Tired of Caesar's arrogance, what would you do?

[Nemesis]

Place a couple defenders and catapults on a mountain
near a city. The AI will walk by to reach the city most of the time.
That way you can soften them up. Then kill with swordsmen.
When you place most of them on the mountain the chance is even bigger that the AI will try to reach the city.

Btw, I'd like to know how to get an image on the left border.

__________________
An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.

[planetfall]

Originally posted by Theseus
Try this:

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...threadid=58720

Theseus,

Thread is good, content does not make sense.

One of the key ideas is maximize settler production, i.e., settler factories. The stated goal is to pump out settlers when city is size 3 every 2-3 turns.

How can this be possible under depositism?

Settler costs: 30 shields and 2 pop.

Size 3 city with 2 shields/citizen== 6/turn.

5 turns between settler production.

What am I missing?

-- PF

[Arrian]

PF - I think the "stated goal" is pretty damn ambitious. In order to get that type of settler pump, you would probably need a wheat on floodplain and several good production tiles. The city would need to bigger than size 3... more like 6. With all that surplus food, plus a granary, it would bounce back to 6 very fast. With 4-6 citizens working the land, you may have enough production to build settlers every 3-4 turns. Keep in mind that you get a shield from the city tile (so a size 1 working a 2-shield tile would produce 3 shields).

Given a good starting spot (this means at least 1 food bonus tile, like cows), I find that my capitol can put out settler/spearman/settler/spearman, with maybe an occasional warrior thrown in, once I get it going (w/o a granary). Like I said, though, that requires some bonus food. I'm picky - I make no claim that I'm a purist.

I often find that the 10 shield bonus for chopping trees is valueable early on if you have industrious workers. It takes 5 turns for them, IIRC. 5 worker turns for 10 shields... well, it depends, but it really can help.

The other key to good expansion is a decent road network. I have been concentrating on this a little bit more, because I had a natural tendency to want to develop 3-4 tiles per city prior to moving on, which takes too long. Now I get 3 tiles set for my capitol and move on. If non-industrious, I will often punch out a worker before building any settlers, to speed terrain development. I also do my best to buy AI workers to replenish population in my cities (using them may get you into a war, b/c they are technically "slaves").

I think the all-out REX strategy is best suited for large and huge maps. On normal maps, I really don't think you have time to build granaries. Sometimes, but not often.

-Arrian

[Thrawn05]

Since I always play as Rome, I don't know to dismantle it... but I do know how to cripple the Persians.


Generaly, unless Persia is right next to you, you won't be able to destroy them. Cripple them. Rome's UU can handle Immortals (check out the Unit Calculator, a legionary being attacked by an immortal will win about 60% of the time (IIRC), and that's unforted on open land).

I agree with those above that say cripple them. Pilage roads and taking out cities near iron will work.

[planetfall]

Originally posted by Arrian


I think the all-out REX strategy is best suited for large and huge maps. On normal maps, I really don't think you have time to build granaries. Sometimes, but not often.

-Arrian

Agreed, I stopped building granaries in early game as did not have time. I don't play huge maps, but do play with 5-6 civs on std map but with increased initial placement between civs. Thus game play is about the same as a larger map. The archer rush becomes horse/knight rush. Granaries in a few cities might be important. Yes I take advantage of all lumbering I can, especially since AI often protects forests for my loggers. Guess like many they don't know trees are a renewable resource and grow, duh.

Reviewing the strategy, it looks like I have not been consistent in setting aside one city to settler factories. I used to rush to Republic, and then to Monarchy-Republic. Now I am staying in depositism longer because of the 6 turn penalty of govt switching for non-religious civs.

Just irritated with how fast the AI plants cities and was looking at REX as method to get closer. It seems like if I am too many cities behind, I can't get production up enough to get the available border towns when then are size 2-3.

Also agree I have refocused workers. It used to be I would improve 5-6 tiles in each city before moving on. Now I improve 3-4 tiles, and focus on building up other towns and developing roads. Later I go back and fix the improvements. Actually do this twice. Once to optimize for depositism, and later to optimize for RR'ed Republic.

The other major change in game play is placement of cities in initial empire. Now I put them 3..4 tiles apart instead of 4..5. I reserve 4..5 for conquered lands. I found I need the 3..4 for unit construction early on, and since it takes so long to get the full benefits of 4..5 placement, the extra units are more important then full production.

--PF