Strategy Discussion and Guides

[Tomorrow's Dawn]

You are correct.

There is much better leeway now for a variety of different city placements,
thanks to the improved base tile yield for settling on top of a resource.
Mix and match as you please, so long as you follow these two simple criteria:

1. Make sure your three cities remain outside the American and Aztec flip zones.
2. Make sure the placement of your three cities has no overlap.

Follow these two guidelines, and you can literally not go wrong.

 

[Pulastro]

Hi! Has anyone got some pointers on how to play China for UHV (M/N of course)?
After winning with the English, I went for something of a different taste, and chose the Chinese. But it's getting kind of frustrating now.. A few seconds ago I failed for like 5th time and I'm starting to think it depends greatly on luck. For instance, in this last game, it's 295 BC, I'm leading in score and techs (went AH-writing-BW, then focused on monopolised techs, traded with westerners and avoided any tech trading with India), I've even popped virtually every hut in Euroasia, and suddenly I fail goal 2, which means somebody has beaten me to Compass or something. I should mention I'm trying to win in a historical way, without the Pantheon combination. What am I doing wrong?

 

[jammerculture]

Scientists, scientists, scientists.

The tech goal is the easy part, I usually have trouble getting enough temples up in time. Also you have to trade with India, not sure why you'd avoid, just try to stay at least one tech ahead. Get contact with Greece, Rome and Persia and you can usually trade for most of the techs that aren't in your beeline, then just bulb what you can with your GS and tech the rest.

 

[Pulastro]

I avoided tech trading with India because I don't want them beating me to one of the required invetions with their insanely fast research (should have crippled them somehow, maybe). I'm worried that someone popped Compass from a hut, because I was leading in tech (only Indians had a tech I didn't have - Meditation - but I denied them Maths and Alfabet).

I'm building Taixues in every city and running as much scientists as possible (withuot seriously damaging my production).

Playing a new game now, managed to get to Compass, have 3 turns left to Paper so I'll probably make it, but now the temples requirement might throw a wrench in my plan - it's 750 AD, I have all the cities, bit only 4 of each temples.. It's a hard UHV that's for sure, lots and lots of micromanagement..

edit: failed again, someone beat me to gunpowder in 900 AD (got the other 3 first), and was 2 turns late for the second taoist pagoda (managed to build CA-s)..

 

[Pulastro]

Finally managed to do it, win in 1730, score 6216, just like Louis XVI. At least they said so..
This can surely be done better, but it's nice to have finally made it..

 

[phoenix_sprite]

I just won a historical victory as Persia. The Byzantines have spawned and taken upon themselves to control Byzantium. I'd like to continue but the major question here lies: Do I willingly submit my Mediterranean cities to them? If I hope to get to the modern age, I'll have to survive the Arabs, Seljuk, Mughals, Turks and possibly a few respawns from Egypt (maybe) and India. Is it worth it?

 

[Jusos2108]

You should've killed Roma to prevent Byzantium from spawning.

 

[adhiraj.bose]

I have a doubt. Today I played as the Chinese, just to see how they work in DOC, but I got flattened by a huge Mongol horde just after they spawned. Do the mongols auto declare war on China on spawning ? I noticed that "Mongol peoples" were at war with me from the very start at the time of spawning.

 

[Oregon Lee]

I have a doubt. Today I played as the Chinese, just to see how they work in DOC, but I got flattened by a huge Mongol horde just after they spawned. Do the mongols auto declare war on China on spawning ? I noticed that "Mongol peoples" were at war with me from the very start at the time of spawning.

Mongols are what you have to keep in mind while playing the Chinese. You can counter them by making a lot of pikemen. Bombards will also help to greatly damage large stacks.

 

[Krugi]

That's not just the Mongols — several civilizations can find themselves in a war as soon as they spawn.

Mind you, the Mongols will be coming for the Chinese core sooner or later, anyway. You can't avoid conflict with them. Their stacks are no joke: they arrive with a whopping 12 Keshiks or so, supported by motley bands of bombards and crossbows. You should have researched Engineering at that point; it's ill-advised to take on those Keshiks without ample numbers of pikes. Elephant mercs clean them up pretty well, too. If you survive the initial onslaught, though, the Mongols can't really keep up with you for the rest of the game.

Edit: Beaten to the punch!

 

[Bair_the_Normal]

Note that if you tech well enough, you can get cuirassiers prior to the Mongol spawn. They, in conjunction with your pikes, will make the Mongols a laughable excuse for a 'threat'.

 

[blizzrd]

I have a doubt. Today I played as the Chinese, just to see how they work in DOC, but I got flattened by a huge Mongol horde just after they spawned. Do the mongols auto declare war on China on spawning ? I noticed that "Mongol peoples" were at war with me from the very start at the time of spawning.

I can strongly recommend War Elephants vs Mongol Keshiks. Get access to Ivory from South-East Asia or India and build some War Elephants.

 

[Bair_the_Normal]

I just realized how awesome the Shwedagon Paya is.

 

[Oregon Lee]

I just realized how awesome the Shwedagon Paya is.

Oh? Go on.

 

[Tomorrow's Dawn]

Oh? Go on.

Early access Secularism improves your Tech and generally marks one of a few paradigm shifts in improved relations with other civilizations across the board.
(The second is Education).

 

[Oregon Lee]

Early access Secularism improves your Tech and generally marks one of a few paradigm shifts in improved relations with other civilizations across the board.
(The second is Education).

That is true, but I often hold onto organized religion since I like having all the buildings. Building a university, I would imagine, if better than switching to secularism in the long run. Then again, I play as Japan normally, so my technology is on-par with Europe.

 

[UnholyMudcrab]

Note that if you tech well enough, you can get cuirassiers prior to the Mongol spawn. They, in conjunction with your pikes, will make the Mongols a laughable excuse for a 'threat'.

If you're feeling particularly cheesy, you can use one of those Cuirs (or any mounted unit, for that matter) to take the Mongol capital the turn after they spawn and neuter them then and there. The first turn they have all their units in Qara Qorum, but the second turn they usually move everything out except for Settlers.

 

[Tomorrow's Dawn]

That is true, but I often hold onto organized religion since I like having all the buildings. Building a university, I would imagine, if better than switching to secularism in the long run. Then again, I play as Japan normally, so my technology is on-par with Europe.

The modifier alone isn't enough if you can't trade efficiently for techs.
But yes, Paganism is ideal for ancient civs, then medieval and ancient civs (transitioning into medieval) ought to use Organized Religion up till Secularism.

If you're feeling particularly cheesy, you can use one of those Cuirs (or any mounted unit, for that matter) to take the Mongol capital the turn after they spawn and neuter them then and there. The first turn they have all their units in Qara Qorum, but the second turn they usually move everything out except for Settlers.

UnholyMudcrab indeed. But yeah.

All of the advice suggesting Pikemen vs. Mongols is laughable considering they get beat up by Bombards.
I've only ever used War Elephants, Cuirassiers and Bombards on them myself.

 

[civ_king]

If you're feeling particularly cheesy, you can use one of those Cuirs (or any mounted unit, for that matter) to take the Mongol capital the turn after they spawn and neuter them then and there. The first turn they have all their units in Qara Qorum, but the second turn they usually move everything out except for Settlers.

That's a disgusting exploit, stare down the Mongol hordes like a man.

 

[Tomorrow's Dawn]

If you're feeling particularly cheesy, you can use one of those Cuirs (or any mounted unit, for that matter) to take the Mongol capital the turn after they spawn and neuter them then and there. The first turn they have all their units in Qara Qorum, but the second turn they usually move everything out except for Settlers.

That's a disgusting exploit, stare down the Mongol hordes like a man.

Gives new meaning to Han shot first.