playing non-financial civs

[RandomInsanity]

I can't do it!
When I first got the game, I would pick any random combination of traits, but soon chose financial as my favorite. I started using these civs, and am now at prince level, and bored with financial. So I started to try other leaders and got horribly fustrated! With financial I could be quickly in the tech lead, now I'm falling behind. Its horrible to be stuggling with barbarians in the ancient era and get messages of people founding the later religions. How do you guys keep up?

 

[naterator]

try organized. it's like financial, except you don't see it on the yeild.

 

[ownedbyakorat]

1) Move down a difficulty level until you get the hang of it
2) To heck with Organized, it's the weak bastard child of Financial. Except at very high levels it does little for you. Try Industrious, I always found that interesting.

 

[Tycoon101]

I like the combo of Kublai Khan:
Agressive for taking cities
And Creative To keep them.

I like creative civs because I love to have a culture war with other civs! Although I've never gotten a cultural victory.

 

[cairo140]

You just have to learn how to use the individual traits. You've just gotten used to financial, so you know how to exploit it. Just read up on strategies or just keep at it to do it yourself.

For instance, spiritual trait is a waste if you infrequently switch civics. Organized is a waste if you go free religion- free speech- pacifism- state property- and the other one. Aggressive is useless if you don't attack and expand early and often. Philosophical is useless if you don't go for wonders/GP farms. Just look at your trait and mold a strategy that actually uses it.

 

[Baru]

try organized. it's like financial, except you don't see it on the yeild.

I also find this is true. You may not see the benjamins pouring in, but they are not flying by you in blinding speed.

 

[naterator]

2) To heck with Organized, it's the weak bastard child of Financial. Except at very high levels it does little for you.

maybe you play smaller maps than me. even on standard maps once your empire starts to grow, the fact that organized essentially gives you a free courthouse, and a second at half cost can be huge, your tech will advance at an alarming rate, due to all the money you're saving. it's just a little more subtle because you don't see those big ole moneybags all over the map. financial=winning the lottery
organized=winning free rent
one brings in more money, one keeps the money you already have. both are good.

 

[Pantastic]

Yeah, that's why Washington is such a sick leader even if his UU does come too late in most of my games; he's like that woman in Florida who won the lottery twice.

 

[scooter]

Try the expansive trait, I for one think that thing is sweet- especiallly after the 1.61 patch that upped its health affect.

 

[autocon]

try spiritual and learn to play with the civics - you'll discover a whole new strategy world out there

 

[shivute]

try spiritual and learn to play with the civics - you'll discover a whole new strategy world out there

Totally agree. Currently trying Isabella on Monarch, about 400 points in the lead, took out incas with the conquistador. Togugawas turn next.
Spiritual is superb, no commerce or building turns lost. Build buildings including barracks in times of peace with the 25% decreased time civic, micromanage the building of units, switching to another with one turn left to build and increase the build queues with 1 turn to complete units, then change to the +2 experience civics creating quality units quickly (probably an exploit here?). Change back after the build up. Once you have the basic buildings the Pacifism civic to spawn great people is great. This with representation = wow!
Constant Civic changing is fantastic and Spiritual is easily superior to Financial. However try Mansu! Why do you think most people report that he is the biggest challenge in the end game? It certainly isn't just down to financial.

Quick temples = early priests = great prophets
Add Ankgor Wat wonder = wow!

Quick Monasteries = early culture + 10% science boost.

Also spiritual civs tend to pick up one of the earlier religions, this coupled with the cheap temples etc. Also the culture gain of 1 from having an early religion must not be ignored, very important as it = an obelisk.

I also love that expansive is now 3 health, very important in higher levels for creating big population cities early, match this with the Heriditary Civic = yes you guessed it wow!