Post Short Single Player Tips Here

[ManOfMiracles]

Some have mentioned that you should only trade advances when you initiate trading and trade the advance to all civs at once. The same applies when you are trading communications. Soak everyone for all their gold, maps, etc. For a real power boost, do this the turn before you finish an advance that will allow you to upgrade units.

Bombers can kill enemy units. Take one enemy city and fill it (re-base) with bombers. If any enemy units are threatening you, bomb them first. Then bomb away at the nearest cities. Once you have killed off all their units in the city, your masses of Ancient Cavalry or Crusader units (rather wimpy for attack at this point in the game) can just walk in and hold the city.

This one probably isn't approved for tournament play: If you know you are going to win the game before you can complete your next advance, set your science slider down to zero and max out your cash. For the remaining turns, pay to build everything that will make your citizens happy. Disband extra units or lolling workers if you are just starting production on an improvement (one unit per improvement is sufficient) so you won't have to pay as much. On the very last playable turn, set the luxury slider to 100%. Your final score will be increased for all your happy citizens. Note, I'm assuming government type of monarchy, democracy or republic here. Haven't tried this with others since you can't pay to complete improvements and rush-building by killing citizens has limitations.

If you have a tech lead, don't even consider using scientific great leaders for anything other than rushing wonders. Building a wonder in one turn gives you that many more turn of increased culture (thereby increasing your territory) and more gold for those wonders that become tourist attractions.

Plant spies when your opponents are in anarchy. You have a much higher success rate!

Attack with your elite forces first. It really stinks to have the last surviving unit in a stack produce a military great leader only to lose it on the enemy's turn when that last unit gets killed off. If the leader is produced early in your turn, you have a chance to either get it to safe ground with an escort, or ensure you will take the enemy city and build an army (and load units into it!!) on that site immediately. Also never trade resources that can be used to build military units to nearby civs, especially the highly warmongering civs since they will build up their military and then capture your resource-controlling cities ASAP to deprive you of the resource.

If you are in a government that rush-builds by killing citizens, use this to rush temples in all cities you capture as soon as you quell resisters. Then either build workers or starve the city down to population of one and it won't culturally revert. While the workers produced are slower (since they are culturally enemy units), they come in handy to repair any roads damaged by the war. I also reduce the population of any city that culturally flips to me to keep it from reflipping.

Do NOT sell your temples if your build the Temple of Artemis or you will have serious regrets when you complete Theology! Research Monotheism first in the Middle Ages, then go for Chivalry and Military Tradition before coming back for Theology so you have plenty of time to build Cathedrals in all your larger cities.

If you are territorially expanding under Republic or Democracy, make certain you have good gold production in addition to cranking out settlers. Pay to rush a temple in each new village on the turn after it is founded to expand the borders ASAP. You can choose to do a library for more culture-per-turn instead of temple (especially if you are a scientific civ other than Babylon as it is cheaper), but temples will keep those distant villages happier.

Don't underestimate the agricultural civ trait. Starting with pottery and the +1 food for your base city square really gives you a settler lead. You also have the leg up on building viable cities in the desert so you have a better chance of getting saltpeter and oil.

 

[brucemo]

Here are some tips that may have already been given, but as is expressed in the title, they are short, so so what:

1) If you are going to devote a city to producing a unit that takes 100 shields, it is much much better to have 100 production per turn in the city than it is to have 95. Likewise, it's pointless to have 105 production in that city. You can fine-tune production in your cities so you have the amount of production you need, and devote the rest to food surplus (or specialists). Failure to do this can cause you to waste a huge percentage of your production.

2) If your veteran unit wins two battles in one turn, it becomes elite, always. Tanks can attack twice per turn. So if someone attacks you with a stack of nonsense, artillery it down, then hit it twice with each tank. Next turn you have a stack of elite units.

bruce

 

[1337]

What's all the stuff about production. I just try to get my cities to survive and then start building things; if it takes 3 turns, i'll build it; if it takes 300 turns i won't. What's with all the micromanaging? It so boring to manage your cities when you could be doing something fun, like raging war.

 

[Diogenes183]

You've probably already noticed that catapults, trebuchet, cannon, and artillery don't have hit points or an experience class (regular, veteran, elite).

So funnel production of these units through cities that don't have barracks. Save your barracks cities for producing normal units that have hit points.

 

[nortyno]

If you are playing a scientific civ you will get a free tech when you enter a new era.

If you choose "What's the big picture" on that new era-screen, you can choose which tech you want to have as your free tech. If you click "Great, let's play the game" the tech you get is random.

If you acquire the last non-optional tech of an era through trade you will not get to choose, I think.

 

[EMan]

If you choose "What's the big picture" on that new era-screen, you can choose which tech you want to have as your free tech. If you click "Great, let's play the game" the tech you get is random.

Welcome to CFC, nortyno

I must be doing something different from you, 'cos I always try for say, Steam Power and I ALWAYS get Nationalism!?

 

[nortyno]

I guess I used up the word "If" in my last post

Well, when I click on "what's the big picture" the technology tree of the new era pops up. I then choose which technology my scientists should research. When I leave that screen, my science advisor pops up in the usual way and asks me what we NOW should research. (And the tech I clicked in the tech tree will not be among those, because now we already know that tech)

I am using patch 1.22 I think, UK-version. Might be that the game behaves differently in other versions.

 

[brucemo]

1) In the trading screen, ask the AI for an impossibly huge amount per turn, like 325325. In the list of things you are asking for, it will not say 325325. The number that you'll see instead appears to be their income per turn. It's hard to know exactly what kind of use can be made of this, but it's still an interesting little exploit.

2) I have no idea why the "ask for a loan of gold" option appears in the trading screen, and why it often does not. But you can still offer gold per turn for the AI's cash even if it doesn't.

bruce

 

[The True Sultan]

Hey theres so many replys i couldent read them all, so i may be repeating a tip BUT.

I play on monarch and find a really good tip in despotism where you can sacrifice pop for production is to, a couple turns before you have pop growth to pop 2 in a city, is to start building a temple. Then as soon as you hit pop 2, buy the temple and it only takes one pop to build it. (it takes 2 pop if you dont start production before you try buy it) Then in 10 turns your cultural borders expand. This way you can space your cities a bit further apart, and have them joined when your borders expand. allowing you to cover more land, with less cities, and also means the evil computer civ's cant build inbetween the 'gaps' in your cities borders.

 

[T-Money]

Quick question: in Conquests, are the things from PTW included like medieval infantry, guerillas, radar towers, ruins etc?

 

[eldar]

Quick question: in Conquests, are the things from PTW included like medieval infantry, guerillas, radar towers, ruins etc?

Yes.

Neil.

 

[Solomwi]

Wow, this thread has some, uhhhhh, interesting perspectives on what works.

Listen to those who advise against setting your first city to build a wonder in 4000 BC.

On choosing a tech before ending the 4000 BC turn: it doesn't matter. When you end the turn, the Science Advisor pops up and asks you for research guidance before beakers and gold get calculated, so either way, you begin researching during the first production phase (still technically 4000 BC).

The one tip I'm surprised not to have seen is this: Use the luxury slider, especially in the early game. Making entertainers removes productive citizens from the workforce. Adjusting the slider pays for itself often with the gold those would-be entertainers bring in by working a tile. Plus you get the food and shields from those tiles to boot.

 

[PRIMEMOVER]

Quickest way to gain the upper hand in any military campaign is to drive to the capital, cutoff all roads to that capital thereby depriving its population of much needed luxuries and resources (because all go through the capital) sending the population into near revolt. Happiness plumets, production plumets, your enemy dies a slow, painful, paralyzed death.

Best way to do this is if you're at equal or superior military strength to your enemy (it also can work if you're inferior, but have the capacity to increase your military might) and to a lesser degree, your rival civs, you sign an ROP, position units (pref. multi-attack units) on the roads and at the start of your turn, pillage all the roads at once so your enemy's capital is instantly isolated. You'll notice the effect within about 5-10 turns as he no longer can produce the units he needs to hold off your assault!

If you can't get an ROP, do it by air...or simply concentrate your fastest units driving at the capital, until by shear numerical superiority, you're able to overcome their defenses and begin pillaging one road at a time!

Sure, you'll take a rep hit, but if you're on equal footing with all other civs military-wise, it won't matter. Happy conquests!

 

[Dragonlord]

Quickest way to gain the upper hand in any military campaign is to drive to the capital, cutoff all roads to that capital thereby depriving its population of much needed luxuries and resources (because all go through the capital) sending the population into near revolt. Happiness plumets, production plumets, your enemy dies a slow, painful, paralyzed death.

Best way to do this is if you're at equal or superior military strength to your enemy (it also can work if you're inferior, but have the capacity to increase your military might) and to a lesser degree, your rival civs, you sign an ROP, position units (pref. multi-attack units) on the roads and at the start of your turn, pillage all the roads at once so your enemy's capital is instantly isolated. You'll notice the effect within about 5-10 turns as he no longer can produce the units he needs to hold off your assault!

While this tactic is undoubtedly effective, it's shunned by all serious Civers... it's called ROP-rape and is forbidden as an exploit in all forms of competition games.. not exactly what one should be touting to new players.

It's like taking candy from a baby - easy to do, but what's the point?

 

[EMan]

While this tactic is undoubtedly effective, it's shunned by all serious Civers... it's called ROP-rape and is forbidden as an exploit in all forms of competition games

The 2 competitive areas here, GOTM & HOF, do NOT forbid ROP-rape!

I'm a Sid-Level HOFer and I wish it was as easy to win as taking candy from a Baby using ROP-rape!

If it's too easy to win, just move up a level or 2!

Dragonlord, if Sid Level's too easy, and I know there are MANY German Sid-Level HOFers, then PLEASE write a Strategy Article for the War Academy (preferably in English)!!?

Changing the subject.....Here's My Tip-Of-The-Day:
To get a FREE tech from a Civ you are about to attack.
Buy the Tech from the AI Civ using Gold-Per-Turn instead of a Lump Sum. Then, commence your attack!

Similarly, if you think the AI is about to attack you (viz. several AI miitary units moving into your territory).....make the same deal and then ask them to move out or Declare War!.....They'll probably Declare War, so the GPT deal is off......IF they don't declare war, you've simply paid "Protection Money"!

 

[Dianthus]

I've got a simple tip. If you're just about to wipe out an AI by capturing more than 1 of his/her remaining cities, try to capture the largest one last. When you capture the last city there will be no resistors, so capturing the largest means less resistors to quell.

 

[PRIMEMOVER]

While this tactic is undoubtedly effective, it's shunned by all serious Civers... it's called ROP-rape and is forbidden as an exploit in all forms of competition games.. not exactly what one should be touting to new players.

It's like taking candy from a baby - easy to do, but what's the point?

Whether you use an ROP to your advantage in this scenario or not, the tactic is still the same and is effective regardless of how fast you isolate the capital. And it's not as simple as you portray it. Tactically, it works, but it doesn't guarantee you an ultimate victory in the game...you still have to execute up to and after the point at which you use it. I don't recommend using it unless you're a sound-enough game player to where you can build numerical superiority before and maintain it afterwards, because it really pisses your opponent AI off and they will come after you.

For those looking for an edge or strategem to put them over the top, this is a legitimate tactic and actually takes more skill and cunning to execute it without an ROP. If I've battled through three civilization eras, overcoming massive built-in Scientific disadvantages, and managed to survive, I think an ROP-rape is well within my right to do so and is hardly more of an exploit than if I pillage an enemy's road to their only oil reserve (not a competition-banned tactic, correct?) and watch my modern armor beat up on their military, devoid of armor and relegated to producing marines and basic infantry!

To those of you just learning the game, this is an example of many tactics and strategies around that some may call exploits, but can be effective in a tactical sense, they hardly ensure victory. Each one allows the player to benefit from the position they've attained before and enhances their ability to excel afterwards (but you still need to know the game well enough to get to that point where these tactics become beneficial).

I appreciate that exploitive viewpoint and can relate to some seeing it as a less-than pure approach to a certain extent, but after watching the AI kick my ass at every level, it's only fitting we have a few cards of our own to play and doesn't in my mind denegrate the overall enjoyment of winning. This game is not easy and becomes more so at every ascending level. That's why those of us on this site would agree that it's the best, if not THE best strategy game ever created.

 

[Corkmaster]

A small micro-management tip. Improving terrain can turn usless cities into productive ones but it takes a long time and every worker movement point counts.
I clear jungle with a stack of workers, but moving them all into a jungle square means they all use a movement point. So I have single workers going ahead preparing roads for the stack.

 

[Prince David]

By the same token, if you're moving a worker into an unconnected plains/grassland tile, have him start with the improvement that will be most benficial first. Need shields? Mine first, road second. Likewise for irrigate. You've already "lost" the movement moving there, best to develop in a way that helps you best first. Don't get stuck in the "roads first" rut. Of course there are plenty of stretegic reasons for roads first . . .

 

[DennisS]

If you have a large jungle area, I have found that it pays to clear a one-tile corridor through the jungle, with a fortress every 3 squares or so along the road.

This works even better when you get railroads....the jungle channels the attack very nicely...and makes it near impossible to outflank your forces.

The military calls this interior lines of communication/control, and is a strategic advantage.