what to do

[Phishman]

I have this problem commonly when playing Monarch.

Playing as germans. Standard map, continents.

I start out in a corner of a large continent with few resources so I initiate an early war upon the neighboring Babylonians, beat them back to one city, and extort all their tech for peace. Russians, northeast of me, demand my expanding world map. I figure they want a piece of me too so I take all their border cities. Now I control 3 types of luxuries and ample iron and horses. I'm doing quite well.

At the end of the ancient age it all goes sour though. THe other civs tend to get science faster than I, and I need to catch up with improvements. I'd buy them if I could, but it turns out the others have the luxuries that I thought I had the monopoly on, so I don't have anything the others want.

From about 1000 AD onward, things progressively get worse. The french are becomming Immensely dominant. THeir capital that has 4 wonders in it is very close to my borders, but they have such good defenses.

#cities: 14
GPT: +30
Sci Rate: 50%
Lux Rate: 0%

Military is said to be average (though I have pikement and knights rather than riflemen and calvary)

What are good strategies on monarch to avoid this slump in the midgame, mid middle ages to industrial times?

My early game puts me ahead, but I jsut can't seem to do anything right in the middle.

 

[Dwarven Zerker]

It's hard to see the AI pass you by. My first Regent and Monarch game (which I'm still playing) I had to come from behind. Stick it out. In my first Monarch game I was the last to enter the middle ages (behind as many as 5 techs) but I was the first to exit the middle ages and I only had two middle age wars - neither of which produced techs for peace.

The key for me was to keep dealing and working on infrastructure (including upgrading the land - which was either jungle, desert or mtn/hill) Once I got the jungle cities productive I started blowing by the AIs and given that I am playing continents on a HUGE map with 10 other civs. As long as you focus on the basics (city improvements, upgrading land in city radius and diplo - pointy and friendly) you'll pull ahead of the AIs.

Sorry if this rambled around a bit.

 

[SHard]

What I find on Monarch is that in the Middle Ages I try to research techs the AI will not go for.

By coincidence I am playing a very similar game to you. Germany, Monarch, Continents. When I entered the middle ages my research went Theology (I got monotheism for free) -> Education -> Banking -> Economics. Hopefully, if you at just breaking even or slight profit/loss you should be able to beat the AI to these techs and sell for other techs or gpt agreements. I hope this helps.

 

[Dwarven Zerker]

That's exactly how I catapulted past the AIs to be first to enter the Industrial Age. Wanted to get Adam Smiths, Unis and Banks and had the added benefit of tech trading into first position!

 

[Rubberjello]

I have found that the "Continent" style maps are usually the worst for the situation you described.

Why?

Usually the AIs will conquer their home continent, (or - for some strange reason - perversely refuse to fight the AI it shares the continent with if they are about equal strength). This setup encourages far more peace-nik behaviour then if you were on a Pangeae map (in my opinion) because the AI sucks at invading other Continents.

If the AI's are not fighting, then they are whooping butt on you in the tech race and trading techs every turn. You need to incourage warfare amongst the AI's if at all possible. This will be doubly beneficial to you in that their tech research will slow, and then you can be a tech broker. (Buy from one tech and sell to their enemies. Tech brokering is the only way to get back to even parity in the situation you described.

The problem you have now is that your early aggression has dug you a hole. Even though you are not the most powerful Civ, your neighbors hate you more than the other powerful AI Civs that are blatantly running away with the game.

Next time, try restricting yourself to only one early conquest (at most two). Avoid auto-razing, RoP rape, and breaking treaties. Trade luxuries and resources as often as you can, trade maps often, (and especially techs), open embassies, keep your reputation up. This behaviour soon will get the AIs looking at each other to fight, and leave you in a nice neutral position for you to catch up and build your infrastructure and army.

If you have bad luck and the AIs STILL don't declare war, then you need to get in the Alliance/MPP game (not preferable, but you don't have much choice.)