Tips & Tricks

Here is an example Strategy for noobs, to get much better:

I'd like to share some strategy hints to newbies. Many players doesn't seem to know about these things and therefore get killed very easily. Mind you, the info I'm about to write down is not how to make the game more fun or interesting, it is purely on how to win. But I like to win and that's why I usually try to win I'm moderately successfull (top 100) but there's a lot of good players out there. These hints are only useful for smallpox gen 2 games. That is games in which you may build your cities as dense as possible and the map is generated with gen 2. Some of them may apply to other types of games too.

0. Beginning: Usually you get 2 or 3 initial settlers. You should place them so that they have a special resource (NOT on the special resource) within their city radius. The best special is the whale, after it comes the pheasant (the bird in the forest). It often makes sense to search for a good special with your initial explorers before deciding where to build your first cities. A city on grass with a whale at size one produces 3 shields and 2 food per turn compared to a city on grass with a grass with a shield that produces only 2 shields and 2 food per turn. Therefore after a few turns the investment you did in looking for a good spot will have had payed off.


1. Early Techs: Get Republic ASAP. Right when the game begins switch goal to Republic and start researching Alphabet. Republic is so important it ain't funny. After Republic make a revolution and research Map Making. After Map Making get Navigation and Horseback Riding.

2. Early War: Do not allow any explorers to land on your continent. The more you get scouted the more likely it is that the person doing the scouting will kill you. Kill the explorer ASAP. Depending on how large the map you are on, it might make sense to research Horseback Riding before Navigation. Sometimes you need to go to war before you get to Magnetism even if you probably do not want to. If you do, get some horses and put them on a Trireme and invade your closest opponent. If it's a good player, he or she probably wont have any defenses for their cities, so you can easily capture a few cities and then kill them.

3. Magnetism: After you have researched Navigation, research Magnetism. With Magnetism you can build Frigates which are the most decesive units in freeciv. They travel 4 moves, have 4 in attack and 2 in defense. They can also load two units on them. When you have Magnetism you should have atleast half of your cities building Frigates. The other half should continue producing Settlers. Put some horses on the frigates and invade less skilled players. It is very easy. What you should do next is very much dependant on your situation in the game. If you are the greatest player (you can check with /score) you could try use your greater lead to end the game. You do that by setting tax to 80% and build/buy as many Frigates as you can. With them you conquer as much as possible until you have a much larger civilization than anyone else. Also save money to build Magellan's Expedition ASAP.

Or, if your situation isn't that safe which it usually is on large maps, you have to play the long game. Set research goal to Steam Engine while you simultaneously build settlers and conquer civs with your frigates.

4. Settlers: Until you get Frigates, allmost all cities should produce nothing but settlers. Not even defensive units. With them you build as many cities that you can on your home island and you also colonize as many unoccupied islands that you have time to. If you try to win, you really have to use the smallpox technique, that is, build as many cities as dense as possible. After you start to make war you should still continue to build cities on vacant islands and fill in the gaps inbetween your own cities. It is essential to continue founding cities, because if you don't, someone that doens't make war but makes lots of cities will get before you. Never ever build roads or irrigations. Roads will just make it so much easier for someone else to conquer your civ and irrigations is just a waste of time.

5. Steam Engine: Steam Engine is sucky but necessary. Your frigates get "upgraded" to Ironclads that has 4 attack and 4 defense but cannot carry military units. Instead you have to use Galeons for that. If you are ahead at the time of Frigates it makes sense to try and not get Ironclads before you have to.

6. Destroyers: Destroyers have 6 in moves and extra visibility but otherwise they act as Ironclads. They might have more hitpoints than Ironclads but I'm not sure. If everything went according your plans you should have conquered and settled atleast one other players island. You now have to decide how the game should progress. Either you stop researching and try to finish them all off with your navy. Or you go for the longer game and research tacticts.

7. Tactics: At this point the game should have been over. If there still isn't a certain winner... GET SUN TZU's WAR ACADEMY!! In gen 2 games, Sun Tzu's War Academy (which makes all units veterans) along with Alphine Troops is an almost unbeatable strategy. It doens't matter if your civ is half the size of the opponent's, with Sun Tzu you will beat them. Alpine Troops move 3 squares at any terrain and have 5 in attack and 5 in defense. Meaning that with their veteran status they will likely win against Cruisers that have 6 in attack and 6 in defense. With your alpines you land on an enemy's island and conquer a few undefended cities. And unless he or she is able to incite revolts in them, there is no way he or she will get the cities back. Then you should be able to capture more cities, produce more units and capture some more. etc.

8. Communism vs. Democary: Democracy is the best government is you can maintain it. It is not easy to keep your citizens happy while you wage a war agaisnt someone. Fortunately, with Women's Suffrage you can reduce their unhappyness alot. The main thing about democracy is that your cities cannot be bribed. That is very important if you play with the standard diplchance 80 meaning that diplomats will succeed in bribing cities 4 out of 5 times. You also get much more trade in Democracy.

Communism works better if diplchance is 1. You can maintain martial law with one defense unit when the city reaches size 4. And then one extra unit for size 5 and 6. Since units doesn't require one shield in upkeep as they do under Democracy you will get a much higher production.

9. Diplchance: Diplchance is a value on how likely it is that a diplomat will be able to incinte a revolt in a city. The default is 80% which I think is very bad because then you can just build alot of diplomats and revolt your enemies cities. I don't think that is very fun. The only way to stop an invading diplomat army is to sentry your units (with the S command) and kill the diplos before your opponent has had time to press "incite revolt" and then "yes". To dependant on connection that is. But with diplchance 80 democracy becomes almost essential in the endgame and whoever builds Woman's Suffrage first is likely to win.

10. Wonders: In order of importance: Magellan's Expedition, Sun Tzu's War Academy, Woman's Suffrage, Michelangelo's Chapel, JS Bach's Cathedral. Magellans two extra movement points for all sea units is like totally brain damaged. If your navy is big it is very important to build it. Sun Tzu is very good to build if you are on a large map and are close to Alpine Troops. It is my favourite wonder because the one who has sun tzu is likely to win over the one that has magellan. Sun Tzu is very good to build if you are behind and magellan is already built. Woman's Suffrage is essential if you want to become a democracy. The chapel and cathedral is also important for democracy but not nearly as important as the suffrage.

11. Transports: Transports and other carrier ships should almost never be outside your city. You put your units, horses or alpine troops, on the transport then wait with it in the city and then move the five or seven squares to an enemy city that is hopefully vacant and conquer it. It reduces the risk of your transport being killed on the sea and is a tactic that is almost impossible for your opponent to deal with.

OK! That's all the strategy I know. There are many more variations and techniques that are competetive but I don't know fully master yet. Like the Lighthouse, Great Library, spies, Knights, Coastal Defenses and so on. I just want to say that the game isn't as simple as "smallpox and win" as some say. Those people you see on www.freeciv.org with like 2500 in rating they aren't there JUST because they have fast trigger fingers and a minimal ping.

Comments welcome.

Thanx to Sonderblade for this!

Here you have tips & tricks. Those i found in the Internet.

But think of that: It's only a suggestion. There are many strategies! If someone attacks you early, then you should follow a different strategy. Because democracy isn't absolutely best suitable to wage war! Alright? ;-) Another strategy for example would be researching: Republic, Navigation and Magnetism and wage war after that!

Tipps & Tricks

1. As fast as possible, develop the republic, then democracy

2. Also as fast as possible make a revolt, to change the form of government. That's how cities act much more effective

3. If democracy is reached, set the luxury rate up to 100% and just look, how the number of inhabitants increase every round at the number of one person. If enough inhabitants are reached, set the rate slowly down to 20%-30%.

4. If phase of growing is over, set rate slowly down again each round

5. Now you can develope economically, with the goal "railroad" and "recycling.

6. Overall ya can say: Who has much territory under his control, is researching faster. Who researches faster, dominates! Who dominates, wins. ;-)

7. In every field of your city build streets/rails to maximize the profit of raw material!

Mini-Howto

Strategies to win a game, you can also find under: http://www.freeciv.org/de/tutorials/how2win.html

TO BE CONTINUED SOON!