My OCC strategy (yet to be tested)

[MykC]

So, here is what I'm thinking for one city challenge (OCC). I completed it on Prince.

Difficulty: Prince
Map: Continents
Size: Standard
Race: Either India or Egypt
Pace: Standard

Desires: Start beside marble, by a river, by a hill. (I know I ask for a lot).
Build Order:
Scout -> Worker -> Monument -> Stonehenge -> Great Library -> Culture and Science Buldings -> Wonders

What do with your money:
You'll want to buy some of the Culture and Science buildings rather than spending production on them while you can be building Wonders. You will need some money to upgrade what little army you have and to buy a unit in a time of need.

Diplomacy and Trading:
Trade Open Borders for 50G or 1G per turn and 19G.
Trade the luxury items you can afford to trade while keep a positive Happiness balance for 300G.
Trade your strategic resources for whatever you can get for them.

Policy path:
1 Tradition (+1 food)
2 Aristocracy (+33% wonder speed)
3 Oligarchy
4 Landed Elite (+33% food)
5 Freedom
6 Constitution (+100% culture)
7 Free Speech (-25% future policy costs)
8 Civil Society
9 Democracy
10 Rationalism
11 Humanism
12 Sovereignty
13 Secularism
14 Free Thought
15 Scientific Revolution 2 Free Technologies (completes Rationalism)
16 Piety (Removes the benefits of Rationalism) +2 Happiness
17 Organized Religion 50% excess Happiness added to spendable Culture
18 Legalism
19 Theocracy
20 Mandate of Heaven
21 Protectionism
22 Commerce
23 Trade Unions
24 Mercantilism
25 Reformation
26 Naval Tradition
27 Merchant Navy (completes Commerce)
28 Free Religion (completes piety)
29 Universal Suffrage (completes Freedom)
30 Monarchy (completes Tradition)

At policy 4: Do not spend your culture points until you've reached the renaissance age. The renaissance age unlocks freedom policy tree. The freedom policy tree has the free speech policy. The free speech policy tree reduces the costs of all future policies by 25%. Your alternative is to go into Piety and I've listed below the alternative rotue.

At policy 13/14: Do not spend anymore culture until I have built the Wonder Cristo Redentor. Cristo Redentor reduces future culture policy costs by 33%. Cristo Redentor is unlocked when you research the Telegraph.
I will take Scientific Revolution once I reach both Biology/Steampower. Assuming I have either two great scientist or I have 1 great scientist and the Oxford University. Piety (locks out Rationalism's benefits) This will be enough to unlock the Telegraph. Next you will take Piety. You no longer need a scientific boost compared the extra culture you can earn.

Tech Path:
Pottery 25
Writing 40 The Great Library, Library
Calendar 51 Stonehenge
Philosophy 73 Temple, National Epic, The Oracle
Theology 184 The Hagia Sophia
Education 324 University, Oxford University, The Porcelain Tower
Acoustics 479 Opera House, Sistine Chapel, The Kremlin
Sailing 40
Compass 250 Astronomy
Astronomy 479 Navigation
Optics 58
Navigation 663
Archaeology 958 Museum, Hermitage, The Louvre

For the most part you'll want to get Acoustics as quickly as possible to unlock the freedom policy tree. Which will get you access to the the +100% culture policy. The next goal is to get Archeology to get the Hermitage which again doubles your culture. You will need to build the monument, temple, opera house and museum to build the Hermitage.

I'm not sure what to do with the Great Library to use it on Civil Service or Theology, its a trade of from getting into the freedom policy tree quicker vs the growth benefits.

Scientific Theory 958 Public School
Animal Husbandry 25
Mining 25 Mine, Chop Forest
Bronze Working 40
Trapping 40
Masonry 40
The Wheel 40
Civil Service 294
Horseback Riding 73
Archery 25
Mathematics 73
Construction 73
Engineering 184
Iron Working 110
Metal Casting 184 Workshop
Chivalry 324 Himeji Castle
Currency 184
Banking 479
Machinery 324
Physics 324
Printing Press 479
Economics 663 Windmill, Big Ben
Steel 324
Gunpowder 510
Chemistry 663
Military Science 958

The workshop, national workshop and windmill ramp up your production. And when you unlock Biology and Steam Power use your Scientic Revolution policy, build your Oxford Theatre and use a great scientist. Now you can build the Cristo Redentor the Broadcast Tower and The Sydney Opera House.

Biology 1596
Steam Power 1596 Factory
Electricity 1805
Telegraph 2090 Cristo Redentor
Radio 2090 Broadcast Tower
Refrigeration
Plastics 2470 Hydro Plant
Penicillin 2470
Ecology 2850 Solar Plant
Globalization 3182

The factory, hydro plant and solar plant are important to build if you can to boost production for the Utopia project.

 

[budweiser]

I did something simliar as England on settler/archepaleago just to get the achievements. I think if you get marble within 3 tiles, then you can win a 1CC pretty easy.

I dont remember exactly what I did that game, but I remember building almost every wonder. And I think I also did the Patronage tree.

 

[MykC]

Yeah, I just completed it on prince level of difficulty finished it on year 1940. I actually should finished quite a bit sooner because I actually forgot to use the scientific revolution to get electricity and the telegraph. When I did build the final culture reduction wonder I had enough culture for two more policies.

One thing I should say is that I didn't build a University until I was like working on Steam Power and I probably don't need to at all. I did deviate from my plan a bit. I took Commerce, Trade Unions and Mercatilism as soon as I got Economics and built Big Ben.

I enlisted scientific specialists when I had sections of research where I needed those boosts. After I got the Hermitage and I was using scientific specialists I would use two cultural specialists.

My capital had food focus checked pretty much the whole time.

The map I landed in was optimal, I had access to marble and silver with a 3rd silver 3 tiles away. So I almost immediately had 78%+ to wonder building. I traded both Silvers for a very long time which allowed me to generate about 750G per 30 turns combining it with Open Borders trades for 50G.

My open build order was Monument -> Worker -> Granary (incomplete) -> Stonehenge -> Great Library -> Granary -> Oracle

I used the great library to get me to Civil Service as my plan was to food focus he the whole time and I had a fair number of tiles next to a river or lake. I purchased most of my buildings and only building a few.

So after I got my culture tech completed (Archeology). I teched up to Fertilizer which got me Iron Works as well.

Controlling when your great scientist arrive is important because if you have them just sitting around and waiting. This costs you quite a bit of money, money you can't afford.

I put a priority on building the cultural buildings, temple, opera house, museum. And when I say build I mean buy as I was always holding enough money or within a couple of turns enough money to buy these buildings. Remember that most Wonders only give +1, there is a handful of +4's which I did try to get and Stonehenge +8. So concerning the +1 wonders if its not a useful wonder then I look at what else I could be building instead.

I kept my empire happiness pretty low. It was so low that by the time I finished I had not earned enough happiness to activate a second golden age. You really don't need that much and if I was going to go below 0 I would enlist some specialists that I may not of needed right at that time but kept me at 0 or above.

My economy was normally positive and by the time it was going negative I was finally getting the mint, market and bank in production.

 

[/solar/]

Played through a OCC today on King as Montezuma standard pangaea map, it was pretty simple. Didn't have marble.

Picked up stonehenge and oracle. Library and the national library gave enough specialists for a GS which bulbed acoustics.
From there it was pretty much pick up civil service beeline education, archeology and scientific thought, then backfill the bottom to get to radio and telegraph. Got 1 great engineer to rush cristo and the rest were scientists. I used 5 scientists in one turn to bulb the last techs to radio and telegraph.

The only great wonders I built were, stonehenge, oracle, the louvre and cristo. Had a go at the porcelain tower but missed by a couple of turns. By the time I built cristo I had about 19,000 culture saved. Won in 1908 ( was hoping for sub 1900 ).

Most surprising thing I found about it was how little I got attacked. Refused lots of demands and didn't sign any secrecy pacts till most of the way through. Had one war, but a hill fort with a medic pike and a catapult behind can kill infinite AI armies.

Most of my city growth occured during a single we love the king where I had the entire city working 4 food river tiles. With the 15% extra from the floating gardens and 25% from WLTK I was pulling something like 30 surplus food, no maritimes.

Next time I try a OCC culture I will probably limit myself to one or two scientists. And play on emperor.

 

[boehj]

Had one war, but a hill fort with a medic pike and a catapult behind can kill infinite AI armies.

This is classic!

 

[MykC]

I should really check exactly how much culture you need to open 5 policy without using the freedom policy or Cristo and from there figure out how much you need with it.

This the order in which I build stuff in. If don't have anything on the list to build then I will build the next best thing.

Monument +2
Stonehenge +8
The Great Library +1
The Oracle +1
Temple +3 (buy)
Opera House +5 (buy)
Freedom Policy +100%
Sistine Chapel
The Kremlin +4
Museum (buy)
Hermitage +100%
The Louvre +9
Himeji Castle +4 (difficult to get)
Cristo Redentor (-33% policy cost)

I use two culture specialist to generate as many great artists as possible. As when you get to the Hermitage you are earning +233% on 4 (9.33) per great artist turned land mark.

I'm not sure what is best to go great scientist to get to radio quicker or great artists. My game plan is to only build the library and not build the University or Public School.

I also have found, depending if your in a corner or not that you will generally be left alone. Most of the time you don't need an army period.

 

[budweiser]

You know, happiness can give you culture too, right?

A lot of it.

 

[MykC]

I can't find a way to easily build the happiness buildings and pay for their maintance, but I'll give it a whirl.

I tried it again, finished at year 1912. I should note that I took 8 policies to get to freedom of speech.
Took 14 policies to get to scientific revolution
I had 24042/1095 culture at this point.
Which was enough to take all the other policies I need to start the utopia project and had 105/2860 left over.
I will say I deviate a bit and took Chivarl before I went after Archeology because I wanted to jet Hijimi Castle. (not worth it in the end)
I avoid pretty much all buildings except the library and collosseum and culture buildings until I get to like Economics.
Took Civil Service with Great library.
I attacked a near by city-state to earn a general and popped him for a golden age.
Never enter my second golden age from happiness.
I kept happiness again pretty close to 0.

 

[kamex]

Tried something similar and won my first OCC, so thanks!

Was on Prince, VERY nearly lost though, just 20 turns before the end of teh game, when japan attacked me, survived by a the skin of my teeth.

The new bit with this strategy for me was using the rationalism and piety branches together, was skeptical at first, but it still worked great, using scientific revolution to boost your progress towards Christos is ingenious.

 

[MykC]

I noticed that the Utopia Project is not affected by any wonder production bonuses.
I tried again on the same map, I built on top of the marble this time which gave me the bonus wihtout having to research masonry. I also went for the 50% longer GA wonder, I don't think it really paid off as I ended up taking the Kremlin much later which ment I was loosing 8 culture for a good number turns 100-150? 800-1600 culture. Not sure though if the what I was able to build faster with the two GAs that I got made it worth it.

The big change I made was taking the university early. As soon as I got Acoustics I built the University. My plan was to have a bit more focus on research and get to Radio. I ended up getting to radio and have it built at around turn 275.

I completed the Utopia at T317. Y1894.

I think I could of done things a bit quicker says 10-15 turns at least. If I had taken Public Schools as well... is also something I could of done. Just never seemed like there was time to build it though until I was too far gone and it wasn't worth it.

I built a hospital quickly to pump up my population, maybe if I switched that our for the public schools.

 

[MykC]

I tried going Piety first, but it didn't work out to be that fast, came in at about 1916. I played pretty close to flawless that game.

Piety culture doesn't benefit from any of the bonuses like from free speech, hermitage, etc. So while I earned about +5 early game +10 mid and +15 late game I don't think it was worth going into the tree for.

 

[MykC]

I finished another game at T312 1884. I think I could of built Mechanized Infantry in the 1500's lol.

To start the game off I think this is best. Keeping your happiness low by trading your luxory resources away is what you need to buy some of these early buildings. Stealing a worker from a city state is also a big help early. You can make peace as soon as you capture the work (same turn).

Monument
Stonehenge
Great Library
Library (build or buy)
Granary (build or buy)
National College
Oracle
... and so forth
University (build or buy)
Opera House (build or buy)
...
Museum (buy)
Hermitage
Public School (build)
...
All the high culture Wonders
Taj
Ironworks
Factory
...
Broadcast Tower
Cristo
Utopia


When I use my free tech:
Great Library to get Civil Service
First GS to get Acoustics
Second GS to get Navigation
Porcelien Tower to get Archelogly
Third GS to get Scientific Thought (may want to take before Archelogly depend on your resources)
Fourth GS to get Biology
Fifth and Sixth GS to get Miltary Science and Steam Power
Scientifc Revolution to get Electricity and Radio

Research Telegraph or wait for a final GS. At this point I might go back and research fertilizer, but I'll sell my public school and university. I buy AA guns for defense if need be. I use Great Archs as they come to complete Wonders. I don't save them.

At this point I focus on Great Artisits production.

 

[MykC]

I did a run with the Babylon guy (can't believe they suckered me in for $5). I hit Utopia at T300. Did the same as above except I of course had extra GSs. So, I focused on making a big city. I skipped the Public School. I built the hospital when I build the IronForge and I since I bubbled much quicker than with Egypt I went into Radio to build the tower.

Tried again, finished on T297. Skipped public schools and the hospital this time. I think the land I was on was better this game but I got caught up in a war and had to keep one unit around to kill the marauding invaders. I find that if I steal workers people are more likely to declare war on me or give me bad deals in the trades, so I'm not sure what is best. I've been stealing two workers to have a total of 3 around T40.

I haven't been building the Hanging Gardens, but I'm think that I might want to try for them. The +1 pop and +3 happiness is actually really good for a single city.

The other thing is rather than building to the telegraph/radio as my end goal tech, bubble to steam power and slow research the rest of the way to telegraph/radio. I might also consider using 1-2 GS to start Golden Ages after I get to Archeology. There is a balance between getting to Radio/Telegraph and developing the buildings and wonders to get the culture you need to win the game. Even though the other leaders don't benefit as much from cities states (or the cost is twice as much) it may be worth it instead of rushing buying.

I also have to figure out when I want to stop growing my city and focus on specialists and or production.


Tried Alexander as well. Did really well compared to my previous attempts. Finished on Turn 255.

Focused on allying with Maritime states first. I lost the race to the Great Library so... that wasn't good but I used my first GS on Civic Service and I research the up to and including Acoustics. I bubbled Navigation and Archeology when I got there. I didn't rush buy anything, I used all my money on gifts to city states. My city of course grew very fast and while I sacrificed early infrastructure and tech to get a large city fast it allowed my to quickly build a lot of structures mid game. I think the city really hit it strides at around T150.

Policy path:
1 Tradition (+1 food)
...
7 Free Speech (-25% future policy costs)
Patronage
Philanthropy
...
resume normal path


On a side note, the first time I tried Alexander I actually got to Globalization well before I was close to having 5 policies and won via diplo, was really late like T315.


Difficulty: Emperor
Map: Pangaea
Size: Standard
Speed: Standard
Leader: Alexander

Desired starting conditions:
Two rivers running through your borders. Tiles adjacent to rivers are awesome so you'll want as many as these as possible. 3 luxory resources within 3 tiles of your borders, 1 of them being marble. If it takes you a turn or two to settle on the marble and still have your city be in a good position you should probably do it.

Starting build order:
Worker, Monument...

How to make money:
-The larger your city the more tiles you can work, the more tiles you can work the more money your city generates.
-Trading, selling open borders is a great way to make up to 350G every 30 turns. I basically take whatever they will give me. Optimally it will be 50G or 19G and 1G/turn, but really anything that doesn't cost me money.
-Trade your luxury resources for money. Under good conditions you should get 300G or 15G and 9G/turn, but again, you should take whatever you can get. Gold upfront is best.
-Trade your strategic resources, again optimally you should get 45G per 1 resource.

What to do with your money:
-100% of your money will be used as gifts to city states.

Happiness and Luxury resources:
-You will trade your luxury resources away and lose happiness but gold can by happiness via city states sharing theirs. I think that with Alexander and one point in patronage that it takes 6 turns to degrade 1 point in the relationship so... you get their resource per gold gifted for much longer than an AI civ gets from you which is 30 turns.
-Generally keep my happiness as close to 0 as possible by trading my luxury resources away. I don't worry about getting an early golden age and just let it happen when it happens.

Policy path:
1 Tradition (+1 food)
2 Aristocracy (+33% wonder speed)
3 Patronage
4 Philanthropy
5 Oligarchy
6 Landed Elite (+33% food)
7 Freedom
8 Constitution (+100% culture)
9 Free Speech (-25% future policy costs)
10 Civil Society
11 Democracy

4 points to Scientific Revolution in Rationalism.
Enter and complete the Piety branch.
Finish the Patronage branch.
Finish the Tradition and Freedom branches.

Note: If your spending your policy points as you get them then you will want to move further into the Patronage branch until you can take points in Freedom.

Tech Path:
Pottery
Calendar
Writing

If (MARBLE == TRUE) {
Mining
Masonry
}

Philosophy (Great Library free tech if possible)
Animal Husbandry
Trapping

If (LOTS_OF_WATER_TILES == TRUE {
Civil Service (bubble)
}

Theology
Education
Acoustics (not sure if its worth bubbling anymore but City State bonus may change this)
Sailing
Optics
Compass
Astronomy
Navigation (bubble)
Archaeology (bubble)
...
Chemistry (Ironworks Forge)
...
Printing Press (Taj if you have a good number of tiles with at least 1 production being worked)
...
Radio
Telegraph

Other Technologies to bubble:
Scientific Thought
Biology
Military Science
Steam Power
Electricity
Radio
Telegraph

Notes: There is 10 or so technologies we want to bubble, up to 5 bubbles can come from buildings and policies. Leaving you to create 5+ great scientist. So you'll want generate 1500 great scientist points by the time you hit military science ideally, which should be no problem.

You may have +/- 1 great scientists born before you start you final bubbling. Your final bubbles should consist of 2 from Scientific Revolution and 1 from Oxford University and a GS starting at Military Science. You may realize that you'll have an extra GS or two before you hit Military Science so feel free to bubble before you get to Military Science. You can take a look at your GS birth rate in your city management screen a do a bit of math and plan according or slow the birth rate down.

Great Person Production:
I hold off on producing great artists until I've stopped producing great scientists.

What to build:
I put an early focus on getting my culture buildings (temple, opera house), followed by great people (National ??, Hanging Sophia, Garden)
scientific buildings (National College, University). The reason being is that culture unlocks pre-rationalism policies that I want as early as possible, the great people production allows me to start producing the great scientists I need as quickly as possible so I can keep citizens working tiles as much as possible that will grow my city and generate more money.

Worker
Monument
Scout (build)
Scout (buy or skip)
Stonehenge
Great Library
Granary (Depending on how much +food you have and whether you have any maritime city states you can ally up with still)
Library (build)
Oracle (Philosophy)
Temple
...
Opera House (Acoustics)
...
Museum (Archeology)
Hermitage (Getting this is priority 1)
...
Ironworks (Chemistry)
...
Broadcast Tower (Radio)
Cristo (Telegraph)
Utopia (5 Branches fully explored)

Other Key Wonders:
The Louvre (build before the Sistine Chapel and after the Hermitage)
Sistine Chapel (this normally get fairy late, sometimes after cristo)
The Kremlin
The Porcelain Tower

Other stuff that I can think of that can be good:
The Ang Wok (its nice, but its normally unnecessary to spread your borders as quickly as it does)
Hemji Caste (very rare that you will get it)
Hanging Gardens (very very rare that you will get it)
Longer GA Wonder and Taj
Windmill
Factory (if you have coal)

Stonehenge VS The Great Library: You can't always have them both
I take Stonehenge first. Then you can try for the Great Library. If you can finish the Great Library under turn 50 then you can probably go for it. With that you'll have to use the Great Library on something like Philosophy or Theology. You really take a big gamble by waiting till you can use it on Civil Service or Education. You can always save the game when you start building the Great Library and wait to see when the AI would finish it and plan accordingly.

City States:
Maritime States have priority unless you need happiness then find a Culture City State with a luxury that you need
If there are no Maritime States to ally with anymore then ally with Culture City States
Avoid Military City States unless they provide you need happiness and they have a luxury you need

Normally I generate about 400 culture in the final stretches, of which about 100-120 come from City States.

Misc:
I delete my university once I've gotten telegraph researched.
I tried to get a factory early but I never seem to have coal within my borders and the city states never seem to have coal when I need it.
I'm not sure when to stop growing my city, I'm thinking between 25-30.