Revolutionary Strategy Implications of C3C

[Yahweh Sabaoth]

Originally posted by Jaybe
Contact with other civs might not be delayed all that much. Aren't there supposedly new techs which may enhance naval travel capabilities?

I don't think anything official has been said about this. I sure hope the "naval scout" unit makes it in!

There is the curragh... but does anyone know exactly what the curragh does, what tech allows it to be built, etc?

[Jaybe]

Contact with other civs might not be delayed all that much. Aren't there supposedly new techs which may enhance naval travel capabilities?

[Yahweh Sabaoth]

Originally posted by alexman
For anyone wanting to get a head start in developing new C3C strategies, the two diplomacy changes can be made even now in PTW with the editor.

Aha, very perceptive! Alexman is always a source of fine ideas and useful facts.

Yes, the more I think about it, the more I'm looking forward to this... It will give the "natural builders" more leeway to build, not to mention attain a tech lead or at least keep up in tech without trading every turn, and it will give the "natural early warmongers" - Celts, Aztecs, Persians, etc. - more time to conquer nearby civs before their UU is made kaput!

Very desirable all around... when I think about it, perhaps I should retract my earlier comment that civs will tend to last longer... the early warmongers might very well be able to wipe out quite a few civs before feudalism rolls around!

[alexman]

I have to agree that those diplomacy changes are significant.

You will need to focus more on exploration (at the expense of growth) to find more civs to trade with. This will be essential if you want to stay in the tech race at the higher difficulty levels. The expansionist trait will become even more powerful.

On the other hand, the tech pace will slow down, making the ancient age last longer. This will allow you to still attack your neighbors with ancient units without having to face pikemen in the BC.

For anyone wanting to get a head start in developing new C3C strategies, the two diplomacy changes can be made even now in PTW with the editor.

[Yahweh Sabaoth]

The "cartographic monopoly" will chiefly be useful to determine whom to attack and when, don't you think? Will it really be helpful to a pacifist? And how helpful will it be period, as the AI constantly demands that troops be withdrawn?

I'm not sure I like this improvement. What's going to happen to mapmaking? That is one of the most important techs of the ancient era... with that greatly diminished, the whole ancient era strategy (for a lot of folks, and the AI) will have to change.

As for Printing Press allowing communication... well, it's not very realistic, but I like it. It will make ancient era wars all the more vigorous, as you won't be able to ask for alliances. This most likely means that more civs will live on into the medival and industrial eras. Very interesting!

I still think the most revolutionary change will simply be the change in traits, for all the civs. I'm a huge map fan, and I can't stand all the expanionists... the tendency of the various expanionists to find new techs first, and trade them amongst each other, often leaves the player behind in the ancient era... and I like having a tech lead! I greatly look forward to a reduced expanionist presence, although it will change the game greatly, won't it?

I think these changes are good. They are certainly revolutionary, or at least, major changes... I think we will see more civs survive to see the industrial age this way.

Hopefully seafaring will make actual overseas colonization possible... could be!

[Cort Haus]

Apparantly Conquests includes this earth-shaking modification:

Tweaked Diplomacy
- Communication trading now comes with Printing Press
- Map trading now comes with Navigation


That changes everything. The ancient era will no longer be over in the BC period, which will in turn change the shape of the following era. It also makes the expansionist trait into a long-term cartographic monopoly.