Duncan_Idaho
Chieftain
This is a ballance of power strategy that works on a monarch diffculty. I don't recommend it for 'prince' since you can allow yourself alot more freedom there. Perhaps it's not the best for the higher difficulties since you need sheer warmongering above Emperor. I think it may be changed a little to fit Emperor. (Perhaps skip Stonhenge and get the Oracle).
Also, it's good for wonder addicted people. If you are not wonder addicted, you may not like it.
This works for the warlords expansion.
Aims: Get working cities, get Stonehenge, get the Oracle and conquer at least one neighbour.
First you need a leader - there are no bad leaders, this strategy should work with most. However, some are not that good for it because of their starting techs (Like Tokugawa even though I like playing him in general).
It works best with Philosophical. So, if you feel like trying it, I recommend Alexander for the first time. Also, you could try Huaina Capac.
So, let's cut the details and get to the core.
You need a city to start with. Build your city wisely. Which means - you don't have to settle in the first turn but it's often a good idea (The game seems to pick balanced spots in terms of resources).
Make sure you get a tile with 3 food within your city borders. It's not that bad if you have to wait for your borders to expand to get it. You just have to be able to work it.
If there is no 3 food tile in sight (corn, flood plains or something), don't worry. You can still do good with 2 food tiles
Now you have a city and you need to develop it.
1:Start working the 3 food tile as soon as possible (right away or after your borders expand to a cross and you get it).
-Aim at getting population, not production at first.
2:Build warriors until your city grows to 2 (A second scout may be helpful to get more goody huts if you started with hunting).
- Case 1: If you have no 3 food tile, start building a worker when your city reaches a population of 2.
- Case 2: If you have at least one 3 food tile, wait until your city goes 3, then get a worker, then a settler and then go on with military + wonders.
Note: Start building the worker as soon as your city reaches 2 or 3 (You may have to interrupt the production of a warrior. If it's at one turn, better complete it first).
Note: Do not cut the forests to rush a settler. It's no good in the 'warlords', they reduced the output you get from them and you'll need their hammers for later production. Better use your worker to improve your city.
So, now you have a city, two or more warriors and a worker!
Make sure you explore your city surroundings to mark a good spot for a second city.
Let's make a reference to the tech line.
As I said, this works with most leaders, so you don't have to follow a specific line. However, you need Animal Husbandry at this point in case you have pigs, cows or sheep within the city borders (Don't hesitate to use them if you are vegetarian IRL, it doesn't stop me
). You also need Mining if you have hills nearby. You'll need Agriculture for flood plains or rice/corn/wheat etc. It's also good to have Hunting so you can get Archery - or the barbs are gonna eat you alive.
So, go Agriculture -> Animal Husbandry if you have flood plains, corn etc. Then go Mining, Hunting, Archery, Mysticism. With some luck you'll have one of these as a starting tech.
Why Animal Husbandry? It reveals horses. First, you may be a horseback civilization (my favourites
. Second, even if you are not, you may have a resource requiring AH to work. Third, a pasture on horses costs 4 turns and gives good production.
Note: If you have no resource which requires AH nearby, you don't have to go to AH. You'll most likely need Mining/Agriculture to work the hills and other resources first.
The two ways to get AH are Hunting-> AH or Agriculture -> AH. Both hunting and Agriculture have their advantages. If however you have pigs, cows, sheep, I'd strongly advice you to go Hunting first, and then AH. Agriculture is more expensive and gives less bonuses. If you have rice/wheat/corn it could be extremely useful though. Again, see your starting techs
But remember the barbs! Your warriors will become obsolete at some point and you need achers.
After AH, go Mining. If you have marble or stone, it's called luck! Get masonry and pwn - the Stonehenge, the Pyramids, the Parthenon, the Temple of Artemis - whatever you want This strategy is designed for the more common case where you don't have marble or stone within your borders.
Now, with your worker start improving the city - don't worry about roads, make the improvements first. You'll need the roads later when your city needs health and happiness. So, you'd better first build pastures (only 4 turns) and farms (to get more population), then mines on hills (hills with grassland, the green ones - leave the bare hills alone for now). If you get lucky with the resources, build camps too - dependant on the terrain type you have. Just make sure you get mines on those green hills! They give awesome production
So now you have a city, a worker and some military. It's time for a settler. Start thinking about the best place for your second city! You will soon need Mysticism by the way (if you still don't have it). If your city is likely to grow fast, allow it another population point before the settler - you won't be slowed down with the expansion since more population + improved tiles = faster settler production.
Your settler should be out in 8-10 turns (12 at the most). If it's still taking him 15 turns, better get that population point more and keep improving the city.
If you have no military (less than 3 warriors), get that population point more while building it.
So, after your settler is out (presumably, you've made your mind for the best place for a second city), get some of that military you have (at least 2 warriors to protect from barbs and animals) and send the settler to expand your empire.
Here you need to have researched Mysticism - start building the Stonehenge with your capital after the settler, while it is growing/getting improved. You'll have it in no time.
Note: In some cases I managed to get the Stonehenge in my second city to specialise it for prophets - it's hard though, first try the capital. If you have stone in the second city, it's worth trying while the capital should make another worker/archer(s)/another settler. Btw, if you get Mysticism + some military earlier, you may store some production for the Stonehenge while your city is growing to 2/3 (the production is stored in CIV IV).
While your capital is building the Stonehenge, keep improving it and try to improve your second city. If you have good production in the capital (after it grows a bit), you may stop building the Stonehenge for a while and get a second settler. (If it can make a settler in 5-6 turns or less. If you lose more turns you may lose the Stonehenge). So, keep expanding/improving! Your second city should build military (archer), then a settler or another worker and a settler - but allow it to grow to at least 2, better 3. Use your worker to improve it. Your capital will be producing The Stonehenge (occasionaly military if the barbs get too annoying).
Go Meditation/Polytheism -> Priesthood (for the Oracle)
At some point you'll get the Stonehenge. You will need Priesthood here (most likely you'll have it some turns before Stonehenge. Get Writing next, you need it before the Oracle.
So, you have the Stonehenge, your borders are expanding well (which means your second and third city are getting more tiles/resources to work). Start the Oracle right after Stonehenge! If you can allow it (not losing vital production), cut some forest to get some hammers for it. It's not much but it could help.
Note: It's very good if you have hills/grassland terrain - build mines and get wonders
When you get the Oracle, chose Code of Laws (Writing is required) - this gets you Confucianism. Don't trade it yet! Research some of the 2-3 turns techs you left behind, get Meditation/Polytheism (what's left), then go Monotheism. Of course you may go Horseback Riding/Iron Working before Monoitheism, depending on the military strategy you'd like to use against your neighbour.
After you get the Oracle, start building barracks/military etc in your capital. Your other cities should have already started doing it. Mass a stack of some units (like 10) and start biting your neighbour while sending in reinforcements.
You need at least 3 cities (including the capital), better 4
The Stonehenge + the Oracle give awesome prophet output.
Keep your prophet for after Monotheism - get Theology (to get Theocracy for more experienced units, to trade it and perhaps to make sure nobody will convert to Christianity if your Confucianism has spread good enough)
Use the next prophet to research Civil Service.
After you get Monotheism (or before that), get Mathematics so you can get Construction + catapulsts later. If you have a monster production, build the Hanging Gardens, the AI never tries too hard for them, I get them in all games, nomatter how I screw up otherwise There is a catch though, the Hanging Gardens may result in overpopulation, be careful, you don't need them at all cost.
If you are philosophical, you may use your first prophet to construct your religious building (say the Kong Miao if you weren't born with Mysticism and got Hinduism or Buddhism earlier). You'll get a second prophet for Theology fast enough with the philosophical bonus.
Make sure you get the Alphabet to trade Theology for the techs you missed. This is somewhat tricky since the time to research Alphabet may be while you are whooping your neighbour and this may slow you a little because of the maintenance costs. Don't underestimate cottages!
About whooping your neighbour - conventional asskicking, just do it Use axes and swords or immortals or horse archers. The Egyptian Chariot may come in handy
This strategy is also good with Genghis Khan - don't attack right away, wait to get your cities working, at least the first 3 of them, then get Horseback Rriding, get Gers, mass Keshiks and kill the enemy before they reach Feudalism. May be they will get Feudalism before losing their last cities but your Keshiks can't be stopped that easily
Keshiks from Barracks + Ger + Theocracy = monsters (if you add the experience from the great generals they become even greater monsters.)
After you conquer one neighbour, you could upgrade your army (go macemen if you used axes and swords or knights (you need Guilds) if you used horse archers, Numidian Cavalry or Keshiks) and go conquer another neighbour. Or if you manage to do a 'Blitz Krieg' on your first neighbour, kill the second one before or while upgrading. After you conquer a second neighbour (or half of them if you get bored by fighting), you'll have the largest empire with most production and you'll be the world leader in technology and everything, so you can chose your victory! Enjoy
This strategy will help you move from prince to monarch without having to quit the wonder addiction
WARNING: You need to be able to play without wonders (i.e. to overwhelm the wonder addiction! Otheriwse you won't get good at the game. This strategy is aimed at people who know how to play without wonders but still find pleasure in building them! Otherwise I hope it can help overwhelm wonder addiction
Also, it's good for wonder addicted people. If you are not wonder addicted, you may not like it.
This works for the warlords expansion.
Aims: Get working cities, get Stonehenge, get the Oracle and conquer at least one neighbour.
First you need a leader - there are no bad leaders, this strategy should work with most. However, some are not that good for it because of their starting techs (Like Tokugawa even though I like playing him in general).
It works best with Philosophical. So, if you feel like trying it, I recommend Alexander for the first time. Also, you could try Huaina Capac.
So, let's cut the details and get to the core.
You need a city to start with. Build your city wisely. Which means - you don't have to settle in the first turn but it's often a good idea (The game seems to pick balanced spots in terms of resources).
Make sure you get a tile with 3 food within your city borders. It's not that bad if you have to wait for your borders to expand to get it. You just have to be able to work it.
If there is no 3 food tile in sight (corn, flood plains or something), don't worry. You can still do good with 2 food tiles
Now you have a city and you need to develop it.
1:Start working the 3 food tile as soon as possible (right away or after your borders expand to a cross and you get it).
-Aim at getting population, not production at first.
2:Build warriors until your city grows to 2 (A second scout may be helpful to get more goody huts if you started with hunting).
- Case 1: If you have no 3 food tile, start building a worker when your city reaches a population of 2.
- Case 2: If you have at least one 3 food tile, wait until your city goes 3, then get a worker, then a settler and then go on with military + wonders.
Note: Start building the worker as soon as your city reaches 2 or 3 (You may have to interrupt the production of a warrior. If it's at one turn, better complete it first).
Note: Do not cut the forests to rush a settler. It's no good in the 'warlords', they reduced the output you get from them and you'll need their hammers for later production. Better use your worker to improve your city.
So, now you have a city, two or more warriors and a worker!
Make sure you explore your city surroundings to mark a good spot for a second city.
Let's make a reference to the tech line.
As I said, this works with most leaders, so you don't have to follow a specific line. However, you need Animal Husbandry at this point in case you have pigs, cows or sheep within the city borders (Don't hesitate to use them if you are vegetarian IRL, it doesn't stop me
). You also need Mining if you have hills nearby. You'll need Agriculture for flood plains or rice/corn/wheat etc. It's also good to have Hunting so you can get Archery - or the barbs are gonna eat you alive.So, go Agriculture -> Animal Husbandry if you have flood plains, corn etc. Then go Mining, Hunting, Archery, Mysticism. With some luck you'll have one of these as a starting tech.
Why Animal Husbandry? It reveals horses. First, you may be a horseback civilization (my favourites
. Second, even if you are not, you may have a resource requiring AH to work. Third, a pasture on horses costs 4 turns and gives good production.Note: If you have no resource which requires AH nearby, you don't have to go to AH. You'll most likely need Mining/Agriculture to work the hills and other resources first.
The two ways to get AH are Hunting-> AH or Agriculture -> AH. Both hunting and Agriculture have their advantages. If however you have pigs, cows, sheep, I'd strongly advice you to go Hunting first, and then AH. Agriculture is more expensive and gives less bonuses. If you have rice/wheat/corn it could be extremely useful though. Again, see your starting techs
But remember the barbs! Your warriors will become obsolete at some point and you need achers.
After AH, go Mining. If you have marble or stone, it's called luck! Get masonry and pwn - the Stonehenge, the Pyramids, the Parthenon, the Temple of Artemis - whatever you want
This strategy is designed for the more common case where you don't have marble or stone within your borders.Now, with your worker start improving the city - don't worry about roads, make the improvements first. You'll need the roads later when your city needs health and happiness. So, you'd better first build pastures (only 4 turns) and farms (to get more population), then mines on hills (hills with grassland, the green ones - leave the bare hills alone for now). If you get lucky with the resources, build camps too - dependant on the terrain type you have. Just make sure you get mines on those green hills! They give awesome production
So now you have a city, a worker and some military. It's time for a settler. Start thinking about the best place for your second city! You will soon need Mysticism by the way (if you still don't have it). If your city is likely to grow fast, allow it another population point before the settler - you won't be slowed down with the expansion since more population + improved tiles = faster settler production.
Your settler should be out in 8-10 turns (12 at the most). If it's still taking him 15 turns, better get that population point more and keep improving the city.
If you have no military (less than 3 warriors), get that population point more while building it.
So, after your settler is out (presumably, you've made your mind for the best place for a second city), get some of that military you have (at least 2 warriors to protect from barbs and animals) and send the settler to expand your empire.
Here you need to have researched Mysticism - start building the Stonehenge with your capital after the settler, while it is growing/getting improved. You'll have it in no time.
Note: In some cases I managed to get the Stonehenge in my second city to specialise it for prophets - it's hard though, first try the capital. If you have stone in the second city, it's worth trying while the capital should make another worker/archer(s)/another settler. Btw, if you get Mysticism + some military earlier, you may store some production for the Stonehenge while your city is growing to 2/3 (the production is stored in CIV IV).
While your capital is building the Stonehenge, keep improving it and try to improve your second city. If you have good production in the capital (after it grows a bit), you may stop building the Stonehenge for a while and get a second settler. (If it can make a settler in 5-6 turns or less. If you lose more turns you may lose the Stonehenge). So, keep expanding/improving! Your second city should build military (archer), then a settler or another worker and a settler - but allow it to grow to at least 2, better 3. Use your worker to improve it. Your capital will be producing The Stonehenge (occasionaly military if the barbs get too annoying).
Go Meditation/Polytheism -> Priesthood (for the Oracle)
At some point you'll get the Stonehenge. You will need Priesthood here (most likely you'll have it some turns before Stonehenge. Get Writing next, you need it before the Oracle.
So, you have the Stonehenge, your borders are expanding well (which means your second and third city are getting more tiles/resources to work). Start the Oracle right after Stonehenge! If you can allow it (not losing vital production), cut some forest to get some hammers for it. It's not much but it could help.
Note: It's very good if you have hills/grassland terrain - build mines and get wonders
When you get the Oracle, chose Code of Laws (Writing is required) - this gets you Confucianism. Don't trade it yet! Research some of the 2-3 turns techs you left behind, get Meditation/Polytheism (what's left), then go Monotheism. Of course you may go Horseback Riding/Iron Working before Monoitheism, depending on the military strategy you'd like to use against your neighbour.
After you get the Oracle, start building barracks/military etc in your capital. Your other cities should have already started doing it. Mass a stack of some units (like 10) and start biting your neighbour while sending in reinforcements.
You need at least 3 cities (including the capital), better 4
The Stonehenge + the Oracle give awesome prophet output.
Keep your prophet for after Monotheism - get Theology (to get Theocracy for more experienced units, to trade it and perhaps to make sure nobody will convert to Christianity if your Confucianism has spread good enough)
Use the next prophet to research Civil Service.
After you get Monotheism (or before that), get Mathematics so you can get Construction + catapulsts later. If you have a monster production, build the Hanging Gardens, the AI never tries too hard for them, I get them in all games, nomatter how I screw up otherwise
There is a catch though, the Hanging Gardens may result in overpopulation, be careful, you don't need them at all cost.If you are philosophical, you may use your first prophet to construct your religious building (say the Kong Miao if you weren't born with Mysticism and got Hinduism or Buddhism earlier). You'll get a second prophet for Theology fast enough with the philosophical bonus.
Make sure you get the Alphabet to trade Theology for the techs you missed. This is somewhat tricky since the time to research Alphabet may be while you are whooping your neighbour and this may slow you a little because of the maintenance costs. Don't underestimate cottages!
About whooping your neighbour - conventional asskicking, just do it
Use axes and swords or immortals or horse archers. The Egyptian Chariot may come in handyThis strategy is also good with Genghis Khan - don't attack right away, wait to get your cities working, at least the first 3 of them, then get Horseback Rriding, get Gers, mass Keshiks and kill the enemy before they reach Feudalism. May be they will get Feudalism before losing their last cities but your Keshiks can't be stopped that easily
Keshiks from Barracks + Ger + Theocracy = monsters (if you add the experience from the great generals they become even greater monsters.)
After you conquer one neighbour, you could upgrade your army (go macemen if you used axes and swords or knights (you need Guilds) if you used horse archers, Numidian Cavalry or Keshiks) and go conquer another neighbour. Or if you manage to do a 'Blitz Krieg' on your first neighbour, kill the second one before or while upgrading. After you conquer a second neighbour (or half of them if you get bored by fighting), you'll have the largest empire with most production and you'll be the world leader in technology and everything, so you can chose your victory! Enjoy
This strategy will help you move from prince to monarch without having to quit the wonder addiction
WARNING: You need to be able to play without wonders (i.e. to overwhelm the wonder addiction! Otheriwse you won't get good at the game. This strategy is aimed at people who know how to play without wonders but still find pleasure in building them! Otherwise I hope it can help overwhelm wonder addiction
