06-02-2002 21:38									#1
	The worker funnel strategy Suffering from ads?

This won't work in any situation but it worked like a charm in a recent game of mine.

This strategy should work at any level for any civ. This strategy should prove especially handy in multiplayer games (whenever multiplayer becomes available.)

I was playing on a small map with one large continent against four opponents. I was fortunate enough to have had a starting location which placed me somewhat near the center of the map, not too far from my nearest rival (the English.)

Through careful city planning and quick temples (playing as religious civ) I was able to create a border close to three opposing civs leaving a large tract of land unsettled behind me. The key was to create an unbroken border between me and any opposition as early as possible to create this "open space" (between 1/4 and 1/3 of the entire continent)

In order to achieve this (at regent level) I had to go to war with the English and keep the peace with the other two neighboring civs (Americans and French). Even with my quick expansion, war and cultural borders the Zulus, who were farthest away managed to send a settler by boat in behind my "Maginot line" and plant a couple of cities. These were targeted for cultural revolt. Which didn't take too long.

Knowing that it wouldn't be long before the other civs ran out of land to settle I rushed to settle what land I could, working from behind my line to the farthest extremes. I managed to get about 7 cities in before the horde of settlers came knocking.

For as long as I could, I would allow the settlers to enter my territory, get almost halfway to their destination and then I would have them banished from my borders, making them start again. This would go on for at least three or four times per civ until the largest one (Americans) made it pretty clear that they weren't going to accept this any longer. Rather than have them declare war on me I gave them a right of passage and stop banning anyone else from crossing my land.

I used this time of stalling to mass a sizable army of horsemen and workers near the back end of my settled land. By strategically lining up these units I forced the settlers to take a specific path (naturally the longest path) to their destination. I did not completely seal off the route until the first settlers nearly made it through. At that point I choked off that entry point and created another opening at the other side of the island. The AI dutifully sent his myriad of settlers to the other opening.

Meanwhile I continued to produce settlers of my own and move them through my own blockade. I was able to settle nearly the entire space behind my line this way.

The reason why I din't just choke off the area completely was because during the period of time that I tried this, the AI sent settlers on ships which I didn't have the manpower to stop. Get them to think that their shortest route is through your territory and you have them at your will.

Through all of this funnelling the rival civs never got any angrier with me and they did not dare to declare war by capturing my workers for fear of losing all thier settlers.

I won by domination victory earning my highest score ever.

	07-02-2002 07:58									#2
	Increase the size of your Attachments

Ok, I *like* it. Yet another human exploit to counter the 'ai'.

Thanks, I needed the laugh!

	07-02-2002 12:10									#3
	Got spare money?

Yuo have just exposed Soren's Folly. By eliminating the ways and means that people use to outdistance the AI, and by making the game more simple, Soren has attempted to create a challenging game. Instead we have a boring and tedious one.

Your strategy shows that no matter what, a human mind will find a way to deal with the AI. Which is why taking all the fun stuff out of the game to bolster AI performance was a fool's errand.

I am not dumping Soren really, I am sure that he was only doing what he was directed to do.