I have no idea what I'm doing, please help?

[Triceranuke]

So, I play at Prince level and I feel like moving up, not because it's exactly easy, but because it's not hard. I win every game without really an issue but there's just so much i don't know and can't really find answers to.
I have no idea what order I'm supposed to really take my policies in, how many cities I should have and I definitely don't know how to tech correctly. Pretty sure I've never gotten close to a tech victory and I usually win around turn 400 if anything.

So uh.
Help?

 

[Aldor]

How many cities you can build is pretty much defined by the map. A good standard for the start is to build around four cities (especially if you go for the Tradition policy tree, since it gives bonuses for your first four cities). Of course, you should build a scout pretty much as the first thing, and if you find that you have a lot of room AND multiple luxury resources around, you may be better off with the Liberty policy tree, and build more cities

After that, you should build science buildings in all your cities with high priority. Libraries, universities. Its also a good idea to manually place specialists into the university specialist slots, since the automatic governor doesn't seem to do so reliably even with enough food available. Just don't forget to re-check the specialists every now and then (I always forget
Then, aim for the next level of science buildings (publics schools, and then research labs). If your cities are built next to a mountain, you can also build an observatory in them once you discover astronomy.

Why so much focus on science? Because science gives you the freedom to choose your path to victory. If you have a tech edge, you can go for domination easily. Or you can get to those wonders first and build your culture. Science really is your key to a successful game.

 

[Triceranuke]

How many cities you can build is pretty much defined by the map. A good standard for the start is to build around four cities (especially if you go for the Tradition policy tree, since it gives bonuses for your first four cities). Of course, you should build a scout pretty much as the first thing, and if you find that you have a lot of room AND multiple luxury resources around, you may be better off with the Liberty policy tree, and build more cities

After that, you should build science buildings in all your cities with high priority. Libraries, universities. Its also a good idea to manually place specialists into the university specialist slots, since the automatic governor doesn't seem to do so reliably even with enough food available. Just don't forget to re-check the specialists every now and then (I always forget
Then, aim for the next level of science buildings (publics schools, and then research labs). If your cities are built next to a mountain, you can also build an observatory in them once you discover astronomy.

Why so much focus on science? Because science gives you the freedom to choose your path to victory. If you have a tech edge, you can go for domination easily. Or you can get to those wonders first and build your culture. Science really is your key to a successful game.

So I should beeline for tech that gives me tech buildings?
I just never know where to start and my tree ends up being deep down one branch/usually the top one with almost nothing at the bottom.

 

[Fish Man]

If you feel comfortable with Prince then you definitely have some idea what you're doing, but here is some early game advice to help you move on to Emperor (king is barely different from prince). This advice is quite unorthodox and unlikely to work in Immortal+, but I find it to be very effective.

1. I prefer taking liberty and strongly recommend you choose it over tradition. It provides a free settler, free worker, free golden age, and free academy. Besides the bonuses of this policy, the free settler allows you to skip ~12 turns of building a settler in your capital, the free worker saves $300 or 24 turns in your second city, the free golden age gives you enough gold for crucial early defensive unit upgrades, and the academy (from free great person) gives a science boost amounting to 1000+ beakers through the game.

2. To get ahead in tech early on, I prefer to do what I call the 'GL slingshot'. Basically, if it takes less or equal to 18 turns, build the Great Library in your capital. Take philosophy as your free tech, giving you a massive science boost (free library and +3 science) as well as opening up the national college.

3. Build order; scout, worker, monument, granary if there's wheat, GL, archer x2 or 3, depending on your neighbors.

4. Build your 2nd/later settlers; don't buy. Don't be afraid to settle more than 3 cities if happiness/time allows. Settle cities in either grassland/hills or flood plains/hills; plains are suboptimal, marsh is bad (do it if you want to grab resources, though), and tundra/ice is a big no-no. Try to make sure a city can reach at least 1 lux and at least 5 total resources by the 3rd ring.

5. Research order: pottery, mining, writing, archery, calendar or animal husbandry (depends on terrain), philosophy free, general beeline to construction (c-bows), general beeline to currency/civil service for gold and food. Whether or not you go education or machinery next, again, depends on your neighbors.

6. By the medieval era, keep a standing army of 4 ranged/2 melee units for defense.

7. Don't build horsemen/knights. Ever. They suck.

7. Try to have at least 1 coastal city, if you're on continents. The importance of this, besides the fact that fish/sea luxes are good tiles, is that it allows you to build caravels once astronomy is discovered. Besides $15 from CS's and meeting new trade partners, it allows you to do one thing. It enables you to spot the runaway civ and stop him/her in time. In my latest game, I didn't know Russia was runaway until I was notified she entered atomic while I was on industrial. By the time I gathered a force to attack her, it was too late (see http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=505249)

 

[Socratatus]

I don`t think Civ games is meant to played in a perfect way. I take my policies in the order that suits me depending on what i`m doing at the time. For instance, if i`m on a map with plenty of potential fighting to be had, i`ll take a warlike policy like Honour. If on a fractuals map I`ll take policies that make use of city building and sea-ship use. If plenty fo CS` around me I`ll take policies that use that.

Same for other stuff. usually, when it comes to tech I`ll take the ones that will suit what I`m doing, though working on warlike and financial tech first is often best for safety.