Boredom

[granite00]

When I get to 25 cities or more, the game gets very tedious and takes so long to finish. I play single player at Emp. level.+

I know many of you found at least a hundred cities in a game. How do you do it and maintain your sanity?

[Mao]

auto-build, hehe

Actually, I only did that once to get a high score. Now I just found a few cities and play tactics. Or I just play a scenario

[geofelt]

It will be a bit more exciting if you play deity with raging hordes. For a change of pace, try a micro map(25x40), you will get challenging terrain.

[Ming]

Lose your sanity... Nahhhhh...
But you are right, it gets boring real quick.
And that's why nobody really goes for a point record anymore!

As suggested, try harder settings. Or, try one of the challanges... like the One City Challange.

Playing just one city forces you to use everything you got... but you only have to micromanage one city You will learn a lot, and it is great fun.

[Empress]

I think the best part of the game is the beginning.

[AkwaticDudeCity]

Here's a suggestion i find very enjoyable.
7 civs
raging hordes
deity
do or die
bloodlust
put a 'no' for Manhattan Project in rules.txt
Found 20-25 cities
No conquests b4 Future tech 1, if you do undertake a punitive expedition to force a peacetreaty, raze a city don't conquer it.
Machiavellian schemes to soften up the enemy are allowed
When you have Future tech 1 you don't just conquer. But what you should aim for is to wipe out an entire civ in one turn without killing any partisan. It takes a lot of preparation in terms of planning, production and positioning of carrierfleets, airbases and fortresses, but the pay-off inn the end is just magnificent. There's nothing more beautiful than seeing dozens of partisans just disappear from the map as your paratroopers enter their last city
It also makes for some cool graphics in the end when you get to see the powergraph.
Try it, it's fun

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ugh crud, why won't they fall prey to my Machiavellian schemes?