What is the most useful strategy you've picked up here?

tonic · July 28, 2000, 20:19

Useful could include important, and helpful in accelerating your understanding of, and improvement in, Civ2 play. Both current and archived threads apply.

Perhaps a maximum of three (this is flexible), with a reference (URL if possible but a sufficiently detailed description will do if the URL is not easily obtained). Of course one strategy may be covered by more than one reference. Besides being a simple poll, the info may be useful as a reference point for strategy searches.

I'll post my nominations later.

Smash · July 28, 2000, 23:23

The Super Science City.

OCC in general.

Mao · July 28, 2000, 23:33

Is it only this forum? Because I got a nice strategy from Xin Yu at SLeague about Red Front. But from this group of forums...hmmmm...maybe the moving a ship into an inland lake? And the SSC comes in as a close second.

CornMaster · July 29, 2000, 00:34

Trade for caravans directly adding to science.
Building Cities on Mountians/Hills for defensive bonus.
Try to avoid going to war with Berzerker.

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Dr.Oogkloot · July 29, 2000, 18:58

Building Hanging Gardens on Deity

Caesar the Great · July 29, 2000, 20:35

All of them. I was horrible at Civ until I came here (relatively speaking of course

)

Ming · July 30, 2000, 00:23

Too many to mention. You just can't rank them. Everything learned from the OCC challange, to exact information on stuff not covered in the manual... Just wander through the archives sometimes... Far too hard to pick just the top three

jpk · July 30, 2000, 00:23

1. Super Science City.
2. Caravans.
3. Use of diplomats and spies.

cavebear · July 30, 2000, 14:00

Specific:

1. Using 2 settlers to found a new city. Start the first on a hill to mine it, then use the second to establish a city. Good production and defensive bonus. In later game, you can terraform hills on a river and do even better.

2. Learning that trade adds to the tech advances (and the corrollary of temporarily maximizing the trade in the originating city).

General: The realization that two size 1 cities outproduce one size 2 city.

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cavebear · July 30, 2000, 14:05

Oops, meant to add a 2nd General thing I've learned here: How to understand cumulative defensive factors...

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My Wife Hates CIV · July 30, 2000, 17:39

I'd have to say the loading of saved games on my laptop during play. You would be surprise at how much it helps to see the whole map during a game.

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Smash · July 30, 2000, 17:54

Hehehe.
I guess hyperlinks don't work in sigs.

I thought of something else that helped in early game.Feudalism.I never used to bother with it but pikes can defend for along time.With them, barbs are not a threat early.

cavebear · July 30, 2000, 18:59

MWHC - Oh man, tell me that was a bad joke...

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July 30, 2000, 20:23

Trust Noone.

Scouse Gits · July 31, 2000, 05:59

1) OCC
2) incremental rush buying
3) super Ironclads

Ming · July 31, 2000, 07:19

MWHC... I know you discovered that trick, but don't tell me you still use it

Oldman · July 31, 2000, 07:48

I like to think i was a pretty good civ player before i started hanging out here at Apolyton!! I'd already broken my duck at Deity

Ha ha!!!

But the best strategies i've picked up on are:

1) Trade routes and caravans
2) Incremental rush buying!
3) Beaker Counting!!!

Scouse, What's the Super Ironclad???? i've not heard of that one!!

Ming, Can we throw you a party for your 10,000 post?? Per-leeeeeese!!!!!

Paul · July 31, 2000, 08:47

Important things I picked up here: caravans (never realized you also got a beaker bonus on delivery before I came here) and super science city.

SCG · July 31, 2000, 09:04

hmm, I think it would be more fine tuning of strategies i was already using. I had been using food caravans to grow cities, but not every turn. I had been sending out massive amounts of caravans for gold and science but not trying to maximize it by altering the tax rate to keep from wasting science once the F6 screen was full of beakers for a turn. I had been trying to maximize trade in the cities I had the colossus or ikes or cope's wonders but not trying to put all 3 in the same city. I had been building settlers quickly initially, but not tried to build a settler in my only city if it was still size 1. I've always used the 2-engineer strategy as a stop-gap but not as the sole means of pollution control.

Aside from that, I could list things I had thought about but still have yet to try. Things like OCC or the no city challenge strategies. Also, I've gained a better understanding of some earlier wonders (HG, STWA) and units (pikemen, knights). I suppose after I put more time in on smaller maps I may even try govt's like monarchy or fundamentalism now that I have seen how others use them. Can't call things i haven't put to use a useful strategy of mine can I

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April Cantor: Sire, in order to expand further we must first gain favor of the King

SCG: darn, I've never really got the hang of that tribute thing, guess it will be a long time until i make prince

*goes off and starts gifting gold and techs*

Novi Nomad · July 31, 2000, 09:42

The thing that definetely changed my game the most was learning the value of trade. I didn't realize that it directly added to your science when you established a new route.

Learning how to collect tribute effectively has helped a lot.

The SSC was a big break through for me also.

My Wife Hates CIV · July 31, 2000, 09:48

I was kidding. I only did that one time with Ming, against Rah and Xin. If I remember correctly we still got our butts kicked. It did allow me to snake a diplo deep into Xins land and take Leos! That was great fun giving Ming constant naval reports!!

No, really, for me it was discovering you could transform city centers into hills. The added defense bonus basicly makes an already weak AI worthless.

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Boris & Natasha
The Ferrets
[This message has been edited by My Wife Hates CIV (edited July 31, 2000).]

Sten Sture · July 31, 2000, 10:37

Most of the above and:

1) Streamlining tech paths - getting what you really need early. Once I saw the big tech cost jump at 20 techs I started planning what techs I needed first to develop.

2) Four special pattern & goody hut pattern. The four special pattern has been really helpful to know right from the start what cities to try to maximize.

3) Trade squares. Shields you can buy, food you can skip with WLT_D, but trade is the very essence of Civ. Rivers, silk, wine, gold, whales, gems, spice and roads - these are the true sources of profitable caravans!

just wanted to pen a quick note of thanks to all of you for your contributions to this site over the past couple of years.

DaveV · July 31, 2000, 14:15

1) Calculating attack/defense odds. I like to know what my chances are, rather than closing my eyes and hoping for the best.

2) William Keenan's barbarian paper. It's invaluable to be know how the barbs appear, and how they change types.

3) Early-game expansion. I've always been a sleazer, even before I knew the term, but I've learned lots of tricks to maximize my growth during this crucial phase of the game.

Steve Clark · July 31, 2000, 15:49

double
[This message has been edited by Steve Clark (edited August 03, 2000).]

Steve Clark · July 31, 2000, 15:50

We Loving the SuperScience City
Caravans for trading/wonders
Incremental rush-buying

...and let me add my thanks too. Even though I'm not contributing as much any more, this is by far the best forum I've been involved in.

geofelt · August 1, 2000, 16:40

1) The value of tribute, and how to get it.

August 2, 2000, 00:53

Super ironclad! What is it?

Smash · August 2, 2000, 03:16

You build The Lighthouse and Magellans.Then get Steam Engine before Magnetism.Vet ironclads with 7 moves.

cavebear · August 2, 2000, 20:01

Smash, Wow, I thought vet ironclads through Sun's were good enough (because the "upgrade" to destroyers weakened you). I'll have to experiment with the combo you described...

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[This message has been edited by cavebear (edited August 02, 2000).]

Smash · August 2, 2000, 21:44

Any vet ironclad is usually strong as they can take out pretty much anything up to and including riflemen.I like "wolf packs" out causing problems.Don't really matter how you get them I guess.

The Lighthouse, in addition to keeping triremes afloat, also makes veterans and adds 1 move to all other ships.

I think you get another move with Atomic Theory.So you could have 8 square 'clads for awhile.

There is a window in which to rushbuild them before Magnet.I find this window larger in MP games as few seem to go after Magnet until late.