Large Empires - Which Government

[Capt Dizle]

I agree with vmxa1 here. On most maps and difficulty levels you will be able to produce sufficient military power to run the board by simply going to republic and staying there. Any gains you make by switching to a later government as essentially moot.

You need to have mastered some basic skills regarding expansion and diplomacy but I am assuming those are in place for the purpose of discussion.

[The Templar]

Originally posted by Raghnall
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I disagree, unless you are a peaceful Communist. If I'm going communist it's because I'm fighting. If I'm taking cities, and large ones at that, after I've quieted resistence using pop rush to build new buildings is what I want vs. gold rush, because I can reduce the number of indiginous inhabitants that might try to overthrow my puppet regime

Turn up your tax rate and start buying units that are at least half finished (since the cost per shield decays the more shields are already present) in about 20 to 25 cities (assuming 10 cities are producing 1 tank/bomber/infantry per turn) and you can raise 25-30 tanks/bombers/infantry per turn. With a sufficient number of airports you can also move all of this the turn it is built. Moreover, no lingering effects of unhappiness in those captured cities after all that pop-rushing. Besides, with the numbers of units, it doesn't take long to destroy an entire civ (thereby negating flips). Moreover, reseach becomes irrelevant with sheer numbers like this (and during preparation, I mean "peace" use espionage to get techs).

Which is not to say good ol' regular communism is bad. It works best for big empires in a non-modded game.

[joncnunn]

Prior to SPHQ, it was possible if the empire was large enough under Comminsum for every city to become of marginall production. (Think Borg style city placement covering half of a huge map.) Well, this might still be possible with the SPHQ, but cerinately requires a lot more cities than before.

Under a Democracy, the core cities are still extremely productivle.

[Capt Dizle]

Why couldn't they use KGB instead of SPHQ?

[swat-spas2]

edit (accidental 2x post)

[swat-spas2]

jt: Because not every communist country called it the KGB (see SE Asia and China (GUB or MSS); Cuba calls it the DGI I think). And secondly the KGB was more like the espionage center with a good deal more power politically and militarily (border guards and nuke codes) than the CIA (post-60s at least). Only the 5th branch directorate of the KGB handled state security on internal matters, granted it undoubtedly was a very large and powerful branch.. others dealt with things like counter-intel 7th, acquiring foreign intel 1st, border security..etc.

As far as this discussion; I stay in republic for most of the game, and switch in the industrial age generally to democracy. The tech slingshot I get in the middle ages usually catches (and often passes) whatever gains the headstart given the AI made; its possible that this isn't the wisest course of action though, but it doesnt seem to hurt much in SP (mp is definitely a different world). The size of my armies is usually going to be somewhat cheaper in democracy, plus it supports more cities at a better corruption rate so I can build more if I need them. I find the slider on some luxury trade and the amount of luxuries I have by this point in the game more than compensates for the higher WW. Police and, if I bother, uni-suffage, help with the rest of it. You get more points this way too with all those happy people.

The advantage of communism for me is the 3rd palace making your total empire more effective at building units. You probably lose enough trade through corruption and the no trade bonus to make that part moot, thus losing science and happiness or $. Pop rushing the new cities is nice to get that temple up for starters. But I usually can have $$ laying around by this point too. You also don't support that many more units than republic at that stage of the game (consider city sizes).