Dracandross
Warlord
When I first came to this site I was looking for strategy tips. I hoped that I'd get something to share too as those tips really improved my game. Well heres something. At least if people are willing to submit multiple future starts this is a lot better. And special thanks to Wastin Time for his diplomatic OCC (one city challenge) guide for G-major 9.
This strategy relies on getting permanent alliance (PA) with one AI and then letting him do all the work. It can be done with OCC but most likely also expanding will work. I havent yet tested if OCC is better as it gives AI more room to expand and at deity AI gets so massive bonuses that it makes game faster. Ive gotten quick win on 1625 AD on standard map with Eliz. Try to Inca rush that
And this is really nobrainer, just sit and watch AI going around.
SETTINGS:
No barbarians, OCC checked optionally, permanent alliances allowed. For those games I've tried out quicker speeds are easier.
Civilizations:
You really want to go mostly peacefully through the game. Best opponents are those who willingly trade techs and won't start wars. Though I usually add one non peaceful to get few wars with AIs. Good choises are in my order of preference:
Mansa, Washington, Elizabeth, Roosevelt, Victoria, Frederick, Cyrus, Hatshepsut, Asoka, Gandhi. Good agressor is at least Saladin also Isabella is a good one as both stick to religion and try to find one.
I try to avoid non financials as they usually research slower. Also gandhi goes for diplo victory and might mess the game.
For your own civ any financial will do. Good ones are Eliza, Vicy and Qin at least as mansa is really good one for AI.
MAPS:
Best maps are those that are flat with rivers. Also one continent makes life easier to meet everyone early and later when you might want to sabotage space ship. You get boxed in easily. But if you are at a corner you'll get enough resources to trade. You really don't want to be next to water as it lowers chopping squares. Inland sea fills this best but any will do it's not essential. For extra goodness opponents beside you get on flat ground extra cities and grow extra fast!
EDIT: Forgot to mention this won't work on duel map because if you pick 1 civ only you'll get conquest with PA and with 2 civs youll hit domination limit for sure. So only tiny+ maps
TECHING:
You really need only to beeline to alphabet to get techs traded. After next target in OCC is to go for university. If you happen to play with Eliz go for two scientists and pop philo if you get religion with that. Helps to get borders. Next target is to get techs that AIs dont get so fast. Astronomy is a good one after that if you can make it first to physics its a good shot but next target is state property. Also military tradition is not bad if none is going for it and sharing it at least. Democracy is needed for improved relations. After you have state prop and democracy you are done with any targets.
BUILDING ORDER:
First go for worker and start cottaging or hook resources that you can. Then go for warrior, granary and switch to library when you get to it. When lib finishes go for 2 scientists and academy. After that go for more health if needed, extra warrior or two can't hurt as early happines relies on monarchy. If city can't grow extra worker is really worth it. Relig buildings are good for keeping as much border as you can and also happy / research 10% is nice to get. When you get theatre get it and globe theathre to negate happiness and allow trading of luxuries away. Usually you have done university+oxford before that. Finally finish Scotland Yard for sabotaging. Sometimes I've pulled out Hanging gardens too which is nice icing on a cake. National epic is great for few extra great pp points and any national wonder will help towards that. Usually if you don't need GPs you can gift em away for PA partner for golden age / settling.
If you go for non OCC just try to fill as fast as many cities as you can. Terra is good map for that as you can beeline to astronomy and run for new continent before anyone else.
DIPLOMACY:
Good opponents have in vanilla mostly favored civs of universal suffrage / free religion / free market. In warlords some have free speech too. Hatty is good for early game for her monarchy. You can exploit this for relations easily. Before anyone can launch you should have +5 for favourite civics with most of them.
Peace will give +1, open borders another +1, straight trading relations +4. Additionally trading resources that do same thing is good idea for getting extra +1-2 for supplying resources. Once a while you'll get +1 for sharing techs too.
Taking religion is risky as usually you can't stand big penalties early game and later free relig rocks over anyway. But if its doable go for it.
Also remember to check that you don't trade with extensively with AIs that have multiple purple - attitudes. You get traded with worst enemy only with lowest attitude opponent so if everyone is content or just angry towards 1 civ its easy going.
If you picked aggressor civ theres lots of chances to get war bonus too if he is not beside you. Mansa at least is easy to bribe for war with almost anyone before he gets too high relations. Warring makes those two lose research and make it easier to find target of PA. If you can bribe in smaller game peaceful attack another its worth it if you are safe for that -1 brought ally penalty and attack.
When defensive pacts come they'll give you some extra +2 relations but remember to pick pact with lowest liking first (you need about +8 for def pact). As others get -1 after that. But when you get it with least one rest go easily. You don't need pacts with all just pick as many as you think are going to win the race.
When PA comes available I usually hang back until theres risk that AI signs it with someone else or is close to winning. That way I'll not pick wrong one. AI that builds Apollo first is 90% likely to win unless someone pulls out diplowin or two other AIs sign PA with eachother.
PERMANENT ALLIANCE:
After you have signed alliance with someone you just wait AI to do the work. You can send workers to change land better suiting to that or help him chop for last few pieces. If no other AI gets into PA you can just hit end turn.
If some get into PA you have to stall them. As you can't declare war to stall only way to do this are spies, lots of them. Thats why state property was priority. When you have state prop start doing Scotland Yard. With spies target all towns, that will be cheap to demolish and quite high % to succeed. Also each town destroyed drops research by 3 gold+1 hammer as they anyway run free speech. From you PA partner pump money so much that you can demolish them fast enough. In case of emergency try to sabotage ship production, but thats expensive. It helps alot if map is 1 continent only!
END!
In about 1-2 hours of easy gaming you shoulda achieved the goal at least if you computer can handle the mapsize.
Thats it! Congratulations!! And now head for that huge/deity/quick and beat crap out of those future starts. Comments and ideas are welcome. It's pretty hard to keep all here as editing screen is so small. I might have missed something.
This strategy relies on getting permanent alliance (PA) with one AI and then letting him do all the work. It can be done with OCC but most likely also expanding will work. I havent yet tested if OCC is better as it gives AI more room to expand and at deity AI gets so massive bonuses that it makes game faster. Ive gotten quick win on 1625 AD on standard map with Eliz. Try to Inca rush that
And this is really nobrainer, just sit and watch AI going around.SETTINGS:
No barbarians, OCC checked optionally, permanent alliances allowed. For those games I've tried out quicker speeds are easier.
Civilizations:
You really want to go mostly peacefully through the game. Best opponents are those who willingly trade techs and won't start wars. Though I usually add one non peaceful to get few wars with AIs. Good choises are in my order of preference:
Mansa, Washington, Elizabeth, Roosevelt, Victoria, Frederick, Cyrus, Hatshepsut, Asoka, Gandhi. Good agressor is at least Saladin also Isabella is a good one as both stick to religion and try to find one.
I try to avoid non financials as they usually research slower. Also gandhi goes for diplo victory and might mess the game.
For your own civ any financial will do. Good ones are Eliza, Vicy and Qin at least as mansa is really good one for AI.
MAPS:
Best maps are those that are flat with rivers. Also one continent makes life easier to meet everyone early and later when you might want to sabotage space ship. You get boxed in easily. But if you are at a corner you'll get enough resources to trade. You really don't want to be next to water as it lowers chopping squares. Inland sea fills this best but any will do it's not essential. For extra goodness opponents beside you get on flat ground extra cities and grow extra fast!
EDIT: Forgot to mention this won't work on duel map because if you pick 1 civ only you'll get conquest with PA and with 2 civs youll hit domination limit for sure. So only tiny+ maps
TECHING:
You really need only to beeline to alphabet to get techs traded. After next target in OCC is to go for university. If you happen to play with Eliz go for two scientists and pop philo if you get religion with that. Helps to get borders. Next target is to get techs that AIs dont get so fast. Astronomy is a good one after that if you can make it first to physics its a good shot but next target is state property. Also military tradition is not bad if none is going for it and sharing it at least. Democracy is needed for improved relations. After you have state prop and democracy you are done with any targets.
BUILDING ORDER:
First go for worker and start cottaging or hook resources that you can. Then go for warrior, granary and switch to library when you get to it. When lib finishes go for 2 scientists and academy. After that go for more health if needed, extra warrior or two can't hurt as early happines relies on monarchy. If city can't grow extra worker is really worth it. Relig buildings are good for keeping as much border as you can and also happy / research 10% is nice to get. When you get theatre get it and globe theathre to negate happiness and allow trading of luxuries away. Usually you have done university+oxford before that. Finally finish Scotland Yard for sabotaging. Sometimes I've pulled out Hanging gardens too which is nice icing on a cake. National epic is great for few extra great pp points and any national wonder will help towards that. Usually if you don't need GPs you can gift em away for PA partner for golden age / settling.
If you go for non OCC just try to fill as fast as many cities as you can. Terra is good map for that as you can beeline to astronomy and run for new continent before anyone else.
DIPLOMACY:
Good opponents have in vanilla mostly favored civs of universal suffrage / free religion / free market. In warlords some have free speech too. Hatty is good for early game for her monarchy. You can exploit this for relations easily. Before anyone can launch you should have +5 for favourite civics with most of them.
Peace will give +1, open borders another +1, straight trading relations +4. Additionally trading resources that do same thing is good idea for getting extra +1-2 for supplying resources. Once a while you'll get +1 for sharing techs too.
Taking religion is risky as usually you can't stand big penalties early game and later free relig rocks over anyway. But if its doable go for it.
Also remember to check that you don't trade with extensively with AIs that have multiple purple - attitudes. You get traded with worst enemy only with lowest attitude opponent so if everyone is content or just angry towards 1 civ its easy going.
If you picked aggressor civ theres lots of chances to get war bonus too if he is not beside you. Mansa at least is easy to bribe for war with almost anyone before he gets too high relations. Warring makes those two lose research and make it easier to find target of PA. If you can bribe in smaller game peaceful attack another its worth it if you are safe for that -1 brought ally penalty and attack.
When defensive pacts come they'll give you some extra +2 relations but remember to pick pact with lowest liking first (you need about +8 for def pact). As others get -1 after that. But when you get it with least one rest go easily. You don't need pacts with all just pick as many as you think are going to win the race.
When PA comes available I usually hang back until theres risk that AI signs it with someone else or is close to winning. That way I'll not pick wrong one. AI that builds Apollo first is 90% likely to win unless someone pulls out diplowin or two other AIs sign PA with eachother.
PERMANENT ALLIANCE:
After you have signed alliance with someone you just wait AI to do the work. You can send workers to change land better suiting to that or help him chop for last few pieces. If no other AI gets into PA you can just hit end turn.
If some get into PA you have to stall them. As you can't declare war to stall only way to do this are spies, lots of them. Thats why state property was priority. When you have state prop start doing Scotland Yard. With spies target all towns, that will be cheap to demolish and quite high % to succeed. Also each town destroyed drops research by 3 gold+1 hammer as they anyway run free speech. From you PA partner pump money so much that you can demolish them fast enough. In case of emergency try to sabotage ship production, but thats expensive. It helps alot if map is 1 continent only!
END!
In about 1-2 hours of easy gaming you shoulda achieved the goal at least if you computer can handle the mapsize.
Thats it! Congratulations!! And now head for that huge/deity/quick and beat crap out of those future starts. Comments and ideas are welcome. It's pretty hard to keep all here as editing screen is so small. I might have missed something.
Around 1800 gold seems an awful lot just to delay by one turn, particularly since the chances of success are not so great & you might have to have several tries - I expected to gain 4 turns (six turns to build the engine, and just two to go when I successfully sabotaged production). The cost of sabotage increases each turn - I assumed to reflect the increasing gain in terms of lost production but ... 
Which, ahem, is how I found out about the -1 attitude penalty when your spy is captured. Oh, and that's another question. Just out of interest, does the permanent alliance option still come up if their attitude drops below a certain level?
:suicide: The Mod makes a save, so I am hoping that the save it does automatically is acceptable & that's the one I submitted. I was so pleased when I won - just! - that I immediately got paranoid about the start save, & loaded it to make sure I'd got the right one without actually saving the end. 
