A new beginning

My first attempt at Civilization was a complete disaster. My cities were poorly located and not connected by roads, I made enemies with stronger civilizations, and I was unable to advance enough to be able to survive. My civilization was destroyed before I even advanced to the Middle Ages, but I did at least learn a lot about what it takes to survive (and I didn't have it). I started a new game and decided to not make the same mistakes again.

My plan was to build a strong civilization, and I did several things to get the ball rolling. From my failure in the first game, I realized that building roads and having connected cities was crucial. This would allow my citizens to move quickly to wherever they were needed and would promote trade with other civilizations. In history the Roman Empire made good use of roads mainly to help soldiers get from place to place fast, but of course roads did increase trade as well. Road building has made my civilization very efficient. I also used roads to bring horses and other valuable resources into my civilization, which I have realized can be very valuable commodities to use for myself and to trade if I have a surplus.

Diplomatic agreements with other civilizations is probably the most important aspect of the game to pay attention to. Being in the midst of a war early on in the game is devastating because it makes you focus on military production rather than on expanding your civilization (which peaceful nations are able to do). I now trade with other civs a lot to remain on peaceful terms with them, and I also make peace treaties and allow rights of passage whenever possible. Currently I am not at war with anyone, but other civs are closing in on my territory and it is hard to build more cities. For this reason, I am considering attacking the weakest civ around me so that I can takeover that land and its valuable resources. If it all possible I would first like to create a military alliance with the Americans because they are strong and can help me in battle.

My civ needs to expand in territory and get more resources because if it doesn't then I know that I won't have any resources to trade with other civs. Just as many European countries traveled to the West Indies in the 1400's to obtain spices and other valuable resources, I also am making the same attempt to gain control of a scarce resource. As Colander makes clear in Economics, scarcity of resources makes them of high demand because they are in short supply. If I can bring spices into my civ I will be able to offer my strong neighbors something valuable, and I can then get something valuable in return as well. It will also help my relations with my neighbors, which I really do think is the key to survival.