Updated Aztec Strategy

[TyShine]

Updated Aztec strategy

Everyone knows Aztecs are about hitting early, but I when I looked at the strategy archive I realized they needed some updating.

The Start:25 gold. This is a really good bonus that can be used in three ways. The first two are for the more conservative player or perhaps better for FFA.

Option 1:Rush Warrior in 4000 BC while researching HBR. Try to find 40 gold or more before 3500 and rush horses after. Build one or more horsearmies. I usually recommend one, but two is good for killing Americans or Chinese early, or if you have acquired fundie or the oracle somehow.

Option 2:Set Production to two trees and rush a warrior on turns 1 and 3. I would do this only if I didnt want to move my settler and I had to directions to explore (always check mountain ranges before settling).

Option 3: (My personal favorite) Is to move my settler. I highly recommend doing this for H2H. Always look to get a quick walk-in on the AI while moving and take some time to look for borders before moving. In general the AI builds a warrior at 3500 and 3000 which appears 3400 and 2900 your time.

When moving your settler always look around at mountain ranges first. Then head towards where you think the AI will be. Avoid staying along the coastlines too. If you see a goodie you can set your tech to HBR and as the Aztecs you will typically get it, or you can pick up 25 g. I usually prefer HBR because I already have 25 gold, but if I can get a walk-in then 25 g is better because I can explore faster while teching HBR quickly. I do not recommend using warrior armies for most games unless its vet or it will be against less than 2.5. 3 to 2.5 is too risky, but a 1 v 1.5 is worth it. Why? Because the first is risking thirty hammers and the second is only 10.

If you happen to run into the human player that should be ok too. There are a few things to consider when you do. What turn is it? Does he have areas to explore, or have you chocked him off? What civ is he? For the most part I do not like using warrior armies(unless vet or hill next to city). I would rather choke him off from exploring. Very often I will let him try a warrior army at me. It can be tricky, but if you are picking up gold you should be fine. I have found that the most important thing when settling next to someone is who has access to the rest of the map.

Ancient Era: Auto Heal. Another really good bonus. This makes defense armies actually worthwhile(I still do not like to build them, but they are ok for choke cities), but more importantly it makes your horsearmies very hard to get rid off. Use this to your advantage. This will also make camping more effective. Auto heal and their poor later bonuses can make them a good candidate for knight rushes.

Medieval:Temples produce science. How to use this? Hope for the Ark and if you can camp the ark for a few turns while building cities then go for it. I wouldnt blindly search for the ark either.

Industrial:Half cost roads. Better than the medieval bonus but not great. Its good for protection and legion or cat movement. This is a very situational bonus.

Modern: Do yourself a favor and avoiding going to modern as the Aztecs unless it means getting the cooperation bonus. This bonus is more of an anti bonus, and if you are in modern and corp and industrialization are gone I would recommend working on all gold. I look to avoid Atlantis if it gets me into modern.

Tech Path:

Irrigation vs CoLs. They are not a bad civ to go for irrigation since they get to off fast starts. I think irrigation is best to go for when the other player techs it too, but you beat them to it(remember host wins ties). Letting them getting irrigation late is a big mistake, but if they only have a couple of cities who cares. I almost never go for irrigation unless I think I have a 75% chance of getting it first.

Knight rush tech path: I am not a huge fan of this, but it works pretty well. The auto heal combined with their ability to have fast starts makes for a solid knight rush. I typically do them against a fast teching opponents or when I pick up Monarchy. I also use them if I only need one or maybe two caps to win.

HBR
Alph
Writing
CoLs
Monarchy
Consider picking up a bonus like Construction or Currency
Feudalism:Make sure you are in medieval and switch to hammers and gold. Have a barracks and a city banking hammers.
Religion:Once you are done producing knights switch to all tech and religion. 18 is not great, but 22.5 is.

Regular Tech Path

HBR
-I will grab BW to avoid getting from an AI if they have a better bonus. Ex: If I see Spanish with two techs I will try anyway to get BW before killing them, but I wont waste too many turns teching it. Ill buy it or tech in advance of getting there.
Now either go Pottery Masonry Irrigation
or Alph Writing CoLs
Literacy(I would grab this with 20 or 30 beakers for the bonus or just avoid till later)
Democracy-I would never go into democracy right away. I like to go into democracy once I have my first culture GP and about 80ish beakers of tech. Before that you can do two things. Either tech situationaly for bonuses like Monarchy, Nav, Construction, Currency, or work on all gold. Each game will be different.

At this point it depends on whats available. My overall plan is to get industrialization first, but I am going to need a scientist. This is why I avoid democracy until my first culture GP. Now if the monarchy bonus is still around grab it, but if not go for the math-Eng-Invention tech path. Also keep track of your gold. It is much better to get the 250 g bonus of banking rather than currency. If you still dont have a scientist after invention work on all gold for the 500 gold gp.

With a scientist you only need 105 beakers to get industrialization (need banking) and less with steam power. If you do not get a scientist consider teching steam power first, but I would only do this if I am going to press him with cruisers. Doing this might give you enough turns to beat him to industrialization. Once you get industrialization pop oxford, stay in industrial(AVOID ATLANTIS) and start sending bombers his way. Kill any offense force he has and start wearing him down. Use boats to drop his cities once they have been emptied from bombers.

Oxford can be used in other ways, but it is an absolute most if the game goes to the point of university. The first to use it after invention. This will get you fighters and will stop offensive threats like knights and can even stop tanks. Then if you get a scientist you can just use it on adv. flight.

You can also use oxford after corporation for networking and use a builder on the internet. This is more of an option for those who like to play with their food.

A note on buildings and GP:

I typically just build a barracks. Getting literacy and building lots of cities will be enough to tech to what you need. If a city has hammers(eng. bonus or it grew and has no additional water tiles) I will work on markets in cites that arent going to produce bombers.

GP:

Builder:Usually EiTC, but Ill go for Sams castle if I'm knight rushing. I would rather use a builder on EiTC than oxford since its only 150 hammers and I usually have a city or two banking hammers anyway. If not I will set all my cities to gold after industrialization until I can rush it.

GE:Use for gold to build settlers

GH:Ill wait till I have a bunch of cities

GL:Elite units or vet up everyone if you are knight rushing and you dont have a lot of money.

GS:Industrialization or Corporation:If you are knight rushing you can use it on religion or steam power, but if I got a scientist I am probably going for industrialization.

Most Aztec games will be won with horses so I recommend getting good with them. Remember to use auto heal to pressure your opponents cities. It will force him to either get his own horsearmy, an archer army, or legions. However, your ha should be faster than his and certainly faster than he can get legions. If he builds archer armies then he is stuck defending while you build cities. If he goes to islands make him defend those too.

I also talk a lot about industrialization, but if the game gets out of ancient then it will likely come down to who gets this first. If you lose this battle then you almost have to get corporation first.

If anyone has anything to add feel free. This new format kinda makes it annoying to look at, but nothing I can do about that.

[Grayson]

Option 2:Set Production to two trees and rush a warrior on turns 2 and 3. I would do this only if I didnt want to move my settler and I had to directions to explore (always check mountain ranges before settling).

.

you don't have to wait till the 2nd and 3rd turn to rush a warrior. Rush a warrior in 4000BC for 20 gold, set workers to 2 trees, and then in 3800BC, rush a warrior for 4 gold.

[dukeblue1987]

This is exactly how I play them. Good write up. The only thing I noticed was what Grayson pointed out... you can rush a warrior on the 1st and 3rd turn instead of the 2nd and 3rd. I never do that anyways since I always move my settler.

Aztecs are a great civ. They are the best ancient civ in my opinion (beside Builder USA start). I get a walk-in more times than not, and then another cap with horses. I do like to build two horse armies though. For those who want to learn how to move their settler, just play Aztecs and move every game until something good happens. Even if you settle in 3200 you probably picked up some gold and some great map knowledge.

[TyShine]

Turns 1 and 3 is better. Clearly I never do that. I build two horse armies a lot too , but less than half my games I think. 2 is better for h2h.

[TyShine]

When I saw Ghost asked for his strat to be in the archive I decided to look for one that needed updating. Since I have some free time before Aug. I decided to write this for it. I might write some more, although my strategies are similar for every civ. I am thinking of writing an American one. I know many wouldnt like that, but I am sick of seeing people play them wrong.

[MadDjinn]

pretty straight forward strat.

1) horse rush
2) expand
3) oxford bombers

this part I don't like. Mostly bc it's how most games for most civs are playing out now. fairly generic.

I like the part about dodging modern as much as possible to get there (for the aztecs). the +50% gold is thankfully at the end, so you only get hit on the late game units if you tech too much.

[dukeblue1987]

pretty straight forward strat.

1) horse rush
2) expand
3) oxford bombers

this part I don't like. Mostly bc it's how most games for most civs are playing out now. fairly generic.

I like the part about dodging modern as much as possible to get there (for the aztecs). the +50% gold is thankfully at the end, so you only get hit on the late game units if you tech too much.

Its generic because it works better than anything else!

[TyShine]

Its generic because it works better than anything else!

Thank you. I knew it was generic when I wrote it. What else can I say? No-one has really pointed out anything profound as of yet. I could come up with a half cost roads aggressive strategy or something, but that isnt ideal strategy. I wrote it expecting to get little response. For me that means I covered what needed to be. I have played this game until I got everything to a step by step science. The dynamics of each game are what makes it exiting, but the reality is horserushing expand to knights or bombers is how to win this game.

I will never love this game as much as I did when I still had a lot to learn. The sad truth is being a civ rev expert(not bragging because this is nothing to be proud of) hasnt made me want to play more, but less. I would love it if someone came up with a new and innovating idea, but I am not holding my breath. I am just hoping they make a civ rev 2 so I can use group think and play experience to break down every civ into a step by step process.