Poll: What strengths do you develop in your empire/country? Very interesting!

[Cavalry]

What strengths does your empire focus on? There are quite a few so I recommend checking them over carefully. I focus most on:
1. Territorial size(Eventually becomes very potenet also the coolest)
2. Population(Useful and cool)
3. Industrial/shield production output

4. Technology
5. Military Strength(Ahead of Cash Flow and when going to fight to expand and when defense against threats is paramount also very cool strength
6. Cash flow/income/stockpile of gold
7: Cultural Strength(About tied with cash flow)
8. Contented Populace
9: Diplomatic Strength

What strengths do favor? Post here! Very interesting to see everyone's style.

 

[Grey Knight]

Really, I go through phases:

1) REX
2) "Fortify" - build enough military to present a solid defense
3) Diplomacy - get maps / techs
4) Offensive force
5) Stockpile cash
6) Population
7) Technology
8) Industrial capacity (to implement all my cool new techs )

I have "military" twice really -- I guess I just don't care if the peeps are happy or what the [doomed] AI players think of me

Cheers,
Shawn

 

[Mapache]

I'm a production monger. If I outproduce everyone else my victory is just a question of time. People pollute and I hate pollution.

 

[Matrix]

Good poll, Cavalry!

Usually it depends. I recently discovered the Babylonians: religious and scientific, which makes it possible to build up an enormous amount of culture. But there is always one thing I do most trouble for and that's science. I hate being behind in technology (yet it happens often ).

 

[eyrei]

I actually use a combination of several options, though I voted for the culture one. Culture + Good trade relations + effective defensive army + strong,efficient economy. It is nice to be the leader in science, and this is often a result of having a strong economy, but it is not really necessary. If you have a strong economy for a long time, and also manage to stay out of wars because of the size of your stick and good diplomacy, you will eventually take the lead in science. As a result of numerous trade relations, I usually acquire most of the luxuries, which, when combined with marketplaces, make my people very happy. Strong culture has some effect on nearly every aspect of the game. It improves your diplomatic relations, which increases the possibilities for trade, which keeps you out of wars. Also, should you get involved in a war, cities you conquer are more easily assimilated, and cities you lose are likely to overthrow their oppressors. Making a lot of money allows you to buy improvements, which end up making more money, or making people happy, or increasing your science rate. Money also allows you to purchase technologies, resources and luxuries from other civs, which improve your relations, and keep you out of wars.

Basically, my point is that most of these are intertwined, and a careful balance of several of them, will make the rest of them a reality as well.

Territory size is the only one that does not really matter to me. In several games I have been one of the smallest civs land-wise, while leading in science, diplomacy and culture. At the same time, a state of the art and veteran military of reasonable size can make a small civ nearly invulnerable to attack.

 

[Fanny Brice]

good poll...

production wins for me... though hard to pick just one.

allows you to build your wonders and quickly build your infrastructure.

I usually don't keep a large "standing army" so when war comes, I need to mobilize quickly.

 

[No.Dice]

Cash, followed closely by territorial size. The size of your treasury is much more important than that of your army. As long as you have money in the bank, you're really in no danger from even the strongest civ, as you can always buy alliances, and to a lesser extent, cash rush the essentials. Not to mention buying techs.

I also always make a point to outexpand the AI on monarch, and to keep pace on emperor. With tech brokering butchered in 1.17, i now go to great lengths to deny the AI resources/luxuries and later sell them for extortionate prices. I'm making 600+ gold per turn in my current game on emperor, and the game plays almost exactly like i'm tech brokering.

 

[Reichsmarshal]

1. Territorial Size
2. Population
3. Trade/Cash Flow (Hard to seperate)
4. Industrial Production,
5. Cultural Strength, Military Power
6. Scientific Technology
7. Happy/Content Population

I have noticed that the civ with the most population seems to always be doing the best and the computer totally focuses on the industrial/military complex strategy.

 

[Reichsmarshal]

Often I use a Commerical/Militaristic Strategy. This strategy is one where you carefully plan to conqueror enemies on your continent and use your economy to help you (build lots of marketplaces to help with luxuries and to pump up income). Also collect and trade resources a lot and buy sell technology.

 

[Cavalry]

Interesting responses. I am not so sure that I should have included Diplomatic strength though... Hmm, can't really hurt can it ?

Expansion is very addicting. As well as population. I consider my terriortorial size, population, and production far, far ahead of the others like tech and below with technology being far ahead of the ones below it.

 

[Cavalry]

When I declare war on someone it is 95% of the time for expansion and more land.

 

[Cavalry]

Now for some slighty humourous analogies,

Industrial=Made in China.

Commercialistic/Cash=Microsoft logo on everything,

Or Mercantilistic/Control all trades routes! How much do you need?*opens brief case*

Territorial size=Manifest destiny!

Diplomacy prowesses=Switerzland.

Technology=Progress! We invented that, and that too, and that over there also.

Military=Turn 'em black and blue!
You won't be needing that anymore.

Cultural=They all know about MacDonalds, That government was invented by Greece. This country is the number 1 retirement spot/vaction(sight seeing) place!

Contented Populace=Disney World.
Video games/Computer games everywhere!
Fun for everyone!

 

[Arrian]

The overall goal is a hybrid of Technology and Production, with a dash (a large dash) of culture. The intermediate goals vary as the game progresses. Military production tends to occur only when I have no city improvements available to build. Thus, I don't end up with a powerful military until the late industrial age. I build enough to hold my own, but that's it until toward the end. Though I'm often forced to build more than I otherwise would, due to some obnoxious neighbor who gets antsy.

-Arrian

 

[IronicWarrior19]

I build a huge army early on, with a little focus on culture... after that I go conquer the nearest civ. Once I've done that I build up my core cities to high production (and hopefully get the Forbidden Palace in my conquered territory), whilst conquering the next nearest civ and razing and replacing his cities with my own. Using this tactic I conquer the world on deity consistently, and after the second civ is conquered (middle ages generally) I can get myself a tech lead and a nicely built up civ compared to my opponents. So I guess I do it all at the same time - army, then territory, population, cash, culture, happiness and industry (building up my cities), then technological lead from conquered opponents. I guess I don't go overboard on diplomacy - just try to keep wars with one civ at a time

 

[chiefpaco]

I can't vote for one because they're all important. However, I will mention something about the citizen happiness (not that it would be #1 on my list, but...).

Eyrei's constant recommendation of WLTK days to make the fringe cities productive has finally gotten through to me in my latest game. Using Monarchy and Military Police, it was very easy, even with a 0% luxury tax, to put all my cities in WLTK. The benefits are incredible as I'm watching city by city march towards low waste & corruption levels.

Not to mention the benefits on my score...

 

[Ismannen]

Hm, as I do it, it all interchanges. First I want to expand territory. Then build enough units to hold it. Next I want enough culture to keep expanding. To start the cycle again, I need better production, thus researching. That means I can't waste too many citizens as entertainors, creating a need for city enhancements. Of course gold plays into all of this. When I have established myself as powerfull enough, start crushing the others untill i tire off it and go for space victory. Not incredibly challenging, but hey, I like winning.