Ever since I've started playing Civ IV, my favorite early game strategy (on a huge map has been a mass production of Settlers to go out and claim a huge portion of the continent. It would hurt my gold per turn, and therefore my science, but I could usually get to Currency and resume my dominance in science and culture.

But now, it seems like my gold per turn is at an all time low, and my slow period takes a very long time to get out of... If I don't get the oracle, others Civs get far ahead, and I can't catch up until the Rennaissance if no one attacks...

When they were making BTS, did they add tougher penalties for large quantities of cities or something? Because I've never had such a rough time expanding before...

I'm not sure...but I have noticed I tend to move my capital much more to compensate for distance form palace maintenance...That might just be me being odd however.