Best Civ for spaceship victory on high difficulty?

[MontyMustDie]

Title line says it all, really.

I'll try to stir things up by naming the Germans, for no particular reason apart for my track record of success with them.

Please, gentlemen, discuss.

[Pinchak]

Russia... end of story, because of the UB.

[Kuciwalker]

Um, I'd put Germany ahead of Russia.

[Blake]

For a true space victory without a conquest component:

Mansa Musa (Fin/Spi/Mint).

Elizabeth (Fin/Phi/Stock Exchange)

Peter (Phi/Exp/Research Institute)

Gandhi (Phi/Spi/Mausoleum)

Ramesses (Ind/Spi/Obelisk)


The power traits are Fin, Phi, Spi and Ind. Other traits can work ok with synergy - like Phi and Exp have synergy.

Ind leader involves a strong start with the Oracle, Pyramids, Great Library plus any other wonders which can be snagged and simply blowing away everyone else in research (via settled GP's). High GPP plus GPP denial is why it works. You need a high production capital though.
Phi leaders typically whore settled great people to make a Super Science City. Phi leaders tech the fastest in the early game and are by far the best for adverse starts.
Fin leaders rely on cottage cheese and/or coast for powerful research. They are late bloomers and have the most military troubles due to low production.
Spi is simply the best secondary trait in the game, it goes well with everything.

Really Ramsesses is by far the most powerful leader IF you are willing to reroll starts until you get a strong capital. If you want to do well on a bad start you'd be better off with Peter, Gandhi or Elizabeth.

[Kuciwalker]

Why no love for Frederick? (Phi/Org/Assembly) = extremely cheap factories that give +2 engineers.

[Blake]

Frederick is inferior to Peter for peaceful purposes.

[rjmatsleepers]

Originally posted by Blake
High GPP plus GPP denial is why it works. You need a high production capital though.

GPP denial? Can you spell this one out for me?

RJM

[Jaybe]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
Why no love for Frederick? (Phi/Org/Assembly) = extremely cheap factories that give +2 engineers.

Bah humbug! Factories are built well before the space race is involved. And how are 2 engineers better than 2 workshops (or railed mines) unless you need great engineers? Great engineers won't help you with the space race, except for the elevator.

[Blake]

When you get a wonder, the AI doesn't get the wonder.

When you get the Pyramids and Hanging Gardens the AI will be severely limited in it's ability to generate Great Engineers, this reduces it's ability to get future wonders.

Just generally leaving the AI with less GPP means that it can't lightbulb as many techs, slowing it's tech pace. The Great Library is the most significant wonder when it comes to tech pace.

Basically if you manage to get Oracle, Pyramids, Great Library and Hanging Gardens then the game is in the bag - the AI will just fall too far behind.

With a particularly good start you can get even more wonders, although picking up prophet/merchant/artist wonders can dilute your useful GPP pool... is worth it sometimes depending on the wonder, if you can spare the production.

[Kuciwalker]

Great Merchants don't seem that bad. Pop one and you can run 100% science at a deficit for a long time.