Now that I've moved up from prince... I'm running into severe economic woes.

It seems that every game I play, once I am getting close to hitting ADs, all the way through to the industrial era, my economy lags way, way behind the AI.

I usually start the game by getting a relevant military tech, and beelining for courthouses and alphabet. I trade for the early techs I need, get my courthouses up, and start a war. I make it a priority to found one city near some gold/gems/fur.

And it's all downhill from there. Even if I get courthouses up in the conquered cities, my science slider crawls along at anywhere between 0 and 30%.

What am I doing wrong?

Am I putting too much emphasis on hammers? Even now, I feel like the military I produce is just enough to conquer my neighbour. Should I be clear-cutting my forests for cottages?

Should I not try to go for Civil Service/Machinery after COL?

Currency is usually a better bet than CoL for economic recovery on Monarch. CoL might be better if you are Organized.
A few ideas...

More workers! 1.5 per city as a rule of thumb. This is very often overlooked. You don't want to work any unimproved tile.
Play the map! If you have enough land for 7+ cities peacefully, you don't necessary need to make a medieval/renaissance war.
On monarch you have to start trading with the AI to keep up. You can't research the whole tree by yourself anymore. Tech wisely and trade with the AI.
To help with the above point, use binary research (0% or 100%) as you are about to get science multipliers. This boosts your research a bit and allows you to better invest your gold into a tech the AI may not have.
Do you build cottages and work them early enough? Specialize 1 city in this - it will be a commerce city.
In the same line of thought, don't build every building in every city. Just build what it needs to be effective.
Trade resources for AI excess gpt, this is a great source of money.
Build libraries and run scientists when your research is in the dumps (low slider).
Sell old techs for money.
Beg for money from Pleased+ AIs.
Check your units maintenance isn't killing you. You don't need those 6000 years old warriors sitting around, unless they are military police.
If you post a few saves/screenshots, helping you will be easier as you're not giving us enough information with a few sentences.

More workers! 1.5 per city as a rule of thumb. This is very often overlooked. You don't want to work any unimproved tile.

But, say, if I roll a forest-heavy map, what should those workers do? Clearcut for commerce? Or should I build less and just improve the non-forest tiles I'm working?


Play the map! If you have enough land for 7+ cities peacefully, you don't necessary need to make a medieval/renaissance war.

I find that without a goal to keep an up-to-date military, I get attacked - and when I do have an up-to-date military, taking 3-4 decent cities from one of my weakest neighbour is trivial.

Part of the problem may be that I don't have enough buildings to work on in my cities, so I spend my excess production on military. You're saying that I should focus more on Markets/Grocers?

Here's some pictures of my latest game - this is the one where I had almost every tile start forested, and 3 fish + heavy production resources in my capital. My hammers are fine, but my commerce is in the pits, despite taking 4 decent cities from Bismark.

My capital - Copper, Cows, 3 fish, and lots of forests and hills.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/5379/civ4screenshot0000u.jpg

Bismark's captured cities. My happiness is through the roof with the luxuries.
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/1934/civ4screenshot0002l.jpg

My southern cities. I wish I could cottage them, but I have to farm the one with the ivory, while the coastal one has to work the fish to get access to the quarry.
http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/8642/civ4screenshot0001i.jpg

But, say, if I roll a forest-heavy map, what should those workers do? Clearcut for commerce? Or should I build less and just improve the non-forest tiles I'm working?

Depends on your city. I think the main jump from Prince to Monarch for most is the application of specialists and specializing cities. Plan ahead to where you're wanting them to be is as important as recognizing what your empire needs and such. Plan ahead to your leaders strengths.



I find that without a goal to keep an up-to-date military, I get attacked - and when I do have an up-to-date military, taking 3-4 decent cities from one of my weakest neighbour is trivial.

Generally speaking i find (and ive been reading alot of players better than me do aswell :P ) that depending on the first say, 30 turns or so depending on resources, rivals, tech rate, etc, that they plan ahead to where they want to start building the big stack to take over, and build defensive units until then. If you dont start with bronze, and have to either REX to it or suck it up and play without it for a while, you're either forced to tech IW or HBR and play from there, etc.

alot of times players not building enough cotages early is what gets them. they may give 1 gold to start but as they grow (thats if your working the tile) the gold is growing too. a town can give 5-7 gold a tile

Seems like you're not building enough workers. I would probably run some specialists while waiting for your tiles to improve (in addition to building more workers). Next time, don't forget to turn the resource bubble on.

But, say, if I roll a forest-heavy map, what should those workers do? Clearcut for commerce? Or should I build less and just improve the non-forest tiles I'm working?

Part of the problem may be that I don't have enough buildings to work on in my cities, so I spend my excess production on military. You're saying that I should focus more on Markets/Grocers?



1) Yes - go ahead and chop those forests, as a general rule you can cottage all the green tiles in a commerce city + in your capital, unless of course you need some extra food and need to farm them ...
2) In the pictures you have attached your cities are working quite a few unimproved tiles + way too few cottages.
3) When you dont have anything useful to build, build wealth, this allows you to keep the research slider up. To do this you need currency.

1) Cottages!!!
2) Alpha/Currency (Build research/wealth)
3) Monarchy (Hereditary Rule--grow your cities vertically)
4) Code of Laws (Whip courthouses everywhere)
5) Civil Service + an early GS for an academy (Focus on developing your capital)
6) Literature (GL + NE to start generating a lot of GSs to bulb up liberalism path)
7) A specific wonder here and there (e.g., GLH on a watery map, Pyramids if you have stone, Oracle-->Monarchy or COL can all make a difference in your early economy)
8) Leader choice (e.g., Toku will present you with economic challenges, HC/Liz not so much)