Colonization

Elok · November 23, 2007, 18:37

It seems the forum dedicated to 'classic games' like Colonization got deleted, so I'm posting this here. I'm a total novice (bad at strategy games, still enjoy them) and have a couple of questions:

1. Is there any way to discourage the computer players from parking colonies right next to yours for fun? You know how it sends out lone colonists and builds midget colonies aggressively close to yours when better sites are available, just to be a total douche and force you to start a war to get rid of them? I'm guessing no. The best solution I've found is to select large landmass archipelago from the customize world screen, so at least I have a decent chance of landing on a different mass from everyone else. Then I privateer the SOBs whenever they look like coming close with ships.

2. On a related note, is there any way to start a dialog with AI players instead of just moving troops next to theirs and hoping they feel like talking? And is it just me or is Ben Franklin something of a downgrade as far as the always-offers-peace aspect is concerned? The buggers just stockpile units near your colonies and attack anyway, so BF basically makes it so that you can't have peace.

3. I like to play as the Dutch (big surprise there), but I can never come up with a good Dutch name for myself and I don't like being Michiel de Ruyter game after game. In my latest game I called myself "Jaegermeister" on the grounds that it sounds cool and at least it's Germanic...

Any recommendations?

N35t0r · November 23, 2007, 19:13

1) Capture the hell out of them. Try to get them early.. I usually found my colony with the pioneer and send the soldier to capture their colonies. Try to avoid them from growing colonies above 3, since they get Sieur de La Salle as one of their first fathers, and you'll have to keep any of their stockaded colonies (rather than relocating their colonists)

2) Scouts should be able to meet with them if you move into one of their cities, IIRC.

Elok · November 25, 2007, 16:57

Heh. Thanks for the tips, I wanted to wait until I tried them to respond. I've started a game with the French right next door to me on a small continent (not too small, just big enough to hold eight colonies once I've finished ethnic-cleansing the native villages--isn't it odd that people object to games like GTA where you can murder hookers but nobody minds a little crime against humanity in a strategy game?).

Anyway, I'd have tried this a lot sooner if I'd known how profoundly retarded the enemy AI is. They just keep dropping off unarmed colonists alone to found little colonies in the same general area, even if my scout is right next to it waiting to take over (after beating their initial soldier, I stuck my soldier back in my first colony since I built it between two Indian villages). At least that's what happens at the lowest difficulty level, which is what I play at since, like I said, I suck. But I suspect that higher difficulties only give you lower SOL, founding father and immigrant rates and other such handicaps, no?

N35t0r · November 25, 2007, 22:51

hmm.. probably, I don't know. I almost always play on Conquistador now. The AI probably has some benefits, the expeditionary force is larger, and the king seems more eager o raise your taxes IIRC.

Also, don't kill those beginning enemy soldiers, wait for them to found cities. Free muskets FTW! Also, beginning next to the french, yum! free hardy pioneer!

Skanky Burns · November 26, 2007, 04:10

You are also less likely to get skilled colonists from Europe, you can have less "tory" colonists in a single colony before you get inefficiency penalties IIRC.

lord of the mark · November 26, 2007, 09:35

[QUOTE] Originally posted by Elok

1. Is there any way to discourage the computer players from parking colonies right next to yours for fun? You know how it sends out lone colonists and builds midget colonies aggressively close to yours when better sites are available, just to be a total douche and force you to start a war to get rid of them?

I only played a bit, but dont remember that happening.

2. On a related note, is there any way to start a dialog with AI players instead of just moving troops next to theirs and hoping they feel like talking? And is it just me or is Ben Franklin something of a downgrade as far as the always-offers-peace aspect is concerned? The buggers just stockpile units near your colonies and attack anyway, so BF basically makes it so that you can't have peace.

Great wall, without the walls, never looked appealing to me, I built somebody else, I forget whom.

3. I like to play as the Dutch (big surprise there), but I can never come up with a good Dutch name for myself and I don't like being Michiel de Ruyter game after game. In my latest game I called myself "Jaegermeister" on the grounds that it sounds cool and at least it's Germanic...

Any recommendations?

Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Minuit
William of Orange
Or just take out a map of NYC, and look for cool names, like Van Wyck, say.

lord of the mark · November 26, 2007, 09:36

Originally posted by Elok
Heh. Thanks for the tips, I wanted to wait until I tried them to respond. I've started a game with the French right next door to me on a small continent (not too small, just big enough to hold eight colonies once I've finished ethnic-cleansing the native villages--isn't it odd that people object to games like GTA where you can murder hookers but nobody minds a little crime against humanity in a strategy game?).

You dont want a serious response to that, do you?

DrSpike · November 26, 2007, 14:28

You know how Americans are: it's because murdering hookers implies that prostitution happens. Committing genocide is fine as long as you pillage but don't rape.

Elok · November 26, 2007, 16:11

I would have waited, but the soldier was defending their first colony. I appreciated the free hardy pioneer, yes, but I underestimated the touchiness of the Iroquois and they killed him. In response I wiped the Iroquois off the continent by buying lots of dragoons in Europe. It kinda pisses me off that the Indians can capture one half-load of muskets from a soldier and magically arm a dozen units with them instantly, btw. It doesn't annoy me as much with horses, since the way horses breed and natives grow food it'd only be a matter of a few turns anyway.

I don't want to use names employed by the Continental Congress. I guess I'll just stick to calling myself stuff like Abraham Van Helsing ("that Apache was about to suck my blood!"), after one of the few Dutchmen I know of.

lord of the mark · November 26, 2007, 16:26

Cornelius Van Steenwyk
Stephanus Van Cortlandt
Johanness De Peyster

All 17th c mayors of NY.

Kuciwalker · November 26, 2007, 16:30

I'm surprised you didn't mention Stuyvesant.

N35t0r · November 26, 2007, 18:04

Originally posted by Elok It kinda pisses me off that the Indians can capture one half-load of muskets from a soldier and magically arm a dozen units with them instantly, btw.

Well, an irregular indian war party probably has much less men than a regular european regiment/division/whatever.

Elok · November 26, 2007, 18:35

That doesn't quite explain the teleporting muskets, though. A single brave on one side of the continent captures muskets, is killed that same turn, and a village on the other side of the continent is defended by three or four armed braves next turn. It's simpler to just say the computer cheats like a whore.

N35t0r · November 26, 2007, 19:14

One turn spans 12 or 6 months...

Bkeela · November 26, 2007, 22:02

Don't put off getting a tobacco planter from the natives, cause the AI has a tendency to destroy all the indian camps.

lord of the mark · November 27, 2007, 09:31

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
I'm surprised you didn't mention Stuyvesant.

see post number 6.

Cort Haus · November 27, 2007, 13:47

Originally posted by Elok

3. I like to play as the Dutch (big surprise there), but I can never come up with a good Dutch name for myself and I don't like being Michiel de Ruyter game after game. In my latest game I called myself "Jaegermeister" on the grounds that it sounds cool and at least it's Germanic...

Any recommendations?

Johann Cruyff
Marco van Basten
Dennis Bergkamp

Cort Haus · November 27, 2007, 14:12

Did you try FreeCol btw, LotM?

vovan · November 27, 2007, 14:18

Originally posted by Elok In my latest game I called myself "Jaegermeister" on the grounds that it sounds cool and at least it's Germanic...

I say keep that theme going. You gave the Jägermeister a try. Now go with Bärenjäger. There's also the good old Goldschläger.

vovan · November 27, 2007, 14:20

Originally posted by Cort Haus
Did you try FreeCol btw, LotM?

Say, is that one up to the point where you can actually play through an entire game these days?

lord of the mark · November 27, 2007, 14:27

Originally posted by Cort Haus
Did you try FreeCol btw, LotM?

Nah, Im busy with Crusader Kings.

Cort Haus · November 27, 2007, 16:47

Originally posted by vovan
Say, is that one up to the point where you can actually play through an entire game these days?

Yep. I played several games through.

vovan · November 27, 2007, 17:07

Sweet. I'll have to give it a try then.

Oncle Boris · November 27, 2007, 23:34

Jan de Witt was way too cool, the legend is that he personally ordered the Theologico-Political treatise from Spinoza.

Some game tips:

Do not destroy natives, TRADE with them! At the beginning of the game, you can get insane amounts of gold from tobacco, tools, and trade goods (I'm talking up to 4,000 gold for 100 tobacco here). Later on they'll be interested in your rum. And the Incas will sell you their silver for roughly 2.5 gold apiece! Bear in mind though that silver prices drop very quickly, so your best bet is to fill up a couple of galleons with silver and sell it all at the same time when you get your first custom house. By that time you should be so insanely rich that you'll have more money than you can use up.

If you can declare your independance by 1600, you're very good.

Cort Haus · November 28, 2007, 08:17

Don't you mean cigars, Boris - not tobacco?

Main_Brain · November 28, 2007, 11:44

I thought Indians could not produce manufactured goods? (Like Cigars)

Oncle Boris · November 28, 2007, 12:59

Originally posted by Cort Haus
Don't you mean cigars, Boris - not tobacco?

No, they'll take your tobacco for insane prices. Until you can plant it yourself, just buy it in Europe.

As you trade with them, the amount of money they offer will gradually diminish. By that time, though, cigars and rum won't sell for good prices in Europe, so you can still trade with them at a slight advantage. If you find that manually loading your boats and wagon carts is too tedious, just take Cortes in your congress and raze their cities.

Oncle Boris · November 28, 2007, 12:59

Originally posted by Main_Brain
I thought Indians could not produce manufactured goods? (Like Cigars)

Some of them will sell you Coats and Clothes.

Elok · November 28, 2007, 15:35

I'd like to trade with them, but the buggers take up too many good spaces and are offended too easily. It's usually simpler to just wipe them out, provided there aren't too many of them on the landmass I'm on.

Ari Rahikkala · November 29, 2007, 08:31

I just whipped up (really quickly) a map based vaguely on the the western part of Micras (namely Cibola, Tapfer and Benacia). Haven't played it yet, though...