Crossing Over to Monarch

[MummyMan]

I have recently "mastered" the Regent level and have tried Monarch level . Every time I play on Monarch I get buried by my lack of tech and have a hard time managing my gold (this probably isn't related to the level of difficulty though). I put my tech on max without losing gold, but the AI always gets ahead of me. I figure that I should take a military approach, even if it's not my style, but my tech level usually stops me in my tracks with limited gains. I also tried a military civ but that didn't help much. Does anybody have any tips on how to overcome the AI advantage? I know I sound like a newbie not worth helping, but don't you remember when you went up to Monarch level?

 

[Woody]

I put my tech on max without losing gold

That is probably your biggest mistake at the start of the game, for the first 20 or so techs you have no chance of winning the tech race with the way the AI trades tech among themselfs all the time, during this period its best to maximize income and simply buy techs. I set my science at the lowest level that it still produces an advance in 40 turns, sometimes I get lucky and get the tech I happened to pick before the AI and can trade it like mad for gold and/or other techs. After the first 20 or so techs I start checking to see if its possible to get my rate of discovery to under 10 turns, once it reachs that point its time to try and out tech the AI.

 

[MummyMan]

Thanks for the advice! I'll try that out. I guess my whole strategy for Regent and below won't work at all. I'll keep trying.

 

[Anglophile]

The only way I have found of getting ahead in tech early is by being an expansionist civ, building lots of scouts on very large maps (so the tech multiplier is high) and getting my techs through goody huts. I believe that once someone gets to the Middle Ages, you can no longer get techs in huts - this is certainly true for Monarch and up. So make sure it is you. You will essentially only be competing with the other expansionist civs with this approach and even on the higher levels, they do not explore as aggressively as I do. Being commercial is a big boost as well, since you don't get barbarians from huts and have a higher probability of good stuff like techs. Normally, I win the race to the Middle Ages and have probably only researched two of the techs and traded for maybe one or 2 others. If you do get ahead, sell some techs to others - as many others as possible each time - and use that to stay black while maxxing R&D. Trade techs when possible - otherwise some other AI will. If you fall behind, buying or conquering are the options.

 

[Badluck]

start expanding very fast, building attack troop between settler no pikemen.

wait till you have 3 or 4 and go attack the closest ennemy that as not a Special defense unit or attack since they will probably hurt you too much.

By doing this you have not much defense but that's no problem, if the ennemy accept to declare peace with you do it, only if they accept to give you like 3 tech in exchange. declare war back on them when your troop are healed and if you need more tech *if they still have some you don'T have, and kill them, otherwise if they meet other civ they will tell about your betrayal


this way you grwth bigger then everyone else and you keep up in tech with them

 

[WUM]

If you do as BADLUCK (what a name for a strategic advisor ) says, don´t conquer their capitol. Just keep it isolated and conquer it when no other cities remain.

i did conquer their capitol a copple of times with this tactic, and every time my enemy refused to talk to me ever since. That is, as long as i let them live. However, not talking means no peace and that means no extra techs, money etc. So think before you get their capitol.

 

[Dutchman]

I totally agree with the millitary strategy but I want to add that with a millitary strategy you also create the oppertunity of getting Great Leaders!!!!!! So you can Hurry a Forbidden palace, or Great Library(Free Techs!!!) or make an Army. And this can be a really big advantage, especially when you get more then one Great Leaders so you can store one for a Wonder!

 

[Shaitan]

Get the Great Library. The lower techs will fall into place by just buying them from the AI civs. Steer your own research directly to the Great Library. Prebuild (work on a Palace) in a decent production city so you can get the Library out quickly as soon as you have the techs. The Library lasts a long time and will give you every tech that is known by two or more AI civs that you have contact with. The AI trades tech ferociously so if 1 knows it, they all do within a couple turns. The Great Library will keep you technologically current without investing any cash into research.

Don't take that last sentence literally. You always want to be researching at 40 turns per tech. When your civ is small, invest 1 g/turn. When having tech at 10% costs more than a gold, turn a single citizen into a scientist and put the tech slider to 0.

 

[MummyMan]

Thanks for all the replies guys! I thought this thread was going to go down without a single post! This stuff will really help me try and crawl my way through Monarch. For now it's back to regent while i try to formulate a strategy for monarch.

 

[Arrian]

I got my butt kicked for the first few games after moving up from Regent too. I'm with Shaitan on the power of the Great Library. I'm not a militarist, so that's the way to go.

To be precise, I generally do the following:

Start game

Hit F6, click on Literature
Build those early warriors and settlers (usually about 3-4 settlers out of the capitol).
Start capitol on Pyramids (if you are not industrious, buy masonry... at this point it generally costs 40 gold or so).

... building cities... building temples... exploring...

Discover literature, switch Pyramids to GL
Go back to f6, click on currency

You will be out of the ancient era (and at least even with the AI in tech) before you know it.

-Arrian

 

[WUM]

If i do as you suggest, my treasury get REAL big (for ancient times of course). The problem i always run into then is that other civs get jealous and want my money. If i don´t give it to them, they declare war. If i do give it, it´s just plain wasted.

Because of this i don´t care to much for the Gr.Library. I just buy all my techs in the ancient era. I have enough money for it. In the coming era i will change this to a higher science-rate + government + cultural and trading-improvements.

 

[Ironikinit]

No single wonder is a game winner or loser. Don't sweat if you fall behind on tech. The older they get, the cheaper they get.

Conquering a neighbor is a tried and true method of getting established. I'm an advocate of getting to republic as soon as possible.

I try for one wonder in the ancient period when playing monarch level. It doesn't really matter which, but usually I end up with the Collossus or G. Lighthouse. If a leader becomes available I usually take the army option for two reasons.

1. Heroic Epic.
2. If I got a leader I'm at war, and military power is a priority.

The wonders I try to pre-build are the early medieval wonders, such as the Sistine Chapel. I rush a market and a colleseum in two cities and set them to building a palace and whatever... the palace is the only safe bet, though, so sometimes I'm stuck with just one city pre-building.