Advice & Tips at Prince Level

[Savion]

Hi,

Have been a huge fan of Civ 1-3 but came into 4 late due to a whole variety of reasons. But now that I've started (with Warlords), finding it as addictive (& sometimes as frustrating... ) as before.

First thing I realised was what a different kettle of fish it was compared to it's predecessors, which was what led me here, to find some tips as well as strategies to survive those vital first turns. I'm playing at Prince as it seems (for now) to be a good fit in terms of challenge.

The games being played out on the forums (like Sisutil's) were a huge source of answers but I've still got some questions which I hope the experts can help answer.

1. On non-creative leaders (currently using Elizabeth as her traits appeal to me atm), what is the best way to gain culture? I find that if I'm going for the Great Wall/GE/Pyramids rush, I can only devote the 2nd city to Stonehenge. In this case, it is almost impossible for me to beat the AI to it, even with pre-chops & slavery. Or am I doing something wrong... Or just bite the bullet & build Monuments in every city?

2. This might be related to what happens in not being able to complete Stonehenge in City 2. I feel that it's taking quite awhile to get my 2nd City. My build order in the capital is Warrior-Worker-Settler. I'll use 1-2 chops (depending on how much forest) & whip out the Settler asap. I know there are many advocates for Worker-Worker-Settler but I find that it is way too risky to risk losing the Settler to animals or City 2 to Barbarians when it is unescorted. Worker-Worker-Warrior-Settler seems even slower to me...

3. I have the old habit from previous Civs to spam Granaries in every city asap. I thought it will be good synergy with whipping. Does this make sense? I ask this because in the played games, I don't always see Granary in every city.

4. Following on that, are there any 'must-builds' City Improvements? ie Things you build in every city irregardless of the city's specialisation, surroundings, etc.

5. I can't seem to find too much discussion on the Great General unit. To me, it seems logical that the 1st spawned should be used to create the Warlord. However, being able to settle him for an Instructor earlier seems to better maximise the benefit. Generally, I tend to structure my army around a cadre of 'crack' troops with Shock & Combat & Raider promotions & upgrades when new techs are available. Use freshly built troops to suicide on defenders before using the elites to take them out. That's why I thought having more experienced 'rookies' might help with this strategy. But any insights will be appreciated.

6. What is a good mix of promotions for the abovementioned elite team? I thought of (in this order) Shock -> Combat I -> City Raider I -> Combat II -> City Raider II -> Combat III -> City Raider III, etc. The 'suiciders' tend to be just going down the Combat promotions. Is it worth mixing in some Medics in there?

Really looking forward to the enlightenment that the experts here can give...

Thanks!

 

[carl corey]

1. Trying to build every wonder will ruin you on Prince and above. If you go Great Wall/GE/Pyramids you can't get Stonehenge. Just build Monuments in secondary cities and later Libraries. Some cities might not even need a Monument if you've got enough good tiles and all the resources that matter in their small cross. You can just wait for Libraries then. Also, don't build a Monument in the capital unless you're Charismatic and receive +1 happy face from it.

If you go with Stonehenge, you're better off trying the religious path and building the Oracle. The Pyramids are out.

2. I've seen all sort of starts. If you get Bronze Working early there's a lot of paths you can try: Warrior until size 2 - Worker - whip to complete - Finish Warrior & start something else until size 3-4 - Settler - whip to complete. Maybe even chop. Or the classic: Worker - Worker chopped - Settler chopped which has the disadvantage of not letting your population grow at all and using forests that you might need later.

When you have hunting you might consider going Scout first, as you can explore more and get those goody huts. You never know when you'll receive a tech or two.

With fishing, if there's a seafood resource, build a workboat first, it makes you grow and lets you recover faster after whipping.

Don't be afraid to whip early, since growing back from size 1 to size 2 won't take long anyway.

Escort your settler, or make sure it doesn't encounter anything. Losing the settler that early really-really sucks.

3. Sometimes a city won't be whip-friendly (a cottaged one, or one that doesn't have food resources). In this case, it will probably grow to its max and stay there. Granaries are not a priority in this case.

Otherwise, yeah, granaries and whipping go perfectly together. Whip your granary too. You might also want to build them in cities which will soon have health problems.

4. Must-builds? Not really. A low commerce city won't need libraries and markets. It's either there for getting a resource (especially in the tundra/ice) or it's a production city, in which case a forge, barracks, stables are all more useful. On the other hand, a cottage-full city won't have much use for a forge. Courthouses might be the closest things to must-builds, especially in newly captured and distant cities.

5. Look at aelf's latest game. He already has a level 5 unit for Heroic Epic, and won't use his GG on a Warlord. If you have lots of less experienced troops, or will beeline at one point to Military Tradition and also want to build West Point, use your first GG on a Warlord and settle the next as Military Instructors in the Heroic Epic city. Reserve that city to also build West Point and you'll have a monster.

6. I usually separate City Raiders from field units. I'll have some City Raider II or III, some with Combat I + Shock or Combat I with Cover or Combat I + Medic I to guard my stack before a city attack. I usually don't fight with the Medic unless really necessary. I wan't it to remain a nice backward unit that will never engage in combat, as its purpose is healing, not dying honorably. If you use your GG to create a Warlord, well, it depends. Some go for Medic III, some for CR & Combat promotions, or, if you use it on a Chariot, you can go Flanking II + Tactics. If you do promote the Warlorded unit with combat promotions don't be afraid to use it. It might die, but it doesn't matter. Don't get too attached to it.

Enjoy!

 

[Savion]

Thanks for the reply! Really a huge help...

Yeah, noticed how 'broken' slavery is... I tend to rush for BW now so I can start whipping as early as possible... As wrong as that sounds, I'm a huge convert to the idea of slavery (in the game, of course...)

One other question I have is regarding the timing of the revolution. Is there anything I should be looking out for with regards to timing? If I'm a turn or 2 from getting a tech/building something, I'll wait till after that. Does it really make a difference over the long term? Or just revolt as & when...

Thanks

 

[carl corey]

Most of the time if I'm not Spiritual I revolt for more than one change. Slavery is different, since you're likely to need it early. But later I often find myself in a situation in which I'm a couple of turns away from another civic I want, so I'll wait. This highly depends on game speed though. On Marathon you'll get a lot of anarchy turns for revolution (around 5), but only 1 (I think) is added for a second civic, 2 for 2nd and 3rd civics, etc. So there you clearly want to group changes.

I also wait to change if the currently "in progress" tech will give me instant benefits. Like Liberalism for a free tech or Economics for the Great Merchant, or Music for the Great Artist, etc. or I'm about to complete a Wonder. Other buildings don't matter that much. I might postpone changes if I'm about to finish research on a tech that will get me some very good trades with the AIs too. Getting access to a new type of unit (to upgrade the old ones) or to a new resource may also mean delaying. Nothing else comes to mind right now.