Is it MGE or me?

[Steve Clark]

War4: Great thoughts and question. I gotta get home now, the snow is coming down pretty good here in Colorado. I'll post again in the morning.

[War4ever]

wow that was long winded I dont' build enough caravans so i often have to capture wonders..... like i said, i tend to have a big brawl and end up fighting a war on all fronts.... some times i have intermittant peace but not too often... again its all land based depending on where you start
my biggest weakness if you could call it that is my mid game management, i let the ai catch up a it and then i am into a good fight especially on large land masses

[VetLegion]

Steve Clark, I read your posts. We have much in common since I am learning to play too, just the opposite of you I learn to play modern warfare, since I usualy won before gunpowder ( ).

It was called "the rock" strategy in civ1. You build lots of horsemen and expand in all directions. When found AI you dont attack, but find a convinient spot near them (mountain, hill) and fortify to stop them expanding. Horses early in the game mean your borders will be far from your cities, and thus you will need no phalanxes. AI attitude for you is set mostly by number of units, so all those little warriors you keep to make happy cities make you Supreme.

You will use triremes and crusaders to conquer the world, when time comes.
Hope this helped.

[Steve Clark]

War4ever,

I'll take your last question first. No, I don't always prefer modern warfare. It seems I tend to finish clobbering all of the remaining civs with modern units because I like to fight with a significant quantity and quality advantage. That usually means waiting until I can produce a dozen quality units per turn. Like you, that does take time since I am very methodical in attacking with most of my forces against only part of theirs.

Where we perhaps differ is that I don't put the AI on the defensive in the early game. My first military priority after Monarchy is to build the Great Wall (with caravans) and make sure each city has two units (usually Phalanx). In most of my games (since I play on normal/large maps), I've been lucky to have been fairly isolated. So, I just let the Barbs and nearby AIs attack me - they always end up decimated. I may lose one unit in a city, but they are quickly replaced by switching from the usual caravan unit. After the Great Wall, my next military priorities are Sun Tzu and then Leo (all with caravans). Leo usually happens very early AD and then I'm set until about the 1800s. So far, I have not had any enemies that could take any my cities, so I just let throw themselves at me (and making sure the caravans are out of harm's way).

What I do offensively in the meantime is to use diplomats to bribe key units (even though I had trouble in my current long game of getting NONE units) and use a force of Musks to take out some enemy cities that are close to me. Sometimes I'm able to wipe out one or two civs at this stage, depending how lucky I am in exploring their territories.

I do talk to enemy leaders, sign peace treaties with those closest to me. I will break it eventually, but that provides me with more breathing room. Also, in nearly all cases, I am significantly ahead in techs and I usually can exchange 2-3 techs with them, giving them nothing that could hurt me. They think it's a win-win but I make sure that it is to my advantage. The Great lib also helps in keeping ahead of them, I get about 8 techs that way.

As far as they coming to talk with me, I let them. I basically do the 'consequences-smesequenches' thing. With the Great Wall, they ALWAYS back down. And like I said before, sneak attacks and any other attacks are usually suicidal on their part - I let them do it so I can concentrate on building up my 10-12 cities, building caravans, we loving my science city and racing up the tree.

And like Scouse Gits said, my usual production is half the cities building caravans, the other half building military units or wonders. However, I start this very early under Monarchy and keep it through Democracy. Under late Democracy and Fund, I have those half building caravans switch to capitalism - all for the purpose of rush-building numerous military each and every turn. I, at most, only have 6 cities cranking out units, plus whatever cities I capture along the way. With superior forces, I don't plan for a war of attrition.

Whew.

[Aurelius]

Hey War4ever,

Just ordered multiplayer, so you better be ready for war

Was reading Daves and Vets last posts. My strategy has always been to avoid war until the late years. I found that attacking and destroying AI's slowed down overall science. So I started playing a smaller game of 8 to 12 cities. Usually there was a geographical territory I viewed as mine and never allowed AI's to encroach.

With the group of cities, I make them each super developed cities with high production and anti-pollution and lots of science capacity.

I would make minimal attack units. Just strong defensive units. But after discovering Mobile Warfare, I'd turn up my science to get Robotics. And in all my 'HOME' cities, I'd crank out 1 turn Barracks and then start 2 turn Tanks....and then crank out a 25 to 50 howitzer brigade. Some engineers and spies are good too.

Then all AI's are in trouble. But delaying the attack until after Robotics allows one to trade for sciences and also conquest for science.

But I never build the Great Wall...never. Is it considered a good multiplayer wonder? I here MGE is tougher. Funny, I also don't bother with Sun War. I do like Leo's though

AU

[Steve Clark]

Ran into the Mobile Warfare problem for the first time last night. In my methodical quest of destroying the Russians, they had researched Mobile Warfare and in capturing their next city, I HAD to take it I didn't want it because I love cranking out vets from Sun Tzu. I wished there was a way to choose whether I want to take it or not. Guess I have to interrupt my war machine and build barracks.

[crowatbitemedotcom]

I thought STWA expired when anyone discovered mobile warfare?

[Steve Clark]

crow: That was the problem, the Russians had Mobile Warfare and that was the only tech they had that I purposely didn't research. When taking a city, the game automatically gives you a tech you don't have.

But to answer your question, I had been turning out vets up until that time. I don't remember at what point they had discovered MW. I generally thought that the expiration of wonders ONLY happens when you get the advance, not someone else. I'm usually ahead in techs in all of my games that I had never experienced this. Can anyone prove crow's point?

Genghis: Sorry, I got carried away. WL the Sc means 'We Loving the Science City' which is purposely growing the Science City by one citizen each turn through, generally, manipulating the lux rate so that you have at least 50% of your citizens happy (and no unhappy ones).
[This message has been edited by Steve Clark (edited January 28, 2000).]

[crowatbitemedotcom]

Steve- well I know that Collossus expires when anyone gets flight and KRC expires when anyone get industrialization; I just assumed this was true for all the wonders that expire.

[Smash]

ya wonders expire regardless of who discovers the techs

Collossus-Flight
Great Library-Electricity
Great Wall-Metallurgy
Hanging Gardens-Railroad
Lighthouse-Magnetism
Oracle-Theology
King Richard's-Industrialization
Marco Polo's-Communism
War Academy-Mobile Warfare
Leonardo's-Automobile

think thats it

[War4ever]

Steve are the russians the only big civ in your current game or are there others as well...

Aurelius..... bring on the MGE i love a good brawl

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I am a civ addict. ARE U 2??????


icq 30200920

[Genghis Chris]

Steve, what does WL the SC mean?
On another note, regarding tough AIs in MGE, I find they relax more, the more human players there are. That is, in a 1 player game none of them want to be my friend. When I'm playing with my friend, I can get the Egyptians to be my ally for the entire game. When i'm playing with 2 friends, I've been able to trade maps with ALL the AIs, one by one, starting with the weakest and working my way up without having to give away any technology at all, just making peace treaties.

[kcbob]

I just thought of another aspect of MGE that I hate. Or maybe I need a patch?

I thought if I went to Democracy, my cities were then impervious to bribery. BUT, (there it is again), I still lose a city every so often to the AI through bribery. AARRGGHH!!!

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Frodo lives!

Better dead than "Red"... or green... or blue... or yellow... or orange... or purple... or white.

[War4ever]

AH THE GAME sorry for the caps there.... is still within reach ..... i hate the zulus.... if they get to grow they and the MOngols or Russians can be extremely annoying neighbors.... i haven't played a game with modern warfare in a while.... hell i haven't played SP in awhile.... but this all out brawl your having has inspired me to play another game.... perhaps i will write after each session to let you know what i am doing and to ask what you might do in the same situation

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I am a civ addict. ARE U 2??????


icq 30200920

[Carolus Rex]

kcbob,

Were your cities in disorder?

Carolus