Got civ4 last week and I only played Arabs(phi/spi) few times and here are my seeings. (im playing from Civ I)
First here is a review of my game:
I know that very important role here plays the Stone! Very valuable thing that makes game very interesting.
I played on Monarch, Lakes, Standard size, Normal speed , Temperate.
In my game happened i had stone near the starting place, so i could get it with my 2nd city. Having stone, means you should build stonehende/pyramind early.. I got stonehendge and since I was first to have Hinduism(if not, you could get Judaism) my plans were to spread religion. Mainly because i got great prophet very soon out(stonehendge) and I could build Hindu sacred building.
I somehow managed to spread religion with 2 misionaries to 2 neighbours.Later on I managed that 5 civilizations had my religiion and i was having a lot of $$ from it. That means good science funding. I had 100% science most of the game. I didnt had to build $$ buildings anywhere else then in the Holy city.
Having your religion spread makes good relations and you can spread religious wars among others giving them some $$ or techs for declaration , of course when necesary.
But, building early wonder cuts you at expanding so when all teritory was taken i had 6 cities(3 good ones), other civs had more (2 strongest nations had 8 i think, 2 city diference is a lot, like they had 33% more cities than me
).But i had good relationships so i was safe in some way..and at this point, i decided to go for diplomacy/cultural win.
I was geting mass great persons out, using them wisely. I decided to put science mainly in 1 city(capitol) with oxford/academy + other stuff, with other great scientist joining this city (not building academy else where)
Centralization manly because I was aiming for Representation, Buerocracy, mercantilism, pacifism. I boosted city producing a lot of science (aroudn 500 later on)
Letting other cities build military and other more necesary things. Btw Having stone also meant aiming for hanging gardens. Which produced me Great engineer for great libary, which produced %% for great scientist.Etc, having once this great persons going on, its unstopable. You just need first push, and Stone gave me that . (Now you know why industrous/phi would be abusive)
So main idea was to go for diplomacy win(Because my spread religion). I tried cultural too but i lacked some knowledge on this win. I figured out later that in late game, the MUST is to get internet, so you can have 100% on culture.
(Going straight to internet, leaving everything behind, except cultural techs)
Anyways having 6 cities was ideal. Ability to get Oxford university(6 uni), 6 temples of 2 religions meant , 2 cathedrals in the 2 of 3 cities (for the culture).etc..
Why my main capital was producing so much science? Buerocracy, mercantilism, oxford university, great libary, some science specialist + all buildings AND a lot of great scientist(3-4?) working in city. With representation each gave 9 + 225%(or sth from buildings) = 30science from each... and 6 + 225% = 20 from each specialist. Anyway that %% bonus was insane.
Only thing i lacked was wallstreet in holy city(not 7 cities + no national wonder left), which was producing a lot of gold even on 100% science (+ some merchants later)
So you have specialised cities for science and $$. Other cities build military and other stuff to keep em alive. No markets/banks/science buidlings were bloody necesary.
So having stone with arabs is kind of abusive. Phi leaders need birthrate so the main strategy is to go for it. Wonders or specialist. (+ pacifism)
Oh i forgot, national epic!!. Was there in Main capitol, which was insanely producing great persons. 100% phi 100% pacifism 100% national epic, + base
Only thing was I was having too much prophets. I used 1 for building and i think 1 is worth to wait to get another for Golden age. Other way is to making him work in a holy city (cause of $$)
i won game 1920 , diplomacy win. It was tricky one, i loaded 2 times
Becuase of lack of my knowledge. Starting 7 civs, 6 civs were left. Destroyed civ was my religion. There war 3 nations of my religion, and 1 ex-religion (went for free religiion).
I needed that vote and he abstained. What I had to do, is to make him go to war (i gave him 3 techs) with my rival nation. He then adopted my religion, cause he went Theocracy. And after that, he voted for me.
So that was a wining vote. I didnt go to war once, you just need to have enough military support so they dont bug you.
If you fail to get stonehendge, you get pyraminds for sure. With engieneer you get great libary(or good marble things), etc etc.. With 1 early wonder you have things runing (of course cutting on your expanding but its worth to play)
But thats all with having big IF, teh stone. Having no stone is harder and with phi leader i would always go for great person strat.(if not with wonders, then with specialist) making tiles on Irigatin later on , etc..So its kind a more of a challenge.
First here is a review of my game:
I know that very important role here plays the Stone! Very valuable thing that makes game very interesting.
I played on Monarch, Lakes, Standard size, Normal speed , Temperate.
In my game happened i had stone near the starting place, so i could get it with my 2nd city. Having stone, means you should build stonehende/pyramind early.. I got stonehendge and since I was first to have Hinduism(if not, you could get Judaism) my plans were to spread religion. Mainly because i got great prophet very soon out(stonehendge) and I could build Hindu sacred building.
I somehow managed to spread religion with 2 misionaries to 2 neighbours.Later on I managed that 5 civilizations had my religiion and i was having a lot of $$ from it. That means good science funding. I had 100% science most of the game. I didnt had to build $$ buildings anywhere else then in the Holy city.
Having your religion spread makes good relations and you can spread religious wars among others giving them some $$ or techs for declaration , of course when necesary.
But, building early wonder cuts you at expanding so when all teritory was taken i had 6 cities(3 good ones), other civs had more (2 strongest nations had 8 i think, 2 city diference is a lot, like they had 33% more cities than me
).But i had good relationships so i was safe in some way..and at this point, i decided to go for diplomacy/cultural win.I was geting mass great persons out, using them wisely. I decided to put science mainly in 1 city(capitol) with oxford/academy + other stuff, with other great scientist joining this city (not building academy else where)
Centralization manly because I was aiming for Representation, Buerocracy, mercantilism, pacifism. I boosted city producing a lot of science (aroudn 500 later on)
Letting other cities build military and other more necesary things. Btw Having stone also meant aiming for hanging gardens. Which produced me Great engineer for great libary, which produced %% for great scientist.Etc, having once this great persons going on, its unstopable. You just need first push, and Stone gave me that . (Now you know why industrous/phi would be abusive)
So main idea was to go for diplomacy win(Because my spread religion). I tried cultural too but i lacked some knowledge on this win. I figured out later that in late game, the MUST is to get internet, so you can have 100% on culture.
(Going straight to internet, leaving everything behind, except cultural techs)
Anyways having 6 cities was ideal. Ability to get Oxford university(6 uni), 6 temples of 2 religions meant , 2 cathedrals in the 2 of 3 cities (for the culture).etc..
Why my main capital was producing so much science? Buerocracy, mercantilism, oxford university, great libary, some science specialist + all buildings AND a lot of great scientist(3-4?) working in city. With representation each gave 9 + 225%(or sth from buildings) = 30science from each... and 6 + 225% = 20 from each specialist. Anyway that %% bonus was insane.
Only thing i lacked was wallstreet in holy city(not 7 cities + no national wonder left), which was producing a lot of gold even on 100% science (+ some merchants later)
So you have specialised cities for science and $$. Other cities build military and other stuff to keep em alive. No markets/banks/science buidlings were bloody necesary.
So having stone with arabs is kind of abusive. Phi leaders need birthrate so the main strategy is to go for it. Wonders or specialist. (+ pacifism)
Oh i forgot, national epic!!. Was there in Main capitol, which was insanely producing great persons. 100% phi 100% pacifism 100% national epic, + base
Only thing was I was having too much prophets. I used 1 for building and i think 1 is worth to wait to get another for Golden age. Other way is to making him work in a holy city (cause of $$)
i won game 1920 , diplomacy win. It was tricky one, i loaded 2 times
Becuase of lack of my knowledge. Starting 7 civs, 6 civs were left. Destroyed civ was my religion. There war 3 nations of my religion, and 1 ex-religion (went for free religiion).
I needed that vote and he abstained. What I had to do, is to make him go to war (i gave him 3 techs) with my rival nation. He then adopted my religion, cause he went Theocracy. And after that, he voted for me.
So that was a wining vote. I didnt go to war once, you just need to have enough military support so they dont bug you.
If you fail to get stonehendge, you get pyraminds for sure. With engieneer you get great libary(or good marble things), etc etc.. With 1 early wonder you have things runing (of course cutting on your expanding but its worth to play)
But thats all with having big IF, teh stone. Having no stone is harder and with phi leader i would always go for great person strat.(if not with wonders, then with specialist) making tiles on Irigatin later on , etc..So its kind a more of a challenge.
