Struggling on Noble

[Foxile]

Hi All

I'm not new to Civ ( started with Civ 3, so still a newbie compared to some of the 'old timers' ), but for some reason I'm really struggling on Noble level.

I can't seem to find a balance between keeping the marauding neighbours from trying to kick my ass and making sure I advance in tech, so I have a chance of winning the Space Race.

If I go all out for military, my neighbours don't seem so keen on invading me, but I'm still messing about with Red Coats ( I always play as England ), while the other civs are battling over aluminium to build their rockets !

If I go for the science/culture route, invariably one of my neighbours will invade and destroy everything !

I've tried changing my state religion to match my nearest neighbour, but that just pi**es off someone else, who comes over and gives me a kicking.

Don't even get me started on in game video bugs Galleon full of workers sent to new island I've discovered...worker put ashore before the galleon has even moved etc etc etc.


Any suggestions please??

 

[Dragonlor]

Try posting a save of your empire in either the middle or latter stages of the game. This will allow people to examine exactly what you are doing.

 

[rabottens]

I always disable exchange tech option so the ai can't trade amongst themselves. It keeps the playing field more level. Build plenty of science improvements and you should be close to the top if not at the top.

 

[Foxile]

There's an idea, Dragonlor. I'll start a game now......

 

[Willowmound]

I have a suggestion. Maybe, in between focusing either on military or tech, you forget to get your economy up to scratch. Try focusing on getting currency quickly and build marketplaces everywhere. Repeat with guilds for grocers and banking for banks. More money will give you more research, allow greater armies and basically enable you to win the game!

 

[gunnergoz]

I play Epic Noble on large Terra worlds; I too turn off tech trading; I focus upon getting a site early on with stone or marble and I alternately build wonders, settlers and units, more or less. You have to keep the barbarians at bay and don't lose hope when they tear up your first improvements; get through that then go for their towns and goodie huts. Remember that posting a few cheap scouts at the periphery of your cities will give you lots of advance notice of barbarians coming your way, and you can shuttle your reserves around to meet them. Try to get religion early since the organized religion civic will help your cities build up improvements. Keep your cities well occupied with troops 4-6 units apiece and the AI civs will usually respect your strength. Don't outgrow your ability to pay for new cities since that will really kill off your ability to fund technology research.

 

[Dragonlor]

I always disable exchange tech option so the ai can't trade amongst themselves. It keeps the playing field more level.

Actually, tech trading is to the human players advantage, especially as you move up in difficulty levels. Human players can out-trade the AI by researching key techs and aggresively trading them to the right opponents for the most gain. While the AI gains techs by trading as well, they are far less capable at making technological leaps in this manner. I've turned entire games around (in my favor) by tech trading.

 

[rabottens]

In the more advanced levels my opponents won't trade squat with me. And in multiplay forget it only thing we exchange are military casulties. In solo play I allow trading because it can be beneficial. Building a good civ though requires a balance of all things. I prefer to specialize my cities for science, production, capitalization, culture etc. Without good balance you can easily fall behind in multiple areas.

 

[opticaljim]

Noble is the level I play and it took me a few games to catch on to how to compete with the AI.

If you are falling behind in the tech race then you are probably expanding too quickly. New cities cost mucho. The early "land grab" method of Civ III won't work in Civ IV. Developing a successful Civ in this game requires more balance.

First, research your Civ and it's needs as well as it's advantages. If you are playing as the English then you can use the financial trait to build banks at half price. With Victoria you get granaries and harbors at half price and with Elizabeth you get universities as half price as well as a 100% increase in GP production. These buildings should be in each and every possible city. Your starting techs in fishing and mining mean a short jump to sailing and masonry.

You should strongly consider starting an a great wonder as soon as you've built your 2nd city. Also, building a worker as soon as possible is a priority.

Here is a combination of production and research that seems to work for me on this level.

Production:

1. worker
2. warrior
3. warrior
4. settler
5. Stonehenge or Oracle.

Techs

1. wheel
2. agriculture
3. animal husbandry
4. mysticism
5. masonry
6. hunting
7. archery
8. writing

The first three techs insure that your very important first worker will have something to do. Early food resources are a must. Also, if there is stone or marble in the area then it's devlopment will coincide with the building of your first wonder.

A very successful strategy of mine is to build the Oracle. With Writing already out of the way I can use the free tech for Alphabet, typically becoming the first Civ to have it. Now I can trade with all previously discovered Civs and none of them can trade with each other. Naturally, you will find that some will trade and some won't.

In an island scenario with no neighbors you may want to adjust the strategy by making a beeline to optics and coinciding that with alphabet.

A bonus is to found a religion but if you can't then you may want to consider adopting the religion of a contiguous neighbor. At the very least he'll be more apt to trade with you and less apt to declare war on you.

The trick is to keep your tech research investment at 90-100%. If it falls below then it's an indication that you should be building markets, grocers, and banks and not expanding with additional cities.

 

[Renata]

Noble isn't all that hard, so it sounds like you're just having a difficult time finding a good balance. Try a middle path for a game or two. Establish a military and use it, but don't overextend yourself. Try a pillaging war or three instead of going all out to conquer anyone -- hurt your neighbors while taking very few losses yourself and gaining some cash that you can turn into faster research.

 

[Foxile]

Thanks for the tips, so far, guys.

I think of you have hit the nail on the head in that I'm still stuck in the Civ 3 'land grab' mentality andtrying to expand very quickly ( extra research with each new city in Civ 3, wasn't it ? ).

Looks like I need to re-read the manual...I'll try and post a saved game soon...

 

[warpstorm]

Production:

1. worker
2. warrior
3. warrior
4. settler
.
.
.

I humbly disagree. I find this stifles your initial city's growth too much for my taste.

I prefer (the exact order may vary based on the tech and map I start with)

1. scout (or warrior if you must - if this is the case research hunting)
2. scout
3. barracks (or a few more scouts if they got et)
(by this time you are probably at 3+ pop and can start to crank out the worker and settler)
4. warrior
5. worker
6. settler

 

[Artanis]

Hi All

I'm not new to Civ ( started with Civ 3, so still a newbie compared to some of the 'old timers' ), but for some reason I'm really struggling on Noble level.

I can't seem to find a balance between keeping the marauding neighbours from trying to kick my ass and making sure I advance in tech, so I have a chance of winning the Space Race.

If I go all out for military, my neighbours don't seem so keen on invading me, but I'm still messing about with Red Coats ( I always play as England ), while the other civs are battling over aluminium to build their rockets !

If I go for the science/culture route, invariably one of my neighbours will invade and destroy everything !

I've tried changing my state religion to match my nearest neighbour, but that just pi**es off someone else, who comes over and gives me a kicking.

Don't even get me started on in game video bugs Galleon full of workers sent to new island I've discovered...worker put ashore before the galleon has even moved etc etc etc.


Any suggestions please??

Are you specializing your cities? Having one max-hammer city pumping out troops and one max-commerce city rolling in dough is a lot more powerful than having 2 cities that are mediocre at both.

 

[warpstorm]

Are you specializing your cities? Having one max-hammer city pumping out troops and one max-commerce city rolling in dough is a lot more powerful than having 2 cities that are mediocre at both.

Especially if that max-hammer city specialized in buildings and wonders that give combat bonuses.

 

[Foxile]

Are you specializing your cities? Having one max-hammer city pumping out troops and one max-commerce city rolling in dough is a lot more powerful than having 2 cities that are mediocre at both.

I didn't even know you could do this. I really need to go back and READ the manual,

 

[karadoc]

I usually build warriors until population 2, then a worker, then warriors/archer/barracks until population 3, then settler. After that it depends on the situation..

 

[EdwardTking]

Don't forget to build Cottages.

Notwithstanding its less than salubrious alternative meanings,

Cottaging

is the way to go to generate Cash in Civ IV,
and is much faster than building Banks.

 

[bonscott]

I humbly disagree. I find this stifles your initial city's growth too much for my taste.

I prefer (the exact order may vary based on the tech and map I start with)

1. scout (or warrior if you must - if this is the case research hunting)
2. scout
3. barracks (or a few more scouts if they got et)
(by this time you are probably at 3+ pop and can start to crank out the worker and settler)
4. warrior
5. worker
6. settler

Pretty close to what I do so far that I've found works on Noble. I usually build:

1. Warrior
2. Scout or Warrior
3. Usually Settler as I'm at size 2 by now
4. Barracks
5. Worker

This gets me my second city usually before the AI. Sometimes I'll swap the worker and barracks if I have the techs to use the worker yet but usually not. But it really all depends on what resources I have and such.

My problem is usually starting the land rush a bit too late after the AI's have done it. I'm switching my strat to build up an early Sword/Axe rush and take my next few cities from the nearest neighbor and knock them out if I can. I have found however that someone you smack down early (especially if you take their capitol) are usually my best buds the rest of the game. Weird how that works out, they become my personal city state.

 

[Adam7Eight]

I have found however that someone you smack down early (especially if you take their capitol) are usually my best buds the rest of the game. Weird how that works out, they become my personal city state.

I'm going to have to start declaring more early wars then.



My usual start is similar to you guys as well.

1. Scout (or Warrior)
2. Scout (or Warrior)
3. Barracks
4. Warrior (or Archer)
5. Warrior (or Archer)
6. Settler
7. Worker

But then again it really depends on the Civ I'm playing as. Most of the time I'll go after a religion so I could hold off a bit on building a worker, unless I automatically start with The Wheel, in which case I'll get one out sooner than normal. One thing I have learned though, is to get those defensive city units out ASAP. I've been knocked around early in several games where I refused to build up my military so I could get that temple or that next settler out. Not anymore.

 

[MikeH]

Personally I've found starting with a worker, researching BW and chop rushing the first 2 settlers works fine on Noble and Prince. You need to start building military after that as human barbs start appearing about then.