Conclusions just in: I am a n00b

[DaveV]

Originally posted by Carolus Rex
Sidestep some key techs (can't remember which, but I'm sure people will fill them in)

Feudalism. As long as you don't acquire Feudalism and don't ever change production, cities can keep producing warriors, which will be upgraded to musketeers whenever a new tech is discovered (or stolen or captured ).

[Caesar Jon]

Being on king level the ai will always be behind in science if you play well. Always take out the nearest 1-2 ai's near you early....Use elephants/crusaders/pikeman. Later build Leo's and take the rest out with cannons. It gets real easy once railroads is discovered. I do not prefer conquest games BUT unfortunaly many sp games end that way because the ai gets SOOOO agressive and you are forced to take him out.

[Bloody Monk]

Originally posted by Caesar Jon
Being on king level the ai will always be behind in science if you play well. Always take out the nearest 1-2 ai's near you early....

In non-conquest games, having a nearby (w/in 22 clicks) AI provides a wonderful opportunity to set up very high (30-40 arrows) trade routes by taking advantage of the road/RR bonus to a foreign Civ. This can allow you to really leap ahead in science if you set up a fully functioning Super Science City.

So, maybe "sometimes" would be a better word than "always". As in, 'sometimes it is better to cultivate a nearby Civ as a Trade Partner, or just take them all out early.' Solo's Early Landing Guide has an excellent section on Trade where these kind of considerations are more fully explored.

There are so many ways to play this wonderful game!!

Monk