Emperor level - my general strategy

[hansmoleman]

Hi,

Have been playing Civilization forever, but still struggle to win Emperor level consistently. I win maybe 25% of the time (conquest style), usually around 1500 AD. I don't actually lose the rest of the games, I just abandon them if all seems hopeless. Main reasons for that are
- Other civs have sped too far ahead in terms of technology (I give up immediately if another civ gets riflemen)
- or, I lose a pivotal battle (more than once I have thrown 12+ catapults at a fortified city with Phalanx but fail to take it).
- or something else terrible happens (ironclad appears and knock out a bunch of my ships)

The really broad overview of how I play is...
- Pure conquest all the way. Always building military units and sending them into battle.
- Build as many cities as possible on my initial landmass.
- Get wheel and knock out anyone else on my continent using chariots
- Then go for navigation/mathematics and start preparing a flotilla of attackers
- Always stay in despotism
- Target the more advanced civs, even if they are not the largest, and knock out the capital city (hoping the civ doesn't have civil war), and then take the rest via diplomats causing revolts
- if done aggressively enough, and hoping that no civ develops Gunpowder (in which case I have to go for metallurgy), then I can usually win.
- improvements - only temple when necessary. Maybe marketplace in larger cities (as I will often switch to 100% tax to finance the revolts).

I have found that focusing on technology is hopeless. Other civs are relentless in attacking, so I am in a constant state of war, so changing governments does not seem to provide much benefit. Taking time to build wonders reduces the military units I need to be constantly producing, so I do not bother with wonders. Besides, other civs will suddenly build them anyway, often rendering my time investment useless. I also don't build caravans (need all cities building military units)

Most of my time is spent actually finding the other civs, particularly the smaller ones, I can spend hundreds of game years to find the ones that are tucked away (I always plan on the random generated maps)

I know there are other tips and tricks (we love the president day, which, to be honest, I never use), but this is my overall strategy.

But perhaps, after all this time, I am looking at things the wrong way?

 

[tuga2112]

i have zero experience in emperror. but my overal experience at other levels makes me want to comment anyway

as far as im aware comunism and monachy are fairly conquest friendly modes (particularly communism)
a republic if you manage to get woman suffrage is also a strategy worth considering

when i play in higher dificulties. i always trade techs when possible. (except when i have something like metalurgy, wheel, mathematics, automobile and the AI doesnt) i have effectively in the past managed to trade the same tech 3 times for 3 different techs. which gives me an edge in a global perspective, while not seeming to be an edge on a "per enemy civ" perspective

we love the president is probably not something for you because population boost demands entertainment and when you retract to another government theres a good chanse of starvation

 

[C1v1l1z@t10n]

if you stay despotism and computer get good knowledge... congratulations!!! use diplomats to either steal or buy a small city and take for example Steel.... now you can buy battleship and you can take all coast cities there are and get more knowledge...
I play always Emperor and if survive the first 30 turns I 99,99% times win (happens I take a hut too early and the barbarian cavalry takes me out)

 

[tuga2112]

if you stay despotism and computer get good knowledge... congratulations!!! use diplomats to either steal or buy a small city and take for example Steel.... now you can buy battleship and you can take all coast cities there are and get more knowledge...
I play always Emperor and if survive the first 30 turns I 99,99% times win (happens I take a hut too early and the barbarian cavalry takes me out)

thats a very good point.
a diplomat purchase in trade converted into gold is likely to be a lot cheaper than the tech cost in trade converted into bulbs. for the most part of the game.
posidonius mentioned that in the past. but i just dont have the habit of making the most out of diplomats in my games

 

[hansmoleman]

Thanks for the ideas!

Yes, certainly, I can use diplomats to pick up some technologies, and take out the coast cities, but if the capital city is not by the water, and has fortified riflemen, then I for sure will need to create at least a dozen armor to take the city. This will take time, and I will be unlikely to win the game earlier than 1800 AD. That and this aspect of the game is really tedious (building and building military units, waiting until you have enough in place to attack), so I tend to abandon games like these since they get pretty boring.

Women's suffrage - it still seems to me that basing strategy on one particular wonder is risky, as more often than not, it seems inevitable that another civilization will build the one wonder you want. And they take time to build.

Monarchy is difficult for conquest, more shields are required for military units so you cannot build as many easily as under despotism (though it has been a long while since I even bothered to use Monarchy, maybe I am not remembering correctly)

Communism I can only get early if I have the pyramids, and, as noted, I avoid building wonders.

Some players are able to consistently beat the game on Emperor by 1200 AD, and I am not quite sure how that is possible, so that is why I think I am missing something.

 

[C1v1l1z@t10n]

I have taken Capitals with Battleships even if they have not been on the coast line
build cities from sea in line to captial and move in 4 battleships on same turn and either attack or just use them as excellent defense.
If the city got City Wall continue to use diplomats to destroy City Wall.
If you are in peace with the one you want to attack, put diplomats on all squares that generate food/sheilds and starve out the city or reduce it, I sometime even pay them money to have the peace

 

[Lord.L.]

My strategy is: build as many cities are possible (I build them 1 tile away from themselves, it's called smallpox), 100% science to research Wheel, Map Making, Writing and Ceremonial burial them 100% tax for the rest of game. Once I have some more cities I start attacking enemies with Veteran Chariots. Also, I don't built temples but use a trick so I change production to temples (they cost as much as chariots), buy them and switch back to chariots. This is about 2 times cheaper than buying chariots (and triremes) directly so I save a ton of money and can produce chariot and triremes in literally insane rate. Computer players have nothing to do with this power even with ability to cheat (yes, AI is cheating especially on Emperor) and just surrender. Usually I win about 90% of games.
They end about 1 AD, sometimes earlier and I always have more than 170% rating. I think this is the fastest strategy, the earlier you attack the easier it is to win.

 

[trada]

Small pox is a game winning strategy for sure. Lord.L., have you considered hex editing the difficulty to be Emperor+1? I've never won it but if you are getting a 90% win rate on Emp- maybe its time to up the challenge : p

 

[Malwin]

Hi,

- Other civs have sped too far ahead in terms of technology (I give up immediately if another civ gets riflemen)

I found one thing very usefull on Emperor level: just steal a technologies.
If someone develop superior TECH just steal it and use it against him.

I maintain Embassies and regularly check what they have researched.

 

[Lord.L.]

Small pox is a game winning strategy for sure. Lord.L., have you considered hex editing the difficulty to be Emperor+1? I've never won it but if you are getting a 90% win rate on Emp- maybe its time to up the challenge : p

Yes I have and I won

 

[Lord.L.]

I found one thing very usefull on Emperor level: just steal a technologies.
If someone develop superior TECH just steal it and use it against him.

I maintain Embassies and regularly check what they have researched.

There is a problem: I am the only who develops good techs since I conquer enemies very quickly so they can't even have chariots in most cases.

 

[Malwin]

There is a problem: I am the only who develops good techs since I conquer enemies very quickly so they can't even have chariots in most cases.

 

[Terry Teo]

I used to have the exact same blocks and approach to the game as you.
The method of spamming chariots early works and is commonly used, but if you keep repeating that style after winning with it a couple of times you're limiting yourself to only a fraction of the depth of the game.
Yes clear your home continent but always just interacting using military units is stressful.

Here's what I think would be fun for you (I'm no expert, its only in this past year that I've been able to win emperor more often than not):
If you always stay in despotism and don't use caravans then thats the reason why you can never keep pace with other civs technology.
I usually build as many of the good wonders as possible mainly to prevent the other civs from having them because the give them too much advantage.
Production invested in a wonder that someone else builds isn't always wasted because you can leave it ticking along and get the next one quick.
Why do you hope they don't split in civi war? -it makes both halve's combined power weaker than the original especially because they war
Don't be scared of riflemen; one game I was nuked 3 times in just 5 turns and still went on to win a space-race victory.
If you research Mysticism as well your temples calm twice the number of citizens.
Play small continent size to reduce how big the other civs get.

After 20 years of playing I stuck with Democracy instead of Communism for a whole game for the first time the other day and won on Emperor, (it was nowhere near as restrictive/fickle as I'd always imagined -your normal conquest won't work but you can have a revolution to start war and just switch right back to Democarcy).

 

[The Phalanx]

I have only played one emperor game ( very recently) and built two wonders. The pyramids and the lighthouse, (the AI always seems to go for hanging gardens and great wall) I got communism as a government and made my taxes 80% so I very slowly learn techs. I switched to 90% after I learned wheel, cerm bur, writing, math, navigation, bronze, and masonry. I sent out hordes of chariots and grew my empire by conquest. I sent out sails with two diplomats and a chariot. I won in 1480 AD after getting the Mongols in a ten square island.

 

[Lord.L.]

I have only played one emperor game ( very recently) and built two wonders. The pyramids and the lighthouse, (the AI always seems to go for hanging gardens and great wall) I got communism as a government and made my taxes 80% so I very slowly learn techs. I switched to 90% after I learned wheel, cerm bur, writing, math, navigation, bronze, and masonry. I sent out hordes of chariots and grew my empire by conquest. I sent out sails with two diplomats and a chariot. I won in 1480 AD after getting the Mongols in a ten square island.

Just place all your cities in 1 tile distance from each other

 

[RadioFreeJoel]

I've had success with clearing my starting land mass and combining the Colossus with Copernicus' Observatory in a Republic or Democracy. Then it is a question of how many other civilizations are still around in terms of whether conquest seems viable or I need to win the space race.

 

[tupi]

Last time I played I used hex editor for Emperor+1. And I don't even a good player, but I guess I played thousands of civ sessions and kinda feel the AI (if we can call it that). Reading this forum also helps. I don't do micromanagement and my actions is pretty trite and same-y. First I do city spam, clean up my continent and then switch to Democracy. Also I use diplomats to bring my troops next to an enemy city and then strike. After that he usually demand a tech, and I give it to him. And then I make another strike when I'm ready. I never re-load (only to continue my game), so it feels more risky and interesting. If I lost - I lost big. I like this gambling feel. I also never use things that I consider cheating (fast settler, build anything with caravans but wonders, buy temple and switch to charriot etc.). It's not fun for my expierence.
When Emperor becomes just a score racking it's not so fun for me. I did it once (I even tried to build Trans-Antractic Rail Road for my caravans to 'teleport' - but this is not so good idea actually for any cities but cities near poles... Another crazy idea was to create 'ghost' 10-size cities with 'Add to City' command which can't sustain themself with food but their population depletes slower than their donor cities grow with WLTPD. I never ever tried this one, actually.). So, score racking is not so good. But a game where you just can't conquest in time (even if you want to) and where there's actual competition and space race with a com player is where it is. Btw Emperor+1 more or less stable, I expierenced freezing only once in these games. I guess Emperor+2 IS crazy hard and much more unstable, but I didn't try it seriously, only for brief testing. What I like about civdos and civcol that a difficulty level is just a number for formulas.