Guide to beating Deity

[lissenber]

I`ve long searched for a strategy thread that would give the player the necessary knowledge to beat it in many ways. But there just isn`t one.

I would make one myself but apparently I`m not that good yet. So i propose someone would take the burden of writing something themselves. Or if you`re too busy, just give some tips and hints on this thread such as what map type it should be attempted on/ what unit combinations in cities/ ancient or future start?/ dealing with unit costs/ micromanagement/ etc...

A strategy guide like this (or just gathering alot of hints and tips in this thread) would not only largely benefit those who want to play deity but also drastically help people who play on lower difficulties.

 

[Agramon]

Funny enough the difficulty levels do almost alter the game ;-) It would actually be a waste to tech to aesth before alpha on levels like noble ;-) or to build up a defensive XP farm whatever.

But you can always follow the walkthroughs, which are obviously a showcase how it can be done. And also how every game can have quite different chances, priorities and occasions.

 

[pollock]

Get a lucky start always helps

 

[Jet]

Settings can change the game experience quite a lot, so that kind of advice is very, very different from how to beat Deity on Play Now -type settings.

For the latter, this is a complicated game. There would be a lot to write. It's still in some ways a formulaic game and I think such a guide, a good one, could be done. But the writer would have to be very, very motivated.

Look at the Deity succession games (SG subforum) and open/university/walkthrough/etc games (this subforum). Learn who the good players are and read their commentary. Given what resources exist today, I think that's the easiest way to learn.

When you're ready, find the various info sheets such as the AI personality traits. Someone has a link to most of them in his signature. Part of Deity play is having a grasp of those details.

 

[shyuhe]

If you really want to beat a deity game, play one of the following:

deity duel size map with HC and rush the AI using quechuas for an early conquest

OR

deity industrial/future era start on a small map with any civ and just stomp the AI with tanks.

 

[Kid R]

In a sense this whole strategy and tips forum is a guide to beating deity - after all the more strategies and tips you have at your disposal the better chance you have of winning at any level.

Can't do it myself but to "beat deity" in my mind means get regular wins on a variety of maps with a variety of leaders, not score one lucky or contrived win. In other words handle all the various things the map generator can throw at you - sucky land, tough opponents etc., choosing as required from all the hundreds of tactics and strategies that the game has available. To win regularly on deity you will need them all, and then to make up your own variations and combinations on the fly as well.

Also bear in mind the deity level was specifically put in as something where the game developers originally thought it would be virtually impossible to win, and they weren't far off. The players that can win on deity are very clever, very creative, good at games in general, and also play a *lot* of Civ 4. I don't think how to do it can be summarised in a single thread, and if it could most players including myself still wouldn't be able to do it

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

or play as Egypt and bulb Theology for an AP win (credit to TMIT )

 

[lymond]

Yeah, deity is really insane. I have wins on IMM but deity rips me a new one. TMIT had a quote I think on one of this Let's Plays or something where he compared going from IMM to Deity to that of Noble to IMM - or maybe it was something even larger.

 

[r_rolo1]

Actually TMIT was only expressing a good read of the XML In some aspects the handicap change of the AI between Noble and Immortal is the same that between Immortal and Deity. But the real pickle is the extra starting settler the AI has in deity that it doesn't have in Immortal. That, besides the snowball effect that having 2 cities in t1 or 2 has compared with only one, triggers a lot of other more suble issues ( barbs enter borders far earlier just because of that, for a quick example ).

That said, the reason for to no existance of that how to win deity guide ( unlike a very sarcastic how to win chieftain ) is because that some starts in Deity are really hard to win by themselfes ( like in all levels, some maps are easier than others ) and because Deity is far less forgiving about straying out of the best survival path ( you have to survive to win and you only can counter the Deity bonuses with your intelect if you work some time around it ... not a thing you can do without a good survival plan ). And then there are those WFT situations where boudica starts in a landmass 4 water tiles from you, gets hands full on contact, techs sailing, makes a galley and drops 2 axes vs your warrior before you can get your third tech ( yes, i've seen this happening ). In other words, unless you can bribe the RNG, winning Deity has much of luck ( both RNG as of getting the right decision out in situations you have not all the relevant intel ) as of skill.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

If you really want to beat a deity game, play one of the following:

deity duel size map with HC and rush the AI using quechuas for an early conquest

OR

deity industrial/future era start on a small map with any civ and just stomp the AI with tanks.

OR

ASAP theology + apostolic palace, build it in an obscure religion, and use one AI that loves you to win.

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

I have been on an intense mission trying to beat Diety under very strict conditions for the past 3 months (absolutley no map regen or re loads) so I can let Civ 4 R.I.P and buy Civ 5 (I have to win a game at the highest level to consider it played out) .

After tearing my hair out with the usual suspects (Inca and Rome) , I can definitely confirm that Egypt is your best bet . Sure , the AP win is cheesy , but at least I got the monkey off my back with a win

 

[lymond]

Ha...I got my first Deity win with BOTM28 ...spaceship/Darius

Almost doesn't seem real though since that particular game was designed to favor the player and no barbs were on.

I still in no way consider myself close to a deity player since I fail on most attempts.

Try BOTM28 though anyone if you are looking for your first Deity win...seriously.

 

[vranasm]

I once took save from DR kossin WBed it (leaving everything intact i just wanted to resave it to scenarios) and started on prince diff...
i losed it...

Sometimes I think it's not about the difficulty on itself, but the bonuses the AI gets (and especially starting techs+starting units)

 

[lymond]

friendly english lesson vran:

replace "i losed it" with "i lost" ( "losed" is not a word and "it" is not needed but not wrong)

 

[vranasm]

friendly english lesson vran:

replace "i losed it" with "i lost" ( "losed" is not a word and "it" is not needed but not wrong)

well you know I am not native speaker, but you're right...sometimes i get too distracted with thoughts and dont pay enough attention to special case verbs ;-)

 

[lymond]

well you know I am not native speaker, but you're right...sometimes i get too distracted with thoughts and dont pay enough attention to special case verbs ;-)

oh yeah...I know...but your English is a million times better than I could do in any other language. I would hope someone would correct me although I guess some folks take offense.

 

[kossin]

Tips/Tricks won't get you to beat Deity. They might move you up a difficulty level but that's about it.

About a "Deity guide":
-it would be very hard to understand, due to the complexity of the game
-it would be unbelievably long due to the nature of all that is possible
-you [using the universal you here] probably wouldn't benefit from it that much

The best ways to beat Deity, referred to as 'cheap' usually, have already been listed. However, if you want to learn how to beat Deity on your own, then that's another thing entirely.

The best way to achieve just that however is to learn to play Immortal - of all the difficulties it is the one closest to Deity [duh], making the learning gap smaller despite it being pretty big.
You have to learn how to make the best out of situations, when and which decisions to make, how to adapt if something goes wrong... basically it's a big chess game. If you only play your pieces, you will most likely lose on Deity.... you need the big picture.

So my suggestion for anyone trying to learn how to beat Deity:
There are a number of walkthroughs on this sub-forum and a lot of series (Noble's Club, Monarch's, Emperor Cookbooks, Immortal Universities and even a few Deity Universities). Start tagging along with games of your difficulty level and then compare your play with other's to see how you can do better... in a few weeks/months you should be able to play on Immortal if you have plenty of time to read walkthroughs, pick up tips and play some games to incorporate those strategies into your playing.

Once you become successful on Immortal... it's a matter of dedication before you cross the final line Duckweed said at one point that he started Deity when he would consistently get a [large] tech lead over AIs on Immortal... my own experience was similar.

Finally, you'll want to know, or have access at the very least, the various game mechanics that are used often but most important being Diplomacy. You can check the link in my signature about 'AI behavior' which is a .rar of most spreadsheets I've accumulated on this forum.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Micro optimization is . When I actually do it, I can win deity sometimes, but my pacing is always behind the elite guys because I don't have the patience. Sometimes the map is forgiving enough however.

 

[shyuhe]

So my suggestion for anyone trying to learn how to beat Deity:
There are a number of walkthroughs on this sub-forum and a lot of series (Noble's Club, Monarch's, Emperor Cookbooks, Immortal Universities and even a few Deity Universities). Start tagging along with games of your difficulty level and then compare your play with other's to see how you can do better... in a few weeks/months you should be able to play on Immortal if you have plenty of time to read walkthroughs, pick up tips and play some games to incorporate those strategies into your playing.

Once you become successful on Immortal... it's a matter of dedication before you cross the final line Duckweed said at one point that he started Deity when he would consistently get a [large] tech lead over AIs on Immortal... my own experience was similar.

Agreed. If you want an intermediate stepping stone, you can go into WB and give immortal AI an extra settler to start.

 

[pollock]

Im starting to win more regularly on diety now. Some of the things do that dont feel are necessary on are immortal are:

Regenerate a little
Rex and block of land even settling sub optimally just to guarantee borders. Cities cant be settled within the 5x5 square around a city.
Get trade bait often.
Pick relegions and civics to placate the dangerous AIs near you.
Binary research.
Micro manage like a demon with stuff like 2 pop whips and sticking chops into settlers preferably.

A fast start is especially important cause you need to get some strategically placed cities to secure land. Where you put these cities is extremely important cause dont want the AI settling behind them and messing up your empire