Shaka goes crazy!

[Pantastic]

If you look at the move from the perspective of "does this help the AI?", then attacking you from the other side of the world is a terrible move.

If I saw an AI player on the other side of my continent with pyramids and stonehenge but basically no defense, I'd attack them in a heartbeat and consider it helping me, not hurting. It's a nice production city and gives the ability to pick and government civics for the rest of the game in exchange for inflated maintenance costs because of distance. I think it helps Shaka quite a bit.

 

[futurehermit]

On higher levels the maintenance costs would be crippling not to mention it is a city you would be hard-pressed to defend under fire.

 

[Pantastic]

I don't really play on Emperor or Deity, but the maintenance costs would not be 'crippling' compared to the benefit of early representation at levels below that. And it's certainly not going to cripple the AI civ (which is what I was commenting on), since they don't get stuck with that level of maintenance cost, so I still don't see how it's a 'crazy' move for the AI.

 

[6K Man]

A better move would be to attack a neighbour. Better programming would be for one of the OP's neighbours to attack him, instead of an AI on the other side of the world attacking him.

But you're welcome to your opinion, of course.

 

[futurehermit]

Don't forget units away from your cultural borders also cost maintenance/turn. I agree that the AI doesn't deal with the same extent of maintenance, but still in theory a single city with those kind of treasures IS a tasty dish and what I'm saying is that Shaka would be hard-pressed to defend it (i.e., send reinforcements) if any of the other AIs were smart enough to take it from him.

That is why I don't see it as an overly strategic move on his part.

 

[madscientist]

Shaka is definitely the best at warfare and the most dangerous. Some of the ways I have managed him.

1) Become his best friend and pay him plenty to declare war on your AI of choice.
2) Somehow hold his army off via diplomacy until you have outteched him.
3) If he somehow starts slow (jungle, lack of a military resource) go after him early.
4) Leverage a war elephant advantage or good UU (Prats, Immortals) and go after him head to head.

 

[Zanttu]

As I said in my first post, I knew someone was going to attack me, the thing what surprised me was who did it. I also know I would maybe act the same way as shaka did, the mainteance isn't such a killer when compared to all those wonders I have there. If a human player would do this to me in multiplayer, I wouldnt be surprised at all. AI has never attacked me from so far so early in the game. Seriously, I think I have known him like 30 turns, and it takes ~15 turns to move those units from his lands to mine... He had not made any demands, we had open borders and he was cautious at +1 relations. So we haven't know each other long enough to have +1 "years of peace..." And one more thing, he had a neigbour who he was annoyed with. This makes me think the AI is programmed to play against the human, not to play for themselves.

 

[madscientist]

Looking at the other posts (I cannot open your game from work) I noticed you have the pyramids. I wonder if that is the reason, as Shaka will build the pyramids (One of the few wonders we will try) in order to get access to police state his favorite civic. I am wondering if the pyramids plus being very vulnerable militarywise is the reason. Napolean will attack you if you build the pyramids to get his hands on representation early.

 

[Zanttu]

Looking at the other posts (I cannot open your game from work) I noticed you have the pyramids. I wonder if that is the reason, as Shaka will build the pyramids (One of the few wonders we will try) in order to get access to police state his favorite civic. I am wondering if the pyramids plus being very vulnerable militarywise is the reason. Napolean will attack you if you build the pyramids to get his hands on representation early.

Interesting, that would explain something. I didn't know the leaders are programmed so well they would look for the wonders they want when picking attack target.

 

[madscientist]

I am about 90% certain about Napoleans love of the pyramids. I know Shaka will build them and stay in police state the entire game, which would explain his attitude.

I am not sure about other AIs, until this thread I thought Napolean was alone but makes sense with Shaka's actions.

 

[Florian]

Shaka is definitely the best at warfare and the most dangerous.

I don't doubt this in general, and I've seen Shaka do quite well in some games, but in my current game he started on the same small continent with Mansa Musa, and Mansa somehow got the better of him. Near the beginning of the 19th century, Shaka actually vassalized to him! Must be embarrassing, esp. since Montezuma started on the same small continent as Huyana Capac and beat him to a pulp, becoming the score leader. Shaka must be afraid to visit the Warmonger's Club for fear Monty will mock him mercilessly.

 

[Atlas]

Seriously, I think I have known him like 30 turns, and it takes ~15 turns to move those units from his lands to mine... He had not made any demands, we had open borders and he was cautious at +1 relations. So we haven't know each other long enough to have +1 "years of peace..." And one more thing, he had a neigbour who he was annoyed with. This makes me think the AI is programmed to play against the human, not to play for themselves.

Your problem is that you have Zero deterrent. Shaka, Montezuma, Alexander and Genghis will all declare on you in that position. As soon as you met him he saw how "ripe" a target you are, since he builds more troops than anyone your relative power is much lower when compared with his and that is a deciding factor in war declarations.

Shaka is not chasing the wonders, it is all about the power graph.

 

[Belisar]

Your problem is that you have Zero deterrent. Shaka, Montezuma, Alexander and Genghis will all declare on you in that position. As soon as you met him he saw how "ripe" a target you are, since he builds more troops than anyone your relative power is much lower when compared with his and that is a deciding factor in war declarations.

Shaka is not chasing the wonders, it is all about the power graph.

IIRC Ragnar is the one with the highest build-troops factor in the game, not 100% sure, will have to look at the data.
Shaka should be somewhat 2nd or 3rd.

 

[Morgrad]

Pyramids, Stonehenge, and Great Wall protected by only a warrior? Even if I couldn't keep the city.... ZOMG raze.

I'd do it in half a heartbeat.

 

[Fetch]

See the latest ALC for more shaka.

 

[kniteowl]

lmao well you know the saying, you made your bed now lie in it... lol

GW, SH and Mid... I know you were Industrious but you should waste all those hammers unless you had stone nearby. If you decided to use those 500 hammers for defense instead of the Mids you'd probably be able to fend off Shaka.

 

[Zanttu]

Didn't I make it clear enough? I was not trying to play normal game, I just wanted every single wonder possible and I knew I was going to get attacked because I couldn't get defence up in time.

 

[kniteowl]

Didn't I make it clear enough? I was not trying to play normal game, I just wanted every single wonder possible and I knew I was going to get attacked because I couldn't get defence up in time.

My bad probably missed it.