The Babylon Ramble (Civ 5 - Lekmod)

Summary

In this video, Rye discusses different strategies for playing Babylon in Civ, challenging the conventional greedy approach of rushing to Philosophy. He highlights two main playstyles: one that focuses on the powerful Bowman unit for early aggression against city-states and another that takes a tall, science-heavy route using Babylon's unique bonuses. Rye explains how Babylon’s unique abilities—like the fast Great Scientist generation and free Philosophy tech—can propel players toward powerful wonders and technologies, culminating in a late-game artillery advantage. The video showcases gameplay examples to illustrate these strategies.

Takeaways

• 😀 Babylon's unique ability grants a free great scientist upon discovering Philosophy, accelerating early science significantly.
• 😀 While the common strategy is to rush Philosophy early for a strong science boost, this isn't the only way to play Babylon.
• 😀 Playing tall with Tradition allows Babylon to maximize its science output without sacrificing city development.
• 😀 The Bowman unit, with 7 melee strength and 9 ranged strength, is highly effective in early wars and can even overcome city-state defenses.
• 😀 Babylon’s Bowman allows guaranteed tribute from city-states, even when they have hills or walls, making early city-state conquest easier.
• 😀 The walls' bonus (increased city health) is minor but can be useful in delaying or surviving early attacks.
• 😀 Babylon's philosophy route is perfect for stacking wonders like the Great Library and Oracle, boosting science and enabling early great scientists.
• 😀 Stacking both the Great Library and Oracle in the same city is a powerful strategy that provides massive early science boosts and fast access to key technologies.
• 😀 Playing Honor with Babylon may be viable for aggressive city-state tributes but isn't as optimal as the tall play with Tradition.
• 😀 Fast scaling with early scientists helps Babylon reach critical military technologies like artillery quickly, allowing for a dominant late game.
• 😀 The flexibility of Babylon means players can adapt their strategy depending on the map and opportunities, choosing between tall or aggressive expansion plays.

Q & A

What is the primary difference between playing Babylon using a greedy strategy versus a more traditional approach?

The greedy strategy focuses on quickly teching to Philosophy to earn a Great Scientist, while the traditional approach, often using tall builds and honor, prioritizes a more focused development of cities and military strength. Both strategies leverage Babylon’s unique advantages, but the greedy approach is often riskier and less consistent.

How does Babylon’s unique ability, receiving a Great Scientist when discovering Philosophy, affect gameplay?

Babylon's unique ability grants a free Great Scientist upon discovering Philosophy and increases the generation of Great Scientists by 25%. This accelerates their technological progress, allowing Babylon to scale faster in science, especially when focusing on tall city builds and research-heavy strategies.

What role do the Bowman units play in Babylon's early-game strategy?

The Bowman units are a key element in Babylon’s early-game strength. Their higher combat strength and ability to tribute city-states make them ideal for securing early advantages, particularly when using honor and targeting city-states for additional resources or territory.

What is the significance of the Bowman’s strength in tribute, and how does it compare to other units?

The Bowman has a combat strength of 7, which is on par with a Composite Bowman and higher than a regular Archer. This makes it highly effective in tributing city-states, even on hills or with walls, something regular Archers or other units might struggle with.

What are the advantages of playing Babylon in a tall build with tradition?

In a tall build, Babylon benefits from faster science scaling due to the free Great Scientist from Philosophy. This allows for quicker technological advancement, and when coupled with the Oracle wonder, it can lead to a powerful mid-game. Additionally, Babylon’s strong early-game science bonuses ensure that players can catch up to or surpass rivals in science.

How does Babylon’s ability to generate early Great Scientists impact the rest of the game?

The early Great Scientists from Babylon help jump-start the scientific progress needed for critical technologies like Education and the National College, allowing Babylon to reach critical milestones faster than other civilizations. This boosts their ability to build powerful wonders and later units, such as Artillery, much earlier.

What makes the strategy of using Bowman to tribute city-states so effective?

Using Bowman to tribute city-states is effective because their increased combat strength allows them to capture cities from city-states earlier and more reliably than other units. The guaranteed success of this strategy with Bowman is a powerful early-game tool that gives Babylon a strong foundation.

Why is it important for players to consider the map and city placements when playing Babylon?

Babylon’s strategies, especially those relying on early Great Scientists or Bowman-based city-state tribute, require careful map consideration. The availability of city-states, nearby hills for Bowman, and opportunities for settling near luxuries and rivers all influence the effectiveness of the different playstyles.

What is the role of the Oracle wonder in Babylon’s tradition strategy?

The Oracle wonder is crucial for Babylon’s tradition strategy as it helps to finish the Tradition policy tree quickly, unlocking key benefits like faster culture and more powerful cities. The early science boost from Babylon's Philosophy tech aligns perfectly with the Oracle's timing, making it a core part of the strategy.

How does Babylon's Bowman compare to other civilizations’ early-game units?

Babylon’s Bowman outperforms most early-game units in terms of combat strength and versatility, particularly in tributing city-states. While other civilizations may have strong units like the Composite Bowman (Shoshone), Babylon's Bowman can still achieve similar effectiveness, even without the need for advanced units.