Brand new to Civ.

[Teknoflow]

Well, not completely and totally so, but I havent played a Civilization since the SNES one. I can win by a sizeable margin on the first difficulty level, but on the second, there is always one nation that pulls ahead of me. I think I may not be expanding fast enough, because by the time I get into the ADs, I am boxed in with 3 or 4 cities and two nations pinning me in.

So I really just need some advice on how fast to expand/build an army.

Like.. how many units should I have if I want to go to war with 1 nation, 2? Im really new, and all I see is advice on how to win at noble, prince and all that, and it just makes me feel stupid.

 

[Cam_H]

Technoflow - welcome to CivFanatics.

For good all-round advice I suggest you start with Sisiutil's Strategy Guide for Beginners. Sisiutil has also done several 'all leaders challenges' that you can follow from his signature. These were and are played at mid-level, but the basic lessons are still there.

I like following the Succession Games - some are a bit too twisted for getting basic elements of learning from, but if you scratch around the different games there, you'll get some good insights.

As for waging war in the Ancient and Classical Eras, most cities are defended by a couple of Archers. I would usualy go with a ratio of two Axes being able to take out an Archer, but the Civ Gods can be unkind, so it's best to take a couple of extras. With Warlords, Chariots become deadly to Axes, so you might need to add some Spearmen in with your Axes. I would say that settling up to four cities, hooking up Copper or Iron, and then amassing (whipping or chopping) an army and then charging off with a stack of eight Axes and a couple of Spears would be a 'pretty regulation' approach to putting a serious dent into your neightbour's empire.

Don't over-expand too much during the Ancient and Classical Eras however! This is a big trap, as empire running costs can lead your economy into poverty. Currency and Code of Laws are two technologies that can assist in off-setting this problem.

 

[Teknoflow]

Thank you

and I see already what a big problem was. I was of the mind that you never want to let research drop below 100% unless you are adjusting for culture. But I see its pretty common to expand til 60%. That will help me out a lot I think. I'll be able to cover more ground, and have more cities to produce.

 

[ace94d]

There was a SNES Civ?

 

[Teknoflow]

yep. Of the original. It was a lot of fun too, but I wager that it left a lot of things out because of the SNES limited capability.

 

[gdgrimm]

Thank you

and I see already what a big problem was. I was of the mind that you never want to let research drop below 100% unless you are adjusting for culture. But I see its pretty common to expand til 60%. That will help me out a lot I think. I'll be able to cover more ground, and have more cities to produce.

FWIW, I expand PEACEFULLY all the way to about 60% (then wait for the infrastructure to catch up).

If I'm actively fighting an expansive war, I'm willing to go down to about 40%. The reason being that once peace is signed, and the large army returns home, I'll be able to bump it up 10% almost immediately, and once the newly acquired cities get their infrastructure rebuilt (and start reworking those hamlets/villages/towns), I'll be able to bump it up another 10% or so.