Strategy thats probably completely obvious, but i'll say it anyway.

[joony]

When you are coming up to building a wonder that you REALLY want get one of your cities, not your capital to start building the Palace, and then change it when the wonder becomes available. Particularly useful if in close tech race. Woohoo!

And another thing. Another one of my little surveys. Which is the most important wonder? I'd say Wall Street because it gives you the money under Democracy and Republic to have a large army with Science still at 70-90%

[albiedamned]

That is a well known strategy, but it's never bad to reiterate it. I think the most important wonder is either Sistine or Hoover. Hoover is incredibly powerful, but it often comes at a point when the game is already decided so that diminishes it somewhat. Great Library can also be extremely important depending on your opening strategy. You can basically do no research and save up tons of gold if you get it.

[alva]

Next question is offcourse, is this an exploit/cheat or not? Still not sure myself, allthough I do use it

[Catt]

I frequently use this tactic as well. And I generally pride myself on not using exploits.

But I define an exploit to be a tactic or strategy that is advantageous or "smart" within the game rules, but which the AI cannot / does not use. The palace pre-build certainly fits my own working definition of an exploit.

However, I'm not yet ready to give up the tactic in the interest of my own "purity." I am weak.

Catt

[Jawa Jocky]

This is the only exploit I use too. I justify it by telling myself it makes wonder building even. You shouldn't lose everything when someone beats you to a wonder. I swear the AI waits until your almost done then rushes one just to hurt your productivity.

[joony]

Does the AI have to abide by the same rules as the humans? Certainly on Regent+ they don't seem to have to research the early advances.

[DAVOUT]

Originally posted by Jawa Jocky


You shouldn't lose everything when someone beats you to a wonder.

That's the point : not lose everything, but one third or half would more realistic.


I swear the AI waits until your almost done then rushes one just to hurt your productivity.

Perverse AI !

[Catt]

Originally posted by joony
Does the AI have to abide by the same rules as the humans? Certainly on Regent+ they don't seem to have to research the early advances.

Above Regent the AI has a number of advantages, the most well-known are probably: (1) production / growth bonuses -- it takes them less food to grow and less shields to build improvements / units; (2) starting unit advantages (they start with multiple units instead of just a worker and settler. There are plenty of other less-well known (or at least less-discussed) advantages as well. But they do not get free technologies.

You probably perceive otherwise because of the AI's proclivity to trade technologies agressively -- if you're playing on a pangea or continents map (lots of early civ contact) with a good number of different civs, then there is a good chance that all of the "first-tier" ancient age technologies are already "discovered" by the collective group of civs at the start -- it is just a matter of finding others and trading. You can meet an AI civ in 3500 BC that already has all the first-tier techs and one or two "second tier" techs - trading and goody huts are the "villians" here - and provide a good lesson - trade techs aggressively or fall way behind.

Catt