What is *your* most important strategic resource?

[Pangaea]

If you could guarantee that you had one strategic resource close to your capital every game (meaning you are guaranteed to get it) which would it be?

Note: I included elephants because they allow the building of War Elephants.

The OP is perhaps open to interpretation on its meaning. However, it seems to be intended for the early game considering it's a resource you want in or very near the capital.

I went for horses (many days ago) as I can then go on the rampage right off the bat, but having thought about it and played some more I think copper is my real preference. Iron comes later so isn't that crucial to get virtually where you start out. Copper, however, is a real game changer early. Which is why I often go for bronze working when the basic techs are down so I can plant cities where copper is if I don't have it (which I usually don't). Horses is very nice too early on, but if others have copper those horses can quickly turn into meat.

If I could re-do my vote I'd choose copper instead. Horses runner up and iron third.

 

[jonny41177]

Copper is what i would want starting out because no matter what civ i choose an early axe rush gets me horses & iron & luxuries. It depends on what victory your going 4 and what civ you choose because if i choose egypt, persia, mongols, etc... then of corse it would be horse but if i choose rome, japan, china, korea.... then iron. But yea i would take copper 1st til i see where horses & iron are if i was playing a war game. Uranium is not that important because there are 3 ways to stop nukes 1 build the SDI 2 vote no on nukes 3 if your playing domination it's usually over b4 future era. I would definatly take oil over uranium becuz tanks/bombers are the best in the game with aluminum you can then upgrade your SoD into modern armor/stealth bombers.

 

[randyrules]

I find it insanely hard to get through the industrial and early modern ages without oil.

 

[Tlalynet]

Even if you could only have one resource the whole game, horses beats iron hands down.

Chariot rush. Early Classical Horse Archer war. Midevil peace (really the only era iron beats horses, even then its not the ideal time for war) Rennisance Calvary stomp the world and ignore castles. Artillery don't require iron so you can run Arty\infantry for WWI style warfare. After that neither resource is enough to get you any units, so tough cookies if you can't win by then.

 

[Tlalynet]

Doublepost

 

[faipalgugus]

Iron? Wow, i didn't read this threat, just the first page and i admit i am very curious.

I almost never tech myself iron working, this teach is costly and when you finally have your iron, it's too late and you need cata.

Ressource number one for me is obviously uranium. I already take down a 35 cities most advanced civ with nothing but a few commandos units and a of take nukes. It's just unbelievable.

For early rushs, i vote for horsers

 

[sammoraj]

I dont get all the hype with nukes. Dont get me wrong, there are few things more satisfying that a mushroom cloud over an annoying city or stack. But essentually they are one shot weapons. While I always build a respectable nuclear stockpile, air power with armour always seemed the most important mix. Especially vs Human players. People dont stack their armies in cities all the time. I know that if I'm playing against a person with nukes I always spread my armies out to stop them from wiping it out in one turn, same with the air force in forts and carriers. The collateral damage from a powerful air force makes it easy to kill units and I get exp for my armour. The same units can be used over and over and over again. With nukes mostly used for hard points or massive stacks

 

[faipalgugus]

I know that if I'm playing against a person with nukes I always spread my armies out to stop them from wiping it out in one turn, same with the air force in forts and carriers. The collateral damage from a powerful air force makes it easy to kill units and I get exp for my armour. The same units can be used over and over and over again. With nukes mostly used for hard points or massive stacks

I understand what you mean, if i have a good production and if i'm on par military wise with the civ i'm fighting, i use nukes only to kill massive stacks.

BUT, with nukes, you can win even when you are small and insanely weak military wise. I already take down several gigantic powerful immortal ai with three units and a lot of nukes.

First, switch in universal suffrage, raise your science down to 0 and rushbuy tac nukes (Considering your production is weak)

Every game, i save my great generals in order to create a few commando 2 move units in the late game (modern armor, or even cavalry, it works).

Then, let's the fun begin.

Like Tmit has stated, you can raze all their coastal cities in one turn easily with submarine and transports. But it's harder when your targeted city is inland. What if the ai is 10000 times stronger than you? You won't reach them. Too bad, when you have to raise a capital inland to prevent an ai to winning by space/culture/diplo...

Luckily, you have your commando units. Two scenarios:

1- You can nuke this city directly from the sea with your submarine or from another city (your city or a city of a civ who has open borders with you)

The, simply nuke and use your 2 move commando unit ( with rail road, if you have open border with a civ near your target, you can reach almost every city, almost...) and raze.

2- Harder, you can't nuke your target city because it is out of range (or out of reach of your commando), so you have to take another city (ot two if you are unlucky) before, a city which is not too far from your target city.

Let's say you want to raze Paris but you can't. So you nuke Lyon instead, you take the city with your commando (but don't raze unit).

But now, you have to wait one turn to rebase your nukes to hit Paris. If your ennemy is much stronger than you, you won't keep Lyon, even one turn. So? I give immediatly the city to another neutral civ which have not open borders with my ennemy (Bribe it before).

You see? I give Lyon to these nice indians. Napo can't reach me. I rebase my nukes and hit/raze Paris the next turn. Game over. You can also repeat this tactic until you have killed all Napo's cities. When you're in one city, you can usually raze three or four of them each turn it you have enough commandos.

 

[Iranon]

As phrased in the title: Horses, as that has the greatest chance of affecting my early play.
As phrased in the first post: Ivory. Happiness and the guarantee for a viable war without the need for undue haste.

 

[Merovech]

As phrased in the title: Horses, as that has the greatest chance of affecting my early play.
As phrased in the first post: Ivory. Happiness and the guarantee for a viable war without the need for undue haste.

Agreed, mostly, although sometimes I think I would choose ivory for both. I'm not a huge fan of early rushes unless the map really demands it (or I'm playing as Inca, Egypt, or Persia and there is a weak AI nearby) and war elephants are just so dominant, especially since they come on the same tech as catapults. The happy is a nice bonus, as well.

 

[AW Arcaeca]

Horses. Iron is a close second. They both greatly increase production when near cities, but horses seem to spawn on plains and grassland a lot, so you can also get some food, PLUS the pasture gives 1 gold (which actually is not a lot), not to mention without horses I couldn't make my massive hordes of cavalry once I research military tradition and rifling.

Iron is good, but it doesn't beat a good horse.

 

[Pisskop]

I tried a peacemonger game w/my own religion a few days ago, and the horses were invaluable for escorting my poor missionaries first through a large barbarian filled desert then through possibly hostile land with a chance of reaching the final destination of unclaimed souls fresh pastures.

 

[rfcfanatic]

In my recent few games I've discovered the virtues of Horse, but for now...I'll still vote for Oil

 

[Quintillus]

Difficult decision. In the end, I went copper. It's available early, and extremely helpful for so many Bronze Age units. Iron is a strong candidate, but if I realize I don't have iron but I do have copper, I can fix that issue with axemen, spearmen, and macemen, before iron becomes critically important. Which really is the Industrial Age. I might miss Pikemen, Crossbows, and Knights without it, but the gap to gunpowder can be bridged. Industrialization does need iron, but by then I've had a chance to acquire it.

Similarly, the location of oil is discovered early enough that an expedition can be arranged to secure it before it's really needed. I'd rather have it myself, but it's not critical.

Coal is perhaps the one I most often find myself missing. It's really only useful for rails, coal plants, and ironclads, but the former two are pretty useful. Still, it's not the end of the world if I don't have it, and it's usually solveable by trade or war.

I do like to have at least one of Stone or Marble. But neither one is most important on its own. Similarly, elephants are great, but I don't count on having them.

I'm fine with building an entirely infantry army, so I can live without horse. It's nice to have, but 85% of my army will be infantry in most games where I'm not the Mongols. So it's hardly my most important.

 

[danjuno]

Iron. Unlike HBR, Iron Working leads to later techs like compass and steel! Also, Iron is only 200 versus 250 for HBR, while Swords cost 40 vs. 50 for HAs. As for chariots, they die against archers or take too much damage to be of use. Not worth the in the slightest!

 

[Izuul]

Horses for me. Iron is probably second, but Horses win because of the versatility. Things that i considered:

1) Value of the actual tile. Both are strong tiles to work. Iron may be slightly better, but the horse is generally available sooner. Since this scenario states that the tile is close to the capitol, i will assume that it is either in the BFC or can be grabbed by a close 2nd city, thus it will be a strong tile that can be worked very early. Given the choice I'll take the tile that's available the soonest since the really early game is where that matters the most. Slight advantage Horse

2) Usefulness for early rushes. While Chariot rushes become quite weak on the higher difficulties, Immortal, WC, and HA rushes can be very effective all the way up to Deity. Iron is not good for any early game attacks unless you are playing Rome. Huge advantage Horse

3) Usefulness for mid- or late-game breakouts. Construction and Engineering attacks don't really need either. Siege units do the heavy lifting, and cats/trebs can be paired with numerous other units such as axes, elephants, maces, and even LBs until you can take someone's Iron. Cuirassiers require both so it's pretty much a wash there, but i would prefer horses because they allow you to begin building HAs in preparation for upgrading to Cuirs after making a trade for Iron. Roughly even

 

[ston]

I don't use horses as much as I probably should (and Horse Archers always seem to die to anything in my hands), so Copper it is for me

I'm surprised that Iron's so popular though.

 

[King Pluto]

I don't use horses as much as I probably should (and Horse Archers always seem to die to anything in my hands), so Copper it is for me

I'm surprised that Iron's so popular though.

Iron is required for both Cuirasiers and Cannons, probably the two consensus favorites here as best units to war with.

Cuir breakout is a favorite tactic of advanced level players, and Cannons shred everything up to Rifles and even then do well, all while using outdated troops (Maces/Pikes/XBows do really well).

 

[Robert FIN]

Noobie player's vote: First place: Horsies. They're awesome. Chariot rushes are really effective IMO. That's the main reason for voting horses. 2nd place: Iron. Simply its really important resource b/c of most of melee units need it to be built. 3rd place: Elephant. Elepult rush is clearly best way to rush AI. Just beeline construction and you are ready to rock 'n roll all over the place. It didn't get my vote bc you can use it only in one unit... War elephants are maybe the best unit in the game. Just reminding you once again; I'm a prince lvl noob and its only my opinion.

 

[dynamictom2409]

I also voted for horses because I love horsemen, the speed and the attack strength, quite effective - I think this is a very nice advantage in the early game rounds.