How to beat Imp2 at 400

Hi guys. I know  some of you really enjoy Imperialism 2 but think  ’Nigh Impossible’ 400 games (the hardest) are totally unwinnable. I win on that level all the time (manuel combat) and a know a few others who do too, soo….. I would like to offer you a saved game to finish. It just starting to get really good and all the ‘pain-in-the-ass’ getting a empire going has
been done. If you are an average player you now have a 50/50 chance of winning.

The year is 1767 and no great Power has been eliminated or carved up much yet. You (Holland) just got Grenadier and Skirmishers. You are at peace and have a decent income. You have also ‘colonized’ 1 new world tribe and so has France (but France just lost theirs in a war with Spain)…so you have the only colony because everything else has been gobbled up. All the minors are gone except what is left of Scotland and they are ready to Join your Empire if you ask but it will put you at war with the #1 ranked military Nation (you are #2) …. France, who has all that indian cavalry (but you got indian cavalry too now). If you want the save email me and I’ll send it to you.

UglyTrog AT hotmail.com

Here is a short list of ‘oughtta do’s’ and ‘Gotta do’s’ to win it (it will be tough but do-able):

Oughtta do’s:

1. Ask Scotland to join you immediately. It will put you at war with France but I have you set up to fight a short war (a very short war) with France…. go for it but beg for peace every turn. (I think France is all Navy here… they lost their colony to Spain but Spain lost their Navy to France).

2. Your navy currently sucks but it is as big as it needs to be right now. If France or anyone comes over to Patrol or blockaid you, don’t fight them (you will lose badly). Instead turn all your transported goods down to nothing (don’t buy or sell goods either) and just let your empty ships sit in port until you can make peace or run out of food. (Note: don’t be afraid of 5 or 6 little sloops or Frigates…. move all your ships out at once and kill those rotten little things with overwhelming numbers…. thats what all
the Gallons are there for. Gallons are the second greatest ship in the game, good cargo and good defense, so don’t ever upgrade them.

3. You currently have 2 full armies, you oughtta have at least 3 (4 is better) with full medals. This will give you 5 0r 6 generals, use the non-medal generals and troops for defense ( a general with 5 or 6 guys is fine for defending forts, most A1 attacks are small)…. attack with the other 3 or 4 full armies (be the attacker and not the defender).

Gotta do’s:

1. Rush to Ironclads. He who gets ‘em first wins. Ironclads are the ultimate ship. A dozen of them set on ‘aggressive’ and rammed into an enemies port will decimate him. I like to build about 20 or 30 by the time the game is over, 12 is the minimum attack force. Don’t build Ship of Lines at all, IronClads will sink them and are very close on the tech tree. Don’t build any other ships except IronClads or Indiamans (for transports)… stay out of naval battles until you get the IC’s then use them. (Note: it is OK to
build Steamers later if you got the coal, but Indiamans do just fine. Upgrade to Traders if you can but don’t build any. If you capture Sloops or Frigates upgrade them to Raiders and use them to Patrol while your IronClads Blockaide, but don’t build any of those 3 ships….. manpower is to valuable to mess around like that (IronClads, Galleons and Indiamans..nothing else. Clippers are beautiful looking ships though…sometimes I build 1, only 1, to sail around as my personal ship. Remember it costs the same to upgrade as it does to build a new ship so build new ones unless short of manpower). Don’t worry about defending your own port, just turn your ships down to zero and let them sit when threatened. Enemy ships will leave to defend their port once your IronClads go to work. (trust me…be the attacker and not the victim or defender).

2. Don’t lose you conquered German territory. All your food is there, lose it and you will starve. It is better and cheaper to build ships to transport food than to build 3 and 4 level feilds (wow, that takes a lot of resources). Eventually you will have to start making level 2 food supplies (food is scarce here..every thing is).

3. Don’t lose you 2 Diamonds. I could only see 5 diamond/Gems in this game…. you have 2. (last game had 18, but this one doesn’t….lots of spice fields instead).

Good Luck,
Ugly