From King to Emperor - ouch

[cvb]

There's one thing that I do not quite understand: In all those deity-let's-play-videos on youtube

They are not going to post ones where they are killed.

This!
Play with increased risk - and reap the (seldom) rewards! (as well as dump the (frequent) other games, when you become keelhauled aright) ...
And of course, as a successful youtuber, you have a lot of luck with starting locations (one eg. had an really amazing streak just with 'plains hills'), goody huts etc. Reload.
Also you usually have a sixth sense for feeling in which directions to explore ... (yeah, look ahead: who fails to prepare, prepares to fail).

.

 

[kb27787]

After this posting I tried about 10 more times on level immortal, but it took me nowhere. If I completely focus on building units at the start, I am so far behind in everything else (science, culture) that it makes no sense to keep playing. If I build only one district, the AI comes with masses and masses of troops and kicks my ass. So thanks for all your friendly and encouraging comments, but everything indicates that Civilization 6 ends for me at level emperor, and I think I can very well live with that.
There's one thing that I do not quite understand: In all those deity-let's-play-videos on youtube, I can see relatively rarely such massive AI-aggression as I experienced them in my futile immortal-attempts.

Posting a save would help... I doubt immortal AI are that aggressive from the few immortal GotMs I've played

There is such a thing as over-focusing on military and failing to kill your target soon enough--when that happens their tech/infrastructure advantage materializes and you simply lose. Either you build 3-4 archers for self-defense or chop (don't build) out 20 and overwhelmingly kill. Middle ground leads you nowhere.

Yes, posted deity LPs are cooked. I could've told you that.

 

[Victoria]

I could always do an I cooked one with a crap start and a 250+ turn finish... but to be fair people would fall asleep before then end.

I quite like watching the start of these videos because they pretend they are doing it once.
To be fair not all are cooked, what about the streamers?
And when they start a game from scratch it has not been played before?

We get runs of bad luck, but then some good. Anyone streaming with the latest patch? Quill?

 

[MrRadar]

We get runs of bad luck, but then some good. Anyone streaming with the latest patch? Quill?

Yes, TheGameMechanic is going through all leaders and now he is having a rough run with Alex. Far from smooth one.

 

[acluewithout]

They are not going to post ones where they are killed.
What setting do you play with Tuvok?

Yes, TheGameMechanic is going through all leaders and now he is having a rough run with Alex. Far from smooth one.

TheGameMechanic does post losses and he certainly gets smashed in a lot of his starts. He also re-rolls and is fairly open about it.

 

[montalaar]

my approach is to build scout and go and see what is going on near my starting city. if there is no space for few cities, i build army right away and remove few neighbors. if there is space to expand, its usual(to me) builder, settler approach in capital and i do not stop spam settlers from capital until there is space left. at the same time new towns produce units needed to keep expand, military included. changing government cards from builders/settlers to units/naval in cycles to help with producing.

id also say to keep in mind to not be afraid of more units of AI, because they are too stupid to fight properly. try use terrain in war for you, instead fight against terrain.

districts. its economy - markets or harbors. govt disctrict too. and campuses in suitable locations.
i build walls with corresponding card too in border cities.
plus i try to specialize cities. for example builder spamming city.

pantheon. i usually take plantations now. so many plantations everywhere and that culture helps me. fishing boat pantheon if gitarja or similar. other compelling to me pantheons not avialable usually. and i give a damn about faith either, because if i want go after faith, then all other dimensions suffer in the begining.

and i not stress to befriend AI. my attitude mostly is to hell with them! want war? you will get it.

Moderator Action: Changed your post, without changing meaning, to remove inappropriate language. Please follow site language rules. leif

 

[Kouvb593kdnuewnd]

Probably best way to get better is to play outside your Comfort zone and try something new. Also take whatever start you get and play with random civilization so you don't get used to good start and same civilization.

Also the better you get the more rules you should add to limit yourself such as no trade with ai, no rush, wait 10 turns Before doing something. The more you stack things against you the more you need to do in order to win and that help you get better. Basically the best way to get better is to force yourself to get better by making the game harder.

Against the ai, you only pretty much have to survive the early game in order to win as the ai don't play the game well in the mid and late game parts so your goal should be to survive the early game and from there develop into a solid victory in the mid and late game. If you can rush the ai the game is going to become alot easier.

 

[Horizons]

Huh, what an amazing start! Should be impossible to lose right? This is on Emperor. I know that I must build a lot of units and beeline to Machinery asap, so not sure how to get the most out of Sweden's GP bonuses.

 

[Horizons]

Probably best way to get better is to play outside your Comfort zone and try something new. Also take whatever start you get and play with random civilization so you don't get used to good start and same civilization.

I play random civ on shuffle map, which I assume is a random map. It has generated some really awful starting locations which I always try to overcome, unusually unsuccessfully.

 

[Leucarum]

Huh, what an amazing start! Should be impossible to lose right? This is on Emperor. I know that I must build a lot of units and beeline to Machinery asap, so not sure how to get the most out of Sweden's GP bonuses.

My thoughts (probably totally different from whoever posts next )

You should probably get a builder out ASAP. Those tiles will be a lot more productive for you once they are improved!

The simplest thing to do with Sweden's GP bonus is to sell all your diplomatic favour for gold. 50 favour per great person is worth a lot of gold. It can set up a nice virtuous circle as you can use that to buy buildings which give you more great people points, or just outright buy more great people!

You have a lot of nice campus sites! I'd be tempted to focus on a science victory. Remember to place campuses as soon as possble but not build them right away so they will be cheaper. Don't fall behind in culture if you go down this route. Fortunately you are Sweden so your open air museums will give you a lot of culture

Your terrain is really good for defensive warfare. If you wanted to play for a science victory you could rely on well placed archers to defend you quite easily! So maybe you don't need AS big an army.

If you kept a turn 1 save that looks like a fun start to try so why not post it here?

 

[Kouvb593kdnuewnd]

Huh, what an amazing start! Should be impossible to lose right? This is on Emperor. I know that I must build a lot of units and beeline to Machinery asap, so not sure how to get the most out of Sweden's GP bonuses.

Builder first + research mining and improve the 2 wheats + gypsum which also give insperation towards craftmenship which you should belinee to which give you the very Powerful +50% production towards melee, anti cavalry and ranged units.

After the builder you are probably best with a second warrior and after that a settler and a warrior after that with +50% card (you can build slingers instead but warriors are safer and overall more useful).

Early game is about surviving so playing it safe is completely fine, the ai perform poorly as the game progress but they do have significant bonuses at start at higher difficulty levels. There is no need to rush or take risks which could lose you the game.

To take advantage of Swedens bonuses you can make a list:

• Leader Bonus: Build or conquer wonders with great work slots (the theming bonus work on great works of writing/music which can't normaly be themed) and get alot of great works which likely mean getting alot of great people which in turn means a theatre square in every city. Also build the unique buidling if you can afford it and have use for it.
• Civilization bonus, make sure to build alot of district to get alot of great people, build an campus and industrial zone in every city to get the bonus points. Sell or use the diplomatic favor from great people and win the nobel prizes.
• Unique unit, build alot of anti cavalry unit, get a relevant great general and good amount of science so you can get it while it is relevant. Beeline towards it if that is not too costly and make sure you have a good target to attack.
• Unique improvement. beeline towards nationalism if possible, make sure you have a city center on every terrain type listed and make sure to build one in every city. Get good culture production so you get it early.

 

[ezzlar]

Your build order so far: Slinger-scout-scout. Cant say much written in this thread actually affects the way you play...

 

[Horizons]

Well, I won easily.

 

[Horizons]

Defensive war (for most of the game at least), science and expansion were the key there. GPP came fairly easily.

I like building scouts.

I need to master more challenging maps, in particular getting to grips with early warfare and getting 'hemmed in' by surrounding civs.

 

[knighterrant81]

Defensive war (for most of the game at least), science and expansion were the key there. GPP came fairly easily.

I like building scouts.

I need to master more challenging maps, in particular getting to grips with early warfare and getting 'hemmed in' by surrounding civs.

I think the point of this thread is that if you want to improve, you are going to have to try new things, not just go with them because you like them. Otherwise, how are you going to improve?

A scout opening is a high variance play - you might get some amazing stuff, you might get nothing (or have them quickly killed by Barbarians). I think it is worthwhile on this map since you have high starting production and no immediate neighbors. I think two is questionable. You are significantly delaying your first Builder and Settler. The Slinger is fine if you are being pressured but I see no AI and only one Barbarian camp (which your Warrior could handle). I think this particular situation would call for a Scout-Builder-Settler opening.

If you were more "hemmed in" the AI would punish your opening by forward settling a lot of your territory. In that sort of situation, the production you used for Scouts would be better off going to either Settlers or military (A mix of Slingers and Warriors - Slingers just aren't very good until upgraded to Archers).

 

[i_imperator]

Question about early game expansion. In my current game I don't have alot of city states (playing on a terra map), and the earliest I can get PP is T60. Is it worth going for ancestral hall or should I just expand fast from early empire?

 

[ezzlar]

Question about early game expansion. In my current game I don't have alot of city states (playing on a terra map), and the earliest I can get PP is T60. Is it worth going for ancestral hall or should I just expand fast from early empire?

I would never delay expansion. Get one of the other buildings instead. Or get the AH when you can if there is a huge territory to expand into.

 

[kb27787]

Question about early game expansion. In my current game I don't have alot of city states (playing on a terra map), and the earliest I can get PP is T60. Is it worth going for ancestral hall or should I just expand fast from early empire?

Depends... how does the land that you plan to expand to look like?

Expanding fast means you run the risk of losing your new city to barb attacks easily (esp. with no CS around)... if only on emperor you should be OK though.

I personally am a big fan of ancestral hall IF you are in no hurry to settle there before the AI does. The extra builder is worth far more than those extra turns the new cities get (since the builder can chop food and production)

 

[i_imperator]

Depends... how does the land that you plan to expand to look like?

Expanding fast means you run the risk of losing your new city to barb attacks easily (esp. with no CS around)... if only on emperor you should be OK though.

I personally am a big fan of ancestral hall IF you are in no hurry to settle there before the AI does. The extra builder is worth far more than those extra turns the new cities get (since the builder can chop food and production)

You'll have to check the current Gotm (in the after actions thread) which is Canada on Emperor. I just cant get my head around the early game on that map. I don't want to post it here because it might be considered a spoiler.

 

[i_imperator]

You'll have to check the current Gotm (in the after actions thread) which is Canada on Emperor. I just cant get my head around the early game on that map. I don't want to post it here because it might be considered a spoiler.

I've provided some details on my issues below in the spoiler.

Spoiler :

This is my problem, I went Builder>Warrior>Monument (For Fast EarlyEmpire) and 2 Settlers. I tried to expand but the AI is already forward settling me with their loyalty pressure, to make matters worse I've got a barb scout after seeing my cap and there's a warrior to the north (and sure to be a few more behind him.)