Unwritten Laws

[JP Jonesy]

So, I've just lost my third game in a row. I'm playing BtS, large map, monarch, marathon game length, random leader.

I'm getting a bit discouraged and thought I'd come and ask for some of your "unwritten laws" of playing Civ 4- things you do 80-90% of the time.

The only strategies I tend to follow without wavering are to conquer the smaller neighbors as soon as it is easist to do so, and to take the first victory condition that most realistically makes itself available to me.

It could be anything, as simple as what buildings you build first in conquered cities or your grand strategy- I'm looking for a different perspective and most of all a brush up on Civ4 fundamentals. Thanks in advance.

[Ming]

Unwritten Law One

Cities shouldn't be working unimproved squares unless there is a damn good reason

If you are, build more workers!

[Supr49er]

Unwritten Law Two

Specialize your cities.

Build only what you need in each city.



Unwritten Law Three

Build few, if any Wonders.

Only build those wonders that specifically fit into your strategy.



EDIT: Welcome to Apolyton JP Jonesy.

[rah]

It's the economy stupid.

And only keep enemy cities that will help you in some way, raze the rest.

[snoopy369]

Are you losing due to (wiped out by opposing civ), or due to (opposing civ gets to space) or somesuch? That makes a big difference.

[Blaupanzer]

Welcome aboard!

All advice above is hard-earned and true.

Also, build lots of soldiers. After that, build lots more. Include inordinate numbers of seige engines. You can never have enough soldiers, whether on defense or offense. Catapults and such whittle defense stacks and enemy SODs down to size so your other troops can kill these stacks without being killed themselves. Thus, lots of soldiers to attack and defend and lots of seige weapons to replace the ones lost in the last round of fighting.

Money, hammers, troops, beakers, and sufficient health for all cities. Beyond that -- some cities specialize in other things, some build troops.

Probably wise to set out on a victory goal, even though you may modify in the BC period.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Blaupanzer
Include inordinate numbers of seige engines. You can never have enough soldiers, whether on defense or offense.

You can never have enough siege weapons especially. Just when you think you have enough, double it. In no time at all after a war breaks out, most of them will all be gone.

[pedrojedi]

Unwritten Civ4 Law #X (since I didn't keep the score)

If possible, try to wage war with your own established victory conditions - it's better to have a crippled vassal/knelt enemy in the pocket faster than to have more territory but at the cost of endless war with lots of WW pushing your other parameters down.
Try to recognize what do you want with the war - a specific resource? A nicely located city? A buffer zone against a bigger fella? Access to the sea?

Unwritten Civ4 Law #X+1

Your own religion is not better than the religion of the most - join the herd. It sure does improve your revenue, so it's not a total waste going after one source of divine enlightment.

[Mace]

Originally posted by Supr49er
Unwritten Law Two

Specialize your cities.

Build only what you need in each city.

Is this true even if you're doing builder strat?

I'm getting my hat handed to me in BtS on Prince, where in Vanilla I'm used to dominating in all phases at Prince lvl...

[snoopy369]

It is true even more so in a builder strat. Military strat is easy - specialized cities for economy, and specialized cities for military units. Builder means a lot more specializations... wonders, GPPs, economics, mil units, flex cities, sometimes even specializing tech vs. merchants.

[joncnunn]

In BTS, you CAN have too many seige weapons unlike the previous versions because they can no longer kill units attacking. (And for a similar reason col damage promotions were removed from Tanks)

Rule 1 is fine except:
For purposes of Rule 1 the following tiles are considered already improved because it naturally provides:
1. Fresh Water Lake
2. Coast / Ocean [if you have a Lighthouse & the tile has no resource)
3. Forest (before the tech to build Lumbermills & Forest Preserves is adviable)

Refinement to Rule 3:
If you are Industrious and the wonder production would benift from a resource you don't have don't build unless it's a really cheap one.

[pedrojedi]

I must say that specializing the cities is, for me, by far the most difficult rule to engage.

I keep building everything on almost everyone of them.



EDIT: typos and frase rewriting.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by rah
It's the economy stupid.

And only keep enemy cities that will help you in some way, raze the rest.

I finally razed my first, but keeping them is another civ2 habit hard to shake, and I fear I may be keeping too many.

[joncnunn]

That also depends upon which version you have:
With BTS it's much more likely the city sites are in good enough places where your better off keeping than raizing; (provided either it's on the same landmass as your capital or that other landmass isn't too big).

Raizing also seems to delay how long it will take the opponent to talk (could delay being able to ask him to capitulate) and sours relationship further; (makes it less likely he'll trade techs with you after he capitulations).

There's only a few instances to raize:
1. You can't hold the city. (Without grounding the offense to a halt)

2. The city would suffer from culture problems post-war (normally nearby city from a 3rd party your not intending to go to war with but if you planed to stop the war before capitulation could be the last cities.)

3. The city is extremely badly placed.

[ColdPhoenix]

I'd agree with joncnunn after adding a fourth instance to raze, when going for a conquest victory and additional cities would weaken your economy.