3rd hardest level

[dougferret]

Not sure if it's 'regent' or 'monarch'. But I'm determined to win at this level and have had little luck. I always get behind technologically b/c I run out of money to support scientific research. I can't make enough military units later in the game to prevent being bullied by everyone and their mother. Trading works to an extent, and I've relied on scouts finding villages and obtaining advances early in the game. How on earth can one win at this level? The past two levels I've won only by the space race. Hints, suggestions? It always seems like the AI civs just get better/mightier faster. I'm assuming this is where the difficulty level comes into play? I'd like to win at this level and try the next one before Civ4 comes out. Not expecting to win but at least give it a shot. Thanks ahead of time!

 

[Mathias]

You run out of money? That means you either build too many unnecessary units for garrison or you build too many improvements before you need them.

 

[mastertyguy]

Not always. I always run out of money (EDIT fits better need more money, only in early game I get zero gold), and it is not because I build tooo many units . I think money is there to be used. If you get behind, you can just look what tech you don't have. If they have rails and you have pikes, there is a problem. If they have Music theory and you don't, don't worry. Anyway, you can just put science to 0% and buy techs if you want.
btw, isn't the 3rd hardest level Demi-God?

 

[ZAMEEEEEEEEEEEE]

I think he means the 3rd level like 1st being chieftain. I had this same problem with monarch. the level u r playin should be regent. Try to look to trade all your technologies the turn you get them in return for another technology. This should help you a lot during your games. And about an army... I don't usually worry about until i can get some decent units in the late middle ages or the early indy age. Hope this helps

 

[mastertyguy]

If your neighbour don't have chilvalry and you do in industrial era, trade it. I had reduced zulus to 1 city with cav, I asked for all the gold they got (1 gold), then chivalry, and it was NO!

 

[Padma]

The 3rd hardest is either Monarch, or Demi-God, depending on if you are playing Civ3/PTW or Conquests.

OR

The 3rd hardest level (counting Chieftain as 1) is Regent.

 

[Jazzmail]

I think he means monarch then.

Myself I always make fat money micromanaging my empire. In the ancient times mm is a big advantage.

Fidling with research and luxury sliders or creating taxmen or scientists or even clowns.
Never waste more research when a new tech is only 1 turn away.
Try go make all peeps happy or content when the city is size 6 or more, to get WLTKD and minimize corruption.
Building horsemen in cities that have little to do and disbanding them again in cities that need the marketplace real fast is another trick of mine. Very useful trck when you are still a despot.

Then there's all the macro strategies...too much to list.

 

[Brain]

How on earth can one win at this level?

Quite easily. In fact it's possible to win even at the hardest level.

I run out of money to support scientific research.

More workers, more roads, more luxuries, marketplaces, banks, libraries.

We can help some more if you post a save file.

 

[gmaharriet]

As Padma said, he's almost certainly at Regent (Chieftain, Warlord, Regent), which is the level I've been playing for the past month. People don't usually talk about a "great leap" from WL to Reg, but there are a few things to get used to.

You have one less content citizen born in each of your towns, so you have to spend more gold via the lux slider to keep them happy until you get luxes hooked up. That can be helped by being sure to road tiles next to rivers (1 additional gpt) and seeing that your citizens are working the tiles with extra gold.

I think the key difference in moving up is learning better worker and citizen management to improve your economy in order to support your research and your military. If you're having trouble getting a "toehold" while learning these techniques, try starting a bit more isolated...either fewer opponents or archipeligo maps at first. That doesn't mean not exploring and locating the other civs, but you gain some breathing room before worrying about being attacked.

Once you have your civ kinda set up in the Ancient Age, the rest of the game seems to play pretty much like Warlord...or at least I've found it so. Good luck!

 

[ZAMEEEEEEEEEEEE]

Also being at different levels also has to do with your starting point. In my warlord game as the germans (these are geographical starting points) i barely won... probably by about 100 points but in my regent game I am the Egyptians and I am winning by about 700 points

 

[Me-262]

micromanaging will get you some money to use.Trust me i learned from the begining to use micromanaging.It is better to start using so it comes to you easy as you move up in difficulty.

 

[dougferret]

By micromanage, does this mean city-by-city, or controlling the workers' actions instead of automating them?

I tried the technique of just buying technologies last night, not too bad although I don't have a prayer of getting any great wonders. Also, every other civilization seems to make settlers at an alarming rate, sometimes I haven't built my first settler and other civs have 3 cities already! What's up with that?

 

[dougferret]

OH YEAH how do you post a save file?

 

[Dreadnought]

When you're about to 'Quick reply' (right at the bottom where you write posts) click 'Go Advanced'. Then a new screen pops up, then scroll to the bottom and it says 'Manage Attachments'. A new screen pops up. There click 'Browse'. Just find your save file. Then, click 'Upload' and there you go...

 

[Jazzmail]

By micromanage, does this mean city-by-city, or controlling the workers' actions instead of automating them?

I tried the technique of just buying technologies last night, not too bad although I don't have a prayer of getting any great wonders. Also, every other civilization seems to make settlers at an alarming rate, sometimes I haven't built my first settler and other civs have 3 cities already! What's up with that?

Don't worry about it. The AI is nearly always the first to have 3 cities. The AI cheats (even when supposedly it doesn't on lower difficulty).
On regent the human player should be able to be ahead on cities after the 4th city though.
One reason you'll catch up is because the AI puts it's workers on full automate which is rediculously inefficient, while the player works the surrounding land using the least amount of movement (backtrack over roads/city squares etc.) and the maximum effect at capped despotism (mines on grasslands etc).
The despot player also rarely wastes excess shield production on near finished units, but switches to food/commerce when he needs only few remaining shields.
The player at the same time succeeds at making settler/worker production growth coincide with city growth. That way you avoid two problems: crowding causes unhappiness and tiny villages don't produce fast enough. Keep towns at their optimum.
Starting with researching pottery/granary can also make a big difference. Though if you are really lucky with cattle and wheat near the capital you may not need it.

Also keep in mind the early despot has little use for gold because he has no units to upgrade and no production to speed with coin. You don't need to be wealthy. Focus on research.

 

[Brain]

Also keep in mind the early despot has little use for gold because he has no units to upgrade and no production to speed with coin. You don't need to be wealthy. Focus on research.

Quite the contrary. Some techs can only be reseached faster than 50 turns at the cost of putting a lot of gold into them (e.g. Writing). If instead you put your research at minimum (i.e. 1 gold per turn towards research) you will get the tech in 50 turns no matter what. In other words, it's capped at 50 turns max. Some players, including myself, use this technique to save a lot of gold that can be used to trade for other techs with the AI (because the AI goes for other techs first). Even at Sid, with a minimum research rate, it's possible to research writing faster than the AIs that start with alphabet. With Writing and lots of gold you can buy any techs you want from the AI.

So, it's not true, as some claim, that gold is not important in the early game. I'd put it differently - you don't need to worry about gold in the early game. If you build a road on every tile that you improve and keep your research at minimum, then you don't need to worry about gold, but it doesn't mean that gold is not important.