SCampb29-

Have the 'dance with dragons' research completed and get a Dragon Cave in your Zone of Control. You can then build a Storm Dragon Camp (if you are kingdom) or Fell Dragon Camp (if Empire). When completed, you get one dragon of your faction type. 

Temple Of The Dragon grants 3 Ashwake dragons over time.

The dragon eye quest will reward you with a level 1 Ashwake, if you can beat the final battle... 

If you get that Cult of the Eyes or whatever faction trait that lets you make spiders, those spiders are pretty good combat units early game and support units late game, and they don't cost wages so you can make tons of them (provided you have the production).  You can also scatter them about the map to use as scouts until they get killed.  It makes for a good early warning system.

In my more recent games, I've been playing on Insane with everything cranked up (large world, 8 AI players, dense monsters, resources,  champions, and whatever else you can set to dense, but I gave the AI a low rate of surrender).  I haven't won yet.  I haven't even made it to late game yet.  I've been getting better results, however, by starting my first city building a Scout (custom version of the Explorer that costs less) and joining that to my main scouting party both for the additional sight and to soak up a bit of damage so I can survive combat.  The extra sight range really helps finding where to expand to, which is vital.  My other tactics don't seem to be working out too well, what with the losing, but this one I'm pretty sure of.

I also use early settlers to soak up damage in a tight fight. They have plenty of HP (compared to early heroes) and the AI is dumb enough to hit them first although they can do no damage

I have never played with a faction whose explorer did not have something extra which could be removed (trait or equipment)

pun = joke, I thought there might have been some joke I did not understand

OK

I'm exploring ways to beat the game on insane ATM, so I have custom sov & faction

@Ulysses:  A pun is a play on words.  I don't think there was one of those to miss.

And how is it working out ? It's not too difficult to out expand the AI and set up a strong start, but overwhelming every AI is another matter... What I am also having troubble with is understanding how they cheat, in order to determine an appropriate strategy. OK they get 200% HP, unlimited gildars, immunity against monster attacks... but do they also have 100% techs on turn 1 ? it seems that some of them are able to start building towers for the mastery spell as early as turn 10 or 20 ? do they also always get a bonus level 7 or 9 heroe ?

I am winning consistenly (meaing every second game) on ridicolous 1 on 1, tiny map.

Mancer (or what ever guys with + 1 accuracy are called) with no archery, civics, scholars, defensive, + 10%hp. Sovereign with no magic skills, + 3 attack, hardy, tactican, + 500 gildar, discipline, +10% research, no disadvantage, weapon spear, armorer.

Turn 1 rush +1 research building, turn 2 rush scout with road building, turn 3 rush scout with road building. Scouts head in different directions  every square building roads, sovereign levels a bit. Research the two early production boosting techs, rushing workshop, city reaches level 2 -> fortress. Reserching spears and leather armor, city building smith and barracks. On scout should stumble into AI now, no raos right next to his city, try building 2 spearman with shields and full leather armor, trail his sovereign and strike his capital, when sovereign away. Use scouts to block sovereigns way back and hopefully him wasting moves to attack -> units holding capital are hopefuly full HP and can with defensive bonuses finish sovereign (which is about level 8 to 10). Then kill his second city if he already has one.

Possible improvements:

-beastlord

-binding

but both are more luck dependent. Main problem is first hero and start location. If its earth hero and start loc is 3 food, 4 production, 2 essence  with access to forest its game won, with 4, 2, 0 its game lost. Most important is production.

Edit: essentially the idea of this strat is hitting as long as his only military important force is sovereign. This only works with mancers, as their road building allows to reach AI fast enough. Variation might be possible with master scouts, though that is slower. Does not work on insane, as defense is already too high when reaching AI,though maybe with lucky beastlord and binding it does work.

Furthermore cult of the hundred eyes with even earlier unit building might also work.

So far nobody in this thread mentioned an early rush, the opening post suggested expansion and having enough defense to discourage an AI attack. Therefore i tried to exlain in what way early rush can be done and what it can achieve. Obviously it wont be that good on large maps (though taking over one neighboring opponent would not be bad either), but i cannot see why it should not be thought about.

Furthermore, i saw nobody mention Mancers and their free road building from the start would also help greatly with expansion as 1 or 2 early scouts are sent out anyway. And if they build roads for free, the pioneers will hit ground sooner, meaning the buildup of defense can start earlier.

Do not know which Civ version you mean, but as far as i can see, in both civ 4 and 5 such a very early attack would with higher than 50% probability be a failure. Civ 4 and 5 the AI starts with 2 cities instead of 1 and 2 warriors and 2 scouts. Maybe on epic, but in all other cases before the warrior hhorde reaches the AI, it will be a hard fight with advantage AI, because he has faster supply lines. Especially no road building towards the AI in civ 5.

Every victory against an AI with 50% economic and HP bonus and 900% start money bonus requires the expoitation of some AI and game mechanics. How would you expect to win against a faultless AI with such bonuses? You think you would ever win against another human with such bonuses?

Why large map and not medium, small or huge? And werent max opponents always 9 (making a quite crowded tiny map game possible, though 9 on large would still be crowded)?

Edit: To stress the point from the opening post:

"Building cities is key,"

My experience indicates that "Take out your nearest neighbor ASAP" might also be an option to take control of a sufficient large chunck of a map to be able to compete.

Edit:

Ok, german, raging barbarians, epic game speed on civ 5 might do it with deity. You know why?

I can mod the XML files of Civilization and win a lot on Diety too. It ain't that hard geesh.

Your statements also prove that many people are still gullible in life. I personally have to SEE an accomplishment first hand. I certainly won't take word of mouth or his sisters cousins fathers mothers brothers aunts uncle said so.

And no, watching some Youtube video is not the same as being there SEEING it personally.