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Aztecs age 2 _> age 3 progression

Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 9:29 pm
by Sun_Tzu1
Not sure if this is true for other civs, but as an Aztec player I find myself in a bit of a dilemma.

Aztecs have a great age 2, but, their main upgrades are for age 3 knights. Problem right. Plus, they have a slow fortress - no food drop for aging and only 600 rather than a 700 gold shipment - so it's hard to skip straight to age 3. And, no powerful age 3 merc shipments to rescue you.

If you play Aztecs, how are you handling this?

I have some ideas but just wanted to hear other points of view first.

Re: Aztecs age 2 _> age 3 progression

Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 9:36 pm
by Navarone_Guy
I'd suggest fighting in colonial instead of going for a bare FF. You can get a total of 21 jaguar knights (a fortress age unit) in colonial, and they dominate. Combine those with stealth coyotes and you have a hell of a fighting force.

A macehualtin spam also works wonders.

Re: Aztecs age 2 _> age 3 progression

Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 11:38 pm
by wreckoning
Aztec is my secondary civ. I think 10 coyote is a pretty good Fortress shipment and I have it in all my decks. It has saved me at times. Usually when I'm aging to Fort I mass some coyotes to help me deal with my opponent's new fortress artillery/leftover LI* from colonial; those combined with my 10 coyote shipment are a pretty good little ball of coyotes. (If I happen to have extra gold I will swing for the coyote temple card instead). I usually age to Fort with the skull knight politician so I'll also have three of those; and by the time I hit Fort I will also have 7-10 Warrior Priests... these auto-upgrade with the ages and in Fortress are a very nice melee fighting unit with 30 attack and pretty good HP to help you fight anyone pushing in on your base. They easily dispatch of Oprichnicks, nearby artillery, and skirms that get too close.

I always send 600G to help me get to Fort; I usually send it as a fifth or sixth shipment and start some villies mining; intending to either age to fortress or buy BB jaguars + woodcutting techs. I usually wait until my opponent hits fortress before I follow him. Knights aren't that valuable vs a colonial opponent: expensive and kinda useless. Early ERK will fall to any decent mass of LI*. Arrows I don't need for seige when I have puma. Jaguar Prowls I already have access to through BBs. The only time I age ahead of my opponent is when he has a huge mass of skirm and I need to upgrade my coyote or when I'm doing a straight FF.

Re: Aztecs age 2 _> age 3 progression

Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 1:07 am
by I__CHAOS__I
aztecs are one of my fav civs.
I don't see any real reasons for a FF, even vs spain or iro FF I prefer putting pressure on with maces/coyotes.
they can boom without 2nd TC which is also an advantage.
Their greatest strength is the fast age up + warchief aura. Spain's shipment spam is nothing compared to aztec.

Re: Aztecs age 2 _> age 3 progression

Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 6:02 am
by MrChristy
I thought that aztecs were just one of those civs that has no need to ff

Re: Aztecs age 2 _> age 3 progression

Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 10:26 am
by severebeating
[quote=""MrChristy""]I thought that aztecs were just one of those civs that has no need to ff[/quote]
agreed.

Re: Aztecs age 2 _> age 3 progression

Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 12:40 am
by wreckoning
Aztec FF for shipment spam is good vs stuff like Dutch or Port CM turtle.

Vs Spain you can do this FF, but I prefer to rush. Vs Iro it's not really a good idea to FF, they will get there a lot faster and their shipments counter yours.

Re: Aztecs age 2 _> age 3 progression

Posted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 4:41 am
by Sun_Tzu1
Think you guys are right. Just changed my playing style recently and I'm having a really good streak.

Forwarding (fighting for that if necessary). Scouting around their TC. Going in practically straight away, trying to fall on their settlers (watching for dead hunt). Continually sending in reinforcements, probing their settlers. Trying to overwhelm any army they produce, keep them occupied and their settlers hemmed in (until their hunt runs out), and reduce their eco (by killing settlers).

I stay age 2 - unless I get so far ahead it's safe to age up. If they age up I work out if it's best to try to take them there and then, or, withdraw and age up myself and then go back in. Obv, when you've played most of your age 2 cards you can age up to start on the age 3 ones. That's a natural progression.

Think I'm learning that you can often keep an opponent in age 2 by continually attacking. That way they have to spend their resources on units rather than making the jump up. Generally, if you encounter a strongish army it tells you they won't have the resources to be aging up. If they do spend them on trying to age up you have a period where your army is greater than theirs and you can try to wreck their eco, kill their barracks, etc. Unless of course they're just plain better than you are!

Now, for me, age 3 knights are on the back burner. It's more about using the best of Aztec (age 2), a transition period of using age 2 and age 3 units in combo, and then moving mainly onto knights later in the game.

Anyway, it's working for me at the moment. 3 wins and no losses tonight and most of my recent games have been wins. Won't last for long though I'm sure! :).

Strangely, I'm finding Russians hard to play against. They seem to be able to mass army's just as quickly as I can.