Just returned. Need a Civ for King difficulty

[Towerbooks3192]

Summer break is already starting. Just returned to playing Civ. Any tips on which Civ I should use and how I should use it in trying to go from prince to king? I want to take a civ to master while re-learning the basic things to look out for in the game. I really want to start taking civ seriously and go from prince to king. I have all the expansions and DLCs by the way

 

[Lorf Yimzo]

Korea and Babylon are good for science, which is probably your biggest challenge moving up in difficulty. Poland is also very strong. Arabia is also very strong and don't underestimate Venice. But if you really want to get good at civ, play some of the weaker civs on King. Then playing on Emperor as Korea will be a cakewalk.

 

[redwings1340]

I'd say the Shoshone are probably a really awesome civ to work with. Get a couple of pathfinders off the bat and get a bunch of tech from your ruins. The biggest difficulty on increasing difficulty levels is the start of the game where the computers start ahead of you. The higher difficulty you go on, the more it becomes a race to catch up with the computer at the start. Being the Shoshone might make that shock a little smaller because they have a great start game, and then you can basically play your normal game from there on out.

For tips, try your best to not get too many wonders unless you have a clear reason for going for them. As you move up in difficulty you're going to start missing more and more of them, and it's going to be good to learn which ones you can live without and which ones you want to really make an effort towards. Also, go for as much science as possible regardless of your intended victory condition.

 

[direblade99]

I wouldn't actually recommend an awesome civ when getting back into the game, rather a bad one with fairly generic stats such as America so you can relearn tactics without relying on anything as a crutch, so to speak.

 

[Navelgazer]

What kind of maps do you like to play?

 

[Towerbooks3192]

My current favourite map is Australia as I want to keep the option of naval invasion or naval support against coastal cities. I usually play continents as most of the time I had a good mix between land and naval combat. I kind of loved getting in to naval combat after melee' ships were introduced.

As for Civ choices, I used to use China having those great Chokunos but I feel they are overpowered and its UA focuses more on warmongering. I kind of want to play a Civ that is well rounded and that could aim for any of the victories without getting constrained with bee-lining their UA/UU and using it ASAP. I tend to avoid Ashurbanipal and Atilla as I can't stop myself from bee-lining siege towers/battering rams and then just trying to roll on vulnerable city states/civ.

I really want to get from prince to confidently playing king. I want to really see the important things that would apply to the game as a whole like city placements and etc.

 

[Navelgazer]

I humbly suggest Carthage, then. They allow for a strong coastal start with the goods to back yourself up on land, and can be a lot of fun.

 

[Towerbooks3192]

Ok, Will do. Will report back my progress afterwards. I never used carthage before and I think they had War elephants and that unique boat or something. Will accept more suggestions.

Edit: Ok now I'm back and I am stumped. Any tips on Carthage? I am really stumped as of the moment as I have been away for quite some time.

 

[Navelgazer]

Here's what I got when I asked how to play as Carthage last year, and the answers are super helpful.

 

[tomplum68]

Go Poland. The first time taking them out of the stables and getting all those free promotions especially when you start getting ideologies just seems excessive but awesome at the same time.

 

[Memoryjar]

Random civ and random maps are the best way to learn Civ.

Despite, for naval and coastal conquest from best, for me : England, Netherlands, Portugal, Carthage, Byzantium, Denmark, Polynesia.
Denmark are a bit difficult to play. You have to manage units with UA, need to learn another way to warry.

For naval invasion, every civ is strong with fregate with +1 range (barracks, armory, military school) and Privateer. Battleships are powerful, Missile cruiser insane.

 

[redwings1340]

As Carthage, make sure to get the wheel early on, as that tech is required to have city connections, even though you have your harbors already.

Don't be me and assume that this tech is useless, not get it for half the game, and then be confused why your free harbors aren't generating gold.

 

[Navelgazer]

Also, the Messenger of the Gods pantheon was basically designed with Carthage in mind.