I'm

[Supernaut]

I got a new computer over the weekend, but, for reasons far too silly to go into here, I am having to use a very old monitor. So old, in fact, that it can't handle 256 colour CIV2, so I have returned to CIV, on 16 colours (!) after a long break. And I have made the terrible discovery that I am useless at it! Despite all the reading I have done on this forum, which I thought had been really helpful.

I just can't seem to get a quick enough start (I'm playing on Prince and King level - started on King because I thought I'd be a bit rusty - am thinking of downgradingto Chieftan level). I only manage to get a few cities built before all the land gets grabbed, the other civs are expanding much quicker than me. Also, produciton seems really slow - I have tried to play an early aggresive strategy to clear the land for my cities, but it takes so long to produce one chariot that it's impossible to defeat the others.

The current Prince game I'm on isn't going too bad (despite taking till about 3400BC to find a half-decent city site - the whole place is desert and hills!) - about 300AD and I am ahead (just about) on tech, but haven't got off the start continent (except for one city on an offshore island). However, the French (most powerful civ) landed a long time ago and are being really troublesome. A big problem I'm having is adjusting to the fact that the Lighthouse doesn't allow Triremes to roam free, as it does in CIV2. All my games so far have started me on a continent that's too isolated to get off, so my expansion is limited to the 7 or so cities I can fit in until I get sails, by which time the other civs have got too big.

A sign of how bad things are - I played a few turns this morning before coming to work, and, although I've eliminated the Aztecs a while ago and started taking Chinese cities (the only other neighbour till the French arrived) I am third in the powergraph - a most unaccustomed position for me! I haven't even made contact with all the other civs!

Have I just picked up too many bad habits from playing CIV2, which I now need to unlearn, or am I missing something. Or was I never as good as I thought I was? Whatever it is, I need HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[This message has been edited by Supernaut (edited June 25, 2001).]

 

[skullers]

Try playing on Cheiftain level, and if you win, you can try being a Prince or a King.
( I always lose on Empror or King because those are just unfair - AI's can build things much faster.

)

 

[thedirk]

There is an adjustment between the two games. The same strategies do not work equally well in both games. I would suggest that simply playing a few more games will work the rust out and you will be back to world domination.

 

[GenghisK]

I played (and still play) chieftain a lot, once tried warlord, then I play King or Emperor. Never Prince. But Emperor is quite impossible to win. TMM of course.

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[TTG]

What I suggest is look at a couple of things. First of all, your starting build order.

It should be militia-settler-barracks-phalanx-phalanx... And the settler should immediately go build a new city. Now if you want to play militaristically (easy to win), just keep growing like this and don't let your cities get too big. Fix their production onto resources instead of food once they reach critical size (where they would need a temple or something to make them content). This way you stunt their growth while boosting their productivity. Once you have about 10 cities this way, you should be unstoppable.

Otherwise, if you just want to play regularly, simply build things like temples, marketplaces, libraries, etc... after those items I listed above. Read up on the City Improvements chart on this site and make sure you know exactly what an improvement does before you build it.

Another thing, play on 256 colour mode! Forget 16 colours...

If you're having trireme troubles, either play on the Earth map so you know where everything is, restart the game several times to get a "good" continent, or simply acquire navigation quickly. Or, there's another option: steal a ship. The first time you see a barbarian ship land on your coast, build a city where it landed to lure more ships in the future. Place a diplomat in that city and make sure you have a bit of cash. When the next bunch of barbarians arrive, wait till they unload and then steal their ship. This can be a totally awesome advantage. Remember that the barbarians START with Sails, so if you do this you can get one really early in the game.

Another thing is, if you are on a really small continent, focus on technology, internal building etc. Try to get as many wonders as you can. If there are no wonders to build, just build caravans and stockpile them until a wonder becomes available, then use the caravans to build the wonder. Try to keep your military to a minimum (just a few good defensive units in each city), but build city walls when you can. If things get really violent, try building a continent wall. This is where you get a bunch of riflemen or mech inf's or something and line them up along the edges of your continent so that it is totally impenetrable. Transports, in their stupidity, will try to attack the wall, nukes will not be able to hit your cities, and most battleship/cruiser attacks will fail against the wall as well. If you're still having trouble after this advice, just post again and I will tell more...

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Civilization I Master of masters and webmaster of Civilization III Arsenal

 

[Supernaut]

Thanks TTG (we won't get started on that 'barracks are a waste of time' argument again

) I shall take that advice to heart. Hadn't thought of the bribe a barbarian ship idea - shall try it sometime. The wall of troops sounds like a great idea, but for later in the game.

An update - played a bit more on the Prince game last night (to 1500AD), and am doing much better now - am No.1 in power, have gone democratic, am just about to build Shakespeare's and then the Mongols will get what's coming to them. The French are a still a problem (have just built Mike's) but I've taken a big city of their's and they are failing to retake it (I have a musketeer and a cannon in there - most French units end their turn, one at a time, next to the city, so the cannon takes them out, the rest break against the muskets.) I'm just about to build a factory there, and develop combustion, then my panzer legions will re-enact 1940.

I'm going to polish this game off (hopefully this week) and then try again on King level, taking advantage of all your advice. I shall keep people posted

And yes, I will play on 256 colours, as soon as my *&^%$^$£&"*$^£*"£ friend from PC World sorts me out a proper monitor

 

[TTG]

hehe... cool.

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Civilization I Master of masters and webmaster of Civilization III Arsenal

 

[Zibby]

For all you peole that say that playing on Emperor is impossible, I seriously dont know what you are talking about, as long as you just concentrate on wiping out all oposition nice and early before your other civs get to powerful, its a piece of cake. Ive only played civI a handfull of times, and only twice on emperor, but I havent had many probs, so either Im very lucky or there isnt much to it. Just concentrate your scientific advances to get catapult, then cannon, then if you still havent conquered the world, armours. You shouldnt need to go all the way to nukes if you do it right. Its also a good move to talk to other nations early to trade technologies (and then cruch them before they can ever use there newly found technology!)

Zibby

 

[TTG]

I have conquered the world on Emperor+2 twice, both times without getting any technologies more advanced than mathematics, the wheel, iron working, bronze working, mapmaking, writing, and horseback riding.

Yeah I totally agree Zibby. Most people just use strategies that don't work, so they need a little help

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Civilization I Master of masters and webmaster of Civilization III Arsenal

 

[andy6474]

Heheh I remember spending the summer of 1994/5 playing on my girlfriend at the times laptop. It was black and white only (lol. Spent half the time clicking units to see if they were mine or not!) and had the Japanese version of dos. Not knowing Japanese Id spend quit awhile just trying to load up Civ. hhee
Im glad to see someone having trouble on King level as it means I am now less embarrased to come out of the mediocrity closet. Ive spent most of my life playing on Warlord and Prince level. RIght now Im having a go at King level, and not doing too well, despite playing on Earth map and having bothe the Americas to myself!

 

[TTG]

Too many players (myself included) make the mistake of staying on the lower difficulties too long. I think that it is important to challenge yourself well beyond your ability in order to improve the most. While playing on a level that is too difficult, a player will quickly learn which strategies and habits are effective and which are counterproductive, because the bad ones will result in immediate destruction! I hestitate to go so far as to recommend players progress in their first 5 games from chieftan-warlord-prince-king-emperor, but it would be interesting to see just how fast people can pick up the game with this type of progression.

Losing on King a lot? Lose a few on Emperor, then go back and you may find you can win on King...

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Civilization I Master of masters and webmaster of Civilization III Arsenal

 

[stormerne]

Good advice TTG. But many people who do go up a level get demoralised. So I have a small addition borrowed from Civ2. Go up a level and if you're beaten too easily or too often, scale back the number of civs. Beat it on that level with just a few civs and then try bringing in more. When you eventually return to your old level you'll take over the world!

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[Supernaut]

When I first played Civ, my first game was chieftain (obviously) but that was so easy I jumped to Prince. I quickly beat that so I jumped to Emperor and got repeatedly <IMG SRC="http://forums.civfanatics.com/ubb/spanking.gif" border=0> so I gave up and concentrated on King level. I just can't seem to make the jump - it really is the start which I can't get right, so I'm behind for the rest of the game.

As for this particular game, I've put it on ice 'cos I now have a proper monitor, so am playing CIV2 (if I can say that without being thrown off the forum). However, I had got to a winning position in the Prince game, despite several errors like forgetting which wonders have expiry conditions in this game but not in Civ2 (!) Now no other remianing civ is big enough to be a threat - I can pick them off at my leisure as and when the Senate allows me - and I am cranking out the SS parts. So I also started a King game. That is interesting. I started on a reasonably sized island on my own but borderinghte American's island. A bit of tech and carvan trading with them then I wiped them out (I got bored) so I had a good base. A period of consolidation followed, with exploration by sail. Unfortunately, the sails went the wrong way, missing the Aztecs' island a few squares to the south of my capital port. There is now an almighty battle raging around my capital - the Aztecs, Zulus and Germans keep landing troops there and beating each other up as well as me. The Mongols are now starting to get in on the act on the other island. I'd been trying for science, but I think I shall have to move into military mode, clear my home territory and try to take the fight to the enemy. My mistake has been not being aggresive enough. A fall back strategy is to hunker down behind my city walls and research my way to victory - I'm not far from getting tanks then they shall pay.

[This message has been edited by Supernaut (edited July 03, 2001).]

 

[TTG]

Build a continent wall by placing riflemen along the coast and fortifying them, starting with the usual landing points. It takes a bit of work to set up, but is so hard to penetrate that the maintenance is almost zero. Once in place, you can concentrate on technology.

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Civilization I Master of masters and webmaster of Civilization III Arsenal