Panzer

[ybrevo]

Hi!

I would like to hear some opinions from those of you who have played the Germans (Frederick - not the silly old Bismarck), and what kind of experience you have had with panzer instead of tank (only difference is that panzer gets +50% against armor, I think).

Is it worth waiting so long to get your special unit?

I had a great start in my latest game (Vanilla, Noble, Standard, Epic), so I decided to try and get a tech.-lead and eventually beeline to oil and panzer. I happened to be on a big continent with Catherine, Tokugawa, Kublai Khan and Qin Shi as neighbors, so it seemed right to do some heavy expansion when time was ripe. When I finally started spawning panzers out, the most developed AI´s only had infantry - and not much of it.
Ahhh ..... What a nice blitz-krieg.

I have read in a lot of threads here that many of you get a bit bored after ancient times. Maybe this kind of late war strategy could be a cure against that? At least I had great fun seeing the Mongols fighting with catapults against a stack of panzer ;-)

Ybrevo

[wodan11]

If you're using Panzers vs Infantry, then there's no value to the Panzer (it's a normal tank). In other words, the UU was useless to you.

IMO panzers are best if you aren't winning the tech race or if you are prioritizing other techs (e.g., the space race, which also works very well with the German UB). You can then rely upon your Panzers to stymie opposing tanks while you get on with your business. The biggest threat to a space race win is that your opponents may have something to say about it while you all but ignore your military and military techs. The Panzers can help tremendously there. A different civ will have to slow (or slow further than the Germans would) their space efforts to deal with the threat.

Wodan

[rah]

I find it better on larger worlds at higher levels where it's more likely that you're not going to dominate every civ on the tech race. If you're a domination kind of player there's always one civ that stays out of wars and can keep up or be ahead in techs. Panzers are very useful if needed later. Cheap factorys are nice.

[ybrevo]

[QUOTE] Originally posted by wodan11
If you're using Panzers vs Infantry, then there's no value to the Panzer (it's a normal tank). In other words, the UU was useless to you.

Wodan, of course panzers doesn´t make a difference against infantry, but I got them as late as about 1930 and had a hunch that at least one of the someones out there were close to armor. So if nothing else, they are an extra insurance during a war.

Not long ago I won a space race with the Germans - but I must admit domination is a lot more fun unless strategy forces you to - YAWNNNN - build a rocket.

ybrevo

[rah]

Yes agreed, but whatever floats people's boat.
The nice thing about CIV, you get choices.

[johnmcd]

Late wars are the dullest, so many units necessary, endless management.

[ybrevo]

Originally posted by johnmcd
Late wars are the dullest, so many units necessary, endless management.

I guess this is a matter of taste. Personally I like the late wars very much - although it can take up to an hour doing 5 turns ...

What I like is the complexity in moving your troops to the right places and combining offensive play with defense. Early war is more about capturing a city or two and get on with the plan you had before you got distracted.

But okay, I gave up chess to play CIV. instead, so that might be an explanation ''

ybrevo

[joncnunn]

I'm playing the Germans right now as Frederick, and his traights PHI/ORG more than makeup for the late industrial UU / UB.

I was initally planning just concentrate on wonders (Marble was one tile from my capital and I also made aquiring the Stone my first founded city), but my Protogese neighbor founded a city where he shouldn't have so I interupted the wonder building for Swords instead and took the two cities I wanted and raized one I didn't want (too close to his capital and kind of marginal) when he wouldn't hand over a tech to end the war. The war will continue until he at least hands over the most expansive tech he has I lack (currently Feudalism). I'll probably go back to war again with him 20 - 30 turns with him to vassalize him.

The PHI gives more more value than most from the wonders (great people points), while the ORG allows more military expansion without breaking the upkeep bank. (BTW, ORG is also great for peaceful expansion on more open layouts [say had I started where the Incas started on this landmass])