Things I (RE)learned about CIV 1/2

[be0wulfe]

... part 1/2 ...

Some of these others have posted, others are still ramblings in my hed ...

- Build mines like crazy in the early game everywhere if you're not going to make a beeline *easily* for Monarchy.

- If you can get Monarchy quickly go for it over Republic. In fact, bypass switching to Republic until you get Democracy. The only difference seems to be that Democracy get's 150% production - Republic does not. Save the extra downtime and use your extra unit support capacity to prosecute a war against the nearest AI or spread settlers\workers like crazy.

- Whenever possible, double up your workers working tile. You get done in half the time. Granted, it's not so much as a time savings (since you actually take up a worker who could be working another tile) however you get done faster, which means you have access to the improvement faster. In certain cases this can really help.

- If you've got pop working a tile, build at least a Road, later Rail - Commerce is key, more so if you play a Commercial Civ. Get that Colossus up if you're a Commercial Civ ...

- Don't ignore Wonders - remember, they keep giving you Culture Points even after they are expired by another advance.

- Don't ignore Forbidden Palace & Courthouses - esp on large and bigger maps

- Make friends with some of the AI and team up in your wars.

- Ignore unclaimed tiles (outside your borders) between cities and in your core cities at your own peril - the AI WILL build a city if it has so much as a single square unclaimed in it's sights.

... part 1/2 ...

[be0wulfe]

... part 2/2 ...

- NEVER EVER EVER trade Territory OR World maps, esp in the mid game if you have holes in your borders. The AI will be on those spots like flies on poo-poo and suddenly you've got four AI neighbours, plunked down on your road system (which if you have rails and they don't, get's converted down to rails!). If you DO have your borders solid\core protected, sell those maps dearly for Gold, per turn if you can instead of lump sum.

- Harvest or Plant\Harvet FORESTS (jungles give no shields strangely\sadly) near outlaying cities to expedite building of courthouses. You can always replant the Forests later. Recommended approach here is to have a group of four settlers repeatedly working one tile - you really don't want to wait 80 turns for that Courthouse ...

- Don't forget HARBORS for cities off your continent!

- TWEAK your culture settings (F1 - science\culture settings). In the early game, remeber to turn up your science, but only so far - if you can't get it below 32 turns (hard limit for ancient, drawing out that era unreasonably) then pop up your Gold (by reducing your science), get some happy people, expand like crazy and make a beeline for the next era.

- You *can* come back to previous era's to research stuff you bypassed - use this to the fullest to get out of Ancient ERA ASAP. Then the game really opens up.

- Take time to build forts only on stable borders that you don't intend changing by war. If your culture forces a change in borders, oh well ...

Ok, my brain hurts, more later. Comments Welcome!


be0wulfe

... part 2/2 ...