Warlords and Monarch: I think I’m starting to get the hang of this.

[supremebob]

Hello to you all,


I’ve been a casual Civ4 player for a few months now on and off, mainly because I have being stuck on monarch for so long (played maybe 25 games total). While being and avid Apolyton thread reader, I have not posted much. Timing is a major issue for me (what to build when), but after countless false start, me thinks I’m getting the hang of this somewhat. Here where I am at 1080 B.C.

Difficulty : Monarch
Speed: Normal





And here my tech tree:



Mansa had to go of course but those skirmishers are a tough nut to crack. I lost 4 chariots to 2 defenders.

I currently have 5 workers. Next tech plan is to go for iron working for Swords and CoL even if is late for Confucianism (courthouses). Add cottages to capitol, let it grow somewhat, library, Academy…

My question is where do I go from there? I’ve focused so much attention to the early games during my plays, that I could very well waste this game too if I wander too much.

Any suggestions?

[Blake]

Get more cities.

Good job busting up Mansa Musa, I often don't bother because those skirmishers are a pain - invincible on hills.

If you are Frederick head to CoL and get the cheap courthouses plus run scientists to make use of Philo.

If you are Bismarck then head to Metal Casting and throw up the cheap forges everywhere and maybe get Colossus if you can swing it.

Either way you want to expand and occupy all available land, while continuing to maintain an army if needed to keep others at bay.

Don't bother with Iron Working you have solid military options with copper and horses. If you expand like you should then research will be very tight until the courthouses start kicking in. You'll still want to get IW but it can wait until just before or after Calendar.

Basically your priority techs are Metal Casting, Mathematics, Currency, Calendar and Code of Laws. The exact order you get them in depends on which German you are.

Once you run out of peaceful expansion and once your economy is on track you should look at continued conquest, probably using Knights since with Grocers/Banks you'll certainly have a strong enough economy to claim infinitely more land.

[supremebob]

Thanks Blake I'm using your Better A.I. btw . I thought also about getting forges ASAP but I because of my losses, i though that swordsmen would be necessary for Mansa's capitol.

I would have another question if you dont mind: specialists. I often delay using them because it almost always stagnate the city, even capitols (okay, not this one but still). My timing is still a bit off and I seem to overly favor growth en lieu

[Blake]

I assume you are Bismarck?

Don't bother with killing a Mansa Capital - the losses will be too high even with Swords and I doubt it'd be worth the added upkeeps at this point (5 cities by 1000BC is near the optimal limit of expansion), it looks to me like you've pushed him back to a jungle. I'd leave him in relative peace to build it up for you, maybe don't declare peace but don't choke him either, I'd let him sweat so he can cough up some tech for you come alphabet, just keep enough axes on hand to cut down any units he sends at you. Anything you kill will increase what he'll pay for peace.


Specialists are a luxury. If/once you have a double-food resource city I'd have it work both foods, 2 scientists, and let any extra pop which grows get whipped off into stuff. From what I can see none of your cities are suitable for this (they have better things to do) except possibly the mali city of Djenne with the rice and grassland cows and nothing much else to do until Iron Working/Calendar - the other Mali city might work too but would be better off with river cottages. Your capital certainly does need the academy sooner rather than later, but it's also definitely better off not running scientists, so use that Mali city.

[supremebob]

Hi again,

Thanks you for the tips. I was Bismarck (should have mentioned it earlier). About Mansa's capital you bet: 5 skirmishers guarding that thing on hills I might have to forgo it for a while: as you said so well, let him work the jungle for me.

One thing I've noticed: despite pillaging i had to keep science at 20 and 10% the break it even and might needs those courthouses sooner than expected. Research has slowed down to a crawl. Only succeeded in snatching metal casting, 9 turns away from Mathematics.

I'll play some more and keep you posted. Here my progress so far 1 A.D.











No glorious, but I’m still learning the basics.

As always Blake, your insight is enlightening.

[Footie Mad]

Depending on your playing style of course but... The way I would act in this situation would be to get a serious amount of workers out there and spamming improvements, especially cottages. Consider going after a builder civ somehow, but not for the cities but for looting their cottages.

Pillaging a hamlet and the following cottage with a 2 moves unit can give you as much as 30-40 gold in one turn. If done aggresively it can be enough to maintain a large early turn deficit, until the empire grows into it's shoes so to speak.