what to do next...

[Preston85]

i've hit my normal mid-game problem as ever... self-doubting and wanting to go all soft and building infrastructure instead of more

I'm Rome, i've taken out Saladin and most of Mansa. And in doing so got 3 holy cities.
Japan is next door, they have more soldiers but don't have there UU yet thankfully, but should be close to it. (I was going to prat rush Tok but Saladin actually war dec'd me!)

So, my income is nice, I have lots of cottaged cities and am considering changing one of the cities on a river to a production city as I don't usually use the watermill/windmill thing so fancy testing it out.

I'm tempted to go for Tok now before he has his UU, I have just upgraded my prats to macemen. I think with 2 pillaging stacks I could take his iron out before he can build his UU....

But i'm so tempted to stop and make use of those 3 holy cities to spread multiple religions around. I also haven't made a GP farm which I always forget to do and usually end up just making another commerce city.

The world map with resources and demographics page are attached, if anymore info is required please let me know.

Map is a standar continents map on prince with normal size playing standard civ not warlords.

Thanks,
Preston

 

[Cam_H]

Preston,

I would assume Tokugawa will be an ongoing thorn in your side for the rest of the game. He mightn't be, but he probably will be.

I would stop all of your builds except for Barracks, Forges and Granaries, and whip up an army of Catapults and Elephants. Your casualties in total may be greater than his - but so is your empire. Taking the offensive will allow you to dictate the direction of the war.

 

[Galileo44]

Take the offensive and remove all AI presence from the continent. Then go all infrasructure-builder-religionish. Put up cottages in a lot of cities, go education and get libraries and universities and outtech the other continent. (I assume this is continents) Then tech to space or use your Rifles/Cannons/Grendiers against inferior AI once you get Astronomy. This game is in the bag.

 

[Preston85]

Thanks for advice.

Can I ask why Elephants?

I don't think I have Elephants infact. I'm guessing elephants due to them having 8 base attack and don't get affected by Tok's UU?

Would crossbow be a good replacement for Ele's?

 

[Galileo44]

Another quick thing, raise your science to 100%!! You don't need more money! Now, while you have a surplus, you should be defecit researching. The money from capturing the Japanese cities will help. As you will kill Toku and Mansa both and not need any diplo pluses with them, extort as much gold/techs as you can from both right before declaring war.

As a note, has Liberalism been gotten yet, if not, how many techs do you need to slingshot Chemistry. If you have time to slingshot it you can upgrade those new Maces to Grenadiers, and suddenly you don't even need any defense, your CRGrenadiers can defend against Samurai!

If no chem, then bring elephants or crossbows to deal with samurai, shock x-bows are great with barracks + theology or vasselage.

 

[Cam_H]

I'm guessing elephants due to them having 8 base attack and don't get affected by Tok's UU?

Would crossbow be a good replacement for Ele's?

Yes and Yes.

As Galileo44 points out, you can promote them with Shock through the use of Barracks and implementing Theocracy and/or Vassalage if you are particularly concerned about Samurai and in the case of War Elephants; Spears and/or Pikes. Use in combination with lots of Catapults however.

 

[cabert]

If you don't have elephants, build macemen, they're better vs longbows and just as good vs samourais (same bonus for him and you = no problem).
I wouldn't upgrade praets to macemen : same strength, same promotion possibilities, so just lost money.
Of course, you will build macemen to overcome the axes, but usually it's the LBs that defends first.

Praets, catapults, mace and a few spears/pikes or elephants to counter mounted attacks is all you need right now. You can start the war very soon if you have more than 4 catapults and 4 movable assault units.
Build reinforcements everywhere, and enjoy.

I would go south with a big stack and raze those useless little cities, then move to satsuma then medina (reinforcement coming from the north!). If you raze satsuma, you can regroup in Medina, take the counterattack, then move W to finish toku.


About what you're building, I don't know what you build them for :
aqueduct, when you're not unhealthy?
theatres when you run no culture slider and are not unhappy?
the library up north is worth nothing if i can read the map (not easy, without resources)

 

[King_21]

Another quick thing, raise your science to 100%!! You don't need more money! Now, while you have a surplus, you should be defecit researching. The money from capturing the Japanese cities will help. As you will kill Toku and Mansa both and not need any diplo pluses with them, extort as much gold/techs as you can from both right before declaring war.

Yes! Very good advice. Whenever you have a surplus of gold, and you arent saving up for something, ALWAYS have 100% technology.

 

[Preston85]

Cool ta, I think I'm starting to see why my mid games start to go a bit wierd.

Buildings doing theatres are only 1 happyness from max so if going to war they would be unhappy quickly.

Up north one has two silver and the other has horse and wheat I think with whale.

What do you recommend building in those coastline ice/tundra cities if not libraries?

I think Cata's + macemen sounds like a plan, will throw in a x-bow or two as a stack defender.

I have a small stack of prats and cata's down south already from capturing the last Saladin city which is what I was going to spend the gold on. (I balanced paper to be at the minimum end of 3 turns instad of being in red and 3 turns)

 

[cabert]

library is only worth something for a high commerce city.
check the beakers
Builds in a coastal city : granary/lighthouse/courthouse (you're organized, aren't you?) then catapults or navy until you win

If you work good tiles, the library may be worth it.
But to work the silver you need food. Do you have food?

 

[Andrei_V]

I don't think I have Elephants infact. I'm guessing elephants due to them having 8 base attack and don't get affected by Tok's UU?

Elephants are the best counter against mounted, and they work against xbows, too.

Toku's UU is dangerous because of its 2 First Strikes. To effectively counter them in the field, you need Knights or at least Horse Archers, but the latter are too weak unless you give them Combat I + Shock.

Your maces are equally vulnerable to mounted attacks in the field, so you need Spears/Pikes, if you don't have Elephants.

Build plenty of cats, you gonna need to suicide many of them against Toku's Longbows.