No matter how hard I try, the Super Growth Strategy does not work!!!

In markusf's super growth strategy, it says when you reach monarchy, start irrigating, when you reach republic, you should have 15 cities with 15 settlers. Here's what I got AT BEST:

monarchy-2 settlers, 5 cities

republic-5 settlers, 12 cities (around 800 BC)

He also said by the time you start researching republic, you should already have all tiles irrigated and roads. IMPOSSIBLE! I only have my cities connected by roads and a few irrigation!

How do you get so many cities and settlers so fast?
Do the years matter? eg have to turn demo by 300 AD

markus has a tendency to exagerate alittle.

You need good terrain with no civs to bother you.That example he used was from a 2 player game on king with low barb settings.I beleive it also included a modified early government form with more trade.

In a mp game settlers/engineers can work land faster than normal play for some reason.

He will manipulate taxes early to raise gold for incremental rushing.Since that was a king level game with only 2 players there is no need to garrison your cities early so you can build nothing but settlers.Its fairly easy to celebrate up on king as you start with 3 content(built in Mich's).

Any early hostility makes it much more difficult to do.Or any strategy for that matter.

Keep trying but forget the timetable.

[This message has been edited by Smash (edited February 08, 2001).]

I agree with Vlad, BUT... it's still a good strategy, even the figures are all wrong.

I've tried it two or three times too, and can't come close to his figures. Nevertheless, the first time I tried it I got a spaceship launch 50 years earlier than usual, and the other games were even better.

Once in a while it's a good ruse, especially if you're playing a simple perfectionist game. But if you want to take over the world, it's a different story. Then I get Monarchy, stay in Monarchy even though I get Republic and Democracy, build the Statue of Liberty and switch to Communism, obliterate all known lifeforms (except a 'pet' city), then switch to Democracy to grow. But that's another story

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"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage" - Anais Nin

His strategy works, i've used it alot and it works great(i do add alittle something that i do to it)
It's a very good strategy for a civer who wants to have a small nation.

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Civilization God of War & Economic Prosperity
http://www.civfanatics.com Staff and forum moderator

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That strategy isn't all that good. You should go republic as soon as possible and skip Monarchy. My last game against markus I had 26 cities and HG all by 550BC. And I had HG by 1000BC. NOt to mention an enormous tech lead.

Where can I find this strategy?? Is it on this site?? I've tried...someone direct me.

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"He who expands rapidly across the open terrain of his Civ Map is akin to he who spreads his legs widely. Both leave their Capitol in a vulnerable position, and are libel to be bagged with extreme severity."

Hear now, the Word of Hippo

Originally posted by Cunobelin Of Hippo:
Where can I find this strategy?? Is it on this site?? I've tried...someone direct me.

Click to expand...

It's on page 3 of the War Acad:
http://www.civfanatics.com/civ2strategy3.shtml

I have used the strategy, and I find it rather good - It makes you fall a bit behind until you start growing your cities with a high lux rate, and it may seem a bit awkward in the beginning.
My game: 1100 AD
All techs.
all my cities where 28-35
166.800.000 in pop
and I made around 5.000 gold per turn.



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S.P.Q.R.

I think the difficulty is having the patience to work the strategy. If you ignore the time figures in the original article and see the strategy through, you get to the point where it all just suddenly seems to kick in and you know it's working.

What markusf has done is nothing really extraordinary. He has merely systemised a trade-centred strategy. In systemising like this, rather than being a set of rules-of-thumb, there is the implication that if you don't follow it to the letter you're on your own. Trade-centred strategies DO work and often have spectacular results, but how many of us rigorously stick to them? Very few of us usually I suspect!

Like any trade-centred strategy, it has its limitations. Can you use it for world domination? Perhaps, if you get way ahead on tech, but this is not always possible. And you might not have a big enough city base to produce your weaponry quickly enough. And - strange to relate - the times when I played this stratgey, everyone else caught up too. I didn't see many spies around pinching techs from me so it beats me how it happened, but we ALL had spaceships at some silly early date!

There's a question that's not been raised so far. And that is...
--- --- "Is this a SATISFYING strategy to play?" --- ---
To this question I have to say my answer is "No". Not for me. There's an artificiality to it which removes any real mirroring of how civilisations grow, especially in their early years. It feels like flailing about until suddenly, as I said, it all starts to kick in. So yes it does work, and trade-centred strategies are A Good Thing (tm), but for me it's not as much fun as other strategies, whether they're prefectionist or expansionist.

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"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage" - Anais Nin

I like to use his trategy, but only when playing multi against friends - when playing the AI, I can find more fun ways of beating it.



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Veni Vidi Vici.

I think the main reasons it does not work for me is because I have to deal with at least 3 AI that I have contact with, and plus, there's lot's of hills, swamps, etc.

When does the strategy kick in and start the super growth?

I have read so many about the start of the game that I've become rather good at it. However, as soon as I reach the mid-game things start to get ugly for me.

One of the things I did learn is: don't rely on the republic too early: your settlers will eat two food a turn AND require a shield upkeep, which won't allow your small cities to grow. Monarchy on the other hand is an excellent government for growing your empire.

The trick with the super growth strategy is therefore a trick for a small kingdom to generate a lot of money. So don't forget to build Caravans, settlers and defence first, THEN switch to republic and generate money. Writing this I really wonder why it's called a growth strategy...

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"So, who initiated democracy?"

If you monarchy first you're going to lose. And I'm not talking about against the AI. The supergrowth strategy is not that good. I'll pick you apart if you use it. Far better to go Republic first.

So pick me, eyesofnight,
Considering the huge amounts of shields that are required to maintain your units under republic, I would never go for it too soon. It's even worse when playing deity, cause you really need your units to maintain hapiness, which is not going to happen under republic.

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"So, who initiated democracy?"

Originally posted by vladmir_illych_lenin:
When does the strategy kick in and start the super growth?

Click to expand...

Sorry Vlad, I can't remember any more exactly. I've checked all my part-game archives and I can't find one from that part of one of those games.

Ok, anyone who thinks I'm full of **** feel free to play me. 45583438

Vlad, the strategy starts kicking in just after you get Aqueduct/sewer system in all your cities and pump up the lux rate.



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Veni Vidi Vici.

The best way to grow is as all know !!?!

LUXURY !!!

go for Republic -----> luxury grow

so all are

Contray to eyeofnight i have found that monarchy is an excellent form of government for early growth. the low amount of food/sheilds required to have a billion settlers and enough units for happiness/defense is unmatchable. the problem with monarchy is corruptn and lack of money/sience. to countr this i go for Adam smith/universities. adam pays for the court houses and graneries and libraies while i pay for the universities, aquaducts, and sewers. now as my name says "growthudemocracy" and i do but not until my citizens get sick of being taxed without being represented... a side note be liberal with your courthouses, they make you money and sience while helping lux by saving the lost trade arrows of corruptn

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"democracy is the worse form of government, except for all the others" winston chruchill

No one listen to eyesofnight, he's not worthy to be a member of civfanatics since he was caught cheating at gameleague.
Strategies will work but you must first practice them and keep on practicing until you can get it down right and you can remember the steps to the strategy.

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Civilization God of War & Economic Prosperity
http://www.civfanatics.com Staff and forum moderator

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