Overpowered Zeus

[Speaker]

I had this crazy idea that the Statue of Zeus was way overpowered. To prove this idea, or at least try to not disprove it, I started a game as the Americans on a Tiny map, with the goal of a OCC Conquest Victory.

Civ: America.
Opponents: Hittites, Incans, Sumerians.
Goal: OCC Conquest
Map: Tiny
Difficulty: Emperor

In case anyone doesn't know, the Statue of Zeus is a new wonder, available with Mathematics for a cost of just 200 shields, requiring Ivory to build. Every 5 turns it spawns an Ancient Cavalry unit, with specs of 3-2-2, and an extra hitpoint.

I rerolled starts until I found a river start with Ivory in the city radius. It just so happened that I also had a cow, but that was not a requirement for me.

I chose America because Masonry got me one tech closer to Math and scouts would let me reveal the entire island. Barbs were turned off completely to keep the tech pace down (huts).

Here is my nearest neighbor, Sumeria, who is quite close.

By the next turn, 3450BC, I have contact with everyone.

 

[Speaker]

I research Alphabet at full speed followed by Math at full speed. Washington builds two scouts to explore and then starts immediately on the Pyramids, as a prebuild for Zeus. Wouldn't you know, my prebuild is nearly perfect when Math comes in.

I trade Math around for the 4 techs I am behind (Wheel, Bronze Working, Warrior Code, Ceremonial Burial) and continue at full science toward Horseback Riding.

As my Ancient Cavalry begin to pop out, which I supplement with spears and archers, which I can build in 2 turns since I am making 10spt, I start moving toward phase 2 of my plan: World domination. The Sumerians decide to help my cause by demanding 20 gold.

The silly AI should know not to immediately make demands of the Civ that just built the Statue of Zeus. Crazy. The cities, protected by the Sumerian 2-defense UU, fall like dominoes to the 3-attack of my Ancient Cavalry.

 

[Speaker]

Like I said, the Sumerian cities fall like dominoes:

To Be Continued

 

[Louis XXIV]

How many Ancient Cav did you produce anyway?

My personal opinion is that, if it wasn't for the fact that it required ivory, it wouldn't be too overpowered. But, because ivory is needed, you could easily have a monopoly on the SoZ.

Anyway, I'll see how you do with the other civs.

 

[Speaker]

Originally posted by Louis XXIV
How many Ancient Cav did you produce anyway?

I managed to sneak in the barracks in 4 turns between building Zeus and the first Cav spawning, so every Cav had 5 hp. I started the war after 10 turns, when I had 2 Ancient Cav, 2 Spearmen, and 3 Archers and used the captured workers to build roads toward my enemies, with reinforcements on the way.

 

[Speaker]

I quickly declare was on the Hittites, with my army now including approximately 7 Ancient Cavalry and 10 archers.

I do not lose a single Cavalry, with the combination of 3-attack, 5hp (6 as they upgrade to elite), and ability to retreat being nearly impossible to stop. I protect them with spearmen and support them with Archers who get in free shots at attacking archers and finish off weakened Spearmen.

As I reduce the Hittites to one city, which was founded by a wayward settler after I had destroyed what I thought was their last settler, I declared war on the Incans, whose border I had already loaded with units, using my dozen captured workers to build roads to the front.

By now I have created a colony on horses and have replaced my archers with the faster horsemen. Counter attacks can no longer hurt me.

 

[Speaker]

With the Hittites all but eliminated, I focused the main of my forces on the Incans and again quickly moved through their ranks, with few losses.

I destroy the last Incan city in 730BC!

But unfortunately, they have slipped a settler by me as well, and when they found the city near my capital, tons of units spew out and threaten me. Unfortunately I got a little lax at the end and moved most of my units to the north, so it took some time to recall them and I spent a dozen turns removing Incan spears and Archers from around my capital. I was never in much danger, but it certainly was frustrating to be caught by this inane act. Either a Civ should die when their last city is destroyed or respawned Civs should not get free units.

I finally am able to finish the Incans in 230BC, 500 years after the war should have ended, although this was only some 15 turns.

Victory is achieved in only 1:10:53. The shortest win I've ever had short of MP dropouts.

The score of 11488 is a new high for me, but it should have been higher if I hadn't let that settler slip by.

 

[Speaker]

What do we learn here? Just as I suspected, the Statue of Zeus is way overpowered, as I was able to easily achieve an OCC Conquest victory way before Christ. Combine Ancient Cavalry with Archers and Spearmen and you have an unstoppable force.

 

[Bamspeedy]

On tiny maps, alot of things can be way overpowered.

 

[Louis XXIV]

I think that extra HP is a bit much, but that's jut IMHO.

 

[Mannerheim]

I dont see Zeus as overpowered game breaking element. You played it to perfection ( well almost ). You used the tiny map to emphasize it to the max (on larger maps you might win a war, but nothing decisive) AND most importantly you had to generate dozen or so maps to get the perfect starting location. I consider Zeus as a tactic that is useful in special situations like the swordman rush. But in a random epic game you can't base your whole strategy on building it. It's no gamebraker like RCP was or capturing the Great Library is.

 

[Vanadorn]

Mannerheim is correct in this. I have found the SoZ to be useful if you get it, but only if you gear your game around it (as you have done). Think about the Iron Works, same idea. Have to find coal and iron in the right spot near a city that you've built for a massive influx of production.
The Wonders are supposed to be game bending and powerful, that's what the cost of building them and the length of time to do so is supposed to represent.

 

[Louis XXIV]

Iron Works isn't a Great Wonder, though.

 

[steviejay]

certainly helps though....

 

[Sukenis]

I played an epic game (regent random map) as the Dutch and by chance had all the Ivory right by we. I think the map was 70% land with islands of 6-% with continents.

Anyways, the only offensive nits I built (until knights that were only built when a city had built everythign else)) were 3 warriors to explore. I found the English and Spanish on my starting land mass. I killed them both with no problems using nothing but free units. The swordsmen followed them to fortify cities.

I later built the kinights templar and took out the japanese & Chinease to just get rid of units (they were costing me a fortune).

I expected to play a builder game (Dutch seemed good for that) and won by dominations.

Getting this wonder can effect the enitre stratagy used to play the game. A passive civ will quickly become a war monger. I just hope I never fross Germany/Scandinavia/Mongols with this wonder.

 

[Capt Buttkick]

I like it because of the fact that it forces you to change strat mid-game. Makes for more dynamic games imhso.