Civilization tips

Here are some hints for doing well in the game Civilization:

1. Settle! Build lots and lots of settlers. These are one of the most important units in the game. Improve the area around your cities a bit, then go off and found new ones.


2. Water, water, everywhere... Water is very important. Irrigate, don't mine or plant forests so much. Build cities near rivers, and try to have diagonal access to the sea. This allows you to build ships, without being so exposed to enemy ships as a coastal city or one on a peninsula.


3. All roads lead to Rome... Roads aren't just for transportation, they also improve the trade on plains and grasslands. Railroads will improve any kind of terrain.


4. To Battle! Enemy civilizations are usually aggressive and untrustworthy. Don't be suprised when (not if) they stab you in the back and betray your trust. So get them before they get you! Especially early in the game, send out chariots and militia to conquer other civilizations before they have a chance to build up their defenses.


5. High tech Romans Technology is key. Try to keep your tax rate below 50% if at all possible. Early in the game, before you have any buildings, set it to zero. This will maximize your scientific output.

In Civ I and II, my favourite strategy was not to build anything in the cities until I had build the Adam Smith wonder. That way, 1) I could plow ever penny into research, with no building maintenance to pay and 2) my cities would always top out at 8 population and I wouldn't have to worry about keeping them happy. Once I built Adam Smith's stock exchange (or whatever it was), I'd build all the buildings that cost $1 to maintain (and therefore made free by the Adam Smith wonder). Eventually those cities would top out at like 12 or something, and I'd start wasting some serious money to expand them further. However, by that time, I'd have such a nice economy that it really wasn't such a big deal to drop cathedrals and stadiums in every city (besides, things like Women's Sufferage and Cure for Cancer sure help a lot). This strategy does not seem to work in Civilizaton CTP. I don't remember what the deal is with Test of Time.

As soon as I had railroads, I'd pave every inch of inhabited land with them.

One final dirty trick: when you have every city of note building caravans to pump shields into the wonder you're building, sometimes you'll end up with extra caravans and no more wonders to build. No prob. Stack them up outside your most productive city and put them to sleep. Nothing quite so much fun as finishing a wonder in one turn on caravans alone.