Retarding big empires

[Zedd]

Re: Retarding big empires

Originally posted by Bluevoss
Retarding big empires

In the United States we use public schools.

I had the same problem when I first started and what helped me was the discovery of rush buying shields rather than waiting for production, and the proper use of caravans for early trading. Also Make sure you are using cities effectively as well as adjusting your tax rate frequently. There is no single setting in either of these that is optimal and by changing it you can increase your productivity alot. It will take time to get used to it but once you see the results it become alot of fun.

I'm still working on my AI diplomacy to get more frequent "gifts" and tech trades, just reade some of the Succession games and join in a couple, you will be playing like a pro in no time

[Scouse Gits]

In the United States we use public schools.

Oddly enough, so do we - but the term means something quite different over here

Stu

[Old n Slow]

Originally posted by Bluevoss
...I guess what I'm looking for is a game where I stay fairly close to historical timelines, and it remains competative all the way through. ...
BV-

With every game that I've ever played, there seems to be limitations, and yet chances where one can do better and one can do worse. Given rules, incentives, opportunities (and perhaps a little bit of luck), one gains experience and "performance" improves.

Depending upon the mix of ai civs & geography, one can see most of the civs surviving until late in the game -- and if the human player decides to play slowly or otherwise handicap his play, much of the game can seem to fit near to historical timelines.

I'd say limit yourself to 12 to 20 cities on a rock that ends with sufficient defensive capability -- maybe a large island; maybe King level; only trade a bit (get three routes per city and no more); maybe limiting yourself to a third of the Wonders; make about two thirds of the reasonable infrastructure -- might get you to 1900+ with most of the ais almost par with you. Figure getting SETI circa 1960 & a launch circa 1990 -- but the ais might launch as well if you play too slow.

Actually, that might be an idea for a succession game -- pick a dozen dates tied to famous events or people(Leo, Darwin) and constrain the wonder opportunities to those time periods -- build within the narrow band of years (or do without). Probably need another half dozen silly rules to make it a challenge -- but that may be a job for a player who claims 5K+ years experience.

[Elephant]

How about just "build the Wonder as close to the actual date as possible" (at least start, in the case of Pyramids ~2500BC)? If the AI builds it, you can capture, but only AFTER the date it really was built... (we'd need a list of agreed dates, and Cure for Cancer would be excluded). Or make it the human player's job to sabotage or otherwise stop the building of any wonder who's build date has not passed...

[DrSpike]

Would the game still be going (or interesting) when the modern wonders came around?