Tips for Emperor level?

[vmxa]

It is not easy to be first to Philo with 30 rivals. If there are huts in the game, some AA techs will pop and the race will be short, especially if those better nations are in contact. If you learned a gov tech prior to Philo, you probably will miss out. If you switch before Philo, you will surely miss out.

 

[Kaidonni]

I have earlier saves, and I could test to see if going for Code of Laws then Philosophy would have worked better. My main concern, though, is the War Weariness. Is it only per war, and if you make peace, things all clear up? Or is it if you start another war with anyone too soon after (they start one with you), it can come back quicker and harder? I mean, I could do some trading of Map Making and Philosophy, get Polytheism (trade that when I can), research Monarchy, and then trade that around (that ought to be a nice expensive tech the AIs will pay myriad other techs for).

I'm definitely getting ahead. Only second to the Byzantines in Score, although the Aztecs have the highest Culture so far.

EDIT: 1525BC...might go for researching Monarchy. Got Philosophy, Code of Laws, and Polytheism from the AI, did trading. Think I gave some of them Map Making. I figure that techs like Monarchy are expensive enough to trade for other techs, and should the AI research Construction or Currency, I can give them Monarchy for that. I can even get Republic, possibly. I dunno. Just that I can research my government tech now if I want...and since as it's one of the more expensive techs, it ought to give me leverage when after the last three or so techs needed to leave the AA (I assume the techs with the stop sign are not necessary, so it leaves me with Construction and Currency as needed, and Monarchy, Republic and Literature as optional).

Building a Temple at Cherbourg (want to expand to get Fish and other sea squares), got a Harbour there. Harbouring Brest, built on the tile where Heliopolis once was, and putting one in Bayeux, should allow me to move Iron to the mainland and Ireland, and my Wines back to Ireland and the British Isles. Might be useful to Temple or, later if I can, Library Rouen (built one tile south-east of where Thebes once stood) so I can use as many squares as possible for that one settlement. Made peace with Egypt, don't want Elephantine (cultural border expansion being the reason, would make that settlement useless, plus it's only 1-pop anyway). War with India might be more fruitful if I secure myself against any possible Egyptian or Incan invasion (the Incas are on Iberia, and Egypt...well, better safe than sorry). I'm the strongest nation in military terms (I'm told I have a strong military compared to all other civs I have encountered thus far).

 

[Spoonwood]

Usually a fair number of AIs research Monarchy ASAP. For Construction/Currency/Monarchy, Currency usually comes as the unfavored tech.

 

[Kaidonni]

I've got to be careful because not many AIs seem to have Polytheism, and some have both Philosophy and Code of Laws, making me think they'll go for Republic. I suppose I could go for Currency, though, because right now, Despotism is giving me more maintenance per unit, and I'm physically the most powerful. I could afford to not switch governments yet.

Opinion time...Delhi, I might want to expand in that direction. It's size 6, founded on Wheat. If I used Culture buildings, I could afford to have a settlement one tile to the south-east, removing some Forest on a River in the process. I'd be able to avoid clashing with Caen's tiles (especially if I build a Culture building there to get more tiles), and get as many to one city as possible (might even slot together a bit better than they would now). Still some clashes, but better than nothing. I have got Cultural Victory as a victory goal, and it might help against the other AIs who are building Wonders (and of course, the extra tile thing). Wealth for a turn in Caen, Worker takes just 1 turn, grows in 2 turns...lol. Want to keep it size 5 this moment.

Out of 14 civs encountered so far, only the Netherlands, Byzantines, and Inca have Polytheism. Many other civs need this, and Writing and beyond to be able to research any government techs (I'd trade Writing, etc but some civs have nothing at all to offer). Would it benefit me to gift some techs at all? Maybe more AIs researching the same tech?

 

[Optional]

War weariness is calculated per civ. If civ A is giving you a hard time, and you sign peace with that civ, the war weariness is immediately gone. The war weariness points you're having from that civ will remain - invisible to you - and only slowly disappear, but that will not affect you if you remain at peace with that civ. These war weariness points will not bother you in wars with other civs, because for each civ a different counter is used, and those different counters do not get added up with each other.

Also be aware that war weariness isn't caused by being at war, but by being in enemy territory, getting attacked, and losing units. If you war effectively and keep losses down, war weariness won't hit you that soon. Also you shouldn't be too afraid of a little war weariness; one or two unhappy faces in each town is not ideal, but can be countered with the lux slider. If you're still gaining ground in the war, you may want to accept this for a while.

This is a good reference if you want to know more about the mechanics of war weariness: http://www.civfanatics.com/civ3/strategy/war_weariness.php.

Republic is an expensive tech, I don't think you'll easily get that with Monarchy, especially not when Monarchy has already been traded around and Republic is still relatively unknown. Even an MA tech might not be enough to get it, but it depends.
To get any sort of slingshot on this map would have been difficult for the reasons VMXA already mentioned; always some civ will get Philosophy early, so you need to make an effort to get that early, and then the chance is huge that neither Poly or Code of Laws is known.
As Spoonwood pointed out, Currency is not discovered easily by the AI. If a slingshot is difficult, you could consider trying to trade for Maths with Philosophy and then getting Currency as your freeby, as that's usually a good trading tech.

 

[Kaidonni]

I wonder...is it foolish to give out Polytheism, even gifting it if I can't get anything in return for it? I'm wondering if it will lead to an AI researching Monarchy, or multiple ones, and then finally allowing me to trade Currency, etc, for it?

 

[vmxa]

Kaidonni I just wanted to be sure you knew that the free tech from Philo is only for the first to learn it. Trading for it will not give you a tech. That is why players often prioritize Philo. In a map with this many, it would be best to beeline for Philo, if you want the free tech. Just take the most expensive tech you can at that point.

Republic is often the one most desired so you can revolt. In your game you probably do not want to switch to Republic anyway. It may well be useful to have taken Lit and get the GLB up. You seem to be heading for Monarchy and lots of war, so that would be perfect.

Pile up money and make troops to gain land. I would point out that the larger the map the more techs cost, so research will be slower than a std map. The AA does not count as huts will distort the tech race a great deal.

In an AWE on a massive map, I have seen the AI struggle to get to the IA. It gets harder and harder for the AI, not only are the tech more expensive, but you run into the 512 city limit. Then the human will be able to stop them from gaining towns, while you get bigger and bigger.

As to trades, remember the techs you mentioned will be hard to get from the AI. Construction has the GW, Monarchy and Republic are government techs. They will want a premium for these.

Like Optional said, WW is mostly about not losing troops or having them in foreign lands for long. It takes 20 turns to dissipate. Monarchy does not have WW.

 

[vmxa]

I wonder...is it foolish to give out Polytheism, even gifting it if I can't get anything in return for it? I'm wondering if it will lead to an AI researching Monarchy, or multiple ones, and then finally allowing me to trade Currency, etc, for it?

To me it depends on your plans. If you intend to conquer mainly, do not give out freebies. I would not count on the AI to help you in research, unless you want to use the GLB for a time.

I have found that it is not reliable on Emperor, if you are at war a lot. The AI will make troops and not research much. That is one of the goals of AW, force the AI to spent on troops.

Poly going to be short lived, so get what you can from it. Gifts are about influence, not worth much, if will attack them in the near future.

Use the techs to get allies, if you cannot get anything else. Workers are always good to get. Keep an eye on the AI. In the early part they like to trot workers back and forth and end up in the capitol often. You can trade for them, if they are home.

This is another way to hurt the AI, take those early workers and slow them down some more.

 

[Kaidonni]

I knew only the first faction to research Philosophy gets the free advance. I'm sort of beating myself over the head for not bee-lining for Philosophy, but it might not make much difference at this point anyway, I've got all the highest techs there are that any other civs have. I'm also adverse to building the GL, because I might be ahead in the tech race and not get any free techs from other civs, and then there's the rate at which it is built (400 shields, gonna be in the range of 30 turns or so, and that's quite a while). Is it worth the gamble? If another civ discovers a tech AFTER I have built the GL, but I haven't picked any free techs yet, do I get that tech?

EDIT: Heh, already have 6 slaves from tech trading (well, 2 were from the peace treaty with Egypt, hehe).

 

[Aabraxan]

I would also not count on trading the AI for Monarchy. I can probably count on one hand the number of times that I've successfully traded the AI out of it. The AI holds on to government techs with a death grip, especially ones that have a wonder attached.

As for the Great Library, you will continue to get free techs as long as the tech becomes known to any 2 civs that you know, up until and including the turn you learn Education. This is true even for techs beyond Education. The key is when *you* learn Education.

 

[vmxa]

Yeah the GLB is always a debate. The thing is you want to have already started a build that you would switch to as you gain Lit. My Rule Of Thumb is not to built it, except at Sid. Deity (which I do not play) is also ok.

The variants alter that though. If you are playing a game on a massive map, with lots of civs and will war a lot or AW, then Monarch or Emperor is worth it. That is due to the ability to switch to making all troops and not research for a fair number of turns.

It will then pay for itself. I do not care for it a DG (std game) as they will get to Ed so quickly that I will not gain many techs. Below those levels and a std game, the AI will be too slow to gain anything much from the GLB. It would just be a denial gambit.

Trading has too many variables to have many good rules. I just evaluate things as they unfold. Mainly I want to get something I can use and not help them too much. Often I just have to take the worse of the deal, if I need the tech or the thing badly.

 

[Optional]

I don't see much purpose in building the Great Library either in this game. Being ahead in tech means you can sell your techs for lots of GPT, whereas the GLib will only net you techs that are already known, and therefore you won't get much money for them.

You should consider Feudalism as well as a possible government. It's a good war government if you keep expanding quickly. It's also good for a cultural win, and you said that's the way you wanted to go - although I doubt whether you will really like going this way, as it seems to be about building lots of culture and then patiently waiting until you hit the 100 K.

 

[Spoonwood]

100k cultural or 20k cultural?

 

[Kaidonni]

Not decided on the culture at the moment. It might be too early for me to pick, even. I definitely want to go to town on the AIs surrounding me, Europe is too small for us all .

Also, on the GL again...I thought it was a one-time thing, right when it got built, the free techs. *Exactly* how does it work? Does it give free techs beyond those two? Is it only on being built, or...? I mean, I have had strange games (Monarch, ages ago) where I got a multitude of free techs for no apparent reason, and I think I'd built the GL...

I could do a pre-build now, and after getting Literature, maybe put research down low or to zero, even, and focus solely on taking out various cities in Europe and plopping down Settlers on far better spots (Delhi does not please me at all, it's wasting squares...).

 

[Aabraxan]

No, the GLib does not just give you free techs when you complete it. ToE does, but not the GLib. The GLib gives you any technology which is known by two other civs with whom you have contact, up to and including the turn on which you learn Education. So, if you build the GLib, you will get techs that are researched by 2 civs, sold around, etc., up until you get Education. It is possible to get techs beyond education, because the key is "on the turn on which you learn Educ." Make sense?

 

[Kaidonni]

I think so. In that case, it means I can end up with many techs until I learn Education.

However...which two civs? Better not be the naff ones that still haven't got Writing, or the Scandinavians who have nothing at all and no one has even traded with them!

 

[Aabraxan]

*Any* two civs with whom you have contact. Hypothetical example: you beeline Philo & grab Lit as your freebie, scoring an SGL in the process. (Wahoo!) You build the GLib and shut off research. The Aztecs & the French, both on your continent, & both of whom you've met, have Polytheism. You get it. You get everything that they both have as long as you don't have Education. You eventually make contact with the other continent, where the Iros live. They have Construction. They sell it to India, but you haven't met India. No Construction for you. The French finally research Construction. . . you get Construction.

 

[Kaidonni]

Ah, BOTH of those two civs (in this case, Aztecs and French) must have the same tech?

Wait...two civs I have contact with at the time of construction, I'm now thinking, right? So because in the example the Iroquois were not known at the time, but the Aztecs and French were, I'd only get it once one of those two got it?

EDIT: Oh, and I do now hope for an SGL. LOL. Fat chance of that, although if it did happen, I'd darn well rush the GL.

 

[Aabraxan]

Yes! It will not give you anybody's monopoly tech, but if you know 2 civs and both civs have the same tech, you get it.

 

[Optional]

No you don't need to know them at the time of construction, the game starts to make checks for you each interturn from the moment you've built the GLib, and all civs you know that interturn count.