Some observations about Prince and other things I've learned from getting my backside

[MrG]

Hello,

I've been repeatedly walloped on Prince recently, having adopted strategies that worked wonderfully well on Noble, and as I'm seemingly well on the way to winning my first game I thought I'd share some of my findings with you.

I don't claim to be an expert, nor do I claim these are going to work brilliantly for everyone, but these seem to work better for me.

1) Pangea is easier than continents you tend to stay in teh tech race rather than being left miles behind

2) Fewer opponents than the default makes life much much much easier (probably really obvious, but presumably if you get used to beating 4 AI players, you can work your way up without throwing in the towel.)

3) Don't trade alphabet ever ever ever ever ever. Let the AI research it if they want to tech trade, if not let them rot in bacwards land while you happily trade away.

I'm playing with Saladin, Frederick, Montezuma and Tokagawa (nice i know) and none of them have bothered to research alphabet yet - result I'm the tech leader and alphabet is no cheaper for any of them to research because I'm the only person with it.

Plus if they want to tech trade, it has to be with me.

4) Use cease fire not peace treaties unless your opponenet is really advanced in which case knock him down to 1 or 2 rubbish cities then grab all his tech in return for peace.

5) Hereditary rule is truly wonderful

6) Research bronze working first then improvement techs don't neglect building your cities and infrastructure.

7) Have an early war, keep all the cities (unless they are truly poor) this helps you keep up with the computers expansion. then use cottage spamming to catch up in the technology stakes

8) Build catapults they are your friend

9) build more catapults

10) remeber catapults

11) beelining to CoL helps

12) Use conquered cities cash to keep your research slider at 100 % if you can

13) Specialise cities have at least two production cities churning out nothing but military units (one should be catapults - have I mentioned them) so you have a big modern powerful military

14) take out an opponent early (in my case montezuma)

 

[Handel]

Actually Prince is quite easy if you follow one simple rule:
Don't research what the AI is researching.

When you start new research there are 2 recommended researches. The Ai always go for those recommended researches. This is hardcoded and the AI don't "think" what it actually needs. So research outside this pattern. Just be sure to have a counter for the AI most advanced attack units.
For example the AI ways go for cavalry and riflemen. Those may look as very dangerous units if you stay behind, but actualy it is not. Instead of investing in the same techs go for Railroad. This way you will have grenadiers (+50% attack vs riflemen), cannons and machine guns. Those 3 units will make you absolutely safe from the AI until you trade your techs for the already old (and cheap) cavalry and riflemen. And in addition you get the railroads which gives production and quick relocation of the units, fregates and ironclads.
Another hardcoded . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . is going for democracy so it can switch to emancipation. Well, you can survive several emancipations so instead go to facism. This way you get The Pentagon wonder, infantry and a free general.
The trade-off you probably will lose The Statue of Liberty.
In the medieval age the AI always go for the knights. Who need knights when there are pikemen?

 

[futurehermit]

good basic tips.

my general tips for noble/prince players is:

1) understand the three facets of bronzeworking: chop-rushing, pop-rushing, axe-rushing

2) cottage spam and don't overexpand until currency-col are online

3) combat anything affecting health and happiness to grow your cities. see my thread on horizontal + vertical expansion