Civ 5: Archipelago Strategies
1)What should my tech path look like and which units to emphasize?
Astronomy and Navigation. Make a quick beeline to the National College, run up through Optics, hard-research Astronomy whilst building Universities and use Oxford for Navigation. Frigates are like the artillery of the seas, in terms of their impact on warfare at sea. The fact that they're on the Education route is a huge bonus.
2)Policies?(I was thinking a combination of liberty+honor might do the trick, with some commerce later)?
Definitely not Liberty unless you're playing on a Huge map. Anything smaller and you'll get more mileage out of Tradition. As Erneiz said, if you're on Archipelago, you want Commerce.
3)Sea-land unit ratio?
Depending on the type of Archipelago map (small continents, islands etc) it's quite possible to avoid land units altogether. If you do build land units though, don't waste your strategic resources on them - Iron, Oil and Aluminium can be better used on ships and planes than Swords or Tanks.
4)Wonders(Great Lighthouse maybe, ND later i guess)?
If you feel you can manage it the Great Lighthouse is really nice, but it typically goes early. I'd personally recommend avoiding Wonders unless you're way ahead and can pick and choose. Archipelago maps aren't known for their high production cities and you don't want to get caught wasting a huge number of turns only to miss it. One I would strongly suggest is the Statue of Liberty though - you're going to be running specialists and with your low production that makes this wonder very, very nice to have.
5)How many core cities do you usually go for?
Two or three, depending on map etc. Especially if you're going on a conquer spree I'd focus on getting two or three very well situated cities and avoiding any more unless the map is giving you the holy grail of city sites.
6)Who to actually attack first(nearest neigbours, the one with luxuries/resources or the weakest civs)?
This depends on difficulty level, on Emperor and above I'd strongly recommend you focus on who everybody hates... assuming this isn't you anyway. If it is you or no matter who you hit you're going to annoy everybody else then prioritize what you need (high production cities, strategic or luxury resources etc). If neither of the above narrow it down then take out the weakest provided they're not totally inaccessible or will put you at a strategic disadvantage.
7)How to keep up in tech, since nobody will DoF with an aggressor?
This actually won't be as big a problem as you might expect because the big science techs are all on your tech path. Just remember to build the NC early and get Universities up and staffed with specialists asap.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1)What should my tech path look like and which units to emphasize?
Aim for Sailing early - you need to get exploring much earlier than on, say, Continents. Don't worry too much about decent land units. The top half of the tech tree is key. Whilst exploring, go for Ed
For defence, emphasize a ranged land unit for defence in each city. Ranged ships are also perfect but I find that these get called to the front later.
For offence, you seldom need land units (unless the city is not on the coast or only has one water tile next to it) so concentrate on 4-6 frigates and 3-4 privateers per city. Prior to Navigation capturing a coastal city is doable but tough. Late game is where Archipelago maps come into their own with the range of units. Just remember the rock-paper-scissors mechanic and that you'll need 4-6 ranged naval units and 3-4 melee naval units per city.
2)Policies?(I was thinking a combination of liberty+honor might do the trick, with some commerce later)?
Liberty/Tradition first depending on preference. I would go Liberty as you will be going wide through domination. After finishing Liberty/Tradition I would recommend Commerce if it's available. Failing that, open up Honor.
3)Sea-land unit ratio?
A very rough ratio would be 4:1. One ranged unit per city and perhaps a naval unit or two sailing around your cities for defence. 4-6 ranged naval units and 3-4 melee naval units per city for offence. You will seldom need more than one land unit per city. The only exception would be if enemy cities (or your own) are in land, which is rare (especially for capitals).
4)Wonders(Great Lighthouse maybe, ND later i guess)?
Personally I aim for the Great Lighthouse but on Emperor+ there is no guarantee that you will get it. Commerce has similar benefits.
5)How many core cities do you usually go for?
I settle as many as possible on my starting island (I've never managed more than four cities and that would arguably be an ideal maximum to start with until NC). After NC I settle on strategic islands and resources. This can prove tough to defend and pisses off the AI so be warned!
6)Who to actually attack first(nearest neigbours, the one with luxuries/resources or the weakest civs)?
If you have a neighbour that is so near that they are in the way then go for them. I usually aim for that kind of neighbour first and then go for the top two civs (by that I mean the runaways who have all the wonders, 10 cities, are close to leading in tech and have spammed units). It may sound ridiculous to target the hardest civs first but once they have been conquered you have nothing to worry about. After all, you wouldn't want them to become an even bigger runaway whilst concentrating on less powerful civs...
7)How to keep up in tech, since nobody will DoF with an aggressor?
A few civs will (hopefully) remain friends. I've managed 3 out of 7. The other 4 are in a permanent war. I wouldn't rely too much on RAs though as the AI will often backstab you on Domination+Archipelago. How to keep up in tech then? Universities is the answer - build them in your core cities and staff them! Currently, I've got two fully staffed universities with 11 cities (my other cities are too small or are defending against the AI to staff/build universities) and I am leading in tech in the late medieval era. Settling a few GSs early can help no end.
One final note - you may find it hard to make allies with the AI and city states because you will be seen as an aggressor. Don't dispair. The most important thing is to keep ahead in tech otherwise you will struggle to tackle the larger civs. It is likely that your game will go on into the 2000s. Personally, I like it that way as late-game naval warfare is great fun! Just make sure you have conquered a few of the AIs capitals before then!
Astronomy and Navigation. Make a quick beeline to the National College, run up through Optics, hard-research Astronomy whilst building Universities and use Oxford for Navigation. Frigates are like the artillery of the seas, in terms of their impact on warfare at sea. The fact that they're on the Education route is a huge bonus.
2)Policies?(I was thinking a combination of liberty+honor might do the trick, with some commerce later)?
Definitely not Liberty unless you're playing on a Huge map. Anything smaller and you'll get more mileage out of Tradition. As Erneiz said, if you're on Archipelago, you want Commerce.
3)Sea-land unit ratio?
Depending on the type of Archipelago map (small continents, islands etc) it's quite possible to avoid land units altogether. If you do build land units though, don't waste your strategic resources on them - Iron, Oil and Aluminium can be better used on ships and planes than Swords or Tanks.
4)Wonders(Great Lighthouse maybe, ND later i guess)?
If you feel you can manage it the Great Lighthouse is really nice, but it typically goes early. I'd personally recommend avoiding Wonders unless you're way ahead and can pick and choose. Archipelago maps aren't known for their high production cities and you don't want to get caught wasting a huge number of turns only to miss it. One I would strongly suggest is the Statue of Liberty though - you're going to be running specialists and with your low production that makes this wonder very, very nice to have.
5)How many core cities do you usually go for?
Two or three, depending on map etc. Especially if you're going on a conquer spree I'd focus on getting two or three very well situated cities and avoiding any more unless the map is giving you the holy grail of city sites.
6)Who to actually attack first(nearest neigbours, the one with luxuries/resources or the weakest civs)?
This depends on difficulty level, on Emperor and above I'd strongly recommend you focus on who everybody hates... assuming this isn't you anyway. If it is you or no matter who you hit you're going to annoy everybody else then prioritize what you need (high production cities, strategic or luxury resources etc). If neither of the above narrow it down then take out the weakest provided they're not totally inaccessible or will put you at a strategic disadvantage.
7)How to keep up in tech, since nobody will DoF with an aggressor?
This actually won't be as big a problem as you might expect because the big science techs are all on your tech path. Just remember to build the NC early and get Universities up and staffed with specialists asap.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1)What should my tech path look like and which units to emphasize?
Aim for Sailing early - you need to get exploring much earlier than on, say, Continents. Don't worry too much about decent land units. The top half of the tech tree is key. Whilst exploring, go for Ed
For defence, emphasize a ranged land unit for defence in each city. Ranged ships are also perfect but I find that these get called to the front later.
For offence, you seldom need land units (unless the city is not on the coast or only has one water tile next to it) so concentrate on 4-6 frigates and 3-4 privateers per city. Prior to Navigation capturing a coastal city is doable but tough. Late game is where Archipelago maps come into their own with the range of units. Just remember the rock-paper-scissors mechanic and that you'll need 4-6 ranged naval units and 3-4 melee naval units per city.
2)Policies?(I was thinking a combination of liberty+honor might do the trick, with some commerce later)?
Liberty/Tradition first depending on preference. I would go Liberty as you will be going wide through domination. After finishing Liberty/Tradition I would recommend Commerce if it's available. Failing that, open up Honor.
3)Sea-land unit ratio?
A very rough ratio would be 4:1. One ranged unit per city and perhaps a naval unit or two sailing around your cities for defence. 4-6 ranged naval units and 3-4 melee naval units per city for offence. You will seldom need more than one land unit per city. The only exception would be if enemy cities (or your own) are in land, which is rare (especially for capitals).
4)Wonders(Great Lighthouse maybe, ND later i guess)?
Personally I aim for the Great Lighthouse but on Emperor+ there is no guarantee that you will get it. Commerce has similar benefits.
5)How many core cities do you usually go for?
I settle as many as possible on my starting island (I've never managed more than four cities and that would arguably be an ideal maximum to start with until NC). After NC I settle on strategic islands and resources. This can prove tough to defend and pisses off the AI so be warned!
6)Who to actually attack first(nearest neigbours, the one with luxuries/resources or the weakest civs)?
If you have a neighbour that is so near that they are in the way then go for them. I usually aim for that kind of neighbour first and then go for the top two civs (by that I mean the runaways who have all the wonders, 10 cities, are close to leading in tech and have spammed units). It may sound ridiculous to target the hardest civs first but once they have been conquered you have nothing to worry about. After all, you wouldn't want them to become an even bigger runaway whilst concentrating on less powerful civs...
7)How to keep up in tech, since nobody will DoF with an aggressor?
A few civs will (hopefully) remain friends. I've managed 3 out of 7. The other 4 are in a permanent war. I wouldn't rely too much on RAs though as the AI will often backstab you on Domination+Archipelago. How to keep up in tech then? Universities is the answer - build them in your core cities and staff them! Currently, I've got two fully staffed universities with 11 cities (my other cities are too small or are defending against the AI to staff/build universities) and I am leading in tech in the late medieval era. Settling a few GSs early can help no end.
One final note - you may find it hard to make allies with the AI and city states because you will be seen as an aggressor. Don't dispair. The most important thing is to keep ahead in tech otherwise you will struggle to tackle the larger civs. It is likely that your game will go on into the 2000s. Personally, I like it that way as late-game naval warfare is great fun! Just make sure you have conquered a few of the AIs capitals before then!
No comments:
Post a Comment