[BTS] What should I do, and how am I doing?

[lymond]

So you up to Immortal now? I'm kinda confused by your last post. What, when, where and how are you playing current game..ha?

Horse Archers and Construction are counter-intuitive....


Post a game and play a shadow. Post saves. Let us see what you are doing to provide more specific advice.

 

[SquidInk]

I guess this was confusing.
At the moment, I am running through early games on Immortal for the sole purpose of practicing my early game skills (settling, whipping, etc.). I am not planning on finishing these necessarily.

What's a shadow game? A game for which you post saves every so often? Thanks.

 

[lymond]

Yep..we've yet to see saves from you.. Actually shadow games are perfect for exactly what you are doing right now..just short training games that folks here help you with. It will change your life...ha

 

[enKage]

If you want a new game select a proper leader. If you want to learn, avoid traits that have too much impact on early game. So do not take
1) creative, because you want to learn proper city placement
2) economic traits, especially financial, as it is too strong aerly game and thus will not teach you to balance expansion and development

I learnt immortal on Pericles and Pacal and later had long lomg time before I managed to win with someone else, just because I learnt some bad habits from traits that shine early game.

 

[SquidInk]

@enKage: I have mostly been playing leaders I have not played before, which is when I realized that I have played all the Creative leaders!

Maybe I should just play Tokugawa on Immortal until I lose all my bad habits!

 

[enKage]

hah! Toku makes early rush easier! not as easy as Shaka though

 

[Gumbolt]

If you wait for construction all the Ai will have 40-50% cultural defences. Plus most will likely have spears, swords and axes. Worker, warriors till size 3 and settler is normally the ideal start. Can be tweaked if you go early Bronze working or can find tweaks to micro. Pends what tiles your capital has to work and traits too.

 

[Anysense]

The whole point of the siege is that you can kill anybody regardless of the culture defence and what units they have. It also makes any unit useful for clean up. You can kill even longbows and macemen with just catapults and axemen so long as you have enough siege. On the other hand, mere 20% culture and a hill are already a serious problem for axe/sword rush.
I've recently played a conquest game. Just one screenshot to show how much difference even the basic siege makes.

Spoiler :

Note that I did not use two war elephants, most of the job was one by axemen. After collateral damage they had excellent odds.

 

[Gumbolt]

Seige is okay till the AI build castles. Then it ramps up the number of units required to reduce culture. Castles pretty much cripple catapults. Unless you add promotions. Of course if the aim is speed you never truly fully bombard an AI city. All down to percentages. Looks liek you had some pretty good stacks there.

Engineering also halts phants a bit. Strength 6 pikes with promotions against mounted units can be frustrating.

Of course playing civ 4 without using vassel tricks such as gifting 4 cities makes the game more fun.