Be quick or be...

[777]

...poor, because AI gets all the good gp city places pretty fast I've took note when I've scout my continent pretty fast and built settler. I just have to see that AI has town allready there Must be AI trait to get all the good gp places more eagerly than hammer places. That's why AI is pretty much all the time more advanced than me. And has damn poor army at tidig time of game.

Note beign taken, lesson learnt and restarted my game

 

[vixafox]

If the AI have all the best city sites, then build an army and claim them that way.

 

[LemonJello]

It's a hard balance to strike. Military power Vs. Expansion of your civ...I hate when I've scouted the perfect place to build a city, only to find someone else has beaten my settler to it!

 

[Stolen Rutters]

Uh, the hammer places can conquer the GP places... think of the AI as being very "friendly" for building that city for you. You just need to have a "peaceful" war with that AI. All you have to do is send some units into the city and it's yours!

I especially love it when they build the Great Wall for me. They are kindly letting me build more units. I don't have to waste all those hammers on that wonder, and I still get the barbarian protection once they decide to let me have the wonder!

 

[777]

But if you don't have gp places, how you can be even avarage at science? First strike is kind of hard without catapults.

 

[DigitalBoy]

...poor, because AI gets all the good gp city places pretty fast I've took note when I've scout my continent pretty fast and built settler. I just have to see that AI has town allready there Must be AI trait to get all the good gp places more eagerly than hammer places. That's why AI is pretty much all the time more advanced than me. And has damn poor army at tidig time of game.

Note beign taken, lesson learnt and restarted my game

Yes, be fast, be VERY fast. Concern #1 should be settlers, workers, and military units to defend them. If you can hook up copper fast, axemen serve the dual purpose of defending your cities and attacking rivals who beat you to a city site. Chariots are OK also.

(I usually let my capital worry about this. I like for my second city to be a cottage city since it gives cottages some time to grow.)

 

[777]

Thank you again, very valuable notes here

@DigitalBoy: Yeah, I've discovered chariots being useful once again. Haven't felt this way since civ II

 

[Stolen Rutters]

But if you don't have gp places, how you can be even avarage at science? First strike is kind of hard without catapults.

Ah, two food spots, cottages (pottery) and two scientists (writing for library needed!) in the commerce city can move your science quite far. This is probably the city that will give you your first couple great scientists, too! (Over a thousand beakers each, if you get far enough up the tech tree.)

Read articles in the war academy on the civfanatics front page for lots of advice. If the AI occupies your best GP spot, you can take it with a early sword or axe attack. Try to attack a city with a swordsman with City Raider III and see what kind of odds you get from that! You'll be surprised. Anything other than a high culture bonus city (or protective leader) can go down long before catapults. (Well, trying to take Sitting Bull's Dog soldiers out with only melee units is a bad thing too... but that's only in Beyond the Sword.)

Alphabet lets you build science, so you can put a forge in a city for faster tech. How fast your science advances is based on number of beakers per turn, not that percent.

The biggest thing that can hold your science back before catapults is building (or capturing) way too many cities before currency and code of laws are researched.

 

[777]

Thanks for advises It's easit for me to learn by asking Rather than read long story from this and that

The biggest thing that can hold your science back before catapults is building (or capturing) way too many cities before currency and code of laws are researched.

I believe this is the mistake I just did. My start was pretty nice. Built axemen and kicked some egyptian butts. They got my gpt spot and I got mad Egyptians are destroyed.
I have now 5 cities on a small map. Was most powerful nation. Now possibly largest. But my percentage is 70% and gpt is -11 ouch I'm second at points and perhaps late at techs.

 

[777]

Okay, small update.
I never believed in bullying but have to say it was worth of Just before I clicked "start the war" I thought what the heck, let's try out some free techs. Seems that I was so powerful and mighty neighbour land. So poor mongolian leader gave two of him techs for free And for grattitude I captured his city. Now I'm first time in life at first place on scores at Prince level!!!!
I think I'm decent at science. Calendar was something about 8 turns away. Then I get some luxuries. I really need those to keep poor sods happy
It's 520AD and I'm on my way from negligible to mediocrate.