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BRC
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Just recently, Dominae posted a thread 10 tips to get you up to Emperor/Diety.
The thread covers much of what is needed to get to the higher levels, but I thought that I would spell out what I went through.
So......
I found this site in August 2002. I would just peek my head in and read what people were writing. One of the first things that I saw was Arrian's thread on Ultimate Power. I saw what he had accomplished in his game, and I said "That should be me." So, after a few half games on Warlord, I moved up to Regent with my newly found skills. I won the only full game I played at that level. The other ones that I started, I was "forced" to quit, mostly because I had learned so much and couldn't live with my mistakes. Playing taught me so much, but I owe much more to the countless threads and posts by others here. After reading all of Theseus' Must Read Threads, I took the jump to Monarch. My Egyptians seemed to perform well in the few games that I played. I was able to grab all of the wonders from the Hanging Gardens on, had the most land, highest population, and access to most luxuries. Still, I didn't feel like I was dominating as well as the regulars here seemed to be reporting. So, I posted in a thread (A Strategic Choice) in which Arrian and Dominae played out the same game with an Early Leader. I asked Dominae to take a look and tell me what he thought. I had no idea how much I had been doing wrong.
Dom was nice enough to create a new thread for the purpose of of making me a better player. BRC's Game covered the first game that I originally posted, a whole bunch of Q & A, as well as a number of graphics on city-spacing. It's an interesting read. Many people chipped in to help (you know who you are).
So, now that you know a little of my history, my first Emperor start. This is also my first game with someone other than Egypt (that lasted past Feudalism). Ottomans, Standard, Continents, Sedentary Barbs, PTW 1.14.
 Attachment: start.jpg
This has been downloaded 244 time(s).
Last edited by BRC on 24-02-2003 at 21:25
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BRC
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I quickly REX'd out, trying to keep my cities at about 3-tile spacing. From what I had heard, you don't get a lot of land at this level. Best to get your cities down. I beelined to Monarchy, as I would need the MPs, and I planned to war. My initial Rex:
Attachment: start continent.jpg
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BRC
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Persia quickly made themselves a power. I worried that if I didn't hit them now, they might end up bullying me around. I built up a small force, and marched toward their capital, Persepolis.
Attachment: persepolis.jpg
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BRC
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Right after, the Arabs declared war on me. I fought them off, and made peace on equal terms. Over the next few centuries, I oscillated on them, Persia, and the Zulu. Horsemen were upgraded to Knights, and then to Sipahi. An elite gave me my FP built due east of Istanbul. It was optimally located for when I owned the whole continent.
I made contact with the rest of the world in the early A.D.'s. China and France were pushing their tech ahead steadily, and they usually trailed by one. Japan and India had been beaten into submission early, but were plugging along. I kept contacts seperate until Astronomy.
Well, after taking half of my continent, building my FP, and some infrastructure, I decided that it was time to get back on the grind.
Arabia was next, and my Sipahi sliced through their belly. I captured a few wonders (Sistine, Leo's) and built Adam Smith's and J.S. Bach's at home. Then, with my momentum, (and a nicely timed GA), I went after Zululand.
Attachment: zulu.jpg
This has been downloaded 243 time(s).
Last edited by BRC on 23-02-2003 at 21:44
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BRC
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With my continent secure, I went into builder mode. Looking back, this was probably a mistake, as I should have put out more Sipahi and sent them over on boats. Anyway....
France. They pissed me off. They dropped 2 Medieval Infantry off next to my core. I politely asked them to leave. They declared war. Ok. I dealt with the "threat" and planned some payback. I was in no condition to take over their whole homeland, but I did the next best thing.
Paris, which was a major powerhouse, was the target of my frustration. I dropped off ~12 or so Sipahi and Riflemen a square away. Next turn, I hit it, I razed it, then I got back on the boat. See ya.
Attachment: paris.jpg
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BRC
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I felt better. I went home and did some more building. I snagged all of the Industrial Era Wonders, with ease. Japan sneak attacked my little island to the SE. Oh well. Other than that, nothing exciting.
I first contemplated going the U.N. route, as I was starting to get bored. The Spaceship would take too long (I thought). However, I have heard that a U.N. vote can be unpredictable with all of the MPP's and Alliances, so I decided that Tanks would be the way to go. France was first.
I landed roughly 80 Tanks, which were upgraded to MA right before the attack. They made progress pretty steadily, as I was praying for a Domination win. I cleared out the French, and with no Domination turned on China. As WW hit me, I dropped into Anarchy for the final push. A few turns later, it was all over.
Final Score: 7074
Attachment: domination.jpg
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BRC
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Here are the Score and Culture Graphs. Power looked almost exactly like Score.
Attachment: score.jpg
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BRC
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Culture
Attachment: culture.jpg
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BRC
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Walking step by step through my game:
1) Tighter city spacing. Found city's along fresh water, bonus resources, luxuries. Most important, at Emperor, the AI's expand fast. Get a lot of cities vs. a lot of land. You need to get your production up to make up for the AI's 80% bonus.
2) Build the FP early. While I didn't, it could have made the game much easier, even if it was not optimal (thanks Catt). I was being killed by OCN corruption by 300 A.D. BUILD IT EARLY.
3) Despotism doesn't suck. Actually it does, but, with the ability to support 4 units per city for free, you can become powerful very quickly. Build a lot of workers. Build a lot of units. This game, I finally broke down and built non-vet units. They work great as MP units, and they don't require a barracks (with 1 gp per turn). Keep your military at the limit of your allotted units.
4) Relative strength. The AI might have a bigger army than you. But when you have all of your units outside his capital (Persepolis, in my case), then it doesn't really matter. Use your whole army to fight. He will beg for peace after you knock down a city or two.
5) Crown Thyself. I went to Monarchy first, and then to a Democracy in the Industrial Ages. Unless you have a good amount of luxuries, I think that it is a good idea to just take the anarchy and be a King. MP units are still extremely useful for getting your production up, and the hordes of workers that you have (right?) are not eating away at your treasury. The Medieval Age is all about production.
6) What Wonders? I did not attempt to build a single wonder until J.S. Bach's. While this may have been because I didn't get my FP finished until late, I would put serious thought into spending a lot of shields on something this early in the game. Just make sure that it's worth it, ok? BTW: I think that Bach's was the most important wonder in this type of game, followed by TOE, Adam Smith's, and the later ones. Set yourself up to nab the later ones.
7) Acquire Happiness. Also something I failed to do, although I normally do it. How hard is to pack a boat or two full of units and send to find a luxury? Any luxury that is on a coast belongs to you. Go get it. Have money to rush a Harbor. This is not a war of conquest, or attrition. The long term benefits are massive....
8) Diplomacy. Sell your techs for GPT, if it's reasonable. Keep your reputation clean, if you can. The AI's don't have to like you, but they do need to respect you.
9) Marketplaces are required. Along with your search for luxuries, you will need marketplaces. I did not build a single temple or cathedral until the last 15 turns, and even then I didn't need 'em. I love religious, but it wouldn't have helped me nearly as much this game.
10) Culture. You can clearly see that I didn't have a whole lot of it in the beginning of the game. Later I came on strong. Most of my early shields went towards units. With no temples, my first sources of culture were the libraries that went in. I had 4 or 5 cities flip, yet only lost 2 or 3 units due to IDGAFIYF strategy. Jawa Jocky will explain this later if you have any questions. 
11) WLTKD. It is important to know how this works, especially in this type of game. The production boost is huge. If you are having trouble getting cities productive, force them into WLTKD with a marketplace, MP units, and more luxuries. It's a great thing.
12) Predicting Tech. The AI will usually research the same techs down the tree. Research the ones that they won't and trade it to each AI for a different tech. Four for the price of one. These Emperor AI's are good for something after all.
13) Go For The Kill. After I cleared my continent, I should have loaded up my boats with Sipahi and Rifleman and run amock. My cities should have kept turning out units. Instead, I became a builder. I had such an advantage that the game could have easily been over by the middle of the Industrial Ages. If you've been playing builder all game, keep building. The Spaceship is not too far away at 4-5 turns per tech.
14) Hail Mary! I had MA hammering the AI's. The WW was killing me though. I could have stopped the wars and ended the suffering. Instead, I plunged my beautiful civilization into anarchy, and pushed ahead. A few turns later, the game was over. Don't stop. Get it. Get it. (Write that down.)
15) This is the most important thing that you can do, so listen up. If you're having a problem with your style of play, ASK SOMEONE WHAT YOU'RE DOING WRONG. Post a save, with your general game plan. Someone will help you. This will shave months off of the learning curve. Trust me. I have something like 3 or 4 complete games to my name. Game experience is not something that I have a lot of. However, I do have a lot of experience through reading about what others have had to deal with. Know how the AI thinks. Don't react to what the AI's do. Force them into a situation that they won't like (e.g. Selling them techs, Attacking with a lot of units in a stack, Researching techs they won't). You dictate the game that they play.
Any questions?? I'll probably have other stuff later, but I'm tired. Discuss. Debate. This is not a list to get you to Emperor. This is what I have learned. That being said, this is definitely not the only way to play the game. Make a plan and stick to it. If it isn't part of your plan, then stay away from it. Good Luck all!! 
Last edited by BRC on 23-02-2003 at 11:45
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BRC
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Here is a zip file with the Initial Start, and the save from right before I won. It got really sloppy at the end, as I was just trying to get it done. Please excuse.
 Attachment: ottoman.zip
This has been downloaded 3 time(s).
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BRC
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Alva: I definitely agree that I should have plopped a city down up top. I debated a long time on the southern one, and finally said no. My OCN corruption was starting to kill me, as I didn't get my FP down as quickly as I would have liked to.
MZ: I was debating on grabbing the Persians or Ottomans for this game, and finally decided on the Ottomans, due to the later GA and the fact that I thought that I would have a bigger window with the Sipahi than the Immortals. I am pleased with my decision.
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Dominae
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quote:
Originally posted by BRC
One of the first things that I saw was Arrian's thread on Ultimate Power. I saw what he had accomplished in his game, and I said "That should be me."
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Ah-HA! So that's where your UP/perfectionist bias comes from (not that there's anything wrong with that...).
Nice, very dominating game, BRC. Now you need to follow it up with the "things you learned" section...I'm expecting it!
Dominae
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yxhuvud
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Regarding that you stated that you thought it was a mistake to build instead of making war overseas after taking your continent:
When you are in the position you where, you have won regardless, it really didn't matter..
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badams52
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near the magic kingdom
May 2002
time: 21:26
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quote:
Originally posted by BRC
Walking step by step through my game:
10) Culture. You can clearly see that I didn't have a whole lot of it in the beginning of the game. Later I came on strong. Most of my early shields went towards units. With no temples, my first sources of culture were the libraries that went in. I had 4 or 5 cities flip, yet only lost 2 or 3 units due to IDGAFIYF strategy. Jawa Jocky will explain this later if you have any questions. |
Spoken like a true warmonger esp. points 13 & 14, though I'll have to agree that sometimes the cure for what ails you is war with a neighbor. See the evaluation coming up later on my Dry, Hot game.
On the culture flipping, sure the IDGAFIYF strategy works, but I rarely employ it, maybe because I usually build culture improvements earlier than the AI. I prefer starvation and buying workers, which I learned from the AI. Though if you're really, really lacking in culture (try an NIC game), neither method works.
My favorite example: I build a city, it flipped while not at war because of it's proximity to the border with India (many cities flipped in my NIC in this manner). After I retook the city and destroyed India's cities that caused border dispute and put up my own cities that encased said city in my own borders, it still flipped to India. There were 2 Indian nationals compared to my 3 Chinese citizens inside, and that was enough. 
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Dominae
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Wow, BRC, it's scary how much of an influence I've had on your game-style. I have to agree with all your points, because I remember defending most of them myself!
Re: Despotism, MP, and Vets. The only MP unit really worth it is obviously the Warrior. The only Regular unit I use are Warriors. I therefore tend to use a lot of Regular Swordsmen, if I need them. If you're expecting the unit to get into a fight, make it a Vet. The exception to this rule is Draft units, which sort of break this whole paradigm because their cost is flat (1 pop).
Again, nice game, BRC. Now go back and do the 'Son of SVC' AU. Heh.
Dominae
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BRC
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quote:
Originally posted by Dominae
Wow, BRC, it's scary how much of an influence I've had on your game-style. I have to agree with all your points, because I remember defending most of them myself!
Re: Despotism, MP, and Vets. The only MP unit really worth it is obviously the Warrior. The only Regular unit I use are Warriors. I therefore tend to use a lot of Regular Swordsmen, if I need them. If you're expecting the unit to get into a fight, make it a Vet. The exception to this rule is Draft units, which sort of break this whole paradigm because their cost is flat (1 pop).
Again, nice game, BRC. Now go back and do the 'Son of SVC' AU. Heh.
Dominae |
I quickly reached my maximum allowable units in Despotism and did not want to exceed it. So, instead of turning out more warriors for MP units, I built regular spearmen instead. I was able to use these in battle, just more or less as a distraction. I still had Vets covering my stacks. Some of these spearmen were upgraded, but I was able to build Vet Musketmen and Rifleman pretty efficiently, and so therefore disbanded some. I didn't even attempt a swordsman upgrade, but instead built horsemen and had massive upgrade to Knights when I hit the Zulu. I had to stop research for a few turns, as I had been researching at pretty much full speed. The treasury needed a little boost.
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23-02-2003 04:59
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