Economic Disaster Recovery Ideas 101

[slobberinbear]

You over-expand, by conquest or settling, and then you notice your economy is in shambles. Your soldiers start selling their swords for rice cakes and "manly diversions." Your citizens gather at roadside convenience stores, scraping together a few sheckels for a pickle and a limp cigarette. And your newly conquered subjects have it even worse -- no pickle.

This problem is absolutely devastating in the early game, as you can find yourself with no money, no ability to research, and nothing to build in your cities except military units, which cost money you don't have.

What to do? (other than the obvious, "don't over-expand!" <-- )

Don't panic. Try some or all of these methods (in no particular order) of getting your economy back on track. The general solutions are: work money-making tiles with your cities, have big cities, and make buildings that make or save money.

1. Go through all your cities and instruct the governor to "emphasize commerce."
2. Build cottages.
3. Learn Alphabet. This lets you trade for other economic techs and allows you to build "research" in your cities, to learn economic techs. You can also sell your techs to other civs for cold hard cash.
4. Learn Code of Laws. This lets you run Caste System, which in turn lets you run a lot of merchant specialists in your cities, who will make money. CoL also lets you build courthouses, which save you money.
5. Learn Currency. This gives you trade routes, lets you build markets in your cities for more money, and lets you build Wealth.
6. Learn Calendar. Hooking up plantation resources almost always gives you some commerce, gives you trade bait for other civs (for cash or other resources), and makes your people happy. Happy cities can grow bigger, which can work more tiles, which make more money.
7. Learn Monarchy. Hereditary Rule lets you grow bigger. Bigger is better. And it lets you build wineries for commerce, if you have grapes.
8. If you get your hands on a Great Prophet and have founded a religion, build the holy shrine for some cash.

Remember that this will take time. You may flatline the research slider at 0% before you recover. Just keep making cottages and focus on getting the key economic technologies ASAP.

Anyone else have any ideas for economic disaster recovery? Post 'em here!

 

[axident]

You over-expand, by conquest or settling, and then you notice your economy is in shambles. Your soldiers start selling their swords for rice cakes and "manly diversions." Your citizens gather at roadside convenience stores, scraping together a few sheckels for a pickle and a limp cigarette. And your newly conquered subjects have it even worse -- no pickle.

This problem is absolutely devastating in the early game, as you can find yourself with no money, no ability to research, and nothing to build in your cities except military units, which cost money you don't have.

What to do? (other than the obvious, "don't over-expand!" <-- )

Don't panic. Try some or all of these methods (in no particular order) of getting your economy back on track. The general solutions are: work money-making tiles with your cities, have big cities, and make buildings that make or save money.

1. Go through all your cities and instruct the governor to "emphasize commerce."
2. Build cottages.
3. Learn Alphabet. This lets you trade for other economic techs and allows you to build "research" in your cities, to learn economic techs. You can also sell your techs to other civs for cold hard cash.
4. Learn Code of Laws. This lets you run Caste System, which in turn lets you run a lot of merchant specialists in your cities, who will make money. CoL also lets you build courthouses, which save you money.
5. Learn Currency. This gives you trade routes, lets you build markets in your cities for more money, and lets you build Wealth.
6. Learn Calendar. Hooking up plantation resources almost always gives you some commerce, gives you trade bait for other civs (for cash or other resources), and makes your people happy. Happy cities can grow bigger, which can work more tiles, which make more money.
7. Learn Monarchy. Hereditary Rule lets you grow bigger. Bigger is better. And it lets you build wineries for commerce, if you have grapes.
8. If you get your hands on a Great Prophet and have founded a religion, build the holy shrine for some cash.

Remember that this will take time. You may flatline the research slider at 0% before you recover. Just keep making cottages and focus on getting the key economic technologies ASAP.

Anyone else have any ideas for economic disaster recovery? Post 'em here!

Trade techs for cash (or techs for techs and cash). Requires Currency and Alphabet.

You sort of mentioned this via Calendar, but selling unused resources for cash can be a lifesaver.

Gr Lighthouse can supercharge a heavily-coastal economy. Temple of Artemis and some other wonders also can help.

Try to have your army stay within cultural borders to reduce unit maintenance costs. Disband unnecessary troops to reduce maintenance costs some more.

Switch civics if necessary--some have higher upkeeps than others.

Although not really money-saving, if you have a Great Spy you can loiter at lower science slider rates for long and simply steal some techs to keep up in the tech race.

Capture enemy cities, and/or pillage enemy improvements. I've been in some wars where I literally could not afford peace. I kept pushing and pushing, razing cities that weren't worth keeping. Eventually I would extort Currency or something and temporarily end the war.

 

[madscientist]

Ok, these are the good ABCs but if your broke how do you tech your way out? You should emphasize running sciensts in each city to get teh needed techs. Also whipping removes excess population, thus reducing costs. Also disband unneeded/outdated uits. I always seam to forget those fogbusting warriors or the extra few archers in teh early cities. Of course you can always beatup on someone else, this depletes the excess units you have and provides cash from plundering/city razing.

 

[madscientist]

Another simple thing, make sure all cities hasn a trade route. Open borders with AIs to get income from foreign trade routes.

 

[Cer]

Also whipping removes excess population, thus reducing costs.

Removing excess population lowers costs a little, but the really helpful strategy (if you have the techs) is to slavery-rush ("whip") courthouses, markets, etc.

If your science slider is at 40% or more, it can be useful to whip libraries too.

 

[madscientist]

but the really helpful strategy (if you have the techs) is to slavery-rush ("whip") courthouses, markets, etc.

.

That's actually what I meant, sorry if I was not clear.

 

[Bast]

This happened to me in my current game. Currency itself helps a lot when you have a lot of cities already by that time.

 

[VoiceOfUnreason]

RB Adventure 9: Stagnation begain with a 1AD economy that was breaking even at 0% science. The game reports will likely cover may of the topics you are interested in.

 

[slobberinbear]

Another way I just remembered: bring your units inside your cultural borders. They cost more away from home.

Whipping stuff is of course a great way to get key buildings, but when you're at 0%, whipping makes you lose money. Whipping a library is handy even if you're running a low slider, in that a library lets you run 2 scientists. Sometimes, scientists are the only research you can get in this situation.

 

[Bast]

Another way I just remembered: bring your units inside your cultural borders. They cost more away from home.

Alternatively, your units can turn that land into yours.

 

[Dark Russell]

Alternatively, your units can turn that land into yours.

At what cost? An even worse economy?

If you aim to be a tech broker by settling a few great spies early enough to know what everyone is researching by the time you have currency, you can sell off techs when your opponents are a few turns away from getting them maximizing your profits and minimizing AI advantage. If you do things right you should be able to run your slider at about 70 to 100%, researching techs faster than the AI and still never have to worry about going broke. Works best on larger maps with more opponents.

 

[InvisibleStalke]

If you can't build currency or improvements that help, you can build wonders and hope the AI finishes them.

Use other sources of research - particularly spying combines well - stealing currency or code of laws is just as good as researching it. Science specialists and great people can also get you ahead on research even if your slider is zero.

Get your military paying for itself by capturing (and razing) cities and pillaging. A big army can pay for itself this way while you figure out other solutions. Losses also reduce your costs - and more productively than just having them disbanded.

Bully neighbouring AIs (who are in awe of your large size and army) for cash. They might have currency even if you don't.

Build forbidden palace or move your capital to reduce distance maintenance.

Disband any extra outdated units you don't need. Those extra warriors that aren't useful as military police or garrison units anymore can go.

If you captured a city a long distance away and wish you didn't consider gifting/selling it to an AI.