What to do?

[Not So Newb22]

Hey, i am trying to play noble,
My basic strategy is to keep my research rate at 100%, to keep up with other civs. While keeping the rate max'ed, i try to expand and research the techs that take a few turns, leaning towards getting grocers, markets and banks.
But in trying to keep the rate max'ed and keeping a surplus, i find my self not staying ahead in the points, i can only make about 10 cities at a slow rate. I dont create alot of military units in trying to keep my culture up thru buildings.
In my most recent game, i was about in the middle with my techs being almost even with the best civ, but i dont get how they manage to expand so quickly and not get bogged down like i do?

 

[bitplayer]

Who knows how the pooter players get to the size they do? Not me. Anyways, if you want my opinion, find copper/iron then build about 5 or 6 axemen then rush yer neighbor while beelining for const and build a second wave of 5 to 6 axemen. Rince repeat.

Keep it up and before you know it you'll have one ai opponent down and an empire the same size as the rest.

Typically I go for bw then const so I get an early charge then keep it up when cats come online. Then I beeline for grens and attack again. Its an ok formula and works for me. But I think if you try it you'll see very postive effects.

Even if you just want to build after yer first war or so.

Hope that helps.

 

[snipafist]

You can't keep your research rate at 100%, barring religious shrines and the like, so don't get too attached to the idea. The reason the AI keeps up so well and can manage such large empires is because it prioritizes economic development. Notice how many cottages the AI plops down. Quite a few! The reason you're falling behind is that you are not putting enough emphasis on early economic growth to subsidize your research and maintenance. I used to make them same mistakes, so don't feel too bad about it. Additionally, know when you've gotten big enough. On noble, that can range from 6 to 10 cities in the early game, depending on your economy and other factors like shrines and optimal city placement. Going over that can really punish you.

Additionally, I'd put more emphasis on military production. Even if you're going for an entirely peaceful game, you need a deterrent, lest Alexander/Monty/Ragnar/Isabella/Shaka/some other psychopath AI decides to take your stuff. It's also an excellent way to take holy shrines, well-placed enemy cities, and beat down opponents who over-prioritize research rather than defense.

I know it's tempting to build tons of cultural buildings, but production cities really don't need libraries. Neither do early cities. Developed economic cities sure do benefit from them, but at that point, it won't take them a dozen or more turns to build them. Understanding when it was important to build specific improvements or units is one of the skills you'll need to master Noble, and later try at Prince. It can take a while, so don't get frustrated. Good luck!

 

[Not So Newb22]

I been playing as Mont lately... i can usually get 4 or 5 cities with enough to not get into a fight, unless loads of barbarians come out of the wood work to cause problems..... then i just start new games over and over
Thanks for the advice

 

[Corporal Kindel]

I been playing as Mont lately... i can usually get 4 or 5 cities with enough to not get into a fight, unless loads of barbarians come out of the wood work to cause problems..... then i just start new games over and over
Thanks for the advice

The thing about barbarians is that they always come out of the unknown or "grey" areas. So, if you can build a bunch of extra scouts/warriors, position them to minimize & blot out all the "grey" areas around your important cities. That way, when they come at you they'll be far out & you'll better be able to react to them (if you have a good road network). I think it's important to get bronze working & copper fairly early because the barbarian axemen always seem to start appearing around 200BC-1AD.