Japan Strategy

[MJW]

The rush is not the only way to win. It is the best way (as in ends the quickest and scores the highest) to win and the only way to win at the highest levels (right before the AI blows you away and you have to beeline to the culture win and pray) due to the AI bonus problem outlined by ben04.

[MJW]

Hmmm...

1. If you don't abuse cheap tactics than the game is very balanced. In fact Civ4 is the most balanced empire-TBS game ever (without looking at VERY simple empire-TBS games). In fact, if you don't play for score than it is very hard to pick the best idea. In fact even elite pros might error but...

2. If you do use cheap tactics then the rush is way overpowered (two-pop whip trick) because they help you got a short-lived production boost and the best way to use it is to beat on the AI. You might pick up some left over wonders too because you are making so much production that you have left over hammers.

2 is not a problem because you can easily chose not to use them. (Like I do when I play alone) However, if you want to play MP or SP competitively, due to the fact these tactics can not be banned without much pain, than it is really bad. In fact, the uberideas are so easy to do in #2 that no one can prove there better than someone else. (Save things that no one cares about, micromanagement and abusing the tactics to the max.)

The only way to solve these problems of number 2 is to spend time eliminating the cheap tactics. Atari had the chance to do so in Warlords but they did not even try. In RTS games the makers spend an awful lot of time killing the cheap tactics.

The only way to solve the 'bigger is better' and other underline problems in SP is a paradigm change like making the AI better. That job is for another game.

So in summary without the unbanable expolits Civ4 is balanced. With them the axe rush crush is waaay overpowered.

The two-pop whip trick is more damaging to the game play of Civ4 than ICS ever was for Civ3. At least with ICS the extra hammers and $ where given evenly and it could be solved reasonably well by just playing a level up. Not so with the two-pop whip trick. Instead the hammers vector just goes away after 120 turns or so.

[Ijuin]

I play Tokugawa frequently, and I find that the following works well for Emperor and below:

First, make a beeline for Monotheism--you are almost assured of getting it, even if you don't get Hinduism, unless you are swamped with Spiritual opponents.

Next, grab Archery as quick as you can, because the Barbarian warriors should be swarming you by now, and you need Archers in your cities before they upgrade to Axemen.

By this time you should have gotten four or five cities, which is probably the most that your economy can handle at this time.

Somewhere around here you will probably get your first Great Prophet. For your economy's sake, you will need to build a Great Shrine when you can.

Next, you want to go for Bronze Working and Iron Working. Here is where your military buildup begins, assuming that you can get your hands on Iron (although Copper-only might work).

My usual plan is to have two armies attacking my chosen enemy from different points along the border. If your available resources allow for more or fewer, then go with what you can. Each party will consist of at least:

Two Spearmen with Combat II (to fight Chariots and Horse Archers)

Two Axemen with Combat I and Shock (to fight anything else that you catch outside of a city)

Four to six Swordsmen with Combat I and City Raider I (to crack the cities)

One of any type of unit with Medic I

If all has gone well, you should have the above asembled by around A.D. 200 at latest.

With the above party, you should be able to crack any city that does not have more than 50% culture/walls/hills bonus. Go after those cities now. In the meantime, you will be beelining to Construction and building some Catapults to help with the tougher cities. Also keep up production of Axemen and Swordsmen to replace any that you might lose from attrition.

The above should be sufficient to take on your first neighbor (unless it's Julius or Agustus with Praetorians), and by the time your economy has grown enough to handle another round of expansion, you should have reached Machinery and Civil Service, and be able to upgrade to those wonderful Samurai.

[couerdelion]

Originally posted by Ijuin
I play Tokugawa frequently, and I find that the following works well for Emperor and below:

First, make a beeline for Monotheism--you are almost assured of getting it, even if you don't get Hinduism, unless you are swamped with Spiritual opponents.

I don’t think this is a particularly good strategy. Monotheism is five techs away and, by the time you have acquire it, the only worker improvements you have are roads, mines and quarries.

The route to archery gives you camps but all these improvements are nothing when compared to the pastures and farms that Agro/Animals give you. Added to this, you cannot whip or chop and have no knowledge of either horses or coppers.

The animals or bronze bee-line would be more appropriate for Toku with choice depending on terrain.

If you have seafood, build workboats and research to bronze.

[Ijuin]

Five? I count four to research: Mysticism, Polytheism, Masonry, and Monotheism. Tokugawa starts out with Mining and The Wheel.

[Chopper]

In Warlords, it is Fishing and Wheel. I am testing this strat and am finding Monotheism is achievable on Monarch about 20% of the time.