Strategy Discussion and Guides

[King Coltrane]

dont get me wrong, england becomes my unofficial core by about 1200. however, if england only founds london, i get significantly fewer "viking points" than if it settles newcastle, plymouth, AND london (or any combo). 3 cities which have only one longbowman each means that i dont have to wait for conquerors!

in my last game that i won with them i used fresol's strategy/setup, rushed libraries in all 3 cities, but specialized kalmar as my merchant producer (for CS) and then settler farm, sundsval as my huscarl factory, and oslo as my shipyard. i got a lucky start this time and managed to defeat FOUR! celtic galleys from the getgo! (as opposed to when i lost my whole fleet). this allowed me to upgrade my starting forces earlier without sacrificing science, and i pillaged all of england including razing 2 out of 3 cities (i founded lindisfarne as well). meanwhile i took cherbourg, reinforced it, defeated the french knights, razed paris and bordeaux and took lyon, then vassalized them (they had aix) and liberated lyon. i managed to found vinland in 1100 (cutting it close no?) and kept my military machine pumping out huscarls and a few knights. by 1260ish i had 2 large forces of about 8-10 huscarls and a few knights each and simultaneously attacked germany and spain. i caught coruna defenseless, destroyed it and sailed south. as for germany i simply razed koningsberg and lubeck, liberated frankfurt to the french, signed peace and marched my army south to spain. in the west i razed sevilla and healed on the gibraltar hill while my other force moved south, razing barcelona. then i joined the forces to raze madrid. i then pillaged everything in spain, loaded up 2 galleys, pillaged italy, took rome, and won in like 1330 or so (forget the exact date).

the key was to lure enemy naval forces out with a worker in a galley, then ambush their fleet with veteran (general attached) triremes. this helped shorten the time it took to win.

 

[OnlySigurd]

So you want to be the greatist Japanese Emperor of all time? Well it will test your courage, patience and above all, honor. So I'm here to help guide you on your path to glory.

Start conditions for this one are 3000BC, Epic and Viceroy. Yes I am still noobly, so you may adjust your strat based on your level of non-wussyness for the other difficulties.

So here's my first two tips. 1: Play on Epic! I cannot stress it enough, rock the epic. I slammed my face against this one so many times on normal, and had to spread all of my resources so thin that several times China would be matching me at Riflemen (which is very rough) or Thailand would be rocking infantry at the same time I was. Tip 2: 3000BC. I know, I know, impatience, but the big difference in waiting out those turns is Korea. Samurai vs Archers/Hwacha is much nicer to deal with than Heavy Swordsmen.

So lets get our first priorities out of the way. Found Kyoto and Edo, then stop. That's right, away with you Sapporo, no thank you city founded on/near gold that I can never remember the name of, just those two. I'm sure other cities have potential, or character or something, but their lack of production/food resources just annoys me. Besides, that extra settler/missionary could be put to better use. For civics, I like to switch to Absolutism and Aristocracy, making Kyoto even beastlier, and it's units even meaner. Also, the whip is your bestie-bestest for a long, long while

So lets get the general idea for teching out of the way. To start, Aesthetics >> Drama is your best bet starting towards your culture UHV with Borobudur and Theatres. I used to swear by Music after that for the Cathedrals, but on epic/wuss mode you don't really need them, though it's still a decent trade tech + building culture when I'm too lazy to send my missionaries. After that I'd say Alphabet or Calender, though I typically goody hut/trade for Calender asap so I can get them happys. Feudalism is nice after this because of Himeji, though don't worry too much about beelining for it, I've only seen Himeji built by one other civ once, and that was me as China . Then, onwards towards Liberalism! Not only is the free tech nice, but Philosophy, Education and Liberalism are all beautiful trade opportunities (Paper is too, but it always seems like everyone has it already when I try to trade it away). Who might we be trading these to you ask? Not the Chinese, that's for sure! No our bestest buddies are the Vikings, the Russians and the English. The Viks and the Rus are usually treated like unwanted stepkids by the rest of Europe anyway, so there quite eager to trade with you, and well England just sits on her island loving everybody, so trade hard and fast! After that, trudge yourself towards Rifling, and keep your eye on Thailand, because I've found they are one of the easier ways to get Gunpowder, and when the Dutch come calling, you'll really want that. After that, it's pretty much go for what you need/want ^_^

Spoiler :

Alright so you've settled down, ready to get this conquest/culturefest/techmonger...est on the road. As you might imagine, Korea is your stepping stone to getting the top half of your UHV, so lets get them first. I like to start Galley>Barracks>Samurai>Samurai in Kyoto, with a Harbor>Work Boat in Edo. The Barracks is in there because City Attack 3 Samurai will destroy Korea, the Indonesians and help keep (insert China leaderhead here) off your back for a while. I typically upgrade one of my swords into a Samurai while I can afford it, and take the 3 Samurai+Sword and just pop Seoul/Keijou as soon as I can. After that, assess the situation. Shinkyo is a great city for Manchuria, and if you can ninja sneak through the cultural boarders now, I suggest you do it, otherwise you probably won't be able to found it until the Mongols pop up. Grind the rest of Korea into the dust (I burn most terrible cities, while shaking my fist at my stability hits), then it's back to building. Borodubur needs built quick to get Kyoto on the Great Artist train, and I like to just chop the crap out of Edo for it, since it's production isn't quite what Kyoto's is. Be sure to take care of just about everything you're going to on the main island, because your workers have just won a luxurious, many year vacation to...

Spoiler :

That's right, scenic Manira (which I always say in horrible Engrish every time I found it ) You may need to missionary, get that culture there quickly, because like Japan, you really don't want to have to send workers back. Manira is a great way to start getting your way up there, so you can whip some more! It in addition to being your Philippines UHV, is your stepping stone to...

Spoiler :

Lovely Indonesia. Where all the rest of your happies come from. And man are they weak. I sent 4 City Attack 3 Samurai down and just mopped up. Now I'm not that big on Tumasik, but it helps keep the Thai locked in and backwards (especially with a culture bomb). Now keep in mind, these cities have HORRID production (well maybe Palembang isn't horrid, but I'm quite spoiled by Kyoto and Keijou), they'll make you want to WB in a few Great Colthons but they are really good at one thing...Whipping. Seriously, they grow so insanely fast, once you've got Harbor/Granaries and Grocers to keep the masses quiet, they can be whipped till the end of time. Really wasn't unusual to have 10+ "We can't forgives" and still be quite happy .

Only two real challenges stand between you and victory now. The Dutch being the first, though they really aren't that bad. They will likely Trading Company around 1600...ish. Yer gonna want some hearty muskets with upgrades to wreck the two crews that pop down at Palembang and Yogyakarta (usually two cannons and 4-5 muskets). Stomp them, sue for peace, laugh at the silly Dutch for trying. Now the last step...

Spoiler :

China. The monster herself. Now you may want to say that the Mongols are a threat too, but not as much as you want to think. A healthy combo of Shinkyo/Keijou being well defended and giving into most of their demands will keep you safe from them while they soften up China for you. Good timing, an eye for weakness, and a buttload of Rifles/Cannons (including a Great General or two, especially a City Attack 3 GG ) will almost assure victory . Though if you have to wait for Infantry, you'll still do fine. Yet again, I hate bad cities, so I razed about 3 (culture disbanding one) which my stability did not appreciate. Then coast to victory!...if the UHV is working it didn't tick off for me .

For Greater Japan, for victory, for honor! Ka'plah!

 

[King Coltrane]

So I have to say, I'm pretty confused with the current state of Italy... I like the UP, especially as it helps with teching quickly after you spawn. however, I dont get the UHV's (i think they are great, i just dont get how to do them!)

I've tried 2 games and here's more or less what i've tried.

in my first game i found a barb Rome with oracle and Ishtar. I took it, built the AP, got a prophet (for nativity), all while teching music, patronage, and then banking. I got san marco and was building sistine. I took Pompeii at some point and was about to conquer greece when i realized it was already 1510 and i hadnt gotten the techs. i hadnt really planned well and i had to fight a HUGE german invasion (which i won, but it was intense) so i figured id try again.

next game, I founded florence (as before), rushed a market for the merchant (to bulb banking) while researching music and patronage. i couldnt take rome because germany already controlled it and they were really far ahead in tech, with gunpowder, musketman, bombards, and experienced knights. but i took vibo for the dyes (the city eventually flipped to a very strong byzantium) so in 1390 i was about 4 turns from finishing san marco when i realized that in order to build the leaning tower i ALSO needed education, which in turn required paper... which i would not be able to do before 1500.

i figure the culture by 1600 wont be too bad, and the medit. goal will be easy enough, but i cant get the hang of the first UHV. Any advice?

 

[King Coltrane]

hmm... i tried a third time as italy. again, german rome. so i decided to pounce on a weak byzantium. took durazzo + const. with minimal resistance with my initial forces. then took greece (which was chock full of settles scientists and wonders.) this seems better. i got education in 1400. so i should be fine. also, i think it wouldnt be unreasonable to start italy off with a spawned explorer or at least scout (explorer is better though). i built one quickly and it helped me tremendously in finding the east (a necessary strategy) but maybe the spawned one will help direct this possibility

 

[tony92def]

...yeah, artyom, that's an ethnic slur.

Don't use it.

One does not have to expend much more effort to type out "Japanese".

I was always taught that this was offensive, but I don't understand why, so it was used in WW2, but it was just a short-hand for Japanese before it, and it still is being used outside of the US in places like Singapore and Brazil. I don't think we should overreact in a forum that is international, there are many non-Americans that use this forum.

 

[strijder20]

Do you use Liberalism's free tech to take Economics or Astronomy as England?

 

[tycoonmike]

I've been playing DoC for a bit now and find myself flummoxed by Turkey. I can't ever seem to gain control of the Black Sea despite having multiple cities settled around it (generally, Istanbul, Trabzon, Chersonnes or however its spelled, Kilia, and a city settled two blocks immediately east of Chersonnes). I dunno if this is just a problem with my strategy or if it's an actual glitch in my download.

If need be, I can post a screenshot of the game, but I was wondering if you all had any recommendations?

 

[King Coltrane]

in the newest svn there is a little blue text in the mouseover for a tile that will read "black sea" which helps figure it out. the problem that you are probably having though is that in addition to controlling every coastal tile, i think you need a few of them a bit north of the black sea as well... i forget the specifics though

 

[Leoreth]

I've been playing DoC for a bit now and find myself flummoxed by Turkey. I can't ever seem to gain control of the Black Sea despite having multiple cities settled around it (generally, Istanbul, Trabzon, Chersonnes or however its spelled, Kilia, and a city settled two blocks immediately east of Chersonnes). I dunno if this is just a problem with my strategy or if it's an actual glitch in my download.

If need be, I can post a screenshot of the game, but I was wondering if you all had any recommendations?

As King Coltrane said, the SVN version has additional help in the tile tooltip to help you with that goal.

In general, you need to cover all tiles adjacent to the Black Sea (this includes the Sea of Azov) with your culture. Diagonally adjacent tiles count, too.

 

[tycoonmike]

As King Coltrane said, the SVN version has additional help in the tile tooltip to help you with that goal.

In general, you need to cover all tiles adjacent to the Black Sea (this includes the Sea of Azov) with your culture. Diagonally adjacent tiles count, too.

Which would be all well and good if that tooltip information actually showed up. I've hovered over several tiles surrounding the Black Sea and nothing in the tooltip says "Black Sea." All it says is "Contested Area" or "Core Area" which is next to useless to me right now.

 

[Leoreth]

I checked this and it definitely works. Do you actually use the SVN, and if so, are you on the lastest revision?

 

[Fresol]

It certainly works if you update to the latest SVN version.

Spoiler :

 

[tycoonmike]

I checked this and it definitely works. Do you actually use the SVN, and if so, are you on the lastest revision?

Unless SVN refers to a second mod that I need to download or a setting I can't find in options or debug, I haven't messed with any of the files from the download site linked in your signature. I downloaded it, unpacked it into my mods folder, and started playing.

 

[Fresol]

Is there a way I can play with the most recent additions/fixes without waiting for the next release?
There is, and it's called SVN. SVN or Subversion is a software that provides an online repository for data which can be connected to a folder in one's Explorer. From then on, I can commit recent changes to this repository and you can update your version of it (you can't commit without password, though ).
The DoC repository is available HERE. The easiest way to access it under Windows is to download and install Tortoise SVN. After that, you can right-click on your Beyond the Sword\Mods\ folder and the new option "SVN Checkout" will appear. This will open a prompt where you enter DoC's SVN URL ("https://subversion.assembla.com/svn/Dawn_of_Civilization/"). This will create a new folder "Dawn_of_Civilization" in your Mods folder. You will have to rename it to "RFC Dawn of Civilization" for the modmod to work. Afterwards, you only have to right-click on that folder and select "SVN Update" to get my most recent updates.

If you intend to use this feature, please mind that I don't guarantee stability, bug-freeness or balance of the not officially released versions. You should also note that the downloadable version usually loads faster during the game, because its art is packed more efficiently.

Obviously people do not read these posts at all (too long, and the information is well hidden), so Leoreth, you might want to add this information to your signature, so that we don't need to repeat the same answers again and again.

 

[tony92def]

Unless SVN refers to a second mod that I need to download or a setting I can't find in options or debug, I haven't messed with any of the files from the download site linked in your signature. I downloaded it, unpacked it into my mods folder, and started playing.

SVN is a separate version of the game where unfinished updates are published as soon as they become available.

It is in this thread.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=440485

 

[tycoonmike]

Obviously people do not read these posts at all (too long, and the information is well hidden), so Leoreth, you might want to add this information to your signature, so that we don't need to repeat the same answers again and again.

So in other words I miss one thread and you find it within yourself to flaunt your Internet "Manhood". Sarcasm duly noted. If I had seen this, you honestly think I'd've posted?

In any case, I'm not going to install something that'd risk the game becoming unstable. In that case, I'm going to make the following recommendation (unless it earns another ****headish remark, of course)... If someone could make an atlas like what Rhye had for the new UHVs (unless RoC uses the same boundaries) it would be appreciated. It's difficult enough to discern what "Control the Black Sea" means and given the rule for the Turkish UHV changed from the most recent version of RFC (If I recall correctly, you needed three cities on the Black Sea to attribute to that part of the goal, not to have your culture surround the entire sea, If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me) it makes it all the more difficult for newbies to the modmod (like myself) to judge whether or not we've accomplished the goal.

 

[Fresol]

Sorry I sounded offensive, and you have my apologies. I'm just personally frustrated to answer the same questions repeatedly. Actually that might be a good thing because more people are playing this mod.

And of course you're free to choose what you play.

 

[tony92def]

It sounded like flaunting at first, but after reading the whole thing, I think it was unintentional, he's just making a suggestion.

 

[jammerculture]

@mike a common problem, and one I struggled with is that all tiles surrounding the black sea must b controlled, including those diagonal from it.

also, the SVN is pretty much stable and it is easy to roll back to earlier releases, so it sounds daunting but its not such a big deal. Playing the svn is much better imo, since you can get access to the latest changes, sometimes much much earlier then waiting for a stable release. Plus you have the added bonus of being able to help Leoreth with the development and getting your own ideas added to the mod.

maybe we need an "SVN question" thread to help it gain acceptance with the newer people

 

[King Coltrane]

hahahaha then we'll have to add a thread about "how to find the 'SVN Questions' thread"