Thoughts on improvements

[pdxsean]

In my current game, I took all of the good land from the USA during the medieval period. I allied with the maritime city state next to us. He then invaded the USA, and has taken two of their small cities over the last 200 or so turns. As I entered the modern era, the city state had riflemen and the USA still had longswords and crossbows. It's pretty funny to watch, I suspect the city state might wipe out the USA by the time I finish my spaceship.

[Louis XXIV]

By the way, there's a succession game over at CFC where they're playing as Germany going for conquest victory. The catch is they're not allowed to build any units all game. So they have their UA units, but they're also trying to rely on Militaristic city-states. I'm going to try and follow it, since it'll test the power of militaristic city-states to the maximum.

[mightyreds]

I personally really like the MSC's. I generally ally with every SC I can, and use the gifted units from the MSC's to arm SC's on other continents. Then when I think an AI on another continent is getting too big, or too advanced, I declare war on them. I never have to commit a single unit to the war, as my allies keep them busy for many turns. If the AI offers a beneficial peace agreement I take it, as this has now crippled their economy and their army. Sometimes I'll even rinse and repeat after the peace agreement has lapsed.

[rah]

Yes, this strategy has worked many times for me. I've had my city states eliminate civs without any direct help from me.

[Beatie]

Maintnance cost are way to high I think. There is no easy way to make more money. Everybody says's the new combat system rocks! Then make is possible to create big army's so that you CAN make a front line across your borders. Now that is impossible because the high cost of maint. Same goes for buildings. Improve city's is not always a smart thing. I Buildings cost money. lots of money. The times of planning for a huge war are over. Ohh wait no not true.. we always have civ4 yet

[pdxsean]

Maintnance cost are way to high I think. There is no easy way to make more money.

Well, there's no easy way to make FAST money. There is an easy way to make more money, however, and that is to plan far ahead. After a number of completed games I've found that if you built lots of trading posts as your society grows, and spend within your means, it's really no problem to make 50 or more gold per turn consistently through the end of the game.

I will agree that it is easy to overspend and fail to consider the costs of things in the future, but the more I play the easier it gets to maintain a steady income even as I climb the difficulty ladder.

[Wyrda Edocsil]

I don't see why everybody has such a problem with their late-game economies. By the late game, my economy and military are so powerful that the AI couldn't possibly stop me, even on the higher difficulties. I'm usually making more gold than I can spend, probably because it's so difficult to make a good amount of money in the early game. I like the maintenance. It makes you have to think about building things, and maintaining positive income to buy things.

[Beatie]

I will agree that it is easy to overspend and fail to consider the costs of things in the future, but the more I play the easier it gets to maintain a steady income even as I climb the difficulty ladder.

That seems to be right, that is what i found out now myself. We say that we miss the slider, but in a way there is a slider. The only thing is that it works somewhat different. The focus setup of each city can provide money if need to. And like pdsxean already sad... build enough tradingposts. I also think that specialize your city's is the way to go. But I have to say I did not did that yet. I am in my seccond game yet, and doing well at warlord level. (I have to learn this game first to play higher levels) and I doing very well. I beat sulliman and the romans in one war. My economy rocks now I feel this game is getting better and better. That is why i keep playing it pays out it seems