Total War!

[TheGrandWazoo]

I'm looking to start a new game soon, with the emphasis being a massive free for all. I want this to be a real last civ standing game - a fight to the death for domination on a huge map, dragging into the future tech era.

The reason is, normally my games end to soon and I never get the chance to get really involved in a late game war. I've considered later era starts but decided against that, I want to start from the bottom of the tech tree.

Obviously, I will be turning off all victory conditions except for domination, but I'd like to know if anyone who has tried this kind of thing before has any recommendations for settings to make a good brawl, any maps types that work out better than others? How many civs to guarantee the game keeps going long enough? Keep city states as is, or reduce their numbers/leave them out?

All advice to get a nice war game going is appreciated

 

[compwiz1202]

I love fighting with city-state allies as long as they decide to actually help you. I once gifted three high tech units to one of my CS allies, but they still didn't fight.

The more room to spread, the more diplomatic the war, and the tighter the quarters, the more hostile the war. I did small once with a ton of civs and that was nuts.

 

[Alzadar]

I think there's mode for having multiples of the same Civ in a game?

So just play a game with 8 Attilas and 7 Genghises, maybe a few Shakas for good measure.

 

[headcase]

Just my opinion, but playing on Continents (or similar) as opposed to Pangaea will help keep civs on the other side nice and preserved from your domination until later. With any luck, you'll runaway on your continent while other civ(s) runaway on other continents.

 

[CountAccountant]

Just my opinion, but playing on Continents (or similar) as opposed to Pangaea will help keep civs on the other side nice and preserved from your domination until later. With any luck, you'll runaway on your continent while other civ(s) runaway on other continents.

This was my experience with my domination-only continents game. Korea owned the entire other continent by the end of the game. He took, I don't remember, 4 or so civs entirely on his own, I bribed him to attack (and kill) two more. If I had put more civs on the map, I think he would have been even more aggressive.

In related news, that is how I learned about BNW's changes to the domination victory. I thought Korea was doing all of my dirty work for me, so I sit back and built my entire military to be a strike force to take his capital after he conquered the remaining civs. Needless to say, I lost that game badly when the game kept going after I took Seoul.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Thanks for the replies.

I think its going to have to be a continents game, hopefully 4 or 5 landmasses to a few small brawls then some nice intercontinental wars between the victors!

 

[Callonia]

Wait, domination victory got changed to controlling all the original capital?

So say, aztec got six of them, and you have the last one, and you gonna snipe the aztec capital but you won't win cuz aztec still have six other original capitals?

NICE!

Force them to earn their wins xD

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Wait, domination victory got changed to controlling all the original capital?

Yes, that is an interesting change. You really do need to dominate the world now, you can't snipe a domination win from someone who spent their whole game collecting capitals!

 

[Attitude]

How is your game going? And what civ did you choose?

I've been trying dom victory in normal size map playing Assyria several times but I just don't seem to be able to do it. Other victory types seem to be so much easier in BNW, which is of course quite realistic but I would love to be able to dominate the world as well. What is the key, bribing civilizations to DoW each other?

Being a warmonger is a hard road...

 

[headcase]

Anyone else seeing really slow tech progress in domination games?

In a couple days after finishing my current game, I'm going to make a whole thread about this to provide details. On Prince Small Pangaea I'm #1 in tech, in the middle of the Atomic Era, on turn 490. On Standard. Thanks to the new dom rule, I'm heading for a Time Victory without really trying to.

Wait, domination victory got changed to controlling all the original capital?

Yeah, they probably changed it because of all the suggestions to do so.

(sarcasm incoming) And they reflected this nicely in the Civopedia, which has the exact same text as before on the subject of Domination Victory But it's pretty clear when you see the little civ icons on the Victory Progress screen.

 

[CountAccountant]

Anyone else seeing really slow tech progress in domination games?

I have not encountered this issue. If you have been keeping a lot of worthless cities, it might be caused by the new 5% science penalty per city. Perhaps try a slower, more gradual conquest to build up your science base and raze more cities that will not pay for themselves in science?

 

[compwiz1202]

I have not encountered this issue. If you have been keeping a lot of worthless cities, it might be caused by the new 5% science penalty per city. Perhaps try a slower, more gradual conquest to build up your science base and raze more cities that will not pay for themselves in science?

Does the science work the same as culture where if you get seven cities but then later go down to six, you still keep the 35% higher tech costs?

 

[CountAccountant]

Does the science work the same as culture where if you get seven cities but then later go down to six, you still keep the 35% higher tech costs?

The forums say that it goes back down but I have not personally verified this.

 

[Tachii]

Yeah, they probably changed it because of all the suggestions to do so.

(sarcasm incoming) And they reflected this nicely in the Civopedia, which has the exact same text as before on the subject of Domination Victory But it's pretty clear when you see the little civ icons on the Victory Progress screen.

This is news to me, too, wow...

Just played my one and only domination game so far. I guess I didn't really know since I conquered all the civs myself instead of taking another conquers. At least now people won't win abnormally fast right...? :|

 

[Lord Katana]

I have not encountered this issue. If you have been keeping a lot of worthless cities, it might be caused by the new 5% science penalty per city. Perhaps try a slower, more gradual conquest to build up your science base and raze more cities that will not pay for themselves in science?

In my domination game i had an medieval war against germany, captured 3 cities and founded 2 more on my own. Saw my science drop like a stone.

The solution was very anti-domination.... live peaceful for a few hundred years, get you science back online, tech to the next big things (bombers in my case), then resume conquest... Now i'm just waiting for future era units... they are fun to win with...

TLR: yes, definitely i noticed my science going down hard through early conquest/extra cities...

Also tip.... It really pays off to "recall a civ to life" not only do you get a new BFF, but you can also gift him the cities you conquer, but still have friendly terrain... Such a civ will be hopelessy behind tech wise, will aways support you and never nag about military at its border....

 

[z284pwr]

In my domination game i had an medieval war against germany, captured 3 cities and founded 2 more on my own. Saw my science drop like a stone.

The solution was very anti-domination.... live peaceful for a few hundred years, get you science back online, tech to the next big things (bombers in my case), then resume conquest... Now i'm just waiting for future era units... they are fun to win with...

TLR: yes, definitely i noticed my science going down hard through early conquest/extra cities...

Also tip.... It really pays off to "recall a civ to life" not only do you get a new BFF, but you can also gift him the cities you conquer, but still have friendly terrain... Such a civ will be hopelessy behind tech wise, will aways support you and never nag about military at its border....

Now if only you could rebase to their cities with bombers/fighters. you're forced to keep a puppet just to have a place to move planes to for the next fight

 

[Denounced]

I like domination only games. Did it the first time as Attila and finished a game just last week as Shaka. I left only the city states standing.

 

[troublmaker]

My least favorite city state behavior is when they have no units to fight they'll just roam around being useless. Like come on you can attack cities and not take it already! Better yet, take it and gift it to me!

 

[Attitude]

I tried to look for YouTube but I didn't find any BNW domination victory videos/tutorials. Has anyone seen any tutorials around?

I tried once again yesterday and ended up being DoW'd by everyone even when I tried to move and conquer slowly and tried to make some alliances before war.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

How is your game going? And what civ did you choose?

I've been trying dom victory in normal size map playing Assyria several times but I just don't seem to be able to do it. Other victory types seem to be so much easier in BNW, which is of course quite realistic but I would love to be able to dominate the world as well. What is the key, bribing civilizations to DoW each other?

Being a warmonger is a hard road...

So I rolled China (never played them before, and they're a domination civ through and through) on a huge continents plus with 12 total civs and 16 city states.

I started out inland plains with a river, a few mountains, some wheat gold and sugar, and as it turns out some crabs on 1 3rd ring square (although it will be a while until I can get them).

Immediately to my North East is an optimum Petra city location and I've rushed the liberty settler to get a city there - sandwiched between 2 oasis tiles, also has 2 wheat, marble on a hill and 3 other hills. The race is now on for Petra because an unmet civ has taken the dessert folklore pantheon, so it is now an all out rush to grow the newest city and get those 4 hills mined so I beat whoever it is to Petra.

Slightly to my South is the bottom of my continent with a chance for a coastal city with furs and a few tundra deer tiles, a good location but not great. Exploring to the North I've run into Shaka and Gajah Mada so far, they have a more grassland/forest/jungle start with mountains.

After the race for Petra, I've got Shaka down as my first victim, hopefully i can get the Indonesians to help out!