Condensed tips for beginners?

[Sisiutil]

Try to trade them but NEVER EVER trade a wonder resource or an offansive resource, like iron, copper, uranium, stone and marble... but work the resource tile if they are in a city's BFC, since it gives massive hammer or commerce bonuses...

I don't necessarily agree. Don't trade a wonder resource that helps build a wonder you're going after, no. But if you're not/won't be pursuing a wonder, and a resource or GPT you could get in trade for its accelerator will do you some good, go for it. If you trade it to a nearby civ, maybe they'll build the wonder for you (instead of building units) and you can go capture it. Also, later in the game, stone and marble become much less valuable once the wonders they accelerate have been built, so you might as well get something for them.

I often like trading copper once I have at least one source of iron. The AI values it highly, so you can get a lot for it. The only time you have to worry about it in relation to a wonder is for the Colossus and the Statue of Liberty.

I've also sometimes traded horses or iron to a distant civ I have no plans to fight with--especially if they will, in turn, cause problems for a nearby mutual rival. But I never trade horses to a nearby civ, or even one on the same continent if I can avoid it. The AI just loves mounted units way too much, and while they're not devastating, they are annoying.

Finally, there can be definite advantages to trading/gifting strategic resources to your vassals. The stronger they are, the better allies they'll be in wars against your mutual enemies.

 

[gocartkid500]

Hey ppls,
I just finished my first game and i came in first, Yay! But it was close and too close for comfort. It was down to like the last couple of turns in position for first. Even tho i came out on top i would like some tips so it doesnt get that close again. I espically need tips for economy. I was almost overthrown twice because of my economy, lol. Thanks, Gocartkid

 

[c.j.]

i have a question about going to the higher difficulty. i feel comfortable on my current difficulty (warlord), but am worring about going to next. are there any tips for going to higher difficulty? are ceritain leaders/nations on certain maps "overpowered" and easier to play? do you have any other tips about it?

 

[Sisiutil]

i have a question about going to the higher difficulty. i feel comfortable on my current difficulty (warlord), but am worring about going to next. are there any tips for going to higher difficulty? are ceritain leaders/nations on certain maps "overpowered" and easier to play? do you have any other tips about it?

Toot my own horn time: I have a section in my "Intermediate Tactics and Gambits" article (link in my sig) that deals with how to move up a level.

Regarding leaders/nations: you're best off, on a new level, starting by using a leader you enjoy playing and have had great success with in the past--provided that success has not largely rested upon building certain wonders. As for specifics, the Romans kick butt on a Pangaea map, while the Vikings are pretty awesome on Archipelago maps.

 

[c.j.]

thx sisiutil, that will surely help

 

[rwil]

I founded Confucianism, spammed my missionaries to both my neighbors, and after paying 150 gold to convince Huayna Capac to convert he converted back to Hinduism(he was the founder) a few turns later. Is it possible to keep an AI converted to your religion if they have founded their own?

 

[dalamb]

The one time I tried converting the founder of some other religion to mine, he also converted back not terribly long thereafter. I don't recall whether I'd taken the trouble to spread mine to all his cities, or just barely enough for him to be willing to consider converting for the right bribe; if the latter then maybe it could have worked if I'd been more diligent about spamming missionaries.

 

[Sisiutil]

In my experience, the AI seems bound and determined to spread and adopt a religion it founds, regardless of the political consequences. You'd be better off converting their neighbours, dog-piling the heathen fool, and then prying his shrine from his cold, dead hands.

 

[rwil]

The other question I had was about buildings left in a captured city, does collateral damage from siege weapons affect how/what is left when you capture? If they don't, what does?

 

[mystyfly]

No collateral damage has no effect.

Factors in capturing a city and determing it's buildings:
ALL national wonders are destroyed
ALL world wonders lose their culture bonus
ALL buildings that add culture are destroyed (WW are excluded due to above step. Academies and SY count as world wonders here (it seems))
ALL UBs are turned in their original buildings and vice versa (so you don't get zulu ikhandas as the romans...)
SOME of the other buildings are destroyed. Which and how many is determined randomly.

This way it IS possible to have culture-producing buildings in a city, but only in rare occasions, like, when you capture a city when you're the greek and a coliseum is turned into an odeon (UBs special bonus adding culture while the original building doesn't).

 

[Öjevind Lång]

Give in to demands early on. Just keep a note, and come back with the payback later

On lower difficulty levels, the demands are usually not that exorbitant. The AI may demand a resource you have several of, something like that. The fact that you gave in to the demand makes him well disposed towards you, so unless you are completely pathetical militarily, he/she may actually become a valuable ally later on. Never hold grudges just for the heck of it!

However, if you live next door to Mansa Musa or Montezuma, try to take them out as soon as possible. Especially Mansa, who is a confirmed backstabber and can become quite dangerous if left to his own devices. (Montezuma is more of a one-pony show and usually fairly easy to break.)

Don't tech trade with Mansa unless you are desperate for a certain technology. Mansa will trade technologies with anyone, so giving him a tech means that they'll all start spreading techs around among themselves, getting a legup you don't want.

 

[SaberSix]

I may be wrong, but I can't remember when the AI ever agreed to one of my demands. They usually just refuse even if i repeat them. so I don't bother much anymore. What was I doing wrong?

 

[mystyfly]

Look here if you want to find out more about begging. Repeating demands NEVER works btw...

 

[Öjevind Lång]

PS Reloading is cheating anyways.

No, it isn't. Not if you are playing single games for your own amusement. It's a game, not a religion.

 

[SaberSix]

mystyfly,

Thanks for the tips and link on begging. I guess I'll have to re-try holding my hat out.

 

[VollAufRisiko]

Can someone explain trade routes to me? I thought it was just having towns connected by roads, rivers or coastline. What about buildings/techs that allow an extra route? What is that all about?

Somewhere in this thread someone mentioned that you may have a research advantage on certain techs. Like some technologies will get an increased research speed for some reason. Might have been something about having the "prereq" techs first.

Sorry this is so vague. I just got the game 2 days ago, and am still trying to piece it all together.

 

[ThyGuy]

When a AI demands a tribute of a resource like say horse or Iron. Go ahead and give it to them. Wait 10 turns and then simply cancel the deal as soon as peace is over. You won't get any demerits from them for the cancel and they might just come back asking for it again in tribute; a great way to gain diplomacy.

When they're demanding or asking for a tech. Weigh you situation. Do you have important trades with this AI? Are you prepared to fight this AI? What does the AI want? If you're building a wonder from the tech, Check their cities and see if they have the production power to beat you in the race to that wonder. If yes, refuse, if no, go ahead and give it to them (This could backfire if they trade it to another AI who DOES have the production to beat you, but most of the time they will refuse to trade it when they start building the wonder). If you plan to kill the AI; I would not advice giving them any tech that gives them better units.

When AI demand hard cold cash, go ahead and give it to them. If you have currency (You should have currency) trade them some useless tech for most of your money back. Consider the money lost the price for better relations with the AI.

 

[VollAufRisiko]

TRADE: Ok, so a trade route is any time you are trading a resource with another player. I have a trade route giving rice and getting pigs. If I were to research techs or build buildings that increase the number of trade routes then i can have more of these deals going with the other players. Is that right?

Science: So is there any situation that would increase my research rate of a specific technology? Say I have 100 beakers of science a turn and there are two techs I could research, each costing 1000 beakers. Is there some tech, building, unit, whatever, that would allow me to research one of those techs at an increased rate, like 125 beakers per turn, while the other tech would still be at the same rate of 100/turn?

I know there are techs that give a free tech, and great people that boost research towards one tech. Am I overlooking something, or was I misinformed about this?

 

[UWHabs]

TRADE: Ok, so a trade route is any time you are trading a resource with another player. I have a trade route giving rice and getting pigs. If I were to research techs or build buildings that increase the number of trade routes then i can have more of these deals going with the other players. Is that right?

Science: So is there any situation that would increase my research rate of a specific technology? Say I have 100 beakers of science a turn and there are two techs I could research, each costing 1000 beakers. Is there some tech, building, unit, whatever, that would allow me to research one of those techs at an increased rate, like 125 beakers per turn, while the other tech would still be at the same rate of 100/turn?

I know there are techs that give a free tech, and great people that boost research towards one tech. Am I overlooking something, or was I misinformed about this?

I think you're a little off on these.

Trade routes are between cities. As long as your city has a trade route to another city (either your cities that are connected by roads/rivers/coastlines, or later on by ocean, or any other civ which you have open borders with that you're connected in that way), then you get trade route commerce in your city. It shows up in your city screen to the left (it'll show something like "Athens 5 "). By default, each city gets 1 trade route. Techs, civics, and other things can affect the numbers. Basically, for each city, it calculates its yield with every other city it's connected to, and then you get the best one. So if you have 3 trade routes in a city, you get the 3 best trade routes from other cities. This income is affected by peace, whether the other city is on a different landmass, harbors, customs houses, etc...

Trade with other players is different. As long as you have the resources or money, you can make an unlimited number of those transactions, regardless of trade routes.

As for your other question about research, there are a few hidden modifiers in that they don't tell you about. Basically, for each optional pre-req for a tech you have (so when looking at the tech tree, for every arrow towards a tech from a tech you have), you get a research bonus (20%, I think). There's also another bonus for how many people you know who have the tech. So if there are 6 other players in the game, and you know that 3 of them have archery, when you go to research archery, you get a certain bonus in researching that. You'll always get your 100 beakers per turn, but it's possible that 2 techs could cost 1000 beakers total, and one of them you'll be able to get in 9 turns, and another in 8.

 

[VollAufRisiko]

Ah, thank you for the clarification! I noticed that with the trade routes playing my game last night.

So, here is my next question, and maybe there is a good strategy article somewhere that explains this and someone could link me to it. I have been in a war for 3000 years. I am slowly winning, but I think I am getting so far behind the rest of the world I will have no hope of winning. What did I do wrong?

I am playing Persia on noble. This is my first game that I am going to play to the (bitter?) end. I played CivII a lot back in the day, but never Civ III, so I am really out of date. From what I have read on these forums, it seems essential to eliminate a player early. Isabella is right next door to me (the only player I border since I am on a penninsula) and she declares war about 1500BC. I knew 4-5 players and could see I was #2 and Isabella was #1 in score. We have been slugging it out ever since and its nearly 1500AD now. We are both way behind in score now I am in last with 850 points (1-3 have over 1100,) and Isabella is just a few points ahead of me. We started the war with

I have destroyed 2 of her border towns and just captured one of her 4 major towns, right next to Madrid (her capital, right?). Other than that, nothing has happened. We have both lost tons of units and spent a tremendous amount of time/money doing nothing.

I think I should have built up larger armies before hitting her cities. I would go in with 3-4 units, capture one of the border towns, then lose it again before backup arrived. I eventually razed the border towns. I finally got one of her good cities by stacking 5 catapults, 2 knights, macemen, swordsmen and spearmen.

Should I have tried to pile up more guys before going on the offensive?
Should I have just played defense until I could get peace? Should I have built the buildings in one of my 3 cities (Yes, only have three. She hit me early so I had not expanded much at the time) instead of making all of them make only military units?

I think I can defeat Spain, but after that I am pretty sure I am going to get crushed.