Introduction
Colonization is the follow-up game to Civilization.  It is not a true sequel, but focuses on the exploration of a New World and ultimately the birth of a new nation.

There are 3 ways the game ends in Colonization, with one outcome being the most positive.  The two least positive outcomes, from a colony score standpoint, is to have the game end automatically.  The first endgame happens if you have NOT declared independence.  The game will end automatically in 1800 and your colony score will be tabulated.

The 2nd endgame happens if you have declared independence, but have not won as yet.  The game will then end automatically in 1840.  This is a detriment because once you declare independence you cannot found any more cities/colonies.  And a long protracted war drains your resources and ultimately your score.

So, the 3rd and best way to maximize your colony score is to declare independence on or before 1776 and win before 1800.  Further discussion on this is as follows...

Maximizing Your Colonization Score
There are 3 basic components that determine the bulk of your colonization score.

The first one is population, but with a twist.  Each criminal or indentured servant gives a +1 to the colony score, each free colonist or native convert gives +2, and each skilled colonist gives +4.  So, as can be see, the score is fully realized for each trained specialist you have.  This makes schools/colleges/universities very important.

The second component of colonization score is the independence multiplier.  If you are the first to declare independence, as compared to the other European colonies, your base score is doubled.  If you are the 2nd to declare independence, you get a 50% bonus on your score.  If you are the 3rd to declare, you get a 25% bonus.  If you declare last, then you get only your base score without any multiplier.

The final component of colonization score is how early you declare.  For every year before 1776 you declare, you get a bonus point.  These bonus points are added to the base population score before the independence multiplier is used.

Additional components of the score are Native genocide penalties and monetary bonuses.  For every Native village you destroy, you lose points based on level of difficulty.  At discover level this penalty is 1 point per village destroyed.  At Explorer level it is 2 pts per village destroyed, and so it adds up.  Monetary bonuses are +1 point for every 1000 gps you have in the treasury.

Strategies - Game Startup
The strategy for winning at Colonization begins with where you choose to play, how tough you choose to play, and who you choose to play.  First off, the best scores are going to come from playing the Americas.  Why?  Because you know the lay of the land before you start.  Secondly, the more difficult levels will give a higher score, but they are also tougher.  Each person should play where they have at least a 50% chance of winning.  Finally, who do you play as?  I personally choose the Dutch.  The reason is the relative flatness of the cost of goods back in merry old Amsterdam, and the free merchant ship to start.  Dutch goods do not fluctuate as wildly in price as do the English, Spanish, and French ports do.  This means you can count on a somewhat steady income when you take your goods to Europe as opposed to the price dropping with each load you take there.  The English advantage of immigration is almost as good, as you can count on a steady supply of colonists coming to the New World.  The Spanish advantage of conquest is good only if you want to wipe out the Natives ( but this impacts negatively on your final score).  The French advantage of Native cooperation can be approximated through the use of Founding Mother Pocahontas.

Strategies - The First Colony
When you get to the New World, you do NOT want to locate your first colony on a tiny island, such as in the Caribbean.  It is much better to sail to the mainland and start there.  An aside, avoid placing any colonies near the Arawak Natives.  They are quite bloodthirsty and will attack at the drop of a hat.  The first colony should be located near a specialized tile of land, in some fashion.  This could be a mineral deposit or a beaver tail.  You get much better results by locating the colony so.  It is most important to allow at least 2 squares distance between any Native village and the first colony.  This gives you room to grow without paying for Native land.  After you get the first colony located, move the soldier around a bit while your ship is returning to Europe.  This gives you a full view around your colony, and allows you to make peace with the Natives right off if they are close by.  Once your ship returns to Europe, you should procure, in order, a Scout, 52 horses, and an Expert Farmer. carry these to the new world with all due haste.  The Scout will allow you to explore the continent and see where the other competing colonies are.  The 52 horses allow you to use 50 to change the Soldier you have in the new world to a dragoon, and leave 2 horses as "seed' for developing a horse herd.  The expert farmer will get the colony off to a good start food wise, so you can use the next colonist or two as a lumberjack and carpenter.

Once you have the scout and dragoon in the new world, use the scout to locate the competing colonists on your continent.  Then use the dragoon to conquer the competing colonies.  This accomplishes two goals.  First, you keep them from attacking you which they will surely do.  Secondly, you capture their colonists and goods stored.  You can use the ship to sell their goods for much needed cash.  You can send the captured colonists overland to your first colony to build it faster.  If fact, by leaving the dragoon in the general locale of their first colony, you can capture more as they disembark from the enemy ships.  Thus, you build up your populace faster.  It is also a cheap way to get those skilled carpenters and such that are expensive to train at the start.  Once you have the initial colony up to 3 population with at least a farmer, a colonist as a lumberjack and someone working in the carpenter shop, you can start on the buildings in the colony.  In order, you should build a lumber mill, a warehouse, a stockade, then a school.  You are now ready to move past the start of the game.  An aside which may be most important of all.  You need to build colonies fast and furiously.  Thus until your city/colony count is 10-12, you should not increase the pop of first colony above 3-4.  You can start new cities with the extra colonists, which increases Liberty bell production and cross production, which are most important towards successful game completion.

Strategies - Founding Fathers
Similar to advancements in Civilization, Colonization has Founding Fathers. each of these brings an enhancement to the colonies.  You gain founding fathers thru liberty bell production.  Once you reach a certain amount of liberty bells produced, you get a new founding father.  Based on the need to produce liberty bells, Jefferson is probably the most important one to get.  It is a close call between Jefferson, Minuit, and LaSalle.  I typically choose LaSalle, then Minuit, then Jefferson.  LaSalle gives you a free stockade once colony pop hits 3.  Minuit removes the Natives demand for cash payment for their lands.  Jefferson increases the liberty bell production of statesmen by 50%.  Next, in order of importance, are Pocahontas, Stuyvesant, Drake, JPJones, and Bolivar.  Pocahontas removes native tension, Stuyvesant gives the Custom House (absolutely required during War of Independence), Drake give privateers 50% attack bonus, JPJones give you a free frigate, and Bolivar increases liberty bell production across the colonies by 20%.  Beyond those you need to choose the Founding Father which best fits your needs of the moment.

Strategies - Game Play
¥ In order to have less complicated growth, it is almost imperative you eliminate the other colonies on your continent.  Otherwise you will be fighting their dragons almost continuously.

¥ An added benefit of eliminating the other colonies is you get their colonists.  Often you get free carpenters, free pioneers, and other such specialized colonists.  Of almost equal importance is you get to plunder their saved up stores.  You always get food, and most often gets needed tools and muskets.

¥ Once you eliminate their colony, leave your dragoon in the general area.  Their ship will continue you to bring colonists to the new world, and you can capture them for your own.

¥ Do not attack the Natives, as it just reduces your score and costs you valuable horses and muskets if you lose.  Instead, trade with them, especially the Aztecs and Incas.  For 100 tools or trade goods you can get 100 tons of silver for 50 or 75 gps. 100 tons of silver usually sells for 1800-2000 gps when shipped to Europe.  Trading with the other natives gives you much needed raw materials to produce manufactured goods.

¥ Send an indentured servant or free colonist to every Native village you can find.  You get expert farmers, sugar cotton or tobacco planters, or expert ore or silver miners for free.  The specialized colonists are 2-4 times as efficient as regular free colonists.

¥ Use the scouts to uncover every gold coin on the map.  If you have Founding Father DeSoto the results will always be positive.  If you are lucky, you will get a 'Fountain Of Youth'.  This lines the colonists up in Europe eager to flock to the New World.

¥ Create trade routes to bring food surpluses all to one city.  This gives you a new colonists faster.  Indeed, you can get a new one every turn with 3 or 4 trade routes pouring food into the city.  With a University built, you can train new statesmen every 2-3 turns.

¥ Use pioneers to plow the plains and savannas.  The food production goes way up with an expert farmer, and brings you more colonists quicker.

¥ Using privateers, plunder the enemy colonists ships.  There is a pseudo-patrol mode in the game.  When it is the privateer's turn to move, use the mouse.  Go to a spot on the ocean where you want the ship to go to.  Click and HOLD the mouse button, until the mouse pointer onscreen says GO TO, then release the mouse button.  This gives the order to the privateer to go to that spot in the ocean.  By spacing the privateers appropriately, you can have a long line of ships patrolling the ocean.  And can attack enemy shipping at will.

Strategies - War of Independence
¥ Have as many cities as possible be at 100% for rebellion.  Each of these cities will upgrade their dragoons to continental army status.  Thus, they get better attack and defense bonuses.  The increased liberty bell production will also bring foreign intervention on your behalf sooner.

¥ In the coastal cities, have at least 3 artillery each.  You can use them to deadly effect on the attacking Tories.

¥ Most importantly, hit the Tories while they are on the beach as it were.  Sentry dragoons one tile away from the shoreline around each city.  When the Tories land in front of you, attack them fast and furious using your ambush advantage.  You can wipe out the whole attacking Tory force before they get a chance to hit the garrison in the city.

¥ Almost as important as sentrying the dragoons 1 tile off the ocean is to have the Natives fight on your side.  The well mounted Natives almost always defeat the Tory dragoons, who are no match for the Native fighting tactics.

Frequently Asked Questions
Q: "When I built the custom house I checked and found under help that it was supposed to handle all logistics for me--it doesn't."

It handles all trade logistics for you, within bounds.  A custom house will not sell anything if there are less than 50 units of it in the warehouse.  It triggers to sell something when it reaches 100, and sells stuff until 50 of each item are left in the warehouse.

Q: "Also, it highlighted various goods that apparently it was going to take care of; is there any way to tell it _not_ to accept control of certain goods?"

Yes. click on the custom house. then remove the bullet from in front of each item you do not want to sell. to enable selling of an item, click o the item until the bullet appears.  Hit ESC to remove the custom house menu.

Q: "On the cargo space of wagons and ships could you fix it so that they handle 200 units rather than just in terms of holds?"

Not that I know of.

Q: "The Indians in the game attack way too frequently even though I take a pacific attitude and approach to them.  Is there any way to adjust that?"

Yes and no.  Depends a lot on where you put your colonies and which tribe you are dealing with.  The Arawaks, based on the Caribbean tribes who were mostly cannibals, are the most violent and seem to attack regardless of what you do.  The other tribes base their reactions on what you do.  Keep at least 1 square between your colonies and the native cities.  Two is preferable.  Maintain at least 2 square spacing around the native capitols.  In order of preference, to help keep peace between you and the natives.. get Founding Person Pocahontas, put missionaries in every native city you can get to, ad trade with the natives.  Peaceful trading adds to their tolerance level.

Q: "In the game the Indians are experts/masters at various skills why not let us hire them or trade with them on a frequent and regular basis?  Instead of hit and miss."

Use scouts to see what skill is taught in each native city, and then send colonist/ind. servant there to learn that skill.  An aside, the most rare skill is tobacco planter.  Usually only one native city, in all the native cities combined, teach that skill.
