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In an attempt to (hopefully) stimulate some discussion on OCC games, I'm going to post some of my preferred strats in reaching the SS victory on higher levels.
One tip I would start with is to NOT be the Babs. While they have the best trait combo for OCC, I think, building the Colossus and GL triggers their GA, often while still despotic. This is a terrible waste of what will be a great help in winning the game for you - the modern GA.
Another tip, which has always paid off, is to turn off research once building the GL, and crank it back up to 100% once I receive Theology from the GL and grab Printing Press. I have always gotten this tech first, and been able to trade my way up to parity, and get a nice gold surplus as well.
My favorite strat for starting the industrial age is to build a bank, and crank my science down to 0, and spend all of my saved gold and gpt buying the last 2-3 techs from non-scientific civs to get into the industrial age. As I am always a scientific civ, I can immediately get Nationalism and turn around to those civs I just gave all of my money to (an others as well), and get it all back, plus any medieval techs i missed, plus a ton more gold, all on the same turn. Of course, you have to keep an eye on the other civs positions in the game, as this works best if you buy your way into the industrial age on the same turn that the top civs get there. You then should have a clear shot at 100% research to ToE, which, even if you don't get it, you are in a position to go straight for radio, which will net you a nice profit and fill in a lot of your missing techs.
In the late industrial ages, getting flight is a killer, as you lose your colossus benefits. Wait as long as you can to get this tech, preferably using the Scientific buy-and-sell technique (if you are scientific, obviously) to get your best possible start into the modern ages. If you're lucky, you'll get (or be able to trade a scientific civ for) computers, if not, research first to bring your science back up with Research Lab/SETI. If you are not scientific, just research flight last and go right for computers.
This is where your GA comes in. If you are Rel/Sci, Rel/Exp, or Sci/Exp, then your GA was already wasted earlier in the game from wonders. Once you have SETI/Research Lab, and the other 3 base modern techs, find the weakest civ, or one thats being piled on and far away, and join in. You will hopefully be able to pick off an obsolete/wounded unit with your UU, and your GA will get you most of the way through your spaceship. If you can reasearch/trade for Space Flight and Synthetic Fibers before your GA without falling too far behind, then do it by all means. The key is to get as far through the SS as possible during your GA.
If you find yourself getting beaten to the SS anyway (spying helps greatly), reduce yourself to ROP rape and muster a large enough force to raze the offending capital(s). Remember, if you launch the SS, it doesn't matter if you are at war, although you will be well served to pick up as many allies as you can afford prior to this desperate maneuver, and try not to do it unless you are 10-15 turns away, at most. nb, this strat was lifted and slightly modified from DaveMcW's Emperor OCC spaceship win, but I had to include it.
One tip I would start with is to NOT be the Babs. While they have the best trait combo for OCC, I think, building the Colossus and GL triggers their GA, often while still despotic. This is a terrible waste of what will be a great help in winning the game for you - the modern GA.
Another tip, which has always paid off, is to turn off research once building the GL, and crank it back up to 100% once I receive Theology from the GL and grab Printing Press. I have always gotten this tech first, and been able to trade my way up to parity, and get a nice gold surplus as well.
My favorite strat for starting the industrial age is to build a bank, and crank my science down to 0, and spend all of my saved gold and gpt buying the last 2-3 techs from non-scientific civs to get into the industrial age. As I am always a scientific civ, I can immediately get Nationalism and turn around to those civs I just gave all of my money to (an others as well), and get it all back, plus any medieval techs i missed, plus a ton more gold, all on the same turn. Of course, you have to keep an eye on the other civs positions in the game, as this works best if you buy your way into the industrial age on the same turn that the top civs get there. You then should have a clear shot at 100% research to ToE, which, even if you don't get it, you are in a position to go straight for radio, which will net you a nice profit and fill in a lot of your missing techs.
In the late industrial ages, getting flight is a killer, as you lose your colossus benefits. Wait as long as you can to get this tech, preferably using the Scientific buy-and-sell technique (if you are scientific, obviously) to get your best possible start into the modern ages. If you're lucky, you'll get (or be able to trade a scientific civ for) computers, if not, research first to bring your science back up with Research Lab/SETI. If you are not scientific, just research flight last and go right for computers.
This is where your GA comes in. If you are Rel/Sci, Rel/Exp, or Sci/Exp, then your GA was already wasted earlier in the game from wonders. Once you have SETI/Research Lab, and the other 3 base modern techs, find the weakest civ, or one thats being piled on and far away, and join in. You will hopefully be able to pick off an obsolete/wounded unit with your UU, and your GA will get you most of the way through your spaceship. If you can reasearch/trade for Space Flight and Synthetic Fibers before your GA without falling too far behind, then do it by all means. The key is to get as far through the SS as possible during your GA.
If you find yourself getting beaten to the SS anyway (spying helps greatly), reduce yourself to ROP rape and muster a large enough force to raze the offending capital(s). Remember, if you launch the SS, it doesn't matter if you are at war, although you will be well served to pick up as many allies as you can afford prior to this desperate maneuver, and try not to do it unless you are 10-15 turns away, at most. nb, this strat was lifted and slightly modified from DaveMcW's Emperor OCC spaceship win, but I had to include it.
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