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Originally posted by Velociryx
Morning guys!
Here would be my take on it (the REX, ICS thing):
REX, by its definition, is all about rapid expansion in the early game. For REX to be fundamentally different from ICS though, it implies that the early game represents the window of opportunity for expansion to get yourself on par with the AI, and use it to blow past the AI in all the meaningful measures of productivity.
The problem lies in the fact that if I build an endless stream of cities, I'm taking up land that the AI could be using to build cities of its own. So I'll do it, well beyond the early game, simply to deny the AI access to land it could otherwise use.
True, it's not *quite* the same as Civ2-style, cities in every other tile ICS, but it amounts to pretty much the same thing. I can spew out an endless stream of cities, space them a bit further apart, thanks to culture and border bumping, deny the AI access to all the land, give myself more production centers, and crank out some cheap-o unit (either through classic production, or through conscription, which is the biggest Civ3 ICS exploit, as it relies completely on food (unaffected by corruption) to churn out troops.
They've partially buried ICS by means of their various fixes, but IMO, it's still alive and well. Pop rush (or cash-rush) a granary in a new little city, and it doesn't much matter if its production sucks. Ten conscripted soldiers (not to worry about the population....it'll grow back more rapidly in Civ3 anyway) will trounce pretty much anything the AI has, even if you're behind in tech. This, because the AI is still not so good at defending itself.
Of course, as with the earlier iterations of the game, and has been clearly demonstrated, there's no need to conscript/rush your way to dominance, but if you want a surefire way to win the game, then ICS works here just as well as the earlier iterations of the game. Its function and methodology may have changed (expected, in the face of changing rules on support and such), but the concepts and principles remain largely the same IMO.
-=Vel=-
Morning guys!
Here would be my take on it (the REX, ICS thing):
REX, by its definition, is all about rapid expansion in the early game. For REX to be fundamentally different from ICS though, it implies that the early game represents the window of opportunity for expansion to get yourself on par with the AI, and use it to blow past the AI in all the meaningful measures of productivity.
The problem lies in the fact that if I build an endless stream of cities, I'm taking up land that the AI could be using to build cities of its own. So I'll do it, well beyond the early game, simply to deny the AI access to land it could otherwise use.
True, it's not *quite* the same as Civ2-style, cities in every other tile ICS, but it amounts to pretty much the same thing. I can spew out an endless stream of cities, space them a bit further apart, thanks to culture and border bumping, deny the AI access to all the land, give myself more production centers, and crank out some cheap-o unit (either through classic production, or through conscription, which is the biggest Civ3 ICS exploit, as it relies completely on food (unaffected by corruption) to churn out troops.
They've partially buried ICS by means of their various fixes, but IMO, it's still alive and well. Pop rush (or cash-rush) a granary in a new little city, and it doesn't much matter if its production sucks. Ten conscripted soldiers (not to worry about the population....it'll grow back more rapidly in Civ3 anyway) will trounce pretty much anything the AI has, even if you're behind in tech. This, because the AI is still not so good at defending itself.
Of course, as with the earlier iterations of the game, and has been clearly demonstrated, there's no need to conscript/rush your way to dominance, but if you want a surefire way to win the game, then ICS works here just as well as the earlier iterations of the game. Its function and methodology may have changed (expected, in the face of changing rules on support and such), but the concepts and principles remain largely the same IMO.
-=Vel=-
Can't wait for the Apolyton mod BTW. 
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