Wiping out all other civilizations

[IcterusGalbula]

I used to love playing Civ 2. I could win on Deity level, not all the time, but a good percentage of the time. I played the outer space version of the game a little. But then quit after Civ 2 stopped working on newer Windows.

Very recently I discovered Civ 6. So far I have only played on the easiest level using huge real-world maps. So far I have only played two games to the end. I won the first time with a Score victory and lost the second time even though I had the entire western hemisphere to myself. The second time I was trying for a Science victory and some other civilization won with a Cultural victory.

Civ 6 seems much more complex than Civ 2. When I played Civ 2 on the easiest level I would wipe out the other civilizations so early that a couple of times the game within the game became to convert every land tile into irrigated improved farmland. This meant leveling even the Himilayian Mountains. Actually I had to leave one city of one other civilization alive, but I kept its population down to maybe two people.

After two complete games with Civ 6 I am beginning to think it is impossible to wipe out all other civilizations. I tried it when I got the Score victory but only wiped out one civilization. Then I started running out of fuel for the giant killer robots and also ran out of time.

I kind of wish the easiest level was easier in Civ 6. Maybe it is possible to wipe out everybody else, but I am pretty sure it is impossible to terraform the entire planet. Indeed it even seems impossible to terraform a single tile other than using a builder to create a lumber mill. I have not tried using the bulldozer feature yet.

 

[Disgustipated]

It's indeed possible to wipe everyone out. I've done it at least 10 times. Probably around 15 times. And yes even on deity. The trick is to start early. I recommend starting with Macedon. That's how I did my first deity one.

As for terraforming, yes it is limited. You can remove woods, rainforest, and marshes. You can't do much else. Though you can make canals. You seem to not mention districts. I sure hope you are building districts. If you are not, that might explain part of the problem. Districts generally are better than any tile improvement a builder can make.

 

[IcterusGalbula]

Yes, I was building districts. The second complete game I figured out how to keep the religion I wanted. But I spent most of the game in a dark age. I need to avoid dark ages somehow and pay more attention to the spy game probably. I also need to pay more attention to the monetary cost of units and how to stockpile oil. And I would like to figure out how to block the tour buses that other civilizations are always sending to me. Having said all of that I perhaps still could have won if I had simply started building a spaceport far sooner.

In Civ 2 I essentially built huge armies of spies, engineers and howitzers while letting various Wonders take care of my cities. I suppose that was the standard recipe. Civ 6, I suspect, does not have a standard recipe.

 

[Sostratus]

Yes, I was building districts. The second complete game I figured out how to keep the religion I wanted. But I spent most of the game in a dark age. I need to avoid dark ages somehow and pay more attention to the spy game probably. I also need to pay more attention to the monetary cost of units and how to stockpile oil. And I would like to figure out how to block the tour buses that other civilizations are always sending to me. Having said all of that I perhaps still could have won if I had simply started building a spaceport far sooner.

In Civ 2 I essentially built huge armies of spies, engineers and howitzers while letting various Wonders take care of my cities. I suppose that was the standard recipe. Civ 6, I suspect, does not have a standard recipe.

the gap in efficiency between a new player and an experienced one who can play on higher difficultly is really big. The better feel you get for the game the more you can do.
There are certain actions that usually always result in better outcomes like making more campuses, and others that are less obvious (how to play to take advantage of Eurekas, for example.)
This forum has a lot of great resources to get you started on that path, should you choose to take it.

 

[Victoria]

A science victory and diplomatic victory unfortunately work best by wiping everyone out. So yes, most people do and the simple recipe is get science, especially concentrating on campus adjacencies and the double adjacency card.

some things like taking cities can feel hard early but later get easier. Link on city combat below may help.

 

[Zdarg]

I kind of wish the easiest level was easier in Civ 6.

Using smaller map should make everything easier.

 

[Disgustipated]

As I mentioned, Macedon is a good Civ to get a feel for dominating other civs militarily, provided you have that dlc. Wonders aren't nearly as strong as Civ 2, so you can't rely on those to give you key buildings. With Macedon on lower levels you can ignore a lot of infrastructure, but you need the encampment with their special building in it which will help keep your science up until you start conquering. Build commercial hubs, markets, and trade routes to help pay for unit maintenance. Before you get the tech for commercial hubs, you'll need to run the conscription policy card, and build tile improvements that give gold to help fund your military, you can also sell luxuries to friendly AI players for gold. The other important aspect you mention is securing strategic resources. Try not to wait until oil, be aggressive expanding early game to secure iron and horses. Use Macedon's unique units to crush your neighbors. The last important point to note is dealing with enemy walls. See the wall thread on page 1 here for more details, and search other resources like Civ 6 wiki to see how wall mechanics work. Crushing neighbors early is easier usually than doing it later.