Deity Strategy - Share your thoughts

[ABigCivFan]

I have played Deity from Civ2-Civ4, I believe Civ4 AIs present the highest level of challenge. I d like to share my current game strategies/random wisdoms and get some insights from fellow Civ fans. I will focus on the early stage of the game since at this level if you can survive early and not falling too far behind, you should be able to win with HI(human intelligence)

Challenging Facts:
1. The AIs start with 2X EVERYTHING, 2 settlers, 2 workers and plenty of scouts and defenders.
2. The AIs has 60% building costs and research costs.

Civ Selection: I chose Hannible(Fin/Cha). I need Fin so I can get to the key techs before they are too outdated , need Cha for that crucial extra 1 happy face and military egde. The UU is a reasonable choice with the bonus against Melee units and I could upgrade them to knigts/Calvs with free flanking upgrade(thus increase their survior chance yeah they are expensive).
Could you think of a better leader?

City placement: I try to place my 1st city near flood pains, fresh water/river, or has 1 food source + 1 production bonus/+1 happy. Top choices are Cows, wheats, corns, gold/silver/gem, stone, marbles. Some forrests are nice. The extra food or hammer can really help you speed build workers/settlers.

Land Grab: This phase is crucial. I allow my capital grow to size 3-4, after i place my citizen on all bonus fields, start building 2 workers, then worrior/settler sequence. scout in the circular fashion around your capital for resources. When you do claim those resources, make sure you settle only 1 grid away or directly on top if you see someone nearby. Because AI's border will expand faster. I have lost resource(stone) even though I settled only 1 grid away from it. For this reason, do not neglect culture, build/chop monuments for all new cities. Try settle on Hills/Plains for the extra hammer. Do not even try to settle too far away even if you see a city spot with 3 bonues grid, you will not be able to hold on to it.

Science : Early resources are the keys, I queue up Animal Husbandary, Bronze working, Pottery, Mystcism so I could see Horse, Copper and be able to build cottage, monument and Granary early for new cities. Mostly worriors as defenders, as soon as you connect horse, use chariots as defenders(no more Barb problems). Math, Iron working, Horse back riding and Construction should be the next set of key tech you will need.

Wonders: Hanging Garden is the only early wonder you have a reasonable chance to build(with stone), and I always try to chop it in my capital. Others you should try to capture.

Trading: Check for possible trading as soon as you have extra res or get a new tech, get tech/gold for them ASAP. This should help to you curb the unhappiness/unhealthiness. Identify long-term allies, and try to trade with them more and possible convert to their religion.

Military: I get Open Border with everyone, so I could scout their cities early, identify weak AIs, good cities with light defenders. Early warfare is required, so start plan early. You can not affort a 2 front war early, so stay with good terms with neighbors. if you have Monty, Toka, Shaka nearby, build walls in the border cities and some good defenders. When invading, build mixed armies, this is where human will shine even when we are behind on tech and pop and etc. I build rax and troops in at least 3 cities. I amass some Num Cavs, Cats, Axe, Spears, and Swords, along with 1 level 2 medic scout. This battle group should be able to take down the first 2 key cities.

If an AI city is defended with 2 Longbow, 1 spear, i would typically bring 2-3 cats to bombard city wall, 6 swords/Axe with CRII, and some Num Calv against any weaked defenders or melees/siege in the open fields. Get literature early so you can build Culture in the captured cities.

concentrate on 1 AI, attack hard and try settle for techs. Keep close eye on the other civs so you dont get caught off-guard. Bribe AIs to fight each other whenever you can. I try to stay with 1 or 2 powerful AIs as allies for almost the entire game.

You should be in good shape with your initial military success, balance your war/build cycles and you should be on your way to a domination vic.

Fell free to post your thoughts or questions.

ABF

 

[MrCynical]

Well I've yet to beat Deity, though my current game at that level is looking promising (It's 1200AD, I'm not dead and not last).

I mostly agree with what you've said above:

Challenging facts: This is only a partial list of the AI bonuses at this level. On top of that they start with four extra techs, have much higher health and happiness caps, and have huge discounts to city upkeep, upgrade costs, and just about every area imaginable.

Civ Selection: I've also concluded that Hannibal is probably the best leader for very high difficulty level (and it's no coincidence that I'm playing as him in my current game). Charismatic really shines at this level where the happiness caps are so low. 1 extra happiness, and a second easily accessible with monuments makes a huge difference. Deity level basically guarantees early warfare whether you like it or not, and added bonus the faster promotions of Charismatic make it probably my favourite trait for these levels. Financial's always good, though it's not going to be enough to get you a tech lead at Deity until long into the game. As for Numidian Cavalry, I don't regard them as that stunning, though it gives an extra fall back if you don't have copper or iron. They're early enough to bring to the first Deity level war, and can be built double promoted with stables and barracks (though they are expensive as you point out).

City Placement: Fresh water, preferably a river, is important to boost the meagre health cap, and food for the whip is a necessity. Gold/SilverGems are as you point out the resource of choice, combined high commerce with and early happiness boost. At this level though I find stone and marble useless for much of the game. I'm unlikely to get wonders, and even if I can I'd probably have been better spending the hammers elsewhere. Well into the game I might start thinking about them, but I'll have had plenty of time to get them by then. One of Copper, Iron and Horses is also virtually essential, if not at the capital, at least somewhere you can rapidly grab.

If you're playing as Hannibal, a coastal location with seafood is also desirable since you start with fishing, and will later get cothons to boost trade.

Land Grab: I generally find this phase to be near non-existant at Deity. I'm pleased if I get 2 more cities founded. Any further land I have to take by force, barring having my own island or a chokepoint.

Science: I'd reverse Animal husbandry and Bronze working in that list, unless my only food resources are animals. Slavery, chop rushing and possibly copper/axemen is far too tempting to wait for. Then I'd only go for Iron working if I lacked copper and horses. Otherwise I'd go for writing and Alphabet, and trade for most of the early tech up to iron working and maths. Horseback riding I'd only bother with if I lacked metals and had horses. After that monarchy is the next target to break the happiness cap, and then construction for serious early warfare. Engineering for the trebuchet, supreme unit of middle age warfare, is the next target after that.

Wonders: I assume I won't build any. I'll try to capture them, but I won't be too bothered about them.

Trading: Opportunities for this are few and far between at this level. After the big alphabet trading point I often have nothing too trade, unless some AIs have got badly beaten down by others.

 

[The Lardossen]

Are you still aiming for Stonehenge or leave it to the AI? If I'm not situated in the woods I can forget about getting it, especially with flood plains I really need to leave some woods around (is it three or four?).

Hannibal doesn't come with Cultural ofcourse, so resources out of the fat cross need to taken with a obelix.

 

[GIO888]

Deity. Ouch.

I changed Churchill to Charismatic hoping to get to Redcoat quicker, never made it. Civ 4 is awesome. I see some people say it's "boring". Try Deity without frightening the neighbors with your screams of frustration, is all I can say.

 

[ABigCivFan]

I think trying to build the stone henge is a big risk even if you have stone and trees in your capital, most likely by the time you have your first worker, built you stone query, then start chopping trees(1 turn to enter the forrest, 2 turns to chop), some AI would already have it built. I would commit that kind of resource to build settlers.

MrCynical, I think we have similar playing style at this level. Yes you really need to be very careful when making every decision.

I was playing on a huge Pangea map, so there was still land grab for me, I had 3 flood plains, 1 cow, 1 horse and 1 marble in my capital, was able to build 1 settler/9 turns. Throwing in some chopping, I was able to get 7 cities occupying resources before starting war planning. I settled spots further from my capital initially so I could get more room for later cities between my capital and initial outpost cities. Again, get the monuments everywhere was important.

I had the animals hence needing Animal husbanday first for production/food boost.

Num Cav was very useful for me at times. They are versetile, they are fast thus able to reinforce whereever needed. +50% vs. meelee AND siege is huge. Free flanking gives better suvivability.

After my initial skirmish with Catherine, I took 2 of her outpost cities occupying 9 ivories and 4 spices! I only lost 3 swords. The next turn, she sent in more advanced units like 4 maces, long bows, elephents, cats, and pikes. I only had Num Cavs, swords, Axe, cats, chariots, and spears (and a level 2 medic scout ) at the time. so I sent in this stack by the river on a Jungle/Ivory tile, fortified in their path (they had to attack across the river). I could not attack cause my unit mix was inferior, but while defending, the computer pickes my best defenders. The Num Cav did their job against the maces, as you could see there was no other units in my arsenal could counter the maces. I came out on top. I will use this "paper-rock-scissors" strategy to destroy her large stacks inside my territory, then swarm hers with my mass invasion. Thats is the only way I could hang on since I was still way behind on techs.

This is where Civ4 really shine vs. its predecessor; it did a good job incorprating the counter unit concept where Human player can "abuse" to the max. If this was the same scenario in the prev Civs where computer comes with a stack of superior units, I would get destroyed.

This could be an idea for the next patch: I wish I could view the "defensive odds" while defending. So that when you click your unit, then right click on enemy unit and hold, you could view both the "attacking odds" if you attack And " defending odds" if your unit defend in the current tile. Yes it is difficult to program for stacks, but for single unit combats it will help the human player more.

ABCF

 

[df1_2]

I only play Deity, but on the scenarios, then its pretty easy .

To add on your challeing facts: Happines, health and relations get worse.

 

[Nestorius]

How are you able to expand and conquer without Code of Laws? How many cities do you usually get before you obtain it?

 

[ABigCivFan]

I stopped researching after Construction, was netting +22 gold/turn after expenses. 4 most productive cities build only military. Others still building basic improvements focusing on growing and 1 building Jewish missionaries.

The good thing about war is the gold you plunder, i got around 360 gold from the 2 cities (size 12 and size 4) from Catherine. Next I will try to flood Cathrine with cheaper but well utilized units (will use the fast promotions for special counters against more expensive and superior units) and hopefully get more gold/tech from her. I can also get many happiness and health from the 7 extra ivory and 4 spice I captured. See a warmonger gets the best cities . I really wish I could plunder techs from captured cities-I see forge in them, but i dont have iron casting.

Will also try to bribe someone to ally me (not very likely since they want techs).

Yes, if the military campaign is successful, i will have more gold to reasearch Literature(newly conqured cities build culture) , code of law(courthouse), Cal, Machine and etc. My score is only half of Catherin's now, growth will come later.

Edit: I just surrendered. After my initial skirmish, Catherine sent in around 25 maces, elephants, pikes, crossbow, HA and Trebs, i had no chance when someone else beat a Huge Pangea Deity game, please tell your story.

ABCF