Strategy

[DeadParrot]

Ok, I'm in some major need of a strategy lesson. I start out strong but then I plunge in the rankings. When that happens, what can I do to bring myself up in the scores? If I start to fall behind in technology, too, what can I do to rapidly bring myself up?

[wodan11]

Score is worse than useless; it's misleading. Ignore it.

More important is your relative technological advancement, and your comparison on the Power graph.

[Cort Haus]

Posting a save here helps people see where you could be doing things different.

[Norselord]

Ok, I'm in some major need of a strategy lesson. I start out strong but then I plunge in the rankings. When that happens, what can I do to bring myself up in the scores? If I start to fall behind in technology, too, what can I do to rapidly bring myself up?

During what part of the game does your score drop?
Do you play with tech brokering on?
How are you building research? Through specialists or through investment of money?
Are you suffering from overexpansion?

You may not have to bring your score up, if you can bring the scores of others down

[Calibos]

I'm the same, I start off strong but slip down the rankings towards Renaissance and Modern era. You should try experimenting with different tactics (try the religious / scientific route as opposed to, say, brute force) to see how that affects your game, create multiple saves so you can start over if things start to deterioate. I'm no expert but i'm getting better by finding delicate balance

[Theben]

[Blaupanzer]

Balance is good. "Delicate" these tradeoffs are not. The trick is to lead the AI in troops, research, and income the whole game while building a few wonders, and fighting a few successful wars. (Leading in research generally means having a greater income than the AI too.) Nothing to that.

[Calibos]

If only it were that simple

[rah]

It is, just keep going down in level of difficulty until you can. If you can't keep ahead at the lowest level, I don't think we can help you.

[Heraclitus]

Ok, I'm in some major need of a strategy lesson. I start out strong but then I plunge in the rankings. When that happens, what can I do to bring myself up in the scores? If I start to fall behind in technology, too, what can I do to rapidly bring myself up?

Are you playing on cheiftan?

If so try making the very first improvement when you build a city a cottage and set a worker to work it.

[Hauptman]

Probably building TOO many units, each unit you build cost you income. If your spending on military might, your not researching to full potential. The best bet is go after military techs first, so you can do more with less. Then economic techs. Most importantly however, have a plan. Dont research willy-nilly, go after certain techs (such as machinery and Bueracracy) then set the next goal (liberalism for free astronomy, etc.) Trade less valuable techs for those you missed (code of laws is an excelent trade tech, it lets those you are about to conquer with your macemen build courthouses for you.)

Dont overextend your empire. Bigger does not always mean better, however dont be too small either. Thats a balancing act you need to learn on your own. Trial and error.

[rah]

Trade less valuable techs for those you missed (code of laws is an excelent trade tech, it lets those you are about to conquer with your macemen build courthouses for you.)

Classic.
I always play with tech trading off, but this got a good chuckle out of me.

[rrrhal]

On Monarch it seems like I always get off to a slow start. By the time I could build a copper mine I'm fighting Barbs for all I'm worth. (Gandhi, Std speed, large map, 6 AI civs)

I usually try to get Agriculture first, then Copper, then roads, and hunting/Animal husbandry depending on the local fauna. Is this the proper order for the tech tree?

My question is when do you build settlers vs warriors in the first city. I usually build a worker right away and since he's a fast worker sometimes its hard to find something productive for him to do. Do you let your city grow a bit and churn out defensive units or build settlers right away?

[Garth Vader]

You will want a few defensive units first. I usually start the settler when the city is at size 3.

Tech order is really map dependant. You will want to research whatever you need to improve the resources in your capital.

[Ming]

With only 7 civs on a large map, there is tons of open room which will generate tons of barbs. So yeah, you might need a few defensive units early on in your build cycle on that setting.

If you don't have the techs for the appropriate specials you have, you can always hold off building the worker first. Let the city grow before building a settler or worker.