PLZ help me with my strategy

[sabutai]

hi, i have played a couple games and so far have the basics down

my normal strategy is no matter what civ i quickly go for ironworking and monotheism...my thinking being i wanna see where the iron is to be able to make my second city near it, i do monotheism cuz i wanna found a religion for the perk involved, and i usually get beat to the earlier ones, so i'm stuck with judeism(which isnt a problem as i can get most to convert)

should i not rush these so quickly? i am going purely for score wins, as i am not confident enough to plan a specific path to victory


secondly i have been making my cities all pretty much the same, as i do not know what i should make where, so i tend to just make everything everywhere, should i make my capital city my military city? along what path should i follow here? and generally how many cities should i have, i keep reading that u should have fewer but good cities, whenever it seems i have enough, the adviser is always telling me to build a settler

lastly, i usually have no idea what i am researching, i kinda just wing it, can anybody give me a simple path or goal i should maybe try?


thanks

 

[Nials]

secondly i have been making my cities all pretty much the same, as i do not know what i should make where, so i tend to just make everything everywhere, should i make my capital city my military city? along what path should i follow here? and generally how many cities should i have, i keep reading that u should have fewer but good cities, whenever it seems i have enough, the adviser is always telling me to build a settler

Looking into the articles about city specialization might be a good idea. You should specialize your cities according to need and what the terrain is best suited for.

I could type a long paragraph about specializing but there are already loads of good threads about the subject.

Sisiutil's Strategy Guide for Beginners is a great place to start

You can also try uploading a save for other players to analyse.

 

[oyzar]

sounds like your playing on a relativly low difficulty if your able to get judeaism after ironworking. I would sugest reading through some of sitsuils games(the earlier ones first) and maybe some of aelfs.

 

[sabutai]

i dont know what u mean about getting judeism after ironworking, but i do play on warlord i think its called...its 2 down from prince i think so it is easy level...but i'm a newb

where do i find these games to read?

 

[Bhruic]

Well, some specific advice would be to not go for Iron Working and Monotheism. Going straight for Iron Working is only advantageous if you are Roman (and get the tasty Praetorians), or there is no Copper anywhere around your Capital. Otherwise, if you have Copper, you can stick with it for the time being and research more important techs.

A generally accepted "good default" is to go somewhat straight to Alphabet - this allows you to trade techs with the AI early, when they can't do the same amongst themselves. You can easily (usually) pick up some of the techs that you haven't yet researched.

As for city specialization, that usually depends on the terrain that surrounds your city. If, for example, you are surrounded by Flood Plains, then going for a commerce city would be a good idea - you'd get the commerce bonus from building cottages next to rivers, and you'd have plenty of food to work all the tiles. If, on the other hand, you find yourself surrounded by a lot of hills, it would most likely make sense to make a production city. Make sure you can produce enough food to support the mines around your city, and you should be good.

Another good idea is to post either screenshots or a saved game that you've been playing and people can give more specific advice about that game.

Bh

 

[OTAKUjbski]

secondly i have been making my cities all pretty much the same, as i do not know what i should make where, so i tend to just make everything everywhere, should i make my capital city my military city? along what path should i follow here? and generally how many cities should i have, i keep reading that u should have fewer but good cities, whenever it seems i have enough, the adviser is always telling me to build a settler

Check out the links in my signature. I'm by no means a pro at this game yet, but those articles have helped me tremendously -- especially the city specialization article in the War Academy.

Like Bhruic said, check out the terrain around your city and see what it'll best support.

As far as number of cities, that'll depend a little on the terrain as well, but you can usually make a quick 3 or 4 cities without killing your economy. Most people advise stopping expansion when your :beakers: slider gets to 60%. After Currency & Code of Laws, you can usually double that #.

lastly, i usually have no idea what i am researching, i kinda just wing it, can anybody give me a simple path or goal i should maybe try?

At Warlord difficulty, you can do that and get away with it. Especially when you start getting up around Prince / Monarch, you have to focus more.

My rule of thumb (which seems to be working so far at Prince) is to research only what I need and Bee-lining Alphabet / Currency / Code of Laws. If your city starts next to Rice or Wheat -- Agriculture. If your Unique Unit requires Horses -- Animal Husbandry so you can see 'em. Likewise with Fishing, Bronze Working & Iron Working.

A generally accepted "good default" is to go somewhat straight to Alphabet - this allows you to trade techs with the AI early, when they can't do the same amongst themselves. You can easily (usually) pick up some of the techs that you haven't yet researched.

Trading with the AI also serves the very important purpose of making friends. I used to think trading with the AI was counter-productive, but the enemy of your enemy is your friend. If you trade with everybody or don't trade with anybody, you'll quickly become everybody's enemy.

My own advice (take it with a grain of salt): Don't underestimate the power of Slavery and chop-rushing. I used to avoid both of them but quickly learned that an otherwise mediocre city can be quickly turned into a monster with proper application of the axe and the whip.

 

[sabutai]

thanks guys, this has helped alot

i still dont understand about hills etc and what to build regarding topography, but your replies have helped me greatly.

many thanks, and if anybody has some good advice please feel free to drain my cup full of nubsauce

i really am starting to enjoy this game, while it lacks the great battle gameplay of the total war series (which i have been a loyal customer for 7 years) it blows it away in compexity and enjoyment. i just hope i can wrap my feeble mind around this engrossing game to enjoy it to its full potential, which shouldnt be a problem with helpful folks like you

 

[Aseon]

In case nobody has mentioned it yet, check out Sisiutil's ALC (All, Leader's Challenge) series. Just look for a post from him and he'll have links to them in his signature. Just by reading the advice given and discussions about what to do next I've moved up 2 difficulty levels.

Also, read the articles in the War Acadamy. There's a link to it on the main page. There's a ton of great info in there.

 

[OTAKUjbski]

i still dont understand about hills etc and what to build regarding topography, but your replies have helped me greatly.

many thanks, and if anybody has some good advice please feel free to drain my cup full of nubsauce

I might add nubsauce to your cup every once-in-a-while, but I have a decent grasp on this one.

Your manual and big tech tree poster outline this very well, but here's the basics:

Base Terrain - Every tile has a basic land type, which cannot be altered. Each type of terrain gives a certain base amount of food/hammers/commerce to the tile:

Coast, Desert, Grassland, Snow, Ocean, Peak, Plains, Tundra​

Terrain Features - Most tiles also have a particular surface feature relative to climate, many of which can be altered. Each type of feature adds or takes away a certain amount of food/hammers/commerce from the tile:

Fallout, Floodplains, Forest, Hills, Ice, Jungles, Oasis, River​

Resources - Some tiles contain natural resources usually relative to the Terrain Feature. Resources must be properly improved to gain maximum benefit from them. Each type of resource adds a certain, base amount of food/hammers/commerce to the tile:

Deer, Fur, Ivory, Rice, Wheat, Copper, etc. (I believe there are 32 in total).​

Improvements - Your Workers build improvements throughout the game to increase a tile's amount of food/hammers/commerce generated from working it and to gain access to special resources. Only one type of improvement can exist at any give time; while present, each type of improvement adds a certain amount of food/hammers/commerce to the tile:

Certain improvements can only be built in the presence of a particular Terrain, Feature or Resource (such as Whaling Boats on Whale).

Jungles must always be removed before its tile can be improved.

Forests are removed to make way for improvements except where Lumbermills and Camps are concerned.

Camp, Cottage, Farm, etc. (I think there are 14 of these in all).​

--------

There are hundreds of possible combinations of the 4 tile qualities, so I'll only go through one concerning hills:

Let's start with a basic Terrain type, like a Grassland. Working a grassland tile gives 2 food.

Add a Hill to it. Hills remove -1 food but add +1 hammers .

So a Grassland Hill produces 1, 1

The three improvements you're most likely to see on a hill are: Mine (+2 hammers ), Windmill (+1 food, +1 commerce) and Cottage (+1 commerce).

So your total for a: Mined Grassland Hill = 1, 3 ... Windmilled Grassland Hill = 2, 1, 1 ... Cottaged Grassland Hill = 1, 1, 1

Please note that Windmills and Cottages get better with certain technologies and civics ... after a Cottage matures into a Town, it has the capability of producing +1 hammers, +7 commerce!

Let's go back and say there's Copper on the Grassland hill also. Unimproved Copper adds +1 hammers, so a Grassland Hill w/ Copper produces 1, 2

A Copper Mine (also, Iron, Coal & Aluminum Mine) increases production by +3 hammers (instead of just +2 hammers for a 'normal' mine). So a Mined Grassland Hill w/ Copper produces 1, 5.

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99 times out of 100, if you have a resource on a tile, build the improvement necessary to acquire it.

For everything else, build based on what you need. You might have a Mined Desert Hill pumping out 4 hammers, but if you don't have enough food on your other tiles to work it, who cares? You'll be better off with a Windmill you can work than a Mine you cannot.

One last note on improvements, build based on your city type, too. If you want to make a production city, you usually want a lot of Mines, Lumbermills, Watermills and Workshops (not to mention metals like Copper, Iron or Aluminum). If you want a commerce city, you usually want to see Windmills and Towns (not to mention luxuries like Gold, Gems or Incense). If you're making a specialist / GP city, you usually want a lot of Windmills and Farms (not to mention food like Fish, Pigs, or Wheat).


I hope that makes sense and helps ...

 

[Sisiutil]

In case nobody has mentioned it yet, check out Sisiutil's ALC (All, Leader's Challenge) series. Just look for a post from him and he'll have links to them in his signature. Just by reading the advice given and discussions about what to do next I've moved up 2 difficulty levels.

Also, read the articles in the War Acadamy. There's a link to it on the main page. There's a ton of great info in there.

I like to be obliging when I'm complimented.

 

[r_rolo1]

Sabutai, there's one thing you didn't mention... What leaders and civs do you use? You should already know this, but there there are better strategies for each and every one civ and leader that won't fit as well at others. For example, if you start with Misticism, you have a good chance of founding a early religion if you want to, or if you're Egyptian, maybe research Animal husbandry for a War Chariot rush.... If you use a standart "program" for all civs and leaders, you most probably aren't using that civ full potencial

 

[sabutai]

i normally just do random, but i quit if i get someone i REALLY dont like, thanks again for the replies guys

is the more coins a tile has the better for building a cottage? or does it not matter?

also why does all the water tiles have 3 coins, dont boats just give you fishes?

 

[r_rolo1]

is the more coins a tile has the better for building a cottage? or does it not matter?

Remember always you have a limited number of citizens in each city. Because of that is better to maximize the profit ( in hammers, gold coins and bread slices) for each and every square, and normally this implies that is better to put a hammer generator in a already hammer-rich square, a food generator in a already food-rich square, and, of course, a money generator in a already money-rich square. In short words, yes, normally is better to put a cottage in a square with some coins already.

 

[sabutai]

ok thanks alot

 

[Nials]

Remember always you have a limited number of citizens in each city. Because of that is better to maximize the profit ( in hammers, gold coins and bread slices) for each and every square, and normally this implies that is better to put a hammer generator in a already hammer-rich square, a food generator in a already food-rich square, and, of course, a money generator in a already money-rich square. In short words, yes, normally is better to put a cottage in a square with some coins already.

Indeed!

Put in other words, it's important to maximize the commerce, food and production each citizen gives you. There's not much point in emphasizing growth if you don't have any tiles worthy of working.