Let's Play Rise of Nations: Conquer the World

[Oberstleutnant Insipid]

Okay, I'm going to be doing a screenshot LP of Rise of Nations' Conquer the World campaign. I have the expansion, so all of the civilisations are unlocked.
The goal of the Conquer the World campaign...is to conquer the world. All of the other campaigns are historically accurate, but this one's more Rule of Cool: what if all of the world's ancient civilisations existed at the same time and started a massive world war?
You start in the Ancient Age and finish in the Information Age (the present). You move around the map attacking or allying with other nations and the game goes into RTS mode once you attack or are attacked.

What I'm asking SV is, what nation should I play as? Each one has a different power (don't ask me what this does because I have no idea) and different unique units. Copy-pasted from Wikipedia, here's the list.

There are 18 nations in Rise of Nations and each has its own special ability. The nations and their special ability are:

* The Aztecs have the Power of Sacrifice
* The Bantu have the Power of Migration
* The British have the Power of Empire
* The Chinese have the Power of Culture
* The Egyptians have the Power of the Nile
* The French have the Power of Leadership
* The Germans have the Power of Industry
* The Greeks have the Power of Philosophy
* The Inca have the Power of Gold
* The Japanese have the Power of Honour
* The Koreans have the Power of Tradition
* The Maya have the Power of Architecture
* The Mongols have the Power of the Horde
* The Nubians have the Power of Trade
* The Romans have the Power of Caesar
* The Russians have the Power of the Motherland
* The Spanish have the Power of Discovery
* The Turks have the Power of Siege

In the expansion pack Thrones and Patriots six other nations become available:

* The Americans who have the Power of Innovation
* The Dutch who have the Power of Commerce
* The Lakota who have the Power of the Plains
* The Indians who have the Power of Majesty
* The Persians who have the Power of Ceremony
* The Iroquois who have the Power of Nation

NB. I dunno how often I will update this.

[Sergeant Dull]

Aw BLARGH, no Portuguese? They're awesome on AOE3 D:


My friends and I have been contemplating playing Rise of Nations again.

Hm. Go for the Turks. I just like seeing things blow up.

[Rhinoce Breakdancerus]

Mongols. If memory serves me right, they did well against everyone except the Russians.

[Oberstleutnant Insipid]

May 9, 2010 10:59:30 GMT 10 Sergeant Dull said:

Aw ninja, no Portuguese? They're awesome on AOE3 D:

I know D: That's like, the only really lacking faction I can think of.

May 9, 2010 11:21:14 GMT 10 Rhinoce Breakdancerus said:

Mongols. If memory serves me right, they did well against everyone except the Russians.

In real life, yes...but even the Russians got their ass handed to them until they could turtle in Moscow for some hundreds of years.

EDIT:
Here's the map of where everyone starts.

[Breaker]

Mayans.

PREDICT THE FUUUUTUUURE~

[Oberstleutnant Insipid]

(I expected more of a response, but, whatever. Also, I can't draw.)

It is the 9th century, Central America. The Spanish haven't arrived yet, and they probably never will.


Na Cuat Xiu Ak chucked a fit.
The guards were sent to decode the blabbering sorcerer's, uh, blabber, and went to inform the king.
Unfortunately the king had drank himself into a stupor with hot chocolate, so they instead consulted the great general, Ah Xochil Ich, 'The Man with the Face of an Owl'. (so called because he once insulted Na Cuat Xiu Ak's decor and was turned into an owl man.)



"General!" said the guard. "The sorcerer said that some other civilisations have magically sprung up! The Aztecs have appeared right next to our territory, and they weren't supposed to for another five hundred years!"

"Kroo kroo." hooted Ah Xochil Ich.

"I know, right?" the guard retorted.

"So, what do you propose we do?"





"Kroo kroo kroo!" hooted Ah Xochil Ich.

And so the Mayans went to war against EVERYONE.



(NB. due to the nature of this campaign, historical accuracy will be eschewed very, very quickly. Don't expect to learn much.)


linked for size, I forgot to resize it
The first order of the day was to crush the puny Aztecs.

In the Conquer the World campaign, the world map is turn-based. When your army attacks a nation, you go into the main game. You get more armies from capturing supply centres. If you invade a nation's capital, like we're doing here, you'll knock them out of the game and get all their land. Very useful in the late game, but capitals are normally brutally defended.


Of course, they resisted.


We set up a crapty base in the corner from which to field vast amounts of Maya Rush. (nb. this being Normal difficulty, rush probably won't work as well as in easy modo)


But first we had to learn how to write.

Most of your tech requires research from the Library. Some of these names are completely stupid, especially in later ages, but since this is the Ancient Age and everyone is a peasant, it's pretty likely that nobody in my army knows how to spell their name.

In the first few ages, you really don't need more than one or two levels in everything. In the Ancient Age you can't even build a stable, so it's more like 'rush infantry' or 'get to the next age'. You also can't level up ages as quickly in the campaigns as in regular games if at all, it's much better to just stay in your age and wait for the world to level up. Thankfully, we'll be in the next age by next turn, so rushan gaems will probably be over by then.


The great Mayan army rides forth!
That dried stuff on the ground is an oil field, which will come to the surface by the modern age. You'll need it, but not for a long time.

nb. I changed the difficulty down to easy, since for some bizarre reason I could NOT win. Also I suck at games, so nyah.


With the Aztecs conquered, crap's about to get real.

linked for size
At the end of every turn, you can choose to see events of what everyone else did. I was the only one ballsy enough to conquer someone on the first turn. Most nations are not occupied by anyone and in order to get them, you just need to fight off some 'natives', a fairly easy task.
I like how the Lakota (light brown) have pretty much sandwiched the Americans (salmon). The Bantu (dark orange) are OP because they start with a massive region. Europe is pretty hilarious because so many people start in one area, they get killed off very quickly. Whoever gets Scandinavia usually has a massive advantage and it's also a bit difficult to attack Britain because it's across the ocean in all directions. I honestly have no idea what the Romans (bright green) are doing in Africa because they should really have taken out someone else in Europe first, but whatever.
I can picture the Spanish (dark purple) seeping into South America if they don't stay in Africa, which means havoc for the Inca.

The world has now advanced to the Classical age.


The question is now: Should I move north into North America, or go south and remove the Inca?

[Max Füchs-Kojote]

Inca's bigger, but it might be better to remove it first so they don't come from behind when you get distracted by North America?

Also, you must be the only remaining civilisation in South America, which requires killing less targets.

Also, they have chocolate.

[stupid hos is my enemy]

May 23, 2010 16:54:42 GMT 10 Oberstleutnant Insipid said:

nb. I changed the difficulty down to easy, since for some bizarre reason I could NOT win. Also I suck at games, so nyah.

Don't feel bad, Rise of Nations is famous for being as hard as a paedophile in a primary school playground. Even I can't win on normal.

[The Pletch]

Unless you have a cybernetic brain capable of handling sixteen different variables at once with excellent efficiency.

And a mouse hand capable of keeping up with all of this.