Speeding Up Tien Chi Spring and Autumn ?!

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by rabelais:
By putting all your eggs in the VQ basket you're sacrificing much of the flexibility that makes S+A fun (and extremely effective mid/late game)

It's a matter of taste, perhaps.

I'd be interested in hearing stories from those who have played S+A in MP... is the callow VQ strat viable, particularly post-nerf?

I'd have to say that from my experiences in testing games, this is a rather awful plan...and this comes from a veteran VQ player. The primary issue with a VQ strategy is that you have really only a limited window of opportunity in which your club works, against anyone who's halfway decent: Once someone has enough research under his belt, he can shutdown a lone VQ at minimal cost. At that point, your edge is history, and if that's all you have, so are you. Unfortunately, S&A already suffers from crappy income, and trying to fuel a super-VQ without "Freebie" points is going to hurt that even more. With nonexistent income, you can't afford to churn out the temples that keep your VQ immortal, and you can't afford the castles that keep said temples from being burninated.

Even if you squeeze to make ends meet, now your research suffers horribly from being unable to afford researchers. While you may be able to hang on in the early game, your paralyzing lack of research will cripple you as you enter the midgame. Not good.