Coming of Age: Finally beat Monarch Level

[genghis_khev]

Behold! A true Leader stands Amongst You!!!

OK, so this is no real feat to most civfanatics but I'm impressed. First time a faced an AI (or 2) with nukes (yes, it got messy, for all sides!).

Usually (Regent and lower) I get for military based victory (usually due to low global tech level) but this time I ended up getting a spaceship victory! Is it more common to get non-military victories on higher diff. levels?

Also the Iroquois actually made a successful play for their continent. Should I expect this from the AI now or was this just a rondom occurance? Its just I'm used to the AIs warring but not actually conquering much.

One final comment to all Regents who would be Monarchs. Read the article on Wonder Addiction by Ision in the War Accadamy. I found it a huge help!

 

[McManus]

Personally when I play monarch games (which I usually do all the time nowadays..) I find it that usually if there are continents or large islands, after some time one civ will emerge conquering all others, or then there usually are two strong ones, while all civs remain on the continent, kinda like two parties always at war..

And personally I find it harder to win a military victory in monarch level... Maybe I play a bit too tech-based games, but I have a hard time getting a mil-victory, which is why I've started playing with other victories turned off, 'cept for domination and conquest. It just spices the game up for me

McManus

EDIT: Oh yeah, and congrats for winning too

 

[smeggo]

Well done GK.

Did you have a deal of difficulty changing routine going up to Monarch?
Much more micro managing needed. I resisted sending the science slider down the bottom until realising it was impossible to win that way.
Always went for the Pyramids previously. Never ever forsook all other wonders and went straight for the Great Library either like now.

 

[citizen001]

Can you beat Monarch on all settings? because if you beat it only once, then you still need to hone you're skills. Usually when you say you can beat a level you can beat it on all settings (e.g. all random settings mapsize etc).

 

[genghis_khev]

Granted citizen001 this was my only victory but only the 2nd attempt. Still the first (technically 2nd) battle of the war has been won!!

smeggo I found some MM was needed early on but fairly soon I wasn't bothering (I'm a lazy leader!). I did how ever keep a close eye on happyness. A smiley face patch for the city view and advisor really help there!

I found I never went to 0% Sci. Sometimes it was low but I found it was easier to trade for techs because of the more competent AI.

The only great wonders I built were: Universal Sufferage, Theory of Evolution, UN (to block AI) and Manhatten Project. I did however build all possible minor wonders.

 

[citizen001]

Fair enough i guess, but maybe you could play a few more games for practise before moving onto higher levels.

Also how did you manage to build wonders?

 

[Renata]

Congrats!

With respect to military vs. non, it's probably just the effect of you adjusting to the higher level. Once you play a few more games and get used to how many extra units the AIs have, how much faster they research, and so forth, you'll probably be able to handle a military victory. The AIs do definitely become more competent at wiping each other out at the higher levels; I'm guessing it's the effect of having more units.

Renata

 

[genghis_khev]

Also how did you manage to build wonders?

By the end of Middle Ages I had tech lead. Also I had a small but highly productive town near mountains with an iron works! That and a Sci Leader (that got me ToE - wouldnt have bothered otherwise!) helped LOTS.

Needless to say I think I will be hanging round at this level for a while.

Renata Thanks! I'm glad the AI will be a bit more of a challange as I was sick of being the only superpower on regent. I would deliberately "prod and poke" the AIs 'til they were all aligned against me and then kick off.

This time I had to build the alliance. I just made sure I grabbed more cities than my allies (very end of WWII!).

 

[SJ Frank]

Congrats on the monarch win. There is just one little thing of note, I think by Wonder Addiction, Ision was refering to the ancient age wonders. They are bad because they affect your expansion.

If you were in the tech game in the middle ages, then you could certainly afford to pick out 1 or 2 of the middle age wonders and build it (with a pre-build of course). And the Industrial and Modern Age wonders should all be yours, with the human ability to railroad intelligently and cash rushing the factory.

So go ahead and build those late wonders. They should make your late game much easier.

 

[Longasc]

Congratulations!

There is nothing better than a civ game that is challenging till the very end!