One city challenge

**One_more_turn** · February 10, 2010, 22:58

I recently won two one city challenges on Noble and Prince levels.

I had to cherry pick my starting locations through repeated map generations. I don't think it's possible to win without lots of food supplies. Also, Philosophical seems to be the best trait for that.

Any ideas, comments?

**fed1943** · February 11, 2010, 06:08

In OCC some traits are almost useless,like Fin and Org, so other ones become "better".
And what rules?
AI is not under one city restriction,right? If it is,then the game is builder micromanage;
if not, much depends if many or few AI civs.
Just 1 city can never match several, so the player must play agressively.

**wodan11** · February 11, 2010, 07:16

Originally Posted by fed1943

Just 1 city can never match several, so the player must play agressively.

Both that premise and the conclusion are quite untrue in my experience.

**rah** · February 11, 2010, 08:19

OCC is the only way I've beat Deity. Conquest is my favorite winning condition for it.

**Hauptman** · February 11, 2010, 12:41

Yeh OCC games run as if 1 level lower in my experience. I played and won OCC at emperor for the longest time, but if i tried a normal game at that level i would get trounced.

With a single city, the only way to grow is via great people. Plus having the ability to creat 5 national wonders makes those great people exponential. By end game, my one city can crank out 2k beakers per turn all on it's own. And production is just crazy good. Scientists and engineers stacked in deep with ironworks and yer building wonders in 8 turns on marathon (as apposed to 30+ normally).

You actually save alot of time for early wonders by NOT building settlers and military units to protect them in the begining of the game.

**rah** · February 11, 2010, 13:25

You can't be too cheap with your army, because with only one city you're not going to be very high on the power graph so you will be a target.

**Ming** · February 11, 2010, 13:35

It might be worth trying an ESP approach with the OCC

**rah** · February 11, 2010, 13:55

I always like how the ai will try to build cities right on your culture border only to see them auto-razed when you kickass culture overwelmes them.

**One_more_turn** · February 11, 2010, 15:55

OCC on tiny Pangea, that's gonna be tough!

**rah** · February 11, 2010, 16:03

Actually that's the way it's done. Small or Tiny and if you don't start on the sea, pray there are no islands or conquest is not in the picture.
And I recommend the balanced resources option

**Theben** · February 11, 2010, 16:48

Anyone try standard Pangaea yet? Plus I find myself restarting if I don't have iron within 3 tiles. Actually I find myself cheating by peeking into the WB to make sure I'm not wasting my time with this map. The one time I feel it's okay to look... just don't look too much.

**Theben** · February 11, 2010, 16:52

Originally Posted by fed1943

In OCC some traits are almost useless,like Fin and Org, so other ones become "better".

Warlike traits and Philosophical stand out. Ones that excel in expansive empires tend to be weak. The exceptions being Imperialist if you're going for a Warlords strategy, or Charismatic for quicker promos on units.

**rah** · February 12, 2010, 08:10

Philosophical and Industrious work for me.

**Cort Haus** · February 14, 2010, 09:41

I used to play Peter pre-BTS. (PHI, EXP). Expansive was important for the two health. Happiness wasn't a problem with The Globe Theatre, but health was. I haven't tried on BTS but the National Park thing presumably deals with that - albeit late.

I think I used to go crazy on scientists and Great Scientists FTW - on an island map. Though, the much bigger, tech-heavy and hammer-heavy space-ship looks a lot tougher than before.

**Cort Haus** · February 14, 2010, 09:45

Originally Posted by rah

Philosophical and Industrious work for me.

A combination which is not in the game because it is obviously over-powered.

**Cort Haus** · February 14, 2010, 10:09

On reflection, I'm sure you meant PHI or IND.

SPI is surely the only other candidate.

**OzzyKP** · February 14, 2010, 13:43

Another fun OCC:
http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?t=186057

Always war, on immortal.

**Cort Haus** · February 15, 2010, 13:50

I'm playing Ghandi OCC (PHI, SPI) on a small pangea on Prince. Interesting starting location - inland with just one city radius resource (Cows), about 7 flood plains and just two hills excluding one with a forest that I needed to keep for health. Rivals were Sitting Bull (North), Khmer guy (East), Saladin (North-East) and Shaka (Far East).

Some worker techs, then Writing for scientists >> Academy then a beeline for Great Library then Globe. Then Hanging Gardens.

I got Iron in my city, and some gold and corn outside but nothing else, so I had sod-all health and sod-all to trade. Lots of GS and some GE though, and I looked forward to the National Park, and turning my four forests into preserves for free specialists which I used as Engineers.

National Wonders were Globe, Oxford, Ironworks, National Park and National Epic (late, so as not to mess up the GPs). I also took Music for the GA's drop of gold, and then Economics for the GM. I also got lucky running some merchants for another GM.

Science and production were strong, occasionally slowing to get gold for unit upgrades, and I danced between Org Rel, Theocracy and Pacifism.

I was lucky, really, that almost everyone else converted to the Buddhism that Mr Khmer spread to me, except Saladin who got kicked a few times before Shaka finished him off and vassalised him. Then Shake vassalised Sitting Bull, and it's just me and Mr Khmer against Shaka's huge army. My wad of Infantry, Machine Guns and Arty might hold him off, but if he can't kill me he could probably kill Khmer sooner or later.

I've no experience of OCC militarism to deal with Shaka, so he'll probably win, but having healthily got to Apollo with a civ starting with almost no resources, marginal production and serious health problems I'm quite pleased with what my city has done, though aware that the religious break helped a lot.

I think that if you're not prepared to deal with a killer AI on the domination rampage like Shaka, Pangea OCC is always susceptible to this scenario, which is maybe why I've seen it suggested that you raise the number of Civs on a Pangea to make it harder for one to be so dominant militarily. When that one is sharing a religion with the others, who all love him until he kills them, it's harder to go against him though.

Oh, and no-one had built the Pyramids by nearly 1000AD, by which time I had enough production for a stab and got them. I also built Sankora for a set of GS and GE points.

**rah** · February 16, 2010, 13:27

I usually consider Pyramids a must for all the specialists and GPS

**Theben** · February 16, 2010, 13:40

Why National Epic late? That's a lot of turns of lost GPP production. I could live with getting an extra artist or 2 for that!

**rah** · February 16, 2010, 14:10

Agreed. I do like getting that first one a la music or normal just to get my borders out a touch farther as early as possible.

**Cort Haus** · February 16, 2010, 19:48

Originally Posted by Theben

Why National Epic late? That's a lot of turns of lost GPP production. I could live with getting an extra artist or 2 for that!

For a space ship I like a lot of scientists and engineers.

**Theben** · February 16, 2010, 21:50

So bump up the number of engineers and scientists you're running. You're probably losing a handful of great people by waiting so long. Seriously, what's better: getting 5 GSs and 3 GEs or 4 GSs, 2 GEs, and 5 GAs (which is stretching the odds considerably)?

**Ming** · February 16, 2010, 22:50

Yep... Epic is at it's best early, when you really need the great people. You are going to get a clunker or two when it comes to GP... the best you can do is maximize your chances, and pray

**Cort Haus** · February 17, 2010, 13:39

There's the Globe too which gives GA's. I don't know if BTS has switched it to give GP type based on number of GP *points* produced by type, or if it's the same as earlier versions based on GP *sources*. With the latter, two Nat Wonders at 1GPP each and two scientists at 3PP each would give 50% chance of a GA and GS.

I used to play a lot of OCC in vanilla, and tended to get too many GA's if I built Epic and Globe early. Also, in a low food start (I tend not to re-roll maps) the volume of scientists and engineers available can be limited.

Does God play Civ?

**Ming** · February 17, 2010, 14:24

You have to take the bad with the good. Both Epic and Globe are what I would consider key nat wonders for an OCC game.

**rah** · February 17, 2010, 14:34

Yes, I want both epic and globe as early as possible. But even without a lot of specialists you still have many other wonders contributing to the pool

**wodan11** · February 17, 2010, 14:49

I dunno Globe is key as in "mandatory". A lot of time in OCC you will need a ton of units (measuring on a per capita basis), and running HR can replace the globe.

**rah** · February 17, 2010, 15:55

If you're going conquest, I think it's mandatory to get around the WW. If you're going space ship, then you're probably right.

**Hauptman** · February 25, 2010, 12:09

Coolest OCC win I did was a space ship win on a HUGE map. Small maps hamper the AI's too much. But when they can get HUGE it makes for some good OCC fun.

Peter the Great is one of the best OCC choices. Extra health (boon of the occ til late game) and philo. I used to enjoy Elizebeth, the extra boost to your economy at start is nice, but near meaningless Later. At most financial can gain you 20

if you windmilled or cottaged every square.

Globe was pure /win pre BTS. But now with a limit of 5 nats I'd prefer something else.