[BTS] [Monarch Game] 1070 AD: What Should I do Next?

[CGQ]

I've been playing monarch difficulty games for the past couple months and lurking on here after doing a shadow game (I walked away for a bit from that game but I'll get back to it again). I had multiple victories, mostly space race victories around late 1800s to 1900s. My best victory was a domination victory around 1770 AD which was my first game to reach over 100,000 on the score (all monarch with standard map/speed on fractal)

In all fairness, on that 1770 ad victory, I did pop both BW and IW through huts lol

This game however, I decided to disable huts and events. It's standard continents on monarch difficulty, but with 7 AI instead of 6 (wanted to make it a bit more interesting haha). Leader was randomly chosen, and I got the Dutch guy. I started next to Ragnar, and on my first attempt Axe rushed him since I had copper near me, but found I was at a disadvantage afterwards. I went back and replayed without rushing. Inca dude founded Hinduism and spread it to me and everyone on the whole continent. I bribed my man Pete to convert to my civics and pretty soon all AI got friendly.

Tried to get AP but Inca beat me to it, so Diplomatic by AP is not in the cards.
Thus, here I am now. 1070 AD, turn 167. I have a gigantic tech lead, with inca dude not-so-close second.

I partial bulbed education, then bulbed lib, and got astronomy with it. Then I half teched half bulbed Scientific Method and reached industrial era just after 1070 AD, the earliest I ever reached it that era, with 6 cities. I feel like I really improved this game over the months (watched videos too) but now I wanna take it to the next level. What should I do from here?

My current plan was to finish economics, then communism for the workshops (since I have crappy plains everywhere) and from there I don't know. Should I back-stab Ragnar and cuir rush him? I'd have to give up my marble and trade horses with Peter first since I don't have horses and I don't know how that would go. Maybe rifle/cannon rush? Could I just win this game peacefully with my crappy land? What should I do?

I attached my current game and for anyone who wants to play this map from the start, the 4000 BC one too.






Help me make my heart-shaped empire even better!

 

[pi-r8]

Like you said, you're in a great position with a huge tech lead. Choose your favorite military tech, and go conquer the world! But here are some things I noticed:

• You're using Amsterdam as a great person farm, which makes sense. But you're also in bureaucracy, so you're not getting much benefit from that. You should either move the capital, or convert to to a different legal civic in your next golden age. It's also weird not have your academy in a bureau capital.
• Even with marble, Hermitage is an expensive build. Is it really worth it just to fight with Ragnar's over a couple of coastal tiles?
• There's a couple of spots (northeast, and in the center) where you can cram in an extra city, and it's worth it IMO
• Representation will boost your tech speed a lot
• There was no need to rush for scientific method. All that did was obsolete your great library and parthenon!
• If you're going to war, I'd aim for someone on the other continent. Everyone on your continent likes you, but the other continent hates you, and it's divided. Alexander has a lot of resources you could use, and won't trade to you.

 

[Fippy]

Yup teching SM was a major mistake, unless you did so for roleplay intentions
Also you can check your tiles, gold mine not worked i.e.

Depends on how much feedback or criticism you want, or how much you care about efficiency which is not really needed yet on Monarch.
Rifles & Cannons are really overkill on this level.

 

[krikav]

You have reached a crushing advantage here, great work!

Difficult to grasp what feedback you are after.
Is it that reaching this type of position is rare, and that you want to figure out what you did right here to end up here?

Is it that you often find yourself in these positions, and then have trouble to wrap it up and somehow squander your lead and strong position and eventually lose to a AI?

 

[Gumbolt]

I think you wanted cuirs here. You can trade marble and clams for Horse with India.

I think land is more important than workshops right now. You only have 6 cities and I get the feeling you could of had cuirs 19 turns ago. Not sure Astronomy was urgent here.

Rifles and cannons would take way too long. You really want to control your continent by 1300ad.

 

[CGQ]

I think you wanted cuirs here. You can trade marble and clams for Horse with India.

I think land is more important than workshops right now. You only have 6 cities and I get the feeling you could of had cuirs 19 turns ago. Not sure Astronomy was urgent here.

Rifles and cannons would take way too long. You really want to control your continent by 1300ad.

Here's a save from 760 AD Turn 147 I attached. How would I get cuirs that fast? That's crazy early for me, the earliest I got them was 1000-1100 AD

Is it worth backstabbing my friendly AI on my continent or should I attack the ones on the other continent as someone else mentioned?

 

[CGQ]

You have reached a crushing advantage here, great work!

Difficult to grasp what feedback you are after.
Is it that reaching this type of position is rare, and that you want to figure out what you did right here to end up here?

Is it that you often find yourself in these positions, and then have trouble to wrap it up and somehow squander your lead and strong position and eventually lose to a AI?

Yes and sort of. Mainly I find myself in this position, I do know how I got there but it's just I'll take too long for victory and it'll drag on. Usually I'll end up getting a space race win around 1800-1900 AD lol

 

[CGQ]

What should I do? How do I get cuirs that soon?

 

[pi-r8]

What should I do? How do I get cuirs that soon?

Instead of researching scientific method, guilds, banking, and economics, research military tradition instead? You might be overthinking this.

 

[CGQ]

Instead of researching scientific method, guilds, banking, and economics, research military tradition instead? You might be overthinking this.

Update:

Spoiler Update :

Ok so I went back to my 760 AD save which was right before I started teching Theocracy and instead finished nationalism and libbed military tradition. I traded my marble and copper for horses with Peter of Russia and got HBR from the Inca guy. I whipped my cities down to nearly nothing to make an army and it still took quite a few turns since I only have six cities, but I managed pretty well here. Went for Ragnar, took two cities in the first turn of war, and at 1310 AD he was wiped out. Now I have double the amount of cities I had before the war. I'm probably gonna backstab peter and wipe him out, then wipe out the inca dude. Should be easier to amass a big army of cuirs since I have more cities

Rifles and cannons would take way too long. You really want to control your continent by 1300ad.

How would I be able to take over my continent before then? I only just now took out the vikings and it's 1310 AD already I have a lot to learn haha

 

[pigswill]

You can get a much earlier conquest with HAs, if you don't have horses available then cats+anything is a viable but later alternative. You could then head for engineering to add xbows, pikes and trebs which will keep you going up to AI gunpowder units. In the earlier game the limit to expansion isn't military but economic collapse (losing cash at 100% gold).

 

[Lennier]

Tried to get AP but Inca beat me to it, so Diplomatic by AP is not in the cards.

You can get an AP victory without controlling the city with the AP. You just need to have the most AP population other than the civ with the AP. But the Russians (and maybe Vikings) may be larger than you here.

 

[umass_dude]

I have played CIV4 a lot but am only very average at it. Can win on Monarchy but struggle at Emperor. Anyway, I tried this saved game and attach my game at turn 149. Any feedback appreciated as to how I am playing the game and what I am doing wrong etc.