Civilization IV: Warlords/Walkthrough

General strategy
Early game you want to build as many settlers as you can. Watch for highlighted positions for your settlers to build cities on. You will want to keep expanding your borders early with towns!

Make sure to build the following in all new cities:
 * 1) Settler
 * 2) Worker
 * 3) Archer (or the best defensive unit you can build)

Defense is very important, you will want at least three good defense units (maybe more)

When you have expanded, you will eventually encounter another civilization. When given the option, make peace with them. Making peace will give you a chance to start building military.

At this point you can choose a few different paths on how to interact with your neighboring civilizations.
 * Smash them with over powering military.
 * Beat them with cultural revolutions.
 * Diplomatic victory/space race.

Promote trade while building technology. Try to get cavalry units as early as possible. After you have cavalry, I turn all of my cities to build stables, and cavalry. The stables will give your new units in that town more experience. Keep pumping out as many units as you can, and send them after enemy towns.
 * Peaceful victory

When you have captured a town, you will want to install a new Governor (this makes the town yours). Don't forget to leave a few units in the new town fortified to defend it.

You can pretty much win the game with cavalry, unless the other civilizations become too powerful.

If you can't win with cavalry, make peace, and quickly complete the technology and building requirements for tanks. Once you have tanks you can start building them like you previously built cavalry. At this point it is usually game over, unless the computer is as advanced as you.