The Glory of Civilization

Published August 1, 2008

Much of what has earned the Civilization series its critical acclaim is the nearly limitless creative well of successful tactics you can draw from to achieve any of the various victory conditions. In this, Sid Meier's Civilization® Revolution™ is no different. If you're new to the series though, or you just need to brush up on some fundamental tactics, the following tips should get you started.

Grey Wolf, you may need those villages.

Chieftain Tutorial

It's a good idea at least once to spend an entire match on the Chieftain difficulty setting. It's here that you'll receive all the reminders, suggestions, and explanations you'll need to understand each of the game's various features.

Even if you're a hardcore gamer eager to take on the King, Emperor, or even Deity difficulties, it's worth your time to spend one full match on Chieftain. Once you get the tutorial match out of the way, then you can sink your tactical teeth into the game confident you understand each of its core mechanics.

Whatever your plan of attack, never forget
what your chosen nation does best.

The Three Warriors

Try building at least three warrior units immediately after settling your first city. Send two units to explore in opposite directions and set the third unit to defend your capital. This should keep you safe during the first few turns, while uncovering a large section of the map, eliminating and profiting from Barbarian villages along the way.

Focused Condition

Plant your focus firmly behind a single victory condition from the moment you begin researching your first technology. Whether it's Economy, Domination, Technology, or Culture, build and manage your civilization toward a single goal rather than spread yourself thin in an attempt to be versatile.

Don't mind us!

However, you should consider at least one fallback victory path when starting out. For example, if you're hoping for an Economic victory but find that by the Medieval era another civilization is well ahead of you, turn your attention to Domination, using all the gold you've amassed to rush units through production.

Road Priority

The freedom to move units across vast spaces in just a turn or two may be the most powerful but least appreciated ability in the game. With a proper network of roads, you can build military units and amass them at your city of choice almost instantly. Without roads, there is a very real risk of units taking so long to travel that they're outdated before they can launch an attack.

Instant Betrayal

Moving your army into position for an attack can be tricky business. Try offering or accepting peace with a nation you're preparing to attack. Vicious, I know, but with peace established, you can move your army unfettered up to the very border of the city you plan on besieging. Make sure your civilization isn't utilizing Democracy, or you won't be able to break the peace and declare war.

What's he pointing at?

Science or Gold

Your main city can usually build up enough infrastructure to support buildings boosting both science and gold production, but your outlying cities should focus on just one of these two resources. You never want to be too one sided. If you're focusing primarily on science for a Technology win or gold for an Economic one, hold at least one city to specialize in producing the secondary resource.

Archer Time

Your civilization is at its most vulnerable in the early stages of the game. It's a good time to build Archers, a defensive unit that proves stalwart even into the Industrial era.

First, research Bronze Working. If you'd prefer to research other technologies, take advantage of the Diplomacy feature (RB) and see if you can purchase Bronze Working from another civilization on the cheap. Also, build at least one army (three units) of archers for each city.

Wonder Considerations

Building Wonders requires massive production resources, so unless you're going for a Cultural victory where Wonders count towards a win, make sure to get as much bang for your buck as possible.

• Maximum impact: Whenever you create a Wonder, take advantage of the maximum impact possible from its completion. For example, Leonardo's Workshop will auto-upgrade every unit provided you've researched the appropriate technology. If you have an enormous army of catapults and time the building of Leonardo's Workshop after you research Metallurgy, every catapult army will convert to the much more powerful cannons.
• Long-lasting: Most Wonders can be made obsolete with the research of another technology. Be careful to build Wonders appropriate to the time period. You don't want to craft the East India Company deep into the Industrial era, where opposing cultures will soon discover the art of Flight and eliminate your Wonder's ability.
• Focus on victory: Unless you're overflowing with production resources, only build Wonders that add immediately to your chosen victory condition. For example, if you're heading for an Economic victory, focus on Wonders like East India Company, the Internet, and Colossus of Rhodes.

I spy two friendly Barbarian villages!

Tech Planner

When choosing which new technology to research, make use of the Tech Planner. Select a technology you know you want somewhere down the line and the Tech Planner highlights the technologies required to unlock the tech you've selected. Use the right thumbstick to scroll back over those required technologies, noting each one.

With most technologies taking several turns to unlock, you can't afford to waste time on ones you don't need. Always plan ahead.

Technology Purchased

If you're playing against the A.I. in single-player mode, take advantage of other cultures you're at peace with by purchasing technology from them. This is particularly useful in the early going as prices aren't nearly as steep, and these early technologies set the foundation for each tech path you might want to pursue.

Avoid selling your own technology unless absolutely necessary. Granting opponents access to new buildings, units, and wonders for a few gold pieces is rarely worth the money.

Production Reduction

Anytime you occupy a space within an opposing city's boundaries, eliminate whatever resource that city produces there. If you're at war with an opposing culture, but don't plan on attacking them anytime soon, try killing their resources in this manner. Make sure to use defensive units like Archers or Rifleman when attempting this technique.

Oh no, you don't!

Spy Before Battle

A properly defended city can hold out against what may seem an overwhelming offensive force. You can reduce much of the city's advantage by attacking first with a spy and destroying their infrastructure.

If you're rolling with a large army to take on a city, take several spies with you. Use one on each turn if the city survives the first wave. Try creating a "ring" of spies by combining three spies together to make your first attack. This way, you can be nearly certain of defeating any defending spies.

One City Wonder

While there's something to be said for an expansive civilization made up of several bustling cities, there is an advantage to focusing all your attention on a single city. There's a 25 point achievement for winning with just your capital city, and you can achieve remarkable production, particularly in science or gold.

If you attempt this technique, be sure to focus on settler production early. Build several in a row and pile them all into your city. This is particularly effective for an Economic or Scientific victory.

Specialized Domination

Never forget that your chosen nation offers up its own perks, including (for many civilizations) specialized units. If you're attempting a Domination victory, focus on these highly trained special units during their appropriate era.

For example, if you're playing the Germans and research the ability to build tanks, you can't go wrong building and attacking with immense armies of the powerful, German-specific Panzer tanks. Whatever your plan of attack, never forget what your chosen nation does best.

There you have it. A few tips to get you started. Now it's time for you to fly solo and discover your own path to success in Civilization Revolution. Good luck!

Article by Ryan Treit