Persia and the Seven Percent Solution

[Mxzs]

Is there a conventional strategy for meeting the Persian UHV goal that calls for controlling 7% of the world by ... whatever turn/date is the deadline?

I ask because, from the few Persian games I've tried, I get the impression that there can't be a standard strategy for the Persians, because different games will generate different arrangements of opponents whose strength will vary from game to game, so that each game has to use a different set of tactics, strategies, and timings. I've seen a comment on this forum to the effect that (IIRC) if Babylon has built Ninua, the only winning Persian strategy is to resign the game and roll up a new one. Is that correct -- is the Persian game one that defies any conventional strategy but one that can only be played (or resigned) in each unique game session?

 

[JHLee]

It is true that Persian UHV can be very frustrating, especially because Greece and Rome spawns free troops everywhere during the last 30 turns before the deadline.
It took me a lot of retries before I succeeded by conquering Egypt, Greece, and North India.
In India cities are much less clustered and taking Dehli+Pataliputra can grant you much more land with much less effort than in Greece or Egypt.
Currency is top priority in tech, and you should refrain from expanding too much beyond Syria+Mesopotamia before you can research it.
Also you should transfer from Immortals to Savarans as they are more efficient in terms of maintenance,
can fight somewhat evenly with legions/hoplites, and are much mobile (which saves precious turns).
+Also Ninua should not be a problem because Immortals are dirt dirt cheap.
Even if you are really unlucky with RNG, you should at least be able to take Babylon with your initial troops, which opens way for Syria.

 

[Sovietof17]

The first Persian UHV is impossible. I have tried a number of times.

And getting attacked at 5 cities instantly by Greek stacks of 4 isn't fair either.

 

[soul-breathing]

The first Persian UHV is impossible. I have tried a number of times.

And getting attacked at 5 cities instantly by Greek stacks of 4 isn't fair either.

You need to destroy Greece as soon as possible, to avoid them conquest your city.

 

[Nyayr]

I myself got the First UHV by conquering all the way into North and North East India,Taking Egypt, Greece as well the entire allowed Area of Persia. The Greece forces that spawn are doable 2hoplite, 1 companion, catapult just be sure to have savanar cavalry, the Roman ones only spawn around mediterranean, Conquered Greece when Rome declared war. So in my case Rome also conquered Egypt (Egypt was way to strong when i tried it with many chariots...) then Rome went unstable and I mopped up Egypt.

You can have a lot of cheap immortals in cities with walls to hold out a bit. Then a few skirmishers to suicide attack and run them down with cavalry.

 

[JHLee]

You need to destroy Greece as soon as possible, to avoid them conquest your city.

I took the opposite approach, fend off the Greeks first and then strike both Greece and Egypt when Rome DoWs Greece

 

[soul-breathing]

I took the opposite approach, fend off the Greeks first and then strike both Greece and Egypt when Rome DoWs Greece

It's hard to fend off Greeks, I've tried it but lost city every time, the Hoplites are hard to beat.

 

[JHLee]

It's hard to fend off Greeks, I've tried it but lost city every time, the Hoplites are hard to beat.

You have Stone in Babylon, build walls everywhere and have Immortals guard the cities.

 

[Mxzs]

So ... The consensus seems to be that there is no special tactic, and that the first UHV is just going to be hard to get.

 

[catacau]

It's pretty hard to get that UHV, I usually try to rush Greece by building galleys in Sur and Jerusalem and launch a amphibious assault in Anthens. This way you usually have wipe them by the time of the conqueror event or at least can secure peace and go for Rome.

Build walls in your cities, they won't attack your cities until the catapult had done their jobs in reducing the defense to near 0%.

 

[Sovietof17]

I got 7 percent and the seven wonders. Failed the shrines, the AI never built any, and my great people were an artist [used at Samarkand] and a priest [zoro shrine]

 

[Nyayr]

The zoro shrine usually is a waste later on when the religion dwindles due to Islam, budhism...

I let the Greek attack usually, and crush them when Rome hits them. Honestly phalanx mean little versus a walled fortified Immortal, even with they 25% extra melee damage.,

 

[Hickman888]

I just narrowly lost a Persia game due to collapse (I conquered Italy, I shouldn't have done that), but I was only a few turns away from winning a historical victory (Marathon/Monarch). I'll try again in a couple of days and say for sure, but what I recommend doing is this:

1. Unless Babylon is almost completely undefended, try and avoid attacking Babylon with your Elephant until you train some more units. If he dies, you do not yet have enough forces to conquer the city, and you will have lost your hardest hitting unit.
2. Conquer Greece before Alexander has a chance to spawn his stacks of units in your territory.
   
3. As soon as you are able, spread Zoroastrianism to a city that has Judaism in it, construct both their temples, and run two priests in it. (Bonus points if it has the Oracle in it). Send this great prophet to construct the Zoraster shrine, and, if you are running out of turns until the deadline, run as many priests as you can in your capital to insure that you meet the deadline for your second prophet.

 

[Sovietof17]

i finally beat this after years of trying and frustration. here is the solution. I believe it is repeatable. I even had a bad start where the 2 horsemen sent to samarqand died [2 archers there, never seen 2 or more there]. i didnt even save scum. i didnt collapse. I think because i had 2 golden ages [1 from an event i've never even seen before, 1 from UHVs + the mausoleum]

0 - if the oracle is not built in babylonian territory, you lose! restart. oracle in your territory is REQUIRED to win.
1 - 2 horsemen at the start go to conquer samarqand. all three archers stay in Parsa.
2 - I settle where it starts me. other settler goes north to settle next to the horses
3 - workers develop the food resources in capital, then the iron
4 - your army goes west to conquer babylon. always babylon, ignore tushpa. I never lost this fight even when they have 4 archers
5 - temple goes where the oracle is. immediately. this is where your 1st prophet comes.
6 - science goes off (0%) and culture goes to what science was when you get currency + the tech for saravans. saravans are awesome because they can be promoted to anti-melee and kill roman legions
6 - medicine is a trap [besides anti-plague, which tried to stop me as I was getting a 2nd prophet] and pharamcies are completely useless.


DO NOT TAKE Sur, Jerusalem, Ankara, or Egypt BEFORE being invaded by the Greeks!

While you are performing 1-4, you need to think about the Greeks and where they attack. For me, this was usually
1- Shush
2 - Sur or Jerusalem, or anything west north or south (turkey, egypt)
3 - Parsa



As part of this, you need in these areas : walls, 3-4 archers, and catapults (nearby, at least). promote immortals into melee speciality, if you can. hit them with 2 catapults and a bunch of guys. repeat for each army. .

At some point you should get a general. I settle this one. your choice where. this will get you better units in the future to fight off romans and to conquer

Also, while fighting greek, you should start building your Indian invasion army. this should consist of immortals ONLY . you need nothing else. 7-8 is enough to roll the subcontinent. I conquered the whole thing [not chola] and miraculously no collapse

rome should come soon after your indian campaign. hit them hard as well. DO NOT FIGHT THEM IN TURKEY. dont even bother with that hell. they had stacks of legions and ballista 12 high there. Just get egypt .

i also got an artist which was sent to samarqand. I actually think that is required to win if you cant get turkey.

i won without any turkish territory. or even having to surrender cities. thanks to all the golden age and conquering [key to keeping you alive - you cant collapse]

score:51.6k lol [heir, dont think the other difficulties are even possible ]

and the funnier thing? One more turn and my empire collapsed [After I won the UHV] LOL!!!

Probably I was lucky as hell. good luck in this impossible challenge.