Multi-Player super tech speed strategy

[unmerged(27373)]

IMHO, Multi-Player is a lot more fun, bigger bloodier wars, unpredictable human player all add another dimension of fun to the game. If you get into a group that likes to joke, it's even better. I don't know about other groups but my MP group tend to like to joke with each other a lot to make the game even more fun.

Now, many SP strategies transfer directly to MP, but, there is one strategy that is kinda unique to MP situation. This strategy is not applicable to single player unless AI changes.

Now, all of us want tech. In MP, it is possible for you to research all technologies before end of the game very quickly. Here is how.

First, recognize there are order, liberty, and equality national values. This strategy works best with 2 trading partners who are 1 liberty + 1 order and both are capable of researching technology within a year plus surplus RP.

Now, here is the situation

Country A - Liberty
Country B - Order

Liberty gives you bonus to research ind/com while order gives you bonus to research in army/navy. How do you utilize those bonuses? Here is an example.

Assume beginning of game both country A and country B start with the default 25 technologies (5 in each category).

Tech 1
Country A - Ind
country B - Army

Tech 2
Country A - Ind
Country B - Army

Tech 3
Country A - Ind
Country B - Army

Tech 4
Country A - Ind
Country B - Army

Now, for tech 5 & 6
Country A offer 2 Ind tech for 2 army tech from country B

result
Country A has -20 RP but 4 ind + 2 army tech now
Country B has 0 RP but 2 ind + 4 army tech now

trade again, this time, country B initiate it
resut
Country A has -20 RP but 4 ind + 4 army tech
Country B has -20 RP but 4 ind + 4 army tech

Now, how long does it take for both nations to research 8 technologies? The values are approximate as when I loaded up GC Sweden, I discover the time for Sweden's bonus tech (army/navy) was a little less than 11 months but I'll be generic)

Country A = 4 * 11 + 2 * 12 (to work off those -20 RP) = 68 months = 5 years 8 months. Not bad for 8 techs.
Country B = 4 * 11 + 2 * 12 (to work off those -20 RP) = 68 months = 5 years 8 months. Again, 8 techs in record short time.

If you research those tech yourself, it will be 4 * 11 + 4 * 12 = 7 years and 8 months. About 2 years longer.

When both nations are same value, advantage is less. When you factor in nations that are capable of producing surplus RP, thus speed up trading time, advantage of mutual tech trading increases even more.

This trading does depend on both parties understand it and trade whenever they have non negative RP. When you factor in the advantage of getting tech early (say muzzle load rifle, artillery, income boosting tech, or important ind tech), it's usually better for you to get those tech early and wait to work out that negative RP.

The most efficient way to trade is whenever both sides have 2 techs that the other side doesn't have, just trade 1 tech each at a time. This way, both partner will end up with -10 RP and 4 techs each within 2 years and 10 months (22 months from your 2 specialty tech, 12 months from -10 RP due to trading).

What if you're a tech poor nation with just 0.50 RP a month? You still benefit from this due to RP saved.

Now, be careful, when you do something like this, don't find a trading partner that may go against you...... Find someone that is not likely to turn against you and trade away as it is a win-win situation

If cuntry A specialize in ind tech and country B specialize in army tech. Assume both countries start with 5 army tech and 5 ind tech and there are no pre-requisite requirements for tech research, in order to get all 25 army and industrial tech, it takes 460 months, or 38 years and 4 months. If you start at 1836, you can get all those 50 techs by 1874. Imagine all the barrels you can produce from all of your factories by 1874 and send them to your neighbors to say hello Of course, with invention trigger time, this may not be possible

 

[Lotus Lo]

well i couldn't get past 14 or so untill 1860 or something like that in army tech. so there was about 5-8 years that i could not advance my army skills

 

[unmerged(27373)]

that's why I said assume no pre-req..and later added no invention trigger time limit either.

In reality, you have some pre-req but usually they aren't too bad, especially if your partner is aware of those problems and research the appropriate tech to help you.

 

[Lotus Lo]

yeah, mine was due to the invention time limit...

 

[KaiserChicken]

Thanks for this excellent strategy. It's really well thought

 

[Waffen9999]

I always suspected people who would play multiplayer would trade their techs back and forth to power their allies. makes perfect sense and in multiplayer is pretty exploitive.

 

[Memnon]

Interesting, Blitzkrieg. I'm looking forward to possibly trying this out.

 

[unmerged(27373)]

Interesting, Blitzkrieg. I'm looking forward to possibly trying this out.

err...errr....

A Russia with Chinese manpower added and tech powerhouse to boot?

//runs and hides under the nearest rock.

I am hoping to promote some awareness to possibilities in MP. We are all aware how MP can different, but how different? This is one aspect of MP I am not sure people have realized.

Hopefully, this will encourage more people who are bored in single player to give multiplayer a try. The more the merrier for everyone (assume they all behave)

 

[unmerged(27373)]

I always suspected people who would play multiplayer would trade their techs back and forth to power their allies. makes perfect sense and in multiplayer is pretty exploitive.

One problem...at least in some MP games I've played...you can't always count on your "ally"

That's why I put that caution in. If you power up the wrong person...you can seriously regret it. That is why it is potentially very powerful yet restrictive in reality. This works wonders for 4 friends trying to say take down UK & Russia AI.

Another problem, I think not as many liberty value nations at beginning of GC so you most likely will have more order countries looking for liberty partner. order - order trade is ok but just not as good unfortunately as both of them specialize int he same tech so RP saving is not there.

If you are order and you initiate trade, get army/navy tech back, you are penalized for -10 RP. If you research yourself, it cost you just 9 RP so...it still help and beneficial to trade but not as "exploitive" as 1 liberty + 1 order.

Actually, if you're lucky enough to find 4 nations, 2 liberty, 2 order and each is capable of producing 1 tech/year, potentially, you can get all army/navy/ind/com tech very very quickly. I don't wanna say how fast because then you can figure it out...it's just amazingly quick. Of course, given there are research pre-req as well as trigger time issue, that's not possible.

 

[Waffen9999]

Though it's a bit off topic, since you mentioned the bonuses of Liberty and Order. I always felt Equality should have a bonus as well. Instead of dropping to 9 though, drop all techs to 9.5 across the board for Equality. That way if you do wind up as them you're not penalized.

 

[OriginalRafiki]

Equality has other benefits, social reforms being more efficient or something?

Rafiki

 

[Raph]

Speaking of that, what ARE the exact benefits of equality?

Also, is it just my imagination or does it affect POP ideology?

 

[Darkrenown]

Doesn't it make the upkeep of social reforms less? Not 100% sure about that though.

 

[unmerged(27373)]

which nations start with equality?

I've only seen order or liberty so far I think....at least the ones I remember.

Generally speaking, I prefer order country. Order country seem to get police bonus. I can eradicate corruption more effectively as order. I can spend 0 on crime and still have crime purged and new one appear = 0 balance. When I crank up crime to 100% as order, I can expect a crime building erased.

Besides, it's just so nice to give your army and navy all the shiny new toys they demand

 

[Raph]

All Proletarian Dictatorships have Equality as national value.

 

[unmerged(27373)]

equality sounds like it suck

I don't care about efficient social services, they are a drain on my treasury!

 

[Waffen9999]

equality sounds like it suck

I don't care about efficient social services, they are a drain on my treasury!

I agree and I don't care what anyone says, but the cost of social reforms is far to high.

 

[Memnon]

I agree and I don't care what anyone says, but the cost of social reforms is far to high.

Well they're not supposed to be easy to implement. That's why no one in the 19th Century had them.

It's also the reason why 1.01 was so easy.

 

[Waffen9999]

Well they're not supposed to be easy to implement. That's why no one in the 19th Century had them.

It's also the reason why 1.01 was so easy.

I never did play 1.01 but from what I hear it was bad. Social reforms might be better if they definitely put the upgrade difference on them. Ie. if you go to tinkets and than later decide to upgrade you're not paying the full price, merely the cost to go from where you're at already to the next level.

And really though, why would it cost money to remove social reforms?

 

[unmerged(27373)]

tell me about it...if you remove social reform, it shouldn't cost money...

they should fix that tarriff/subsidies bug...right now, as USA, I can only look in envy as the world is raking in free cash from tarriff