fahbs wrote:
Interesting ignoring faction units. Hadn't heard of that before.

I clarified above. I was talking about the Era 1 faction units specifically, but the same thinking goes for Era 2. Unfortunately the majority of the unit designs are replaceable paper dolls to carry strategic equipment. I think the top tier units are Ranged, Healers and AoE attack units with gems like the Ateshi Zealot (Ranged AoE), Dust Bishop (Ranged unit with an AoE heal) and Dekari Ranger (4 range) being the best. The rest are situational, have substitutes or just plain suck (I'm looking at you Yirmak!). For example, a Vaulter player can add a Iron Talisman to a Marine and get a ranged unit that moves just as fast as a Dawn Officer. Whatever you have, load them up with T2 Glassteel (Initiative + Damage).



I'll be honest, I've played exactly zero multiplayer games where I felt all of the players were playing competitively (including myself). The usual dynamic is one player goes military early and wipes out another, becoming the king of the hill. The other players either work together to halt him or get wiped out in turn. The only thing that breaks this cycle is if a competent Drakken player is in the game that Force Truces his way out of trouble. Either that player is the king of the hill and conquests at his leisure or that game turns into a race for one of the other victory types between the Drakken and the other player that swallowed up everything else. I'm not sure what would happen if all of the players went military early and no one was crippled in the first 50 turns.



I agree that this dynamic needs to change so that more strategies come into play. There's a lot of different approaches to solve this (I've been experimenting with these in my mod). First is removing the brain dead stuff like the Military power Status Screen that tells you exactly who your next target should be (sorry Amplitude, but someone there likes this feature way too much, we all hate it). I think the massive leap in power from T1 Iron to T2 Glassteel is a problem. Also, the lack of inherent defensive bonuses (Siege army action eliminates Fortification bonuses) and lack of penalties to conquest (easy to offset expansion penalties, no war wariness, rebellion is solved in one turn, low military upkeep). I know Amplitude is open to changes, but the crunch to get Guardians out the door was the priority. I also think this would help the AI.

Yeesh. That's way more than I ever built.



Usually I made the starting hero a governor, only putting him with the army in the case of Necros as they razed every village in sight. Or Drakken just for the heals.



So people just ignore boroughs until they're maxed for horizontal expansion?

fahbs wrote:
I had heard of the rule of thumb "race to t2 alloy equipment, then push military to win", and had gotten the feeling that a lot of later era techs/buildings simply weren't worth it. Like who cares about boosted food production past era 2? It would only help brand new cities and those cities don't have the industry to produce the later food buildings anyway.

I don't think t2 buildings are dummy traps, but you need to think long and hard about building them in lieu of military, especially in a multiplayer game.



Exploring with your starting 3 independently (unit, unit, hero) is usually a good idea, but it varies by faction.



My particular turn goals for a military-focused BL are:

• By turn 8/12: You've settled your second city.
• By turn 12/18: You've settled your third city.
• By turn 17/25: You've reached tier 2.
• By turn 27/40: You have a 6 unit army fully equipped with strategic weapons and titanium rings.

Fast/normal, vanilla factions.



You don't have to play the same way, but it should give you an idea of when to expect me on your doorstep in a multiplayer game.

Interesting ignoring faction units. Hadn't heard of that before.



I had heard of the rule of thumb "race to t2 alloy equipment, then push military to win", and had gotten the feeling that a lot of later era techs/buildings simply weren't worth it. Like who cares about boosted food production past era 2? It would only help brand new cities and those cities don't have the industry to produce the later food buildings anyway.



If any ONE thing needs to be fixed in the game, it's the absolute zero advantage defenders get in war with the absolute zero penalties the aggressor gets. That's why the game is over once one side gets a slight military lead.

Based on 1.1.1 version



This assumes you are playing competitively. The fastest patch to victory is Supremacy, which means you need a strong military.



Goals



[LIST=1]

Have a strong and economy

Expand to 4 cities including a region with Glassteel

Be in a position to field army/armies with tier 2 Glassteel as early as possible

[/LIST]



Research



Use early game research to focus on developing , and expansion. And set your self up for a strong military in Era 2

• Research Mill Foundry is first unless you have a ton of and zero
• Get Seed Storage, Public Library and Alchemist Furnace (assuming you have T1 Strategics in your start region) next, in order depending on if you need or more. It's important to start harvesting strategics early.
• The remain techs depend on your starting region, faction and start spot. Language Square only if you are interested in ruining pacification quests.
• Avoid Military Science and Search Party, which are not good techs.
• Get the Era 1 faction unit only if it is something that is strong and can't be replaced by minors (Ardent Mage's Zealot, Roving Clans Kassai). Cultists usually need Fanatic because Preachers are not good combat troops.
• You'll need Mercenary Market, but don't get until you are ready to purchase a hero (~500 in the bank).
• You'll need Sewer System, by the time you are ready to settle your third city.
• Once you hit Era 2, you want to get Alchemical Alloys, Alchemical Armors, Prisoners Slaves and Volunteers and Meritocratic Promotion for your military. Central MArket is also good if you are expanding.
• Dont be afraid to go back to Era 1 to pick up techs after you hit Era 2
  
  

Development



Build your cities to be and centers.

• For first city, I usually build Founder's Memorial, Mill Foundry and a Settler in that order.
• Move workers around so that you can get your first Settler out ASAP. This means that Research for Mill Foundry should complete on same turn Founders Memorial finishes and first population should come out before Mill Foundry completes.
• For subsequent cities, I always build Mill Foundry first. After that Seed Storage, Public Library, Strategic Extractors depending on needs.
• You best city should build Settlers until you have 3 or 4.
• Glassteel is critical to a strong army, you'll need Titanium too but make sure you have Glassteel.
• Once you have 3 cities start building Sewer System in each to keep up.
• I like +20% for first empire plan.
• Expand to 3 or 4 cities before focusing on other things.
  
  

Military



Use your starting army to scout and pacify minor faction villages while leveling up.

• No matter what you are doing use your hero-led army to pick search ruins to gain XP.
• First priority is to scout a good spot for your second city.
• Attack or quest to pacify nearby minor faction villages so they don't become a nuisance later.
• Ignore quests that require too much travelling.
• Upgrade your starting units to T1 Iron before you take on Minor Faction villages.
• Upgrade your hero and units as soon as you get Era 2 Weapon armor techs.
• Meet other empires so that you can use the Military graph on the Status Screen (F10) to keep an eye on you're opponents' military strength.
  
  

After you've completed your initial expansion, you probably want to start looking for a military target....