Other than Domination win possible?

First, admittedly, I'm a real newbie. I've played Civ V, BNW & G&K, for about 6 weeks. I've completely finished 3 games, winning only one (Domination win). I've started 5 others games and retired when it was obvious that I wasn't close to winning.

My latest game was playing as Shoshone at Prince level. I'm at turn 265 with 235 left. I'm trying for a Science win on tiny map (4 Civs, 8 C/S). Adding up the techs to finish Rocketry, it will take 300 turns just to finish the tech, let alone turns to assemble, etc. An opponent has already gobbled up a Civ and has 8 times the military points than I do. So, this appears to be yet another one to retire.

My question is, can one really win a Science or Diplomatic victory? It seems that there will always be an opponent who seeks Domination victory and the power just sucks the air out of the room. I've dismissed Cultural victory, as it seems so complex and I can't really judge well where I stand at any point in time.

I tried Production focus on the cities to try to speed my way to Rocketry. I kept having to divert attention to keep food on the table and gaining some gold to keep the lights on.

Any solid advice from the experts?

Thanks,

Augie

There are a number of threads in these forums that have tons of information for specific civilizations and specific victory types. However, maybe the best advice I can offer is to not be afraid to drop the difficulty level down a notch or two, or even three. You will be then able to experience every victory type and gain a better understanding of what works well and what does not.

If you want to continue at Prince, my suggestion is to search for info in these forums about the best civilizations to play for that kind of victory, and the best kind or kinds of map to make that victory possible. Win that way, then if you prefer a different civ or map, look and the differences to see what you need to do differently to get your next victory.

Disclaimer - I am not what you would call an 'expert'. I am more of a 'veteran', having played since CiV 1 came out.

Any screenshots of your game? How is your population and how many cities etc. Prince difficulty is pretty forgiving. Once you get the rookie mistakes mixed you'll absolutely destroy the AI on prince just have to stick with it

Well, I gather from this input, some of you have tasted Science and Diplomatic victory

I blew away the game and am ready to start another, lower the difficulty level as suggested. I had 5 cities on a continent that only had one other C/S. So, without the Caravel early on, I couldn't see far for a long time.

you shouldnt look too much at turn numbers, not on lw-medium difficulty. Its not at all symmetrical, because it basicly speeds up. Yo will get buildings that enhance tech for example

I'm no expert either, but every victory type is achievable in this game. In fact, although domination victories are the fastest by turns, they typically take longer time-wise than the other victory types.

Without a screen shot or a save to look at, I can only give you general advice. Generally, population growth is widely considered as the most important thing for any victory type. If you are not growing, you are probably losing. Population growth leads to a TON of good things for your civ, the most important of which is science. Staying up on tech is also very important for any victory type.

To get good population growth, you need and . Whether you are expanding up using tradition, wide using liberty, or by conquest using honor, happiness and food are essential.

Awesome feedback! Thanks to all!