Can't beat deficit: Calling for Help!

[Englor]

Hi,

I am playing on a big world as the germans right now.
It's latter BC almost going into AD, I got the japanese on my left door step in a game that evolved wtih a near horizontal ex[anse due to hut findings, and a fat center of three good cities.

They have progressed nice, I achieved hanging gardens and great wall. They are mostly developing libraries, temples, barracks, harbours and city walls. Most already have granary, marketplace andlibraries to speak of.
I just got republic after an agonizingly long effort, and quickly decided to now research friggen Monarchy understanding the better difference for war efforts.

The carthagenians want me to war with the japs who are pretty pathetic, though all I see is osaka.
I am asking for good tips as to how I might beat this deficit witch is taking it's toll on berlin and leipzig my two best cities, where I'm constantly having to re-build library. Thanx for any help given.

 

[Peaster]

Englor - Not sure what level player you are - I'll assume you are fairly new to Civ2. You can avoid a deficit two ways - by reducing expenses or a raising income.

Expenses: I'm guessing that you have built TOO many improvements in your cities (each one costing you some gold each turn in upkeep). You should build the Pyramids and sell your granaries. You don't need city walls (sell them!) since you have the Great Wall. You probably don't need temples since you have the HGs. Actually, I almost never build improvements (but many good players do).

Income: If selling buildings doesn't solve the problem, you can raise taxes, and set your city workers on oceans, or other tiles with arrows. Other ideas = demand tribute from a weaker civ, or invest in foreign trade. IMO trade is a bit difficult to master, and not absolutely necessary, but it can give your economy a huge boost.

Probably, your economy will be stronger in Republic than Monarchy (lower corruption + more arrows from most tiles). But if you plan to be at war, Monarchy is better for that. If you can get to Fundy, maybe via the Statue, that's even better for both.

 

[Ace]

If your interested in building a profitable empire, trade is absolutely essential. Trade will speed up your research and provide you with gold to finance your improvements. Trade is not hard to master once you realize the benefits it can provide you. There are several good threads here that explain the ins and outs of trade. A good place to start is the "Civ2 index" near the top of this forum. Two excellent links in there are: "thoughts on trade" and the "Power Democracy". Good luck.

Your first objective in a new game should be to get a better form of government than Despotism. It is horrible. You should go for Monarchy right away. The path is Alphabet-Code of Laws-Ceremonial Burial-Monarchy.

As to city improvements, the difficulty level your playing on is very important here. If your on the lower levels, you do not need to invest in lots of improvements early in the game. On the higher levels, you need the happiness improvements asap if your trying to build large cities. Read the older threads here to find much more about the different ways to play the game.

 

[Englor]

Guys, thanx, both of you. These are good well thought-out ideas. I am new to playing civ2, the level is warlord(puny me!) though I've been around since I was 11, I'm 21 now. I'm gonna go kick some a$$. Thanx

PS I'm the best in my entire family at the call to power cities. That was stuff I understood real well.

 

[starlifter]

I achieved hanging gardens and great wall. They are mostly developing libraries, temples, barracks, harbours and city walls. Most already have granary, marketplace andlibraries to speak of.
I just got republic after an agonizingly long effort, and quickly decided to now research friggen Monarchy understanding the better difference for war efforts.

This can be an excellent post for those learning Civ 2. In a nutshell, you are simultaneoulsy pursuing conflicting strategies, with the net result that no result is entirely satisfactory.

1. I hope the HG is in a good, food rich trading city (prefer capital). This city should be size 11, or 12 right now. It needs the Colossus, but probably its already built by AI. I'd trade the Great Wall for the Colossus in a heartbeat. Make sure all citizens produce trade.

2. Unless your city is producing significant science, your shields are better spent on caravans and growth/happiness in this situation. I suspect your cities are not Size 7+ with proper trade roads and trade routes. Get them to size 7 by maximizing trade (place your city cizens manually), having only +1 food surplus (or more is OK too), and setting your luxuries progressively up to 80%, to keep the celebrations until you cannot control the happiness (red face coming through) anymore. Then slam the L to 20% (or 30%), raise taxes, set science to 0, and create caravans and deliver some to an AI city on a DIFFERENT land mass. Ensure you do this as much as you can before any civ reaches NAVIGATION or INVENTION (your trade bonus is doubled until one of these 2 events, or game turn 200... whatever comes first). This will fuel your empire. The phenomenal growth will more than outweigh the shield support you must pay for attached units.

3. Do not build city walls, esp. with the Great Wall. Let your science defend you. It will rocket you to Gunpowder, when the AI has the Wheel, e.g. In Republic, don't automatically build granaries. They only help by shaving the time it takes for a size 2 city to collect 15 food (assuming you had it built before the Size 1 city foodbox was full). Sell the Size 3+ granaries & get gold, and save maintence costs.

4. Harbors are nirvana in an early Republic. Grow to max with harbor food & trade, then reset your citizens for shield output when maxed.

5. Only build a barracks if you really need it, like at a battlefront. Or if you are serious about fighting... but then you should not be in an early Republic at all if that's the case.


Post a screenshot or a .SAV if you would like.

 

[Millman]

If you ever switch to communism in the playstation version, try to get one good city close to your opponent, or any city you can to commision spies. They only gain veteran status in this version only if you are a communism.

 

[civdood]

The phenomenal growth will more than outweigh the shield support you must pay for attached units.

Civdood did learn how this work it is so so so good and grow so fast and make so mach beakers in science box. remember not so many beakers must make advance when game start, it cost more when you get more and more, but then you grow and grow and grow so fast it takes not so many turn to get new sciences. but if you make the crusades in big city you get nasty yellow pollutions but so so many shiedl!!!

 

[starlifter]

... if you make the crusades in big city you get nasty yellow pollutions ...

The yellow you speak of are the Pollution Triangle(s) in the city status screen. These are not (necessarily) bad -- they just indicate a relative idea of pollution probability. The more you have, compared to other cities, the higher odds that you might get a single white skull of pollution somewhere in the 20 squares surrounding your city the next turn (its straight random chance which square... if the chosen square is polluted already, is off the map, or is water, then you won't get that skull that turn). If you have no yellow Pollution Triangles, there is no chance that city can make a white Pollution Skull on your terrain that turn.

Due to the way the game works, the odds of getting pollution as a result of a given number of Triangles is much lower in the pre-Industrial age than later in the game (post-Industrial, and especially post-Plastics). Normally, even if you must clean up a skull or two with a settler (4 turns of work), its worth it for the 25 to 50+ shields of output you will likely be producing for turn after turn after turn in that early Pre-Factory era of time.

If you make KRC (the King Richard's Crusade wonder), you should do it in a big, zero (or very low) waste city. Ideally, with 20 terrain workers & some mined hills!