Out4Blood & El_Cap's Rise of Nations Strategy



Tuesday, February 17, 2004

Weakness of the Lakota
I've found a weakness in the Lakota: Water maps.

While I'd originally postulated they might be good for fishing. They are not ... sorta. Because Lakota do not get farms. They currently do not get a granary. So there is no way to upgrade the fishing fleet. Normally, getting a granary and the first upgrade (for +50% food) is critical to keeping food capped in a fishing boom. However, Lakota can't get that. Also, there seems to be no way to upgrade the +5 food per villager, either. (Note: I have plans to research this in more detail, but just haven't done it.)

However, in practice, fishing is best in the early ages where it provides quick food and wealth. In normal games, I'll eventually transition to farms as the fishing fleet becomes vulnerable. It just requires too much micro (for me) to adequately defend fishing. So I rarely get to enjoy the full benefits of +30 fishing. Not being able to upgrade the Lakota fishing fleet hurts, but not so much that I don't want to play them.

Secondly, on water maps with new continents, Lakota have the same restrictions other civs do. COM2 required to settle new continents and your first settle must be near the shore. On maps like West Indies or Warring States, their bonus becomes all but useless. It's no wonder they call it the Power of the Plains.

They are still my favorite so far because of their unique style of play.

UPDATE: Another "weakness" they have is that they cannot immediately build in the "neutral" territory surrounding a city that has been recently taken, but not assimilated. So this throws out the capture-the-capital-and-tower-it-up-before-reinforcements-arrive strategy. Evidently there are four different types of territory control: friendly, enemy, neutral, and contested. Contested being the uncolored territory surrounding a city being assimilated. Makes sense.

But DARN!


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