Polynesia video example in the video lets play section of the forum
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=509286
The term "guide" is used loosely since I'm far from convinced any of the many alternatives is the best for all possible map & civ combinations (probably no such thing) ...
The core of the strategy consists of turtling (3-5 cities), building a strong economy, getting technological lead and then unleashing blitzkrieg conquering the world in a few turns with a highly promoted army rushbrought in a single turn at a massive discount (Pay ~60% of building cost and ~40% of military unit cost)...
Going from 2 archers to 40+ GWB/bomber/Stealth bombers with air repair, few submarines for home workboat defence/scouting,few fighters for interception/sweeps, medic mobile sam and a few tanks/paratroopers/XCOM squads for city conquest in the space of a single turn is what this strategy promises ...
There are quite a few social policies mandatory for the above on top of the Technological lead and the happiness buffer - that’s what makes this strategy usually (very) late game - takes a lot of time to set it all up ...
Mandatory (core) social policies
(3 in commerce) Mercantilism 25% discount all purchases
(1 in autocracy) Mobilization: Gold cost of purchasing units reduced by 33%.
(3 in autocracy) Total War: +25% Production towards Military Units. New Units receive +15 XP
The number of social policies I typically end up taking is somewhere > 20 and that is a tall order for most civs when trying to get pretty deep into the tech tree with a strong emphasis on GPT ... (maintaining high happiness will help with a few natural golden ages // bulbing some endgame writers might also be necessary if you miss out on the freebies)
forgot to mention the gold buildings market/bank/stock exchanges - of course you'll need to have them up in all your core cities by the end game (the sooner the better) and you will even have to work quite a few gold specialists (especially after your're done teching and got free specialists)
Trade routes also important - be sure to always monitor for changes - scout early for coastal trade partners - get harbours in all your coastal cities so they can all reach the best money yielding AI cities ... (few AI capitals bring much more trade gold than others - it pays more to reach those cities with trade routes from all of your cities - than to send all your trade routes from the same city - and be forced to trade with cities that bring less gold ...
There is total of 5 freebie social policies (of which only 1 is guaranteed (World Fair)) getting the rest puts constrains on the tech priorities ...
Can also use some late game writers to speed up/compensate for loss ...
----------------------
Oracle (Philosophy tech) has top priority (best production city gets on it ASAP - even using controlled starvation to shave off turns - might cause me to build the NC out of the capital in a city that currently has decent production, has mountain and good food/sea access ...
(sometimes on deity you will lose this despite best efforts )
My first World Council proposal is always World Fare: 350 hammers for free social policy and a GA is deal that can't be beat ... Winning it for the temporary 100% culture is also often within the realm of possibility but because I go for it early I never risk to chance the hammers ...
(This one is a sure thing ..)
Autocracy(Industrialization Tech) Getting the 2 free autocracy policies is a big thing (I like 3 lvl 2 autocracy tenets and this means a whooping total of 7 social policies in autocracy)
LVL1
Industrial Espionage: Spies steal technologies twice as fast. (ASAP or skip...Use it to close tech gap if needed)
Universal Healthcare: +1 Local Happiness from each National Wonder. (happy for natural GAs)
Fortified Borders: +1 Local Happiness per Walls, Castle, Arsenal and Military Base. (you will build castles latter for Newsh ..)
Mobilization: Gold cost of purchasing units reduced by 33%. (get this right before war - useless until then )
Elite Forces: Wounded Military Units inflict 25% more damage than normal. (optional filler if you need more lvl 2 policies)
LVL2
Third Alternative: Strategic Resources provide double quantity. +5 Food and Science in Capital. (first pick after the freebies)
Militarism: +2 Local Happiness per Barracks, Armoury and Military Academy. (part of the happiness buffer - can help with natural golden ages )
Total War: +25% Production towards Military Units. New Units receive +15 XP. (take this right before going to war - before)
Nationalism: Unit Maintenance cost reduced by 33%. (this one is optional - can save in excess of 100 GTP late game)
Police State: +3 Local Happiness from each Courthouse. Build Courthouses in half the usual time. (get out of jail card - if you lose happiness control)
LVL3
Clausewitz's Legacy: Receive a +25% attack bonus to all Military Units for the first 50 turns after this tenet is added. (optional - bonus is decent, works for air units and will last you enough to conquer all 7 civs on a large map)
(most AIs don't really like Industrialization (early ideology) and do not particularly love autocracy - but every now and then some of them will go and pick early Autocracy robbing you of 1 or even 2 free policies so you can't sleep on it. Industrialization beeline, get 3 coal, get the cash (loan)(should have Mercantilism discount) and buy the 3 factories ASAP. Free social policies are hard to beat ...)
Prora (Flight tech - coastal city) - if there is at least another autocrat in the game (usually there tends to be at least one this also becomes top priority) Combo of free policy and happiness is hard to make up for if you lose it ...
(beware you can still lose this after oxfording flight and using a GE for it - DO NOT GO radio//plastics with another autocrat in the game before flight or you'll be sorry. )
----------
Rough Tech beelines:
AH, Pottery, Luxuries, Philosophy(more luxuries) , Sailing, Engineering, Civil Service, Education, Compass, Metal Working, Astronomy (buy 1-3 observatories), Banking, Industrialization (buy 3 factories), Fertilizer, Scientific Theory(buy 3-4 public schools), Electricity(buy hydro plants), Biology(buy hospitals), Flight (prora), Radio(Eiffel + Broadway buy broadcast towers), Plastics(buy 3-4 research labs) , Railroad(newsh ..) , (option for last traderoute tech detour), see uranium , satellites (hubble) , lasers (modern armor) , stealth, Xcom, (nuclear missile game might be over before getting this)
Starting policies: Tradition vs liberty ...
I've done this with both liberty and tradition and ATM I'm inclined to say Tradition is the better choice for this strategy most of the times ...
- 2-3 industrial era faith GEs help enormously with the tons of available wonders in the end game
- Taller capital means more GPT from city (settled and puppets) connections
- Monarchy extra GPT synergies with commerce opener
- the extra happiness (monarchy legalism) also helps growth(science/specialists) and natural GoldenAges (culture culture culture)
Then if you have good early culture and got Oracle you have the option to go Consulates (2 patronage) (safer bet/better option most of the time - get "free" culture, happy and units for defence/artefact guarding) or Organized Religion (will get more late game GE ammunition) ...
For some civs/ rare start combos (good faith generation dirt -Ex Desert Faith//Faith World Wonders ) you can even finish piety later (settled 7 great prophets in my Ethiopian game (backup if you lose buy any great person with faith reformation belief)
Next is the 3 policies in Commerce (up to Mercantilism) .. You should get to mercantilism before you need to buy the 3 factories ..
Not you have the option to finish commerce for a ton of happiness but with a few "useless" precious social policies cost ...OR get at least 2 in rationalism (opener secularism) ... If happiness situation is solid rationalism is probably the better choice ...
Autocracy policies will usually end be last (except Third Alternative: Strategic Resources provide double quantity. +5 Food and Science in Capital) which I tend to take right away ... The 5 food in capital arrives usually the same time I buy Hospital (the extra 10 food will give capital growth a second wind)
The doubled strategics can all be sold for sorely needed cash (read above - buy factories, public schools, hospitals, broadcast tower(s), research labs,..even at 60% of cost it would still cost a ton of cash if you're not OCCing/Venice ...)
Emergency happiness wise -
Annex high pop puppets and rush buy courthouse (+3 happy with emergency policy), barracks, armory, walls, castle
2 in Exploration if enough coastal cities/infrastructure, Tradition Monarchy/Landed Elite (if starting liberty)
========================
Ideology pressure potential issues:
Opera houses (Hermitage), Museums, Broadcast Towers, Archeologists + Artifacts, Oxford ,Eiffel tower ..those come after Factories, Public Schools,Hospitals ..
Late - probably past turn 180 .. They will be high priority at that time but if there are Order/Freedom tourism pushers in the game you will feel some happiness stings (don't worry it only gets painful if get too many cities)..
Give open borders to all other autocrats in the game so they can influence defend you .. Buy a few hotels/airports later if that’s what it takes to get you to the first level of influence with the ones pressuring you ..
Using this strategy I've managed to get the over 100 happiness achievement (basically you should not get happy issues before you start conquering) ...
Try to keep the happiness high for the natural golden ages (you'll need the culture) (buy all luxuries available on the market for 8 gpt) ...
=======================
Wonders to build
Top Priority
------------
Oracle - (philosophy) - (free policy)
Big Ben - (industrialization) - (rush buy discount)
Prora - (flight) (GE)
Neuwchwanstein (railroad) - (happy + gold + culture) - probably safe bet, get it "early" because of the benefits
Hubble (satellites) - deny it to AIs (GE)
Nice to have (decent % to get)
--------------
Pyramids (if liberty) - nice to have
Mausoleum of Halicarnaus - nice to have (if 3+ masonry resources) (gold is gold)
Forbidden Palace - sometimes all AIs skip/delay patronage - very nice to have (happy + votes)
Porcelain Tower - same deal with FP - if is still up (AIs) (you will sign quite a few RAs during the peaceful turtling period)
Eiffel Tower - happy + tourism
Broardway - culture + tourism
Cristo Redentor - policy discount
Pentagon - Might have some free hammers by that time - more important if you need to up alot of bombers to stealth bombers
Priority to conquer
-------------------
Forbidden Palace - happy
Notre Dame - happy
Chicken Itza (burn a great artist after you get it)
Machu Pitchu $
Colossus & Petra (extra traderoutes - $)
Statue of liberty (nice to have)
========================
Most dangerous period in the game is (if you don't start next to shaka) the period of great loans and building purchase spree ...
(factories, public schools, hospitals, broadcast tower(s), research labs)
Even with all traderoutes set to cash and selling all luxuries and strategics your economy will be stretched thin for about 30-50 turns ...
During this great vulnerability period (usually when your neighbours will start hating on you even harder because of ideology differences) you will lack the + XP buildings//autocracy +XP policy, autocracy discout and the money reserve to buy enough unpromotted units to survive a serious attack ...Even if you survive a neighbour DOW at this stage it will probably cost you added turns till the final victor turn ...
You will have do a decent job at the diplomatic game - make world congress proposals your neighbours will like, keep them occupied with other wars if possible ....Delay / buy time ...
=========================
The Blitzkrieg - Conquering the world ... A formality mere formality at this stage ..
" Neo: What are you trying to tell me, that I can dodge bullets?
Morpheus: No, Neo. I'm trying to tell you that when you're ready, you won't have to."
When all the preparations are in place the power balance reversal from "2 archers" lousy army to DOWing all remaining AI (should you wish to aldough I don't recommend it in a first attempt) without batting an eye happens in a single turn ...
Having stockpiled a huge gold stack is highly recommendable.. But having a huge GPT will do the trick most times..Since you've been peaceful after the early worker steals there will be AIs willing to deal with you (you will need a huge war loan and usually some strategic resources) ...
Many times (easiest option) you will have a successful Autocrat (friendly to you) in the game with a huge gold stack and strategics willing to sponsor your world domination project ... Even if sugar daddy is not present you'll only need to secure a few bits of strategics (CS//neutral AI) to put out enough a force to capture dirt with strategics from your closest neighbour ... Gold from capturing cities and Third Alternative will take care of the rest
(infantry/paratroopers, Mobile sams, artillery are resource free troops that can be used in pinch to secure the bits of strategics necessary to get the party started ) ...
Spies + Stealth + Xcom make possible to knock multiple capitals in a single turn (my current record is 3)
==========================
Time wise I've managed ~10 domination victories with win times ~ (T301 ..T330)..The game I'm playing now with Polynesia will probably beat my "record" because I've got a great moai spam location ...
========================
EDIT
forgot to mention the gold buildings market/bank/stock exchanges - of course you'll need to have them up in all your core cities by the end game (the sooner the better) and you will even have to work quite a few gold specialists (especially after your're done teching and got free specialists)
Trade routes also important - be sure to always monitor for changes - scout early for coastal trade partners - get harbours in all your coastal cities so they can all reach the best money yielding AI cities ... (few AI capitals bring much more trade gold than others - it pays more to reach those cities with trade routes from all of your cities - than to send all your trade routes from the same city - and be forced to trade with cities that bring less gold ...
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=509286
The term "guide" is used loosely since I'm far from convinced any of the many alternatives is the best for all possible map & civ combinations (probably no such thing) ...
The core of the strategy consists of turtling (3-5 cities), building a strong economy, getting technological lead and then unleashing blitzkrieg conquering the world in a few turns with a highly promoted army rushbrought in a single turn at a massive discount (Pay ~60% of building cost and ~40% of military unit cost)...
Going from 2 archers to 40+ GWB/bomber/Stealth bombers with air repair, few submarines for home workboat defence/scouting,few fighters for interception/sweeps, medic mobile sam and a few tanks/paratroopers/XCOM squads for city conquest in the space of a single turn is what this strategy promises ...
There are quite a few social policies mandatory for the above on top of the Technological lead and the happiness buffer - that’s what makes this strategy usually (very) late game - takes a lot of time to set it all up ...
Mandatory (core) social policies
(3 in commerce) Mercantilism 25% discount all purchases
(1 in autocracy) Mobilization: Gold cost of purchasing units reduced by 33%.
(3 in autocracy) Total War: +25% Production towards Military Units. New Units receive +15 XP
The number of social policies I typically end up taking is somewhere > 20 and that is a tall order for most civs when trying to get pretty deep into the tech tree with a strong emphasis on GPT ... (maintaining high happiness will help with a few natural golden ages // bulbing some endgame writers might also be necessary if you miss out on the freebies)
forgot to mention the gold buildings market/bank/stock exchanges - of course you'll need to have them up in all your core cities by the end game (the sooner the better) and you will even have to work quite a few gold specialists (especially after your're done teching and got free specialists)
Trade routes also important - be sure to always monitor for changes - scout early for coastal trade partners - get harbours in all your coastal cities so they can all reach the best money yielding AI cities ... (few AI capitals bring much more trade gold than others - it pays more to reach those cities with trade routes from all of your cities - than to send all your trade routes from the same city - and be forced to trade with cities that bring less gold ...
There is total of 5 freebie social policies (of which only 1 is guaranteed (World Fair)) getting the rest puts constrains on the tech priorities ...
Can also use some late game writers to speed up/compensate for loss ...
----------------------
Oracle (Philosophy tech) has top priority (best production city gets on it ASAP - even using controlled starvation to shave off turns - might cause me to build the NC out of the capital in a city that currently has decent production, has mountain and good food/sea access ...
(sometimes on deity you will lose this despite best efforts )
My first World Council proposal is always World Fare: 350 hammers for free social policy and a GA is deal that can't be beat ... Winning it for the temporary 100% culture is also often within the realm of possibility but because I go for it early I never risk to chance the hammers ...
(This one is a sure thing ..)
Autocracy(Industrialization Tech) Getting the 2 free autocracy policies is a big thing (I like 3 lvl 2 autocracy tenets and this means a whooping total of 7 social policies in autocracy)
LVL1
Industrial Espionage: Spies steal technologies twice as fast. (ASAP or skip...Use it to close tech gap if needed)
Universal Healthcare: +1 Local Happiness from each National Wonder. (happy for natural GAs)
Fortified Borders: +1 Local Happiness per Walls, Castle, Arsenal and Military Base. (you will build castles latter for Newsh ..)
Mobilization: Gold cost of purchasing units reduced by 33%. (get this right before war - useless until then )
Elite Forces: Wounded Military Units inflict 25% more damage than normal. (optional filler if you need more lvl 2 policies)
LVL2
Third Alternative: Strategic Resources provide double quantity. +5 Food and Science in Capital. (first pick after the freebies)
Militarism: +2 Local Happiness per Barracks, Armoury and Military Academy. (part of the happiness buffer - can help with natural golden ages )
Total War: +25% Production towards Military Units. New Units receive +15 XP. (take this right before going to war - before)
Nationalism: Unit Maintenance cost reduced by 33%. (this one is optional - can save in excess of 100 GTP late game)
Police State: +3 Local Happiness from each Courthouse. Build Courthouses in half the usual time. (get out of jail card - if you lose happiness control)
LVL3
Clausewitz's Legacy: Receive a +25% attack bonus to all Military Units for the first 50 turns after this tenet is added. (optional - bonus is decent, works for air units and will last you enough to conquer all 7 civs on a large map)
(most AIs don't really like Industrialization (early ideology) and do not particularly love autocracy - but every now and then some of them will go and pick early Autocracy robbing you of 1 or even 2 free policies so you can't sleep on it. Industrialization beeline, get 3 coal, get the cash (loan)(should have Mercantilism discount) and buy the 3 factories ASAP. Free social policies are hard to beat ...)
Prora (Flight tech - coastal city) - if there is at least another autocrat in the game (usually there tends to be at least one this also becomes top priority) Combo of free policy and happiness is hard to make up for if you lose it ...
(beware you can still lose this after oxfording flight and using a GE for it - DO NOT GO radio//plastics with another autocrat in the game before flight or you'll be sorry. )
----------
Rough Tech beelines:
AH, Pottery, Luxuries, Philosophy(more luxuries) , Sailing, Engineering, Civil Service, Education, Compass, Metal Working, Astronomy (buy 1-3 observatories), Banking, Industrialization (buy 3 factories), Fertilizer, Scientific Theory(buy 3-4 public schools), Electricity(buy hydro plants), Biology(buy hospitals), Flight (prora), Radio(Eiffel + Broadway buy broadcast towers), Plastics(buy 3-4 research labs) , Railroad(newsh ..) , (option for last traderoute tech detour), see uranium , satellites (hubble) , lasers (modern armor) , stealth, Xcom, (nuclear missile game might be over before getting this)
Starting policies: Tradition vs liberty ...
I've done this with both liberty and tradition and ATM I'm inclined to say Tradition is the better choice for this strategy most of the times ...
- 2-3 industrial era faith GEs help enormously with the tons of available wonders in the end game
- Taller capital means more GPT from city (settled and puppets) connections
- Monarchy extra GPT synergies with commerce opener
- the extra happiness (monarchy legalism) also helps growth(science/specialists) and natural GoldenAges (culture culture culture)
Then if you have good early culture and got Oracle you have the option to go Consulates (2 patronage) (safer bet/better option most of the time - get "free" culture, happy and units for defence/artefact guarding) or Organized Religion (will get more late game GE ammunition) ...
For some civs/ rare start combos (good faith generation dirt -Ex Desert Faith//Faith World Wonders ) you can even finish piety later (settled 7 great prophets in my Ethiopian game (backup if you lose buy any great person with faith reformation belief)
Next is the 3 policies in Commerce (up to Mercantilism) .. You should get to mercantilism before you need to buy the 3 factories ..
Not you have the option to finish commerce for a ton of happiness but with a few "useless" precious social policies cost ...OR get at least 2 in rationalism (opener secularism) ... If happiness situation is solid rationalism is probably the better choice ...
Autocracy policies will usually end be last (except Third Alternative: Strategic Resources provide double quantity. +5 Food and Science in Capital) which I tend to take right away ... The 5 food in capital arrives usually the same time I buy Hospital (the extra 10 food will give capital growth a second wind)
The doubled strategics can all be sold for sorely needed cash (read above - buy factories, public schools, hospitals, broadcast tower(s), research labs,..even at 60% of cost it would still cost a ton of cash if you're not OCCing/Venice ...)
Emergency happiness wise -
Annex high pop puppets and rush buy courthouse (+3 happy with emergency policy), barracks, armory, walls, castle
2 in Exploration if enough coastal cities/infrastructure, Tradition Monarchy/Landed Elite (if starting liberty)
========================
Ideology pressure potential issues:
Opera houses (Hermitage), Museums, Broadcast Towers, Archeologists + Artifacts, Oxford ,Eiffel tower ..those come after Factories, Public Schools,Hospitals ..
Late - probably past turn 180 .. They will be high priority at that time but if there are Order/Freedom tourism pushers in the game you will feel some happiness stings (don't worry it only gets painful if get too many cities)..
Give open borders to all other autocrats in the game so they can influence defend you .. Buy a few hotels/airports later if that’s what it takes to get you to the first level of influence with the ones pressuring you ..
Using this strategy I've managed to get the over 100 happiness achievement (basically you should not get happy issues before you start conquering) ...
Try to keep the happiness high for the natural golden ages (you'll need the culture) (buy all luxuries available on the market for 8 gpt) ...
=======================
Wonders to build
Top Priority
------------
Oracle - (philosophy) - (free policy)
Big Ben - (industrialization) - (rush buy discount)
Prora - (flight) (GE)
Neuwchwanstein (railroad) - (happy + gold + culture) - probably safe bet, get it "early" because of the benefits
Hubble (satellites) - deny it to AIs (GE)
Nice to have (decent % to get)
--------------
Pyramids (if liberty) - nice to have
Mausoleum of Halicarnaus - nice to have (if 3+ masonry resources) (gold is gold)
Forbidden Palace - sometimes all AIs skip/delay patronage - very nice to have (happy + votes)
Porcelain Tower - same deal with FP - if is still up (AIs) (you will sign quite a few RAs during the peaceful turtling period)
Eiffel Tower - happy + tourism
Broardway - culture + tourism
Cristo Redentor - policy discount
Pentagon - Might have some free hammers by that time - more important if you need to up alot of bombers to stealth bombers
Priority to conquer
-------------------
Forbidden Palace - happy
Notre Dame - happy
Chicken Itza (burn a great artist after you get it)
Machu Pitchu $
Colossus & Petra (extra traderoutes - $)
Statue of liberty (nice to have)
========================
Most dangerous period in the game is (if you don't start next to shaka) the period of great loans and building purchase spree ...
(factories, public schools, hospitals, broadcast tower(s), research labs)
Even with all traderoutes set to cash and selling all luxuries and strategics your economy will be stretched thin for about 30-50 turns ...
During this great vulnerability period (usually when your neighbours will start hating on you even harder because of ideology differences) you will lack the + XP buildings//autocracy +XP policy, autocracy discout and the money reserve to buy enough unpromotted units to survive a serious attack ...Even if you survive a neighbour DOW at this stage it will probably cost you added turns till the final victor turn ...
You will have do a decent job at the diplomatic game - make world congress proposals your neighbours will like, keep them occupied with other wars if possible ....Delay / buy time ...
=========================
The Blitzkrieg - Conquering the world ... A formality mere formality at this stage ..
" Neo: What are you trying to tell me, that I can dodge bullets?
Morpheus: No, Neo. I'm trying to tell you that when you're ready, you won't have to."
When all the preparations are in place the power balance reversal from "2 archers" lousy army to DOWing all remaining AI (should you wish to aldough I don't recommend it in a first attempt) without batting an eye happens in a single turn ...
Having stockpiled a huge gold stack is highly recommendable.. But having a huge GPT will do the trick most times..Since you've been peaceful after the early worker steals there will be AIs willing to deal with you (you will need a huge war loan and usually some strategic resources) ...
Many times (easiest option) you will have a successful Autocrat (friendly to you) in the game with a huge gold stack and strategics willing to sponsor your world domination project ... Even if sugar daddy is not present you'll only need to secure a few bits of strategics (CS//neutral AI) to put out enough a force to capture dirt with strategics from your closest neighbour ... Gold from capturing cities and Third Alternative will take care of the rest
(infantry/paratroopers, Mobile sams, artillery are resource free troops that can be used in pinch to secure the bits of strategics necessary to get the party started ) ...
Spies + Stealth + Xcom make possible to knock multiple capitals in a single turn (my current record is 3)
==========================
Time wise I've managed ~10 domination victories with win times ~ (T301 ..T330)..The game I'm playing now with Polynesia will probably beat my "record" because I've got a great moai spam location ...
========================
EDIT
forgot to mention the gold buildings market/bank/stock exchanges - of course you'll need to have them up in all your core cities by the end game (the sooner the better) and you will even have to work quite a few gold specialists (especially after your're done teching and got free specialists)
Trade routes also important - be sure to always monitor for changes - scout early for coastal trade partners - get harbours in all your coastal cities so they can all reach the best money yielding AI cities ... (few AI capitals bring much more trade gold than others - it pays more to reach those cities with trade routes from all of your cities - than to send all your trade routes from the same city - and be forced to trade with cities that bring less gold ...
but I have been constantly at war since turn 5.
