The Lodian
C'est la guerre!
How do you obtain Tech pairity with the A.I. on Monarch?
Help With Monarch Level!
- Thread starter The Lodian
- Start date
Raijer
The 736th Beatle
Three words: trade, trade, trade. On Monarch, I seem to have better luck buying my techs outright, as opposed to research. I often set research to a piddly 10%, and try to rack up the gold. Then I just buy my techs. Another advantage is that I often will offer GPT, rather than a flat fee. That seems to have the added bonus of discouraging AI invasions.
Sometimes, I try to pre-build the Great Library as soon as I have construction. If you can get the GL on monarch, that REALLY helps matters!
Sometimes, I try to pre-build the Great Library as soon as I have construction. If you can get the GL on monarch, that REALLY helps matters!
Yup! Trade is the key word for Monarch, Emperor, and Deity level. Since it takes money to make more money, you need to do mininum research and save up all your gold for the major trading session. For example, Civ A just discover a tech and nobody else have and is willing to sell it to you for 2000 gold; of course, you can buy it then turn around and sell it to the rest of the world or at least 3 other civs for 1000, 800, 500 gold each which give you a total of income of 2300 gold. Subtract the initial operating cost of 2000 gold, you are making 300 gold in profit as well as gaining the tech for yourself free of charge..
G
Gainy
Guest
...although by no means do you need to do this. I have no problems keeping up with the tech race on emporer and below 
I check with each AI every turn for the first half of the game, then slow it down to every few turns (and only with the prominent AI's).
Building lots of roads helps also
I check with each AI every turn for the first half of the game, then slow it down to every few turns (and only with the prominent AI's).
Building lots of roads helps also
SuperBeaverInc.
Groucho
The GL is such a great wonder 
. I find I can usually get the GL on Monarch if I research Masonry-Bronze Working-Alphabet-Writing-Literature. Then I just set my research to 0% and rake in the money
. I find I can usually get the GL on Monarch if I research Masonry-Bronze Working-Alphabet-Writing-Literature. Then I just set my research to 0% and rake in the money
To prepare yourself for Deity level down the road, do try to get tech parity without using the Great Library. Instead of building the Great Library yourself, do try to encourage and to help your neighbor to finish their Great Library for you. In the mean time, build up your military. Once the your neighbor finish the Great Library, just simply take it away from them or borrow it for a few turns.
Raijer
The 736th Beatle
That is what is known as "deliciously evil!" I love it!
LordKestrel
King
I'm working on that tactic right now in my game as Egypt. The one tech I've researched on my own is Pottery, after that I shut down research altogether, and have just purchased techs. I've even done a few two for one deals, and am only behind 1 tech from everyone else as we leave the Ancient Age. I'm going to see how far I can go before I research anything else, but I'm hoping to be able to finish the game without researching anything except pottery.
general_kill
Deity
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2003
- Messages
- 2,870
It's true, on levels after regents the AI will trade more harshly with you. I believe there was a post telling you this. You can just go into the editor and find out for yourself what disadvantage each level brings you. But I do so agree that you should get the great libary asap. When you have the GL on a huge map with maximum civs, you can become the tech leader with 0% science. And in turn you can sell off those techs for gold/turn or better, a lump some of gold.
After education is discovered, leading you to the midieval ages, you should have a large mlitary already. I usually go mass expansion/defence until the discovery of swordsmen. After that you should mass out swordsmen and start picking off your weakest neighbors. This should set you up for your future, with a large empire and lots o cities making money for you, set your technology as high as possible and sell off your techs for money.
After education is discovered, leading you to the midieval ages, you should have a large mlitary already. I usually go mass expansion/defence until the discovery of swordsmen. After that you should mass out swordsmen and start picking off your weakest neighbors. This should set you up for your future, with a large empire and lots o cities making money for you, set your technology as high as possible and sell off your techs for money.
Dearmad
Dead weight
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2001
- Messages
- 1,527
In conquests, I've noticed that the AI will pull ahead significantly more so than before if you DON'T make sure you research on your own at times- why? My guess is the Scientific Leader- IOW, they're getting a few of them occassionaly for researching techs first and BUILDING wonders before I can (or adding the +25% SCIENCE boost for 20 turns)- thus turbo charging their economy and science, and I can just hear the tires squeeling away from me...
The above no research strategy is MUCH harder to actually do now. You need to mix it up more, in my experience.
The above no research strategy is MUCH harder to actually do now. You need to mix it up more, in my experience.
Moff Jerjerrod
Deity
Originally posted by Moonsinger
Yup! Trade is the key word for Monarch, Emperor, and Deity level. Since it takes money to make more money, you need to do mininum research and save up all your gold for the major trading session. For example, Civ A just discover a tech and nobody else have and is willing to sell it to you for 2000 gold; of course, you can buy it then turn around and sell it to the rest of the world or at least 3 other civs for 1000, 800, 500 gold each which give you a total of income of 2300 gold. Subtract the initial operating cost of 2000 gold, you are making 300 gold in profit as well as gaining the tech for yourself free of charge..
In my experience though all the ai civs are bankrupt killing my chance at making any money. Do you ever notice this?
I play monarch level as well and if you don't start doing your own research by the middle ages you fall behind even faster. At least this is what happens to me. I usually trade my way through the ancient age but after that I'm still at least 4-5 techs behind.
I usually win on Monarch level, without cheating, unless I do something stupid. I have a hard time on Emperor level, so I usually permit myself to restart from saves occasionally when playing on that level. Deity level is nearly impossible. I have won on that level once by selecting just one opponent and restarting liberally, and another couple of times in Future Start.
This is what I have learned about Tech Parity:
It helps tech parity if you set the barbarians level to "No Barbarians."
Here's why: If there are barbiarians, there are goody huts all over the place. If you cleaned out all the goody huts it would put you at a medieval start (they never render any tech beyond the first age). However, there are many AI civs and only one of you, so you will probably get only a fraction of the goody huts, even if you have Scout. But between them, the AIs will get ALL the ancient era techs from goody huts and then trade them around with each other at a special subsidized rate they charge each other on higher levels. So if you eliminate barbarians, you eliminate this big AI advantage. And it isn't cheating through a rules mod--its just part of the setup process like picking Pangea or Archipelago. Then you take a civ that starts with Alphabet and Beline for Literature. As you near it, start building the Palace in a city near your capitol and as soon as you get Literature switch to Great Library. After you get that you can cut research spending to ZERO for a while.
Which brings me to the other great way to win on higher levels than usual: the Future Start. Humans will immediately see the advantage of never building any research buildings or investing anything in research because it is all over. The AI, on the other hand, will go on building universities and researching Future Tech. A way to simulate this without playing a scenario is by selecting Conquest as the only victory condition--again, just a setup option-- and hanging in there until future times.
This is what I have learned about Tech Parity:
It helps tech parity if you set the barbarians level to "No Barbarians."
Here's why: If there are barbiarians, there are goody huts all over the place. If you cleaned out all the goody huts it would put you at a medieval start (they never render any tech beyond the first age). However, there are many AI civs and only one of you, so you will probably get only a fraction of the goody huts, even if you have Scout. But between them, the AIs will get ALL the ancient era techs from goody huts and then trade them around with each other at a special subsidized rate they charge each other on higher levels. So if you eliminate barbarians, you eliminate this big AI advantage. And it isn't cheating through a rules mod--its just part of the setup process like picking Pangea or Archipelago. Then you take a civ that starts with Alphabet and Beline for Literature. As you near it, start building the Palace in a city near your capitol and as soon as you get Literature switch to Great Library. After you get that you can cut research spending to ZERO for a while.
Which brings me to the other great way to win on higher levels than usual: the Future Start. Humans will immediately see the advantage of never building any research buildings or investing anything in research because it is all over. The AI, on the other hand, will go on building universities and researching Future Tech. A way to simulate this without playing a scenario is by selecting Conquest as the only victory condition--again, just a setup option-- and hanging in there until future times.
Ace4nyC
Warlord
I agree three words but the rest i disagree i say conquer conquer conquer oh did i say Conquer pillage loot steal spy? Backstab bribe....:devil2:
The Lodian
C'est la guerre!
Wow, thanx guys your suggestions have been really helpful to my gaming
Moff Jerjerrod
Deity
I will have to give this a try. Even though the initial challenge of fighting the barbs will be gone at least eveyone else will be somewhat equal as far as tech is concerned.
When AI civs are at war, they slow down their research rate. Also, because warring civs won't trade with one another, they exchange less techs. This way, you could have several AI civs researching the same tech, instead of having them all research a different tech and trade them among themselves at a discount, leaving you in the lurch. In short: getting them to go to war with one another will help you keep tech parity.
Also, the fewer AI civs there are, the fewer techs they will collectively research. So, when going to war, you should either strive to eliminate the enemy civ(s), or to reduce it to such a powerless state that it will take that civ forever to research a tech.
Also, the fewer AI civs there are, the fewer techs they will collectively research. So, when going to war, you should either strive to eliminate the enemy civ(s), or to reduce it to such a powerless state that it will take that civ forever to research a tech.
Aramazd
Deity
Expand quickly and do max rersearch on pottery. Set your taxes to 90% or 80% if you need lux tax.
