Staying Innovative in Civ IV

As my civilization progresses, I begin to realize how important it is to stay innovative. In the game, you must constantly upgrade everything. After you begin to cultivate a new crop, it is important to continue to improve production techniques with new technology and culture. I feel that the easiest way to stay innovative is to be friendly with everyone you meet. I believe that everyone you meet can supply you with something. If you conquer another civilization you may gain land and manpower, but I truly believe that developing good relationships with other civilizations is more constructive. Every other culture is bound to have something to offer to you.
Real life is not unlike the game. Everyone I come in contact with I try to become as close as possible with, not only because most human beings mean well, but also because everyone something to offer to you. The world is about connections, and if you bully other cultures, all you are doing is beginning hostile relationships. If you are kind and respectful to everyone you meet, not only will you make good relationships, but you will aslo make a connection that could come in handy at any point in time. So, it's best to avoid conflicts at all times.

Taking it Slow in Cliv 4

The most important thing in starting up a civilization is to take it slow and to not make decisions too quickly. It is important to make sure that your civilization is properly protected at all times. I learned this quickly. I made it through about two hours of the game without any problems and became a little cocky. Instead of strengthening the empire of several cities that I already had, I decided to go ahead and start another city. In this new city, I spent more energy on developing its culture, agriculture, and technology than on keeping it protected from invasion. My new city was quickly attacked and taken over by barbarians, and all was lost. So it’s vital to ensure that defense is always the number one issue, since all can be lost far more quickly than it took to be set up.
Similarly, it’s important to stay humble once you become a dominant civilization. That is, just because you have the power to invade others’ territories doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to actually do this. Abusing power can result in shaky relationships with other empires, which may be more powerful than you. Most of the time, it’s better to become friendly with others so that you may gain new culture and technology.
Another important idea to keep in mind is to never get too comfortable. After awhile, I had developed a rather strong empire with solid culture, technology, agriculture, and defense. However, I again became cocky and felt invincible. I basically just was doing whatever I pleased, such as conquering territories here and there just because I could. I felt that I did not need to work as hard and think through decisions because I had already established a successful empire. Before I knew it, I was being invaded by enemies, harmed by disease, and my empire was on the downfall. This can be related to real life situations. I like to compare this game to starting a business. Let’s say you work hard for five years on a restaurant business and you start a successful chain. Success in business comes from staying innovative to keep customers happy. Instead of continuing to work hard and develop new ideas, you begin to relax and enjoy the financial benefits that have come from your success. You buy a boat, a car, and a house, and you open a few new restaurants to keep profits flowing. But while your restaurants are beginning to plateau because you’re not spending as much time on new ideas, other competing chains are coming up with new ideas and drawing many of your customers. Before you know it, your chain could collapse completely and all you have made could be lost. So just like in a restaurant business, it is important to continuously work hard and stay on top of your tasks to keep a civilization running properly.

Civilization Defense

Starting a civilization is strikingly similar to starting a company or a business. Obviously in 4000BC, which is when the game begins, there are many differences in comparison to modern society, but the concepts are noticeably similar. The steps taken to create a civilization are almost the same steps necessary to start anything. First, you must find a place to settle, or open business. Then it is necessary to set up defenses. Once there is a city that is up and running and can maintain itself, it may be possible to spread your empire.One of the first orders of business in the game is to create a warrior to guard the civilization against attacks by wild animals or other empires. Although there is no threat of invasion or attack by lions or warriors in beginning a business, it is still necessary to utilize defense options. You must find a spot to open your business that is in a good area. Instead of building a warrior, a small business owner must first set up insurance to protect against financial harm. It is also a good idea to install a security system at the place of business to protect against theft. Even though it is protecting against a different set of threats, a business must take the necessary measures to ensure safety just like every ancient civilization did.It is vital to set up a defense system no matter what field you're in. No matter how much production your city or business has, it is unsafe without some degree of security. If there were no warriors in the game, then there would be nothing to stop a neighboring village from conquering your city, even if its production is excellent. Similarly, if you open a convenience store, you must set up an alarm system for when the store is closed and you must be sure to get insurance to protect against disaster. No matter how successful the convenience store or the civilization, it is completely unsafe without the proper defenses. So even though there are different measures that must be taken, the principle of security is the same no matter what millennium you’re in.