Generic Timeline

[Anthony Coulter]

Okay, I'm a half-decent player... I was wondering about when I should have what in an average game. Assume that I'm playing on a large map, king level, any number of rivals, and two settlers to begin. About how many cities should I have at each step along the way? When should I be switching governments? When should I build my wonders? When should I have key techs, like invention, railroad, and whatever else? I know that the timeline varies from game to game, but surely there's a generic set of assumptions. Oh, and I play to win by spaceship, if that affects anything. Thanks for any help you can provide,

-----Anthony

 

[BlueMonday]

It all depends on your style of play. The only rule I live by is: "Always get to the key techs (philosophy, gunpowder, invention, adv. flight, computers) before the computer players do."

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<IMG SRC="http://forums.civfanatics.com/image_uploads/goodbye3.jpg" border=0>
<FONT COLOR="blue">"Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken."</FONT c>

 

[goodbye_mr_bond]

On a King-level large map, I consider it a very slow game if I don't control the entire world by 1800. I don't usually play all-out bloodlust (i.e.: I wait until I have a real military edge before attacking if I can, because I hate tying my cities up with only military production--I don't often go to war until I have Polytheism), but I expand throughout the game. Also, I never begin building my spaceship until I'm the undisputed major power and don't need my cities for unit-production anymore.

Once I went for the quickest possible finish on a large king map, and did it in the 1200's AD. And that would be considered slow by the 'quick-finish' experts out there. So it all just depends on how you want to play, which really is the beauty of Civ.

Sorry to avoid your question, but at the end of the day, it all simply depends on what you're trying to do. Just set your own goal: Go into the game with the aim of launching your SS by 1900 and see how you do.

 

[SlowwHand]

Monarchy by 2500 B.C. is my only goal as far as time. Later than that, and I'm struggling.
This is as applies to multiplayer, because I don't play just A.I.'s.

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It's In The Way That You Use It

Tuatha De Danann Tribe


ICQ 51553293

[This message has been edited by SlowwHand (edited April 28, 2001).]

 

[Anthony Coulter]

Hm... It seems that this is more subjective than I was hoping. Unfortunately, I don't have a playing style. I've been working on expansionism lately, but I never use a military. All my offensive military units come from minor tribe huts... Currently, I'm experimenting with blasting outwards in all directions with settlers and phalanxes. My research goals are Monarchy (and thus ceremonial burial), then bronze working for phalanxes, then masonry to get an edge with the pyramids, and then I flip a coin (currency, perhaps?) to get the rest. I have yet to finish a King game, as I'm trying to work on my opening before anything else. Is this my problem?
I'm mostly worried about how the game is spaced out. If you count years, 1 AD is 2/3 of the way into the game. If you count the turns, 1 AD could be anywhere. Are there references on this (or any) site showing which years are turns?

Anthony

 

[Magnus]

Here ya go, anthony:
http://www.civfanatics.com/civ2scrolls.shtml#Turns

 

[goodbye_mr_bond]

Explosive expansion is definitely a good strategy. I find that it helps more to go for G. Wall before Pyramids though. In my opinion it's better in the beginning to secure the map with a lot of small cities than to have larger cities with their potential unhappiness, need for aqueducts, etc.

City growth is not as important at the beginning as expansion, and Great Wall is a better expansion wonder.

 

[Anthony Coulter]

Thanks! That link was really helpful! I also see what you mean, "Mr. Bond," about the great wall vs. the pyramids. I presume that it is easier just to switch to republic and have a "We love the consul day" for a few turns?

-----Anthony

 

[Magnus]

Yes, Anthony, you got it!

 

[HIEROPHANT]

in my deity game i hope i have the computer down to its last city by 1200ad to 1500ad it should give me enought time for food carvans.

 

[stellar converter]

k guys. havent been here in a while, and i dont expect to come back soon, so if you want to talk to me, you have to pm me.

strat #1

-build town at suitable starting place.
-build settler
-build town pretty near by
-build settlers in both towns
-build more towns
-after towns build 2 settlers, change to phalanx, then marketplace and temple
-when you get the chance, build the colossus
-then build copernicus' observatory in the same city as colossus
-libraries in all cities, but first, marketplaces

etcetcetc

 

[allhailIndia]

Continuing where Stellar Converter left off:
1.MAke Caravans look to send it within empire and if possible with an ally or friendly empire.
2.IMP:MAke peace with all nations but dont stop from asking for tribute.
3.Give a couple of inconsequential gifts to other civs for maps.
4.Start building universities and make one city to build Mike's Chapel.
5.Once you have Mike's chapel switch to Republic and now Have WLKD in cities.
6.Go for LEonardo's Workshop.
7.All the while have minimum deterrents in your cities(1 or 2 defending units and 1 to go after damaged attackers).
8.Switch to Democracy as soon as you get it and surge ahead in the Tech tree.
9.Go for the Happiness wonders(Shakespeare,J.S.Bach,Oracle etc.) and build NEwton's college in your city with Colossus.

More later but reach upto here first.

 

[SlowwHand]

It seems that much of the prior 2 posts are idealist, and goes on the assumption that wishing is getting.

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It's In The Way That You Use It

Tuatha De Danann Tribe
ICQ 51553293

 

[Micah]

If you get as many good cities as you can early on, you're better set up for later on in the game.

 

[allhailIndia]

These are not wishy washy ideas but plans which have come out of proper development of strategy over several games.

 

[allan]

Slowhand mentioned that he plays only MP games (never against AI)--something I haven't done yet. But I can see what he means by his "wishing isn't getting" comment, because I'd imagine when you play against humans going for the same strategy you are, I'll bet no one player gets ALL components (all essential wonders) of that strategy....

(BTW, in MP games, who decides who plays white (or whatever the color goes first in a turn)? Significance would be that if more than one person is going for a wonder at the same time, the first who rush-buys it after the "almost completed" notice would get it--I'm assuming in this case, the white player (Celt, Russian, Roman). So if you're the green one, say, and you and the white player both rush-buy the wonder the same turn, then you'd be screwed due to turn order. Or am I wrong?

[This message has been edited by allan (edited July 01, 2001).]

 

[moof]

Bumping this thread because,

we wanted to know the answer to Allan's post above for

future MPG game reference, Please ,

Thank You.

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TTFNFm & MTFBWY moof

" Only two things are infinite, the universe and

human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. "

- Albert Einstein

 

[Duke of Marlbrough]

Originally posted by allan:
(BTW, in MP games, who decides who plays white (or whatever the color goes first in a turn)? Significance would be that if more than one person is going for a wonder at the same time, the first who rush-buys it after the "almost completed" notice would get it--I'm assuming in this case, the white player (Celt, Russian, Roman). So if you're the green one, say, and you and the white player both rush-buy the wonder the same turn, then you'd be screwed due to turn order. Or am I wrong?

You are right(from what I remember of playing MP a lot about a year or so ago). The order of movement is based on the color of your Civ. If another player is white, they will move before you. The one thing to remember is that although they move first, they might not always have the first shot at a wonder. If the comp player is second in order (I don't remember the order of colors right now) and they are almost done with their wonder and the message comes up that 'they have almost completed ____' then you as a human player down the line can actually RB your wonder before your turn starts and get it 'instantly'. That way the white player has no chance to even have a turn before you get it.

One thing I do if someone really wanted white is to take the last civ in order so that I would always be 'ahead' of them in the turn order after the comps move.

I remember that early on the game allows each layer to take multiple turns also, but I don't think anybody has a chance at any wonders that early.

As for who gets to play white? Toss a 'coin', pick a number, what have you. I usually recommend that one rule be that the Host player cannot be white. They seem to get more information about activities than the other players.