Here's an example game on why you oughta just keep plugging away. In this game I'm getting completely owned by KBS_Phunky, who does the obligatory smack talk during the game: "I bet you're not this good with any other civ." Actually, I'm better, but I just can't beat Mayans. So fuck it. Anyway, he doesn't seem to have any problems taking most of my cities. His army just mows through my cities at will. However, despite taking city after city, I keep popping them back up. Also, my counter-raiding keeps his economy down and after enlightenment age he stops expanding. For some reason he never does go for my capital, nor does he ever attack my fishing, which was what kept me in the game. After I make it to industrial and start: 1) shooting up his siege with planes, and 2) taking down his captial with commandos, He gives up with a "fucking Mayans."

Yea, I hate 'em too.

Anyway, he easily took and held 4 of my cities. FOUR! This is a good game to watch to see just how bad I am with Mayans, and how you can stay in the game if you just keep at it.

UPDATE: KBS_Phunky has come away really offended because I posted this game. To Phunky, I say: Get over yourself. If you think I posted this game to brag about beating you, then you have too high an opinion of yourself. I don't post games to "brag" about beating players. And if I were to do so, I certainly wouldn't post games where I beat a lower-ranked player. Or brag about winning with Mayans.

I posted the game because it was interesting.Which is the reason I post all of my games. And a majority of the games I have posted of mine are losses. Most of the games I've played have been pretty boring. Either boring wins or boring losess. This was an interesting game. There's no denying that. It was interesting for the following reasons:

• Mayans aren't invincible. Phunky was able to easily capture my cities. Maybe it took him 20 extra seconds because they were Mayan, but he took them nonetheless. In fact, he took a LOT of them. Phunky complains about the city spamming, but this is not a Mayan-specific tactic, it is just common sense. If you lose a city, make another one. Even if you are going to recapture it, use that opportunity to get up an extra city.


• Never give up, even when the other guy is completely kicking your ass. Until he takes your capital, eliminates all of your cities, or wins on territory or wonders, you still have a chance. Comebacks in RON are very rare, but when they do occur, they are valuable lessons. As in, I resigned in a game vs. niDe where he was marching through my frontlines, but as it turned out we were pretty evenly matched. I just gave up. That won't happen again.


• Finish off your opponent when you've got him reeling and on the run. Phunky had the means and opportunity to take my capitol and end the game, but he got distracted by the extra cities I was laying down and by the raiding I was doing -- I was basically attacking him on ALL fronts. Stay focused on your objective. You can win the game by sacking the capital and holding it for a few minutes.


• Which is another point. If you are losing on one front, fight somewhere else. If what you are doing isn't working, do something else. He was moving on my capital and I couldn't stop him, so I countered with some raiding. Almost all of his troops were at the front so he had to turn. In another battle, I caused him to fall back because I was attacking one of his towns with a small force of siege. All of these were attempts to sieze the initiative and confuse the enemy, rather than patiently wait out my doom. Yea, as EC pointed out, he could have esaily taken my capital, but he didn't. Main reason he didn't was because of these tactics. He felt more vulnerable than he really was.


• Don't talk smack during the game. And don't complain about opponent's civ choice in rated. It's rated play for crying out loud. And, if you're going to bitch about Mayan, then you've no business picking Spanish. Spanish are even worse for ownage, particularly on Outback. Mayans are the only ones who can even be competitive.

posted by Tim at 1:31 AM