well, i read just about everything, but the one thing everyone seems to neglect is religion. seems like most players probably think this is the path to a peaceful diplomacy or space race victory, but for me, it's absolutely vital for research and economic strength in a domination/conquest game. i once avoided religion completely and had many challenges... then i tried it and what a difference. so, since you asked if there were other ideas:
domination victory on prince level, all 18 civilizations, largest map possible (continents).
(second version of an earlier post)
i use gandhi, mainly for mysticism/mining. gandhi's special unit is the fast worker (one extra movement) and he also has no anarchy... by merging 3 workers to work together, you build quick.... the extra movement allows you to start a chop on a forest the same turn you step into the forest. usually, movement is lost and you have to wait a turn.... so, these starting bonuses seem to be an advantage. since the russian cossack got nerfed, this is my first choice.
so anyhoo, you MUST be the master of a religion. you can avoid enemies by making sure your religion spreads to as many neighbors as possible. for example, "we care for our brothers and sisters of the faith". in my experience, they sit idly by as you march on other countries, even if they were friends... the religious bond is a strong one. the only exception is aggressive leaders like shaka... they'll attack anyway.... so, often, they are the ones i attack first if they happen to be a neighbor.
religion is important for many reasons. it helps research, it helps gold, it helps happiness, it helps gain allies and it even helps culture. if you get it spreading early on and spreading everywhere, you will truly reap the benefits. right off the bat, you have to get one of the first religions, buddhism or hinduism, no matter which, but that should be the very first tech you research.
the second part is the neighbor hunt. rather than waste hammers on a settler (which also halts your growth), i build warriors. earlier i said you need 8, but i just recently made it work with only 4. gandhi starts with one warrior which i guide around the area to explore while building more of them. so, build nothing but warriors in the beginning and search/fogbust with them in every direction. don't get too far apart. once you find a neighbor, send them all there and take them out asap. now you have a second city with a population base, good resources, etc, etc. (you know this)
to heck with scouts. the only benefit is improved results from villages. blah... that's relying on chance anyway. they just die when a barbarian hits them also. unless you start with one, just seems like a waste of hammers to me, which are vital in the early game. later i might build 3 or 4 once barbarians are mostly squeezed out by expanding borders. then it helps to see more of the map which they are good for. and, by the way, your state religion will allow you to "see" any city that adopts your religion. helps when you're busy attacking, not exploring.
after your first religious tech, research fishing or hunting. and try to coordinate the completion of the first worker with the completion of the research for bronze working... so you can start da chop.
after the worker is chopping and you have bronze working, go ahead with archery mainly for defense (damn barbarians). while researching archery, begin stonehenge with haste. worker chop can finish stonehenge in a few turns, painless to build. after archery, get masonry... and hopefully you'll have stone or marble or both. after stonehenge, build an archer. i usually build an archer asap in the captured city too. just one at first. in later turns you may need to sentry a unit on your copper or iron, of course. (damn barbarians)
then i go for priesthood and the oracle and take iron working. you should have either copper or iron on your map at that time. once you see one or both of these, you'll know where to put your settler. (note: you can settle on top of iron and therefore, as soon as the city is connected, by road or river, boom you have it. it's optional tho.)
why stonehenge and the oracle? several reasons, but mainly for iron working and, if both are built in your capital, you'll generate a great profit very quickly. they boost great person development and that is crucial. once you get your prophet, you build the appropriate religious building for your state religion in your capitol... (The Kashi Wishwanath or The Mahabodhi). if you have successfully spread your religion, you'll receive a +2 bonus to gold for every city that has your religion AND each time a new city adapts your religion, cha-ching, more gold. this is such a boon to the economy, i just wouldn't do without it... it's possible to spread a religion a bit later in the game if you miss one of the first ones, but i go for it right away.
for the purpose of GP growth, i always take the parthenon. talk about keeping up with techs... GPs are the key for me.
then i go for alphabet, then writing, literature and on to the great library, and build them in your capitol if you can- more GPs...
next is civil service for the bureaucracy civic, then it's on to divine right... you must get divine right and build the spiral minaret. if you have built all your temples and monasteries, etc, you get +1 gold for each religious building in your cities. if you're in the red, you're immediately in the green again guaranteed. the university of sankor is a vital priority for +2 research in every city in your country with your state religion. you should not ever need to bargain a tech from anybody (if you get all these things going).
now liberalism... you might also want to get Angkor Wat and Oxford University
other good wonders to get if you have a lead:
Versailles
Chichen Itza
Hanging Gardens
Notre Dame
most all the others you can do without. the great lighthouse and the colossus are great, i'll get them if i can, but for me it usually means stopping what i've got going to build a lighthouse or a forge immediately in order to have a chance to win the race to build the wonder. i think avoiding certain wonders, except the most vital, frees you up for military advance/strength... so my wonders tend to have religious benefits. others you will eventually have a good chance in capturing as you go and later, you're so far ahead that cities away from war zones can build whatever you want.
it's also a good idea to found as many other religions as you can. number 1 - you keep your neighbors from acquiring and using them (thereby switching away from your religion). and 2 - the spread of other religions founded by you only helps when you build the appropriate religious wonders for a little extra cha-ching. i don't make founding other religions a priority tho, but it does help.
what was said before about military advance in stages is absolutely right. here's mine, with peace in between:
0) warrior berzerkers... very early, acquire your second city this way. 4 or 5 warriors should do.
1) swordsmen/ax-men.. (if you're quick, most neighbors will be sitting ducks) take out another neighbor early.
2) whatever you've got with catapults... swordsmen, whatever. when you get catapults, time to build and make war
3) elephants or knights with catapults... horse archers seem to suck now, but can work in 2, above.
4) grenadier and cats or trebuchet
5) cavaliers and cats/tres/canons
6) tanks with canons/artillery
by the time you get tanks, you should have about 25 to 30% of total land area, then it's all management and rolling on with tanks that no one else in the world will have but you. it's even more beautiful when you have bombers unimpeded. and other leaders who've been your ally since they adopted your religion will still be your ally no matter how many of their buddies you crush. and don't be afraid to use slavery to speed production early, but if all is going well, you may only need to once or twice.
i welcome other opinions, but for me religion solves so many ills in civ IV.
let me know what you think...
