Playing Deity Mode

[Water2Funk]

With the significant tech and unit advantage the AI has in Deity mode, I know play styles will have to shift radically just to keep up.
Are there any particulars or strats or tips I should know about while playing Deity to be able to keep up?

 

[Giaur]

1) Beeline to Alphabet
2) attack quickly (with swords and cats), AI's early tend not to build to many units
3) rely on AI's suicidal missions and try to build cities on hills (also rely on defensive war, put longbows in borderline cities also 1-2 cats and let AI to perform suicide)
4) rely on lightbulbing
5) trade a lot, especially sell resources (also techs)
6) when war, maximize production and build units in every city even if there is no barracks
7) never attack a civ having goldenage triggered

There is plenty other staff. Just follow some threads on this forum

 

[oyzar]

lightbulb and trade and take advantage of the fact that AI's high techrate/income will mean you'll allways have tons to trade a tech for often 3-4 times the beakers invested. Take advantage of the fact that the ai cant war even with numerical superiority. War loads. Rush, lightbulb/trade rush etc.

 

[Mizar]

The huge advantage for the AI in early expansion on deity really means that (maybe with some exceptions where they are really far away) an early rush is the way to go. Therefore, your first 2 cities should be production powerhouses to turn out the necessary units.
Founding city 2 (or 3, if map/land/AI allows it) near the metal is important.
I had one game where I could get 3 reasonable sites but had no metal.
I tried a chariot rush and I succeded because the AI had only a few spears.
In general, try only to take cities that will help you (ressources, good economic sites) and make peace. Than go into builder mode again until you are ready for the next expansion phase. As you are playing on deity, I will not explain the importancy of coordinating the war/diplo actions by cultivating friends, dogpile on someone throughout the game.
For me, this osziallting gameplay is the key on high levels.

 

[Water2Funk]

But by the time you have enough units, won't your opponents end up having more advanced technology like axemen or even swordsmen? Or should you just play a marathon game?

lightbulb and trade and take advantage of the fact that AI's high techrate/income will mean you'll allways have tons to trade a tech for often 3-4 times the beakers invested. Take advantage of the fact that the ai cant war even with numerical superiority. War loads. Rush, lightbulb/trade rush etc.

So what this means is lightbulb, trade that new tech for enough money to drain your oppenents' income, then declare war?
What happens if your opponents are too far away for 2 city rush? (i plan to play Huayna Capac)
What happens if you take a city or two, but they still won't accept a peace option that makes them give up something to me?

 

[Mizar]

The good thing of CIV4 (compared to older versions) is that
axes/swords doesn't outdate that quickly, even on deity.
You have to beeline to BW or even IW, then grab the metal with you 2nd or 3rd city.

I am a new member of the forum so I'm not used to all of the players terminology but I think with lightbulbing they mean
using Great People for new techs (and trade with those) which is a needed strategy on high levels to keep up with the tech pace.

If your opponent is really too far away (and doesn't expand that quickly towards you) then you should have enough space for placing your cities and the wars will start later.

The right point for seeking peace is indeed critical. Basically, you don't want to overstrech you lines, just getting the potential productive cities you are after. If they won't give you tech and are strong enough, push further (raze junk cities) if not, you must accept the terms.