what kind of player are you?

[sobx10]

i was bored one night at 11:32 so i decided to comb the forums for some tips. I was just wondering how many settlers, diplomats/spys and caravans do you build, and what level of difficulty u are on. When i usually play i build about 3-7 settlers so i can max a city very fast and get all those wonder bonuses to start a flowing hoover dam/pyramids/etc. so now u understand how tired i am... i think... but just list your info and what you build, so post post post... god im so tired im gonna sleep for about 3-4 hours and then wake up and then take a 4-6 hour nap... good nite all

 

[Achinz]

These are very broad issues best split up into manageable sections - perhaps understanding for questions asked under sleep deprived conditions

A patient search here and a look at the Apolyton Civ2 Great Library will provide much helpful info.

 

[Sitting Duck]

I'm just a simple defensive kind of player... what I do is build 3 defensive units in each city.. then a settler... then city walls.. so on and so forth... my only "must have" wonders to build are Great Library, Leonardo's Workshop, Statue of Liberty, Darwin's Voyage, and Hoover Dam.. I usually also try to get the Pyramids for faster growth... it may be just me.. but I like to use the fundamentalist government so you never have to worry about civil disorders... you must get philosophy to give you a good start in your science... I play on Warlord.. not the greatest player in the world.. but that strategy works for me..

Civ On!!

 

[Old n Slow]

I'm mostly a perfectionist sort of player -- striving to place cities in the score maximizing locations (which often leads to placing cities later than optimal.)

Key/fringe cities will have sufficient defense -- later on this might mean only a single unit on the job. Strive to get a good SSC, rest of the cities will get no significant infrastructure until Mike's is in place -- maybe a temple in a few locations, harbor where it makes sense.

With a democracy in place, JSB & galleons+, the stage is set for WE love...growth & the infra is standardized at Temple, harbor, Market, Aqueduct, & some trade routes -- maybe after Hoover or Auto I'll throw in a second round of growth -- sewer, bank & superhighways,...offshore & factory where sensible. Seems like most of the production goes for camels, settlers, & dips.

Most games I don't go a conquering until I have tactics and a house full of wonders -- aiming to be a tech+ level ahead of the target; sometimes I'll postpone serious activity until howies come on line.

Game level? I still play with Prince, although I'm often playing at diety, & with friends even above that.

 

[BC Horizon]

My general strategy (I play at King, mostly, though it depends on my mood), is to build a defensive unit in my capital. Usually a Phalanx, then set about building settlers like no other during the first bunch of turns. Usually, it goes two settlers per city. The first goes to found a new city, the other goes about improving the terrain around my capital. The new city then produces two settlers, repeating the process. Once this has gone on for three or four cities, I begin to build the basic improvements (Temple, Library, etc) and the most essential old-age wonders. Then I go right back to building settlers. Defending is not that important at the early stage, as your neighbors have at most, a military capable of conquering one or two cities. You will have five or six before you know what has happened. Later in the game, I build a few caravans, but send them to the farthest point away from their home city as possible. Spies are only used when I'm playing as the Fundimentalist or Communist governments, but even then, not frequently, as my neighbors are usually not that far ahead.

 

[The Person]

First I just crank out a lot of settlers and a phalanx in each city to get a lot of cities. Then I just improve land and tech on to Mike's and Leo's and all of the modern wonders. (I try to grab hold of as many wonders as I can, no matter what, just to keep them away from the AI.)

Mental note to myself: Start playing on King level.

 

[Old n Slow]

Originally posted by BC Horizon
... as my neighbors are usually not that far ahead.

I'm not that used to that situation. With some moderate effort, one can be ahead of the competition with techs. (More on tech, Super Science City, Trade, Marco Polo's Embassy elsewhere.)

Spies can then be used to BUY cities to join the winning side.

 

[Specialist290]

I'm sort of what you might call an "Expansionist Isolationist Pacifist." I realize that this is rather contradictory, but then I have a lot of quirks about my play style. Like the fact that I hardly ever build any Caravans/Freight (except for rushing Wonders; I'm just too lazy to do anything but rare and sporadic deliveries to AI cities, and forget about building an RR to a potential enemy). I only go to war when I run out of room to settle, unless the guy sneak attacks me first or tries to build a city too close to my border/on my home continent (or just makes me really angry ). I also think that the Large (75x120) map is too small for me, and I've never played a game on anything smaller (aside from the Rome scenario that comes w/ 2.42).

I'm currently playing on Warlord/Prince level.

 

[Andu Indorin]

A long evolution starting at King Level and quite militaristic, to the present Deity/Deity+ unabashed Capitalist whose sometimes also militaristic, sometimes quite pacifist.

Tend to play perfectionist in the early game, integrating more expansionist tendencies with the acquisition of the early Modern "triad" (Explosives, Democracy, Refrigeration). Almost never build defensive units nor city walls; and almost never build temples (except, of course, when I'm rush building a unit from scratch). Marco Polo's, Hanging Gardens, and the Colossus are the first three Wonders built. Never build the Great Wall, the Great Library or the Pyramids. Never really bother with the Super Science City anymore, relying on creating the World Trade city. Initial tech research targets Republic and Trade -- though I will go Monarchy if I happen to run into a hut. From there to Monotheism and Navigation for their commensurate wonders, by which point I have become a "Merchant Prince" of the Republic. Trade, trade, trade ...

Following acquisition of the early Modern triad, I reduce the science budget to 0% and prime my civilization for the shift to the Modernization phenomenon; i.e., double (at least) the number of engineers, lay in a supply of quality caravans, build markets and banks, and delay acquisition of the Railroad and Industrialization, primarily by researching the "neglected" military techs of Chivalry through Tactics. After around 25 to 40 turns of this, it's time for Rostow's "take off," using Darwin's Voyage for the quick transition from Railroad to Corporation which, with Leonardo's Workshop, upgrades all of my quality caravans to quality freight. And, having reached this point, and with the full-blown Power Democracy fully established, there's just no looking back.

Still stalking a "perfect" game ...

 

[Mise]

I haven't played in ages, but at deity level I find that expanding early, getting science from huts (or a settler), and developing and maintaining an early tech lead allows me to perfect my cities during the "post-gunpowder" era; it's funny watching the AI send a million and one archers at a couple fortified musketeers behind a city wall. I don't send offensive units out of my cities until I get armour (for weedy cities) and howitzers (for beastly walled cities), then it's fundametalism for total world domination!

As for wonders, King Richard is one of those beastly "must build" wonders cos it allows me to build EVERY single wonder after that up til industrialisation, with the other core/idle cities churning out caravans to help out a little. The tech bonus from a HUGE empire and all those wonders means that I'm normally attacking musketeers with howitzers and tanks hehehe....

I never tried using caravans for trade cos people kept killing them and i only use diplomats to explore....

 

[A+ombomb]

I build literally thousands of settlers and caravans over the couse of a game, while building improvements goes on the back burner until very late.

 

[WarMonkeY]

I usually build a phalanx first, then a settler, then a temple and maybe a library and a marketplace, and then.. IT'S SETTLER TIME!

Oh yeah, I try to build a lot of caravans as well..
I usually delay wars until I've got tanks and howitzers, as i enjoy modern warfare. :tank:

As for research and government; I usually research everything under democracy, then revolts into a warmongering fundametlasim .....

I'm currently playing on emperor, but it's getting a bit easy so I guess I'll try deity soon..

 

[Prof. Garfield]

My basic strategy is expand untill it is imposible to expand any more without going far, far away. If settlers must go too far to the outscerts of my empire, the cities will start building caravans. I go for Marco Polo, and a ssc if I can, though mikes is extreamly important, and bach is just as much so. I play the d+1 level now, so my cities go quite undefended, growing to size 2, (where entertainers restore order) then starting settlers. If I can, I will go for magellans to help the trade go along and Asmith is always usefull to let market places be built without worry. In the industreal era, I will build factories in all cities with 10+ production, using the money I get from overseas caravan dillivery to rush most of the shields. I will begin heavyer perfectionism when expansionism is slowing down. This means that cities will get what they need to be better, while new cities produce caravans to giv them more trade and to keep up the extra cash. I always avoid runing a deficit, though I don't keep it higher than it needs to be to stay positive. I will atempt to get every wonder I can, though I have my priorities. I switch to rep once I have Mike's, and to demo once I have Bach's.

 

[TimTheEnchanter]

I have said before that I am a "Disorganized Micromanager". This means I try to make sure everything is perfect every turn, but far too often I will check some things multiple times a turn, and other things get neglected for several turns. It takes me flippin' forever to play (just ask some of the succession game participants) because I'm so inefficient in my micromanagement of cities, units, you name it.

Because I take so long to play a game, I usually stick to either OCC or ICS-style early conquest games because everything more "traditional" takes me too dang long to play. The exception is in the succession games where the impact of my slowness is lessened because I'm only playing a few turns at a time before the normal-speed people can take over again.

 

[Can Not]

I'm purely expansionist. anything to be bigger. BIGGER. and I also would be happier with a 3x larger map.

 

[rrhal]

For deity:

I like to expand quickly in the early part of the game. I build 2 settlers for every city until I fill my continent or have 10-12 cities.

I try for colosus, Hanging gardens, Marco Polo - tech tree is to head for monarchy, trade, astronomy to build a science city. I aim to be a republic by 1AD.

This is a time to build up cities (temple, market place) and stash away caravans. Remember a fortified carivan = fortified warrior on defence.

The next 1700 years go by really quick you have Invention, Monotheism, democracy, economics, railroads, and Navigation - all of which have worthwhile wonders - build as many as you can.

Try to build the statue of liberty early - 1600 or so. Then go fundie and make enimies. I build crusaders / dragoons / cavalry utill I have 25 of them and go take on the largest city. You'll loose a lot of troops but you can make more.

You can be warlike and ignore social progress until about 1965. By the end of this jihad you should be able to take the best part of 3 rival civs. Stab former allies in the back. Attack peaceful nations. Make Peace and demand tribute

Then you need to be a scientist and pacifist (owning the UN is good for this). Go for computers and build the seti project. You also need universities in all your big cities.

If your jihad went well you will close in on 2000 points under deity.

 

[Fundamentality]

Pure Expansionist.Period.

 

[geofelt]

What a great game! Everybody can have a different approach and still have fun.
I play at deity level, raging hordes, and 7 civs and can usually win. I alternate playing on normal sized maps(which are the best balanced) and large maps. I try to expand to 4 cities asap in despotism and 12 in monarchy. I only defend with a warrior to control unrest. I try to beat the ai to as many wonders as possible. I nibble away at ai cities via bribery throughout the game.
As a matter of principle, I try to stay spotless and I explore without "right black clicking". My first tech is horseback riding to get an attacking defense against barbs. I keep the horse at home and explore with warriors. I don't tip any huts after I build my first city. I gurantee no bad result by waiting until after I found a city nearby. I almost always get SOL. I use democracy to grow(HG is most helpful) and shift to communism or fundamentalism to build infrastructure when growth slows. I usually retire when I become dominant with hoover dam, factories, and many cities. I find it tedious to find and finish off the last few cities.

 

[eatstatik]

I am more of an expantionist and perfectionist than anything, my inital strategy is to build a defensive unit, then a settler, then another defensive unit, then another settler before I start putting basic city infrastructure in place such as barracks and libraries... it allows your civilization to grow quickly and once you're established your science rate is huge and you can support a large military simply based on population. Oh and I always build road to my new cities so my units can move faster through my country
then after whatever land I am on is filled up with cities, I send a few of the settlers off on ships to start the same process on new land and use the rest to irrigate my homeland
government wise I like monarcy, then fundamentalism... because usually by the time I get to be able to have a fundamentalist gv't, I'm far ahead in tech...

usually I try and play on king or emporer but sometimes Ill go down to prince just for kicks

 

[Nylan]

Im very violent. I expand a little bit and go for a lot o science (all the better to crunch you with!) until I find an enemy. Then I stop expanding and find a balance between units and science, and then crush them. The AI hate me, but they dont see me as a big enough threat to form a big alliance against me. I attack all I see (unless I cant win). It sounds stupid but somehow it works.

told you I was violent.