Vanilla CIVIII: Regent to Monarch - how?

[Solomwi]

470 AD, I'd drop the FP down ASAP. I can't look at the save from here, but from the description, your empire is big enough that the FP will pay off immediately, and you only need one army victory to open up the MA, so the second army isn't a pressing need. How far from your core is the MGL?

[Krill]

Big? I have 12 (decent) cities. Some using CxC. I was lucky to have a city nearby that is a 4 turn settler pump.

[Solomwi]

as soon as I beat Holland, I will have a large empire to my self

Oops, gues I read too much into that line. Unless you're not doing as well as you'd like in the war and need a second army, I'd still drop the FP down in an outer city. The effects of just having it are as good as, if not better than, the distance effects. Normally, I wouldn't say that, but since whatever patch it was that fixed the FP, I try to focus on getting it built sooner, rather than waiting for an ideal spot.

[Krill]

Here is the pic of my empire and island


And all of this is wildly OT, but WTH

[Solomwi]

Ok, thanks for the pic. It's more clear now. I think I'd sacrifice a turn or two to get him over to the city on the central lake's west shore, then drop the FP unless you know something about the world outside the island that changes that. I think a more western location on the island would be the best place for it, but in this case, you're not going to lose anything by building it now.

[Theseus]

Hey, Arrian, we're famous!!

[Krill]

Flattery works so well...as do armies

[SIV]

So basicly, if I understand correctly - you can also save money to buy techs from the AI later?

Edit: By researching techs at 10%

[Dominae]

Originally posted by SIV
So basicly, if I understand correctly - you can also save money to buy techs from the AI later?

Edit: By researching techs at 10%

Yes. Or, more commonly, to upgrade units (Warriors to Swordsmen, Horsemen to Knights, etc.).

Again, I must specify, that you do not want to research too many techs at 10%; more than one is often too many.

[SIV]

So I should still research at maximum-without-loosing-money?

[Arrian]

Hey, Arrian, we're famous!

Apparently so. And, since Krill asked about the use of one of the leaders (which I will pretend was from the unit named for me), I shall answer:

I would use it on the FP. I would push for the Dutch city on a small lake with a fur resource (two cities due west from the current location of the MGL). Or, if the war is going very well (quickly), I might go one more city to the west... although I'd want that one moved. Come to think of it, MEIN GOTT, what horrible AI city spacing! The Dutch should have 6 - 8 more cities than they do, with the same overall territory. And I'm not even a "pack 'em in" type!

-Arrian

[Arrian]

SIV,

First, small technical correction: in CivIII vanilla, the maximum turns to research a tech is 40, not 50.
So it was a better strategy in CivIII/PTW than it is now in Conquests.

Second, in general the techs you want to do this with are expensive ones. Pottery is the cheapest tech in the game, and furthermore as Dom notes, you kinda want it ASAP to build granaries and fuel your REX. Writing, on the other hand, is expensive as hell and you stand a decent chance of getting it first (or close to it) and trading it about even if you do 40-turn research. The republic is another good one.

When I used 40-turn research, it was for mass unit upgrades (chariot to horse, warrior to sword, or a combination of both). Then I used my military to conquer, generate leaders, and beat tech out of my neighbors. Once I had gotten to parity again (not that hard on Monarch, especially if I got a leader or two for a forbidden palace and a key wonder), I'd crank up my own research.

Now, in Conquests, it's different. I'm typically researching flat-out, hoping for SGLs and building up my own empire, before going a-conquering. My fighting in the ancient age has been reduced, for the most part, to settler bopping.

-Arrian

[SIV]

Lossing my first monarch game . . .
The 3 AI civs surrouding me are ahead in tech, have military units (I don't - only exploring worriors), they also had 5 cities each when I had 2 - I build granries - but now I have no where to expand . . .

[Arrian]

Sounds like a rough start spot for you... 5 cities to your 2? Yikes.

-Arrian

[SIV]

I think I', getting a bit better now - I connected iron and built 3 Ligionaries who conquered 2 cities near me - I've recieved 2 techs and much gold in the peace treaty . . . I'm still the smallest gau around so I'll spend my GA building some more Liginaries and hope for a leader to build Piramyds / Great Library / FP - or should I build an army to get the eipc - since UI'm going to do much fighting