How long from newbie to strategist?

[epate]

As a complete newbie to Civilization and turn-based strategy gaming in general, I was just curious if the Civ "old timers" remember how long it took to make the transition from random building and moving to feeling like you had an actual strategy and could attempt to implement it? It's simply amazing me how complicated this game is and how much dedication it takes to really understand it.

How many games did you complete before you embarked on a strategy and successfully completed it?

Thanks,
Emmett

 

[Jimbo30]

Starting from scratch I can't remember, that was 20 years ago.

A good tip would be to mouse over all the economy stuff at the very top of your screen. Watch how it changes as you do things and that will give you a feel for how your actions are affecting your economy.

 

[The Rev]

I started on civ3, but was never particularly good, and stopped playing for a while. But I really stepped up my game in civ 4. Never really became an ace till BTS though.

Play a few games on quick or normal speed and a smallish map with other settings random, and try to vary your strategy, just to get a glimpse of most of the units and techs. Then pick a particular strategy and work it to death. Diplomatic victory seems like a good choice, especially if you raise the number of city states. Once you have one strategy that you can consistently win on a middling difficulty, work another. See which strategy your difficulty cap is highest for, and that, my friend is probably your best strategy.