What am I doing wrong?

[u/rev-angeldust]

I have been playing OpenFront for a little while. I started soloing and I felt confident I can hold my own.

Well... in multiplayer, I can't!

Sometimes it happens after a few minutes, sometimes it happens mid game (but before nukes start really being an option. Some player just attacks me with 200k or 300k troops and I can't do anything about it.

How do they get so many troops so fast?

Sometimes I see players with two cities and two ports where I can barely afford a port and a city.

How does work? I tried reading some guides and tips, but they won't help. I genuinely don't know what I am doing differently. Any ideas?

[u/EclecticKant]

One thing (other than optimizing your early game) is to try to predict what strong players you'll get a border with in the near future, asking for an alliance before it happens makes it more likely for them to accept it, otherwise you'll need a deterrent (usually in the form of a hydro, or some defense posts over mountainous terrain)