ERIKK
03-09-2007, 15:24
First impression on Civ4 + BtS.
Game stats:
- raging_brabs
- no_tech_trade/brokering
- monarch diff
- marathon speed
- hugh map 18 players
- lakes
- I was Ghandi (phi/rel) - I wanted to launch the ship: to see the full lenght of the game (all techs/units/wonders)
After playing this game for 3 weeks up to 1912 AD (for a total like 30 hours or so) I would like to share you my happiness about BtS. The game is great! It is realy great in all its facets and gives you that 'civ-feel'! [yeah]
First of all I quit as I am losing to the AI. I have 35 infantry + 25 cavalry and 2 tiny vassals and 1 mediocre vassal but it is not enough. The big AI bully has 5 mediocre vassals now (a few through capitulation) and is sweeping the map with all those hugh stacks. My mediocre vassel is collapsing as my recue 10+ infantry force was no match for 75+ stacks like 20 grenadiers + 10 airships + 20 cavs + 10 rifles + numerous other older units... I couldn't spare more due to multiple fronts (the enemy vassals!). The sheer size of the AI stacks is horrific. They pop up with 20+ stacks everywhere!
The funny thing is: this winner AI was - for long - a small AI but somehow it managed to get to be top dog. After many world wars it got its vassals and is unstoppable now. The main AI, which I took for THE potential winner, ended as a small vassal state of the top dog. That was partly due to my intervention: after reseaching curaissiers first I send an army to raze a bunch of his cities and run away. I was realy scared of them at that point as it was BIG and very strong - so I had to do someting. (He had 3 big vassals at that moment.) So after that event, other AI stepped in his place. Some civs went from big to small and others from small to big! This game, over this span of time (marathon), is NOT foreseeable! Many things happen. The random events influence it.
Some points:
- random events: happen all the time and are fun, gives a more in dept feel! Sometimes have a big infleunce on AI relations!
- spying: the AI keeps poisoning your water, even if you have Security Centers (Democracy), and do counterespionage. This is annoying. I was THE spy leader in the game but somehow they couldn't be stopped
- tech rate: the 'no trade' is great, you realy experience the slow developing of your nation: the tech rate is not that far from real history... Also, no tech trading makes no AI bribing; I had to fight my own wars. Which were a lot of them, many times it was 2 against 4 and me and my vassal were overwelmed on multiple fronts. But often victorious!
- raging barbs: I built the great wall, which allowed me to get a head start and be the tech leader till around 1850 AD.
- religion: it effects the AI behaviour. I could not deal with civs with other religions. Which sucks of course but I can live with it. My big error was having the wrong religion. Diplomacy was hard, having the minor religion. I should have swapped in hindsight.
- The AI is quite capable to wage war. No more stupid suicides. You can see a war coming if you monitor the power graph. The AI builds an army first and will then target the civ ranked #1, 2 or 3. Weak civs gets conquered and turn vassal state.
- Vassals: in mid game near all civs were either master of vassal. Vassals and masters vary from time to time. This is extremely fun to watch as the game evolves
Anyway: with 3/4 of the wonders, many great leaders, tech leader for most of the time, playing as peacefully as possible I failed to win. I learned that to once an AI gets strong it will gain vassals and becomes even more stronger. If the other strong AI's won't act, you have to act. If you see it coming, you have to send your army to raze! Risky business - as leaving a border towns 'near emptey' means 100% sure invasion by your neighbour. Happened to me too this great game!
ps: I knew I had to keep a strong military in Civ4. I went from horse archer to knight to curaissier to cavs and asap to muskets, rifles and infantry. Along the way I fought many wars and managed to fend off with superior units against superior numbers. I never ever did so many fighting in a single player civ3 game!
ps2: I see bribing the AI to do your fighting as a sort of a cheat. No tech trade rules: there has been no bribing at all! Everybody fought their own wars.
Game stats:
- raging_brabs
- no_tech_trade/brokering
- monarch diff
- marathon speed
- hugh map 18 players
- lakes
- I was Ghandi (phi/rel) - I wanted to launch the ship: to see the full lenght of the game (all techs/units/wonders)
After playing this game for 3 weeks up to 1912 AD (for a total like 30 hours or so) I would like to share you my happiness about BtS. The game is great! It is realy great in all its facets and gives you that 'civ-feel'! [yeah]
First of all I quit as I am losing to the AI. I have 35 infantry + 25 cavalry and 2 tiny vassals and 1 mediocre vassal but it is not enough. The big AI bully has 5 mediocre vassals now (a few through capitulation) and is sweeping the map with all those hugh stacks. My mediocre vassel is collapsing as my recue 10+ infantry force was no match for 75+ stacks like 20 grenadiers + 10 airships + 20 cavs + 10 rifles + numerous other older units... I couldn't spare more due to multiple fronts (the enemy vassals!). The sheer size of the AI stacks is horrific. They pop up with 20+ stacks everywhere!
The funny thing is: this winner AI was - for long - a small AI but somehow it managed to get to be top dog. After many world wars it got its vassals and is unstoppable now. The main AI, which I took for THE potential winner, ended as a small vassal state of the top dog. That was partly due to my intervention: after reseaching curaissiers first I send an army to raze a bunch of his cities and run away. I was realy scared of them at that point as it was BIG and very strong - so I had to do someting. (He had 3 big vassals at that moment.) So after that event, other AI stepped in his place. Some civs went from big to small and others from small to big! This game, over this span of time (marathon), is NOT foreseeable! Many things happen. The random events influence it.
Some points:
- random events: happen all the time and are fun, gives a more in dept feel! Sometimes have a big infleunce on AI relations!
- spying: the AI keeps poisoning your water, even if you have Security Centers (Democracy), and do counterespionage. This is annoying. I was THE spy leader in the game but somehow they couldn't be stopped
- tech rate: the 'no trade' is great, you realy experience the slow developing of your nation: the tech rate is not that far from real history... Also, no tech trading makes no AI bribing; I had to fight my own wars. Which were a lot of them, many times it was 2 against 4 and me and my vassal were overwelmed on multiple fronts. But often victorious!
- raging barbs: I built the great wall, which allowed me to get a head start and be the tech leader till around 1850 AD.
- religion: it effects the AI behaviour. I could not deal with civs with other religions. Which sucks of course but I can live with it. My big error was having the wrong religion. Diplomacy was hard, having the minor religion. I should have swapped in hindsight.
- The AI is quite capable to wage war. No more stupid suicides. You can see a war coming if you monitor the power graph. The AI builds an army first and will then target the civ ranked #1, 2 or 3. Weak civs gets conquered and turn vassal state.
- Vassals: in mid game near all civs were either master of vassal. Vassals and masters vary from time to time. This is extremely fun to watch as the game evolves
Anyway: with 3/4 of the wonders, many great leaders, tech leader for most of the time, playing as peacefully as possible I failed to win. I learned that to once an AI gets strong it will gain vassals and becomes even more stronger. If the other strong AI's won't act, you have to act. If you see it coming, you have to send your army to raze! Risky business - as leaving a border towns 'near emptey' means 100% sure invasion by your neighbour. Happened to me too this great game!
ps: I knew I had to keep a strong military in Civ4. I went from horse archer to knight to curaissier to cavs and asap to muskets, rifles and infantry. Along the way I fought many wars and managed to fend off with superior units against superior numbers. I never ever did so many fighting in a single player civ3 game!
ps2: I see bribing the AI to do your fighting as a sort of a cheat. No tech trade rules: there has been no bribing at all! Everybody fought their own wars.