What Civ should I use?

[Von Jesse]

I'm pretty bad at this game, and if I don't get better I might stop playing because this game can get really frustrating lol. Usually I play as the Japanese but that isn't working out. What Civ should I play as if I like to go for either Tech or Domination victories?

 

[CrimsonEdge]

Well, Japan is one of the strongest (if not the strongest) for a tech victory due to the very early +1 food on all sea tiles.

For domination, I found the Aztec to be a perfect civ to win a domination victory with as well as the perfect civ to get used to the game with. The unforgiving nature of combat in this is almost negated by the Aztecs.

But seriously, Japan is great for a tech victory. What I always do when I play them, regardless of what victory I am going for, is to build a galley as soon as I have 3 warriors out and then build a settler. After that, I put my settler on a galley and move him to an island - any island really but the smaller the amount of land the better. You don't need hammers here. This town will be your early tech and guaranteed quick expansion.

Sometime in this time I'll have 100 gold and will have a free settler. I usually put him in a spot with high hammers - that will be my production town for the majority of the game. I use the 100 gold to connect it with my main city so I can move archers there.

My main city is used for building lots of coastal or island cities. That's all I use it for when playing as Japan (the reason is because I stick with Republic for a long long while). Your goal as Japan should be to own as many Islands as possible. This ensures you either a pure economic advantage if you devote to gold or a pure tech advantage if you devote to tech. Either of these can be used to give you a numbers advantage via gold or a strength advantage via tech. Both are viable.

 

[Von Jesse]

Well, Japan is one of the strongest (if not the strongest) for a tech victory due to the very early +1 food on all sea tiles.

For domination, I found the Aztec to be a perfect civ to win a domination victory with as well as the perfect civ to get used to the game with. The unforgiving nature of combat in this is almost negated by the Aztecs.

But seriously, Japan is great for a tech victory. What I always do when I play them, regardless of what victory I am going for, is to build a galley as soon as I have 3 warriors out and then build a settler. After that, I put my settler on a galley and move him to an island - any island really but the smaller the amount of land the better. You don't need hammers here. This town will be your early tech and guaranteed quick expansion.

Sometime in this time I'll have 100 gold and will have a free settler. I usually put him in a spot with high hammers - that will be my production town for the majority of the game. I use the 100 gold to connect it with my main city so I can move archers there.

My main city is used for building lots of coastal or island cities. That's all I use it for when playing as Japan (the reason is because I stick with Republic for a long long while). Your goal as Japan should be to own as many Islands as possible. This ensures you either a pure economic advantage if you devote to gold or a pure tech advantage if you devote to tech. Either of these can be used to give you a numbers advantage via gold or a strength advantage via tech. Both are viable.

Sweet. But when you build a city on an island that has no production, you can't build a library, and so you don't get very much science, right?

 

[PlasmidJunky]

you would have to build up the gold to rush buy buildings for your islands. If you vary your islands between gold and science it could work out pretty good. Island cities are great because they are harder to attack as well. If you put a city on a one tile island, the only way the AI can attack it is amphibiously, which they take a -50% attack hit on, or with aircraft, which can't sack your city without ground units. Taking a dug in one tile city can be a pain for the AI and usually not worth the trouble. If you get a few of them set up and minimally defended, it can be a pretty great way to go. Just make sure that you make a gold city or two for rush buying to make up for the lack of production.

 

[Von Jesse]

Okay so I guess I'll go try that now I'm still open to suggestions too

 

[CrimsonEdge]

you would have to build up the gold to rush buy buildings for your islands.

It depends. In most situations I simply switch from science to gold on all of my cities while they build the library/university/whatever. (you'll always have some hammers from citizens working your city). It only takes a few turns to get the gold.

The best thing to do, though, is to find an island with a forest or hill as your gold building city early on. These are pretty easy to find. It doesn't matter where in the world it is, the AI rarely attacks cities on islands. My gold city is the first thing I get. I also buy the economy techs off of my opponents - they never say no if it shows up.

I always ignore culture when playing as Japan. I usually opt for walls in my main land cities to prevent culture flips.

Also note that you'll be so far ahead of everyone else in your science and military techs with your island cities the need for libraries and universities doesn't happen until you can buy all of them. The biggest thing to remember is that your first island city should be all about gold and should remain that way the entire game. You should found this city around the time you get your free settler from currency.

Deity AI usually fails to tech up this fast.