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**Rasputin** · July 3, 2001, 19:32

To complete the game usually takes multiple sessions, over many nights

If you just want to win play cheiftan level... Irritating popups offering advice should be ignored.

**ColdWizard** · July 3, 2001, 22:12

Civ is deep, just keep practicing. When i first started Civ2 i could only beat chieftain and later warlord thru conquest in late 1800AD. I used a militaristic/expansionistic approach (i beat the snot out of any and all civs on my continent, populated the continent and then expanded elsewhere). Since i could then beat the 2 lowest levels, i moved up to prince only to have the ai gang up on me and frustrate me (i still haven't beat it).

Then I started playing multiplayer and i now play much better. I've beaten king and emperor by reaching AC in the 1700's, though i still can't beat a human opponent

I suggest that you download some of the strategies available here, hang out in the strategy section of the forum (it helped me), and/or find a quality, experienced Civer to teach you.

**Six Thousand Year Old Man** · July 4, 2001, 01:44

sboog,

Don't give up. With deference to the guys who wanted you to start on deity, Civ2 is a complex game and I know I would get frustrated fast playing on a high level, back when I started.

Get the feel of the game. If you want to win, start a new game on a small map, 3 civs, villages only, chieftain or warlord level. Build your first city, build a warrior to explore, another to defend, and start building settlers.

If you want a simple strategy to follow, try this:

1. Don't build anything but settlers and military units unless you have a good reason to build something else. Use the settlers to build cities and roads *only* in the early going. Expand, always expand! Later in the game, when the cities are getting big (like 8+ citizens) you can mine and irrigate more. Early on that's a waste of the settler's time. Settlers are for building cities and connecting them with roads.

2. Keep your science rate as high as you can. So long as you have a positive cash flow, don't worry about setting taxes high. You may need to increase luxuries as the game progresses (especially in Republic/Democracy) - but probably not above 20%. If you have a lot of cities rioting, try turning luxuries up.

3. Try to start building Wonders as soon as you can. If a city in the early going has a good defender or two, and produces 5 or 6 shields, it's a good candidate to start a wonder. Once a Wonder is being built you have a good reason to start building something other than units and settlers. Build caravans and send them in to the wonder city to help build it. Later in the game, when cities have grown to 8+ size or so, it becomes worthwhile to send caravans to other cities (preferably foreign) to set up trade routes.

4. Keep repeating the process. As your cities grow, you might need things like temples to keep order. You'll probably want to build other things, too. Bear in mind that until the city is pretty big, most buildings are a waste of turns the city could be building a settler, wonder, caravan, or military unit. But experiment. Once you move along and get to the point where your Civ is running smoothly, expanding, and cranking off science advances as fast or faster than the AI does, you can experiment at will.

5. As soon as you learn Monarchy, switch to Monarchy. As soon as you learn Republic, switch to it. As soon as you learn Democracy, switch to it. Unless you are an out and out warmonger, Democracy has the most advantages, at least at the lower levels.

I am by no means an expert. However, the key it seems is to get your civ running along well and get the hang out of the interrelationship between taxes/science/luxuries, and between defending your existing cities/founding new ones/capturing enemy ones. Once there you can fine tune things and start having fun with the game and moving up in difficulty.

Good luck!

STYOM

**Rasputin** · July 4, 2001, 09:49

ICS

I tried the ICS again this morning on a Giga Random map... I ended up starting on an island (despite asking for loads of land and continents) I printed out Dave V's ICS guide and found that I couldnt follow it after one turn.. His guide calles for building a warrior followed by a Horse. only problem was I didnt have Horse riding, so my dilemna was do i ignore his research guide and get horse first or go straight to monarchy as per guide.. i went for monarchy, which took me longer to discover i was on an island.. After monarchy i went for map making and then trade.. built only settlers whilts waiting for horse... took me till 175BC to almost fill my island with citys (about 20-30) and i had a few city son nearby islands too.. but i just couldnt achieve the spectacular growth talked of by ICSers... The Hanging gardens was built in 200BC ... most people on these boards get it built in about 3000BC ...

**sboog** · July 4, 2001, 17:14

To "6000 yr. old man:"

Thanks for the strategy help. I've got it printed and ready to try.

I have been looking for something simple, yet solid.

This may be it.

sboog

**Scouse Gits** · July 4, 2001, 23:03

Re: ICS

Originally posted by Rasputin
The Hanging gardens was built in 200BC ... most people on these boards get it built in about 3000BC ...

3000BC would be possible if camels fell out of huts

2000BC is brilliant and suggests a Monarchy or Trade start in addition to very good luck with huts
1500BC is good going
200BC is no disgrace!

---------------------------

SG(2)

**Rasputin** · July 5, 2001, 00:02

thanks for the encouragment scouse, i am goinggto try again and hope i start in a better location

**War4ever** · July 5, 2001, 01:54

Another important thing to remember on small maps is that they are often rocky. Therefore you need to control the high ground. Now in single production you cannot build cities anywhere......

so i often look for rivers even if they miss specials. You can always fill in spaces later not to mention building on a river is good for defence, helps trade and it gives the automatic road.

get some of your units out asap, keep tipping huts and keep building cities..... remember overlap is ok, most of your cities won't grow past size 8 anyways so if cities share some rocks your ok.

i like dips in small worlds as they allow you to move troops around zones of control.

build a fort near the enemy and let them spend countless shields and troops against your strong defensive position.

if possible set up a barb killing zone. more often than not the barbs will come from the same areas on the board.... takea few units and put them on good defensive terrain and set up a zone you can hunt the kings down in....that 150g adds up over the course of the game.

Dont build all the improvements....those are meant to slow down the player and detract him from his game plan, which in any game is to grab as much or the best real estate around. Now some will say that this isn't true.... and if you are doing a perfectionist style then yes you don't need the whole board.... but for this purpose which is to win, the easiest way to win is via conquest

once you have 8 cities.... pump out another round of settlers to connect roads and to do some minor improvements..... then settle those settlers too.....

keep the caravans pumping out of your inner cities while continually expanding.

build Hanging Gardens first and foremost..... with it , you can expand at will ..... while this isn't a trick to rely on, it does help making the game that much easier.

Go for the SSC (super science city) col , cop, issacs, in your cap or best trade arrow city, some people dont' use collosus and just use HG for this as well. If you can build all four go for it.

Bee line after that to invention, and Democracy..... with leos your army is safeand upgrades in many ways for free and with SOL you can decide which route to take in your quest for victory.

Now this is what i would find to be an easy strat to use...... by no means perfect and by no means always attainable.... However if you start with this and build those wonders, you will have an easy chance at victory via spaceship or conquest. once you have a few games under your belt with this strategy you can tinker and add some advice from others, or implement new ideas on your own.... its just a basic guide to getting you into position to dominate the ai.

If by AC, then keep pumping caravans while improving the land around your cities for growth and eventually for production of spaceship parts. Find an ai on or off your continent, preferably a "nice" ai like the babs or egyptians and send your caravans there.

If going by conquest pick up sun tzu's to make you battles easier.... once you have a tech window....... go for an attack. Dont give in to the ceasefire if you can take the civ in one turn.....or most of the civ in one turn..... Best bet is to take the capital out first.... then if you like you can bribe at half the cost or just smash the useless cities into the ground.

either way, finish the job quickly and swiftly. Once one civ is out of the way, figure out if your tech lead is enough to take on another civ.

Try not to get bogged down on too many fronts ....or you will suffer like Germany in WW2

If there is one thing i cannot stress enough its to build caravans. Whether AC bound or bloodlust, caravans will get you quicker to your goals everygame.... and i do mean everygame....

Now on most small maps, the game is pretty much over by the time you get SOL.... find a bully take him out, grow twice as big as you were from his cites and the rest will fall...

well now that i read over this, i realize how "basic" a strategy it really is.... but on a small map it works to a T.

if you need other hints i am more than willing to offer them..

*walks away shamefully knowing someone will rip this strat for a newbie apart*

**Rasputin** · July 5, 2001, 05:21

thanks war..

I find that in most deity level game si paly the AI will build HG before i get a chance too and usually has three or 4 other wonders by the time i get one... as you say without HG you will struggle to expand quickly..

The other problem i have is that i can never get the balnce right between people say build lot sof caravans and building enogh defence to protect myslef

**Scouse Gits** · July 5, 2001, 06:07

Ras - see my post : http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...158#post362158

**Rasputin** · July 5, 2001, 06:43

thanks SG{1}

at least one of you is very useful

**kcbob** · July 5, 2001, 07:47

Originally posted by Rasputin
thanks SG{1}

at least one of you is very useful

Is that "one of you" as in all of us on the board or "one of you" as in the two SGs?

**Scouse Gits** · July 5, 2001, 07:53

I thought that both of us (as in the SGs) had been quite helpful - or at least tried

**kcbob** · July 5, 2001, 08:00

If the truth were known, SG, you and SG2 are among the top 10 most helpful posters on this board. Well, maybe the top 20. Okay, for sure in the top 50, uh, 100. No, make that the top 500. All right, once in a blue moon, you come up with something good.

Seriously, Rasputin, listen to the SGs and you will soon enjoy much success.

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