Oiler
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The Oiler strategy involves building the majority of a country's land into Oil Rigs. Oil Rigs produce two barrels of Oil per building for most governments, except the Fascist government, which has a 75% production bonus. This is the only means of boosting Oil production.
Pros:
- High oil prices = virtually unmatched profit margin compared to other strategies.
- Oil is usually in high demand.
Cons:
- Oil prices and overall demand vary greatly from set to set.
Synopsis
Oilers can be a slight exception to the 'specialization-rule' (see rainbow). A true oiler strategy would be to build mostly rigs. Fascists will have the upper hand due to the +75% oil and +15% food production bonus. Because of market instability, some people choose to run farmer-oiler hybrids. The food produced from farms can subsidize your country's growth as oil prices wax and wan.
Guide
As with any other strategy, make sure you have a small number of farms and around 80 construction sites to begin with. After you have built a solid little foundation, begin building oil rigs. Non-fascist governments (At the beginning of a set), may find it more desirable to build a few more farms and live off food until the oil market picks up.
Food
Depending on whether you choose a straight-oiler or a hybrid-oiler, you could be getting your food from the public market, or making it yourself. As oil prices rise though, it may be extremely more profitable to convert farms to rigs and live off of oil (buying food from the public market) if you are a hybrid.
Money
Keeping up to date with the market history in-game or checking a third-party hosting sites' market tools is a must. Knowing who is warring is also beneficial. Paying close attention to price trends and how well a particular side is doing in a war will give you a rough idea whether you need to bump or cut production.
Technology
Farmer hybrids should consider agricultural technology first and foremost. Fascists and Tyrannies will be better-off getting business and residential technology early on. This helps offset the -15% maximum population and -10% maximum per capita income penalties for Fascists and -25% maximum per capita income for tyrannies. Military technology is beneficial if you are selling on the private market or holding on to a sizable military contingent.
