Tips for Monarch Difficulty

[EyeofUgin]

Any tips for a fairly new player on Monarch?

I've had some success at this level on Standard maps, if I am lucky and have an isolated position. But I've been trying Huge Terra lately, and I can't seem to keep up with the AI.

In peacetime, they slowly outpace me in tech and military.

When they declare war on me, I usually have enough defenses to hold off their doomstacks from my cities. However, they ravage my economy by destroying my improvements, and since they have a good mix of units, I find it difficult to get rid of them with my inferior military. As a result, I find myself falling further behind.

How can I keep up with the AI in peacetime, and how can I best dismantle a doomstack in a defensive war?

Also, are there any good beginner resources you would recommend?

 

[Ramius007]

Best defensive units are some sort of cavalry, city garrisons are just meant to hold long enaugh until relief arive, AI in RI is not suiciding on cities like in base game, unless you provoke them to do so, but they dont do this on their own and it's diffrent topic...
as for inferior military, it's not only about tech level, a lot of doctrines change even older units to good ones, but you need to maintain civics that push them, just from your comment i assume you are peacemonger, for me playing on immortal it's rather normal to have military upkeep cost of 30+, even without war, early medival "50" is not uncommon

 

[EyeofUgin]

Yep, I definitely tend towards peacemonger, although I usually will try to take a city or two if I'm attacked and can manage to do so.

I don't actually have a lot of experience with the base game - I played it years ago when I was too young to really understand the strategy at higher levels. I've played a lot more Civ V and VI, whose AI combat tactics are... pretty poor.

So you are recommending that I have a mobile core of reinforcements? Cavalry, like you said, and possibly recon units as well?

My limiting factor is, in part, my economy. At some point I feel like I can't produce more military without compromising my tech progress and depleting my gold reserves... What do you recommend as a typical research percentage?

 

[Ramius007]

RI is very diffrent from main game, AI while still not great in combat, is much better than in BTS, aids, logistics and how siege units works are new concepts as well, so just treat RI as new game, experiance from BTS is not some mighty legacy knowladge you posses into this mod. To answer your question, best mobile core are horse archers, unless you are small enaugh to cover your land with similar efficiency using heavy cavalry, skirmishers are just poor man riot control units, just more cost efficient than regular horsmen, but they get obsolete past recon aid preety fast, skirmishers suffer tremendously during classical>medival progress, becouse at some point, when one civ master feudal contract, you are against str. 6 revolt units with terrain bonus, and late classical units make them less appealing as well.
As for economy part, try to specialize cities, dont just expand, think before what you are going to do with city you are finding, if you plan big production city, build heroic epic for nice 50% military production boost, you will not be that much worried paying even 150% penalty for same unit type, unless its really expansive one, remember to use specialists that get most bonus from city infrastructure, no point running cientis if you only have library and run low science slider, as effect of them is weaker, otoh if you have wonder that give science boost, dont hasitate to spam scientist, try to specilize 1 city, usually its your capital into great person farm, also informants are overlooked, while only +1 science they provide 4 espionage points with tavern, if you are behind, it's sometimes more efficient to steal techs than reaserch them yourself! I m sure you never run high espionage slider, but it's something to think about, especially if your civics/wonders/leader gives bonuses here. What i found most cool in RI, is that a lot of civilizations and leaders combos encourage you to play in very specific way for max strength of given civilization, it's also thing that make RI way better than base game