Allies Needed Urgently!
Pm me, i will start teching soon

Guys, anyone interested? Really need tech allies.
Anyone willing to take me on for my tech phase?

Is tech start really the way to go? With all the optimized cash starts and the very low tech prices (especially if you hold turns) I can't imagine it is more efficient.

low tech prices like this set maybe...

but if u run a cash start, you need to make sure u dont get fat.. which is somewhat impossible.

regardless of how cheap tech is, its almost impossible to buy adequate tech and adequate military to keep from getting it.

If you know how to manage your turns right, it's not that difficult. I've done it successfully several times, you just have to be very patient, and be willing to hold turns (which sometimes becomes boring).

Yes tech prices are a bit lower, but they are always around 2k at this point if you use orders.

And if you're good, you buy the tech and let some guys bottom feed you for under 100 acres a hit, and put you in DR for your jump.

to each their own stratagy

I could be wrong, If someone has done the math i'd love to see it. I'll just be shocked if tech start is worth it in express.

cash start obv if run right has an edge, but i feel like the edge is minimal and if you mess up, you are done....

and to stay in dr requires you to batch X.. at least to like 7k. see ill tech start and then attack right away... virtually eliminating the cash start advantage...

Yeah I don't normally grab, I do all-x.

But I don't batch to 7k. Only the first to ~3400 acres. Then just explore/build, it helps build up your tech levels more quickly. I feel the extra land gained from batching isn't really worth it here. Plus as you said you just open yourself up to being grabbed when you stick out like a sore thumb.

allX definitely do a cash start. not enough turns to do tech start, convert, and then get to optimal acreage for stock.

i like to grab, and stop at 1200 turns.

I'd be curious to hear how others "stock" when playing as a casher.
Also, how they destock. Especially if you start at turn 1200.

where's that thread where someone posted that insanely intricate tax changing strategy?

meh, that's a bit crazy. Just play your first turn at 70% and then change it down to 35%. You can slightly adjust based on bushel prices later.

I have that tax change strat around here somewhere...

my destock is pretty simple.

my last 600 turns. i cash them all. i jump slowly. prefer that over investing ALL $$ on food because i seem to have to dump it for a huge loss at the end...

and then i keep about 2B on hand for the last jump...

It's in this thread:
http://forums.earthempires.com/...1322&z=rep-cash-start

I found it by running a search for my username and the keywords "holy fluff"

JJ23, I do something similar... was just curious if there was some sort of trick I was missing.

I only cash for the last 360, but i'm all-x so that makes more sense I suppose.

no trick. i mean, if u get lucky and see food in the 30s buy it all. other than that, jump little by little. the longer you can wait the btter it is because u can max out ur techs for less $