dagorkan
Arbiter
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2006
- Messages
- 5,164
Got any strategies for playing an unciviized country like China?
First game, I am in 1915 (no Great War?) and I realized I completely failed. My Military power is 22nd, Industrial power 15th (though I can't produce anything - no craftsmen/clerks), Prestige something like 225th (Prestige rating -160). Manchuria's been taken over by the Japs, a good part of Turkmenistan and the North by Russians, about five provinces in the South by the French and British.
What I did:
-Education all the way to the right (0.06 Research points /tn) since the beginning. I have literacy of about 37% but don't see any of the benefits.
-Crime fighting stuck at maximum all the time.
-Since about 1860 had Defence spending at maximum. Maximum Defence maintenance spending
-Taxation has been kept under 35% most of the time (for Middle class 30% maximum, Upper class 45%).
-Rely on Tariffs for money - about a quarter to three quarters of the way past the zero point. Tried reducing, even subsidizing imports for years at a time it never did anything except put me in debt. I can stick Tariffs at 100% and not suffer any disadvantage...
-I'm the 3rd biggest exporter (after USA) at about 1100 gold/tn. I built up stockpiles of all needed resources (100+ cement, iron, guns, canned goods, artillery etc).
-Built about 10 factories over the course of the game in different places with high RGOs - glass/wine/liquor factories are what I'm limited to. I never have more than about 15 people working in them (no craftsmen)...
-Started with Railroads in about 1860, now have pretty much 75% of China covered with maximum infrastructure.
-No social/political reforms. 150k+ lump sum just to introduce limited suffrage? Are they joking? By 1915 Plurality is at about 1.5%
-Lost every war though I have won battles and did some pretty heavy damage to the French and British invasion forces in the early games. In the end there are just too many of them. My fortifications are useless because they all have storm troopers. I did build five armies of 60k+ with Artillery brigades, regulars, cavalry unit etc commanded by Generals. My Organization and especially Morale always sucks. Crushed every revolt pretty fast. Built a small fleet of 6 Man-o-wars.
-Tried to be friendly to the USA first, then Russia. Russia invaded me and the USA reduces it's disposition towards me whenever I raise it. Japan was a great friend, kept increasing relations (150+), guaranteeing my independence repeatedly. Then all of a sudden in 1910 (just after I'd crushed the revolution) they declare colonial war (through Korea) and massacre all of my armies (about 350k strong).
-Science: focussed on Manufacturing (have about 8/30 advances), a few Financial (but not Freedom of Trade) and a couple of Military options. I am still an 'uncivilized nation' - why?
-Random events: In early game I lost Prestige like crazy through no fault of my own. Every decade I get 'Opium Trade' and lose maybe 50 Prestige just like that. Keep losing resources in accidents. I basically went pro-science, pro-moderate Western reforms all the way, executed smugglers, took in foreign defectors etc.
Went with the Edicts in about 1900s which suddenly set my Social Spending break even at 550 gold/tn - managed to keep out of bankruptcy (lucky I'd saved up so much) until the Dowager Empress counter-revolution - but when the game said all reforms were repealed - I still had to pay 350k+ of Social Spending at the minimum possible!
I've recieved about six 'Private Initiative' random events telling me the chance of investment increases by 25% - but I've never seen one new factor or improvement.
Seems the scenario is broken. The scripted events make little sense and just ruin me any time I make some progress and nothing good ever happens.
First game, I am in 1915 (no Great War?) and I realized I completely failed. My Military power is 22nd, Industrial power 15th (though I can't produce anything - no craftsmen/clerks), Prestige something like 225th (Prestige rating -160). Manchuria's been taken over by the Japs, a good part of Turkmenistan and the North by Russians, about five provinces in the South by the French and British.
What I did:
-Education all the way to the right (0.06 Research points /tn) since the beginning. I have literacy of about 37% but don't see any of the benefits.
-Crime fighting stuck at maximum all the time.
-Since about 1860 had Defence spending at maximum. Maximum Defence maintenance spending
-Taxation has been kept under 35% most of the time (for Middle class 30% maximum, Upper class 45%).
-Rely on Tariffs for money - about a quarter to three quarters of the way past the zero point. Tried reducing, even subsidizing imports for years at a time it never did anything except put me in debt. I can stick Tariffs at 100% and not suffer any disadvantage...
-I'm the 3rd biggest exporter (after USA) at about 1100 gold/tn. I built up stockpiles of all needed resources (100+ cement, iron, guns, canned goods, artillery etc).
-Built about 10 factories over the course of the game in different places with high RGOs - glass/wine/liquor factories are what I'm limited to. I never have more than about 15 people working in them (no craftsmen)...
-Started with Railroads in about 1860, now have pretty much 75% of China covered with maximum infrastructure.
-No social/political reforms. 150k+ lump sum just to introduce limited suffrage? Are they joking? By 1915 Plurality is at about 1.5%
-Lost every war though I have won battles and did some pretty heavy damage to the French and British invasion forces in the early games. In the end there are just too many of them. My fortifications are useless because they all have storm troopers. I did build five armies of 60k+ with Artillery brigades, regulars, cavalry unit etc commanded by Generals. My Organization and especially Morale always sucks. Crushed every revolt pretty fast. Built a small fleet of 6 Man-o-wars.
-Tried to be friendly to the USA first, then Russia. Russia invaded me and the USA reduces it's disposition towards me whenever I raise it. Japan was a great friend, kept increasing relations (150+), guaranteeing my independence repeatedly. Then all of a sudden in 1910 (just after I'd crushed the revolution) they declare colonial war (through Korea) and massacre all of my armies (about 350k strong).
-Science: focussed on Manufacturing (have about 8/30 advances), a few Financial (but not Freedom of Trade) and a couple of Military options. I am still an 'uncivilized nation' - why?
-Random events: In early game I lost Prestige like crazy through no fault of my own. Every decade I get 'Opium Trade' and lose maybe 50 Prestige just like that. Keep losing resources in accidents. I basically went pro-science, pro-moderate Western reforms all the way, executed smugglers, took in foreign defectors etc.
Went with the Edicts in about 1900s which suddenly set my Social Spending break even at 550 gold/tn - managed to keep out of bankruptcy (lucky I'd saved up so much) until the Dowager Empress counter-revolution - but when the game said all reforms were repealed - I still had to pay 350k+ of Social Spending at the minimum possible!
I've recieved about six 'Private Initiative' random events telling me the chance of investment increases by 25% - but I've never seen one new factor or improvement.
Seems the scenario is broken. The scripted events make little sense and just ruin me any time I make some progress and nothing good ever happens.
