Stuck at Prince level...

[Vinnnch]

Hello Everybody !

I'm writing this thread because, well, ut's a shame, but...
I have been playing this game for 3 months now, and I am stuck at Prince Level, not able to win, except one miracle

I think I tried anything. Warmonger, as incans, worked very well in the beginning, in no time I had destroyed spaniards and greeks, and so had a great land, with several great cities, but with those many cities, my cash was a desaster, and I could not recover before, well... 1700 or 1800 AD. And at this time, my opponents were building their spaceship, while I was researching Rocketry

I tried to build multiple cities by myself, but the result was the same...

I tried to build few cities (3 or 4), but each I lacked resources (no iron, horses, stone, marble, oil...), and when I wish to build cities again to gain access to resources, my neighbors already have cities sprawled everywhere.

If I build few armies, I'm constantly attacked. If IU build many, I run low on gold...

It's a shame since I have been reading most strategy threads on this forum, and I'm stuck desperately, winning everytime on noble, losing everytime on Prince...

I suppose there are strategies other than various slingshots that work on Prince Level, which is a pretty low level, but I'm stuck...

So please, help me !!!
How many cities do you build in the ancient times ?
Do you search rather "short" sciences, or "big" ones to exchange them ?
Do you raze or keep the early cities you conquer ?
Does this game hate me ?

[Bkeela]

There is a similar thread in the strategy section worth a look: http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...hreadid=150002

I'm playing at prince level and finding it quite challenging. I play random civ selection, and tend to do well if I get an aggressive or financial nation. But someone like the Egyptians prove a real struggle, especially if isolated on a continent.

The tech I almost always research first is Bronze Working. It not only allows me to chop rush settlers, but it reveals the bronze resource, giving an indication where to plant a city. Next I usually get Animal Husbandry, which reveals horses.

If I play builder style, I try to keep research around 100%, so no more than a few cities. Code of Laws and courthouses allow further expansion. Currency and Banking allow even further expansion.

After improvement techs, I try to delve deep into the research tree and then trade with the AI. Building the Oracle I make a priority, even if I don't feel I will make the slingshot. If not warmongering, I always try to build the Great Library, making Literature a beeline. Liberalism or Optics then become my target.

If I'm playing aggressive, I keep good cities even though my research might drop as low as 50%. Usually all the booty I collect funds research for awhile. Ultimately courthouses, banks, and a well placed Forbidden City calms things down enough to compete with opponent nations on other continents. If desperate, I will set a few cities onto wealth production to keep research at a sufficient level.

My advice would be to scout for close but good city locations, chop rush a couple of settlers to beat the AI to those locations, and then aim for Code of Laws and hopefully found a religion. Specialise your cities if you can, making one for production, and others for commerce, depending upon the territory.

In the space race, I always find it better to research the Space Elevator first. By the time it is close to completion, I have researched Rocketry. When the Apollo Project is built, the Space Elevator allows me to catch up to the AI.

[Urban Ranger]

Re: Stuck at Prince level...

Originally posted by Vinnnch
How many cities do you build in the ancient times ?
Do you search rather "short" sciences, or "big" ones to exchange them ?
Do you raze or keep the early cities you conquer ?

It depends.

If you have a smaller map, clearly you don't build as many cities. If you play on a huge map with 18 civs, clearly you don't as many cities either, until you crush a few of them.

If you have nice $ sources (gems, gold) you can afford to build more cities.

I keep the cities I capture mostly, unless I think I can't keep them, or they are in bad spots.

Maybe if you post an actual game you play on the Strategy section people can help you more.

Originally posted by Vinnnch
Does this game hate me ?

Yes

[Overcast32]

I tried on prince last night for the first time... I ended up getting in an almost non-stop war with Louis...

I think it was around 1800 BC he first attacked me and the war's been raging ever since, with a few brief lulls here and there. Oddly enough, I've been doing quite well - once I got Calvary, I pretty much walked all over his cities.

It's been one of the more fun games I have played. I can't say I'll come out victorius, but the odd's are looking pretty good.

I'm not sure - I really just played it about the same as I do on Noble, with the exception of it being a more "pressing" game, since I'm under attack (well, the tables are turned now - I give him a peace treaty every now and then. Just about right timing too - he'll want peace a turn or two after I capture a city and that gives me just about enough time to sally up another stack of units for his next town!

[Vinnnch]

OK thank you, for the link and for the tips
I probably will have to re-read Vel's thread...
This is really a surprising game. It has nothing to see with CivI and CivII...

[samspock]

I finished my best prince level game so far as Egypt. I have found that they are good for doing an "aggressive slingshot" because of the war chariot. Do this by building two or three cities and doing the slingshot while building war chariots and conquering someone. The third city makes this easier because you can use it to build units while the other to perform the slingshot. So far I have found that to get very far in the game using a slingshot you have to go out and whack someone rather early, even if you don't eliminate them.

I played my worst prince game over the weekend as Victoria. I never seemed to find a good spot to go fight someone and ended up building a bunch. The lure of a large open area to expand into was just too much. I won the game without a single war with a cultural victory in the 1940's but my score was the lowest of all the prince games I have played and was also a very unintersting game.

I guess I do better with an early UU civ. My other very good games were as Inca and Rome.

[Qwertqwert]

I have a similar problem, not quite as much though. I win maybe 1 out of 3 games under Prince, and every game, exceding greatly over everyone else under Noble. It seems that the jump in diffculty between the two is too big.

[Son of David]

I only ever play on Prince, and I always win. My strategy is almost always to warmonger myself into a position of supremacy and then either 1) coast it out from there as world leader, if I am in the mood to experience a full game or 2) go all out for a domination win and end the game once cavalry and cannons are available.

I can personally attest to the fact that warmongering works *every single time* in a continents game at Prince level.

[Urban Ranger]

It helps warmongering if you pick the right civ, such as the Romans.