Who do you is better: Mansa or Shaka?

[Arrian]

@ thread.

-Arrian

[JackRudd]

Agg is to warmongers what Ind is to builders - all the nuttiest fans of the strategy get fanatical about the trait and can't understand why not everyone thinks it's the be-all and end-all.

(On the other hand, Agg/Ind is not a combination anyone gets fanatical about, it seems. In Soviet Russia, traits get fanatical about YOU!)

[couerdelion]

Having a lot of fun with Shaka’s game at the moment. Certainly there’s a little luck involved in having 3 neighbours on my continent while most of the others were consigned to lone islands or sharing one (or a sea-voyage journey) with one other civ. This gives me ample time to subdue a large landmass before others can start forming alliances.

Luck too – with a little help from myself – that our island also acquired four of the religions and the most backward pairing of Persia and Rome were left without any. They are now part of the wider Confucian brotherhood

If there is any poor fortune it was in the more awkward placing of the metals for me although I did manage to own the sole horse on the continent thus rendering my UU completely obsolete.

But Shaka UB is very strong. As an empire expands, the ability to shave 20% of new cities, in an instant is very valuable. It feels like having a free Organised trait which carries the burden of all those cities up till the arrival of State Property.

When it comes to playing Mansa, I might find things a little interesting in comparison. I doubt that I will be able to convincingly match the expansive power of Shaka although I expect the tech race to be a bit of a breeze for the Civ financial king. Just comparing the relative tech levels with the likes of Wang Kon (is that a real name or someone making an adolescent joke) and Alexander – tech demons though they are – I have a smaller advantage than I would expect. So my gut feel is that the results will be inconclusive and I may need to add some other factor after Liberalism to compare the two. I’ve also noted that Liberalism’s date is a rather subjective one since I tend to research this when I can acquire a suitably expensive tech but still be certain to get there first. It is therefore dependent not on the civ itself but on the fastest second-placed civ who happens to start taking the path to Liberalism.

[couerdelion]

Originally posted by Nubianmercenary
: The fact remains, Carthage is in africa, so is eygpt. Not in Phonecia or in the middle east, AFRICA is AFRICA and MIDDLE-EAST is MIDDLE-EAST.




NubianMercenary

Is Middle East the Middle East for those who live in the Middle East?

[DrSpike]

Yes.

[padillah]

One of my favorite comedy skits has a guy with a globe pointing to various parts of the US:
"This... is the West Coast. This... is the East Coast.
So, you've got the West, the East, the midwest, and then, WAYYYY over here, the Middle East! No wonder their all upset. Look how far away they are from their cars."

It tickled my funny bone.
Tom P.

[Nubianmercenary]

: Lolz, I love this thread. Oh I am glad that Shaka is proving his worth in the game Couerdelion. I hope a good conclusion can come from the game.



NubianMercenary

[Dis]

all I know is Mansa kicks my ass in tech every damn game I play against him. I hate him.

[Nubianmercenary]

: Yeah, Mansa is a tech-hogging-beast. He is extremely hard on Prince Level.








NubianMercenary

[couerdelion]

Originally posted by Dis
all I know is Mansa kicks my ass in tech every damn game I play against him. I hate him.

Then kick his with swords/maces/horse archers/cats

[Dis]

Originally posted by couerdelion


Then kick his with swords/maces/horse archers/cats

yeah the key is hitting him early before his economy really takes off. But with that skirmisher it can be dicey.

[Arrian]

The worse is a strong Mansa on another continent. I've encountered him from time to time. I always get the feeling that I should send over a pillaging force and rip up his towns, but I never get around to actually doing it. Heh.

-Arrian

[Virdrago]

Mansa looks like he should be a problem, but he's always getting crushed by someone like Monty or Tokugawa in my games. I have yet to see a strong Mansa AI. He's always near the bottom.

But, then again, that's just in my games.

[JackRudd]

In my games he's usually one of the top AIs. A nice person to swap techs with.

(Mind you, I usually play on Earth maps, and there isn't another AI for miles around.)

[Dis]

Originally posted by Virdrago
Mansa looks like he should be a problem, but he's always getting crushed by someone like Monty or Tokugawa in my games. I have yet to see a strong Mansa AI. He's always near the bottom.

But, then again, that's just in my games.

yeah your games. As I said, he's always 1st or 2nd place (if I'm 1st) in my games. Unless he gets a crappy starting position. He can handle warmongers early with his skirmishers. And later he has a tech lead. So warmongers never seem to phase him too much. Unless he gets hit by 2 or more at at a time.