Needing more Strategic Resources

[Snarkhunter]

Regarding the Hoover Dam - should I be building factory's along with it?. Without the Hoover the factory is a prequisite of the Hydro Plant.

Well, it won't do you much good without factories, unless you are just trying to keep it out of the AIs' collective hands. OTOH, you don't need factories everywhere, either. I never build 'em outside of the Core & occasionally the semi-Core. A dozen usually suffice.

kk

 

[CKS]

You don't get the hydro plant benefit unless you have a factory, even though you do get the plant.

 

[Illuminous]

Yeah, I'd only use them for high shield producing city's like my capitol. Polluting city's become a liability during war. Right now my Capitol - Persepolis, needs to build Destroyer's and is of higher priority.

 

[vmxa]

Factories some just build them all over the place. In most games I will only build a few. The question for me is what do I need to get from them? Am I going to build in that town over the rest of the game?

In most cases, not much or even anything. So no real need for a factory. The places that will be making my troops do get one. Well even that is not quite true. I may have a town or 2 making some planes or flaks.

Often I won't give them a factory as I am not worried about getting them build asap. If they are making them in the times I want them, I leave them alone. The ones that are making my tanks need a factory.

If this is a game were I am needing lots of troops then more places will get a factory. I look at the number of shields and see, if boosting them will cut the time or just add to the over run.

 

[vmxa]

I could not recall hen you first got Iron. I wondered why you did not go for the Iron that the Hittites had? Here is one action I used:

1075BC: Trade Philo to Shaka for Math/HBR and gold.
975BC: found another large land mass.
775BC: start Poly. 11 towns and settler moving.
730BC: finally got Ivory into the borders and switch to SoZ.
350BC: traded Lit to Shaka for CoL +50. Traded Poly to Hittites for Construct + 1. Traded Lit to US for 150.
Met Japan and gift Myst (atually it was a misclick they are way behind).
290BC: Shaka DOW and I kill the Impi, archer going vet. The Impi attacked and retreated on the archer on IBT.
Little on the thin side with 1 barrack 5 warriors and now 2 archers. I will have a vet spear as I was about to gear up for an invasion.

Wonders so far:
America Pyramids
Hittite MoM
Arabia Oracle

270BC: SoZ done

170BC: in the middle of revolting to Monarchy. Met Monti and sell Math for 240, so he has no contacts so far or maybe Japan.

50BC: Greek way back, so sell Write and Poly. Sell Poly to Montie as well. I got Mono for free tech, no one in Middle Ages yet. Working on Feudalism. Last settler is on its way.


170AD: Land on Iron next to Hattusas with settler, cat, 3 archers, 4 AC and 5 spears. Have Feud, no iron so no pikes. Made peace with Shaka so they will not run at me as well as Hittites.

190AD: they do not attack the stack and I found Bampur. Disband 3 galleys to reduce cost of the rush for a rax.
210AD: only 2 spears in Hittite capitol and I razed it gaining two elite AC and 3 slaves.
300AD: autorazed one and captured another so far. I seen Tarsus all along, but due to my embassy I see part of the new capitol behind Tarsus. I created a town on the Incense and finally last turn they attacked.

Three warriors died on pikes.

400AD: Raze last Hittite town. Took me a bit to realize why they were not gone, respawn is on. Next would be to go after Shaka and his horses, need knights.

 

[Illuminous]

Right now I'm in the early 1900's - 1908AD. The god damn Hitties are still around, I left them alone because I was fighting more important wars. They had a MPP with the Zulu's and they decided to attack me with their galley! - it attacked my cruiser, which was on sentry.

Anyway, I retaliated and the Zulu's were brought into the fight, they had a MPP with the Greeks, so when I attacked they delared war on me also. When all this happened I was waring with the Aztec's. I signed peace treaty with them and moved my troops elsewhere. I don't know how this is going to turn out, at least I have airplanes, a good navy and am awaiting tanks which are in prodution.

 

[vmxa]

What was more important than getting Iron and Horses? When did you finally get Iron, I could not find it in a quick scan back. In the main I prefer to get after the nations that are the closest first.

It makes it easier to get units shipped over. A single galley lets you drop uints on the old Hittite land.

Take care about getting others in your wars. They may get stronger or the one you were fighting make get stronger at their expense. I like to not have others in my wars, unless I have something to fear.

My favorite way to get them invloved is to have those that are not on that landmass join, especialy if they are on my landmass. They are not so likely to gain much and I do not have to keep an eye on them.

 

[Illuminous]

I got horses on the far west island (NW of Zulu territory) free of cost, there was no one on the island. The Great Lighthouse will get you there. The territory above the Zulu's had iron, I sent a settler to the location quick, to the right is the tundra which I occupy, later on it has oil. On the main island you get aluminum.

 

[vmxa]

That is how you got, but when in term of the year?

 

[Illuminous]

Sorry, can't remember but it wasn't long after galley's where available and TGLighthouse was built.

I was to busy expanding to be hostile towards others.

The ancient cavalry really helped me early on.

 

[vmxa]

Just a quick thought. You are at war with two, but have an army empty and parked. Why have an explorer and why park it? Why not get those parked workers over to the other land and clear the jungle.

What is the barricade doing on your home land. I play AW and do not find a need for them. Transports parked in the open, not a big deal, but why do it. Gather them and put them in a town.

Why make and pay maint for Sam's? No one even has flight and you do not know what towns may get attacked by bombers anyway. Are you going to build them everywhere?

Remember I mention evaluate builds in my tutorial? So why make a temple in Behistun? It is happy and is not going to grow. Why does it have a harbor you do not need the extra food. Why does it have a granary, it is not growing and is not making workers/settlers and it should not be either. It has a wall, I doubt anyone ever landed on that land.

The gov has a joker, waste. Don't make cruisers, destroyers are cheaper and have more range.

Why are you researching Amphib, you do not need or even want Marines. Better to get to the next age (you sure you read my tutorial?).

No subs never make them either.

I really dislike what was done in the old American lands. Too wide spacing, too many tiles still have swamps and jungles. Too many mines. I do not like making factories over there, especially in places with net 12 shields. You spending 240 shields amd 3gpt for shields you really have no use for.

I know you have a quite bad start with no iron or horses, but 1908AD should have seen you at least own all the Zulu/Hittite lands.

All the things I have mentioned are like anchors. They drag you down and slow your progress.

Understand you are in danger of losing via culture.

 

[Illuminous]

Man, I'm not an expert at the game by any means. I never played any of the earlier Civ games. This map is being a base for learning.

I like having a wide range of units, that's why their there - to use. Playing the same way isn't very fun if you ask me. I'm taking your words into consideration though.

I'm playing much better than I was before your help. I filled in the gaps in American territory, they had wide spacing, no overlaping.

I'm not a very good warmonger.

I'm in the modern age thanks to being a scientific Civ.

I like the Marines.

Sorry, I didn't read your tutorial yet.

 

[Illuminous]

I'll stop building SAM batteries - go mobile instead?.

I took your advice and didn't build any airports.

I put that fortress on my island to give the workers something to do.

Alot of the slave workers I sold, or added to my city's after the American's were eliminated. I didn't put any foreiner's in my city's except for the American's.

I can win with a SS victory, since I'm going to lose with domination.

 

[vmxa]

I was in the Navy so we are not so big on Marines. Seriously they are an optional tech, so the tech can be skipped. There are so many continents and good sized islands, all of which as best invaded with troops and an Army to cover them.

FYI if you land a stack and it has a full health army of at least knights, the AI will not attack the stack. If it has bombers, it will bomb and then, if the army is damaged, it will attack.

This lets you drop off a stack and a settler and then found a town, before any attacks. So no need to use Marines to bust into coastal towns. That is a harder way to go.

I would say you are doing fine, I would tip my hat for even sticking out the no iron/horses start. Many strong players would just roll a new start.

War is easy, the big things are 1) keep attacking 2) get armies to use on the towns 3) watch out for over extending 4) do not attack with units that will be exposed on the IBT.

The last one is important along with #2 to let you keep your kill ratio high. This is what lets you continue to advance.

 

[vmxa]

I'll stop building SAM batteries - go mobile instead?.

I took your advice and didn't build any airports.

I put that fortress on my island to give the workers something to do.

Alot of the slave workers I sold, or added to my city's after the American's were eliminated. I didn't put any foreiner's in my city's except for the American's.

I can win with a SS victory, since I'm going to lose with domination.

Yes flaks or modbile smas are fine, if you have to deal with bombers. Better than fighters. Fighters have a localized effect. Flaks /mobile sams can be moved to wherever they are needed. Use 4 in a stack.

I pretty much never sell slaves as they cost nothing. Native workers cost support, unless you are not above the limit. Late in the game I do not have to worry about the limit.

I just park the slaves/workers till I need them. One thing you can do is to make a bunch of airfields on the mainland. Then one on any other land. Now you can fly over units.

I did not check, but I doubt losing by Domination is a concern. Culture or a vote are the only ways you can lose I would think.

 

[vmxa]

I just looked and you are first in land, so danger of Dom loss. If you build the UN you cannot lose by Vote. If the Space race is tight, just clobber Arabia. That is the best way to cut off a culture loss. Take them down to where they cannot reach 100K, before you reach 50K.

 

[Illuminous]

I like the fighters ability to recon. The early fighter's range is pretty short compared to the jet and stealth fighter though.

I still have alot of slaves. There all in American territory near the marshland. I was hoping that something may spawn in the jungles and marsh (fish and tropical fruit). Is that possible?, I've never seen it happen.

I meant that I wouldn't be winning by domination (66%).

The Navy's cool too.

War of attrition is how I normally play, I have the enemy keep coming at my defences and being slaughtered. When their men stop coming, I attack.

 

[vmxa]

I tend to make a few fighters for recon and put them where boats tend to show up. Then let the bombers hit them.

No bonus type resources will expire or spawn ( banana/tobacco/sugar etc), no lux either. Just strategic ones, minus horses and rubber as they do not expire.

The problem with defensive war is that you have no control and are hard pressed to keep kill ratio high. They will not attack when the town is too strong, unless it is a beach head and even them some times they will not.

You see things like they send in attackers like archers and warriors against your two spears. Add in one more spear and they may stop. For sure if you put in a pike they stop, till they get better attackers. You see this all the time in AW games. You have to take care to not discourage them from attacking, but you do not want to be at risk either.

In the long run, you want to get to the point where you attack and they defend.

 

[Illuminous]

What I do is, if they bypass one city, I'll send troops to the one their heading for, and go back and forth between city's. Tight city placement and rail helps, I use artillery to soften them up when they get in range, same for their ship's.

 

[vmxa]

Yup that works as long as you have rails or have units that can get there in time. What happens if the stack is really large and is stopped between towns? Now you do not know where they will attack?