Note that for the early military strategy to work, you have to actually use your Ancient army, not just build one. Merely having a military, past a certain minimum size for hunting barbarians and exploring, is probably counter-productive.I've tried military-heavy start and only placing (not completing districts) with the result that I get outclassed not just in terms of economy/culture/science but also military. Just cannot keep up with the AI's unit building. It does also seem that the game mechanics work differently e.g. on King AI will not automatically become unfriendly one turn after meeting. This is super hard, I think I might need to stay at King as I've no idea what I'm doing here.
It does also seem that the game mechanics work differently e.g. on King AI will not automatically become unfriendly one turn after meeting. This is super hard, I think I might need to stay at King as I've no idea what I'm doing here.
Yeah, you want to micromanage as much as possible, until it starts to drive you crazy. For instance, don't automate your Scouts or ships until you no longer care where they go or whether they survive - early game, you need to steer them yourself. I don't even use multi-turn move orders very often (although sometimes that leaves me having forgotten where I'd intended to send a unit
). Sometimes, I even move units 1 hex at a time, because the pathing can be infuriating. Eventually all of the micro breaches the walls of my sanity and I say "ah, screw it; if he dies, he dies", but in the early game it's worth it to do everything yourself.
Actually, not really either. The goal is to simultaneously expand your nation and blunt your enemy. There are times when destroying a city or pillaging is a useful means to an end, but it doesn't really provide enough of a reward to justify the investment. And you do want to take his or her capital, provided you can. The goal in an early war is total victory, giving you at least 2 new cities and all of the space that was allocated to the AI Civ during map generation. In the best of these, you'll end up with 3-4 new cities, which have a District and several improved hexes, a couple of captured units, Builders or Settlers, and an army of units with 1 or 2 Promotions. For a little while, your "home counties" will be mud-walled, undeveloped backwaters in comparison with the teeming, modern metropolises of stone and copper that your army has just conquered. Once you repair the buildings that your horde of unwashed thugs set fire to, that is.
What in particular are you referring to? Trouble answering without the correct reference.
