What civs are winnable in Emperor?

[TDK]

Do conquered wonders give points?

It seemed that way to me when I took the Chinese cities, but I couldn't be sure - It might have been just pop and land.

I forgot to mention the American gambit above. I wanted Caravels for my war with China and sent one to America, meeting the Aztecs in 1300AD. I expected to get at least 6 units including Samurai, but I got just 4; 2 pikes, 1 cat and an x-bow. Any idea why that is?

TDK

 

[AnotherPacifist]

I forgot to mention the American gambit above. I wanted Caravels for my war with China and sent one to America, meeting the Aztecs in 1300AD. I expected to get at least 6 units including Samurai, but I got just 4; 2 pikes, 1 cat and an x-bow. Any idea why that is?

It's because you don't have guilds (gives knights) or gunpowder (gives cannons)--are you playing the most recent version (in which optics requires guilds)?

 

[TDK]

It's because you don't have guilds (gives knights) or gunpowder (gives cannons)--are you playing the most recent version (in which optics requires guilds)?

Ah, thanks. No, I didn't have Guilds or Gunpowder, which also answers your other question - the game was commenced before the update.

Sounds good with Guilds before Optics, will give the Americas a fighting chance.

Can I upgrade the mod and still load up an old game? China 3000BC just started.

TDK

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Can I upgrade the mod and still load up an old game? China 3000BC just started.

Yes, I think you can do it now with the new patch (i.e. load old games without crashing). Brave soul...I shudder every time I think of how to found those religions even in Monarch mode.

Sounds good with Guilds before Optics, will give the Americas a fighting chance.

\

No, in fact you're DOOMING them to die under knights and conquistadors.

 

[Verily]

Yes, I think you can do it now with the new patch (i.e. load old games without crashing). Brave soul...I shudder every time I think of how to found those religions even in Monarch mode.

It's not hard at all. Go BW, then the early worker techs, then straight for Calendar.

 

[Jet]

China is hard on Emperor, though. Huge expenses and no research. Here's me getting my butt kicked. It was challenging enough to survive the barbs, get Calendar, and expand a bit. I have Calendar, Machinery, and that's it. You can see I'm not working that many production tiles, but costs are still eating all my commerce. My research is coming from 4 scientists and one settled great engineer. I think my only other GP was a scientist, who built an Academy in Beijing. I may have half bulbed MC or Machinery with another eng.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

It's not hard at all. Go BW, then the early worker techs, then straight for Calendar.

Yeah, I've done it, but only after several tries, trying to balance between building settlers and wonders to help boost my research rate and build Great Wall. I got beaten several times to calendar by Babylonia...but this was one of the old versions, and I'm sure I'll be able to do it now that they routinely go for military techs early.

 

[TDK]

No, in fact you're DOOMING them to die under knights and conquistadors.

Right! And you would still make 1300 so no more time for them to prepare.

It's not hard at all. Go BW, then the early worker techs, then straight for Calendar.

I don't see any tech that would pay off in terms of research before Calender, which means a tech order of Animal Husbandry, Writing, Mathematics and Calender seems in order - that is if you are planning on being Confuzed and Taoist. As always on high difficulty, you need to focus narrowly on your objectives and not stray one bit.

I think I have a pretty good idea of how to get there. Anyone know who is most likely to found Conf or Taoism before China? I would bet India, but any experience form you guys would be appreciated.

I'm thinking DoW on India here.

TDK

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Right! And you would still make 1300 so no more time for them to prepare.
I don't see any tech that would pay off in terms of research before Calender, which means a tech order of Animal Husbandry, Writing, Mathematics and Calender seems in order - that is if you are planning on being Confuzed and Taoist. As always on high difficulty, you need to focus narrowly on your objectives and not stray one bit.

I think I have a pretty good idea of how to get there. Anyone know who is most likely to found Conf or Taoism before China? I would bet India, but any experience form you guys would be appreciated.

I'm thinking DoW on India here.

Not really. If you want to get any buildings done in other cities you have to chop trees, and I think BW is still rather important. India does not usually go for writing/math and calendar first (they go for priesthood/oracle); rather it's usually Babylonia that beats China (at least when I tried emperor). Maybe you SHOULD upgrade your version (since Rhye said AI research rate is a little slower for emperor now).

 

[TDK]

Progress report: Founding Conf and Taoism is actually possible, I got it in 310BC - a few turns before India. The trick is to research Writing as fast as possible, set tech rate to 0% while popping a Scientist for Math. The beakers from the Scientist should give you Fishing and most of Sailing. Time Sailing with the scientist for Math and burn through all your saved cash to get Calender ASAP.

The next bumb is how to get to Music before the deadline. Looks almost impossible right now. I'm thinking that's the real bottleneck.

Is it absolutely necessary to found the religions? Couldn't one just import it by trading and open borders?

TDK

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Is it absolutely necessary to found the religions? Couldn't one just import it by trading and open borders?

Theoretically yes, but how do you just selectively import Taoism and Confucianism? Chances are you'll get Buddhist or Hinduism first.

 

[TDK]

No advantage for Taoism or Conf in China? I mean, like Christianity in Europe.

TDK

 

[Walliard]

No advantage for Taoism or Conf in China? I mean, like Christianity in Europe.

TDK

Yeah, but what if it gets founded in Greece?

 

[wr4th]

Today i finished the greece uhv on emperor WITHOUT starting as india or any other abuse.
And it wasn't even very hard. Got it on the first try.

Found Korinthos and Byzantion. Phalanxes via galley to Sur, declare to land troops, but dont attack, take Babylon and move straight to India. Take Dehli and raze any other towns around. Babylon and India had only warriors so they are easy to take.
I should have razed shushan to in order to take the cultural pressure from babylon, but i was to worried to lose time to get to india.

Tech priesthood and masonry, build two workboats in Korinthos and the oracle afterwards and take machinery as the free tech. The rest is straight forward.

I got lucky and gems spawned on the grassland hill next to the iron. I don't know how much this has affected my game, because the happiness and commerce boost was huge.

Around 800AD i descendet into civil war, but i didnt care. I had all the wonders in Korinthos except for the parthenon which i built in Babylon the culture. Without the need for guilds i could have circumnavigated already by that time. But this way it took me until 1190AD to reach the third uhv.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

* indicates what I've won so far
+ done by others

Easy:
*Netherlands
*Khmer
*Germany
*England
*Russia
*Rome
*Mongolia
*France
*Spain
*Inca
*Japan (600AD)
*Portugal (3000BC start)
*China (600AD) (much easier now with free Great Wall in Xi'an)

Possible but hard and need luck and perseverance:
Portugal (600 AD)
*Egypt
*Carthage
*Arabia
*Aztec
*Turkey
+Greece (2 settlers makes it much easier)
+Japan
+Mali

Impossible starting without cheating (because of tech requirements):
*Persia
*Ethiopia
America

Impossible (with or without cheating):
India
Babylon
China (3000BC) (can found religions but getting to Music is still impossible)
Maya

 

[wr4th]

I have done Persia without cheating, although it needs a perfect start:
-no spearmen in india and babylon
-babylon declares war, so you get additional troops
-a lot of luck on the combat odds

You need to take babylon with your initial immortals and india with the bonus immortals from the dow by baylon - so parallel war on two fronts in order to avoid spearmen or to many archers. After that its mostly spamming of troops to defend from the barbarians.
Mathematics is the only tech i got (catapults). With those i took egypt and greece afterwards. Settle anatolia (if gordion or hattusas are razed) and india and capture or settle smarkand for the 8%.

The great lighthouse is inevitable for the commerce. I finally got currency during the golden age in turn 151, so i could switch to money production and avoid the disbanding of my troops.

In the end it's all about getting a decent start and reach currency before you run out of money for your troops, but it is doable. The shrines and wonders are no problem at all.

I admit that i used a lot of reloads, because you operate at the very minimum of troops and i had to go back and whip a spearman or two for some incoming horse archers, which you always notice to late

 

[djenghis]

To AnotherPacifist:

Can you describe your strategy to win as Rome on Emperor?

First i took Athens and Byzantium, then Carthage. I builded a city in the south of italy and in the balkans. I managed to conquer Egypt, France, Amsterdam, Heirusalem and 3 cities of the Germans, but i was just very week financially, and eventually collapsed into civil war.

How can i prevent this collapsing, because i find it very annoying not to know what causes it.

Thanks.

 

[AnotherPacifist]

To AnotherPacifist:

Can you describe your strategy to win as Rome on Emperor?

First i took Athens and Byzantium, then Carthage. I builded a city in the south of italy and in the balkans. I managed to conquer Egypt, France, Amsterdam, Heirusalem and 3 cities of the Germans, but i was just very week financially, and eventually collapsed into civil war.

How can i prevent this collapsing, because i find it very annoying not to know what causes it.

First of all, you probably should not conquer France, Germany, Egypt or Jerusalem, especially Germany which is not in Rome's "preferred area" (see the pic). The penalty for occupying another civ's core area is much higher with the recent patch.

Secondly, I won Rome in emperor mode using the exploit that Rhye fixed (whipping the cities below 5), so I haven't really tried it with the new patch. And I managed just fine with Greece and 2 cities in North Africa, and never bothered the new European civs.

It sounds like you also forgot to take care of your economy (too many conquered cities too quickly acquired?). If you still have your saved game I would try not conquering the Germans, build lots of cottages and financial buildings, spread your state religion around (for the money and happiness), and use cultural means to acquire more territory and happiness. Courthouses are good too.

 

[wr4th]

I was going for an english emperor uhv. Everything was going fine, my last settlers where in place and i was going to switch to representation soon and bulb my way to the modern area. When suddenly Mansa Musa wins a uhv victory
I really wasn't paying attention and it actually was the first time i see something like that happen...

Ok, i went back and gave me a spy with worldbuilder to see how much gold he had: 74.000!!! I wish i was able to do that on emperor

 

[AnotherPacifist]

Unbelievable!
Although I usually see that the richest civs (in the occasional lists of who's the most powerful or most advanced or richest) the colony of Mali (usually a vassal of somebody) usually ranks 1st or 2nd. It's more plausible in emperor since they can usually get to guilds and banking earlier.