AI settler spam

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Generaldoktor
Tokugawa comes up right in my face and takes a) stone, b) horses, c) copper, right out from under "my" peninsula with some stinking settler spam (apologize for misuse of the word "spam" )

[bah!]

If I were you I would have built a city to grab those specials, probably as the third or the forth latest. You can then backfill later.

I always like to have initiative

[lockstep]

Originally posted by Generaldoktor
arctic garbage outposts

This will become part of my Civ4 dictionary!

[Generaldoktor]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


[bah!]

If I were you I would have built a city to grab those specials, probably as the third or the forth latest. You can then backfill later.

I always like to have initiative

Yeah, of course you're right. But hindsight for me is 20/20. I play better now than last winter. In my current game I am trying some of that, but it is a rare game for me on Prince level and I'm getting my a-- kicked, barely time to spawn more settlers. Oh well. If I had played more games on higher levels earlier, I wouldn't have this problem. The learning process goes on!

[Datajack Franit]

Settler spam is the worst things to deal with when planning your game, it makes impossible to prepare a perfect border that can be easily defended, and pisses off the AI for the "close borders" thing. You're supposed to sacrifice the PERFECT POSITION cities and instead focusing on getting the important resources (or, more important, preventing the AI from getting them), trying to create a cultural wall

[Generaldoktor]

Well, that may be one valid criticism of the "backfill" strategy, IMO, DJF. Seems a little like a game we had as children here in the States, called "musical chairs." (I think they play this in Britain too, when young.) When the music stops, (such "music" might be compared to those idyllic early turns when your borders aren't close,) you have to grab your best position, then the process repeats again and again. Anyone left without their a-- in a good chair is eliminated, until finally there's only one left!

I'm not blaming the game, of course. There's some things that could be better in C4, but AI has to have some strategms to compensate for its lack of analytic thinking, (someday, maybe by Civ8, we'll have real free-associating AI, )

[Datajack Franit]

Originally posted by Generaldoktor
Well, that may be one valid criticism of the "backfill" strategy, IMO, DJF. Seems a little like a game we had as children here in the States, called "musical chairs." (I think they play this in Britain too, when young.) When the music stops, (such "music" might be compared to those idyllic early turns when your borders aren't close,) you have to grab your best position, then the process repeats again and again. Anyone left without their a-- in a good chair is eliminated, until finally there's only one left!

We have chairs in Italy as well


That's the main concept. It's not historically incorrect to say that civilizations are always looking for rich lands to settle in. The Greeks settled cities all over the Mediterranean Gulf, even if places you couldn't dream about (Marseille and Nice in France were Greek polis!) but look who owns those places now

[chequita guevara]

This is no longer an issue for me. I play as Caesar and found three cities (maybe a couple more if I can later), build a huge army of praetorians, and go on the offensive. I can generally take out one and half of my neighbors before getting bogged down.

My goal is to take an entire continent before gunpowder.

[Urban Ranger]

I used to be a warmonger during my Civ I days, but found that to be a bit monotonous.

Still good fun once in a while, though.