I feel like little Jack Horner...

[Blackhawk]

This is my first post after many tries
So I'll get to the question...I seem to find myself alone on a large island, or continent that I've taken over. I worry I'm falling behind in the tech race, and I sometimes run into expansion problems. Any ideas on how I can stay up with the rest of the boys while I'm off in some corner by myself?

 

[Bamspeedy]

Two options:

1. Send out some ships ASAP! You gotta find those other civs if you can. If they can't be reached due to oceans (not having the techs to cross the ocean), you'll just have to wait. Try and get contact with them so you know how far ahead/behind you are.

2. Use this time to build up some good infrastructure. Build many, if not all of the improvements in every city that needs them. Don't worry about a huge military, just enough to hold off a coastal invasion. Don't build a bunch of units that can't be upgraded, because you may never end up using them. Make sure every tile on your island is claimed, either by a city's sphere of influence, or by placing a unit on a coastal square, so the AI can't land a settler, there. Because once he finds you, he WILL try to put a city on your continent.

 

[Bamspeedy]

I forgot to add, you might as well try and build some wonders. If you keep completing all of them, you know you are far ahead. Otherwise if you get notices that some civ completed a wonder before you did, you are probably behind, and need to find the other civs quickly so you can trade and catch up in tech.

 

[Hawkster]

You could keep an eye on the score (F8) might give you some idea how you are doing compared to other civs...

 

[Zachriel]

Are you referring to Jack Horner, the famed paleontologist, and a primary inspiration for Jurassic Park?

http://museum.montana.edu/www/paleocat/jackhorner.html

 

[Ironikinit]

Score won't help you unless you're in contact with your rivals.

Neither will the Great Library.

The Lighthouse is your best bet as far as wonders go, if you're isolated.

It's a good idea to build up a sizable bankroll, too, because once you make contact chances are that you'll be behind on tech and want to buy at least a few.

On the plus side, as Bams said, you have a good chance to build up infrastructure, so go for republic, democracy and techs that yield improvements.

 

[TrailblazingScot]

I would doubt it foo...

It will be little Jack Horner who sat in the corner eating his...

 

[BillChin]

Originally posted by Bamspeedy
Send out some ships ASAP! You gotta find those other civs if you can. If they can't be reached due to oceans (not having the techs to cross the ocean), you'll just have to wait. Try and get contact with them so you know how far ahead/behind you are.

Send the galleys across the ocean. Two out of three will sink, but one might make it through and save your civ. Waiting until Magnetism or Navigation is not a good option. If you can, build the Great Lighthouse as it increases the chance of a successful ocean crossing (gives one extra movement, makes sea squares safe).

Build your cities carefully. Keep the ideal number of cities in mind (check the editor) to limit corruption.

Change government as soon as it is feasible. Staying in Despotism on an island makes a bad situation worse. If you can, build the Great Library, and then have minimal research and stockpile gold. This wonder will get you caught up in tech once contact is made, and you will have enough gold to buy any techs that come after Education.

Having a island makes for easy defense, so keep a minimum of military units especially if you are a Republic. There will be plenty of time to build units later after contacts are made.

 

[Switch625]

Originally posted by Ironikinit
Score won't help you unless you're in contact with your rivals.

Neither will the Great Library.

The Lighthouse is your best bet as far as wonders go, if you're isolated.

It's a good idea to build up a sizable bankroll, too, because once you make contact chances are that you'll be behind on tech and want to buy at least a few.

On the plus side, as Bams said, you have a good chance to build up infrastructure, so go for republic, democracy and techs that yield improvements.

The Great Library has it's uses, even if you find yourself out in the middle of nowhere.

I played a game where I was on a remote island (a large one), and I knew I was in trouble when I had just started researching Monotheism, and the game announced that someone had COMPLETED the Sistine Chapel! Oops!

I had gotten the GL, and knew I had to get into contact with someone... ANYONE... ASAP. I started building galleys and throwing them across the oceans (I also had the Lighthouse, so that helped a bit). I lost a number of them, but one survived long enough to put me in contact with the rest of the world.

It turned out I was almost a full era behind! The Great Library, in one swoop, caught me up with the rest of the world. I received techs all the way up to Economics and Physics. I think I only had Monotheism, Theology, and Feudalism finished before this.

That was a game saver, let me tell you. If I hadn't had the GL, I probably would have abandoned the game.

 

[Ribannah]

That would not have been necessary. You could have bought those techs at very low prices, and be much better off with the Colossus instead of the Great Library.