Civ 4 : Early game strategy

In alt.games.civ3 on Mon, 26 Nov 2007, wrote :
>"Öjevind Lång" <bredband.net RemoveThis @ojevind.lang> wrote:
>> <kaj.stenberg RemoveThis @helsinki.fi.invalid> skrev i meddelandet
>> news:fid6gh$660$1@oravannahka.helsinki.fi...
>
>> [snip]
>
>>> The blue rings (=recommended spots) too often do not coincide
>>> with what I want/plan to do. But I always check why. Obviosly, it depends.
>>> But up to maybe 25 cities I tend do micromanage cities. And I newer
>>> trust the advisors...
>
>> You found as many as 25 cities? What map size do you play on? Or do you go
>> for dominance and aggressive war later on?
>
>
>Early, yes. I mentioned that I am a builder, I have every victory mode
>turned off. I cannot check (windows only on a computer in a room where my
>wife sleeps right now), but I wouldn't be surprised to see 200 (two hundred)
>cities by the year 1900, map large or huge.
> In my best games I have not had a single war before roughly
>1400 AD. And by then a war is a side affair, no reason to involve more
>than the basic border cities. Even if in a face of a major war, my
>production capasity surpases anything anyone can muster.
>
>(In Civ 3 corruption for building many cities was almost prohibiting. I tried
>to cope, mostly in vain. My technique seem to work in Civ 4 though )
>
In Civ4, I find the financial penalties for expanding too fast a PITA,
plus micro-managing a lot of cities is a nightmare.
--
Paul 'Charts Fan' Hyett
 >> Stay informed about: Civ 4 : Early game strategy 

I try to go worker, worker, settler.

Might have to change it up while I wait for BW or something and throw a
war in there, but usually that.

Paul Hyett wrote:
> At the start, what do you usually build first?
>
> I normally wait until my first city gets to about size 3 before building
> workers or settlers, since doing so stops them growing for the duration
> of the build.
>
> Which buildings are your first choices? Technologies?
 >> Stay informed about: Civ 4 : Early game strategy 

Paul Hyett <pah.RemoveThis@nojunkmailplease.co.uk> wrote:

(This my be mine):
>>(In Civ 3 corruption for building many cities was almost prohibiting. I tried
>>to cope, mostly in vain. My technique seem to work in Civ 4 though )
>>
> In Civ4, I find the financial penalties for expanding too fast a PITA,
> plus micro-managing a lot of cities is a nightmare.

Of course one shouldn't expand _too_ fast. But that depends on terrain
and opposition. Early on I try to expand "as much as possible". However,
up to the maybe 25 cities there is no problem with micromanagement
(workers, after seeing to a town, can be let free), since in my games I
get practically everything, only in the border cities does the order of
getting things matter, and even then on occasion.

(Aah, of course one game for me lasts for 4-10 6 hour sessions...)


--
Kaj
 >> Stay informed about: Civ 4 : Early game strategy 

Yup - worker first is essential.

The only exception is where i have a sea food available and can build a work
boat.

Food food food. Everything else can wait.


"Eddie Grove" <eddiegrove DeleteThis @hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:87fxyvcxz7.fsf@hotmail.com...
> Paul Hyett <pah DeleteThis @nojunkmailplease.co.uk> writes:
>
>> At the start, what do you usually build first?
>>
>> I normally wait until my first city gets to about size 3 before building
>> workers or settlers, since doing so stops them growing for the duration
>> of the
>> build.
>
> You and everyone else posting here are crazy. Build a worker first thing
> while researching agriculture. Without a worker, you cannot grow quickly.
> [Obviously if you have fish or deer for food and no rice/wheat things will
> be
> different.]
>
> Test it out. Next game, play normally until you build a worker. Check
> the
> date on the turn it is produced. Then, restart the game building a worker
> first, and then building exactly the same other things you built the first
> time before the worker. Continue until the same date, and compare what
> you
> have built and how much food is in the food box and how many resources
> have
> been worked. I bet you will decide worker first produced better results.
>
>
> Eddie
>
 >> Stay informed about: Civ 4 : Early game strategy 

In alt.games.civ3 on Mon, 26 Nov 2007, wrote :
>Paul Hyett <pah.DeleteThis@nojunkmailplease.co.uk> wrote:
>
>(This my be mine):
>>>(In Civ 3 corruption for building many cities was almost prohibiting. I tried
>>>to cope, mostly in vain. My technique seem to work in Civ 4 though )
>>>
>> In Civ4, I find the financial penalties for expanding too fast a PITA,
>> plus micro-managing a lot of cities is a nightmare.
>
>Of course one shouldn't expand _too_ fast. But that depends on terrain
>and opposition. Early on I try to expand "as much as possible". However,
>up to the maybe 25 cities there is no problem with micromanagement
>(workers, after seeing to a town, can be let free)

I stack lots of workers together so they can make improvements really
quickly.

>, since in my games I
>get practically everything, only in the border cities does the order of
>getting things matter, and even then on occasion.

BTW, what game speed do people here prefer?

As a builder, I usually go for the longest option.
--
Paul 'Charts Fan' Hyett
 >> Stay informed about: Civ 4 : Early game strategy 

Paul Hyett <pah RemoveThis @nojunkmailplease.co.uk> writes:

> In alt.games.civ3 on Mon, 26 Nov 2007, wrote :
> >Paul Hyett <pah RemoveThis @nojunkmailplease.co.uk> wrote:
> >
> >(This my be mine):
> >>>(In Civ 3 corruption for building many cities was almost prohibiting. I tried
> >>>to cope, mostly in vain. My technique seem to work in Civ 4 though )
> >>>
> >> In Civ4, I find the financial penalties for expanding too fast a PITA,
> >> plus micro-managing a lot of cities is a nightmare.
> >
> >Of course one shouldn't expand _too_ fast. But that depends on terrain
> >and opposition. Early on I try to expand "as much as possible". However,
> >up to the maybe 25 cities there is no problem with micromanagement
> >(workers, after seeing to a town, can be let free)
>
> I stack lots of workers together so they can make improvements really quickly.
>
> >, since in my games I
> >get practically everything, only in the border cities does the order of
> >getting things matter, and even then on occasion.
>
> BTW, what game speed do people here prefer?
>
> As a builder, I usually go for the longest option.

I'm a builder, but the game is too long to go for long options.
I generally play standard size, standard time, continents.
I'd rather play pangea, but at emperor/immortal pangea is beyond me.

I find a core of 7 cities is barely enough if everything goes right.


Eddie
 >> Stay informed about: Civ 4 : Early game strategy 

"Eddie Grove" <eddiegrove.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> skrev i meddelandet
news:877ik4c2h2.fsf@hotmail.com...

[snip]

> I'm a builder, but the game is too long to go for long options.
> I generally play standard size, standard time, continents.
> I'd rather play pangea, but at emperor/immortal pangea is beyond me.
>
> I find a core of 7 cities is barely enough if everything goes right.

I usually play Epic on Large maps. Nine cities are necessary to really get
things done on a map that size; if one gets a few more, that's a bonus. (And
I'm a builder too.)
I'm not too good at micromanagement, but anything is better than leaving
things to the moronic workers. And I always keep the option "automated
workers leave existing improvements alone" and "automated workers don't cut
forests" checked.

Öjevind
 >> Stay informed about: Civ 4 : Early game strategy 

On 24 Nov 2007 11:14:20 -0700, Eddie Grove <eddiegrove.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>Paul Hyett <pah.TakeThisOut@nojunkmailplease.co.uk> writes:
>
>> At the start, what do you usually build first?
>>
>> I normally wait until my first city gets to about size 3 before building
>> workers or settlers, since doing so stops them growing for the duration of the
>> build.
>
>You and everyone else posting here are crazy. Build a worker first thing
>while researching agriculture. Without a worker, you cannot grow quickly.
>[Obviously if you have fish or deer for food and no rice/wheat things will be
>different.]
>
>Test it out. Next game, play normally until you build a worker. Check the
>date on the turn it is produced. Then, restart the game building a worker
>first, and then building exactly the same other things you built the first
>time before the worker. Continue until the same date, and compare what you
>have built and how much food is in the food box and how many resources have
>been worked. I bet you will decide worker first produced better results.
>
>
>Eddie

Got to agree with this. Worker or work boat is always my first build
now. After playing Civ 3, it took me a while to realize that in Civ 4
you can go for a few builds before you need military units after the
free initial scout or warrior (for exploring). Early animal barbs don't
come into your cultural borders and no civ has ever declared war on me
straight away, not even thugs like Monte and Shaka. I hardly ever build
warriors -- I prefer not to build military units until I've got archers,
axes or chariots. By that time I've also got mines, farms and a good
basic infrastructure working for me.
 >> Stay informed about: Civ 4 : Early game strategy 

On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 18:42:06 GMT, Paul Hyett
<pah.TakeThisOut@nojunkmailplease.co.uk> wrote:

>
>BTW, what game speed do people here prefer?
>
>As a builder, I usually go for the longest option.

I like Epic because it seems to give a better match with history, e.g.
knights tend to appear around the 11th century, railroads in the 19th,
space race starts in the 20th, etc. The pace of the game feels about
right to me at that speed.

On the other hand, sometimes the fastest speed on a Tiny or Duel map is
great for a quick blast.
 >> Stay informed about: Civ 4 : Early game strategy 

In alt.games.civ3 on Mon, 26 Nov 2007, Öjevind Lång wrote :
>
>I usually play Epic on Large maps. Nine cities are necessary to really get
>things done on a map that size; if one gets a few more, that's a bonus. (And
>I'm a builder too.)

> I'm not too good at micromanagement, but anything is better than leaving
>things to the moronic workers. And I always keep the option "automated
>workers leave existing improvements alone" and "automated workers don't cut
>forests" checked.

Yes, you don't make *that* mistake more than once!
--
Paul 'Charts Fan' Hyett
 >> Stay informed about: Civ 4 : Early game strategy 

On Sat, 24 Nov 2007 16:42:00 +0000, David Littlewood
<david RemoveThis @nospam.demon.co.uk> wrote:

>In article <17ggk3tn7sdah4pb93151lkn2semg41lam RemoveThis @4ax.com>, Jeffery S.
>Jones <jeffsj RemoveThis @execpc.com> writes
>>
>>Religious techs are worth shooting for if you can get them. If not,
>>though, you can be better off skipping the early ones, get alphabet
>>(before anyone else if possible), then trade for the early techs and
>>get a later religion. But if you have mysticism to start, you have
>>such a good shot at getting an early religion you should try for it.
>
>I always like to found a religion fairly early. I have noticed that the
>AI (almost) always seems to go for meditation (Buddhism), so I always go
>for polytheism (Hinduism) and usually get there first, at least up to
>Noble level.

Beyond The Sword changes this preference. It is simply because
Buddhism is a bit cheaper, so in isolation it is the better pick when
trying for a religion, that the AI goes for it. But if every AI does
that, only one can get it. A smarter AI will take a wider range of
options.

In BTS, sometimes you have a clear shot for either first religion,
because no AI tries for them. Other times, several try for both, so
that neither one is in reach for a human player at higher
difficulties. Unless you start with mysticism, it is a big gamble to
try for early religions at higher difficulties.

OTOH, it is stil possible and worth trying for. Getting one of the
early religions means that an AI won't get it, and that blocks off one
of the early AI alliance advantages. It is even possible to get the
first three religions (or more), and that can make diplomacy much
easier (as well as finances from the shrines).
--
*-__Jeffery Jones__________| *Starfire* |____________________-*
** Muskego WI Access Channel 14/25 <http://www.execpc.com/~jeffsj/mach7/>
*Starfire Design Studio* <http://www.starfiredesign.com/>
 >> Stay informed about: Civ 4 : Early game strategy 

Very first thing I build is two workers, then a settler (depending on
surrounding terrain). I use the first worker to chop another worker
then both to chop a settler. Gets the 2d city up really fast.

Paul Hyett wrote:
> At the start, what do you usually build first?
>
> I normally wait until my first city gets to about size 3 before building
> workers or settlers, since doing so stops them growing for the duration
> of the build.
>
> Which buildings are your first choices? Technologies?
 >> Stay informed about: Civ 4 : Early game strategy 

I use smartmap, so I can get the first worker in
10 turns. I like to wait until I've founded a
religion before building my 2nd city, so I can
have it's special building in the same city as
the oracle and stonehenge. Note that I haven't
used this strategy above prince difficulty.
 >> Stay informed about: Civ 4 : Early game strategy