How do you win against space race at Monarch level?

shclo · December 23, 2002, 11:54

I recently attempted my first forray into Monarch level. I was surprised to find that I was able to dominate the map, but got spanked on technology. All other civs were pumping out SS parts as I was just breaking into the modern age. The other civs seemed pretty willing to trade technology for money early on, but all became tight-lipped later and I couldn't ever get technologies off of them. Has anyone ever won the space race at Monarch or above? How did you do it? More importantly, how do you keep the other civs from winning the space race without having to crush every capital (or is that the only way)?

DaveMcW · December 23, 2002, 12:19

At some point you need to switch places and become the civ that sells techs to everyone. This guarantees you will get the SS techs and forces everyone to pay you instead of researching.

By the industrial age you should have palace/FP cores and universities everywhere, which can keep up in research even on deity. Then it's simply a matter of grabbing the tech lead through Theory of Evolution and selling everything to keep your rivals bankrupt.

Lawrence of Arabia · December 23, 2002, 14:07

I keep science at zero, dont build universities, and buy the techs from the other civs. The shields that save by not building universities I use to build factories, manufactoring plants, etc. to boost production. My Monarch level space races are usually a race for most production.
As an interesting sidenote, diplomacy will also help you win. If there are three civs building spaceships, I bribe one with gold to attack another. That way when they research different space age techs, they wont trade with each other, but with me. Divide and conquer.

Mattaba · December 23, 2002, 16:35

If you're having trouble with the late game on monarch, then there is something in the early game that requires attention I think( planning your first war and so on).
So how do you normally do things when you start?

Datajack Franit · December 28, 2002, 18:48

Keep in mind that Monarch isn't even the hardest level- I always play at emperor, and never have troubles with my enemies. The key is a huge expansion in the ancient ages, military strikes to possible dangerous AI (as French, Egyptians, Babylonians) in order to block their expansion and force them to give up their tech. If you are THAT far behind I really suggest you to attack your weakest AI neighbr, seize his cities and get his luxuries/resources to trade. If you can't get either the Pyramids/Great Library nor Bach's Cathedral/Sistine/Sun Tzu's you're toast- play more and get some exp

joncnunn · December 30, 2002, 16:35

My guess is that your either not building the FP or else placing it in a poor choice.

In addition, perhaps your not building enough Court Houses and later Police Stations.

On the Emperor level, pre-FP, I run 0% science + 1 beaker and buy techs from the AI. Once the FP is complete, I turn on reserach and go all out and am the one selling techs to the AI.

My FP had as pre builds the Court House, Catherdrial, Market Place & buying the additional luxary to ensure a WLTPD. (It was also on a river, and had several irrigated plains tiles and a few mined hill tiles as well.) It was also a border city in the direction I expanded in the most and so the cities were roughly split in half between Palace centric and Forbiden Palace centric.