Help

[Jamesjud]

When i play the game i try to research as quick as i can and expand as quick as i can but i have no money and i have to cut the tax on research down. but when i put research tax back up i run out off money please help. I am crap at civ 4

 

[Lecce]

I´ll try to explain in it, altough my English isn´t that good. I think your failure is that you expand too fast and that hurts your economy, because with every new city your mantainance? costs will go up. You should try to expand slowlier and focus research on economic things like markets, harbours, courthouse (very important, cuts mantainance? costs at half). You have to expand step by step, while improving your core cities. Plus you should build a lot of cottages, because they´ll grow to cities later on and that will give you a lot of commerce. But I think there are a lot of strategic articles in this forum, which explain it much better.

 

[voek]

please read the threads. No need to open the same topic over and over again.

 

[maltz]

Actually, in high difficulties, the optimal research rate at your rapid expansion phase is nothing else than a fat 0%.

Except having a stable cash income from city occupying, the research rate is set at the maximum rate where your turn income remains positive. For example,

Research rate 40%, turn income +23
Research rate 50%, turn income +10
Research rate 60%, turn income -3
Research rate 70%, turn income -16

Then you set the research rate between 50%-60%.

It certainly takes times to adjust to the game, learning handy skills such as:

1) Take/Found cities that will be useful
2) Make the most useful improvement at the time
3) Swapping harvest tiles based on need
4) Switch civ when most needed

etc.

 

[Viper Daimao]

also, make sure you dont have your workers set to auto-improve. If so they will build way more farms than is needed, and not enough cottages which will bring in the big money when they eventually become towns. You have to micromanage your workers and cities.