UnforcedError
Settler
I must admit I always play with normal barbs and normal AI (although sometimes with random personalities). Monarch with normal barbs is usually managable with warrior spawn busters for a long time. On immortal this gets tougher so you have to beeline strategic resource techs very early and grab archery if you have neither horse nor copper....
I fear Monarch difficulty due to the archery bonus and I like to play with barbs+Aggressive Civs to simulate a more realistic history .So I can imagine Monarch will be a challenge,but then I also fear the 20% bonus to teching that it also grants the AI....Mansa and Zara will be insane...
Eh... you can always steal one or two early They'd be free.Plus why doesn't the game grant the player a free worker or something?
I always thought on the hardest difficulty you should at least get a free worker...
I understand that the amount of useful advice that can hit you on this forum can be confusing at times. Don't try to utilize all of them in one gameI have a hunch I'm probably trying to do too much at once.
Science... no the economy... no my defense... no science...
Making a plan and sticking to it might do me a world of good.
F
How about this for a very general early economy plan (as long as you don't have a stable economy you won't be able to last long in a war either):
1. Go worker first (maybe workboat on rare occasions) and research the techs you need to improve your food.
2. Research BW and AH for strat resources. If you see horse or copper, settle it. Always make sure that your cities (and strat resources) are connected. Build some mines for production.
3. Do something about your research potential. If you have floodplains / riverside grassland tiles, build cottages. If you don't (and have no early happy resources to balance it out) tech writing to run scientists. Settle cities that have food and will either be good unit producers or good commerce cities (or a combination of the two). Always take the time to build workers as well, so that you can improve city tiles quickly. (The goal is to only work improved tiles all the time.) Unless you play always war or some other advanced setting, open borders with the AIs and set up a trade route to them.
4. Getting to Alpha will enable you to backfill all early techs you might have skipped. With currency you can either go for an early rush or just expand peacefully quicker. It will allow you to build wealth and to sell old techs (or resources) to the AI which can finance your research. Tech or trade for Monarchy to improve your happy cap.
This strategy would work on immortal as well and it just about blows away the opposition on prince.