Stepping up from King

[Adooombray]

@Adooombray 4 cities at the start may be all you need from the AI. The more the better of course but you can still get to 15-20 total cities only taking 4-5 from AI and city states. That's more than enough to win a science victory pre turn 250 on Immortal/Deity (standard speed). The Science compendium topic is a great place to visit. GP projects are huge for flying through the Great People in the latter half of the game to speed up victory.

I did finish with around 20 cities but the winner - China, if that matters - had the satellite up, and was halfway through the second bar, while I still had like 14 turns left on spaceports. I hadn't anticipated how much the December patch increased the production cost of those buildings. So, what you're saying is, the way to compensate for that is to generate GP for their unique abilties to rush the project? I was pretty well disciplined with only focusing on Industrial and Commercial projects throughout the entire empire, the only thing I can think of doing wrong in terms of that was maybe I didn't add housing quick enough to have citizens generated to work production tiles.

I suppose going Gandhi on China and leaving a nuclear wasteland where their spaceports used to be was an option too but at that point in the game my military probably wasnt strong enough to handle the consequences of giving the entire world Cassus Belli

 

[Victoria]

Personally I'm not keen on Warriors, which are weak and slow; ....

True but fast to build and 2 warriors will ZOC an early city meaning it does not heal

 

[The Highwayman]

Yes GS like Carl Sagan and the +100% production towards space parts guy (2 GS after Sagan) will build more than 3 of the ships by themselves without any added production from your city. That doesn't include any Engineers or the other scientists that may help. Move all trade routes to your production city and run them internally or externally with the +5 production card max production.

The growth and housing management comes earlier mid game, and neighborhoods open things up tremendously, but not always needed. I assume you're using Rationalism civic card to max science. Also, Albert Einstein is a modern scientist that provides +4 science to universities and becomes +8 science per city with rationalism. He's easy to get too, unlike Adam Smith who almost never appears in my games anymore due to flying through eras. Too bad.

 

[ShinigamiKenji]

True but fast to build and 2 warriors will ZOC an early city meaning it does not heal

Besides, what other melee unit can be built before Spearmen (ugh) and Chariots? And that don't almost sacrifice itself to take a city?

 

[Adooombray]

Besides, what other melee unit can be built before Spearmen (ugh) and Chariots? And that don't almost sacrifice itself to take a city?

In my case, I needed them to set a screen against the other guys warriors and horsemen so my archers could fire away without needing to waste a turn of "soft siege" killing incoming defenders

 

[The Highwayman]

Warriors aren't great but I build an extra 1-2 in case one of them gets killed in action I can still take the city.

 

[Victoria]

I have just finished my third game on Emporer where I only had 2 cities at turn 50 and 4 at turn 100. All 3 won but one was close. All never included declaring war nor taking a city and were played as England for cultural but england is not top tier cultural anyway. I only used Industrial zones in one of the games the first where I realised they are no biggie and just slowed development for some speed later. They probably are still useful but the key differences to other games were

I finished each era civic and tech before moving era, yes including machinery.
I got that first settler out and developed both cities a lot before moving on to 3&4 so I had a capital with most districts.
I beelined campus and encampment and commercial and placed each when possible but did not finish immediately (it fixes the cost)
I naturally had a delegation with each civ as soon as possible and used autocracy as gorgo next to me had autocracy (no big sacrifice that early) as an example of being nice to neighbours. Yes they declared on me half heartedly, it helps having the nieghbouring CS on side using good CS skills.

At 100 just spread overseas and there was lots of land, grabbes the juicy spare luxuries, became favourite trade parter and with a few museums it was done.

I think what really helps here is keeping level tech wise and then pushing theatre projects at about 120. I loved all the GS I got, made it a nicer game. I did not have a harbour until 110 so was in effect not using anything English until then.

It sort of feels like if you do not expand then the AI does not expand. Regardless it seemed to work nicely amd I really enjoyed the change from sprawl to develop.

 

[gimper42]

When in doubt, make another warrior.

 

[Victoria]

When in doubt, make another warrior.

I made a warrior carpet once. It seemed to stop declarations.