Greek Strategy

I'm trying to develop a strategy to move from the lower difficulty levels to the middles ones, tell me what you think of it.

I play the Greeks. As I start off with alphabet, I put my research up to 100% on the first turn and start researching writing. I get my working building roads near the capital for the extra commerce and I build a warrior or two to start exploring. When the capital is big enough, I build a settler to found city 2. Once I get writing I research philosophy, so I can get literature as the free tech. This gives me a couple of very tradable techs and im able to start building the great library in my capital. I set my other cities to build warrior/settler/library, and if anybody starts a war with me I switch production from library to hoplites.

This strategy lets me take the lead in technology on warlord and regent levels. Will it work well at higher levels?

Look carefully at the domestic advisor screen (F1) and see what actually happens in your cities when you adjust the science slider. 100% is probably not worth it. A couple of warriors is OK! Your research path is excellent IMO (either literature or republic as your free tech). Your strategy will work on monarch level too, not sure about higher (I don´t research on higher levels and prefer to play regent or monarch as long as I am playing builder games). And with the Greeks you have an excellent defender in the Hoplite.

BTW - welcome to CFC!

Thanks

Prior to building the great library in my capital, none of my cities are really big enough to suffer from disorder problems, so I don't need any luxuries early in the game.

Once I've taken the leap ahead in tech, then I can start sensibly managing the science rate.

I am sure that some members will turn up here with the advice not to build any great wonders, just expand, expand, expand and conquer the wonders later... I am not doing so, but I do not disagree with them

Generally speaking, strategies that work well at the lower couple of levels tend not to as you move up in difficulty. The higher the difficulty level you play, the faster the AI expands, researches, trades, etc. In order to be in a competitive position once most of the map is settled, you have to learn to expand and explore faster yourself. Since the AI researches faster than you and trades tech at a discount, you have to learn how to research intelligently and trade wisely.
Your strategy, with a few changes, might work at Regent or even Monarch, but beyond that, you'll need to learn fresh approaches.

Well, I do like the Greeks - great research and you start with pikemen

How do you suggest I modify this strategy as I go up the levels? Will I still be able to beat the AI to philosophy?

Forget the GL, it's too expensive.

And expand as crazy. I don't think you should have any problems beating the AI to phil at monarch.

Its not just that the Great Library is expensive; its that it becomes a crutch. If you rely on being the one to get the GL in every game, you won't be able to research properly in the higher levels. This is because the AI will often beat you to the GL, as they have huge production and research bonuses, and then you won't know how to cope.

More immediately important, if you go all-out for techs on the lower levels, you're very likely to be the tech leader or at least one of the most advanced civs. The GL only gives you a tech if you TWO OTHER CIVS that you know already have that tech. That means you have to be at best the third-fastest civ researcher in order to profit, and thats if you have already contacted all other civs, which you probably haven't in the Ancient Ages.

Don't bother with the GL, use those shields to build a granary, settlers, and never forget workers, they are very under rated. The key is to expand as fast as possible, if you spend all those shields on the GL, you won't have nearly as many cities as you could've had had you spent those shields on settlers. Then, when you meet the AIs you will be way smaller than them and they could crush you.

On high levels, you'll want to set research on writing at minimum since putting it on max won't save you many turns. The money that you make will let you research later techs at a faster rate, so you have an overall benefit. It also helps to pick opponents who don't start out with alphabet. You could then possibly go the writing, code of laws, philosophy, republic, literature route(at least on emperor, it's still possible to get philosophy and literature first that way).

As the Greeks, I'd probably try to either rush research or trade for pottery before starting on writing. While having those techs first is nice, it's no competition for expansion. You're going to need to be popping out lots of settlers and workers, so granaries are a must.

Damburger: I have nothing new to add but that I agree w/Keirador, Rem and The Dragon. Pottery is ALWAYS the first tech I research(unless of course I'm an Agri or Exp civ), and I only build the Great Lib now if I've run out of expansion room or have nothing else to build(that doesn't happen too often ). Those shields are better spent on expansion or military.
A fun strategy/gamble is to trade Lit to a neighbor, let them build the Great Lib, then invade .

This thread helped me immensely:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=71238

This strategy will work fine at the lower levels. Nevertheless I would humbly advise not to build the Great Library (GL) at all because it will hinder your learning curve of the game acting as a crutch. I know it's a great temptation, but no !

To get to the higher levels all it takes is a lot of practice and planning ahead. Anyway, even the best players mostly stick to Deity (to have fun), Sid for the challenge.