China vs Russia, how to beat Catherine

[fcreativew]

The game is saved (I've been overriding so there's no way to go back in the past and make more changes) one turn before Catherine declare war on me. I've crushed the Mongolian empire (and all the others), except for one city, so physically I dominate most of the map, however.... Catherine it's way more advance in technology and she have possession of several atomic bombs she have no qualms in use over and over again.

I've tried pay my way into many city-states alliances so she have to face several neighbors but she have good enough units all technologically advanced to deal with them. I've tried to befriend her right before she declare war but she's hostile, she won't sign peace for at least 10 turns more than enough to pulverize my recently conquered cities and units. Besides me having more puppet cities, I'm more advance in culture yet not enough to win a cultural win since I've been focusing on domination. Game difficulty, normal.

I would greatly appreciate your input.

[TrippleD]

All you can do is go on defense. Protect your captial and wait to snip away at her units. Get her to sue for peace. It is good that you allied with city states this will keep her busy fighting on may fronts.

I am new to the game but that is how I have won.

[fcreativew]

Originally Posted by TrippleD

All you can do is go on defense. Protect your captial and wait to snip away at her units. Get her to sue for peace. It is good that you allied with city states this will keep her busy fighting on may fronts.

I am new to the game but that is how I have won.

The thing is that the City-states won't keep her busy enough, I've seen that she's able to crush any city-state against her. My capital it's way far from her to reach (the total opposite of the map). What it seems her strategy is, she destroy cities and every unit near her dominions, by the time I can have new units to try to defeat her she already conquered the cities in her vicinity.

I think the game right now it's a great challenge, I want to finish it somehow even she being so advance in the science tree.

[rob39874]

If you are allied with all city states try going for a diplomatic victory I know it doesnt sound possible since you went for domination victory but thats how I managed to beat her

[TrippleD]

Hope for the best for the next 10 turns. If you put up a good defense you may just get a simple peace. And try for the apollo program as well. If you went for domination how did she get stronger then you?

[fcreativew]

At the beginning I started by culture and when at mid game I saw Mongolia and Russia conquering fast left and right then I switch for domination as I would be their next victim. At this point when I started conquering Russia had developed her technology beyond mine. Diplomatic victory won't happen and trying to defend the cities I've conquered she just blast her atomic bombs and kill my units, I can't keep up with her attacks. Should I just move my units away and let her conquered the neighboring cities? While I later sue for peace and try to catch up with her? She completed the damn Apollo program too! Ugh

[samtheauburnfan]

Consolidate your forces into a chokepoint (if possible). It doesn't really matter if you lose a few puppeted cities since you have no control over them. You are going to take some lumps with the nukes but get past that and use artillery/rocket artillery to push them back and try to estimate how long it takes Russia to replenish atomic bombs (for my max production city it was around 9 turns).

[masta121]

If you don't have either bombers or rocket artillery you're kinda hosed.

[TrippleD]

So what happend fcreativew?

[samtheauburnfan]

Originally Posted by masta121

If you don't have either bombers or rocket artillery you're kinda hosed.

The fact that he has dominated land-wise would indicate that he has some sort of artillery. Once I discover Uranium, I usually find it on the map and wage war to control it. Although the whole "My words are backed with nuclear fire" cutscene from hostile civilizations is pretty amusing