Need help with Expansion

[Nex Alacer]

So far, I've played 3 full games and in each one, I get raped by the AI out-expanding me. They are all on warlord level, so I can't imagine how bad it would be on a higher dificulty level. I prefer to not start wars to take over cities. I'd like to win a game culturally, but when they have 15 more cities than me, it's impossible to win them over culturally fast enough.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to at least match the AIs ability to create settlers? So far its the only new "feature" I haven't been able to beat....

 

[kayser]

I have noticed that the AI is quite expansionistic, yes. I managed to end up with a land mass just smaller then the AIs on Regent, won, and I tried on Monarch. Again managed to get a reasonably sized empire, but lost the space race.

I think the difference between the levels is not sooo big, and that all you can do is try to get a settler producer-city, with two or three squares with cattle and/or mined grassland with shield. Then let it pump settlers. Remember they have no home city and take no food to support. Accually they are "free" under despotism if you stay under the unit limit.

Regards Kayser

 

[deanstow]

I have had this problem as well. Here is the formula I am trying now. I hope it helps

Build mines in your grasslands. This will give you 2 food and 2 minerals for most of these squares. At despotism, you will not get more than 2 food anyway so why irrigate. You can always change it later if you like.

Micromanage early to maximize production. The AI does not always do what is best. Sometimes it optimizes for trade rather than production. Often that is best, but not early.

Time settlers so they will be finished ASAP *after* you have 3 population in the city. (Start it when you have only one or two but have it finish when you have 3.) Repeat until satisfied.

As your grow, let your new cities fuel the growth and start improving your core cities. This is more efficient because the settlers do not have to travel so far to settle.

Don't let a war on one side of your empire stop you from growing on your other side.

I know this sounds rather simplistic, but honestly it is what has worked for me.

Good Luck

 

[LKendter]

Also, under depotism kill your people to speed up projects. If you can get a city next to a irragted wheat space, that become an early mega production base.

With your early, far away cities, you can get way more production from cracking the whip, then from shields (due to absurd corruption).

A interesting fact: If a city is size 2, you can kill people down to size 1 and still build the worker. Same for city is size 3, kill a pop point, and build the settler. I just found this one, and it looks like another way to speed up the early production.

Concentrate your development near you Capital. For the farther cities, just get the road net in place. You do want to conect those resources. Build an early harbor. The sooner you can start trading resources, the earlier you can get more cash. I already know my next game will be more aggresive early on.

If I got that next settler a little earlier... I would have built the what turned out to be a coal city location first.