The way I see it, you may as well just go straight to deity, because it is a completely different game. It is not really any harder, it just takes a different approach. If you dwell on the smaller levels for too long, you will just become accustomed to the settings and have trouble stepping up because you wont be able to adjust to some of the new changes in the higher level, coz you will keep reverting back to your prince strategies.
Just step up to Deity and the only thing you really have to remember are these things and you will be fine:
*Get to Monarchy ASAP.
*Build Irrigation is a must (definately to the point that a city never has a lack of irrigation) ie: If city size is 2, you must have 2 irrigation. If city size is seven, you must have 7 irrigation.
*Build at LEAST 1 phalanx in your cities right from the start (if playing with barbarians) and this is a good idea because you get a better score, and the score advantage far outweighs the risk, but just keep in mind that the barbarians on deity are always veteran.
*Don't build wonders in your cities... ALWAYS use caravans (if you have them), or you will find your cities stuck building wonders that have been completed and end up wasting a MASS of sheilds.
Other than all that, make sure you have 1 unit for each person in the city up to size 3, afer that you need temples (it is actually better to build temple just before your third unit), and always keep your people happy, (a marketplace with 20% luxuries does wonders for your happyness)! <IMG SRC="http://forums.civfanatics.com/ubb/smile.gif" border=0>
*Also, you should strive to have at the very LEAST temples, marketplaces and graneries in every city ASAP!
*Try not to build more than 9 cities until you at least have temples up. After those 9 cities are up, get the newly founded ones to start on temple straight away and get some of the larger cities to build the units. You will need at least 2 units and a temple for cities after the 9th one on deity to keep your people happy.
Good luck, see you in a deity game soon eh?
MrLeN
P.S. Oh and if you buy the units in increments try to avoid buying them outright on the last line, because you will just be wasting the sheilds that would have been used that shot.
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Where there is money, there are liars!
[This message has been edited by MrLeN (edited February 27, 2001).]
