starlifter
Deity
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2001
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History + Civilization II = Starlifter's Presidential Strategy
Perhaps a Presidential model might help some people in playing Civilization II, as well as understanding history.
Here is an abbreviated form of several threads in the World History, OT, and Civ II Forums, revised, consolidated, and rewritten into a unified Presidential Strategy. 
=== Basic Progression ===
Construction of city improvements should integrate with your strategy. Such decisions are intrinsic to your fundamental long-term goals. City site and/or proximity to your capital also will affect such decisions.
Before we jump in to the details, in the big picture, the worst thing to do is pull a Clinton and waffle around, randomly building an improvement here and there, usually in reaction to an event such as unhappy citizens or encroachment of the Raging Hordes of the evil Red Barbarians seemingly swarming from out of nowhere. However, with intelligence and a Power Democracy, the human should ultimately still win rather handily -- even with the haphazard Clinton approach to foreign policy and appeasement of terrorist threats.
In the first years of a fledgling nation, the George Washington approach should prevail... conquer and secure a small, resource-rich area in which to start a future world power. And any military forces you can gain from the land and native hut are very valuable indeed!
Early on, the Jefferson approach is probably best... expand and displace all before you, and refine the cities later. Send out Lewis and Clark, and have them explore any mighty rivers -- travel is much faster along rivers. Always discover and map terrain, as well as sites for future cities.
Implement the Monroe Doctrine quickly in a growing Civilization: that is, do not allow interlopers to exist in your hemisphere, since they will doubtless one day be hostile to your form of government. And do not later rape Monroe like Kennedy did -- enforce the Monroe doctrine at all times, and one day in the future you will not need to embargo an enemy to get rid of them, while dancing on the razor's edge of global thermonuclear war.
As the game develops, the Lincoln approach will help the more powerful cities bring their backwards brethren into the industrial age -- whether they want it or not. The agricultural base of the less-refined cities can be used to at least inflate their population while awaiting factories and mid-game improvements. And keep your capital well defended to prevent the flames of Civil War from sweeping across your nation.
If a powerful neighbor threatens, the F. D. Roosevelt approach to strategically sacrifice a few of your own troops and units can result trigger the eradication of the hordes of an enemy Rising in the Sun, or working on their own Final Solution to all your problems. This is particularly useful in a Democracy when the peaceful, but blind, Senate forbids a war. Skillfully done, you can incite a war and make it look like someone else's fault. Never tell your nation what you did, lest it affect happiness in your Democracy, particularly with troops away from home. A good way to incite this conflict is with the Roosevelt method of choking an enemy's access to natural resources, like FDR did to the treacherous Japanese through 1941. Should that not work fast enough, deploy your best General with inadequate military support right into the heart of the enemy empire, while promising reinforcements -- yet waiting for the bait to be swallowed by the enemy. Be sure to save your best unit if possible, and use it to later help squash the enemy, then control the populations after the war.
As major wars conclude in your ultimate victory, do not fall into the Truman strategy of paying your "allies" to attack civilizations you have spent blood to conquer already -- like Truman did with the Russians. Remember, you earned the victory: don't sell out your nation and let others enjoy the fruits of your victory. And do not give military units to those evil allies, like Truman gave to Russia when he diverted dozens of American transport ships to a treacherous "ally" in Vladivostok -- ships which were full of war materials made by loyal Americans and were destined for American boys in the Pacific campaign in 1945. If you give military units to an ally, you'll learn the lesson Truman did -- those same supplies will later be used to kill your own boys in later wars!
If war is forced upon you, do not use the Truman approach and betray your military in the field. Do not hesitate to strike a belligerent enemy and slit his throat. Get it over with and clean up the mess later... future generations will thrive under a properly-run democracy anyway. Barracks will greatly aid your military in combat. Don't be afraid to make demands while saying "Our words are backed with Nuclear Weapons!" and most of all, be ready to use Nuclear Weapons to save your troops in a war, since your Democracy does not produce hoards of Red Fanatics that you'll likely be facing!
In late game, the Eisenhower approach is almost always best... build superhighways everywhere, and construct airports even in small cities. Build nuclear weapons as you need, and be ready to use them if necessary. Lay the groundwork for space, and develop technologies like Computers that will allow you to get there first!
After that, a modified Kennedy approach will likely be appropriate. Divert some resources to the Apollo program to prepare for spaceship construction. Modify Kennedy's approach by conducting foreign policy with an iron fist at all times. Most of all, do not show cowardice and weakness in diplomatic negotiations. And don't betray friends, allies, and countrymen . Personally, I always finish the game with a Spotless record, unlike the cumulative Truman, Kennedy, and Clinton approaches. If an enemy captures one of your ships, like a destroyer in the open ocean, strike fast and sink it before it can be used against you.
In late game developments, for any populations which could possibly be in harm's way, I prefer the Reagan approach of defending all cities with SDI and building any anti-missile improvements as the threat calls for it. Build a strong Reagan economy by reducing taxes and gaining 3 to 4 techs (usually FT's by now) per turn. Spare no expense to improve your scientific knowledge -- build SETI. Do not squander your tax gold by gifting it to other civilizations! Remember, a strong Reagan economy can overcome even Clinton years of indecision, corruption, military decay, and economic waste and greed in late game. Always remember the Clinton approach of leaving millions defenseless is nonsense, as long as other missile powers still exist.
In end-game developments, I use the Bush I approach: I'm willing to give all mankind most of the knowledge I've learned (this will advance remaining science even faster), yet enforce peace in a new World Order. Non-peaceful violators can be crushed. Do not allow the Red Barbarians to commit Genocide in the lesser-developed areas of the world -- and allow no native unrest, as Clinton allowed in Rwanda, Somalia, and Bosnia. Use your vast military superiority to crush any Eruptions of Evil.
Rush build; do not wait, and don't pull a Clinton. Upgrade your military. Take care of your fighting forces. Don't produce units unless they are veteran. Don't let your units languish. Don't conduct social experiments in your military. And don't allow your military units to be needlessly sacrificed, like Clinton did to American boys in Somalia. Have a goal, and focus on the objective. Remember that technology is the key: give your citizens the best economic and scientific infrastructure, and ultimately cost will be no object after the strong Reagan economy powers right on through any Clinton years, and makes a complete recovery from any Clinton-esque mistakes that might occur near the end of the game.
Employ the Bush II philosophy to encourage environmentalism *and* industrial maximization in your cities, and force environmentally-friendly improvements like Mass Transit into those cities that even have a potential to pollute. But do not be afraid of pollution that may be produced by Manufacturing Plants in some cities -- allocate the resources to clean the pollution rapidly, however. Just remember that The Earth Is Not In The Balance, no matter what some demented advisors might suggest. Your object is to stay overwhelmingly powerful, and pour it on. If icecaps should melt, make sure the enemy suffers more than you, and finish him while he is weak! Use your engineers to repair global warming damage later. The ecology can be repaired. Human life can't be replaced, so root out evil and eliminate the Red Threat and Terrorists wherever they exist.
=== How to Deal with Civilizations (Learn from the Presidents) ===
You will never notice a significant difficulty if you never place your civilization in a position of weakness.
A strong, powerful civilization will force peace whether the rest of the world wants it or not! However, the UN is an excellent way to follow the Harry Truman/Neville Chamberlain methods of appeasement if you refuse to equip your armies properly and defend your cities from evil aggressors. With the UN, you can proclaim you "have peace in our time", but it will not last against enemies jealous of your prosperity and power.
Do not tolerate aggressive neighbors. If necessary, nuke them and make them sue for peace... or just wipe them off the map and rebuild/run your new territory the right way. The AI understands nukes, even without the UN. In the end, the UN only prolongs the inevitable final struggle for the forces of good to overcome the forces of darkness in the rest of the world. As the world knows, the UN will not force the enemy to uphold his end of the bargain!
With a Powerful Democracy, you will find it is normally not necessary to launch any nukes at any time, though it is good to have one or two for negotiations. Powerful air forces and ground units can defeat any incursions or sneak attacks, like happened in the one-two sneak attacks of the evil North Koreans and evil Red Chinese in the Korean War.
Learn from Truman's heinous examples of military betrayal and inept leadership... keep modern, powerful forces at any border, ready to spring into action. Do not hamper, stymie, and cripple your military. Let you military do it's job. Back your military with Nuclear Weapons, and don't hesitate to nuke any Reds which might manage to overwhelm your loyal troops in the midst of a major military campaign. When the forces of evil attack, do not hesitate to push them back beyond their original point of attack. Do not yield ground paid for with the blood of your military. Remember that you can never negotiate or compromise with the Red Barbarians, but you can bribe them; their existence is wretched, and they come cheap. But even if you upgrade them, remember that they will never really match up to your high tech frontline forces, and will often need to be disbanded later on anyway.
If other nations sneak attack, don't expel warm yellow fluid on yourself and sue for peace like Truman did... stand up like a man: attack and defeat the enemy, even if you have to sacrifice some economy in the short run. Take the war to the enemy... root him out... and when peace comes, remain strong and ready to repel the inevitable sneak attacks of the future. Do not allow the enemy to enslave entire cities for decades. Do not allow a long-term cease fire. Do not allow the evil Red Barbarians to remain at the gate!
Hope this Presidential Strategy will help with both your empire and history knowledge!
*** "There is no substitute for victory" ***
- General Douglas MacArthur
(This post is 12,234 characters long)
Perhaps a Presidential model might help some people in playing Civilization II, as well as understanding history.
Here is an abbreviated form of several threads in the World History, OT, and Civ II Forums, revised, consolidated, and rewritten into a unified Presidential Strategy. === Basic Progression ===
Construction of city improvements should integrate with your strategy. Such decisions are intrinsic to your fundamental long-term goals. City site and/or proximity to your capital also will affect such decisions.
Before we jump in to the details, in the big picture, the worst thing to do is pull a Clinton and waffle around, randomly building an improvement here and there, usually in reaction to an event such as unhappy citizens or encroachment of the Raging Hordes of the evil Red Barbarians seemingly swarming from out of nowhere. However, with intelligence and a Power Democracy, the human should ultimately still win rather handily -- even with the haphazard Clinton approach to foreign policy and appeasement of terrorist threats.
In the first years of a fledgling nation, the George Washington approach should prevail... conquer and secure a small, resource-rich area in which to start a future world power. And any military forces you can gain from the land and native hut are very valuable indeed!
Early on, the Jefferson approach is probably best... expand and displace all before you, and refine the cities later. Send out Lewis and Clark, and have them explore any mighty rivers -- travel is much faster along rivers. Always discover and map terrain, as well as sites for future cities.
Implement the Monroe Doctrine quickly in a growing Civilization: that is, do not allow interlopers to exist in your hemisphere, since they will doubtless one day be hostile to your form of government. And do not later rape Monroe like Kennedy did -- enforce the Monroe doctrine at all times, and one day in the future you will not need to embargo an enemy to get rid of them, while dancing on the razor's edge of global thermonuclear war.
As the game develops, the Lincoln approach will help the more powerful cities bring their backwards brethren into the industrial age -- whether they want it or not. The agricultural base of the less-refined cities can be used to at least inflate their population while awaiting factories and mid-game improvements. And keep your capital well defended to prevent the flames of Civil War from sweeping across your nation.
If a powerful neighbor threatens, the F. D. Roosevelt approach to strategically sacrifice a few of your own troops and units can result trigger the eradication of the hordes of an enemy Rising in the Sun, or working on their own Final Solution to all your problems. This is particularly useful in a Democracy when the peaceful, but blind, Senate forbids a war. Skillfully done, you can incite a war and make it look like someone else's fault. Never tell your nation what you did, lest it affect happiness in your Democracy, particularly with troops away from home. A good way to incite this conflict is with the Roosevelt method of choking an enemy's access to natural resources, like FDR did to the treacherous Japanese through 1941. Should that not work fast enough, deploy your best General with inadequate military support right into the heart of the enemy empire, while promising reinforcements -- yet waiting for the bait to be swallowed by the enemy. Be sure to save your best unit if possible, and use it to later help squash the enemy, then control the populations after the war.
As major wars conclude in your ultimate victory, do not fall into the Truman strategy of paying your "allies" to attack civilizations you have spent blood to conquer already -- like Truman did with the Russians. Remember, you earned the victory: don't sell out your nation and let others enjoy the fruits of your victory. And do not give military units to those evil allies, like Truman gave to Russia when he diverted dozens of American transport ships to a treacherous "ally" in Vladivostok -- ships which were full of war materials made by loyal Americans and were destined for American boys in the Pacific campaign in 1945. If you give military units to an ally, you'll learn the lesson Truman did -- those same supplies will later be used to kill your own boys in later wars!
If war is forced upon you, do not use the Truman approach and betray your military in the field. Do not hesitate to strike a belligerent enemy and slit his throat. Get it over with and clean up the mess later... future generations will thrive under a properly-run democracy anyway. Barracks will greatly aid your military in combat. Don't be afraid to make demands while saying "Our words are backed with Nuclear Weapons!" and most of all, be ready to use Nuclear Weapons to save your troops in a war, since your Democracy does not produce hoards of Red Fanatics that you'll likely be facing!
In late game, the Eisenhower approach is almost always best... build superhighways everywhere, and construct airports even in small cities. Build nuclear weapons as you need, and be ready to use them if necessary. Lay the groundwork for space, and develop technologies like Computers that will allow you to get there first!
After that, a modified Kennedy approach will likely be appropriate. Divert some resources to the Apollo program to prepare for spaceship construction. Modify Kennedy's approach by conducting foreign policy with an iron fist at all times. Most of all, do not show cowardice and weakness in diplomatic negotiations. And don't betray friends, allies, and countrymen . Personally, I always finish the game with a Spotless record, unlike the cumulative Truman, Kennedy, and Clinton approaches. If an enemy captures one of your ships, like a destroyer in the open ocean, strike fast and sink it before it can be used against you.
In late game developments, for any populations which could possibly be in harm's way, I prefer the Reagan approach of defending all cities with SDI and building any anti-missile improvements as the threat calls for it. Build a strong Reagan economy by reducing taxes and gaining 3 to 4 techs (usually FT's by now) per turn. Spare no expense to improve your scientific knowledge -- build SETI. Do not squander your tax gold by gifting it to other civilizations! Remember, a strong Reagan economy can overcome even Clinton years of indecision, corruption, military decay, and economic waste and greed in late game. Always remember the Clinton approach of leaving millions defenseless is nonsense, as long as other missile powers still exist.
In end-game developments, I use the Bush I approach: I'm willing to give all mankind most of the knowledge I've learned (this will advance remaining science even faster), yet enforce peace in a new World Order. Non-peaceful violators can be crushed. Do not allow the Red Barbarians to commit Genocide in the lesser-developed areas of the world -- and allow no native unrest, as Clinton allowed in Rwanda, Somalia, and Bosnia. Use your vast military superiority to crush any Eruptions of Evil.
Rush build; do not wait, and don't pull a Clinton. Upgrade your military. Take care of your fighting forces. Don't produce units unless they are veteran. Don't let your units languish. Don't conduct social experiments in your military. And don't allow your military units to be needlessly sacrificed, like Clinton did to American boys in Somalia. Have a goal, and focus on the objective. Remember that technology is the key: give your citizens the best economic and scientific infrastructure, and ultimately cost will be no object after the strong Reagan economy powers right on through any Clinton years, and makes a complete recovery from any Clinton-esque mistakes that might occur near the end of the game.
Employ the Bush II philosophy to encourage environmentalism *and* industrial maximization in your cities, and force environmentally-friendly improvements like Mass Transit into those cities that even have a potential to pollute. But do not be afraid of pollution that may be produced by Manufacturing Plants in some cities -- allocate the resources to clean the pollution rapidly, however. Just remember that The Earth Is Not In The Balance, no matter what some demented advisors might suggest. Your object is to stay overwhelmingly powerful, and pour it on. If icecaps should melt, make sure the enemy suffers more than you, and finish him while he is weak! Use your engineers to repair global warming damage later. The ecology can be repaired. Human life can't be replaced, so root out evil and eliminate the Red Threat and Terrorists wherever they exist.
=== How to Deal with Civilizations (Learn from the Presidents) ===
You will never notice a significant difficulty if you never place your civilization in a position of weakness.
A strong, powerful civilization will force peace whether the rest of the world wants it or not! However, the UN is an excellent way to follow the Harry Truman/Neville Chamberlain methods of appeasement if you refuse to equip your armies properly and defend your cities from evil aggressors. With the UN, you can proclaim you "have peace in our time", but it will not last against enemies jealous of your prosperity and power.
Do not tolerate aggressive neighbors. If necessary, nuke them and make them sue for peace... or just wipe them off the map and rebuild/run your new territory the right way. The AI understands nukes, even without the UN. In the end, the UN only prolongs the inevitable final struggle for the forces of good to overcome the forces of darkness in the rest of the world. As the world knows, the UN will not force the enemy to uphold his end of the bargain!
With a Powerful Democracy, you will find it is normally not necessary to launch any nukes at any time, though it is good to have one or two for negotiations. Powerful air forces and ground units can defeat any incursions or sneak attacks, like happened in the one-two sneak attacks of the evil North Koreans and evil Red Chinese in the Korean War.
Learn from Truman's heinous examples of military betrayal and inept leadership... keep modern, powerful forces at any border, ready to spring into action. Do not hamper, stymie, and cripple your military. Let you military do it's job. Back your military with Nuclear Weapons, and don't hesitate to nuke any Reds which might manage to overwhelm your loyal troops in the midst of a major military campaign. When the forces of evil attack, do not hesitate to push them back beyond their original point of attack. Do not yield ground paid for with the blood of your military. Remember that you can never negotiate or compromise with the Red Barbarians, but you can bribe them; their existence is wretched, and they come cheap. But even if you upgrade them, remember that they will never really match up to your high tech frontline forces, and will often need to be disbanded later on anyway.
If other nations sneak attack, don't expel warm yellow fluid on yourself and sue for peace like Truman did... stand up like a man: attack and defeat the enemy, even if you have to sacrifice some economy in the short run. Take the war to the enemy... root him out... and when peace comes, remain strong and ready to repel the inevitable sneak attacks of the future. Do not allow the enemy to enslave entire cities for decades. Do not allow a long-term cease fire. Do not allow the evil Red Barbarians to remain at the gate!
Hope this Presidential Strategy will help with both your empire and history knowledge!
*** "There is no substitute for victory" ***
- General Douglas MacArthur
(This post is 12,234 characters long)
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