What am I missing?

[happy 2 B here]

Rasputin,
Are you referring to OCC play or early AC play? There is a difference b/c with OCC play you tend to not be supreme as much or at all. One key to establishing alliances is to try to do that when you are not supreme b/c the AI will rarely ally with you when you are supreme. Usually, if you stick to just one city and aggresively explore early, you can encounter the other civs before you have started WLT*D and increased you population and your power rating. Also, keep trying to establish alliances with other civs throught the game. Often, they will ally with you later in the game, when they were not willing to before. You have to weigh very carefully offers to ally for a declaration of war. If you are at peace with the civ that you declare war with, it will hurt your reputation and potentially direct units from that civ to your city, requiring a "shunting" of your resources to fend them off. With regards to your reputation, that is also important in establishing alliances. Try to keep a squeeky-clean reputiation at all times. Finally, if they ask for money in exchange for an alliance in OCC play, go ahead and take the offer b/c you can usually beg for all of your money back (and then some) in the future.

[EOL]

Originally posted by happy 2 B here
Finally, if they ask for money in exchange for an alliance in OCC play, go ahead and take the offer b/c you can usually beg for all of your money back (and then some) in the future.

In the early game, if they try it later in the game they will usually take your money and make you declare war on their hated enemy afterwards for an alliance. Double-crossing swine.

[Edward]

Re: More info...

Originally posted by Juggler_Bob
I am usually capable of winning at Prince or King level, but it is often a close call to do it before 2020....

I may have mis-interpreted your initial request. If you aren't trying to set records, generally feel good about your game, and just don't seem to be able to do it before 2020;   then I have a simple solution that worked for me:

When it becomes 1900 - stop expanding.

* When the year is 1900, you are no longer allowed to found any new cities.

* When the year is 1900, you must switch to Democracy.

* When the year is 1900, you're no longer allowed to send military units into enemy territory.

* When the year is 1900, all your cities must only produce caravans to deliver for science beakers (preferably to large cities in other peaceful civilizations). You can build improvements in the SSC but not elsewhere. Sure you can build temples or marketplaces if a city's going into disorder or military units if it's under attack. But no "perfecting" non-SSC cities or building aqueducts for anticipated growth. A flood of caravans (combined with your SSC) will send you up the science tree more quickly than just about anything else. And their continual income means you don't need any taxes. You can max science and keep your luxuries just high enough to stave off disorder.


As you get more practice you can throw in a We Love the President Week after getting all your little cities ready. You can start looking at supply and demand when delivering your caravans, etc., etc. But you'll be surprised how helpful simply setting a "deadline" for yourself can be in beating the 2020 clock.

[jpk]

I use the following strategy at Deity. When I discover Republic I set luxuries to 40%, Tax to 10%, and Science to 50%. Then I change the government to Republic. If your workers are on trade producing squares and you have a decent happiness wonder Hanging Garderns, Michelangelo We Love The Consul Days will increase the size of your cities suffiently to overcome the low scinece rate. Furthermore because your cites are larger, your caravans will be worth more. That yields a bigger science bonus.

[cpemma]

As well as SSC, I have an arsenal city - coastal, good shields, caravan-built Shakespeare. Rush-built factory, osp & mp, and pollution preventers.

One of my few cities before tanks with barracks (& later a port fac), it builds mil units, especially naval. The vet land units can be adopted by other cities to save its own shields, likewise it has on-loan defenders.

No unhappiness when the navy is out, WFFM.

[jpk]

It is convenient to have the Hanging Gardens and Shakespeare in the same city, at least if you go to Republic or Democracy. The Hanging Gardens gives you some guaranteed happy citizens and Shakespeare sees to it that none of the citizens in unhappy. With some luxuries it will often be the case that the city's growth is limited by food.

Because of this growth potential I like to have both the Hanging Gardens and Shakespeare in my Super Science City. It is not always possible to get both the Colossus and the Hanging Gardens in the same city, at least if you play on a multicontinent world. It helps to found the capital by 3700 BC, go for trade right after Monarchy, and have nearby cities build caravans as fast as you can afford to build them.