This is a subject I'm still very much trying to learn on, so I look forward to more input (like more info from Scyphax on how he did that)
Here are some key factors I've found -
1. I usually try to research the first tech, sometimes two, at 100%, then drop down to 1 scientist on techs the AI tends to ignore (Mathematics, Polytheism), ending up the era with 1 scientist on an expensive govt tech. The start of the game is the only time in the next 2000-3000 years where you have tech parity, so by all means research the first tech yourself and hope to trade that for another one. If you go 10% research from the start you may end up getting zero tech trades and instantly falling 1/2 age behind by your third contact, which is horrid. Instead, if you can trade one tech to the east and one to the west and broker, in some games you'll find yourself in parity in the middle of the ancient era
2. Great Library is nice, and in some games pivotal, but it's by no means a universal must have. Plus it's a bear to get! ToE is the one wonder that I've gotten in all games (or was hosed to miss), which usually leads to Hoover (or if getting wailed on, Replaceable Parts) My common wonder list on Deity is usually ToE, Hoover, UN, and if I do well, one Middle Age wonder (Bach's or other)
3. Txurce gives good tips on how to go for GL. I'll expand that by saying: Use your civ's traits to the hilt! For scientific, bend your efforts wholeheartedly to getting to the next era before all of the other civs have done so - being able to broker your free tech to those that don't have it works *great* - it's been called the "Nationalism Slingshot". Even if you have to go into debt of several hundred gpt to buy Theory of Grav and/or techs before it, do so! You'll recoup the money AND get Steam Power or Medicine. If you are the last one to get Nationalism though, you get nothing. If an expansionist traits, goody huts and techs (and maybe a settler) are critical to success. (Combined, this is probably how Russia did so well). If industrious, well you saw what Txurce suggested. If military, do research by 'pointy-stick' to get some techs
If religious, strong culture will help you out a lot later in the game, but it's not as effective for actually winning on deity compared to other difficulties where 20k or 100k are much more attainable (on deity the AI will launch before then)
4. I'll re-emphacize that you can do well with a very short war, using a local concentration of troops against a weak spot, even if they have overall greater power and tech. In one recent game where I'm playing Koreans as warmongers and using a catapult rush (yes, this is goofy variant stuff) I've won four wars so far against powerful opponents, mostly due to the fact that their reinforcements (which could have **slaughtered** me) were 10 or more turns away, and just as they're about to arrive, I demand peace (as I've taken a city or two) and get a tech or half-tech. With the more apropos Celts, I used early war to get a good half-dozen techs in the ancient era. (Again, stopping the last war when I've killed a few cities but see the knights and muskets start to show up vs my swords and spears). This tactic obviously would fail miserably in multiplayer
5. Being a whole era behind doesn't mean the game is over. I've had more than one game where I finish research Feudalism while a foe starts building Newton's. Zachriel gives part of the key: honker down, stay at peace, pay tribute, and build up your *economy*. Easier on 1.29 than PtW due to earlier Wall Street, you CAN catch up, buying techs to get 'close' to parity, then researching a tech they igore and brokering it. Then go into deep gpt debt to buy Sci Meth, after having a prebuild going to near completion, and boom, ToE saves the game. This is the "full-era-behind-scrape-to-get-TOE Slingshot". It's not for the feint of heart.
6. You don't "need" a large empire, just a highly productive one. Five can do it (but it's a bear), 7 or 8 is doable if you're a very good builder/trader, and a few more plus a forbidden palace, is sufficient on a standard size map. Of course, more is better as long as you don't exceed OCN. If you just have a large empire but the outer half is unproductive and not well defended, you invite being swallowed up by stronger forces. If you have eight well defended cities, have some RoP's and embassies, trade alot, pay tribute, and supply the superpower with lux to keep him happy, you're in good shape.
7. One of the biggest keys to success on deity doesn't get much attention: luxuries. Not for yourself, nay! Trading away excess lux is a constant source of new techs that can easily mean the difference between being hopelessly behind vs staying close enough that Nationalism or ToE or a brokering opportunity bring you to parity. Here's the big tip though: sell your "only lux" (0 extra). Because on deity the AI are typically much larger you can trade a 0 extra for one of his extra AND get a good chunk of cash, with no net change to your happiness. Or suck up some unhappiness and sell your lux anyway, for that tech. If you have a bonus strategic resource, even more cash - but... chances are good the AI missing it may want to come get it for themselves
> Scyphax: From this one game it looks like at diety level a
> Diplomatic Victory is much easier than any sort of other Victory
> and that trading techs is key and thus a Diety game on an
> Archepelogo map would be next to impossible. Can anyone comment?
I've found Diplo to be by far the least painful, but mind you that's for games without ancient war, and usually involves a long dead-last period of turtling. Even OCC (one city) games can win with diplo on deity (I used Egypt, iirc). Trading is key, yes, but how well it would work on Archipelago depends so much on the specific map, and as much as one extra sea vs coastal tile. Getting the Lighthouse might be a game-winning move for example. The good thing about pelago is that it's *much* easier to defend yourself.
Space is quite doable, but mainly because the AI totally flounders and breaks down - it can't focus on getting the darn ship built and will research useless techs instead of laser. Soren has indicated this *will* be fixed in an upcoming patch, which will make the end game more interesting on deity.
Questions -
- Globetrotter - assuming you're talking about deity experience and not generalizing a good plan from Emperor, WHEN do you do this? How many cities/units, and what do you tend to face? (Be specific, I get the general gist of it
)
Charis
Strategy changes drastically with map format IMHO.
