Am I behind

[Sman]

I'm in 1520 ad and in the middle of the middle ages.... am I far behind? It seems impossible to go through about another 500 years and finish the middle, industriuos and then modern. I wanna win through space race or domination.

BTW... I had my science around 10% for the ancient era but I bought my techs and my advisor kept telling me I was advanced... and now that I'm rich, (88 per turn) My sceince is set at 60 % and I'm leader in tech and I sell my techs too.

 

[shirleyrocks]

Not really...I'm in 1605, I'm in the early stages of the Industrial Age, and I'm "kicking ass" (as the kids say), so there doesn't seem to be *that* much of a difference. Remember, the game counts the years more and more slowly as the game goes on, so you have more turns left than you may realize.

P.S. 10%???

 

[ironfang]

Your right on schedule.

One word of advice, do everything in your power to discover Theory of Evolution.

ironfang

 

[Daaraa]

It seems to me that the days of tanks around 1000 AD are over. My game seems to be in line with reality. Gunpowder late 14th century. Electricity late 18th century. Tanks 1914. Flight 1900.
And I whole heartily agree with Ironfang. Theory of Evolution is a lot more important than it was during civ 2, at least in my books.

 

[dozenlong]

Try the technology whore (some call it science broker ) route. A friend of mine is getting the industrial age and modern ages QUITE early--15 civs are producing technology, and as soon as any one of them produces one, he buys it and sells it to everyone. Thus, nearly all duplicate research is eliminated and it is quite possible to get to the modern age relatively early.

Other civs aren't quite as fascinated with future tech however...

 

[nikitos]

Pretty useless as in civ2 if you ask me. IF your science isnt that good try trading or a little earlier build the great library. much better wonders out there than ToE.

 

[Daaraa]

I havn't really tried being a Science Broker that much.

I like keeping the AI in the dark ages. I just got tanks and they just got Nationalism, Medicine, Sanitation and Gunpowder.
(4 AIs and those are thier new techs.) They have had to discover a lot on thier own. I've sold them a few and when I sell, I sell the same tech to everyone.

What I've done to bankrupt the AI is keep a strong monopoly on resources. I discovered Coal first. So I went and grabbed all the coal. Did the same with Rubber except there is another one and the Americans (who just discovered gunpowder) have it so they are a ways off using it.

When I go to war I will first cut off the capitol so they can;t access thier own resouces and then take the cities with the resources and other Strategic spots like chokepoints. Then they have to pay me to keep thier people happy. And then they will do anything for 20 turns of Saltpeter. But even if they have it for 20 turns, they are so finacially strapped they only make a few musketmen and then we are at a new round of negotiations.

I do have friends in the AI community. I've rescued the Americans a few times and they have been "Gracious" for about 50 turns.

I own all the Coal, Oil, and all but one rubber. The only srat. resources I don't have a monopoly on are Iron, Horses, and 2 Saltpeter. (The saltpeter invasion is next. )

The only lux resources I don't have access to is Dyes but that is in the next city on my Indian front. And I've got a monopoly on Gems, Incense, Silks, Wine, with everything else access to. I only go to war to deny the AI something.

I'm about to Invade the Russians (who are getting close to military tradition and I don;t like the idea of fighting Cossacks). They have the other 2 Saltpeter and they have the only other Furs on the map. So I want to deny them and thier allies Furs and Saltpeter.

I've been at war for over 50 turns as a republic with police stations everywhere, Women's Suffrage and 30% lux on top of all the lux resouces (except of course Dye). I don't have a War weariness problem yet but it is noticed. Most of my war are fought against AIs who have stabbed me in the back.

So I guess I have a diffrent strategy and I don't go 100% for the Tech Broker strategy nor do I go for any one strategy 100% except perhaps Monopolization strategy.

 

[Daaraa]

Theory of Evolution.

Just as it is in reality, it is not for everyone.
I built it because I have about 10 cites with 40+ shield production per turn. So it wasn't a big deal tying up one city for a while. Also I had the best military. So I didn't need that city churning out a unit every 2 turns.
I actually missed the Great Library as I was in the middle of finishing off the English. I thought that was more important. They were on the run, I didn't want to let up. Besides, the French (who built it) only had contact with me and the English. And they had all of our techs. I took it from the French 10 turns later nulifying it.
My other game that I played (Only played two games so far and I'm not done one) I didn't even try for ToE. It wasn't right for the situation I was in.

 

[adarel]

I don't use the Science Broker strategy either.. In my current game, it's about 1500 AD, i'm on the last tech of the industrial age and the other three A.I. *just* moved into the Middle Ages.

Of course, I got lucky being the only civ on my *huge* continent while the other three are on the other large continent. I'm sure they were bickering instead of discovering while I had my nose in the books.

Most of my games though have also been pretty close to realistic history. So long space race win in 1300AD.



-emily

 

[sianews]

I use the tech broker strategy right upto the modern age. I get railraods around 1300 tanks thereafter in 1400 followed by flight in 1500. After that I slowly start leaving the AI behind.

 

[Daaraa]

I guess I just like using tanks (Panzers in my case) against Pikemen too much.

 

[Moeniir]

Originally posted by Daaraa
What I've done to bankrupt the AI is keep a strong monopoly on resources.

How large a map/ how many civs? I really like that idea, but in my current game (Huge map, 16 civs) there are resources all over the place.

 

[Sman]

I don't use the Science Broker strategy either.. In my current game, it's about 1500 AD, i'm on the last tech of the industrial age and the other three A.I. *just* moved into the Middle Ages.

How the hell did you get there so fast?

 

[CF_Civ]

Just for the record - I've had a couple of games (Emperor level) in which I entered the medieval age around 100 BC, and the industrial age about 900 AD.

 

[Sman]

again I gotta ask?? How?? that is so fast!!!! When I meet the civs the first time I trade them all the tech that I don't have... then at the end of the ancient I have 50-100% pumping into my sceince...

 

[theobaldus]

I do not like the idea of science broker too much either. It becomes much harder to fight wars and avoid wars in unwanted times. Here is what I do:

Have one city on your continent with little to no improvemnets in it but huge pop. Withdraw all military units and sell the city to an AI for all their tech, money and maybe something else they have. Then declare war on them and take back the city and maybe another city on their homeland. After a couple of turns ask them for peace and tech and/or cities. Since the AI lost one or two cities already he is relativly willing to give what you ask for peace.

If you researched a different tree of science at the begining then the AI usually does(for example in middle ages go directly for Democracy, few AIs will do so, they tend to research Feudalism and Chivalry first) then you wont waste double research and be ahead and accelerating the game just as in Civ2.

 

[The diplomat]

Originally posted by Sman
I'm in 1520 ad and in the middle of the middle ages.... am I far behind? It seems impossible to go through about another 500 years and finish the middle, industriuos and then modern. I wanna win through space race or domination.

BTW... I had my science around 10% for the ancient era but I bought my techs and my advisor kept telling me I was advanced... and now that I'm rich, (88 per turn) My sceince is set at 60 % and I'm leader in tech and I sell my techs too.

it obviously depends on the map size, # of civs etc

But I play on a standard map, 8 civs, on regent or lower. I usually enter the Middle Ages between 400 and 600 AD. I usually enter the industrial Age on average between 1500 and 1700 AD.

 

[adarel]

well.. like i said, most of my games are pretty realistic.. i.e. end of industrial c. 1900 AD..

sometimes you get lucky i guess with respect to civs / location....

and what civ were you playing?

i play a science civ in this game (persia) and all my cities have libraries as #1 improvement.. probably helps a bit..





-ada

 

[Mike C]

Originally posted by nikitos
Pretty useless as in civ2 if you ask me. IF your science isnt that good try trading or a little earlier build the great library. much better wonders out there than ToE.

WHAT?!

That puppy gives you 2 free techs. Thats equivilant to about 8-10 turns of research and can put you head and shoulders above everyone else if your neck and neck in tech with the other Civs.

I personally was the Greeks and was ahead by 2 techs compared to the next best civ. I got my free age tech bonus and then charged from Theory of Evolution. I managed to net Espionage and Refining out of that and from that point on, I never looked back.