Step 1.

Play Online – There’s no question about it; if you want to get better you must play online with other Tzar contenders. The computer is just way too predictable. You can use TzarCommunicator /Hamachi or Gameranger in most cases.

Step 2.

Play [more] Often – Trust me on this one, the more frequently you play, the easier it will be for you to recognize pitfalls in your play and what works for you.

Step 3.

Watch Demos – This one is especially true because you can adapt or counter specific builds by watching the demo again and again. More about watching demos here. Some good demo packs to start with are blackman’s January pack and Gabriel’s Asian Demos. More about managing your demos can be found here.

Step 4.

Use Hotkeys – Hotkeys are especially helpful when you have them standardized for all of your games. Hotkeying buildings can also be a make it or break it skill to have. More about hotkeying here

Step 5.

Press F4 – If you don’t know what F4 does in Tzar, it’s no wonder you lose to easy computers. Open up Tzar and you’ll see exactly how this can help you.

Step 6.

Spend Your Resources! – I realized this when I was watching ‘pro’ players. Have gold? Spend it. Resources do absolutely nothing for you if they’re not spent. Find a good way to spend your resources to keep them relatively low (while still harvesting plenty). Some examples are: Building more barracks and units if your food and stone are high, and building units if you have population potential. Conversely, you can build peasants if you have a lot of food but you need wood, stone, or gold. In my most recent demos, you’ll see me doing these things. You will overwhelm any opponent who doesn’t understand this concept just by the sheer production advantage.

Step 7.

Read – Congratulations, you’re already performing this step by reading content that will improve your skill at Tzar. There are also resources like the Tips and Tactics Section and great guides like Gabriel’s Art of War that provide a great deal of insight.
Thanks for reading and we wish you all the best in becoming a better Tzar Player in the year.