So stuck!

[Panama]

Well, I got to the point I could win the prior level even making silly mistakes so I bumped my difficulty up to Regeant, now I feel like I'm bashing my head against a wall. :\ I've won one game on Regeant, but only because I cowered in a corner, funneled everything into technology and won the space race. Cuturally, militarilly and in every other way, I'm generally losing badly.

Here's generally how my opening strategy has been going, I usually play Ottomans or Americans.

Land grab, but I very quickly get boxed in by the AI. Even trying to get a galley or two doesn't help as the AI seems to have all the coastal territory by the time I look.

Resources: I seem to be missing them.

Military: I'm weak because I was concentrating on grabbing land, building settlers and granaries, a bit of pop rushing granaries and sometimes temples/libraries and my cities are very understaffed with military units.

Science: I'm doing ok generally keeping up with the AI here, but because of my weak condition everyone starts to bully my advances out of me.

I've read some of the strategy articles and they've definitely helped, I'm usually not last place, but somewhere slightly above.

Do I just need to resign myself to fighting the other AI's early on in the game? Or is there some way I can be a builder early in the game and keep on par, or exceed the AI? I always feel like if I get involved in battles, I will fail on the land grabbing, early culture grabbing.

 

[chill888]

I am a builder and consitently win on Emperorer while avoiding wars as much as possible.

Keep reading the strategy threads. THey got me from Monarchy to Emperorer

 

[Masquerouge]

Originally posted by Panama
Military: I'm weak because I was concentrating on grabbing land, building settlers and granaries, a bit of pop rushing granaries and sometimes temples/libraries and my cities are very understaffed with military units.

I usually play on Regent, and I win most of the times, so maybe my advice can help

Do not build granaries in all your cities... Maybe in higher levels it's crucial but certainly not on Regent ! Instead build 1 defensive unit and one offensive unit in every city.

If you're religious, build temples in every city, if you're scientific, build libraries in everey city. If you're Babylon... Usually, play your civ traits ! If you're seafaring build naval units and build cities on coasts, if you're agricultural make sure to have cities on rivers, and so on.

MAKE ROADS EVERYWHERE !

Rush for the Great Library, it will help your science.

Plan your research carefully so there will be times your cities won't have any new improvment to build - use that time to build military units !

Meet other civs soon and trade a lot. Do not hesitate to buy techs you don't have, it's worth it.

Well, these are just hints.

 

[useless]

IM A WEAKLING AND USSALY PLAY ON CHEIFTAIN

 

[useless]

I USSALY BIULD ROADS EVERY WHERE AND GO INSANE ON TRROPS AND OTHER STUFF...

 

[Turner]

Not much I can add to Masquerouge's post, but try and diversify your research from the AI. If you're trying to trade with them, and constantly get the same techs when they do, try going a different route. This will speed up your research via trade, and make you some money too. I generally bee-line to Military Tradition in the Middle Ages, and get a lot of techs the AI doesn't research. So that's one place I generally pull ahead.

@useless -- Dude. . .turn off the caps lock key. No need to shout, we can hear you.

 

[Panama]

Sounds like good advice! Thanks everyone.

What do you do about being boxed in early on, or missing key resources? Trade for 'em?

 

[Mano3]

To add to Masquerouge...

I play all the time on Regent and win a lot. How? By reading the cool stuff in this forum.

A tech tip... Do rush for the Great Library, then, go for Monarchy. For some reason, the AI seems to avoid Polythesim and Monarchy, but will trade you techs for it. Then, I go for Currency and Construction.

Later on, I rush to Military Tradition and go to war with Cavalry. Otherwise, I build and pay off the bully CIVs until I'm powerful to kick their butts later.

 

[America444]

i beleace there's a thread that has the ai's tech priority. i dont have the link or remember the thread but i did copy it down so hear it is

SS Component: 261/turns
Government: 259/turns
Conscription: 259/turns
Mobilization: 259/turns
Defender (no resource): 198
Attacker (no resource): 134
Defender (resource reqd): 70
Naval Transport: 34
Resource: 16
Double Worker Speed: 8
Allows Diplomats: 8
MPPs: 8
ROPs: 8
Alliances: 8
Embargoes: 8
Trade Over Ocean: 8
Wonder: 6
Attacker (resource reqd): 6
Irrigation: 4
No Disease: 4
Trade Over Sea: 4
Bridges: 2
Double Wealth: 2
Map Trades: 2
Communications Trade: 2
Small Wonder: 2
Specialist: 2
Unit (no A/D/NT): 2
Improvement: 2
Recycling: 1
Prec. Bombing: 1
Worker Job: 1
Empty Tech Cost: 256/turns
Optional: divide by 1.5

 

[Sukenis]

Right now, I am playing my last game on regent (goign to monarch after I win) and her is how I play.

My first city builds warriors/scouts until I can build a settler fter hitting size level 3. Those units go explore the world with 1 or two staying around to kill local barbarians (I allways play raging). I will save/reload for goodie huts that a very close to cities/workers. I am doing this very little now, but when I started on regent I always did it.

All new citie then build a temple (or any other building if I do not have cerimonial burial and I switch as soon as I get it). After that they build a settler (is larger enough), worker (if needed), or a barracks (if size will not allow for a settler/worker).

My first and second techs are bronze working of cerimonial burial order depends on my civ).

After the first settler is built, I build a barracks in my caital. After that, I build spearmen until I am big enough to make a settler. I producer workers as needed.

After I have a few cities going, I have cities alternate between building a military unit and then a building. I only build spearmen unit each sity has 2 defenders. After that I will make offenive units.

This starting stratagy has been working well for me.

I do change this around some. If I start on massive flood plains, I will make a settler facotry. If I am on a low growth spot, my capital only makes spearmen.

 

[Panama]

I'm looking at that tech priority listing and can't quite figure out how to make sense of that.

 

[Affirmative]

Originally posted by Panama
I'm looking at that tech priority listing and can't quite figure out how to make sense of that.

Niether can I. Please elaborate America444. Is that like the build priority?

 

[Bloodied66]

What it means is that the AI will take a look at all available techs. It adds up the points for whatever the tech gives, adds the empty tech points, and compares all the numbers. Whichever is highest is the one the AI goes after.

The 'turns' is the number of turns it will take the AI to research it. Since you never really know this in game, you can't quite be sure what it will research next.

For example, iron working is worth 22 + 256/turns, since it gives a resource (16) and an attacker requiring a resource (6) =22, and then the empty tech (256/turns)

Nationalism, on the other hand, has a value of 214 + 774/turns, because of defender no resource (198), embargoes (8), MPP (8), conscription 259/turns, mobilization 259/turn, and empty tech (256/turns)

Remember, if you create mods that change techs, this is the way the AI figures if it is valuable or not