I'm going up to noble.

[Ultimate_Waffle]

I got this game a couple of years ago, but I've stayed on chieftain difficulty the whole time. I've decided to man up and head up to noble, completely skipping warlord difficulty. Are there any general tips that you people can give me for playing on noble? I already specialize my cities, so I'm pretty sure that's a good start for me.

If you can't give any tips for me, then can you at least take a look at my current game on noble please? Just ignore all of the signs and lines everywhere, I use those to plan out where and what to improve. Here is the save.

I've also seemed to have over-expanded a little bit, because I'm at 40% science with only four cities. Is that normal? Also, why does Isabella have so many cities, yet her economy isn't hurting as bad as mine?

EDIT: Here is the link to my new thread, for whoever wishes to offer up advice to my new game:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?p=6886916#post6886916

 

[vale]

I see a few things going on that might help:
1. You are Philosophical but have yet to generate a great person or if I'm seeing correctly even a single GPP in 520 AD. They are huge boosts to your economy and would make your life much easier either through lightbulbing/settling/creating special buildings.

2. You have a very large standing army but don't seem to be in any hurry to use it. You have more than enough garrisons in each city to keep them happy forever.

3. You are in slavery but don't seem to be taking advantage of it at all (I see 0 whip anger).

4. Egypt seems to be your target of choice (I see you have plans to turn Memphis into a commerce city. But you have Monty next door and he has his hands full. If he is coming for you then a war with Egypt will be a prime opportunity for him to backstab you. I would say war with him first.

5. You backwards technologically. This is partially due to the large military upkeep but I would guess primarily because of the lack of GP.

6. I actually like what you are doing with the plans for some of the commerce city decisions (cottaging plains, farming grasslands because it allows rapid growth early) but then in some instances there are some odd choices. There seems to be no plans to chain irrigate the rice in either of the commerce cities which would be a big boost to that.

7. Your worker priorities are somewhat skewed. Improve the bonuses first. Then do the other stuff. There is a rice in philadelphia that still has no farm.

8. You seem overly afraid of unhealth. For example, you have Boston avoiding working its fishes to instead work a coastal tile to avoid growing into unhealth. But working a fish + coast + 1 unhealth is strictly superior to working a coast + no unhealth. You have built aqueducts in 2 of your cities to get the health cap well beyond where you are going to be population wise for a long time.

So with this in mind here is what I would do:

1. Switch research to construction. You want catapults for the war against monty (start getting the offensive units shifted over there as happiness allows).
2. Whip things everywhere. Especially catapults when construction is in. Don't be afraid of the anger. Embrace it.
3. Boston move the worked tiles around: two less coast, one less cottage, one more fish and 2 scientists. Keep working scientists in Boston to generate several GS. You have a long way to go to catch back up here.
4. Washington is working a few grassland forests in preference to a plains mine. Change this. Especially if you aren't whipping this isn't a good idea at population 13.
5. New York is doing the same thing although you will stagnate if you switch to a plains mine which makes that Aqueduct build that you did wasteful but oh well.
6. Farm that rice in philadelphia asap. Scrap the plans for that southern cottage there and change one of the planned lumbermills to a farm to irrigate the rice after CS.
7. Kill monty first. Then pacal who is the tech leader and disliked by your christian buddies. Both of them are bribable into war with him to help you if you have the techs to back it up (You have the techs to get Isabella into a war right now but you might want to wait on that at least until you see how the war against Monty goes. After you kill them, you can refocus on your religious buddies.

I guess thats it.

 

[troytheface]

BTS – A guide for higher difficulties for standard speed and maps (emperor+) Snaaty.
(Strategy Articles)

You said noble but this is an easy to understand read. The early stages of how to begin may give a boost to your attempt.

 

[Cleverbeans]

BTS – A guide for higher difficulties for standard speed and maps (emperor+) Snaaty.
(Strategy Articles)

You said noble but this is an easy to understand read. The early stages of how to begin may give a boost to your attempt.

Here is the link to the thread mentioned by Troytheface

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=248435

 

[Ultimate_Waffle]

Thanks you guys, these are helpful. Still, why is Isabella able to expand so much without crippling her economy? I have only 4 cities, and am lucky to even have the slider at 40% science.

 

[DMOC]

Isabella-it's the AI. The AI WILL expand a lot. Also, maybe she has Currency and/or Code of Laws?


Can't look at the save. Any screenshots available?

Anyway, several possibilities:

-Your cities are low in population (3 or lower) and can't work a lot of tiles
-Your cities are not connected via roads/trade routes
-Few cottages
-Few scientist specialists/libraries
-Too much of a standing army

Those are suggestions I have. 4 cities is not much and you shouldn't be at 40% slider unless you had a HUGE army....

 

[siggboy]

Thanks you guys, these are helpful. Still, why is Isabella able to expand so much without crippling her economy? I have only 4 cities, and am lucky to even have the slider at 40% science.

Vale has mentioned that you have a large army. The army costs you money.

On Noble difficulty you should be able to expand way beyond 4 cities in 500 AD, so I guess you are missing a few technologies that boost your economy (Currency?).

Enter the financial advisor ($-icon) and look at what's costing you how much commerce each turn (unit cost, maintenance, civics). Probably you're running pretty high in the "unit" department and very low in the "maintenance" department (4 cities can't cost you much).

 

[aldrake]

In addition to what others have said, are your cities fairly close together, or are they spread waaay out? City maintenance increases as you get farther from your capital. If you have a far-flung empire (say if you're trying to grab a lot of resources without worrying about where they happen to be) and not a lot of economic development you could end up tanking your economy with just four cities.

I highly recommend the War Academy's section on the economy:

Empire Management

 

[Ultimate_Waffle]

Two of my cities were right next to my capital, overlapping a little bit if I remember correctly. My final city was right next to one of those cities as well, so it wasn't that far away. I'm assuming it's my slightly large military that's hurting me (Montezuma scares me >_>). If I were to make a topic about playing a game on noble, would people help me along with my game?

 

[Deriem]

If I were to make a topic about playing a game on noble, would people help me along with my game?

People already are helping you I'm sure you could start a new game in this thread (if that is what you meant) or continue playing this one.

As for strategical advice, I haven't had a chance to look at the save yet, but I will try to later tonight. You have gotten some pretty solid tips, but maybe I'll spot something else.

Oh, one of the best ways to confront your fear is to confront it head on. Or beat it down with some swords and cats...

 

[Branded Swine]

Two of my cities were right next to my capital, overlapping a little bit if I remember correctly. My final city was right next to one of those cities as well, so it wasn't that far away. I'm assuming it's my slightly large military that's hurting me (Montezuma scares me >_>). If I were to make a topic about playing a game on noble, would people help me along with my game?

Though I haven't had the chance to look at your save yet (will do so tonight) I have begun playing on Noble level myself lately and here is some saves and pics for you to see the economy I was running. I just started to use the Specialist economy (from this link I learned how to use the Espionage Economy and it really works on this level also! http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=275638)

Here's my muddy attempts before reading and now after reading.

First off I have the older files and pics:

And then a save just after getting rid of my first victim Joao:

I am not yet fully tuned into the EE but you might just give it a try sometime after reading the thoughts from others, and "Obsolete" here who are by far, more experienced than myself.

B.S.
Good Luck!

 

[Ultimate_Waffle]

Thanks you guys, I'll post a link to my new topic when I start a new game on noble; which shouldn't be too long from now. With your guidance, how can I lose?

 

[Ultimate_Waffle]

Here is the link:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?p=6886916#post6886916

 

[Branded Swine]

Here's what you were trying to accomplish I believe...

You can go finish Issy off just be sure to get that darned Apostolic Pallace she has been beating me over the head with it and almost won with Hatty's help.


oh.. and there's another civ on another landmass since I kept hearing about somebody in a "Far off Land" so you'll have to go for Astronomy and Rifling and Cannon to get him/her/them.

Good luck.

B.S.

 

[vale]

oh.. and there's another civ on another landmass...

Naah. Check the victory conditions page. There are 4 rivals left = Pacal, Monty, Issy, and Hatty.

 

[AryaBlue]

I still have problems with warlord... its ok though cuz girls arent supposed to be good at strategy games lol so I have my excuse

 

[troytheface]

Yes, however, 50 year old guys that say they are a girl are pretty good.

 

[Branded Swine]

Yes, however, 50 year old guys that say they are a girl are pretty good.

I'm not gonna go there...

 

[Branded Swine]

Naah. Check the victory conditions page. There are 4 rivals left = Pacal, Monty, Issy, and Hatty.

Yur right! I had not noticed that...

All the better for Ultimate Waffle though as he can complete this Very Quickly (if he wants to bother).

B.S.