Keeping up with the AI on monarch

[Stumpyguy]

Hey guys.
Been playing Civ 4 for a couple weeks now, and finding prince too easy. However, there seems to be a big gap between prince and monarch, my main problem being science. On prince I was always miles ahead (not exactly too fun) and now the only real chance I have of trading a tech is by creating science GP.

Even this doesnt make me keep up. Any ideas?
I'm finding the AI hates me on this level and I've got nothing to offer them except a few resources. Should I Perhaps be focusing on more commerce based tiles and sacrifice production and food? Seems like it may be a fine balancing act on this level, not allowing yourself an excess of anything as that means sacrificing something else.

Maybe I just suck at this game (and all the other civ's before it, wont stop me playing it though). I normally play epic or normal games, starting in the ancient era with lots of civilizations.

Thanks guys

 

[Astax]

DEPENDS. What sice map you play and how many AIs. Yous ay you play with lots, I cant believe all of em would hate you. But only way to keep up with AI techwise is to be the guy that trades the tech around first. Get soemthing liek the alphabet first! Then trade it int he same turn to all the AIs you can for some other tech. Hopefulyl you'll get a bunch of techs and the AI only gets one. Altough they will probably end up trading amongst themselves. But that's probably the best way to stay viable. I never played a long game with a lot of civs on monarch cause sadly I fall behind too fast But I find this to be the most prudent. If you can get early GPs and use em to get hgih end tech then trade it around a bit more, mayeb you'll be ok. I dont like diplomacy myself myw ay of staying ahead of the AI is to cripple him so badly through attrition that he wont be able to keep up. But that only works if you are facing fewer civs. Also I dont play epic at all. But that offers you opportunity, beacuse of slowed tech you will have a much longer ancient period in which you can cripple your neighbors. When the tech gap isnt so high, war is your best friend.

 

[cyberzen]

I also had a hard time adjusting to monarch difficulty. I was a builder in prince games, I could still win on prince diff. But after I tried monarch I just kept getting out teched easily. So what I've found is that you really need to war in the ancient era. Otherwise you are dead meat. Ai expands like crazy, and during the time of archers, you really need to take the chance to grab some of their border cities. Just get some swordsmen and kick some butt. After grabbing a few cities, just make peace with one, and then declare on another civ.

I find kublai khan to be the best for this, its him or julius ceasar.

 

[Stumpyguy]

It really is border cities you should focus on isnt it? Just tried this and got a little obsessed with the mali capital timbuktu, a holy city with stonehenge with walls and on a hill. He didnt have iron (I did) so thought I had my targetm how hard could it be. Lets just say my once miles and miles of vast forrests have disappeared, my economy crippled many swordsmen and axemen dead and timbuktu still in mali hands. He was my friend too (damn it, I finally have someone friendly and I declare war on him!).
But yeah, (sorry to get distracted) if you take the border cities then move on, I'm sure this is going to be a great strategy to take and end up helping me keep up with the tech race and with astax's idea should get the most out the tech. Before I try this though, I've got some new toys called catapults and this time i WILL get my city!!!
Thanks guys..