Strategy help

[El Civ]

As a newbie, I struggle with strategy. In the early game I typically found a city, build a warrior (to explore with), then a defender and then a settler. Of course, circumstances sometimes dictate otherwise but that's the custom I follow. Should I be building a barracks in all or most cities before the defender (or warrior)? I know many here are opposed to going after Sun's, which would mean building barracks to get vet units.

As for research, I go after Monarchy ASAP and once I get it I go after pottery (if I didn't start the game with it). I can usually still build HG first (which is the first wonder I try to get) and will also try to build Pyramids too. If the AI beats me to Pyramids, I often will go after the Great Wall instead. Is this sound practice?

At what point do I turn down my science rate and increase the luxury rate? If I get into an early war, before Mike's, and am too busy building war units to build temples, I will try and keep folks happy by bumping the lux rate to 10 or 20%. Otherwise, if people are happy, I leave it alone and have science set to 50-60%. I rather imagine that this is not preferred by smart Civ players, so please straighten me out.

I prefer going fundy and winning by conquest, but if I am well ahead in technology I sometimes switch to democracy and try to launch a ship (but that is rare as those games take longer and I tend to grow bored with them). Besides, fundy allows me to be the wealthiest tribe and have the strongest army. Being in that position and winning by conquest is more fun to me than winning by spaceship.

[Unix]

Early in the game I concentrate on nothing but building cities and making sure roads(that can be transformed to railroad later) connect them. Once a city is built I then build a settler, after a settler a warrior to protect and then on to a temple. I build the cities as close together as I can, plus concentrating on mining and irrigation. Depending on how the rest of the game goes depends on what I do after that. I don’t know if this is correct but it seems to work ok.

[El Civ]

Maybe I'm just being stupid but I don't like to defend cities with warriors (phalanx or better is my choice). And I also like to get tipping huts and find out what's around me ASAP, so I like to send a few warriors out "on patrol" for those things. I also normally wait until after I have monarchy (or later) until I begin building more settlers to build roads, irrigate, etc.

I'm curious as to how others do it and what they recommend because it's possible I'm going about it all wrong. Thanks for the reply Unix.

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

There was a thread about the 'warrior vs. phalanx as first unit' argument, recently.

Basically the warrior serves 2 purposes - it's faster, and early in the game you want to expand quickly. The warrior lets you start a settler sooner.

Plus, 2 warriors can be built in the time of one phalanx. For martial law purposes (especially in deity) this can be crucial. A new city needs a warrior for martial law at size 2, and sometimes at size 1, depending on the # of cities you have. It's irritating to have a city go into disorder because the phalanx wasn't built before size 2. This happens much less when building warriors.

Of course the phalanx defends better... so it's a bit of a gamble to build warriors if there are bad guys around. In my very first cities I'll build warriors, because barbs don't appear for the first few turns, AI civs are probably too far away to attack, and huts will only produce one barb at a time. Later on, there's more of a need for the phalanx for defense.

STYOM

[Scouse Gits]

In the early game if I need something better than warriors it's usually horsemen. During this time the main problem is barb archers. These units attack at 3 but only defend at 1...so strike first with a horsie before they do any damage.

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SG(2)

[DaveV]

Civ against the AI embodies the old saw "the best defense is a good offense". Build roads, as Unix said, and build a handful of horsemen (one for every 2-3 cities should be enough). You can see barbs coming from a long way off if you explore systematically, so you have plenty of time to move your forces into position to intercept them. Your warriors should never have to defend, so building a phalanx is a waste of shields. If you build enough cities and units, the AIs will spend the whole game cowering in fear and never dare to attack you.

If you're looking for a fast start, your early builds should be exclusively warriors, horses, and settlers. Each settler roads a couple squares and flops down a new city. Each city produces military units while it's waiting to grow big enough to produce a settler.

[DaveV]

Re: Strategy help

I guess I didn't really answer the questions:

Originally posted by El Civ
As a newbie, I struggle with strategy. In the early game I typically found a city, build a warrior (to explore with), then a defender and then a settler. Of course, circumstances sometimes dictate otherwise but that's the custom I follow. Should I be building a barracks in all or most cities before the defender (or warrior)?

No. As mentioned above, your early troops are just there to police your own citizens. Build lots and lots of settlers instead of barracks. You can build barracks when you run out of room to expand, or when you decide to switch into conquest mode. I am not one of those who doesn't favor the War Academy, by the way. Maintenance-free barracks in all cities are a huge boost to the warmonger.

As for research, I go after Monarchy ASAP and once I get it I go after pottery (if I didn't start the game with it). I can usually still build HG first (which is the first wonder I try to get) and will also try to build Pyramids too. If the AI beats me to Pyramids, I often will go after the Great Wall instead. Is this sound practice?

The great wall isn't really necessary against the AI. HG is my favorite wonder, Pyramids are somewhere down in the middle of the pack.

At what point do I turn down my science rate and increase the luxury rate?

Only if you're trying to generate extra arrows through We Love the King day. With the Gardens, you shouldn't have any happiness problems. Just beeline your way to the Statue of Liberty, then your happiness problems are really over.

I prefer going fundy and winning by conquest, but if I am well ahead in technology I sometimes switch to democracy and try to launch a ship (but that is rare as those games take longer and I tend to grow bored with them). Besides, fundy allows me to be the wealthiest tribe and have the strongest army. Being in that position and winning by conquest is more fun to me than winning by spaceship.

I find conquest games tend to take longer than spaceship games, because it takes so long to move all the units around and stomp all those AI cities. But I've never found much satisfaction in a spaceship win.

[El Civ]

Thanks all, keep 'em coming

I appreciate the helpful advice.

Dave said:

I find conquest games tend to take longer than spaceship games, because it takes so long to move all the units around and stomp all those AI cities. But I've never found much satisfaction in a spaceship win.

Spaceship wins most likely take so long for me because I am not wise in the ways of fine tuning my cities and production (i.e. gaining more arrows, shields, etc.), nor am I as economical as I could be in other areas (such as having a phalanx in each city at the beginning of the game).

The advice you all are giving is the stuff I'm looking for. Thanks and please continue the lesson. I want to graduate with honors

I wonder if the Gits are regretting their invite to me in their next succession game yet

[Scouse Gits]

Invite - what invite?



Of course not! One thing that we all have in common (Except Eyes who was simply born omniscient) is that we all have to learn - this wonderful game si so deep that we are all still learning - it would cease to be so addictive if we actually knew everything...

SG[1]

[War4ever]

warriors and horses all the way...... with leos and a few military techs along the way you can save yourself thousands of gc's

dont forget to pick up suns along the way.....

HG and the SSC to fuel your empire......on anything less than a large map both of these are not necessary.

lighthouse and magellans can wreak havoc and make a foothold on the oppositions empire a certainty

[geofelt]

DaveV has the same approach as me. I will space them so they don't overlap much as a rule. I explore some to find a good capitol site. It must have some trade potential and some shield potential. I get 4 cities down asap. I stay at size 4 (or 5 on a large map) intil monarchy. Then I expand to 13 or so. The capitol starts a wonder early(lookong for HG), the others build settlers and roads to the capitol.
After the first city, my explorers almost never tip huts. A lot of good can come from huts, but my exploring units have been wiped out too many times. Instead I build a city near them, then when I tip them, I get no bad things. --patience--
Horsemen, and an attacking defense is the only way to go against barbs. I like great wall which lets me expand.

[Scouse Gits]

Capital: Warrior, Warrior, (temple), Wonder (for HG)
Others: Warrior, Settler, Settler, Settler, Settler ...
after the HG sometimes in a high food city Settler before Warrior
and a Horse here and there for Barb defence

SG[1]

[James Adams]

I have not real detailled strategy for the beginning usually, I build a defend in a new city then a setter to explore and build roads to connect cities and to build new cities I do not bother with iriatting until farmland!

[Scouse Gits]

Originally posted by James Adams
I do not bother with iriatting until farmland!

Irritating...perhaps

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SG(2)

[El Civ]

[SIZE=1] One thing that we all have in common (Except Eyes who was simply born omniscient) is that we all have to learn - this wonderful game si so deep that we are all still learning - it would cease to be so addictive if we actually knew everything...

SG[1]

Isn't Eyes the guy who no one here likes because he claims to be the best ever at Civ? At any rate, SG[1], have you and SG(2) already decided upon the parameters of your succession game? If you can tell me what level and tribe I'll begin a practice game to get prepared as best I can.