Russia domination fans! Share tips/stories/etc.

[Sequiture]

Well, I am a fan of playing as Russia. It can't just be me, righ? I thought I would create a thread for playing a Russia for a domination victory, especially for beginners. Feel free to check out my other thread about my current game as Russia: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=490084

Well, what are some basic tips for Russia?
Any interesting stories?
Also, difficulty 4, huge earth map, 12 civs and 20 city states is where it's at.

Should I upload the save game file for my current game?

Really, I just want as much tips/etc about how to play as Russia. If you don't like Russia make a different thread, haha.

 

[The Pilgrim]

Start with Animal Husbandry, prioritize Iron Working. If you play on low-mid difficulties, which you do, bulb it with Great Library. Get tons of iron and horses. Win through domination.
Russia is fun civ to play as aggressor and decent as builder due to higher production.

 

[Sequiture]

You have to be way more specific, haha. So, I choose animal husbandry as the tech, then iron working in the science tree using shift/command (on a Mac) right? In my current game I went straight for musket men, and now it's taking me longer to get Aircraft Carriers.

 

[The Pilgrim]

There is no specific tech order or build order. They're not carved in stone but highly depend on your map.
You can research AH first to get horses (hopefully) and research IW as soon as all luxury techs are done. On king you may want to research Writing before IW, build Great Library and bulb IW with it. If you've built by this point several warriors, you can upgrade them to swordsmen once you have iron tile in your borders. It's pretty common in this scenario to take Liberty worker first and settler second. GL finishes about the same time you pick your free settler and it travels straight to iron tile. You settle on top of iron, upgrade your warriors and go kill people. Finish Liberty (ally cultural CS to speed it up), take free GS as finisher, bulb Steal (make sure to build National College asap), upgrade swordmen to longswordsmen and kill more people. I can't be more specific than that.

 

[Sequiture]

Hmmm, I tend to go for mid/late game domination, because that's more fun.

Once I finish my current game, I might try what you suggested, BUT...

If I really want Aircraft Carriers, when do I set it to queue science order to them? First AH and IW and then I can set it to that? Or is there a better way?

 

[The Pilgrim]

If all you want is carriers, I believe it doesn't matter.

 

[Sequiture]

Haha. So I can just set it to carriers? I don't want to get defeated early in the game while I'm going for carriers though.

 

[Dr.Phil]

You will get to modern techs and their units fastest by prioritizing science early. That means building your NC and then universities as quickly as you can.

 

[sufficiency]

Animal Husbandry is very important for the first tech for Russia (unless you spawned on deserts). With some luck, you can get some godly 2food 2hammer tiles on grassland horses. It will also sometimes tell you that maybe you should reroll your map.

 

[Browd]

Haha. So I can just set it to carriers? I don't want to get defeated early in the game while I'm going for carriers though.

Um, well, if you wanted to let the gods of randomness govern your game, you can open the tech tree, click on Animal Husbandry, shift-click on Iron Working (3 more techs), and then shift-click Electronics (another 38 techs). Of course, you won't get techs you want at any particularly useful time (for example, Steel (for Longswords) would be another 26 techs after Iron Working; Archery would be 10 techs in and Construction 22 techs in, and Machinery 24 techs).

 

[SomeoneLikeHim]

Why not just start by clicking future tech?

 

[Browd]

I took it that he wanted to beeline Carriers. But I forgot this was vanilla, so the tech tree is different.

 

[SomeoneLikeHim]

I was just joking, but it would be interesting to play a game where you just start by clicking future tech and then have no control over what's researched. That's almost more realistic, isn't it?

 

[Browd]

Less random, but still interesting, is to play a game where you have to finish all techs in one era before moving into the next. Slows down the game, but at lower levels you can still out-tech the AI pretty easily.

 

[Sequiture]

Ok, maybe I should have asked this: What is the best way to get to carriers fast without missing any important techs for Russia?

Some of what you guys suggested was confusing.

 

[Browd]

Important techs for Russia are mostly the same as important techs for other civilizations, since every empire needs a strong foundation and good tech development and culture to succeed.

Science techs (Writing, Philosophy, Education, Scientific Theory, Plastics), techs to improve your luxuries and strategic resources, and military techs (both techs for foundational units, like composite bows (Construction), and those that unlock your unique units, like Russia's Cossacks - Military Science) are good touchstones.

Unfortunately, there is no single cookbook for tech -- optimal path is usually map and rival civ dependent.

EDIT: I keep forgetting you are playing vanilla. Ignore my reference to Composite Bows.

 

[Sequiture]

Haha, I will get G&K eventually, but for now Vanilla. Anyways, I was thinking I might start a new game, and have someone "mentor" me. I will play a certain number of turns, then they will suggest things/etc based off my save file, or a few people might. I think it would be an interesting project, because I'm being told everything depends on the map.

 

[apocalypse105]

Go for great liberary more then 80% of the time you can get it because of the crazy production horses give loads of production and they sometimes are even on graslands

bulp iron working get even more production pump out swordsman and cataputls start conquering



go straight to steal and conquer the world. Use the great engineer to get the notre dam for extra hapiness .

I actualy finished a domination game withouth entering industrial on a pangea.

 

[Matthew.]

Russia doesn't truly shine until you pick up Fascism and Manhattan project. Carpet bomb the entire map with endless nukes and Giant Death Robots.

 

[Sid Simelia]

Haha, I will get G&K eventually, but for now Vanilla. Anyways, I was thinking I might start a new game, and have someone "mentor" me. I will play a certain number of turns, then they will suggest things/etc based off my save file, or a few people might. I think it would be an interesting project, because I'm being told everything depends on the map.

I play alot, and I play vanilla on that difficulty, though usually standard continents instead of huge earth. I also don't really have a gaming pc so it would definitely be slow during the end on such a big map.
That being said I would be glad to look at saves and screens and offer some input if you want to post some.. I also have three saves from when I won a diplomatic victory as the Russians a couple weeks ago and I'll share them if you want.

I do play with the DLC though, just not G+K so my saves may not work for you