Here's my Prince game save as Mehmed. I'm right at the point where I'm on the slippery slope falling backwards in score (I do OK in the beginning on Prince games and then start falling behind in tech and score around this time.) Noble is too easy so its kinda frustrating adapting to the new difficulty where I survive but end up middle of the pack and have no clear idea for winning.
Any advice? I haven't been to war.. is it necessary at this difficulty level? I could probably grab an American city (Cyrus is my ally) but it's not entirely clear to me that it's worth it; I just settled the northernmost cities so until now there hasn't really been a need. I also have run my workers manually until just a few turns ago (when I automated them with workers leave old improvements on) and I could probably use some advice with what to do with my workers.
[edited to change topic so its easier to find in searches]
Any advice? I haven't been to war.. is it necessary at this difficulty level? I could probably grab an American city (Cyrus is my ally) but it's not entirely clear to me that it's worth it; I just settled the northernmost cities so until now there hasn't really been a need. I also have run my workers manually until just a few turns ago (when I automated them with workers leave old improvements on) and I could probably use some advice with what to do with my workers.
[edited to change topic so its easier to find in searches]
I don't know why you are building hammans in your size 2 and 3 cities. You should only build health/happiness buildings when you are within a point or two of reaching the limit. Your cities cities in the north and west can grow to ~7 before they even need to think about building a hamman. Consider building/whipping a granary in both, and then get other infrastructure or soldiers going.
In Istanbul, why do you have a Citizen? Get that guy working in the fields, or working as a specialist. Don't leave citizens if you can avoid it--they do practically nothing, as both priests and engineers more than outweigh that puny +1 hammer, and working in the fields might produce more food (read: more whipping).
As a quick note, the enemy comes in force on Prince. If Cyrus backstabs you, you will lose Bursa quickly. Reinforce that city, and try to keep a border guard of at least 3 units, preferably an upgraded longbow or two, maybe a mace and a mounted unit. Come to think of it, Bursa could use some terrain improvements, like farms. Many of your cities (besides the capital) are lacking in terrain improvements--build more workers to get stuff done). Farms are great because they increase your food, which correspondingly increases your production when you whip your citizens. Since you don't have a lot of high-production mines, that is your best bet for getting stuff done.
I don't mean to sound rude, but your army is in dismal shape. Those nonpromoted warriors are pretty much useless--I would dismiss them, and produce macemen. I didn't see a single mace in your territory. Or longbow. Or crossbow. Those are solid middle-age units that you need for fighting a war--you won't be able to take anything with your current army, especially with cities like Atlanta having a 75% culture defense boost. You need catapults for that, as well as a set of middle age units instead of your current obsolete army if you expect to survive a war.
On the side, you have a nice treasury--I never have that much by this point in the game unless I'm extracting it from an AI. You might be tempted to upgrade some of those warriors to maces, but I would advise against upgrading units without promotions--I just don't think they are worth it.
I then looked at your civics--you have Vassalage and Bureaucracy available. Switch to one of them. Vassalage will work well if you get barracks up and start mass-producing soldiers (preferably by beating your populace into submission), while Bureaucracy will greatly boost your capital (which is your largest city in terms of commerce). Either is a solid pick.
From the state of your country, it looks like you aren't using the whip very often. For the most part, I will whip out granaries and barracks in my cities so I can start producing experienced troops in several cities quickly (again, usually by whipping--this works great when combined with Vassalage or Theocracy). Also, since your capital is so unhealthy, consider whipping away that problem by rushing some troops. Don't be afraid to sacrifice your population for buildings and troops. I was originally, and the game got a lot easier when I learned to slaughter thousands of citizens to get what I wanted done. I constantly whip in my cities, from the moment I first get Bronze Working until everyone else starts using Emancipation and I can't take the unhappiness anymore.
Wealth" in a city...
while assimilating a neighbor's cities.
