News: WOTM-03 Pre-Game Discussion

[drkodos]

6. One good thing though - early religion seems to be very achievable. I'm guessing the AI doesn't prioritize it as much as before.

Some do and some don't.


Some of the nations now prioritize Alphabet a lot more than before and aim for Great Library with alacrity rather than pursuing pious pathways.



For this months event, I think I will dogmatically dash along with a settler build first tactic and then see where that leaves me.

 

[Erkon]

I draw the following conclusions from the settings of the WOTM:

Rocky: more cities will be built on hills = costly to defeat without cats
Monarch + AI Patch + 8 rivals : Alphabet will be researched pretty early by a couple of AIs.
8 rivals + Aggressive : It's important to meet as many AI as possible when tech trade becomes possible to compensate for the risk that AI does not want to trade tech.

This leads me to think that going for battle early on is not the best strategy. First, I will fall behind in tech due to unit suppy. Second, I will get alphabet too late. Thus I plan to skip both Bronze Working and Iron Working.

Instead I'll aim for a powerful capital, early expansion and tech trade. Research will then be: Polytheism, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Archery, Wheel, Writing, Alphabet. This will enable me to improve tiles and grow my initial cities. Depending on the map, I would like to build one production city, one commerce city and one food city (for Great Persons) in addition to my capital.

Possible production: Scout, Worker, Settler, Warrior, Archer, Archer, Worker, Settler, Library. This seams to fit well with my research during test trials. New cities will build monument, archers, worker. These plans will probably be abandoned after 50 turns I would love to build a barracks, but I'm not sure I can squeeze that in.

I want an early religion, and I hope it will spread. I want the extra +5 culture / turn and the happiness increase. I can afford having a religion penalty with a couple of AI, as long as my chance to trade tech with one or two AI increases.

Long term, I will try to build the Great Library. I will also aim to use specialists from a library, both for boosting research and to get a Great Scientist (discover philosophy/metal casting or engineering). Fighting

My trial games indicates that the barbarians will field archers much earlier than I'm used to. Is this related to how many civilizations that have access to Archery? I never figured out how the discovery of tech is connected to barbarian unit types. One other thing I noticed is that a) the AI will prioritize alphabet more and b) they seam to focus more on research in general.

Victory condition? Conquest...

 

[Redbad]

Lake + mysticism = early religion?

I don't think the lake can be worked without fishing, but the southern dye is as good I suppose.

The starting picture provokes me to research all the "hard" worker-techs first:
mining for the hills
bronze for the forests
agri for the corn
ah for the cows and finally
wheel for the connecting roads

If I'll do that then hammers and food will in great supply but research will take forever. So my research would rather be wheel, agri, potts, mining, bronze, ah.

 

[Tech Step]

I think that I will try to aim for 3 cities and gun gun for ironworking. I can see that this months challenge is going to be a bloodbath!

 

[DynamicSpirit]

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to discover this.. it is one of the changes in the patch that isn't mentioned in the patch message

Anything to oblige

I think that is quite a sensible change. In real life you wouldn't expect to be able to see what's inside an enemy ship.

And -- 'one of the changes' -- you mean there's more unannounced changes to be discovered? This could be interesting...

 

[Thrallia]

oy...maybe I shouldn't read this thread anymore, it's making me unsure of how I should start out my game

possibly my problem is that I am not very good at warmongering, so I'm very nervous to start out being aggressive toward the AI.

 

[Jeff1787]

oy...maybe I shouldn't read this thread anymore, it's making me unsure of how I should start out my game

possibly my problem is that I am not very good at warmongering, so I'm very nervous to start out being aggressive toward the AI.

Ditto for me. I'm terrible at warmongering. The big decision to me is whether to go the BW/IW route or head towards Alphabet. Maybe one could go for BW and if copper pops up close by, then early use of the UU would be the way to go??

Guess I'm going to try some test games.

 

[Airny]

I did some practice games and I sucked hard!
Once I had to forfeit because the AI moved his nice mix of units better than I did. That was quite a shame and also shows how much it improved.
I can only warn you not to underestimate this one.
About expansion:
I had space for about 3-4 cities... not enough to win peacefully.

 

[synthboy]

Looking at the difficulty level plus the commnets about the changes to the AI in 2.08 I fear I'm going to get stuffed this month round even with the adventurer bonuses (not that I've been doing so much better in previous months). Anyway, my plan (for what it's worth)

1. Move Scout south to check out that blue circle. Dpeending on that either settle in place or move accordingly.

2. Make a grab for a religion

3. If stone is around head along the bottom of the tech tree, otherwise detour briefly for some resource techs before heading for bronze working.

4. Have a big scrap with everyone; lose horribly.

One quick question: the submission deadlines: is it on or before the day in question? Still playing through WOTM2 and want to know how late I have to stay up tonight.

 

[Thrallia]

the submission deadline, if I'm not mistaken, is the end of the day, at the end of the world, on the day mentioned on the actual GOTM website.

In fact, if you go to the GOTM website, I believe it tells to the hour how much time is left for you to submit it.

 

[BLubmuz]

Thanks to the people who answer to my question about Blake.

It seems we'll have a completely different game, all levels will raise in difficulty, but at least we'll stop to see the AI do really stupid things.

This reopens an old question:
With this improved AI and so on, why the programmers has not lowered the discount in units upgrades?
This is unfair, IMO: at monarch an AI can upgrade archer-longbow-rifleman using less money than the human for archer-longbow, avoiding to build new units or building an indecent number.

 

[Meatbuster]

One more thing: there has been so much land in the past 3-4 G/WOTM's. Pls pls pls pls pls let there be less land pls pls pls...

 

[Murky]

So far I've done ok with some practices game. I get the feeling that this game is going be a long slog that is borderline dull. Even when the AIs are Pleased they won't do even trades. The upward climb is a struggle. The only way forward is with military might and even then it is rough going.

So far my best game was going with AH->Archery->Mining>BW> and Warrior>Worker>Archer>Settler

 

[CliftonBazaar]

Even when the AIs are Pleased they won't do even trades.

That's Agressive AI's for you, and they won't give up techs for peace either so you'll have a tough time all round.

I'm going to follow Sun Tzu's advice - My victorious swordsman are going to WAR! as soon as I find Iron. Mercy will only be given for techs.

 

[Thrallia]

I've had aggressive AIs trade techs when they are pleased...the main difference between aggressive and normal is that on aggressive AI they'll be more likely to attack you, and they'll start out at a negative attitude toward you.

What could be influencing the tech trading with the AI is that they are smarter in terms of what trades they'll do.

 

[Tech Step]

I think that the only way to win this week will be a galic warrior rush and start producing plenty of warlords for the bonuses. If you war enough you should be able to get 3 warlords fairly quickly. I usually use these to make the accademy (bonus production) and then a super medic and a super atatcker. If you can get these happening you should be able to make a super stack that can sack most cities.

 

[KingdomBrunel]

I'm tempted to try for Buddhism for an early religion and then early holy war - create a bit of space for expansion, and hopefully get a good religious ally or two.

 

[Murky]

I think that the only way to win this week will be a galic warrior rush and start producing plenty of warlords for the bonuses. If you war enough you should be able to get 3 warlords fairly quickly. I usually use these to make the accademy (bonus production) and then a super medic and a super atatcker. If you can get these happening you should be able to make a super stack that can sack most cities.

The Gallic Warriors do work fairly well with a rocky climate. Give them GIII and they are great at taking cities on a hill then are able to fend off a counter attack with ease. The AI is more likely to field Axemen in addition to their other units so you also need some Axemen. They also seem to like Chariots so you need some Spearmen too. Doesn't hurt to bring in some catapults eventually because their capitals are often at 50% culture or higher.

 

[Erkon]

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to discover this.. it is one of the changes in the patch that isn't mentioned in the patch message

I noticed that cities with "my" religion are revealed without the need for a shrine. I haven't noticed that before.

 

[Gyathaar]

I noticed that cities with "my" religion are revealed without the need for a shrine. I haven't noticed that before.

You never needed a shrine.. you just need the holy city of your state religion