Help with Apollo

[bhinso]

OK so I love this game, but one thing I can never stand of a game is when it's too easy.
Therefore, every time I win a game, I move up a skill level.
My problem is that I win on Souyaz, every time, so moved up to Apollo, but it's so much more difficult it's ridiculous.
For example, the AI starts with Affinities, military units, settler.
I do my best, build military units (then run out of energy). Then one of the AI's just back stabs me and comes at me with unit splurge, and I quit.
I've tried everything, easiest map set up, best leader, taking one rival out the game but nothing's working.
Can anyone give me some tips?

 

[bhinso]

Oh by the way I'm playing vanilla. I told myself once I won on Apollo i'd go to rising tide but that's clearly not happening lol

 

[pablo00]

hello the spies of the ARC are your best friends get enegia science and the fastest way you can get to the level of any facion in little time

 

[bhinso]

Thanks for the help. I'm annoyed there is no instruction manual. OK there's the Civilopedia but it's limited.
Example is I had no idea you could recharge exploration modules by going back to the capital, until I saw it on here.
What other hidden gems are there?

 

[Ryika]

I'm pretty sure there's a tooltip that tells you that you can reload those charges when you hover over the charge text; and the introduction tutorial should mention that as well.

If you want to win a peaceful victory, the strategy is something like...

...expand to 4 or 5 cities. Terrain Quality doesn't really matter that much, but avoid coastal cities if you start on land, because they don't give you any real bonuses and will just make you more vulnerable.
...grow those cities to 10 pop then focus on production. Your capital (or another city, if there is one that has 3+ sources of Titanium) should continue to focus on growth, so it has the production to push the victory wonder.
...Farms are fine for any Affinity, don't need to upgrade them or to construct advanced improvements.
...use internal trade routes to achieve that and get a lot of extra production.
...construct all the basic buildings.
...construct units if you feel you need them (aka, if you have a neighbor). Basic units (Soldiers and Rangers) are fine, you don't need anything else (or the boat-counterparts if you're aquatic). Apollo AI is not very good at "teching up", so getting a few extra units won't hurt your overall relative progress as long as you do the economic part properly.
...once you have all the basic stuff and your defense force, focus on Affinity technologies only and set your cities on Research Focus for the rest of the game - expensive buildings and wonders are not worth it for the most part.
...use the institute's quest (a free technology) to unlock one of the most expensive techs that you need (by not constructing the building, unlocking the tech before that expensive tech and the constructing one or more institute).
...once you're close to unlocking the victory wonder, build manufactories on as many tiles of the victory wonder city as possible.
...re-route your trade routes to maximize production.
...win the game.