Playing Up

[Sheik]

I recently beat a game on regent against China and India playing as Japan in the year 560 AD by way of conquest and had a score of 4750. Then I decided to play emporer. I started a game as Japan against India. Before I had two cities they had 3 or 4. They had also completed two wonders a few turns after I had my second city. How do you guys deal with this? What is your strategy?

[zulu9812]

AT higher difficulty levels the AI gets bonuses to increase it's production power. Bonuses which you don't get. I'd concentrate on building up your military and capturing cities which build a wonder, if I were you.

[alva]

Why not let them build the wonder first ?

[Theseus]

Oh yeaaah...

Sheik, you gotta lay a smackdown on anybody nearby. I think of their cities and GWs as mine, but "not yet, not yet."

[jshelr]

Theseus is getting literary, sneaking in lines from great movies about Rome.

My answer to competing on Emporer would be:

1. Grovel -- when they demand furs and gold, pay up, every time. You can't afford to bog down in fighting until you are ready.

2. Don't build any buildings but barracks -- follow Dr Fell's expansion strat until it's time for war

3. Set science to zero after iron and horses -- you can buy it at half price and get it for nothing after conquest. (You have to keep only one level behind on the tree to make the conquest idea pay off optimally.)

4. Expect a good game. Don't expect to dominate from the start. Your advantages are in the fighting, where you will be much smarter, and in the late stage building, where I don't understand why the AI lags so badly, but they do, and in research strategy in the late game, where the AI doesn't get the power of MA.

5. I noticed last night that AI civs were building factories and power plants on the new patch -- you may be in for a tougher late game than before.

But -- after 30 hours or so, you will win!!

[jshelr]

sorry -- duplicated