Oops! Strategies to avoid...

[Ankh-f-n-Khonsu]

Admittedly, it was in the background of my mind, but part of my strategy in my second game at prince level was to ignore the ocean. I had only a single coastal city with any production value, and aside from churning out a few galleons at astronomy, I didn't pay much attention to it. Besides, two of my three enemies were on my own continent.

So Rameses took me rather by surprise when he sent a galleon to the north of my Malinese empire and unloaded a few cavalry into Djenne, my research center. I knocked him out of there in no time, and took my city back, but I may as well have let him have it at that point. Compare:






The bastard annihilated my infrastructure; Djenne is a research center no more. I was doing pretty well, managing to more or less keep up with my scientific rivals, but at this point I think the game is over. The only infrastructure I really had in place was heading me toward a space race victory, and that surely ain't gonna happen now. (Truth is, I doubt it would have happened at all, but this was my second prince game, and win or lose I was feeling pretty good about it until this tragedy.)

So, avoid these strategies:

1. Ignore the ocean.
2. Leave your most important cities in the industrial era garrisoned by medieval units.
3. Assume that enemies sharing your continent will only attack from a land-based front.

 

[Harbourboy]

A bit off-topic, but how come your city screen has decimal points? Mine doesn't. I thought everything rounded down.

 

[Ankh-f-n-Khonsu]

A bit off-topic, but how come your city screen has decimal points? Mine doesn't. I thought everything rounded down.

Dunno; running the HOF mod, maybe it's part of that.

 

[Cam_H]

It's a Warlords thing if I'm not horrendously mistaken.

Coastal tiles can be great for Financial civs too. Throw on top the Colossus, Bureaucracy, and a Golden Age, and 'kapow'!

I suppose the good thing is that he didn't pillage much - your Towns are still in tact, so once you get to Universal Suffrage you can hurry those research buildings (and get a hammer bonus to boot).

No Jewish Monastery in your Science Centre? Also try to get other religions in there if possible.

 

[KMadCandy]

ouch, you lost your oxford! thanks for at least trying to let us learn from your mistake.

 

[Lord Parkin]

It's a Warlords thing if I'm not horrendously mistaken.

Yes, you're correct. A lot of calculated values are now displayed to two decimal points in Warlords (which can be nice for the player who wants to know things exactly).

 

[kniteowl]

If you believe you can't keep up in research you can always try the Internet Gambit. Assuming you have a Reasonable Production Centre.

 

[Immaculate]

No Jewish Monastery in your Science Centre? Also try to get other religions in there if possible.

Do monastaries continue to produce +10% research after scientific method? I've been wondering since someone said they didn't (i had always assumed they did).

 

[KMadCandy]

Do monastaries continue to produce +10% research after scientific method? I've been wondering since someone said they didn't (i had always assumed they did).

no, 10% bonus to research goes obsolete. the ability to make missionaries and the +2 culture never go away tho.

 

[cheesejoff]

You could try replacing your two workshop tiles with two farms, and then use slavery to rebuild all your science buildings.

 

[Ankh-f-n-Khonsu]

I think what you're seeing are two unworked cottages -- there aren't any workshops in that town -- but yeah, I could. It's just so... disheartening.

 

[manu-fan]

You CAN ignore the ocean if you keep a reaonable number of mobile backline defenders. If you would have had a few cavalry who could have gone to battle with his, you wouldn't have lost Djenne in the first place.

Cheers.

 

[Lord Parkin]

If you believe you can't keep up in research you can always try the Internet Gambit. Assuming you have a Reasonable Production Centre.

The Internet does not come until the very end of the game. He'll have a lot to get through still before that time arrives. The Internet should be the least of his present concerns.

 

[Mutineer]

look on a bright side, you still have Academy.

 

[Bacon II]

look at the bright side, they didn´t raze your city and pillage your cottages.

 

[ace94d]

Look on the even brighter side, You weren't killed.

 

[cabert]

look on a bright side, you still have Academy.

look at the bright side, they didn´t raze your city and pillage your cottages.

Look on the even brighter side, You weren't killed.

you guys know how to soften the pains
I must admit I'd quit in such a situation.
I did play on in similarly bad situations only in SGs (didn't happen often, though) and GotMs (happened for both the games I submitted, due to careless war plans : having my forbidden palace city captured in WotM 4 was painful )

 

[sylvanllewelyn]

If the two decimal places matter, you need to get a life.

Seriously though, I don't see anything wrong with medieval units. High cultural defenses and longbows can wreck crap on rifleman.

 

[Ankh-f-n-Khonsu]

Yeah, cabert... I still have the saved game, but haven't had the heart to go back to it, despite the valuable suggestions here. (Well, except sylvanllewelyn's remarks, which merely confuse me.)