Turning a pacifist into a warmonger

[Dwarkyzidez]

I have a serious issue with this game. I see many people do a lot of wars and conquering. I myself don't. Hell I pretty much consider myself a pacifist. Now I'm getting into online games, and noticed that I'll need some battle skills, which I don't have. My mind is set on being peaceful and just managing my empire.

So how should one change into being a warmonger? Like should I do duel maps and eradicate the enemy? What's a good start, I'm basically saying. I don't have warlords btw (which I plan on getting once I get the money).

 

[Jet]

Try a game with Tokugawa where you don't build anything in each city but one culture building, granary, barracks, courthouse, lighthouse. Tokugawa is Aggressive and Organized so he gets a discount on half of those buildings. You won't have anything else to build except units.

 

[obsolete]

In Warlords Toku is Aggressive/Protective

 

[futurehermit]

Find a single player game where you have copper and a close neighbour (if you don't get this, restart).

Once you have it, just build 1 city to claim the copper, or if it's in your capital just build one city. Barracks in each city. Then whip/chop/build axes (about a dozen) and go after the enemy capital. Keep the capital, holy cities, and cities that can pay for themselves (e.g., have a gold pit or are close to your capital and thus low-maintenance). Raze the rest. Meanwhile, beeline code of laws to get courthouses built in your new cities. Build forbidden palace say in enemy's former capital once you have sufficient courthouses and city. Then upgrade your axes to macemen (Civil Service/Machinery), get some catapults, and go after your next neighbour.

Multiplayer is a whole different ballgame though. Warriors and/or archers can do an effective job if you hit early and they don't expect it!!! Also, securing copper and/or horses is necessary or you die.

I often don't research hbriding in single player, but I've whiped out people online with horse archers when I didn't have metal (sucks!).

Online it can be a good idea to settle right on top of copper/iron so it can't be pillaged.

Also, pillaging enemy cottages is highly effective in multiplayer!!! And using rivers and other terrain to your advantage becomes much more strategic in multiplayer. Don't forget lots of siege weapons as well, although my understanding is this will change slightly post-xpac.

 

[Kennigit]

Main thing on multiplayer is that your opponent has human intelligence. Humans will block your path to something- they will take the high ground surroudning their city instead of jamming everyone in their city. It becomes harder to merely catapult them away, but requires strategic moves.

Often in multiplayer you get into stale mates, where both sides start building up big stacks near each other. Say there are two hills, two squares away from each other, surrounded by open terrain. Neither side wants to move their stack off their hill into the easy to kill openness, where they will be killed by catapults and the enemies stack.

Simple point is that online experience is different from the Ai. My suggestion is to join a few games and just learn. Often times, you get lucky in online play when the other person isn't very bright. Many times I've seen someone killed because they used 3 archers from their city to attack 1 enemy archer 1 square away from their city. They now have no one in their city if they lose, and get their capital taken. In this same example, if they moved the archers out to block the enemy archer's way to the city, it wouldn't have happened.

Last thing- You might want to consider switching from Vanilla to BtS. Most online players will probably make that jump.