It is my opinion the lack of strategies in the war academy may reflect the evolving of the game to the point where the ability to think on one's feet (situation-specific dynamics) may be equally as important as the (previously) more fundamental approach to game strategy - knowing and exploiting game mechanics.
As it seems now, no matter how well you plan a thing, the map does not care for your plans.
That rush for Stonehenge, but there is no stone; the Great Zimbabwe (GZ) boom without cows...
The GZ strat here on the forums is totally valid, but again, it's way more flexible than at first glance. The author used it to fuel a science boom, I've used it to fuel all out war (Trade internal and behind me, war in front).
The situational specificity goes deeper that that. Civ bonuses can be nullified - Australians on pastureless land with low aesthetic value, or Egyptians with low access to rivers...
Then there's the city states, which can also dramatically alter the course of a game. Not just in early acquisition of specific resource advantages or armies for hire, but in diplomacy/warmongering penalty mechanics as well e.g. I can have city states razing my enemies cities for me, I weaken them, they take the kill - greatly enhancing my destructive capability while minimising my war penalties.
So my question to myself has been - how does one write strategies for a game that, at least to a point, defies plans?
I can write a strat - A-B-C-D and get all the civs and map settings I want, then re-roll till my start fits the strategy....
I've watched a lot of Deity players and the pattern is that they have two things going on: great execution of plans, and ability to adapt. The switching from an initial plan to another due to the circumstances of the actual game typically happens in the first 20-50 turns. Typically, victory is fastest when map fits civ/strat, medium when a fast change in plan occurs, and grinds on to late-game when major decisions occur after turn 50.
I'm only an Emperor player and new to the game (love it by the way, except the pop up screens/Sean Bean covering the action). I need to learn to execute and adapt simultaneously or I'll be stuck cursing the games lack of restart button endlessly hoping for the perfect map.
All this is a lengthy explanation to introduce a concept for a strategy, that will evolve here as I test it out and gain feedback/experience from the community. The strategy is called:
'Give the people what they want'
I think any leader could play this, but I'll use Pericles with obvious advantage but disadvantaged in flexibility by a tendency toward cultural play (or is he?).
The strategy is to scout rapidly locating city sites, city states and neighbors. The city states and available/non-available land determine course of action - Science/culture/domination/religion. Religion is tricky on higher levels due to the need to beeline for it, so it might be excluded unless you specifically want it then beeline it as well as do this.
The city state bonuses are huge when played in alignment with your goals. But relying on them for a strategy is pointless - till you know who is actually in play. Also - city states you have control over should be close, so you can liberate them if you have to.
Two of one type of city state is ideally what you want to start with. Then max them out with envoys while getting corresponding districts in your cities. In theory - BOOM!
To support the concept you also want as many envoys out there as possible. Play like Alex from civ V and Give the people what they want. Your early game missions are many, determined by the whim of city states. Pursue every opportunity (within reason) to acquire more envoys.
In addition to this Apadana will help with it's two free envoys plus two for every wonder built. Policies for more envoys are great. You can time the 'two envoys' policy to coincide with civic techs that give out envoys. Drop the envoys off then switch back to the card that gives points toward more envoys on the same turn.
Forbidden city is always good, and can be used for 'boost envoy production/bonuses from city states cards' without compromising the rest of your government.
There are other things that help but this intro is long-winded already.
Basically, I'll play-test this concept and report back here how it works in real games. Preliminary testing showed me that pursuing city state quests greatly sped up my understanding of the many links between things in the game.
It might be an effective strategy. It might be useless but an interesting distraction.
I'll report back soon. First stop, Continents.
OK. I'm 30 turns in and should be close to able to make some major game decisions. As usual, the map gave me something new, and not really what I'd hoped for.
I, Pericles, and my most magnificent beard have arrived on the far shores of a strange land.
I find myself surrounded by five city states. Three culture, 1 science, 1 building etc production. It's obvious with a cultural civilization and the dominance of cultural city states that I play a culture game. Thing is, I've never played one before. (I've never finished a game in civ VI just enjoyed tinkering so it's gonna happen/fail here). I hoped to show how Pericles can be flexible but the map is what it is and the path to an easier victory is laid out on the map surrounding me.
I've met no other civs. I have 6 envoys out already (5 for meeting, one for a trade route). The trade route was to the science city, I had a culture city (priority) wanted one but a barb camp spawned in the way - once again the map calls for compromise. I could have let the trader go to the dangerous spot, I'd have got the envoy, lost the trader, but then make another for the safer route and get another envoy. I'll just wait 30 turns...
I'll need to read the guide on culture here and the stuff Victoria (and others) wrote and learn some more culturally refined ways of winning
I'm in a perfect defensive position if I can get Suzerain of the surrounding city states too. Just need a responsive force if they're attacked. 2 nice settlements located, 1 settled, one settler being produced. Need more scouting, more city sites.
I have questions. Do I need religion for the culture thing?
And - if I wipe out a city state I deem unnecessary to my plans - does it annoy the other city states like in civ V?
Turn 50. Here's where I need to lock in some direction. Dithering over religion has ensured I don't have a chance at getting a religion. Stonehenge long gone, 2nd religion gone, various unmet civs halfway there already. I found a spot for a +6 holy site so I'll generate faith there anyways.
Reading the guide - it is long...
I need to meet people, be nice to (most) people, play a coy diplomacy game and get in with the in-crowd once I identify them.
I need theatre districts and additions to them, greatly enhancing my City State bonuses as well. I want to go archaeology, it sounds easier than art... I want to grab great works where I can and pay attention to policies that will aid me. I want great people, artistic types and merchants.
I need commerce and trade.
Most importantly it sounds, I need to spend mid-game colonising a coastline for seaside resort building to lure those on foreign shores to my continent - I haven't found any neighbors yet...
Wonders. The combo of Cristo Redentor and Eiffel Tower sounds perfect. What's the AI competition for them like?
I will have Apadana turn 53. I have 3 cities and a 4th settler who will settle also turn 53. I have completed 3 quests and got a civics envoy. I am Suzerain of Kumasi, with bonus 2 culture 1 gold (for every district in city of origin) from city state trade routes. Plus my 5% bonus culture for being Suzerain... Sweet! I will be Suzerain of more very shortly.
That's the plan, now I'll explore east on my continent and discover two bored aggressive neighbors who want to wreck my plans.
Turn 100. This is very interesting, at least to me. When my first Acropolis (theatre district) went up I was Suzerain of 2 cultural city states and my culture then jumped from 18.4-27.5. Now with three Acropolis, 3 culture city states, one at 6 envoy level, I have 88.9 culture. Dayum!
7 cities down. My tourism sucks - 3. To contrast I met Ghandi. He was on my continent connected by a thin piece (isthmus?) He only has 16.5 culture, but 60 tourism. He's spammed missionaries and apostles. Religious relics for his Tourism?
I haven't met anyone else, would the smart move be:
Shut Ghandi down?
Make nice and build a couple boats to meet other civs?
I reckon Apadana was a mistake but then I've not encountered having so many city states to myself for so long before. Suzerain is easy to achieve when you're the only player they've met.
I wonder if Ghandi has one isolated city state with 22 envoys hahaha.
Time to call it a night. Turn 135.
Ghandi forward settled two cities. Then a few turns later Harald turned up. Then two turns later they both declared formal war (Ghandi because we had two cities close). Ghandi's given up already, Harald keeps running just out of reach to heal his boats. My military is pathetic, but with all those city state allies I don't need to cover much.
I think one way of describing an aspect of all this is: to forward settle the city states you want to be Suzerain of and then make sure that happens if you haven't already. For this cultural victory condition anyway, as military is minimal requirements to survive angry neighbors.
Ghandi is angry because his swarm of apostles and missionaries totally sucked and failed. And I was scared of them all hehe. They got one city I forward settled him on when it was 1 pop. I watched him slam 6 missionaries on the three cultural city states (they're clustered together and behind a big mountain range close to my capital) and failed to take them too. I guess you can't talk that nonsense so easily to cultured folk like us hahaha.
As it seems now, no matter how well you plan a thing, the map does not care for your plans.
That rush for Stonehenge, but there is no stone; the Great Zimbabwe (GZ) boom without cows...
The GZ strat here on the forums is totally valid, but again, it's way more flexible than at first glance. The author used it to fuel a science boom, I've used it to fuel all out war (Trade internal and behind me, war in front).
The situational specificity goes deeper that that. Civ bonuses can be nullified - Australians on pastureless land with low aesthetic value, or Egyptians with low access to rivers...
Then there's the city states, which can also dramatically alter the course of a game. Not just in early acquisition of specific resource advantages or armies for hire, but in diplomacy/warmongering penalty mechanics as well e.g. I can have city states razing my enemies cities for me, I weaken them, they take the kill - greatly enhancing my destructive capability while minimising my war penalties.
So my question to myself has been - how does one write strategies for a game that, at least to a point, defies plans?
I can write a strat - A-B-C-D and get all the civs and map settings I want, then re-roll till my start fits the strategy....
I've watched a lot of Deity players and the pattern is that they have two things going on: great execution of plans, and ability to adapt. The switching from an initial plan to another due to the circumstances of the actual game typically happens in the first 20-50 turns. Typically, victory is fastest when map fits civ/strat, medium when a fast change in plan occurs, and grinds on to late-game when major decisions occur after turn 50.
I'm only an Emperor player and new to the game (love it by the way, except the pop up screens/Sean Bean covering the action). I need to learn to execute and adapt simultaneously or I'll be stuck cursing the games lack of restart button endlessly hoping for the perfect map.
All this is a lengthy explanation to introduce a concept for a strategy, that will evolve here as I test it out and gain feedback/experience from the community. The strategy is called:
'Give the people what they want'
I think any leader could play this, but I'll use Pericles with obvious advantage but disadvantaged in flexibility by a tendency toward cultural play (or is he?).
The strategy is to scout rapidly locating city sites, city states and neighbors. The city states and available/non-available land determine course of action - Science/culture/domination/religion. Religion is tricky on higher levels due to the need to beeline for it, so it might be excluded unless you specifically want it then beeline it as well as do this.
The city state bonuses are huge when played in alignment with your goals. But relying on them for a strategy is pointless - till you know who is actually in play. Also - city states you have control over should be close, so you can liberate them if you have to.
Two of one type of city state is ideally what you want to start with. Then max them out with envoys while getting corresponding districts in your cities. In theory - BOOM!
To support the concept you also want as many envoys out there as possible. Play like Alex from civ V and Give the people what they want. Your early game missions are many, determined by the whim of city states. Pursue every opportunity (within reason) to acquire more envoys.
In addition to this Apadana will help with it's two free envoys plus two for every wonder built. Policies for more envoys are great. You can time the 'two envoys' policy to coincide with civic techs that give out envoys. Drop the envoys off then switch back to the card that gives points toward more envoys on the same turn.
Forbidden city is always good, and can be used for 'boost envoy production/bonuses from city states cards' without compromising the rest of your government.
There are other things that help but this intro is long-winded already.
Basically, I'll play-test this concept and report back here how it works in real games. Preliminary testing showed me that pursuing city state quests greatly sped up my understanding of the many links between things in the game.
It might be an effective strategy. It might be useless but an interesting distraction.
I'll report back soon. First stop, Continents.
OK. I'm 30 turns in and should be close to able to make some major game decisions. As usual, the map gave me something new, and not really what I'd hoped for.
I, Pericles, and my most magnificent beard have arrived on the far shores of a strange land.
I find myself surrounded by five city states. Three culture, 1 science, 1 building etc production. It's obvious with a cultural civilization and the dominance of cultural city states that I play a culture game. Thing is, I've never played one before. (I've never finished a game in civ VI just enjoyed tinkering so it's gonna happen/fail here). I hoped to show how Pericles can be flexible but the map is what it is and the path to an easier victory is laid out on the map surrounding me.
I've met no other civs. I have 6 envoys out already (5 for meeting, one for a trade route). The trade route was to the science city, I had a culture city (priority) wanted one but a barb camp spawned in the way - once again the map calls for compromise. I could have let the trader go to the dangerous spot, I'd have got the envoy, lost the trader, but then make another for the safer route and get another envoy. I'll just wait 30 turns...
I'll need to read the guide on culture here and the stuff Victoria (and others) wrote and learn some more culturally refined ways of winning
I'm in a perfect defensive position if I can get Suzerain of the surrounding city states too. Just need a responsive force if they're attacked. 2 nice settlements located, 1 settled, one settler being produced. Need more scouting, more city sites.
I have questions. Do I need religion for the culture thing?
And - if I wipe out a city state I deem unnecessary to my plans - does it annoy the other city states like in civ V?
Turn 50. Here's where I need to lock in some direction. Dithering over religion has ensured I don't have a chance at getting a religion. Stonehenge long gone, 2nd religion gone, various unmet civs halfway there already. I found a spot for a +6 holy site so I'll generate faith there anyways.
Reading the guide - it is long...
I need to meet people, be nice to (most) people, play a coy diplomacy game and get in with the in-crowd once I identify them.
I need theatre districts and additions to them, greatly enhancing my City State bonuses as well. I want to go archaeology, it sounds easier than art... I want to grab great works where I can and pay attention to policies that will aid me. I want great people, artistic types and merchants.
I need commerce and trade.
Most importantly it sounds, I need to spend mid-game colonising a coastline for seaside resort building to lure those on foreign shores to my continent - I haven't found any neighbors yet...
Wonders. The combo of Cristo Redentor and Eiffel Tower sounds perfect. What's the AI competition for them like?
I will have Apadana turn 53. I have 3 cities and a 4th settler who will settle also turn 53. I have completed 3 quests and got a civics envoy. I am Suzerain of Kumasi, with bonus 2 culture 1 gold (for every district in city of origin) from city state trade routes. Plus my 5% bonus culture for being Suzerain... Sweet! I will be Suzerain of more very shortly.
That's the plan, now I'll explore east on my continent and discover two bored aggressive neighbors who want to wreck my plans.
Turn 100. This is very interesting, at least to me. When my first Acropolis (theatre district) went up I was Suzerain of 2 cultural city states and my culture then jumped from 18.4-27.5. Now with three Acropolis, 3 culture city states, one at 6 envoy level, I have 88.9 culture. Dayum!
7 cities down. My tourism sucks - 3. To contrast I met Ghandi. He was on my continent connected by a thin piece (isthmus?) He only has 16.5 culture, but 60 tourism. He's spammed missionaries and apostles. Religious relics for his Tourism?
I haven't met anyone else, would the smart move be:
Shut Ghandi down?
Make nice and build a couple boats to meet other civs?
I reckon Apadana was a mistake but then I've not encountered having so many city states to myself for so long before. Suzerain is easy to achieve when you're the only player they've met.
I wonder if Ghandi has one isolated city state with 22 envoys hahaha.
Time to call it a night. Turn 135.
Ghandi forward settled two cities. Then a few turns later Harald turned up. Then two turns later they both declared formal war (Ghandi because we had two cities close). Ghandi's given up already, Harald keeps running just out of reach to heal his boats. My military is pathetic, but with all those city state allies I don't need to cover much.
I think one way of describing an aspect of all this is: to forward settle the city states you want to be Suzerain of and then make sure that happens if you haven't already. For this cultural victory condition anyway, as military is minimal requirements to survive angry neighbors.
Ghandi is angry because his swarm of apostles and missionaries totally sucked and failed. And I was scared of them all hehe. They got one city I forward settled him on when it was 1 pop. I watched him slam 6 missionaries on the three cultural city states (they're clustered together and behind a big mountain range close to my capital) and failed to take them too. I guess you can't talk that nonsense so easily to cultured folk like us hahaha.
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