What Era Does Your Game Hang In the Balance

[Sultan Bhargash]

Yes I think alot of people turn off science when they have the Great Library clinched. What I usually do with the cash is use it to upgrade all my defenders, riders, and now swordsmen level units to the next highest thing. It does create drama because I never get chivalry ahead of foes that way, that is why Midevil is my "make or break" era.

 

[andrewgprv]

From Most Often the Deciding Era to Least often

1-Ancient (Usually try to get Great Library and most of my conquest)

2-Medevil (Try to Build an Infrastructre so when GL becomes useless I can still keep up in Techs)

3-Modern ( Usually when I am competing for the UN or Space Race)

4-Idustrial ( Mainly just building Infrastructre nothing to intresting)

 

[Perfection]

For me
1. Ancient, Gotta build the fastest
2. Modern, Thats usually when I make my power play
3. Industrial, Getting Hoover Dam and Iron works
4. Medievel, Tends to be slow for me

 

[Syiss]

Medieval is the tensest era for me. I usully dont do that many wars in Ancient because swordsmen dont upgrade to anything better, and horsemen are way too expensive to be worth upgrading. I tend to get chivalry as fast as I can and Sun Tzu's. That way I can start my conquest with knights, and upgrade cheaply (10 gold) to Cav's along the way as soon as I get them. During Industrial age I temporarily halt my wars when the computers all get replaceable parts since infantry rape cav's. Then once I get tanks I start pumpin them out and finish things off as soon as I can. Depending on map size it usually ends during late modern times, since I like to play large or huge maps.

 

[Chieftess]

I'd have to say late antiquity to early middle age. Since, there's new defensive units, tons of stuff to build (mostly culture), and several UUs start early on. Civs become more connected, and war starts to become just a bit trickier.

It depends on which level you're playing at. I would think that the lower half of the difficulty scale falls in the middle ages. The upper half in late antiquity. Mainly because you only get 1 or 2 chances for an early war. The lower levels give you some space, since you outproduce the AI.

 

[Panda]

I find the Ancient era slightly less crucial than the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages, you still can turn the tables on anyone who in the AE was stronger than you. However, I never succeeded in turning the tables during the Industrial Age.

And I never bothered to play the Modern era when I was allready loosing during the Industrial age.

 

[Colonel Kraken]

Originally posted by Cantankerous
I'd say Medieval times is the most crucial and is the era that shapes the rest of the game most significantly.

In the Ancient Age, expansion is the key and even with wars it is difficult to actually take out another civ unless they are being ganged up on or are already very small in size and army. Cities can certainly be taken and held, but progress is slow and even if under relentless attack you still may have time to defend yourself.

I would have to agree with this. If by the end of the Ancient Age into the first half of the Middle Ages I haven't started becoming a force to be reckoned with, it's usually over for me.

Hey, Sultan, great "poll" by the way.

 

[Colonel Kraken]

It is ironic how, time after time, the self-proclaimed advocates of demoratic values and enemies of totalitarism turn to totalitarian methods to advance their means.

Hey Panda, awesome quote.

Oh, um, yeah, on topic: I totally agree with your assesment of civ playing . . . yeah.

 

[cromagnon]

Ancient. Everyone is relatively weak, although a good starting position can help one civ out more than another. If two ancient civs gang up on another, they can easily wipe the underpowered one out (happened to me), even with mass warriors.

 

[Chieftess]

I just thought of something. Now, with Med. Inf., it's even more important to build a strong economy in the ancient era, and lots of swordsmen. (especially if you're the Aztecs (without rubber). Jags-->Swords-->Med. Inf.-->Guerrilla)

 

[Colonel Kraken]

Originally posted by Chieftess
I just thought of something. Now, with Med. Inf., it's even more important to build a strong economy in the ancient era, and lots of swordsmen. (especially if you're the Aztecs (without rubber). Jags-->Swords-->Med. Inf.-->Guerrilla)

This reminds me. I made a relatively simple mod (add a few units, tweaks, etc.) I add a "National Guard" unit (weaker/cheaper mech inf) and renamed Guerilla to "Freedom Fighter".

Now you have Warrior-->Swordsman-->Freedom Fighter-->National Guards. Pretty cool!

For National Guards, I used that really cool "APC" flc with that guy firing a 50 cal. I can't remember who the author is, but it's perfect!! Thanks.

 

[Sultan Bhargash]

@Col. Kraken- thanks for the positive feedback!

@Chieftess- I think over time you will find that medieval infantry doesn't really change the strategy. I personally never built a whole lot of swordsmen (and only recently got into archers) unless they were my UU (Rome, Celts), because horsemen and spearmen and catapults were the ones on the upgrade chain. Now that I have played with Midevil infantry a bit, I don't see myself going out of my way to make sure I have a whole lot of them. Their lack of mobility makes their 'weak' defense a problem. They can take out pikemen in cities but not reliably.

Haven't got to using guerillas yet (I've won my sp PTW games early so far!) but I imagine they have alot of the same issues as the MI. Not strong enough to take out a contemporary defender, not strong enough to stand up to a contemporary mobile offense unit, and not fast enough to catch a mobile offense unit in the field.

 

[Igmod]

Since I seem to always be playing catch-up or getting bullied by the AI, my military drama usually starts once I get knights but usually ends after cavalry and always before Tanks.

I don't get much play time so standard maps and larger just take too long for me to finish.

 

[Chairman Yang]

there should be different units names depending on what government you have...escpecially if communism( long live! )
Freedom Fighter-->Revolutionary-->Red Guard...

(off-topic perhaps...)

 

[Cantankerous]

It is very true that the size of the map can directly affect the overall length of the game.

I almost exclusively play on huge maps with at least 15 civs, so for me the Middle Ages is the most important for long-term success.

That time frame could easily change if playing on smaller maps, especially for those players that typically use small or tiny maps.