Here we go again with my random leader Deity attempts. Settings are normal speed/fractal/standard size. This time I rolled Pericles, one of the strongest leaders, imo.

The map turned out to be a pangea of some sort, with me more or less in the middle. I managed to expand and grab some decent city cites before getting boxed in. I've founded 8 cities at 1AD with room for about 5-6 more.

Eastern empire:
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn114/JBossch/Civ4ScreenShot0124-1.jpg

Western empire:
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn114/JBossch/Civ4ScreenShot0125-1.jpg

My capital will be great with bureaucracy:
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn114/JBossch/Civ4ScreenShot0126-1.jpg

Tech situation:
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn114/JBossch/Civ4ScreenShot0127-1.jpg
I have a GS waiting to bulb Philo. I had been holding off until the AIs were willing to trade currency and CoL (and hopefully founded Taoism) but AC has 600 gold to trade. Should I bulb now, trade for the gold, MC, and Monarchy and set the slider to 100%? I have put a few beakers into both Currency and CoL.

Diplo situation:
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn114/JBossch/Civ4ScreenShot0128-1.jpg
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn114/JBossch/Civ4ScreenShot0129-1.jpg
This is where I would really appreciate advice. I currently have no state religion because the rest of the world is so divided. I converted to Hindu at one time to please Saladin but switched back after I met other AIs and after AC founded Confucianism and converted.
Saladin is at war with Wang Kon and DeGaulle is WHEOOHRN. I am not his worst enemy but still a possible target even though he couldn't reach me without opening borders with Wang.
I am really not sure who to befriend here. Wang seems like my most likely enemy as he is almost universally hated and my closest neighbor. I can try to get along with the others but the Jewish block and DeGaulle hate me for trading with their worst enemies before I met them. For the moment I will try to stick with AC and Saladin if no one suggests otherwise. Diplo is usually where I blow it on Deity.

The fact that I started with a bit of room to expand and with a good starting spot make this a winnable game I think. There is a lack of early happy resources but I have solved that problem with Calendar and Odeons. If I can keep out of the fray long enough to build an army I should have a chance against the AIs who will likely be fighting each other a lot.

Thanks for any help and I can post the 4000BC save if anybody wants to shadow.

Here we go again with my random leader Deity attempts

Dude, seriously, lol, Deity is hard - pick a decent leader to give yourself a fighting chance. It worked out you rolled a "nice" leader this time but that won't always be the case ^^.

Dude, seriously, lol, Deity is hard - pick a decent leader to give yourself a fighting chance. If you have a low success rate with a chosen leader you will have an even harder time with a random leader.

To be fair, he rolled a good leader :)

I'm assuming this is normal speed? Then I'd bulb and trade for that stash of gold. Also, trade for monarchy and swap to HR. You'll get Joao and Gilg to friendly which should alleviate tech trading issues.

What's with the early theater by the way?

@Crusher1:
True, some leaders are harder to play than others, but I feel the starting terrain and whether it matches up with their starting techs is more important. For example, rolling a start with cows/sheep/pigs etc. is going to suck if you picked a leader without hunting or ag. I'm not mad if I don't win on Deity, in fact I like the early game better than the later game anyway so sometimes I like an excuse to quit. :rolleyes: I also get bored playing the same leader over and over to "perfect" my play with him/her.

Anyway, any tips on my game? :D

Also, trade for monarchy and swap to HR. You'll get Joao and Gilg to friendly which should alleviate tech trading issues.
Good argument for an immediate bulb.

What's with the early theater by the way?
I teched drama after Aesthetics because it unlocked the Philo bulb and because it makes decent trade bait. I was the first to get it and after putting a turn into calendar I got it in trade, along a bunch of lesser techs like Med, Poly, Mono, Archery.

Early drama also allows me to get a jump on setting a GT draft city and happiness from Dyes (traded from Wang).

I also often like to entertain the Music beeline from time to time. Its something I can pull off most of the time on Immortal but rarely on Deity. It wasn't going to happen here, which I realized before putting any beakers into it.

Originally Posted by Crusher1 View Post
Dude, seriously, lol, Deity is hard - pick a decent leader to give yourself a fighting chance. If you have a low success rate with a chosen leader you will have an even harder time with a random leader.

That's not my quote ^^ - you simply copied it before I changed it, which I did very quickly because as you see, my first post has not been edited :)

I disagree with you big time Jbossch but to each their own ^^. Take the comparison of Hatty vs. Alexander. It can take him 6 techs to be at the same point in the game where Hatty only needs 3 which is a huge early game difference massively effecting expansion and tech path, but more importantly, tech rate.

I also get bored playing the same leader over and over to "perfect" my play with him/her.

You could play the same map over and over again with the same leader and literally have 100s of different possibilities. I'm just trying to help you out man ^^. I want to see you get a Deity win and it would be easier if you picked a strong leader - that's all.

This one looks really good, it's low on research now but great potential. You can always add significantly to research converting hammers (to get currency soon which helps immensely with so many cities). I don't think you have to do more than getting currency asap and develop the land. Though you already have 9 i would build a few extra workers for that purpose. Just stay out of trouble, with all the land you have now you should be able to lash out in renaissance era or after AL. Peaceful win is probably on as well with all this land.

You can always add significantly to research converting hammers (to get currency soon which helps immensely with so many cities). I don't think you have to do more than getting currency asap and develop the land. Though you already have 9 i would build a few extra workers for that purpose. Just stay out of trouble, with all the land you have now you should be able to lash out in renaissance era or after AL. Peaceful win is probably on as well with all this land.

My blocking cities went up just in time to stop Wang and Saladin must have been slowed down by the desert because he never tried to take those spots in the West. You are right about the workers, especially with so many more city spots to fill. I will whip out a few more.
Long term, I am thinking along the lines of some sort of peaceful win after a war with Wang but you never know. I am wary of the AI's late game bonuses on Deity.

Thanks!

I want to see you get a Deity win and it would be easier if you picked a strong leader - that's all.
Haha, thanks Crusher. Glad to hear you're pulling for me. You have your wish though: Pericles is a beast. Now tell me how to win! ;)

looks very promising. You got a nice amount of cities and land, and plenty of possible cities to settle in due time.

Bulbing philo, trading for mc/monarchy and some extra's seems like a perfect plan.
As stated before HR will increase your diplomacy, and moving up sliders to get currency will get you out of your dip.

On the leader part, we know Crusher is a fervent supporter of picking leaders to get max benefit out of it. But randoming leaders gives you a good change of pace and interesting games. I agree with Jbossch on that.
If the RG dont work out you can always random again.

On the other hand I feel myself lately agreeing with Crushers PoW. I normally always random leaders, but when I play them it always feels like I do not get the maximum out of them like I should.
Picking certain leaders can give you also the option of trying out specific new strategy's.

Good luck with your game, I will certainly keep watching your progress :goodjob:

Update to 680AD:

I just lost Lib to AC. He is a tech beast and I just couldn't keep up. I still think I'm ok though. Other than him and Joao, I am on par or ahead of the other AIs. I am 1 turn from Edu and have a GSci ready to either bulb Lib (original plan) or do something else. It would be nice to get into FR but we will see.

On the Diplo front, things are going smoothly. AC and Saladin are at war, as are Wang and DeGaulle. If I can take out Wang, the rest of the East will be no problem I think. Meanwhile I can let AC and Sal fight.

Eastern Empire:
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn114/JBossch/Civ4ScreenShot0131-1.jpg

Western Empire:
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn114/JBossch/Civ4ScreenShot0132-1.jpg

My capital with Bureaucracy:
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn114/JBossch/Civ4ScreenShot0133-1.jpg

My soon-to-be GP farm with NE on the way:
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn114/JBossch/Civ4ScreenShot0134-1.jpg

Tech Situation:
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn114/JBossch/Civ4ScreenShot0135-1.jpg

Diplo:
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn114/JBossch/Civ4ScreenShot0136-1.jpg

My plan is to build up for a war against Wang either in the renaissance, or if I miss that window, after AL or artillery.

Any thoughts?

Power graphs will certainly help in that decision.

You do not have any friends, and bordering Gilgamesh never seems like a good choice, good chance gilg will DoW on wang or gaulle, do you have vassals on?

Might be a good decision to go west TBH. Saladin is at war with Juul, so you can get a two-sided war out

Dunno, again depends on power graph.

^^I am at about .3 versus Wang and AC, slightly better versus Saladin. I couldn't adopt a religion so no, I have no close friends. Saladin is a possible target but he's the closest thing I have to a friend right now. Wang is hated by everybody so I was hoping to coordinate my war with somebody else. I may be able to improve relations with Joao and Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh and DeGaulle are not very strong however. They are backward and I shouldn't have to fear them.

I'm curious how can you get so many cities. Can you give me some earlier saves?
Has anyone known liberism? Because Rome knows education but liberism is not in Rome's can research list.

I'm curious how can you get so many cities. Can you give me some earlier saves?
Has anyone known liberism? Because Rome knows education but liberism is not in Rome's can research list.

Im afraid I dont have any earlier saves any more. I think I was just lucky in that the AIs were stuck much closer together and I had a little room to myself. Sparta and Corinth were my first cities and they blocked Wang from any further expansion. I barely beat Wang's settler with Corinth. In the West, Saladin must have been slowed by the desert. Oddly, he sent a settler along the north coast and then turned him around and marched back to his territory. Right after, I built the city to grab gold/incense/FPs. My fourth city was Yayoi on the south coast. It was a barb city and Saladin sent an army to take it. I used 2 chariots and a warrior to capture it after Saladin's first wave attacked. These 4 expansions blocked off the interior which I could then settle at will.

In my last update AC just researched Lib in 68AD.

Since you are setting up a cottage Buear capital, i d suggest not running scientists in capital and put everyone on cottages/farms to maximize pop growth.

Watch out of Joao and AC. I suggest trading Civ Serv with Sal for Feudal to allow him Maceman and yourself Longbow. You do not want AC to crush Sal too early, send a scout to Sal/AC border to see how the war goes. If AC is much stronger then suck up to AC. If Sal has good chance (protective), then try keep him strong and he will be a good buffer against AC.

Your NE site is also a good Globe site, i d suggest set it up for drafting as well. It could get you a mercent for army upgrade before drafting.

Whip 6 universities and build Oxford in capital, Philo helps a lot on this. Then go Steel.

Dont wait until AL for war. You have the city count/research to run a potent Musket/cannon/Gren/curi/Rifle/Cav war around 1100AD. And definitely go East toward Joao. He is very dangerous late game, so maybe take on him with Inf/Arty. Destroy/Vassal WC and Gig.

After 1st war against WC, prob want to consider Emancipation for your large # of cottages. Set up a couple prod cities.

Maybe it's just me, but I always have my capital with a full BFC, unless I'm working cottages to give them back to the capital.

It'll allow you to take full advantage of Bureaucracy, especially if you get rid of the Scientists and work more cottages.