How to get your opponents' cities...cheap!

[Hoek]

Ever been pissed off that your opponent just beat you to a secret project? Ever drool over strategically located cities that your opponent holds?

The best way I have found to crushing other civs is a very simple and cost-effective strategy which I dub "legal city stealing."

The AI is stupid. I use the following strategy:

I build a pipsqeak city and make sure it's in a crappy location without much future prospects. I then ask one of the other factions to trade cities: their prize city for my crappy size-1 berg. They almost always agree. Then, buy back the little city for pennies, and repeat!

[Hoek]

It's unfair, but whatever!

[Wiglaf]

I used to do that a lot. Now I consider it cheating, but it can have fair uses. For example, taking control of an allied city because the AI isn't handling it well.

[Evil Twin]

But me being the despot i am, i prefer to use a trio of drop-shard-hovertanks combined with some drop-shard-infantry as backup.

of course, if i have a lot of money, i use the Omni-Shard-Hovertanks instead (drop pods + amphibious pods) which are a must for taking sea bases next to the coast

[Hoek]

Buffer Zone

Another fun strategy is putting recently conquered cities on the open market. For instance, if you're at a stalemate with your neighbor, and there are several cities which you've taken from your enemy, put them on the market...you'll get a ton of dough for it...then, you can trade to get it back and voila! no more angry conquered citizens...or just leave the cities and don't reacquire them until later...the enemy can't easily reach you when there is a strip of neutral cities between the two of you

[DilithiumDad]

The trading bases bug was fixed with one of the patches. Get the latest version. The AI almost never trades bases, even when it is in their best interests. They will say, "What, you want me to trade the guilded spires of New Dune City for a pitiful heap such as Monsoon Metropolis?" So get the latest patch already!

I have no diea what "putting a base on the open market" means!

[Black Sunrise]

Want a city cheap? Two possibilities come to mind.
Do you want to conquer it, or simply deny it?
Conquer: Nerve gas chopper, drop unit, empath laser chopper.
Deny (much more fun): Nerve gas/PB, Drop scout patrol (Obliterate base!).
Ha.
And, if you have higher Planet scores, when Planet comes visiting, she'll kill off your enemies for you.
Ha. Ha. Hah.
Indra
Playing a -really- psychotic leader in a couple games.

[death_head]

Personally, I think it is a lot more fun to do a little genetic warfare to your opponent's capital...

[Black Sunrise]

Capital? Capital? Do it to every city you can get your hands on!

Indra

[death_head]

I know, I know, but start with the capital and work out.

[mrdynamic]

Re: Buffer Zone

Hoek , how do you put a city on the open market? I could not find the option...

[Sprayber]

On the higher levels the AI rarely trades bases unless you throw in some credits or a few techs. I say rarely cause sometimes they will make a dumb trade. When I'm engaged in battle with a faction on a far away continent and I capture a base I usually try and trade for a base I have had my eye on or just give it away. This is an excellent way of getting third parties involved in your war. One as the Pirates I was at war with Yang. I only held his seabases just to the west of his continent. I landed and took one of his coastal bases and immediately gave it to Santiago who was on the same continent to Yang's east. I had pretty good relations with Santiago and gained more favor by gifting a base. Yang had overwhelming forces outside the base and would have retaking in a couple of turns. Well, he went ahead and took the base(renamed Sven's gift) and brought the wrath of the Spartan Federation down on him.