Hi guys,
I've been lurking around these fora for a while, and decided to come out of the shadows to ask a question I can't seem to resolve:
How do I boost my start (up to education)?
This is the most general question, but more specifically there are three main weaknesses in my own play that I can see.
1. Worker stealing and early AI harassment
I almost never steal workers from the AI. I want to, but each time I try my scout/warrior inevitably gets insta-killed by the city ranged attack plus one/two warriors that are in range. I can try to wait for the AI warriors to go away, but that takes a lot of time, which is time not spent on finding ruins/CSs/other AIs.
On one of the Deity challenge games (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=531153&page=2) Olodune talked about taking a Zulu worker on T6, which I presume must be a totally unscouted attack. By turn 52 he managed to take two workers and two settlers. For me this is only possible if I go full archers, and sacrifice all else.
Q: How to successfully worker steal, and continue stealing/harassing without going full archers and sacrificing all else?
2. Warmongering and diplomacy
On the rare games that I do manage to steal a worker from an AI early on, I usually get DoW'ed before T100 because I'm universally disliked for being a warmonger. I must admit that I usually also attack 1 CS for another free worker, adding to my political isolation.
I've noticed most Deity players do the same though. They attack an AI, and keep harassing it for workers (the game by Olodune is a good example) plus declare on 1 CS and don't even make peace afterwards but instead use it as XP farm.
Q: How can you keep fighting a double war (1 AI, and 1 CS) without becoming a complete pariah?
Note: I have read Magma_dragoon's post about warmongering (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=516305), but IMO this is mostly only useful in a later stage (starting T50?) when you can start choosing who to befriend and who not to. In the very early stages, everyone is neutral, there are no trade routes, religions, lux trades, etc. (Only universal hatred for my Civ
).
3. Early tech
Even on my fastest games, I can only get education around T110, in which case I try to ignore all else as much as possible and focus entirely on science. (I don't just go library first everywhere though, a man needs his archers.)
On these forums I see players waging wars and still finishing education faster than T110. Mostly they manage to build NC earlier on. But somehow I always have other priorities first (like building settlers).
Q: How to reach education by T100, and not sacrifice all else?
These are the three main points that I can see wrong with my own play. But maybe there are other things I'm doing wrong? Any and all suggestions welcome
. (Come to think of it, I almost never build guilds. I'd hate to spawn a musician or some other awful scientist-delaying GP. But this is more of a post T100 issue I think.)
Incidentally, it might be useful to know that I can win most/all games on immortal, and have even won a couple times on deity. (Each time through a super close T320 Science Victory.) I play BNW, but don't have all DLC, e.g. no wonders of the ancient world. (Do those slow the AI down by distracting them? Probably not huh.)
I've been lurking around these fora for a while, and decided to come out of the shadows to ask a question I can't seem to resolve:
How do I boost my start (up to education)?
This is the most general question, but more specifically there are three main weaknesses in my own play that I can see.
1. Worker stealing and early AI harassment
I almost never steal workers from the AI. I want to, but each time I try my scout/warrior inevitably gets insta-killed by the city ranged attack plus one/two warriors that are in range. I can try to wait for the AI warriors to go away, but that takes a lot of time, which is time not spent on finding ruins/CSs/other AIs.
On one of the Deity challenge games (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=531153&page=2) Olodune talked about taking a Zulu worker on T6, which I presume must be a totally unscouted attack. By turn 52 he managed to take two workers and two settlers. For me this is only possible if I go full archers, and sacrifice all else.
Q: How to successfully worker steal, and continue stealing/harassing without going full archers and sacrificing all else?
2. Warmongering and diplomacy
On the rare games that I do manage to steal a worker from an AI early on, I usually get DoW'ed before T100 because I'm universally disliked for being a warmonger. I must admit that I usually also attack 1 CS for another free worker, adding to my political isolation.
I've noticed most Deity players do the same though. They attack an AI, and keep harassing it for workers (the game by Olodune is a good example) plus declare on 1 CS and don't even make peace afterwards but instead use it as XP farm.
Q: How can you keep fighting a double war (1 AI, and 1 CS) without becoming a complete pariah?
Note: I have read Magma_dragoon's post about warmongering (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=516305), but IMO this is mostly only useful in a later stage (starting T50?) when you can start choosing who to befriend and who not to. In the very early stages, everyone is neutral, there are no trade routes, religions, lux trades, etc. (Only universal hatred for my Civ
).3. Early tech
Even on my fastest games, I can only get education around T110, in which case I try to ignore all else as much as possible and focus entirely on science. (I don't just go library first everywhere though, a man needs his archers.)
On these forums I see players waging wars and still finishing education faster than T110. Mostly they manage to build NC earlier on. But somehow I always have other priorities first (like building settlers).
Q: How to reach education by T100, and not sacrifice all else?
These are the three main points that I can see wrong with my own play. But maybe there are other things I'm doing wrong? Any and all suggestions welcome
. (Come to think of it, I almost never build guilds. I'd hate to spawn a musician or some other awful scientist-delaying GP. But this is more of a post T100 issue I think.)Incidentally, it might be useful to know that I can win most/all games on immortal, and have even won a couple times on deity. (Each time through a super close T320 Science Victory.) I play BNW, but don't have all DLC, e.g. no wonders of the ancient world. (Do those slow the AI down by distracting them? Probably not huh.)
Academy + 1 caravan to AI will boost your science a lot.
