What's a part of the game you never use or interact with?

[MutilationWave]

Maybe we can get some back-and-forth going on what we're missing out on. For me it's levying units and incorporating IPs. I've never done either, even when I tried out Silla.

Oh and Multiplayer.

 

[stealth_nsk]

I use both levying units and incorporating IPs, although not very often.

As a peaceful player I often face influence overflow in first two eras and levying is a reliable way to get units with influence instead of gold.

Incorporating is great when IP takes interesting location, so you get both CS bonuses and a settlement (especially if you're peaceful player like me). For example I incorporated CSes spawned near natural wonders who were too far from my initial location for immediate remove and resettle.

I don't use MP either.

 

[Pfeffersack]

Maybe we can get some back-and-forth going on what we're missing out on. For me it's levying units and incorporating IPs. I've never done either, even when I tried out Silla.

Oh and Multiplayer.

Ironically, it's kind of the opposite for me - I care about IPs and sometimes even hire their units...so I tend to burn my influence on this. What I leave completely aside OTOH is sanctioning or investing in war support. Sanctioning is just too dubious and "non-touchable" in regard to feeling/seeing the effect and extra war support is just not needed because of the weak AI.

And of course...Missionaries. Ok, I don't literally totally boycott them...I some games I reluctanly build a few to achieve goal X, but more often than nit I just don't care about them becaue on the unfun tedium around using them and the religious system in general.

And yes: Add me to the No-MP-camp.

 

[stealth_nsk]

I myself, never refuse alliance offers. If your ally tries to drag you into war, it's easier to just reject it - with lower penalties. I guess refusing alliance proposal makes sense if you plan war with the civilization you currently have great relations with... But it's never my case.

 

[MutilationWave]

Well I certainly don't ignore the IPs. I spend the vast majority of my influence suzing them.

Agreed with missionaries. I get enough to get the legacy path and that's it. If you take the convert on conquest belief you won't need them as much, so I do that and do two relics from capitals. I don't even build a temple until like halfway through exploration. Then buy enough missionaries to get the relics and I can ignore religion before and after that.

 

[Nigel_Tufnel2]

I typically play Exploration, sometimes Ancient. I just don't care about Religion - it seems like needless busywork, and since I play the Chola often, I'd much rather put one or two into the lower Civics tree and do most/all of the Chola civics first. Many games I never even build a Temple, especially with inflated Building costs now.

 

[MutilationWave]

I myself, never refuse alliance offers. If your ally tries to drag you into war, it's easier to just reject it - with lower penalties. I guess refusing alliance proposal makes sense if you plan war with the civilization you currently have great relations with... But it's never my case.

I just learned this! I was always wondering why people who were clamoring to be my ally wouldn't accept the offer when it came from me.

That's not a problem if you accept then break the alliance. The only time it can really hurt you is playing pirates since you can't steal their ships or pillage their lands until the alliance is broken.

 

[Sekou]

religion, levy units, very rarely bother with the hindrance diplomacy options and I pretty much only bother with the economic and/or scientific legacy paths.

 

[reddishrecue]

Treasure Fleets. Since I usually choose Pangea as the map, I hardly get to get on the islands to bring back cargo. I also tend to not use the science part of the exploration era because its kind of complicated to understand.

 

[j51]

Yeah I completely skip multiplayer and almost never use sanctions. The other thing is I pretty much ignore the exploration legacy paths and just play how I want to and if they get filled they get filled. That era’s paths just don’t appeal to me.

 

[j51]

Also I’ve only absorbed like one city state but if I played as Lakshmi I could see doing that to be fun.

 

[stealth_nsk]

Yes, right, sanctions. I don't use them so far, but again, that's because I'm playing peacefully. In theory when you prepare for war, decreasing relations and hindering the opponent sounds nice.

 

[reddishrecue]

Sanctions? What are those?? I didn't even know those existed.. lol

 

[tedhebert]

Multiplayer not at all…

I use sanctions sometimes, especially the one penalizing for building units when I have decided to take on a neighbor, and will levy rarely and i corporate sometimes in antiquity in peaceful games… that’s why I mostly befriend IPs close to my capital

What I never use is espionnage… seems like a total waste of influence vs befriending IPs

Edit: Oh and @vorlon_mi reminded me in the next post… Never ever use Ideology, except on the rare occasion that I decide to go military victory, which happened so far 3 times out of 40 games…

 

[vorlon_mi]

For me, I rarely levy units. I would rather spend my influence on befriending/suz'ing the IPs first, supporting myself in a war second. It's my impression (no supporting data) that my wars go better when I have a war support advantage over my opponent. I think that I've levied a unit once in all my games (400 hrs).

I only play single player.

I rarely research the second religion civic, nor do I care very much if my own cities follow my religion. Unlike other games in the franchise (Civ4, 5, or 6), the incentives/rewards for my cities to follow my religion are weak. I rarely build any of the bridges; usually have something else more valuable to build.

Infrequent-but-situational: Most sanctions -- when I want to lower the relationship of someone (sooner) to avoid the surprise war malus, I will sanction them. In my last game, Katherine finished the 3rd part of the science victory before I did. I used the "Hinder Space Project" sanction to slow her down just enough so that I could finish the World's Fair.
Ideology: Unless I am trying to win a military victory (which is rare), I often don't pick an ideology. Choosing one will anger one of my neighbors, even it pleases a different neighbor. It would also put my trade routes at risk.
Modern Wonders: Yes, I try to get Oxford, but unless my snowball is really rolling, I use my city's production to build units, unique quarters, or rail stations/ports/factories.

 

[MutilationWave]

Yes, right, sanctions. I don't use them so far, but again, that's because I'm playing peacefully. In theory when you prepare for war, decreasing relations and hindering the opponent sounds nice.

Yeah if I decide to war someone who's friendly or helpful they're getting denounced plus every sanction I can throw at them.

Sanctions? What are those?? I didn't even know those existed.. lol

Open diplomacy with an AI, you should have some new options other than just denounce

 

[MutilationWave]

I also never research the second religion civic, do not convert my own cities, and rarely pick an ideology in modern.

 

[queenpea]

Mementos

 

[MutilationWave]

What I never use is espionnage...

I used to use it all the time because I was always playing catch-up. The AI yields seemed impossible. I've become a better player since then and haven't used it in a long time.

 

[Evolena]

Multiplayer
Sanctions
Those legacies you get under some conditions with crisis