Civ CTP is, I am convinced, one of the best games ever. I have become addicted. Totally, rediculously, heroin-like addicted.
However.
I can’t beat the computer. Not even on the easiest level with only three Civs. (I figure I gotta beat the AI before playing against humans.)
Generally, my strategy is to build as many cities as possible as early as possible, macimizing production in each one, and converting to Theocracy as soon as possible. I want to win via the Science route, so I make as many scientists as I can feed and try to get wonders like Forbidden City, Galileo’s Telescope, Gutenburg Bible, etc.
Usually, I’m winning by far in the beginning of the game, but then the other civs start to catch up VERY quickly, and end up being very sneaky, converting cities, sending lawyers, inciting revolutions, and so on.
So, what say you, Dopers? What is the best way to take over the world?
Generally it’s important to pick good places to start cities, lots of green pastures or ocean for food and loads of mountains and hills for production (the mines are very important).
I’ve found science to be the key also, I usually go for any buildings or wonders that aid science and leave the others for later. Buildings for production come first though, because you’ll take less time building everything else after they are in place.
Diplomacy is also important, but more so in Call to Power 2, I assume you are playing number one. Get number two, NOW.
Then we’ll talk some more
— G. Raven
p.s.
I luuuuuuurve that game too, and I can back up your claim that it does have heroin-like properties. It’s not always such an appealing idea to start it up, but I can never stop untill it’s time for work the next day
Build your first cities, put a Phalanx or two in each one. Build a farm, or better, a fishery, for each of your starting cities. Build another Phalanx from each city, send them out exploring, build a settler in each city. When complete, send them out to make new cities, recall your Phalanx to defend those cities, continue this with each new city. Have your core cities build farms and fisheries, maximising growth. Once a city reaches size 10 or so, start in on industriallization.
Build lotsa high mobility, low cost units, and explore like a lunatic. Settle your cities as far from the core of you civ as possible, then back-fill the interveneing space.
Concentrate on two or three cities as centers of science, build lotsa wonders there. Use two or three more to concentrate on construction of units. Build a strong, advanced navy as soon as possible: It’ll pay dividends later.
Play your oponents off of each other: Make an alliance with the most agressive of your opponents, keep them happy, but hem them in with new cities and conquered cities. Don’t give away science. Keep your cities garrisoned with defensivly strong troops. Build morale-building improvements in all your cities, even if you’re a theocracy. Put a cleric or a lawyer in every city. Build missile shields or the national shield ASAP. Watch out for pollution: It’ll wipe out your population.
Get into space first. Build really massive cities in space. Build space bombers in huge fleets, and blast the enemy into ashes.
Thanks Morisson and Tranquilis, I’ll try those. Unfortunately, Loki has not yet ported CTP2 to Linux, so I won’t be able to play that for quite a while. (I’m alergic to Windows.)
Out of all the Civ-like games you choose THIS piece of crap as your favorite?? Having played CTP and CTP2, I can authoritively state that Civilization II beats them both hands down.
Still, you asked how you could beat CTP. Though I personally think someone who couldn’t even win on the easiest setting is a lost cause, perhaps others will benefit from this strategy, a surefire winner even on the most difficult setting:
Build a city
Build a (warrior, phalanx, etc.) or two, than a settler
If you timed it right, the settler will pop out just as you city lvl gets to 2
Repeat, using your settlers to build more cities
The basic flaw with CTP is that every new city automatically harvests 2 tiles, one it rests on, and another. A lvl 2 city harvests 3 tiles. So, 2 lvl 1 cities > 1 lvl 2 city.
Using the above strategy, your civilization will spread like a plague across the map, gobbling up most of the world by 0 BC (takes longer on the largest maps and archipelago maps). Since the unit balancing in this game is a joke, it hardly matters if the AI races up the tech tree, you can handily overwhelm their advanced units with your swarms of slavers, phalanxes, archers, legions, and especially knights.
Yeah, I was having problems with lawyers and stuff, so I built my own army of lawyers and stopped production in a lot of cities, plus had a lawyer or two stationed in each city to sue the pants of other lawyers who come near.
You can have a lot of fun with Branch Offices, Lawyers, and Televangelists. Economic/political war is a really entertaining way of crippling your strongest rival(s), but you can’t start off in small numbers, or the enemy will come after you with guns loaded. If you’re going to go with social/legal/economic war, build your forces first, then go whole-hog.
