Can I get some advice?

[Leowind]

I"ve learned much from CFC and from playing GOTMs, but lately my game seems to have stagnated. GOTM 14 was a joke for me, I expected to play much better than I did, but I'm not sure what I'm missing. I think it's somewhere in the early-midgame. Right in GOTM 15 I have about 6 or 7 cities, have discovered



*****SPOILER ALERT*********








the Persians and several of the German cities. I got to Monarchy very quickly. It's nearly AD. I've started two wonders, Pyramids and Hanging Gardens. Both were started earlier by other civs. I've got most of my cities cranking out caravans to either establish a few good early routes, but mostly to help build wonders. I've identified the city that will be my SCC and am working towards Astronomy. I'm first in all the important categories on the demographics chart. But this seems like the point when what seems like an easy victory drags on for eons for me. I know probably not enough info here to elicit good answers, but I'd appreciate any advice from our better players, unless you're afraid of strengthening the competition, of course ; )

 

[Lucky]

Come on, don´t be so sarcastic.
We all try to help as good as we can, even those not so new newbies. And competition is just good for the GOTM.

So to your problem, you indeed have not told enough facts for hard answers, but I´ll try anyway!
Discovering Astronomy just in the ADs is not the best you can do, but it is not bad, either.
I think that you do the usual cranking out settlers as much as you can in the beginning, trying to settle all available land.
So the mid-game would be everything to the modern era for me. My first goal after completing the SSC is trying to get to Engineering asap. Meanwhile at least half the cities are producing caravans while the other is doing settlers. Building city improvements apart from marketplaces, temples, banks is not really neccessary. Especially science improvements are only worth building in really good trade cities. When you get Adams Trading it´s ok to make them.
Most important is of course switching to Democracy asap, that means as soon as no enemy is left. The AI should be reduced to the pet city, crusaders are best for that, at least on the last 2 pangea maps.
My strategy on tax rates and WLTP growth is that I try to turn most of the land green first (engineers, lots of (200+)) and keeping the science rate as high as possible.
And of course the usual gifting the purple civ everything (not this month).

Hmm, these thoughts are a little confused, I just wrote what I could think of.
The late game is even more important, making enough caravans to pay for all the banks and anti-pollution buildings while WLTP growing.

Sorry this is all a little mixed up. More specific questions or problems would really help.

 

[Leowind]

Lucky, your thoughts are helpful..on to some more specific questions raised

Actually this has been one of the faster science rate games I've played in awhile. How do you get tech any faster in the beginning?

How do you crank out settlers, build a couple important wonders, and at the same time manage to subdue the rival civs? That seems to be a real sticking point for me. I had some Elephants and was in a war with the Persians for awhile, but lost a couple Elephants and never had a chance to actually attack Pasargadae. I don't have enough production/gold to build a wonder, crank out settlers, crank out caravans, AND build an attack force. Any advice there?

What's this about gifting the purple Civ? Are they more willing to give stuff away than other civs? I have MGE and have basically given up on diplomacy other than trading techs because the other civs immediately revert to unfriendly no matter what you do. Always seemed like a waste of techs/gold to give them very much. Does this strategy work with MGE?

Also, I heard mention of a "resource map" somewhere. Do you know what this is? Probably related to resource and hut patterns of which I have no clue.

P.S. even smileys can be misunderstood. The sarcasm was for myself, like I am even close to being any real competition. I'd be happy to get into the top 25 at this point.

 

[Duke of Marlbrough]

Originally posted by Leowind
What's this about gifting the purple Civ? Are they more willing to give stuff away than other civs? I have MGE and have basically given up on diplomacy other than trading techs because the other civs immediately revert to unfriendly no matter what you do. Always seemed like a waste of techs/gold to give them very much. Does this strategy work with MGE?

Also, I heard mention of a "resource map" somewhere. Do you know what this is? Probably related to resource and hut patterns of which I have no clue.

Since I'm at work, this will be brief.

Gifting to the purple civ has to do with your keyciv. Look here and here for more info on that.

The resource map is posted here.

Hopefully that helps a bit for now.

BTW, losing elephants is not a good thing to do.

 

[Lucky]

Originally posted by Leowind
How do you get tech any faster in the beginning? How do you crank out settlers, build a couple important wonders, and at the same time manage to subdue the rival civs? ...
Any advice there?

Explore, explore, explore!!!
This should be your only concern in the beginning. Huts will give you techs, units and other things to speed up your development.

What's this about gifting the purple Civ?

The cost for tech research is based on your key civ. The more advanced this civ is the cheaper are your tech costs.
Which color your key civ is, depends on your power rating.
Supreme rating is the purple civ.

Also, I heard mention of a "resource map" somewhere.

The best is to use the map editor to try it out yourself.
Make an empty map and play around with the seed level a bit to learn more.
Have fun!

 

[Smash]

just make a small all plains,forest..anything cept grass.You will clearly see the resource and hut patterns.

 

[GaryNemo]

Leowind,

I do not understand the strategies and subtleties used by the top winning players - I'm new to the community. My 2 cents:

I develop Monarchy right away, although Warrior Code is a temptation. Normally I build the Hanging Gardens first, but this time (gotm15) I didn't, and I think the lack hurt my game. With HG you can run your capitol in WLTK for a thousand years, occasionally building a Settler to keep its size down in range. The Colossus is fantastic, but I've formed the habit of giving it and Pyramids to the AI in my many Emperor games, for a greater challenge.

I play conservatively, to slowly crush the AI opponents, generally build roads out to new sites first, and have enough guards to avoid loosing cities.

I built the Pyramids first, after getting trade, my notes:

125 BC, we have completed the Pyramids, researching Astronomy. 30,00,70%
Income 11 - Cost 3 = 8. 21 Science in 9 turns. F11 Mfg=34, Family=6.1
510,000 People in 8 Cities. The Persians were massing on the border -- our 1st Legion struck first, killed 2, became Veteran, struck another 2, and is now weakened by another 2 kills. In production: 2 Settlers, 4 Legions, and 2 Caravans for the Copernicus project. The Aztecs are building the Colossus. The Germans continue to buzz our fortified border with a Settler and Archers.

How to deal with doing everything at once? I don't have a simple formula, but you are asking the right question! One rule of thumb of mine: always be building one Library somewhere, in the next most promising city. Related, once you have 3-4 cities, begin focusing one city to be large (your Capitol). Later choose a second large city, and so on. This is a game of mathematical optimization, with the constraint of constant surprises by the AI and Barbs.

I documented gotm 14 in that spoiler, and may do gotm 15 unless people tell me not to. I have the notes.

Right now I am almost done, 1510 AD, Population 5,000,000, researching Sanitation, discoveries every 2.5 turns. I think I did better last month.

 

[Leowind]

Thanks everyone for the help Especially the links to the resource map thread and the threads about keyciv Seems the resource map is more helpful in the beginning; we'll see how useful it is for me now. On to play a few more turns.

 

[starlifter]

Threads like this are excellent, esp. for newer players. I suspect for every question or problem posted that others 10 aren't.

Since this link is over a month old, I'll say a few things about subject in general, with emphasis on early game.

Personally, I have a few pretty hard and fast early game rules. First, science: CB, A, CL, junk, MONARCHY. You cannot research Monarchy in 4 advances due to game limitations, so you must pick a junk advance along the way. For me it is Writing if at all possible, otherwise Mysticism. I never ever research HBR, BW, Pottery early on.

Second, I defend against barbs primarily with Diplomats, roads, and gold. Expanding fast is fine (blah blah...), but I do it in a controlled way for defense. I consider it almost essential to play with raging Hordes. The 150g for leader kills is critical to my own plans at Deity, and it funds a lot of early game work.

Third, I start a wonder very early (Pyramids or Colossus) to get a jump (by the 3rd city at the latest). Other cities will provide the defenders to control happiness until the 1st wonder is done and a temple can be built.
The next goal is not Republic, but Philosophy, then Trade. Trade for caravans of course, but also for the critical Marco Polo wonder. Forget the Great Library. You don't need it if you use trade, Marco, and SSC.

Fourth, SKIP the MM-Sea-Nav branch and go LOW... get to Monothiesm/Astronomy. Skip the Oracle, and pile up the Caravans for Michelangelos and JSBach. Theology will obsolete the Oracle, often before any Civ can finish it.

Fifth, besides gifting (which Marco will allow with ease), selected swapping of techs will reduce the number of "baggage" techs you must carry in the early game. That is, you don't want HBR, Wheel, Warrior Code, Iron Working, Map Making, Seafaring, republic early on. This will only increase the amount of science needed for your current (presumably carefully chosen) research. The thing I dread from popping huts early on is techs and usually advanced tribes. The tech is rarely one that I want (and usually HBR), and the Advance Tribes are often in the wrong location and cause one or two existing cities to gain an unhappy citizen.

As for mid game, I like to have Caravans ready to dump into my Republican, size 18-20 SSC to move up research by a turn or two. Make sure you are connected by roads (with the proper path) to get the 50% bonus.

PS, Gary's Library strategy... a good idea, but for fast advances, only build a library in your SSC about the time you get Colossus built. The shields are more effectively used in 1.5 Caravans, or in settlers to make roads, irrigation, and cities. Libraries also cost 1 gold per turn, so them in early game only in low-corruption, high trade cities when you are willing to commit to a sustained high science rate.

One last thing... actively hunt down Barbs, esp. near enemy cities. Bribing them is cheap, and they become NONEs (if bribed closer to another city than yours)... this is an excellent way to prepare to the transition to Republic that you really want in the AD0001 to AD0200 range... let the NONEs block strategic (esp. faraway) terrain, and also hunt down newly appearing barb leaders.