Domestic Policy
Expansionist Philosophy
Somewhat like isolationism and empire building, expansionists tend to think that dosmetics "doesn't apply to them", because of the very nature of their ideas. While you might succeed while thinking this on the lower levels of difficulty, get up into the real world and you could get a nasty shock. As stated earlier, an empire's size is its strength and vulnerability. The strength is obvious, but what most people tend to overlook is just how long it takes to move from one side of your massive civ to the other. If an advancing army breaks through your perimeter defenses, your thirty tanks or ten stealth bombers two continents away aren't going to do you much good. Solution: the good old Department of Transportation. Build roads & rails. That way, if the AI you broke seven peace treaties with, and your Great Wall just expired, comes storming up to your front door, you can muster some sort of defense even if it means pulling a few other citie's garrisons away. See also: Military Strategy - Expansionist.
Isolationist Philosophy
For isolationists, internal policy is what keeps them in the running. They get most of their revenue, trade, and science from inside their own civilization, so consequently have more time to spend on this vital section of their planning. Build roads and rails everywhere. Not only do they help in defense, but they boost the all-important trade flow. Always have a number of settlers or engineers on reserve, especially in the modern eras, just in case of the stray nuclear meltdown or detonation. The roads can also help with transportation, obviously, carrying the settlers or engineers to disaster areas. One of the engineer's vital strengths is the ability to virtually transform any terrain type to one more favorable. This is an incredible strength, but one that is most often left unused in more fast-paced strategies because it is very time consuming. If used properly by an isolationist, though, engineers can place a city anywhere and change even the most rugged terrain into farmland. Use engineers and settlers to "perfect" your home continent, too, weeding out the occasional swamp patch. I've made continents, when I've been lucky, that, using a huge engineer corps, don't have a single bare patch.
Militarist Philosophy
If you are a militarist, "internal" should imply "defense". You cannot stage(at least for very long) a successful offensive campaign without having a viable defense to be able to fall back upon. Your internal military strategy will not be discussed here, look at Military Strategy - Militarist, but there are several constants in civ design that should be followed. First, like all other philosophies, a consistent road network is vital. Having an excellent defensive system in half your country doesn't do you any good, as there are various laws of nature that require the next major invasion to be launched at where you are least prepared. Build your cities on the best terrain you can find; don't worry about finding defensible city locations. You can build and man fortresses in those locations. If you are in mountainous terrain, so much the better. Build your roads on top of the mountains, if you can spare the time. This should insure that your units are safe when on the move. If you really are feeling rich, you can intersperse a network of roads, rails, and fortresses on the tops of peaks. Voila! The Great Wall, Maginot Line, and superhighway in one! There is another thing to do when stuck in bad terrain: build airfields where it wouldn't be profitable to build a city. Airfields are often overlooked, but they can be invaluable.
Technologist Philosophy
You would think there
is little to say about the internal workings of a technologist's
civ, but there is enough. One of the most frustrating things for
a player who is centuries ahead in technology is to have someone
capture a city and steal a key advancement. Because of this, a
player who could have this happen to them should take some of the
militarist's advice to heart. You
should also build a lot of roads, increasing trade, and the
obvious city improvements. A city improvement that is often
overlooked for an advan>
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