Silverdragon's guide to conservative expansionism

[jpk]

SilverDragon, when you play do you generally play with random opponents or do you choose who your opponents will be? Also on what kind of world do you play? Is it generally one continent or multicontinent?

In one of your messages you write:

quote: I get Oracle for the doubled temples, because I build a lot of them early. I also get it because I end up with one monstrous production city, because I am very good at finding coal resources, or making them. The result is: This baby has built every wonder that is useful, and it needs something to do.

Please explain how you go about making a coal resource? The only way I know how to do that is to have an engineer transform a grassland. In my experience a lot of wonders get built prior to the discovery of explosives. Perhaps your experience is different.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

[Scouse Gits]

My threeh'p'orth on Wonders (based on an ICSish style)[list=1][*]Colossus - 'cos if you don't build it first the AI surely will[*]Gardens - normally a damn close run thing[*]look at world and decide whether you need a navy - Lighthouse or are their unfriendly neighbours? - Wall[/list=a]if I now have three Wonders, relax - I have won - the rest is purely cosmetic. OK - I've almost certainly won anyway, but there is a lot more work to do if I haven't got my WoWs.

[SilverDragon]

I only make coal resources after engineers.

[smilo]

TIP FOR EXPANSIONISTS (AI ONLY) : never hoard loads of money : invest, make the cash usefull. In AI games bribery by the AI is not really an issue, so if your not saving to bribe the enemy, rush build all the time.

[tonic]

Rushbuying has relevance to other styles of play as well eg OCC where I've termed it the 0CC ["0 (zero) Cash-in-the-Coffers"] Rule.

[KaiserIsak]

Silverdragon--> U dont have a clue bout what ure talking about (=
Sorry....

[East Street Trader]

Latterly I have been playing on a small map. I seem to be able to get most (even all) of the early wonders after anything except a very poor start. On a large map, two is more likely even after a good start.

I think the explanation may be that the terrain on a small map is more challenging so that the AI's inability sensibly to site cities hampers it plus the AIs fight among themselves earlier and have more trouble from barbs.

I always have random AI civs and their preferences for the early wonders match my own, Pyramids, then Colossus then HG. They only go for Lighthouse and Oracle if nothing else is available.

I'm going to have to work out a self denying ordinance so as to stop getting too many wonders early on a small map as it takes all the challenge out of the game.

[SilverDragon]

To answer some of your questions, I like small one continent maps. That means the zulus and mongols kill all the perfectionist civs that like wonders before they start too many wonders. If an AI starts the Oracle, I let them have it and then bribe the city. Also, I get the wonders by incrementally rushbuying caravans. Once somebody (I think it was Smash) got the first four OCC wonders by 75 bc by incrementally rushbuying caravans. They only cost 150 gold, and you can easily get that in a turn in tribute, getting you an early wonder every 4 or 6 turns, depending on what it is. Now if you're playing MGE, I suggest you drop the Oracle, because you won't get as much tribute from the AI, plus you will have more early wars. Then I suggest getting to polytheism faster for vet ellies. Or, you could just use ICS.