Monarch - Emperor... Little Help?

[ADLOTS]

Because I was a long time civ1 and civ2 player, i figured id start playing on monarch. My games never became too succesful, but i would never lose... After a long time of not playing, I had a game on Regent, and I foudn that victory was easy, very easy. Infact, by modern times I could win by almost any method, except sometimes spaceship became complicated in terms of victory method.

So I decided to move up a difficulty level to emperor, and im finding this quite hard.

3 things are a problem...

a) keeping up with technology
b) keeping citizens happy
c) grabbing an early wonder


I can expand quickly enough, 10-14citties by about 1000-400BC... mayb a bit slow for some, but its alright for me. To keep up in technology I have to raise my research to 70-80% and I still fall behind. To keep my ppl happy i have to build lots of temples, and raise my luxury slider to 10-20%. Either way, my funds become depleted. So buying technology is difficult, and at this stge im focusin on my civilizations growth, so attaking my neighbour would take a while and he would be superior in technlogy anyway.

The one thing that would really help in any of these circumstances is to grab an early wonder, almost any early wonder. Oracle, Pyramids, Great Library, Hanging Gardens (very very crucial). The problem is, im usualy beaten by 1-5turns on the first three wonders i listed. Usually i get beaten to the wonder by 3 turns. This is very frustrating.


Any tips I could have for grabbing one of the early wonders, or expanding at a rate that will keep my ppl happy but also leave me with some money to spend?

 

[Tassadar]

On emperor forget about old wonder, a.i got a tremendous discount on everything so they will build it much faster.

Once you have made contact with a few civilisation , set you research to 0 % and let the a.i. do it, once 2-3 a.i. got a new tech buy it from one of them ( choose carefully), it will be much cheaper for you to do that. But if buy a new tech as a second owner it will be more expensive, always wait as a third one or fourth one. I know we dont feel great beeing a tech scavenger but it work and most poeple do that. By trading a lot with them, they will like you, so chance of beeing attack are low.

The only wonder i target for is hover dam ( prebuilt with palace). And once i got panzer , then i start my domination.

You may want to do some research later on, especialy if a.i. wage war within themselve ( which lower technical advencement).

So as a general rule.

1.- buy your tech from a.i.
2.- concentrate on city infrastructure like market place and bank unsteed of library and university.
3.- Go war with an ally, let him do the first few turn strike.
4.- capture wonder unsteed of building them.

 

[RufRydyr]

I really agree with Tassadar.
It's important to have a strategy. If you try to do everything, you won't do anything well. I forget about culture and wonders and just focus on settlers and wealth.
If you have one citizen in one city as a scientist, you'll get the tech in 40 turns, which comes in handy sometimes.
When I moved up from civ2, I got my butt kicked. So, I started at the lowest level and worked my way up getting a little better each time. The war academy helped a lot. I recommend the ICS with chariot topping gambit.

 

[Hades]

I agree with tassadar as well. Also, in the beginning, you need to build units, lots of units. At early stage, AI's would concentrate their production to make settlers. So all you need it to have 6-8 productive cities and then make archers/swordmen. You will be surprise how easy the AI can be defeated.

After crippling or destorying your first victim you should become one of the top 3 most powerful civ in the power chart. With this "reputation" other AI's would be happy to do your bidding. Command them to attack other powerful AIs and wait for the opportunity for military expansion.

Buying tech is the key that's why money make buildings are so important. Also, guard your reputation with your life since trade and politics are so important in early to mid game.

As for keeping people happy, there is no new strategy in emperor level, you just have to build more "happy buildings" and get more luxury items. But in early game you should keep 2 units in each city for temperory relieve until you switch to republic.

 

[MSGT John Drew]

So I start at Chieftain difficulty - found it too easy - moved to Monarch - found it too hard - went back to Regent - just ok - moved back to Monarch - still ok - went to Emperor - damn hard but doable - played more Monarch - now too easy - went to Emperor every now and then for a challenge and won most of the games - needed a harder challenge and looked at Deity for the answers and WTH!! AIs with Accelerated Production and eventual 5-7 tech lead!!! No way! The bonus units I can live with, but that?!

That's why I bow until my back snaps to those who win regularly at Deity-level. Be one and I'll bow to you too.

But a few tips at Emperor:

1. Always think micro-management. If not your people will riot without you knowing it. Setting the luxury rate a notch above the minimum can reduce micro-management and prevent the headaches.

2. Get the Great Library. Research at Emperor-level is not so much at a disadvantage so just beeline for Literature and you'll be ok for the early half of the game.

3. Be a warmonger - build lots of horsemen and go to war - upgrade the horde to Knights and gear up for battle - get them to hold guns and start city-hopping.

4. In relation to #3 - expand through conquest. If the nearest enemy civ is not too far away just hold off your attack until they build a city close by and use those to hop to their capital. Even a start of 5-6 cities is good enough to build up an army that can conquer at least one enemy civ in the ancient era.

5. Keep up in technology through fear. If you have halved an enemy civ threaten him every 20 turns and get techs in exchange of peace.

6. Grab that early wonder - literally - from other civs. Just get the Great Library for yourself.

 

[WildFire]

A few tips for monarch and up and this worked for me is get the Great Library, tade for techs constantly and get the Theory of Evolution. My current game i have done that and have been in 2 wars, wiped out a civ and i am now in front of everyone

 

[ADLOTS]

the last 3 games i played, i missed out on the great library by 1 turn.... 1 turn.... that set me back heaps, as i lowered my research in anticipation.

ill take ur advice, but im not sure about warmongering, it works on lower difficulties, but dont the AI get a lot of bonus units?

 

[Yzman]

But war is what will slow down and make the AI weaker. Remember, they may outnumber you, but you have a brain to your advantage, use it.

 

[Lynx]

Tassadar knows what he's talking about. there are many ways to do that, since i saw even when i started palying warlord 5 months ago, they were beathing me to wonders, now im on emperor, and as much as I would hate it, you really do have to kiss some ass in the game, ( Diety is MUCH WORSE!)

 

[Bismarck]

I too am having severe problems with Emperor. I'd like to be a builder -- I was one on Civ2 -- but it just doesn't seem to work (it barely even works on Monarch).

Isn't there a way to be a builder on Civ3 too, on the higher levels? Or are you forced to take the warmonger/sleazy-tech-scavenger route to survive?

 

[dayfax]

I was curious along these lines as well.

How can you keep the AI civs from trying to jack you early in the game? All that "In order to continue our friendship, I must ask for all of your gold and .. Literature" stuff.

On the higher diff levels, they declare war at the drop of a hat, get one or two other civs to declare war too, can create twenty-plus archers or their special unit out of thin air, and on top of that, have a big research lead on you (plus, you know, getting 1 or 2 ancient Wonders to boot).

I've had problems trading too. The AI seems very stingy (big money demands for any tech, if they are willing to trade at all) and no one will trade me their @!#$% map.

argh.

 

[Tassadar]

Dont try to expend like crazy, built a few very good city, built spearman AND archer to make them respect you, if you only send a combo of 1 settler + 1 spearman, the temptation is very to attack you, on my frontier town my priority is 2 spearman+ 2 archer+ wall, then try to get me, i try to built on river or hill to get defense bonus. A walled town on river or hills is expunable, try to scout with spearman so they will get elite and then fortify them in frontier town. I got a great leader one time from an elite speaman in a walled town. Always choose carefully when engaing attack, dont attack a.i on hill, wait 1-2 turn . they will move on open ground and then strike.

5-8 city size 6 or over worht much more then 12 size 2 city like a.i. do. So strenghten your city, built improvement and sooner or later you will be able to produce swordman or horseman in 3 turn.
A city size 6 can easily produce 10 shield per turn.

 

[DaveMcW]

If an AI knows the entire world map and you know nothing it will cost you thousands of gold to buy. You can reduce the cost by exploring yourself and trading territory maps with other civs. Also try getting a world map from the weakest civ, you can use techs or even a peace treaty to help pay for it.

 

[Grotius]

So is it possible to win as a builder on Emperor or Deity, or must one be a warmonger? I can win as a builder on Monarch, but on Emperor and above the only option seems to be war. I have won that way, but I find it more satisfying to win as a builder. Are the AI's production and research advantages at Emperor (and Deity) just too great to overcome without warmongering?

One nice thing about PTW: a level playing field in multiplayer. As it happens, everyone seems to like to fight in MP, so you still can't live your life as a builder, but at least your opponents have roughly the same tech and production that you do.

 

[Fanny Brice]

Another thing that initially slows down the AI early tech advantage is to turn off barbarians. The other civs, especially the expansionistic ones won't get the free techs and trade them to every other civ they meet along the way. I've found that with no barbs, you have parity with most civs when you meet them, vs. meeting your first couple of civs that already have a three or more tech advantage over you.

 

[Ronald]

If you are having difficulties to keep up research at emperor, try commercial civs:
Alphabet is a great tech to trade early on, the AI value it very high, secondly it enables you to quickly research writing and literacy, so you will be the first to build the great library.
After that you can research to 0, build your military, conquer or at least slow down the closest civs.
Switch to either monarchy if you want to fight some wars or to republic (you need about 4 luxuries).
When the GL becomes obsolete you should be the most powerful civ.
The next crucial tech for me is theory of evolution. Whenever I am able to build it, I can get athomic theory and electronics for free. This gives me hoover dam, expensive techs to trade for lots of income and with that I can stay ahead in the tech race and go for any kind of victory I want to.

happy playing

Ronald