Favourite Units? [It's wartime]

[Ming]

Diplo... Diplo... Spy... Howi..

What else do you really need against the computer

[DaveV]

Ming,

Since the AIs love to hoard gold, I've had to pay outrageously large sums of cash for mediocre AI cities (500-1000 gold). I finally decided it's more efficient to buy some good attacking units with that cash, and I'll still have some of them left over after capturing the city. Admittedly, a bribed city is usually in better shape than a conquered one, but I still prefer conquest to bribery.

Steve Clark,

Diplos *can* bribe/subvert cities, or at least they can in my game...

[DaveV]

Ming (and other trade gurus),

How long does it take in a typical game to set up the caravan money machine? I've always lost patience when I've tried to play perfectionist. It seems like pretty slow going compared to ICS. Can you really get tons of cash from trade routes in the BC or early AD years, or do you need to build up some super cities first?

[jpk]

Dave V, it takes a while for it to kick in. First you really need Magellan so that your ships can go a decent distance each turn. To get the maximum benefit you want to trade with the distant civilizations. It helps if you have ships all along the route to that you can do ship chaining or at least mid ocean transfers of caravans. Magnetism should be a research priority.

I tend to build a lot of early wonders so my caravans may start later than other players. Since I play on 10,000 square maps it may take even longer than for others. I'm going from memory but I would guess that it kicks in around 500 AD to 1000 AD. Once I get radio it goes into overdrive. While I haven't tried it, after I have radio, I suspect that I could set my science to 10% and still get an advance almost every turn. (You need some science so that the trade bonus kicks into an actual advance) With a 30% luxury rate I could have a 60% tax rate and use the tax money to buy lots of airports real fast. Perhaps I will try this in my next game.

If you play on a one continent world, ICS is probably a far better strategy for a quick victory. A trade strategy may be better if you would rather not push around big armies. My plan is to get a sizable technological lead and then attack with a small army of superior units and diplomats or spies.

A trade base strategy is probably ideal for a space ship game. This is more the kind of game I play. Usually I retire before building the space ship.

[geofelt]

I vote with Ming. early on, diplomats can buy cities cheap, force peace, and establish embassies. They can defend against barbs by bribery.
In the second age, I rarely build the units.
Later, I still like spies, esp. vet spies. By now, I have acquired a large civ through bribery.
At the end, I still like spies, but howitzers on railroads can finish off a civ quickly.
How do I get the gold?, not particularly through trade. If you have michelangelos, JSB and adam smiths, combined with a temple and marketplace in each city, then fundamentalism produces HUGE amounts of gold. Try it--it's fun.

[Steve Clark]

geofelt: What is a huge amount of gold? I remember one game while under Fund with most of the cities doing Capitalization, I was cranking out 1800 per turn and couldn't spend it fast enough so I had over 25,000 in the kitty. Is that alot or not?

[Hodad]

1:
Archers (charriots in civ1)
2:
Knights
3:
Subs!
4:
Howys


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Alien Infiltrate

[Hodad]

Ancient:
Archer

Renaissance:
Dragoons

Industrial:
Riflemen

Modern:
Spy

[Sieve Too]

Subs = slow and underpowered cruise missiles that can only attack sea units. Once they attack, a cheap Destroyer will come along and kill them. The only thing Subs are good for is to soften up AI Battleships by sacrificing themselves so that my Battleship can finish off the AI. After Bombers and Cruise Missiles, they are good for nothing.

[Carolus Rex]

Going by Steve's list.

1) Ancient

Goody hut chariots (is that OK?). Ever stumbled across that single AI city with one or two of those early on? Poof! No more city, no more AI civ, but lots of territory to expand in! Reputation is also "poof!", but who cares against the AI?

2) Rénaissance

Anything on something that has four legs!

3) Industrial

The super ironclad!

4) Modern

None, really. No personalities, no charm, nothing.

Carolus

[Caesar the Great]

Ancient - I don't think anyone has mentioned this but the settler. I probably build at the very least 40 of these in a game (i'm talking small maps) Without them many people wouldn't be able to beat the game. Well except maybe Paul . But if you wanted only military units then the horsemen they are good for exploring and cheap. With Leo's they get transformed to cavs .

Renisance - Musketeers I'm usually not offensive until I get transport and a vet musketeer with walls is unbeatable (almost)

Industrial - When I said settler I won't say engineer. Probably the Cavelry is my favorite they provide nice fast attacks.

Modern - I think most players would agree the spy is one of the most (if not the most) important offensive and deffensive unit in the game. But if you don't count this then howitzer

[Carolus Rex]

See my answer in 3) for the "almost" after vet musketeers behind walls...

Carolus

[Sergeant Sheets]

25 k in the kitty? Not hard, but I find it boring to get that far ahead of the AI. I like it nice and easy, and then I go conquer with Knights in like 1200 AD.

[Steve Clark]

Ming/Dave: You're probably right, I had just never seen that option when a Dip goes into an enemy city. Could it be the level or some other factor?

[Ming]

DaveV... against the AI, once you get your caravans going, money isn't a problem, no matter what the cities cost to subvert
Heck, it's only money. And yes, the cities come to you in much better condition!

If they are in democracy... that's what the howies are for