Originally posted by Terminator
In the Opening Game (Despotism) the following are key for Emperor and Deity level
= Under despotism, build graneries in high food production cities and Rush Rush Rush production (see discussion on another thread on forced labor rushing production)
I never build granaries or rush production under despotism, it's far too easy to get to Monarchy and buy it with gold.
= Expansion is the name of the game early on. At first, you need two kinds of cities: those with graneries pumping out settlers and workers, and a few with barracks producing veteran spearmen to defend your new cities. After you have expanded to the limits that land and/or Corrption will allow, start thinking about building offensive units like Horseman and Swordsmen.
Yes, expansion is the key of the early game... but I disagree that you need most of your cities producing granaries or spearman. You need one or two highly productive cities spitting out the Spearman to defend your newest cities, the rest should be building settlers - but honestly, I've never had a problem with my Settlers being slowed by food production, it's always the shields (thus granary wouldn't help any, just make it more of a headache with civil disorder).
= First build three of four narmal warriors and search out the map to see the lay of the land and find other ci vs to trade adnacements. After the map is revealed, keep your warriors scouting around for barbrian huts. The money and goodies are good, but the combat experience is even better. Later, Build veteran units with barracks, when they become elite, fortify them in cities and send out new veteran units to become elite.
Yeah, this is common sense. Do it on all difficulty levels.
= Just Say No to Wonders. BasicallyAthey are a big waste of otherwise expansion and culture building potential. Pyramids et al are nice, but if you can build the city improvement, like barracks, granery, etc its a poor use of critical resources.
If you really feel that a cetain wonder is crucial, then go for that one and that one only.
I agree for at the start anyway. I never bother with any of the wonders til the modern age, after which I'm usually successful in building all of them (hoover dam, suffrage, etc)
= Consider very early wars of aggression against troublesome Civs on your continent like the Americans and the Romans. I'm talking archers and spearmen times. You will find that the AI civs tend to garrison cities with hapless warriors early on. Easy pickings. Its not neccesary to totally wipe them out right away, but definately neuter them. Anyway, attacking them will get their land, resources, their workers, remove them from competion, and you will eventually get a Great Leader or even two.
But it also makes you waste time building the military units to take them out. I've never won a game on diety using a military strategy, but that might be mostly because I've never bothered. No reason to.
=Research or trade for the Weel and Iron working to see where the horses and Iron are. Get them. Try to monopolies iron, as a Civ without it can not build Swordman (and later Pikeman and Knights). Get mathamatics for the Catapult.
I just get these when the computer sells them to me for cheap, don't bother with it otherwise. You'd have to have a really unlucky starting position to not have any iron or horses on a tiny/small/normal map with moderate expansion. Horses are rather unimportant to me anyway except as an added resource to trade the computer for techs.
= Forbidden Palace should be built as soon as needed. Corruption will destroy you (but you can temporarily get around that by forced labor techniques). Make your empire in a figure eight configuration, with your palace and the Forbidden Palace in the center of each hub.
Agreed, I always start building the Forbidden Palace very early.. but you should do this for all difficulty levels.
=Build Heroic Epic
When Elite units win a battle, they have chance of creating a Great Leader, so let them be Glory Hogs and use them to pick on the battle field weak and crippled. Its not heroic, but its good strategy.
Great Leaders are, well, great. They can rush great projects that otherwise take forever, like the Forbidden Palace (Should be Called the Takes Forever Palace). Its tempting to want to use that leader immediately to rush a Wonder but don't. When you get a Great Leader, immediately make an army and win a battle. Then you can build the Heroic Epic. Once you have it, the chance of a great leader arising greately increases and this affect last thoughout the whole game.
Armies truely kick ass. The only thing that can beat at the same tech level one is another army. Make your army consist of offensive units only and use them for attack. Stack the army with defensive spearmen.
Only thing I've found armies useful for is speeding up Palace production, otherwise they seem pretty useless. You don't need to speed up the later wonders, you can beat the computer to them easy. And personally I don't want to waste time trying to generate a leader early in the game when it's more important that my cities be spitting out settlers and temples and such. I've never built a Heroic Epic in a game on diety level, mainly because I've never had a great leader. That's right, I've never generated a leader in a Diety game, despite winning about 10 of 'em, lol.
= Trade technologies for technologies and resources for resources, when possible. Consider trading your advancements for gold. Wipe out or ignore reluctant or demanding trading partners, like the Romans and the Iroqois. Do not break trade agreements for temporary gain. The AI can be vindictive and rightfully so.
I trade resources for techs or luxuries, and techs for gold or luxuries generally. Don't trade for other resources unless I'm near the end game and really, really need it for the space race.
=Watch your reputation
The designers at Fraxis appear to have headed Machiavellie's observation that harm should be done all at once and in such a matter that the harmed will be unable to seek revenge. M also noted that many small gifts (1 gp per turn) are greater apreciated than one large one (20gp). In short, do not go to war for limited gains, but rather crush your opponent's ability to retaliate and do it fast (ten turns). One gigantic bashing followed by token gestures (1 gp per turn) will be forgiven sooner than countless insults and injuries and a lump sum of gold.
I usually try to have trade agreements open with all the computer players at once, rarely have I had war declared on me this way. When I do, I can call in all my other buddies to smash him. 2 or 3 good units defending all your cities will be totally sufficient..
= War tips:
Stack units into groups. A few defensive, and a bunch of offensive. Bring along spearmen for garrison duty. You'll need only two of these groupings for early despotism era warfare.
I just have a few defensive in my cities, that's it.
Neuter the Enemey. Pillage all roads around the capitol and leave it, then Conquer it last. If you take the capitol, a new one will pop up in another city. A civ without a connected capitol is headless and easy pickings.
Never bother. I've won a few domination/conquest games but it's not on Diety level, on emperor level. I usually just leave the terrain enhancements be, because I want them still there when I take their cities. Screw having to use my own workers.
= seriously consider the advantages of a religious civiliation, Temples are easy to build (thats happiness and Culture), and no period of Anarchy, which basically translates as the Civ II Statue of Liberty. Later, Cathedrals are easier to build that Colloseums. Sweet.
Yes, religious is my favorite. I usually play as the Egyptians.
I guess it's nice to see that there are multiple methods to winning on diety level. Before I first visited this board about a week ago I wouldn't have even considered trying to militarily beat the computer on diety, seemed pointless to me. Now it seems like 95% of the ppl on here think that is the only way to win.
