Things I always do, advice requested...

[vmxa1]

Originally posted by Archmage


Uh... it usually nets me a LOT of techs. Five to seven I'd say... But would you say that might be because I'm beelining literature and it's construction, even forgoing the techs I could learn much faster like pottery and masonry?

Well if you are using accel production, ignore me. I have no experience with that.

If normal play then beeline and skipping really ancient techs could net you some, but you could research them super fast with libs anyway. I don't beeline for lit at any game under emperor.
No need for it and I will be on std maps, so I will be needing to fight at least once more than liekly. This menas I need some of those units techs.

In C3C you may choose to try for SGL and hence go for techs. Again at lower levels, that is a reasonable play. At higher levels, you are not going to beat the AI to many ancient techs.

[vmxa1]

Originally posted by Archmage


Uh... it usually nets me a LOT of techs. Five to seven I'd say... But would you say that might be because I'm beelining literature and it's construction, even forgoing the techs I could learn much faster like pottery and masonry?

I should have said the skipping granaries could be very costly in terms of getting your empire going full speed. Being able to grow those workers/settlers/units quickly is a key factor.

[Archmage]

Originally posted by Cort Haus
My 1 Euro's worth for Archmage, - switch Accelerated Production off then try the advice offered by the folks here - it'll probably be more appropriate than when applied to a modded game (which Acc. Prod is).

You got it. I'll try that right now.

Thank you.

[Archmage]

Originally posted by ducki

If the GLib is netting your Pottery and Masonry, I'll venture a guess that you're not trading techs. If true, you could probably reduce your dependence on the Library by trading.

I don't trade techs which I will also try. My basic complaint about trading techs is that the AI always wants to trade a tech thats further along the tree for one that isn't. I know NOT trading maps and techs doesn't endear myself to the AIs...

Additionally, if you're as warlike as you sound, if the AIs aren't willing to trade, they should be willing to give techs when you sue for peace.

As everyone knows, there at the very end, they're willing to give you EVERYTHING to get you off their backs. I like to hammer a civ down to one last city. I keep them around like trophys of my military might.

Anyway, that's often how I acquire some techs and a lot of my maps. I'm glad satelites are back in Conquest.

[Cort Haus]

Archmage, are you familliar with tech devaluation ?

Basically the more civs in contact with each other that have a tech, the cheaper that tech is to research or buy. So if you and you alone have Literature, but everyone else you know has Code of Laws, Philosophy and Mathematics, you'll probably get all three for Literature - at least to a civ not already researching Lit.

If a civ is researching a tech, they pay less depending on how much research they'd already done on it.

Always experiment with trading options and use the advisor. the AI will offer a world map for Space Flight so don't always take too much notice of their initial offer - so haggle (with the advisor).

Keeping in regular contact and looking for possible trades is valuable/essential at higher levels.

[Gladi]

Bright Day Everybody.

I am myself on another hand having problems at regent difficulty level . Most of your post are very good, but some things keep me wondering . Most of you advise for early change to Republic. Unforunately time after time when I try this option I end with (for me ) deficit of aproximately twenty million. That even when I defend my cities with only one defender and my army generaly consists of no more than twenty units. Also another my question is: "Oh gosh where do you get money to upgrade twenty units?!?" From begining I play with seventy percent of taxes into research and ten to luxury. Many times I have to rely on barbarians as my source of income.

I think I should say some things more. My overall strategy is to establish a breeding city early in the game, while one higher production city creates some wonder (usually Pyramids) and newly founded cities builds temples as their first action. Also I usually play Huge maps, ravageing barbarians and ten plus civilizations.

Any of your replies would be most welcomed. Have a most bright day ..

[Kingof the Apes]

Gladi- In the early game, you will not need to spend money on the luxury slider. Make sure you build marketplaces, they are crucial to the expansion of your economy. When you build new cities, dont build temples off the bat. Try going for some military units, or workers/ settlers- and while you are building these units, you should be developing the tiles around the city. This insures more gold, more production/growth, and will make the city self sufficient. Another note, don't set one city aside to produce a wonder. Build up its infrastructure, and keep all options open. once a city really gets going, you will be able to build wonders and improvements much more easily.

[vmxa1]

Temples is a bit of situational item. Regent is the same as Monarch for content citizens (2). This means you have some slack before you have to deal with unhappy people.

If you are cranking out workers/settlers from those first two cities, you should not have a big need for the lux slider. If you can hook up one lux in the one of those two cities, you should be in decent shape, unless those cities grow too fast.

In any event, I would just keep an eye out as they pop a new citizen and see if you have unhappy citizens to deal with.
I will use the slider when needed, but often it may be better to use a specialist.
Markets are great, but it will be awhile before you have that tech and and can build them.

[vmxa1]

Gladi, if we are talking about C3C, you may end up not getting Republic that soon. I would expect to make a stab at being first to those 3rd tier techs and beyond. So I will not beeline for Republic, until it looks like it is the best bet for next up. IOW I want to select a tech that I can get quickest and is not already known.

I may even not switch until I roll to the next age or I can see I cannot be first to any of the next tier of techs (this should not happen at Regent).

So if you can make contacts, you may be able to sell some tech about the time you are ready to switch and fill the coffers.

I would expect that you would have had 2 units for each city to get the garrison effect. By the time you switch you should have some cities and be allowed the extra support form size 6. If not, then you will have to cut back on one of your sliders. Chances are the tiles are not optimally used and hence not making the income they should. Look to see if you have citizens that could be on tiles that make more cash, that roads on on all worked tiles. If that is not enough, look to see if you have any tiles that can generate extra cash, resource ones, especially gold.

[Gladi]

WoW that was quick . Tried Regent, got beaten and found your posts . What I really hated was that Ottomans ( accidentaly the same that gave me beating later on) finished Mausoleum of Mausolus one turn ahead of me. No problem let us switch to Great Library. There it was two turns by French .

Dear King of the Apes and Vmxa1. Thank you very much for your advice. I am going right back to try them .

[vmxa1]

Good luck. BTW what civ are you using? Go with an industrious one to start with. Ottoman are good in that they have Science and will get cheap libs and universities. One free tech for each new age and a well timed UU (sipahi).

I am not real fond of the MoM wonder as the temples are only temporary. As you play higher levels the speed of tech increases and that wonder will go obsolete much sooner. I would suspect at Regent it will last longer. I would also like it more in a larger map, where I may have more new cities on the same contient.
In a small land mass, it is nearly worthless.

[ducki]

IIRC, the MoM is 3 happies in it's city.
It's the Temple of Artemis that gives you free temples until Education.

I love the MoM.
I like the Statue of Zeus even better, but it seems too powerful.

[vmxa1]

Yeah, I got them confused. I no longer build the temple and I can't get the MoM above Mon unless I go all out. So I won't have either most of the time.

Zeus is a beeline, if I get Ivory or can trade for it. I feel it is more useful than any wonder.

[Donegeal]

Gladi- in your post you said that you only have about 20 units in your army. I'm not sure if you know this, but your workers (native workers that is, not captured) cost upkeep as well.

So, as an example:
Despotism
10 cities = 40 units free of upkeep
10 spear, 5 sword, 10 workers = 0 upkeep

Now you switch to Republic:
10 cities = 10 units free of upkeep
10 spear = 0 upkeep
5 sword, 10 workers = 15 units that cost upkeep
In conquests, for Republic it cost 2 gold per turn (gpt) to maintain units above your "units allowed". In this example, it would cost you 30 gpt to maintain what was free under despotism.

[CerberusIV]

I am beginning to wonder just how different the government choices are under C3C. I am only on my first game played into the industrial era. Dutch, standard map, continents, monarch. There were 5 civs on my continent and I have just found the other three on a much smaller continent and a few islands.

I went for Monarchy knowing I would have to fight. I skipped Republic entirely, intending to pick up Democracy later.

All went according to plan initially. I took out the Ottomans and then Carthage, switched to Democracy and started building up my civ. Then Scandinavia attacked. I expected a government collapse through WW at any moment but it didn't happen even after a 40 turn war in which I lost a significant number of units (Swiss Mercs are good but Berserks are hard to stop). Admittedly I started with 5 luxuries and had 7 by the end. I also captured Sistine and I think this kept my core cities from serious unrest (most actually went into WLTKD at this point!). Several of the captured Carthaginian cities were starving as the governors used entertainers (I was on 20% lux) to keep them from disorder.

Apart from being reminded that the Vikings are at the top of the list with Persian and the Germans as civs to be killed on sight, it has been very interesting to find out just how far Democracy can be pushed in war.

My tentative conclusion is that Republic is the way to go if you are isolated and can get away with a small military. If you have neighbours and either they or you are going to be aggressive then Monarchy to Democracy looks a better option. In PTW I would never bother with Monarchy, always straight to Republic.