Keeping up at monarch + difficulty?

[Alistriwen]

I've recently started playing the game at the monarch difficulty setting. I found that at the prince difficulty level I was usually able to dominate too easily. I recently started to try out some monarch difficulty games but find that Im totally unable to keep up with the AIs technologically. By even trying to keep up with their high pace I run my civ into bankruptcy. I read about worker chop strategies, but also read that they're no longer as effective. Those guides also don't go beyond the first few turns. I was wondering if someone could explain (hopefully in an uncomplicated un-technical way ) how to keep up in the higher difficulty games.

I tend to play huge maps on the epic or marathon speed settings, and usually go random for civ selection. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[sesh]

Like you I've only started playing monarch difficulty and lost all but one game. Here's a few things I learned so far. I'm no expert so feel free to correct me where I'm wrong.

If you can get Pyramids, do so. I never needed to build Pyramids at prince. At monarch, the switch to representation and the +2 happy faces make a big difference.

Forget about spreading a religion. In fact, switch to free religion as soon as you get liberalism. At prince, I loved spreading my own religion. At monarch, I've found this is near impossible. The production spent on missionaries is better used elsewhere. Having a religion is just a surefire way to get one or other of the AIs pissed at you.

Mass upgrade your units. When you reach a key tech, its good to set research to 0 for a few turns and gather enough cash to do mass upgrades. You need to keep up with the AI on troop strength. If you're weak militarily, 100% of the time, AI is going to come at you when you're least prepared.

 

[Paeanblack]

If you can get Pyramids, do so. I never needed to build Pyramids at prince. At monarch, the switch to representation and the +2 happy faces make a big difference.

The fastest way to proficiency with harder difficulty levels is by *not* buildings any wonders.

In the case of the Pyramids, consider:
-On a large map, the 3-city happiness from Representation is insignificant. Research Monarchy and use Hereditary Rule to provide unlimited happiness to your entire empire (which will also generate more research than the +3 beaker/specialist bonus can provide)

-On a small map, the Pyramids will be within marching distance. Take all those hammers you saved from not building the Pyramids and dump them into troops. Go conquer whoever built the Pyramids and a few other empires while you are at it.

 

[Cam_H]

The Tyrant has identified some links that might be useful.

Alternately, use the search function to find other threads about moving up to the Monarch level.

I should point out that the 1.61 patch that came out earlier in the year has lifted the annoyance factor of barbarians while nerfing the value of chopping your way to a strong start and curtailing the value of The Kremlin - as such some of the old threads might not accommodate the 1.61 changes.

I spend a bit of time lurking in the Succession Games forum, which is great for learning by seeing both players implementing some good strategies as well as occasionally debating / chastising each other over moves.

 

[Alistriwen]

I've actually tried reading a lot of those threads, but I find them too technical, often relying on game terms or concepts I am not familiar with. I am really just looking for some simple spelled out tips. Build orders, how many cities to build before trying to solidify your holdings, what techs to go for etc. If there is a guide like that already though, I'd love to check it out .

 

[Alistriwen]

Found some I hadn't read that seem to answer a few questions, thanks for the link !

 

[Mr. Civtastic]

Forget about spreading a religion

I would absolutely not "forget" about it. I always try to if I start with Mysticism. The money you get makes a big difference in trying to keep up with AI tech. My highest Monarch score with my Monty, with me founding hinduism and chrisianity. It also helps a bunch with absorbing new cities from the early war you pretty much have to fight.

 

[shivute]

I find Monarch to be easy and play with raging barbs, aggressive civs, no tech trading and permanent alliances to make it a bit harder.
I do this because I currently struggle on emperor and don't enjoy playing this level.
I also play marathon and either large or huge maps.
I wouldn't play random leaders initially as it is harder than playing with a leader that you are used to.
The charismatic trait is excellent and with financial and a good UU, Hannibal is an excellent choice.
Maybe switch off barbs initially too?

I wouldn't restrict yourself to a set build queue as it should depend on the terrain though a worker 95% of the time should be 1st unless there are fishing resources and you start with the fishing tech. I would research hunting and archery before 2900 to allow the production of archers before the barbs appear. Bronze working and animal husbandry are also important. Get pottery and build cottages on grassland and floodplain tiles. Remember to only expand when you can defend your cities with an archer, try and build improvements that you can defend also. Warriors with the woodsman 2 promo can be excellent initially also, but they are crap at defending cities. Barbs are also more intelligent and seem to coordinate attacks in Warlords.
You want copper and horses - I go for archery because I hate building on top of a resource (probably my failing on emperor).
You also want your 1st built settler around 2500 or earlier + an archer.
Build stonehenge in your capital (need for culture) after building your 1st settler and chop the forests - I then like to research the religious techs and then build the oracle.
The priest GP produced is then used to get Theology and Christianity. A shrine is a big boost.
I will use the oracle to either get - code of laws if failed to build stonehenge, monarchy if there is lots of wine, but usually use it for metal casting - early forges especially if gold, gems or silver is about.
My 3rd city I aim to get before 1500bc.
The new cities either build settlers or workers or archers depending on requirement.
I then may build another 1 or 2 depending, but no more. I am then looking to build barracks in my cities - I then fill the build queues with axemen, chariots, swordsmen and archers, change to theocracy and pump them out. Change back to organised and build missionaries, monasteries, temples and libraries.
I then use my newly created small force to take any barb cities, normally raze them (unless on a good site) and I then look at a small war with a neighbour, good for experience, great general points and to pick up a couple of cities with no defence bonus.
I will use the build queue tactic all through the game (normally switching between pacifism and caste with theocracy and vasselage) - next is when I can build cats (elephants are great) Then I am looking at a major war with a neighbour. I will do this again before macemen and will do again when macemen come along - each time before going to war.
Expansion by war makes the game easy as the AI is piss poor at war (don't be scared if the AI strength is higher than yours), though protective trait AIs need to be given respect. i find the early barbs razing my improvements are more of a problem.
I also hate to lose units, apart from cats, and I will build up a strong, promo rich army heavily dependant on city raider promos for melee units and combat promos and the 25% bonus promos for chariots, horses and elephants (though flanking is useful too). I never attack or move where it would leave a good promo unit vulnerable (the +1 vis for a cavalry unit is great).
Don't waste time on medic promos as many short sharp wars are the daddy, make peace when you lose momentum. If you are in a war too long, you will lose ground on other civs on other continents.


I few of the things I normally do off the top of my head as I am bored at work I do remain flexible though depending on the situation and the above is just what I like to do and I find it works on Monarch.
I never generally have problems building any wonders that I want and I want them all! Chop, Chop, Chop, Chop. (stonehenge, oracle, parthenon, great library, colossus are the early ones I like to get, I then make sure I get statue of liberty). Also build the 2 great epics as soon as possible in the best for purpose cities - GP farm and unit farm. (I tend to find the game a lot easier if my capital is suited to be a GP farm even though this reduces the power of buearocracy (spelling ).
Cash for upgrades is also essential, get a great merchant and send him to the biggest AI city with open borders.

 

[JoeM]

I am really just looking for some simple spelled out tips.

• Build only two settlers
  
• Choose your city location to attain resources
  
• Build lots of military units
  
• Conduct early wars
  
• Raze cities that have no strategic value, keep cities that have valuable resources or wonders

It's simple so don't expect it to hold water in complex situations

 

[sesh]

I've actually tried reading a lot of those threads, but I find them too technical, often relying on game terms or concepts I am not familiar with. I am really just looking for some simple spelled out tips. Build orders, how many cities to build before trying to solidify your holdings, what techs to go for etc. If there is a guide like that already though, I'd love to check it out .

A lot of those concepts you can only grasp by playing through the game. I'm beginning to understand city specialization and am able to plan my cities better after playing about a dozen monarch games. Also the tech rate is much faster than at prince. The AI tends to go for certain key techs. I've stopped trying to race the AI for those techs. Instead, I focus on techs that will help develop my economy (bronze working, metal casting, civil service, banking, education, etc.).

 

[voek]

Play smaller maps first, forget about huge for a while.

Find bronze fast and build axes. No bronze, means Iron or Animal Husbandry (and Horsebackriding). Build units early.

Wage war every time you think you should wait a little longer.

 

[sesh]

The fastest way to proficiency with harder difficulty levels is by *not* buildings any wonders.

That would take half the fun out of my game. The reason I'll never try the super difficult levels.

 

[voek]

Why? I think wonders are mostly fun because they can give a (small) boost to your empire. You can also get this boost in a other way (capturing a capital for example).

 

[carl corey]

Or a capital with a wonder. :drools:

 

[SpriteSODA]

Use specialists.

 

[Bigfoot]

I like to play continents with a standard map at normal speed (vanilla 1.61). My approach is to leverage the power of population for an early axeman rush (whip and / or chop enough to get 12-15 axes for the initial rush). I typically build 3-4 cities of my own before going to war. I keep most captured cities, unless poorly situated. You need to get COL first though, or you will kill your economy (Oracle slingshot to COL is usually possible). I also keep a close eye on my GPT, if my science has to drop below 60% it is time to make peace and get some courthouses in place. I can usually bag a lot of techs as a concession for peace that way. Once I have secured my own continent I switch to peacetime civics and build my economy prior to taking on the rest of the world.

 

[Stolen Rutters]

On monarch, I have fallen into a rut. Single player, Continents, standard-size map, normal speed, default everything else, random leader, randomly chosen leader AIs (not randomized personalitites, though). The one time I lost at this level, I didn't do what I described below.

On continents standard,
- From day one you are focusing on increasing commerce for tech research.
- Start with early axe rush on nearby neighbor (or either chariot rush or swordmen rush, if copper not available),
- Research some of the worker techs if you are pulling ahead in tech (gold mines and sea-based resources in the early game are golden for quick tech researching).
- Research to tech for Oracle. see below.
- Research to Code of Laws for Courthouse and Confucianism (being first with Writing, open borders only with civs that have no religion of their own and you have the advantage spreading the dominant religion from your lands first),
- Build Oracle for Civil Service,
- Research Alphabet quick, trade for more expensive techs,
- Beeline currency + construction + machinery (+ sometimes Theocracy to pick up and spread Christianity if it's still open), (currency and code of laws are the two early economic growth techs that help support larger empires),
- Macemen+Cat rush, attack strong man on continent (raze his/her largest cities if too far away to afford to keep) to even up the race,
- Circumnavigate globe with Optics so your navy will have a speed advantage,
- Attack and assimilate civs on continent, ideally leaving one or two relatively weak civs,
- Final conquest rush on my continent with gunpowder units once I have mercantilism and banking, the techs that allow me to finally afford to settle my continent.

Any city that is not directly building buildings to help the above is building the latest units. This strategy requires lots of units and quick takedown of enemy cities at a tactical level. My one Monarch loss was due to lack of units so I compensate the other way now.

You are now encouraged to NOT keep every single city you capture from the enemy. Keeping every city you conquer can completely kill your research and sink your economy in no time if you do it too early. This is where the "keep only capitals and holy cities with shrine" rule comes from.

Larger maps would have more open land to work with so strategy would be a bit different during growth stage. You would want to raze many more cities than you would on standard just because of the distance penalty of keeping them.

Specialize cities, specialize cities, specialize cities.

My $0.02,
SR

 

[cabert]

different ways i've won on monarch:
- similar to stolen rutters, except i never built oracle (didn't even research anything in this direction anyway)
- cultural, by founding 3 religions and capturing a few more (not necessarily the shrine, but cities with the religion)
- "slow" domination = peaceful expansion, lots of trade, then conquest of the continent, then domination
- "rome domination" = praetorian rush in a pangea game

monarch isn't about growing to be the biggest around then going for something. You can't be better than every AI in everything. You need to focus on something. Best guess is military

 

[Stolen Rutters]

I actually agree. The way I described two-posts up is only one way to win. That just happens to be my rut right now.

With the tech speed you have, the oracle isn't really necessary. I just learned the CS slingshot right when I was moving up to Monarch and have been experimenting with whether I could do it under adverse circumstances like not having the resources lined up for en easy build. Strangely enough, the AI hasn't beat me to the Oracle yet, leading me to believe that it's not really a necessary part of the overall strategy. I do like the early irrigation spread for farms, though.

 

[Inyuraye]

I like going for my nearest neighbor's capital as early as possible. I usually start preparing for the invasion right after my second city gets built. Of course this strategy relies on getting axemen (and thus access to copper) out as quickly as possible, or alternatively an early UU like the War Chariot or Immortal (the immortal by the way is outrageous in the Warlords with 4 strength, +50% vs archery, and I think +100% vs axemen). Going straight for the capital accomplishes a few things:
1. Catches the opponent off guard, so they don't have too much time to reinforce their most important city
2. Gives you a great city in terms of resources, possible wonders, possible religious founding city, worker improvements already in place.
3. Absolutely devastates that Civ for the rest of the game, taking away their resources, best production/commerce city at that point in the game (generally speaking), and often times disconnects their other cities from each other, so that they cannot share resources.

Try this out,take just the capital, unless another city looks like easy pickings, and then make peace as soon as possible; you probably won't have to worry about much of a retaliation later on, because they will be seriously dwarfed from that point on.