TSG 274 After Actions

[zxcvbob]

Make a trap for the city defence, dangle a worker, the defender will claim it, kill it with the 3 archers, or better still do enough damage to take it easily with your melee unit. The melee unit should be at less than full hit points. Then the city defence will target it. 3 archers, not taking hits from the city, is enough for Rome.

Thanks. They usually don't fall for it when I dangle a worker just outside the city . I usually start the attack when I have 3 archers, a warrior, a scout, and a spearman (upgrade from a ruin), and I'm building another archer. I steal a worker and try to bait the archer in the city with it, then eventually give up and send the worker home to improve my horses and marble. If I'm not fast enough, he puts a ballista instead of an archer in the city, and it and the city bombardment can one-shot a full-health archer or warrior.

I haven't tried Liberty yet. (also haven't tried pure Honor) Left side of Honor, Tradition, and a few points in Exploration then start working on Commerce works very well but it sets one up for a long game -- a sure thing but a long one.

I have been sending all my great merchants to Florence rather than buying Florence. The extra culture is very useful. The problem is sometimes Alex or Theodora makes allying Florence a priority, and I lose a luxury and all my iron at the most inopportune time.

 

[lerrocco]

I always try to ambush a settler and use this 'worker' to lure them out, they always come for their settler. Dangling workers sometimes works and sometimes doesnt, I always try it as an archer in the city doubles the defence bombardment. My units can't survive being hit by the city, a defending archer and a melee unit. I do always try and take out supporting troops before the city assault. The 1 turn heal / pillage is powerful, but it can't bring back the dead.
The tricky part for me in this game is taking Greece before I build the pyramids. Ironically, later is easier as once they have developed their lands with improvements my archers plus worker can take the city with ease. I even used Constantinople for xp one game, but it was wasted effort as those troops couldnt get across the ocean fast enough to join the later battles.

After Galleass its still possible to research machinery as the upgrades can take place in Poland / Indonesia etc in the late game.

 

[sebtanic]

The melee unit should be at less than full hit points. Then the city defence will target it.

Wow these are the small details of the game that make you an expert. Can't believe I'm still learning stuff after such a long time playing

 

[lerrocco]

Wow these are the small details of the game that make you an expert. Can't believe I'm still learning stuff after such a long time playing

Use the drill promotion and sit the melee unit on a hill, 99hp or less. Heal every turn, and certainly in the early game the unit isnt losing many, if any, hp per turn. Don't heal to full strength!
Later game if using the pyramid worker combo they can just sit there indefinitely while the bows take the city. If the melee unit is less than full hit points it is always prioritized by the city. Except, maybe, if there is another weaker melee unit, a scout for example. Scouts make good cannon fodder when things are tight, the city nearly always prioritizes killing them.

If the spearman is at full health the city will target the weaker units, usually bowmen.

 

[lerrocco]

Dom Vic T142.
My fleet was so long off Poland I had to send a worker to clean the barnacles off the hulls. When they got going again they made short work of it. I dithered too long in Poland, not knowing what resistance I would face., otherwise I could have equalled, but not beaten fiddlesticks time. I might have shaved a couple of turns by taking Poland after Ono. However, this was my fourth run! My time reflects the map knowledge and the likely defences that I would encounter, I wouldnt have been so bold on an unknown map.

Very little defence from any civ. I repeated my build an army and march it tactic, conquered the island T114, in the meantime researching and building Galleass.
To be honest, one of the easier domination games I have played.
I dont like Venice, but was an interesting experience.

Edit.. PS: To continue the tactic discussion above, the city defences against the fleet are the same as for the army. A melee unit, (Trireme), will take hits before a wounded archer (Galleass).

 

[Megalou]

Turn 188 victory here as well.

An earlier focus on galleasses, for all the overseas AIs, would undoubtedly have shaved off turns: My home continent Crossbows were so overpowering that they could mangle on to the east after Constantinople to conquer Jakarta (as can be gleaned from the first screenshot below) and even give Onondaga a few volleys. In this they were cooperating with some later land units from the home area, whose beachhead was Sidon (purchased, second screen shot). Warsaw, however, was taken almost solely by floating armada, Sidon galleasses costing only 320 gold each.

Interesting map/civ, I don't often finish domination games.

 

[ABigCivFan]

My 2nd try ended with turn 144. I was not as creative as Fiddlestick, went tradition opener, Honor until Mil tradition to get Logistic+Range bows to ensure a fast pace on my own island. Shipped one of these bows early west to help the other continent (and he helped a lot to take down Jakata, showcased in my pic below lol) . Then went liberty to get an extra Merchant, then went Exploration for faster ships. Last 20 turns was mostly end turns and waiting for ships to get to the capitals.

Looking at Fiddlestick's 140 turns on the first try was simply amazing. And loved his creativity

 

[Bemep42]

Domination victory turn 151.

I was misled by the map. I thought small continents were 5-6 continents, which means we will have a maximum of 1-2 neighbors. And I set up to play through the Great Galleases. Therefore, at first I made only 1 scout (later another one) and built a ToA (which I usually don't build) and a Great Library. To do this, I discovered tradition and embraced the aristocracy. By the time the Gr.Library was built, it became clear that I had to start with archers and Liberty, but I completed it anyway and only then started spamming archers. I also didn't find the time to build a pair of triremes right away, for exploration, which is why it was too late to find another continent. A merchant from optics captured Florence (I haven't found Monaco yet, otherwise I would have captured it).
Before the compass, I built various unnecessary Wonders (MOM, Sofia Cathedral, etc., and after studying the compass, I could only buy 1 galleas in Florence, and I had to build 4 more in Venice. During the siege of the capital of the Iroquois, I finally decided to count the moves and realized that it took too long to capture Warsaw first, and then Jakarta, and decided to send 4 galleases to Jakarta immediately after the Iroquois, and for Warsaw to buy 3 new ones in the already captured Iroquois city (not the capital). To do this, I signed a 10turns cease-fire with Poland (300 gold in cash, +24 per turn and wine). If I had thought about it a turn earlier, I would have ended the game at exactly 150 turn. And so - Jakarta (150), Warsaw (151).

open tradition - aristocracy - open liberty - citizenship - Meritocracy - open Honor - discipline - warrior caste - Prof. Army - representation.

Knowing the map, I think this game can be won up to 120 turns and even without galleases. Through full liberty like fiddlesticks and send 1st merchant not to Monaco, but directly to Sidon, and use 2nd and 3rd GM for money and purchase in Sidon of the 2nd army of the compbow for the Iroquois, Poland and Indonesia.