🚀 go-pugleaf

Okay, someone posted some nonsense awhile back about strategies for civilizationThe following are the ones I use.  I always win at Prince, and sometimes win
at King.  First of all, for people just learning this, use those customized
world options.  You wouldn't believe how much easier it is if the continents
are larger, or the climate is different.

Don't bother with the instant advice, it's usually irrelevant.  After finding
a nice spot for your city and getting bronze working and pottery, make a bee-
line for republic.  Don't even bother with monarchy.  I know it's a pain 
sometimes, but it's definitely worth it in the long run.  Bump up your science
rate to 80% and only bring it down when you start losing money.

After building a militia to go exploring, start producing lots of settlers.  Youwant to expand as fast as possible.  If you have to to grab a whole island or
a large, more easily defensible territory, conquer other guys, but do it 
quickly.  A long war will cost you the game.  The general pattern I like for 
expansion is build a building or unit, and alternate with a settler.  

As far as useful wonders go, there aren't very many at the beginning of the 
game.  The Colossus, is good, but that's about it.  You should be by far the
most advanced, so Great Library is pretty useless.  (Aim for university if
someone else develops it.)
After getting the republic, aim for religion (for J.S. Bachs cathedral), 
though it's safe to grab things like the Wheel, Bridgebuilding, and Currancy.
Things to avoid are Monarchy, Feudalism, and Horseback riding.  They're 
useless and you'll get it eventually anyway.  Also, put off communism and
anything to do with nuclear stuff as much as possible.
It's absolutely imperitive that you are the first to achieve industialization.
It gives Woman's Suffrage Wonder, which is extremely important, allowing one
to wage war while a republic.  Democracy isn't important until you start
polluting.

King level is, to say the least, tricky.  First of all, if the site you 
start out on isn't good for a city, shut your computer off and start over.
One should also substitute ceremonial burial for bronze working.  People riot
quickly at this level.  Don't bother building barracks.  If you can build 
those, you can build something more useful, like settlers.  Also, don't 
defend your internal cities, only your peripheral ones.  Avoid anything to
do with boats unless you get stuck on a small island, at least until latter.
Avoid wars at most costs, even if it means trying to expand around someone
else.  You should put absolutely every resource you possibly can into 
scientific developement.  Even so, some civilizations will be at least as
advanced as you, if not more so. (I have yet to figure out how they do it.)
Thus, Great Library is important at this level.  A useful thing to do is to 
make a chart of what advance leads to what, so you can aim for only the ones
that increase your resources or production.  Even given all this, it's still
very easy to lose at this level, especially if something screws up at the 
beginning.  If you can afford it, buy out cities instead of trying to 
conquer them.  As I said, it's tricky.  Good luck!