Raising the bar - Moving upward in Level, Searching for Tips

[GenMarshall]

I have been Playing Monarch and Emperor for a while, and I beleve it is time for me to raise the bar a bit. Onething that comes to my mind is:

Are there any Deity Tips and Strategy out there?

If there are, can you please post the tip or a link here for referance.

Thanks,
CivGeneral

 

[Shillen]

Really it's just the same tactics you use in emperor, but with a much greater attention to detail. Micromanagement, checking diplomacy every turn. Cracker's Opening Plays site still applies 100%. Bamspeedy's tutorial on Babylon's Deity Settlers is good. Shadow the SG deity games. Read gotm qsc's for some of the better players.

And...practice. I've played many deity games through the middle ages now. I usually stop there and start a new game. Each time I get better and better. I'll be closer on techs in the middle age, I'll be stronger militarily, I'll have more territory, etc. Really the start is all that matters. If you can get yourself well into the middle ages and you're still competetive then winning the game shouldn't be too hard. Of course I haven't beaten a deity game yet, because I always restart. But from my experience on lower levels, the ancient and middle ages are the key to winning.

 

[Sirp]

Shillen: It may be the same set of tactics you use on emperor....depending on what you use on emperor. Many tactics that work well on emperor are not scalable to Deity at all. Things like relying on getting the Pyramids and/or Great Library, which you can be 90+% sure of securing on Emperor, you just can't be sure of getting at all on Deity.

The research/don't research balance is also far different, and if you rely on an early rush, particularly with units like Jags or War Chariots, you'll find that it's much much harder on Deity, perhaps so much so to make the tactic obsolete.

Also, checking diplomacy every turn is far from necessary on Deity. I only do it at times when a crucial trade coming up soon is imminent. Otherwise it's just tedious, and who wants to play a game in a way that is tedious?

-Sirp.

 

[Shillen]

Also, checking diplomacy every turn is far from necessary on Deity. I only do it at times when a crucial trade coming up soon is imminent. Otherwise it's just tedious, and who wants to play a game in a way that is tedious?

I have to strongly disagree to this. If you aren't checking diplomacy nearly every turn, then you miss out on a great deal of trade opportunities. You have no way to know when crucial trades are coming up. You don't know when the AI is going to research a new tech, or when a civ is going to trade for one. If you don't pay close attention to the diplomacy then the AI's are going to trade around on their own. There are times when I don't check the diplomacy screen, and a civ I was even with all of a sudden jumps up 4 techs on me and are at tech parity with the leader. If I had intercepted them when they got 1 or 2 techs higher than me, I could have done some brokering to leverage myself upward. But since I waited for them to trade around and reach tech parity on their own I have very little chance to do so myself.

As for your other comments. I guess I never relied on the Great Library. I've always viewed it as a crutch and my leg is far from broken. I can't say I ever used early rush strategies either.

 

[BillChin]

I am making a similar transition. After getting pottery, research is often 0%. Checking the trade screen every turn is good idea. In Civ III 1.29 buying workers for about 30 gold is a great bargain. At the 80 gold price in PTW, one or two may be useful. Buying a newly discovered tech before that civ trades it to everyone else is one way to keep up in tech. A player can sell the bought tech for other techs and/or gold. Early exploration and liberal use of the luxury slider help.

Military rush strategies are much tougher on Deity. A mass upgrade of warriors to swordsmen is still effective, but unless done very early (1500 BC), a lot of them (like 20) are needed for an effective offensive. Some players attack with archers before the AI can hook up their iron. Some players use the scout resource denial exploit (planting scouts on top of iron).

The mid-game is perhaps a more difficult transition for Emperor and Monarch level players. On lower levels, after a second successful war, the game is usually won and a player can go to cruise control. Not so on Deity.
+ Bill

 

[Cartouche Bee]

My best tip for deity? Play the map and situation, rather than try to approach the game with a preconceived method of play.

 

[jack merchant]

Another tip: Persevere. No matter how bad things may look, good luck and solid trading will go a long way in getting you back in the game.

 

[GenMarshall]

On the topic of Deity Stragities: What are the Best civs to play with on that level? I know it is an Expantionist Civ but I would like to hear some opinions.

 

[Sirp]

Shillen: if there is a civ that is behind and when they start moving up the tech tree you have a brokering opportunity, then absolutely, check with them every turn. In other circumstances, like if you manage to get a monopoly on a tech, and you want to trade it at the first good chance possible, then yes you check every turn. And in several other circumstances. But I think it's a mistake to think that you have to always check every rival every turn.

Orginally posted by Shillen
As for your other comments. I guess I never relied on the Great Library. I've always viewed it as a crutch and my leg is far from broken. I can't say I ever used early rush strategies either.

Sure, from your original post it sounds like your Emperor strategies are scalable to Deity. But many player's strategies aren't. At one stage I used to rely on an early warrior gambit on Monarch. That for instance is clearly just not going to work on either Emperor or Deity. I think it's possible to be able to convincingly defeat Emperor, and yet have a set of strategies which just won't work at all on Deity; that's all I'm saying.

CivGeneral: All the civs are good. The clearly best trait is Industrious - Expansionist is only a true standout trait on a huge map. Pick any Industrious civilization and you will do well, although I wouldn't advise Carthage. Yes, lots of players say Numidian Mercenaries are a good UU. I believe most of these same players typically play between Warlord and Monarch.

-Sirp.

 

[anarres]

CivGeneral, if you don't mind a little fighting I'd recommend the Chinese for a solid civ.

Military isn't a half bad trait, I have grown fonder of it over time. More chances of making elite units, so more chances of leaders and hence armies. Armies get blitz, so with move 3 Riders they can be unstoppable.

One thing that you find on Deity is that the AI will expand at an unbeliveable rate. They get 2 settlers and that really makes it tough to begin. Don't be put off by only having 5 or 6 cities when the AI each have 10, and remember to focus your resources.

As for trade, it is more important than ever. Whilst I don't think checking every turn is necessary to win, it does make a huge difference over time.

 

[Eric Lion]

CivGeneral,

I've travelled a similar road.

My Emporer games were becoming predictable. I should add that I'm a little addicted to the Germans and only really shoot for Domination or Conquest victories (leaving the other conditions switched on for the challenge of spoiling a rivals Diplo or SS move.)

Anyway, I've recently switched to Deity and see some patterns emerging.

1) Granary rush and early micro-management to combat the AI initial rush - I replayed the GOTM14 a number of times to 1000 BC to fine-tune my approach, Bamspeedy and Zachriel posted great accounts of their games.

2) Picking early fights to weaken neighbours and gain FP or other early key wonders.

3) A rush for artillery - I may well be using this as a crutch. Moonsinger's article in the War Academy gave me a great start.

4) Pillaging and resource/denial plays leading to a late game conquest.

I guess the 3 areas that still give me the most problems are:

- Research at 10%/lone scientist buy your techs approach. Noone seems to trade with me and my QSC tech showings are very poor.

- Build strategies. I tend to build the sames items in every city. The experts seems a lot more selective.

- Tech tree. The cause/effect of the tech tree/wonder cascades often catches me out.

Good luck. Be good to hear how you get on.

Eric Lion.

 

[test_specimen]

Do you trade Communications in Deity? I'm not sure what is better, to have two civs, that cannot trade for some turns, or just some more trades. Usually I decide they will find each other sooner or later, so I trade them. But recently I felt this might not be the best to do...

 

[Meisier]

The longer you can keep AI seperate from each other the more you'll get for your trades. One way to stay in the game in Diety in ancient and first half of middle ages is to have contacts on the neigboring contennt (a little luck with your galley's) and NOT trade those contacts under almost any circumstances to those on your contenant. Of course this dosn't apply to Pagonea maps. How much the AI thinks your offer is worth is directly related to how many civs that he has contac with has what ever it is. Conversly what ever an AI will demand a lot less for a tech if You have several contacts that have that tech - even if he dosn't have contact with the AI that has that tech...

So... in the early game I only trade maps from the other continits with the AI's on my contanent, and wait to trade contacts untill they can travel the ocean and make contact. Its not just about denying AI's to trade between each other... !!!

 

[tao]

I'm just doing my 1st deity game (having not lost any game on lower levels). Based on what I read, I abandoned my prefered builder style and was much more war mongering. Playing Persia, I researched iron working full speed, afterwards I only did minimum research. Immortals and knights (tech progress really is amazing on deity) gave me the power to succeed. I never was more than 2 techs behind and scientific gave me a free tech first in each new age. This always gave me good trading opportunities.

I did not even try to build early wonders. Sun Tzu was build by a GL and helped a lot in conquering "my" continent.

Towards the end of the Middle Ages I built libraries and universities, was first to have steam, and was ahead ever since. ToE and Hoover helped to ensure leadership. Having now all the techs up to synthetic fibres, I intend to finish by conquest or domination.

 

[Tacit_Exit]

I'm playing my first serious Deity game atm, and discovered something I didn't realize; if you capture the Great Library you get tech parity BEYOND education (assuming you don't have Edu. yet).

I captured it and got Invention, Gunpowder, Education, Banking, Chemistry, Printing Press, Democracy and Economics!

Almost wished I'd waited a little longer (I was doing single scientist research at the time).