The way I play now

[LordTightPants]

I always play on Epic, Continents Plus, sometimes Fractal....Large map reduced to 8 players and 8 City-States I turn off the Time vic condition, leave the rest....I used to play on King and Emperor, post patch on Prince for now. I always finish a game late late evening, except if there's no hope to win, then I start a new one. I love to hear the Battleship "blast" with a nice pair of headphones on my Laptop. Sounds like it changes someone's day ) Being Naval oriented, I try to build many coastal cities and park a big bad Battleship in them )

 

[Gucumatz]

If you all get a chance try out multiplayer - never a dull moment if you join a group like civplayers or [No Quitters]. Or if you don't have time for all out sessions join Giant Multi Death Robot games and meet new people there. Civ 5 was meant to be played with people - do it

 

[Zaimejs]

Multiplayer scares me. People who do that are probably really good. I imagine it would be like my Warcraft III multiplayer experience where I'd be building a barracks, and then my opponent would show up with dragons and 40 monsters and wipe me out... and I'd be like Luke Skywalker screaming, "That's not possible!!!" while I watched my village burn.

In Civ it would look like this. I'm building my first monument, and then I get the message that "The Great Library has been completed" ... then there is a frigate at my door, and I am all like "That's not true!"

 

[Gucumatz]

Multiplayer scares me. People who do that are probably really good. I imagine it would be like my Warcraft III multiplayer experience where I'd be building a barracks, and then my opponent would show up with dragons and 40 monsters and wipe me out... and I'd be like Luke Skywalker screaming, "That's not possible!!!" while I watched my village burn.

In Civ it would look like this. I'm building my first monument, and then I get the message that "The Great Library has been completed" ... then there is a frigate at my door, and I am all like "That's not true!"

Well this might be true actually - But not everyone who plays in the multiplayer groups are pros. Just find other noobs and make alliances with them. And losing/fighting/playing against the best helps you learn as well. Every time I lose I learn something and probably something more than when I win.