Strike

[logicman49]

Okay so I have been following everyone's strategy (almost). I play Warlord big & small, standard. I get going and spread to about at least 10 cities. If there are 4 or 5 civs on my continent I start fairly well. I accumulate maybe 80 units and go after the nearest civ, usually the one that plops towns close to wherever there's iron and such. I am almost always way ahead in tech when I strike and then it happens. I have plenty of cats if I wait that long but I always seem to stall. Then war wariness gets me. By the time I get rid of his 10 cities or so I am down to 10% tech and 0% spy and culture and just barely hanging on. Of course, then my tech stalls and next thing I know I am way behind everyone else. By the time I recover, I am overwhelmed by the other civ's units and the game is lost. What do folks do. I try to build the courthouses and banks but it is never enough and if I don't get a great merchant to increase my $ I can not catch up. Any thoughts on what to do from say after 1800.

Thanks,
Steve

[Snotty]

I would re improve the captured AI land with cottages as frequently as is appropriate, and check the financial advisor screen to see what my biggest out goings were to see if it is my military that is costing excessive maintenance

[trev]

Your cities need an average of 3 or more cottages being worked per city to maintain an ok science rate. Gold, silver, gem mines, dye plantations can substitute for these worked cottages. Larger cities make it easier to keep the cottages worked while still producing hammers for buildings and units, and food for growth. So get your city size up and work those cottages into towns and your strategy will work fine.

[Julian Delphiki]

Sounds like you are building too much troops as well.

[Ming]

Or consider having one of your core cities totally dedicated to cash. Turn those hammers into wealth and use that city to fund your expansion.

[Theben]

Don't you need currency before you can switch a city to wealth management? B/c by the time I have CoL & Currency, my money problems are usually solved.

[Ming]

Originally posted by Theben
Don't you need currency before you can switch a city to wealth management?

Yes... But even with markets and courthouses, converting one city over to wealth can make up for a lot of troops in the field

[Supr49er]

Re: Strike

Originally posted by logicman49
... Any thoughts on what to do from say after 1800.
Thanks,
Steve

Switch civics to Police State, Vassalage or Nationhood. Build Statue of Zeus and Mt. Rushmore.

[Fleme]

That's a huge army to be honest, unless you count in city garrisons that you leave home. I rarely build stacks larger than 30 when going on conquest and most of the time that is plenty. (to capture and hold 2-5 cities, that is)

[Supr49er]

Originally posted by Fleme
That's a huge army to be honest, unless you count in city garrisons that you leave home. I rarely build stacks larger than 30 when going on conquest and most of the time that is plenty. (to capture and hold 2-5 cities, that is)

That's a great point. Have an objective of how far you want to take the war, then make peace and consolidate. Even if you want to destroy their civ, do so in 3-4 wars rather than all at once.

[ben_vii]

Also, making vassals out of them is pretty cost effective. I like to take over my continent that way of late, it works because you can still keep the conquered civ's as allies that will support you when you plan to take over the rest of the world.

[dac]

Specialists. You can let your science rate drop pretty low if you have a couple of cities with academies, a nice science wonder or two, and run as many scientist specialists as you can. If you're running Bureaucracy, and you make some science specialists in your capital, you'll get a good science rate. As a bonus, when running a lot of scientists, you increase the odds that you'll generate a Great Scientist. Settle him in your Capital and you'll be set for a while.