How to win on Demigod?

[Frostyboy]

I play on the Emperor setting, where I usually get into the lead early and win every time. So I try Demigod where I normally get my butt kicked.
Only once I won on this setting, and then I won some early wars and started at one end instead of in the middle. That was on tiny continent as Japan (my favourite)

Last time I got between all the others and before I knew it, they had tons of units.

Are there any with good experience who could give me some hints on the way. I like to play aggressive with both units and culture, and normally go for conquest victory on small maps (Religius/Scientific + Militaristic)

 

[WackenOpenAir]

sorry, question is too general.

 

[Frostyboy]

I guess so! I should probably read some more strategy articles.

But do you find the difficulties well balanced?

I have for example experienced being wiped out in the very beginning just because the AI starts with several units. Shouldn't the AI be smarter instead of having lots of perks?

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

Seriously, you're asking for something near impossible .
Playing aggressive with both units and culture is not feasable above Emperor. You have to focus either on culture or units - and unless you aim for a cultural victory, I'd completely forget about culture.

You should make it as easy as possible when you step up; I even suggest the Great Library for the very first trials, since otherwise you won't find out how the lategame works, and what early moves you need to make for a sucessful lategame.

Only start with a 4-turn Settler factory - of course, this is a lot easier with an AGR Civ, but AGR is not really required.
Only start with a Civ with Alphabet - it's not only about TGLib, it simply allows to research something useful at once - Writing (minimum). You may want Pottery ASAP before, though.

I do not see the point in very early wars in DG and above. The AI has such a huge pile of free units; taking a few remote AI cities (since YOU want that spot, or to force the AI to hand over techs) can be worth it, ok.
Otherwise, unless your UU is really strong (in other words, Immortals and MWs only), the first major wars should be fought with Trebs, Pikes and MDI.
With DG, you simply enter those levels where the use of Artillery is needed - the AI does outproduce you.

And, trading can no longer be neglected.

Of course, you should win easily by conquests with Aztecs on DG without any diplomacy - but that is a special case.

 

[WackenOpenAir]

But do you find the difficulties well balanced?

pretty reasonably i think.
Note that a good or bad start position can make a bigger difference than the difference between emperor and demigod.

 

[Frostyboy]

I see your points!

I normally play Japan, and always start buiding granary in the captial, and thereafter building settler and millitary unit, settler and MU and so on.
I haven't really used 4 turn settler factory yet.

I always also pay 10 shields + 1 pop to build temples at first in new cities so I from the very beginning get territory expansion

Also, if I see luxuries/strat-rec that lies close to another civ, I might build a city straight next to it to "steal it", something which doesn't make the AI angry (but human players - oh yeah)

I know there's no facit on winning but some standard procedures that work on Emperor doesnt' work so well om DG.

I find it almost impossible to trade since the AI lies waay before me. The only time I succeeded was when I destroyed the Romans early (after squeesing lots of techs and cities from them).

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

Do NOT pop-rush anything unless you really need to desperately. A Spear if in danger to loose a city or a border expansion to grab that crucial Iron before the AI city are about the only situations it's worth it.
Never sacrifice population.
If you can't trade anything to the AI with Japan you're making something wrong - you have a monopoly starting tech -

 

[budweiser]

I see what you are doing. You are trying for too much of an aggressive horizontal expansion. You need to restrain yourself a bit and build up vertically. This means fewer cities with more people in it as opposed to more cities with one or two pop. It has been shown that the ai will leave smaller civs alone, but if you have too many cites with too few defenders, you will get attacked.

Each DG game will be situational, you need to take a look at the map and decide how many cities you think you can go for before the enemy closes in and take all the available land. You need to blanace between growth and an effective defence. I dont necessarily mean a bunch of spearmen.

If you are crowded, at some point you will need to strike. I recommend building the military capability to attack at least one city; 6-8 archers, a spearman, etc. Even taking one city from the big guy should be doable and will make him respect you nation. If you can take one or two more, he will give peace and maybe techs or cities.

This is one way to get started. Of course you need to trade and explore too. Dont put off sea exploration too long. Its vital.

Just plan on being behinid for a while and dont become discouraged. I am playing a standard continents DG game right now a france where I pretty much did everything I just advised. I am doing well and should win at this point, but Russia has been ahead of me by at least 6 techs for the entire game and until just recently, spain has been ahead on the histograph. I am one tech away from modern times and am in the lead although russia is way into modern times and has the UN.

 

[Frostyboy]

OK, thanks!

I'll try it out next time

 

[Sparta]

You might consider trying for a slightly tighter build as well - I'm trying Demigod myself and that has helped me out immensely. I used to love having full-sized city areas in civ2, but in civ3 building in tight spacing results in really explosive growth (and may well have in civ2 for all I know). By building cities 3 tiles apart you can distribute military/MP's easily in one turn, and your early growth will be much quicker as well (less turns for settlers to move = more turns for new city to be building, and shared tiles can lead to more efficient early terrain development). Seemed to help a lot with my early game.

 

[vmxa]

I would be leery of any GL tactic at DG. Not because it is hard to do, but because the shelve life of the Lib is too short for the number of shields, unless you are on an island map.

In a pangea or two contients game, the AI will rip to Ed very fast. I agree completely with the idea of not going for those very early temples. Do not be afraid to pay off a demand or two. I want to delay my wars until I am ready.

I want to avoid a dogpile, at least in the first war. No frantic expansion, it must be control. Get out of depostism and trade. If you can get a curragh out form the 2nd or 3rd city to find all the civs it lets you do some decent deals.

Later buy any monoply or near monoply to peddle around for other cash and techs. Stay on top of your empire.

To me the GL is great at Sid, not so good at Demi. It sucks at lower levels because you still have to do your own research. Mostly below emperor it is just to prevent the AI from having it.

 

[Own]

i've struggled in civ for a long time, because i was afraid of war, and i sucked at it. but then i tried an always war (i didn't win) which i learned a ton from.

 

[Frostyboy]

I will try the tight formation next time. Perhaps one of my faults is to try to expand as far as possible, then moving my cities inwards agaign as soon as I have settled the border. But in this way my settlers have to walk a loong way to get there.
I usually have good experience with very early warfare. If I have too and hopefully am playing a Mil civ, it's good fun to pump out archers (or even better, swordmen) against the AI who only pump out settlers.

 

[Frostyboy]

By the Way OWN.
In what way have you been helped up to Deity level by Budweiser

Just Curious if I could get some hints

 

[vmxa]

I usually have good experience with very early warfare. If I have too and hopefully am playing a Mil civ, it's good fun to pump out archers (or even better, swordmen) against the AI who only pump out settlers.

I would expect to have some trouble trying to rush a civ at Demi, unless it was in crappy start. It is OK to have them delcare on you, if they are far away, so long as they do not sign up others. By the time they get you and you clip a few units, they will be willing to talk peace.

If they are a normal civ, doing reasonably well and are near you, it can be a real problem. You had better have CxxC spacing, no towns out in the boondocks and have been making troops.

If not you can expect to lose some towns and have a lots of grief, especially if they bring a friend or two and they often will.

Players that are about war and have been pointing to cranking out horses from the moment they could, then you are ready to rumble, but that is not the players who are posting about needing advice. They are giving it.

 

[Pentium]

i've struggled in civ for a long time, because i was afraid of war, and i sucked at it.

I suck at it too, but I've come to Deity. Don't think war is everything.

 

[Own]

By the Way OWN.
In what way have you been helped up to Deity level by Budweiser

Just Curious if I could get some hints

i assume you know i mean Budweiser the person, not the beer (no, getting drunk dosnet help very much).

i read his article about the celtic sword rush, which i acheived domination with, and is very easy to acheive domination with (it was ptw diety or C3C demigod, not C3C deity). the reason for all the praise towards him is because for 3 years, i have been dreaming of winning on the hardest difficulty level (for vanilla, anyway), ever since i struggled at cheiftan! now that my dream has been acheived thanks to budweiser, he deserves some praise.