce. Generally though, the best defense is good offense. Or diplomatic immunity is the best defense. just get them the AI at least to Pleased (or Friendly if possible if the declare on Pleased) and pre-emptively trying to stir up wars or at least foster hatred between other AI's so that that psycho Monty hates someone else a lot more.

 

[King Younk]

I look to be in a bad spot with tech, though I do have 'mids, so that might be misleading.

My economy is in betterish shape now, though I was thinking of switching to a specialist economy once I have Civil Service. I also want to go for the conquest of Mali, followed by a Vassalage of France once I have the military techs, and switch over to Police State. Then I just need to worry about Giggles (as someone named him).

Should I scrap it and start again, or is this a potential win? I like doing manifest destiny - take a whole continent and then puruse a peace dividend - maybe a Space Race?

 

[King Younk]

I look to be in a bad spot with tech, though I do have 'mids, so that might be misleading.

My economy is in betterish shape now, though I was thinking of switching to a specialist economy once I have Civil Service. I also want to go for the conquest of Mali, followed by a Vassalage of France once I have the military techs, and switch over to Police State. Then I just need to worry about Giggles (as someone named him).

Should I scrap it and start again, or is this a potential win? I like doing manifest destiny - take a whole continent and then puruse a peace dividend - maybe a Space Race?

View attachment 567400

 

[sampsa]

Oh despite numerous mistakes that I mentioned and you haven't fixed in the past turns, you will win this game. I wouldn't focus that much on winning though, rather correcting the mistakes.

You are losing a ton of because you can't improve seafood. 2 triremes would address the issue.