Xerxes is a jerk!

[D4everman]

Sorry Jaybe, I didn't mean to sound upset. I was just frustrated....and let me tell you why!

I spent a few hours reading tips here and on civfanatics and decided to start a new game with the Iroqouis. Same level, cultural links disabled....and who do I start off next to?

THE STINKIN' PERSIANS!

It was still early in the game so I figured that maybe I should change my usual habits and just kill them all while I had the chance. I can't see how many cities Xerxes has but I'm guessing not more than four. He established a city near an iron deposit and I took it with my new Mounted riders. I started cranking out MR's as fast as I could while using my further away from the Persian cities to build settlers and expand in the other direction. But, of course, Xerxes has a seemingly limitless amount of immortals and archers. I finally got frustrated enough to quit....well, that and it was 3 AM. I'll probably try to give it another go later when I'm rested but heres what bugged me:

1. Well, this is just rottten luck, starting next to the Persians. I really really didn't want to see them.
2. Mounted Riders aren't very good, at least not for me. Mere archers killed many of them. I don't expect to win every fight, but the persian archers...and sometimes their warriors...would beat my riders more often than not and I'm talking with no terrain bonuses.
3. Is there a way to see through the fog of war? I don't wanna cheat, but I'd sure like to know where the hell all of these immortals and archers are coming from! The patch of land where the persians are looks like it terminates at the ocean and can only fit three or four cities. So there has to one that I can't see thats at least size 5! Unless the land mass stretches out into a resource thick peninsula that I have no view of, I know I have more cities than Xerxes...and decent production! Yet, the persians seem to be able pump out a lot of troops fast. I wouldn't mind that but as I said, even their warriors are defeating my Riders and Spearmen. I feel as if the computer is giving me the finger.
4. Barbarians! I have them set on "roaming" but I've been constantly attacked! If I was next to anyone else but the Persians (ok, ok, throw the zulus into that too) I'd find this part interesting...the Barbarians are as thick as flies! They keep on attacking! Its like the AI is really just sticking its tongue out at me. At least it felt like that at 3AM!

Ok, I'll stop moaning and ask for advice....should I wait for a few turns, build up a a ridiculous amount of riders, like 30 and attack? (I don't think I can afford that many and still maintain any research or that I have the time...the persians will only build up too.)

The Chinese are somewhere behind me. They haven't met Xerxes yet. If I manage to destroy Persia before they do will they hate me for it?

Maybe I can find out how to save the file and one of you experts can tell me what to do. Or at least see how much I must suck at this.

[D4everman]

Jaybe to answer your question though...

I normally don't start any wars unless I'm backed to a wall. I prefer to build up my cities. I don't like fighting wars that last indefinitely or have no purpose, so i try to stay ahead in the tech race up until about cavalry, then I try to just have the LARGEST army to deter invaders. In a perfect world by that time I have the infrastructure to maintain a huge force and keep up in the tech race.

Doesn't work a lot though....one time when that plan seemed to work the French started a war with me, wouldn't sign a peace treaty and War weariness stepped in and squished my dreams.

[realpolitic]

Originally posted by D4everman
I know the AI trades a lot amongst itself, but I had pretty much rallied everyone else to war with them. If they got these advances through trading I'd like to know how. No one trades tech fairly with me, even civs in awe of my culture. The Germans wanted me to give them military tradition for their world map and wouldn't trade medicine in the deal unless I offered them more than 500 gold! The japanese wanted industrialization, dyes and 10 gold per turn in exchange for wines and a world map! And NO ONE would trade me industrialization before I discovered it (I was only 4 turns away from it but I was testing the waters) even when I offered 700 gold (and trust me, no one had more than maybe 50 gold) and dyes.

As it looks now, everyone has leapt ahead of me in tech by a good amount and none of my allies are willing to trade any tech without asking for my right (insert name of male sexual organ).

It seems that the best tech strategy (when playing 12+ civs) is to sell several techs to everyone. With 12 civs, if what they say is accurate you can get 3x costs.


As for your Military Tradition/ Medicine trade according to the formula in the forum, the value of the tech drops after other Civs get it & the longer the tech has been in existance, you may have been paying nearly full price for Medicine.

[SlowwHand]

His mother dresses him funny, too.
Maybe that's the reason he's a jerk.

[Anodyne]

Hmh... I thought this thread was about him being the WRONG leader for the Persians! Duh!

Xerxes WAS a jerk, too. Only thing worth mentioning that he did was to LOSE the wars against the Greeks. He's one of the crappiest leader choices (well... about 60% of the choices are crappy...).

CURYS the Great all the way, I say!

[Spiffor]

My strategy against the Persians is simple (builder's strategy) :
- ICS like crazy at the beginning. Don't even bother to defend some cities, if building units slows down you ICS.
- defend all your cities with 1 or 2 defensive units.
- have a spotless reputation (i.e no sneak attacks, no betraying of allies etc.)
- always give in to Persia's demands.
- build a fabulous infrastructure over time.
- build swarms of cavalry / tanks while at peace.
- Attack the unprepared Persians with your armaggeddon army.
- end of the Persian problem.

Also, try often to trade with them, especially at the beginning of the game. If they know you give good money for their techs, they're much less likely to sneak attack you.

[{Soldier}]

My advice, be the Greeks, just build mass numbers (3 per city maybe 4) of hoplites to protect your cities it always works, for me haha.

[Lord Merciless]

My advice: either rush them early with Archers or wait until you get the Cavalry. Don't let their Immortals come into effect.