Greetings,
I'm playing now on Deity level, and have reached a strategical bottleneck, that i can't figure out, so maybe you can help me.
In deity level, i focus on military at first, whatever the victory is, that i'm after.
So far the strategy, that has proven itself working for me is:
1. Research archery
2. Research up to the point of Bronze Working.
3. Animal husbandry (-> Horseback riding if i have horses nearby)
4. Sailing
5. whatever i is needed.
On production wise, i first build a warrior or two, (depending on the archery discovery), then create archers, then pikemen, then horsemen and/or buy boat or two.
The point is that i create unit consisting of 2 melee (warriors work, pikemen work better) units and one archery unit... These are the minimum configuration, that is able to protect my civ from most of attacks at that time. Pikemen - good against mounted units and can handle any other unit, specially with arched backup.
I am also able to advance the front up to the point of enemy cities.
Usually i advance, when i have 3-4 pikemen and 2 archers (then i start building another settler). That configuration can advance very successfully early game. Specially, when receiving backup units or escorted by horsemen and/or trireme. Very good for defense, and enough for offence.
MAYBE if i get lucky, i have managed to capture one city and advance under another city, but then it gets tricky. By that time enemy newly found enemy city has strengthened up to 20pts and more, and it is nearly impossible to capture it. Even if i focus on Iron and mathematics to build catapults, it still doesn't seem to work for me + in some unlucky situations that enemy has overteched its military that makes it even harder up to point where i withdraw.
I am able to hold the front near city, defeat most of, if not any incoming units for several turns, but arches (and those one-two catapults) damage the city like 1-3 pts, triremes 1 pt and by next turn it heals itself completely. I usually have like 3-4 archers and about same ammount on melee units. Little more damage when i use melee units, but it just wears them enough that they are useful only for 2 turns before they are killed. So it makes it useless and roughly after that point i discover myself with outdated military tech and so forth so withdrawal is imminent. Also cannot completely surround the city, cause usually it has another city closeby, which means being under fire and wearing down units double the speed.
Is there any good strategy to start capturing cities early on on diety level or it is wiser to rather play defensive, harass opponent or avoid conflict in first place and spawn cities? Which puts me in a bit bad situation, because production of settlers take long time and military usually gets outnumbered by then.
At the moment i play on continental small map. For fun have maxed out the number of civ's and CS on the small map, which is pretty fun, cause you can start war early enough and opponents are close enough, when AI hasn't had chance to out-tech you. It is extreme, but i get to same problem under normal map size/#of other civ's. But because distances are bigger to travel, then cities tend to have already 20+ strength. Still can top the military though at that time.
-edit- By pikemen i mean spearmen! My bad (not native speaker and both are good units with long sharp sticks)
I'm playing now on Deity level, and have reached a strategical bottleneck, that i can't figure out, so maybe you can help me.
In deity level, i focus on military at first, whatever the victory is, that i'm after.
So far the strategy, that has proven itself working for me is:
1. Research archery
2. Research up to the point of Bronze Working.
3. Animal husbandry (-> Horseback riding if i have horses nearby)
4. Sailing
5. whatever i is needed.
On production wise, i first build a warrior or two, (depending on the archery discovery), then create archers, then pikemen, then horsemen and/or buy boat or two.
The point is that i create unit consisting of 2 melee (warriors work, pikemen work better) units and one archery unit... These are the minimum configuration, that is able to protect my civ from most of attacks at that time. Pikemen - good against mounted units and can handle any other unit, specially with arched backup.
I am also able to advance the front up to the point of enemy cities.
Usually i advance, when i have 3-4 pikemen and 2 archers (then i start building another settler). That configuration can advance very successfully early game. Specially, when receiving backup units or escorted by horsemen and/or trireme. Very good for defense, and enough for offence.
MAYBE if i get lucky, i have managed to capture one city and advance under another city, but then it gets tricky. By that time enemy newly found enemy city has strengthened up to 20pts and more, and it is nearly impossible to capture it. Even if i focus on Iron and mathematics to build catapults, it still doesn't seem to work for me + in some unlucky situations that enemy has overteched its military that makes it even harder up to point where i withdraw.
I am able to hold the front near city, defeat most of, if not any incoming units for several turns, but arches (and those one-two catapults) damage the city like 1-3 pts, triremes 1 pt and by next turn it heals itself completely. I usually have like 3-4 archers and about same ammount on melee units. Little more damage when i use melee units, but it just wears them enough that they are useful only for 2 turns before they are killed. So it makes it useless and roughly after that point i discover myself with outdated military tech and so forth so withdrawal is imminent. Also cannot completely surround the city, cause usually it has another city closeby, which means being under fire and wearing down units double the speed.
Is there any good strategy to start capturing cities early on on diety level or it is wiser to rather play defensive, harass opponent or avoid conflict in first place and spawn cities? Which puts me in a bit bad situation, because production of settlers take long time and military usually gets outnumbered by then.
At the moment i play on continental small map. For fun have maxed out the number of civ's and CS on the small map, which is pretty fun, cause you can start war early enough and opponents are close enough, when AI hasn't had chance to out-tech you. It is extreme, but i get to same problem under normal map size/#of other civ's. But because distances are bigger to travel, then cities tend to have already 20+ strength. Still can top the military though at that time.
-edit- By pikemen i mean spearmen! My bad (not native speaker and both are good units with long sharp sticks)
