Need Help for Playing at Deity Level

[granville]

I have been playing at the Emperor Level for a while and I feel very comfortable at it. However, when I play at the Deity level, the computer always hands me my head on a plate. I need help.

I read a few postings about playing at the Deity level. My objective is to win via space race. I pick Greece as my tribe because it has the Alphabet, which is the first tech that is closest to Literature. In my last three games, I was able to build the Great Library. However, after I got Education for free, my research engine was able to keep up with the computer players. A few times, I was able to build Copernicus’ Observatory and even Newton’s University. But I have never succeeded in building the Theory of Evolution, which I think is the key to keep up with the computer players.

I think my major problem is I cannot build more than three or four cities. The computer players have so much advantage over me that by the time I build the third or the fourth city, all the land around me is gone.

On top of that, I am wondering why my empire doesn’t enter into the Golden Age after I finish building the Great Library. Greece’s unique features are Commerce and Scientific. My Greek empire should trigger the Golden Age. I checked the Civilopedia again; it says that it may trigger the Golden Age for Scientific-type civilizations. In my last three games, I successfully built the Great Library, but didn’t trigger the Golden Age. I am wondering how I can trigger the Golden Age, while being a peaceful builder.

One more question: How do I calculate the number of beakers my empire generates based on a standard-size map at Deity level?

Can you experts offer some detailed advise? I normally play a standard size map.

Thanks—

Granville

[vmxa1]

GA can be triggered with a victory by your UU. That can be hard as the AI does not like to attack hoplite in a city early in the game.
Anyway the problem is if in indeed you have only 4-5 cities, you will have serious trouble. So why is it that on a standard map you only have 4 cities?
BTW I do not like the Greeks as I do not want an early GA and hoplites are not my fav UU. I prefer attacking UU.
Try using an industious civ.

[Theseus]

3-4 cities?

That is your problem right there, especially as a builder (well, for any strategy really).

Post a save or two... say, 2000BC and 10AD, and we'll see what can be done.

[Jon Shafer]

Deity:

Build 6 or so good cities, then 30 vet Horses or Swords with them. Kill a civ or two. Take their land. Continue playing as if it were a normal game from that point on.

[Dominae]

Trip's advice is a good. But you need not limit your expansion to six cities. If the AI is leaving you enough room to expand into, by all means do so using your one or two Settler/Worker pumps. Just make sure that the rest of your economy is focused on destroying the best (usually nearest) target ASAP.

Edit: Strike 'ASAP' and replace with 'immediately'.


Dominae

[alexman]

To answer your two game mechanics questions, in order to trigger a peaceful GA you need to build Great Wonders that match both your civ's traits. So you need to find a way to build a Commercial Wonder in addition to the GL when playing the Greeks (Colossus or Lighthouse in the Ancient Age).

Also, to find the number of beakers needed for each tech, you multiply the cost given in the editor by the tech rate for the map, and divide by the AI cost factor. You then multiply by 1-0.5*k/(n-1), where k is the the number of known civs that know the advance, and n is the total number of civs left in tha game.

So for Deity on a standard map, to discover a tech that nobody else knows, you multiply the editor cost by 240/6 = 40.

[Gufnork]

Don't bother keeping up with the science. Buy from the first civ that gets a tech, sell it to the rest. That way I generally get a little bit of extra money every time a tech is discovered.

But if you're stuck of 3-4 cities you need to leave your builder ambitions and go bonk heads. You need more. I believe that trimming your neighbours is necessary in almost every game. If you do it in the ancient age you'd get your golden age as well for greeks (albeit a bit too early). For a later golden age try India or France if you really want Commercial. Industry and Religious are very good traits and I feel Scientific is a bit wasted on Deity.

[rush]

the last time I played the Greeks, I got Golden Age after building Colossus followed by Great Library.

[granville]

Thanks for everyone's advise. I'll give it another try.

I might need to post a save file next time.

Granville