What am I doing wrong?

[Håkon]

I'm playing a King game - current stats at AD 1964:

12 cities
7 million people
8 of my cities threatened due to excessive railroad building, and lack of defense in the Zulu-bordering city of Kell.
Six or seven Wonders (last Isaac's College)
Way behind in the science rate.

Can anybody help me?

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forever!!

 

[stormerne]

12 cities. I think that's your problem. You're really making it hard for yourself with just 12 cities so near the end of the game. You only have 56 turns left so it's really too late to fix it properly.

What do you want to do? Just survive to 2020? Or beat the Zulus? Who's left anyway? Who are you at war/peace/alliance with? What government are you/can you be?

How about switching science off and putting the tax high. Set all cities to make spies. Send them all to Zululand to steal tech and bribe cities. (Always do both!)

More information please!

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[Håkon]

Originally posted by stormerne:
What do you want to do? Just survive to 2020? Or beat the Zulus? Who's left anyway? Who are you at war/peace/alliance with? What government are you/can you be?
More information please!

Question 1. I just want to play for the challenge, but I suppose I want to make a spaceship.
Question 2. Zulus (war, turns armors/artilleries up to my border city, threatening to conquer it), Chinese (got a city on my second island, allied), Romans (to the south, attacks me from the sea everytime, war) and a civ I haven't discovered yet.
Question 3. I'm Democracy - can be Despotism, Monarchy, Republic and Fundy.

Highest shield production in a city 14.

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<IMG SRC="http://www.vg.no/vg/sport/fotball/elfot96/sbodo.gif" border=0>
forever!!

 

[stormerne]

OK. If you're behind on tech it depends on who is in front.

Are the Chinese in front? If so, request a gift from them every three turns. If you're even, try exchanging tech to fill in the holes.

Are the Zulus in front? If so hit them with an army of spies? Steal a tech from each city - don't return to the same one if possible.

Oh wait... you can't change to Communism therefore you won't have Espionage and therefore you can't build spies. Aaarrrggghhh! OK. So build dips and go steal Espionage first! (Or maybe dips can't be specific like spies. Hmmm.)

What's your reputation like? If it's honorable or above (preferably excellent or above) as a democracy you might be able to make peace with the Romans and conserve your resources.

Are your allies bashing your enemies too?

 

[Kev]

Oh boy, you have quite a challenge. I thought Stormerne's suggestion was the best - steal and bribe anything and everything. I would just hope that the Zulu's are not in a Democracy.

Since you're behind in tech anyway, I guess you could consider a jump to Fundy - at least that way you can get some cash quickly and possibly help with production. With this it may be easier to rush build dips and (hopefully) spies and provide some additional cash for bribing.

I have to say that given the year and tech level, your goal of building a spaceship may not be possible - though it also may be your only avenue for winning. If you try, I would think you'd have to go with the smallest one possible (I think it's like 15-3-3-1-1-1 with fusion, but I could be wrong).

Ask for some cash from allies as well if they do not have techs you can use. And make peace with the Romans even if you have to give away something like a tech advance - you should obviously concentrate on the Zulu's immediately.

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Diplomacy - the art of
saying "Good Doggie"
until you can find a rock

 

[Richard]

You're going to have trouble in the space race with 12 cities and that kind of production. I would raise taxes and rely on diplomats/spys to keep you up to date with the tech. Then you can concentrate the revenues on military or expanding your empire. Fighting the computer is relativly easy but the style of war will depend on their government. Obviously you won't be trying to buy them out if they're Democracy. If it's war you want set your economy aside for a number of turns and go all out military. You shoudn't have much trouble breaking them, I never have.

 

[Håkon]

BIG trouble. AD 2007 - The Zulus were in Democracy (switched to Fundy in 1990), but they have rampaged every city that I've managed to bribe. My coffers are almost empty, the Romans are still sneak-attacking me from the sea, and they demand tributes that will empty my coffers completely.
The Romans are first in the tech race. I haven't actually been trying to make peace with them as they're on another island.
The Zulus has burnt the poor city of Kell to ashes. Kotu is my next defense, but it's connected to the ruins of Kell by railroads and has a Riflemen and one Phalanx (I didn't get Leo's Workshop) defending it. Horrible prospect. Next is Boktor, that was once conquered by Zulu paratroopers. Managed to buy it back, but that was a horrible prospect. One Riflemen defending that city.
The Romans are building the Apollo Program (started in 2002 or something) and I haven't really managed to steal Space Flight as they have sunk all my Transports with spies (in 1995, they sank a Transport with eight spies just outside my city.)
I have 14 cities, not considering Kell.

 

[Kev]

I think it may be time to take this game out back and just plain shoot it.

I guess you could hit the cheats and nuke everyone if that would make you feel better

You had a pretty tough situation.

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Diplomacy - the art of
saying "Good Doggie"
until you can find a rock

 

[Archbob]

Originally posted by Håkon:
I'm playing a King game - current stats at AD 1964:

12 cities
7 million people

Thats your problem right there.

Unless you have super cities (size 42 or so) and super science and wonders, this won't work. I usually have over 150 vities by the time 1964 rolls around.



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