Strategy for building the spaceship

[rjmatsleepers]

If you're in a race with the AI, 1 or 2 turns can make all the difference, so what's the best approach?

I like to start building Apollo in my high production city as soon as I discover Rocketry.

I then research my way to Robotics (for the space elevator).

My next research objective is Fusion (for the Great Engineer), researching Fibre Optics before Fission so that I am in a position to build the SS cockpit earlier.

After that I research Satellites so that I can build the thrusters.

Finally I pick up the techs for the remaining spaceship parts. I only research techs that are useful for the spaceship.

I build the SS casings in low production cities since there is plenty of time for them. Similarly with the thrusters.

I concentrate my 2 highest production cities on the big ticket items - docking bay, engines, etc. I build the elevator as soon as it becomes available, as fast as possible, even if this means interupting the current build.

Once I start building Apollo, I won't trade techs with the 1 or 2 civs that can beat me to the spaceship. Generally, they won't have any useful techs and if they do, they'll only trade in a way that benefits them. I'll trade with any civ that can't beat me to the ship and since I don't want to be distracted by a war, I generally let them have any techs they ask for (although not money, since I may need this to upgrade my army if I'm attacked).

I prepare for building the spaceship by building the production boosters - forge, factory, power and ironworks in my main production cities. And of course improving production with railroads wherever possible. I only build the production boosters in the lower production cities if it's convenient.

That's my current approach, but are there some tricks I'm missing?

RJM at Sleeper's

[Son of David]

Computers technology lets you build laboratories. Laboratories (require an observatory) enhance spaceship production by 50%. Research computers as quick as possible.

[trev]

I will prioritize computers over rocketry. This is so I can build laboratories, and increase my science as well as increase spaceship production. I will usually begin building the Apollo Program maybe 30+ turns after the AI, but because I have looked after my city infrastructure I will comfortably beat the AI in the spaceship race, this is on emperor level. Never panic when the AI builds the Apollo Program, you still have 30 turns before it becomes necessary to begin your own race to the spaceship, just get your own city infrastructure up to scratch.

[Trifna]

And if you lack a ressource, is there a way to get a civ to trade it to you?... It seems like no one has strategic ressources.

I find strange that when I lost access to some ressource (in this case alluminium) I could not see any civ having it to trade. It's bothering me a bit, since it happened also with other strategic ressources (coal someone?! And another metal) which apparently no other civ had. Just seems like it doesn't show in things they have...

[CerberusIV]

The one thing I would add is to research Genetics before Ecology as the last spaceship techs. The stasis chamber takes more hammers than the life support so you want to start building it earlier. This way these last 2 components finish at around the same time.

[Hayek]

And there is ofcourse setting back the competition. A few tactics for this are:

1) sabotage the spaceship production. Usually hellishly expensive in civ4 though. (PS: I cant confirm that spaceship parts are actually sabotagable in civ4 btw, I rarely let them get that far )

2) the denial of aluminum. In case an opposing faction has just one source of it, you could sabotage their mine with a spy and gain a slight advantage cause they loose the speedbonus for a couple of turns.
3) If the aluminum is near the border or at the end of a long supply line, you might even consider going to war with them and take it out. If your military is reasonably capable, you will seldom loose vital cities to the AI in the few remaining turns.
NB: 2 and 3 theoretically work for copper too, but often a civ has too many sources of that.

4) Another one that might work is to nuke the competing civs' main spaceship building city/cities. In previous civ editions that could get them so angry at you that the AI forgot about the spacerace and wanted to crush you. Depending on whetehr they are in a position to inflict serious pain to you, this might get you a few turns without loosing too much.

And last but not least: you cant use population or money to rush a spaceship, but chopping nearby woods does give the hammers to spaceship production.

[Swiss Pauli]

I tend to go to Indy first to see where the Alu is before starting to build Apollo.

The research line thereafter depends on where I am in the tech race and how many civs are left: if I think the Internet can snag me a bunch then I'll go down that route first.

Otherwise to Robotics, with a Space Elevator buy-rush.

[Fallenhero]

I have destroyed space parts with spies but the cost is high, especially if you wait until they are near completion to do the most harm. It's probably more cost effective to buy Labs and other improvements or sabatoge their aluminum mine or other resources.

Be careful that the big production city you have earmarked to build the space elevator isn't too far off the equator. I don't know the exact limits but I have wept bitterly because my nice big island home was too far south.

[johnmcd]

You can speed your own production when you are waiting for a critical tech by building a cheap unit several turns in a row in the waiting city to build up as much carry over as possible. It can give you a running start at the final part leading to launch a couple of turns earlier. Missionaries and workboats are good for doing this with - or chariots if you've never bothered with horseback riding.

[PaganPaulwhisky]

I rarely get into actual space races since I usually finish it while my closest competitor has only several thrusters built. I do not place high priority on the space elevator and instead shoot for computers as suggested earlier.

If I notice someone has built the apollo program, I will immediately declare war on them, raze a few cities and then sue for peace. This is much more effective then sabotaging production or resource denial IMO, and it works every time on monarch level (unless you have a tiny army). I keep doing this until I have a comfortable tech lead and then build elevator. This is also a great way to catch up in the space race if you are behind.

I have sometimes found it necessary to run police state and fight 2 or 3 opponents at a time. Amphibious attacks work really nice for taking out big coastal cities and slowing down the AI. I usually gear up for this offensive blitz well ahead of time and build tons of marines, tanks, and artillery before getting to rocketry. Facism (or pyramids, but Rushmore is pretty crucial too) is a must for this technique otherwise WW will kill your production since I often declare war on the same opponent multiple times.

[solo]

Add all Great Engineers received earlier in the game to your best production city. Put the Ironworks there, too, along with a factory and power. If using Representation, then that city should be the capital, too. Then Apollo and any other time-consuming items will be completed much more quickly.

[Urban Ranger]

Bureaucracy

[rjmatsleepers]

Thanks guys - a lot of good points here. I'd forgotten about the production boost from laboratories. How do all these bonuses stack up by the way? (aluminium, space elevator, laboratory) I assume they're added as percentages of your base hammers.

The good news is that Computers are on path for Robotics, so there's no major conflict. Computers become the first research objective. I'm not sure about researching Computers before Rocketry though. At the moment I can't see much benefit. Surely you can research computers while building Apollo? Anyone like to try convincing me?

Good call also on researching Genetics before Ecology. In a tight race that could be crucial.

An interesting point about the hammer carry over. I've never thought of that. I must give it a try.

Fallenhero mention the problem about where you can build the space elevator. Presumably there is a way that you can tell in advance which cities it can be built in. Anyone know how to do this?

Finally, there is the question of civics. A couple of you mention rush buying. I'm generally in Representation and the switch to enable me to rush buy doesn't seem worthwhile. Once again, anyone want to convince me I'm wrong?

RJM at Sleeper's

[Swiss Pauli]

Originally posted by rjmatsleepers
Finally, there is the question of civics. A couple of you mention rush buying. I'm generally in Representation and the switch to enable me to rush buy doesn't seem worthwhile. Once again, anyone want to convince me I'm wrong?

RJM at Sleeper's

Rep is great for beakers whereas Usuf's buy-rush is more flexible in that it can be used for wonders, improvement (e.g. Labs, or banks) or even military.

Once you get half-price buy rushing from the Kremlin you're flying. It's best suited to a cottage-heavy strategy, of course, with free speech and emancipation boosting them yet further.

The Ironworks city is the exception to the cottage strategy as you want food and hammers for max production.

[Hayek]

Given that the objective is winning a space race, I doubt that changing civis to be able to rush is going to do much good, given that space ship parts themselves can't be rushed. The only real rush-advantage would be laboratories and the space elevator, but with careful planning those wont have to be the bottleneck (assuming you have a great engineer/ a major production city/plenty of forest to chop to help the space elevator along). Yet the 1-3 turns of anarchy can make quite a difference, as they apply to productio and research.