Some Help with adjusting to Monarch and a couple of questions

[Freeman89]

Hi everyone, I am kindda stuck for a long time on playing prince, When I got
Civ 4 I started immediately from warlord and quickly I got to Noble and not a long time passed and I reached Prince, at prince diffuculty I win, barely, depends how the game turns out.
Do you have some tips for me how to play better in prince, and how not get smashed in Monarch?
Another question, How to reach a point in the game when all techs are researched(I mean before the game ends)?, I have never reached that, I usually win my games even before I research Industrialism....
And the last question, How to improve the culture?, after the game when I look at my cultural level it is quite low even I may say very low, I think that is the reason why I can't win sometimes...

 

[Stolen Rutters]

How are you trying to win? That makes all the difference. The higher the level, the more you have to focus.

Culture only helps you win a cultural victory and holds off cultural influence of your neighbors. If you have enough culture to hold your empire in place (as in no vital resources flipping to your neighbors due to lack of cultural influence), you should be fine with any other type of victory and it shouldn't matter how much culture you have.

Researching all the techs doesn't help a cultural victory. You will be able to build all the spaceship parts if you do, but what is the goal of this if you are not trying to win the space race?

Neither of these goals helps with a diplomatic victory or with a domination victory. Focus on a victory condition and you will know what you need to do. All other stuff just slows down progress toward your goal. The same concept works in life, too.

That's all I have.