Hey all,

I'm pretty new here (not new to Civ III, just not very good). I've won on Chieftan, but only by score at game's end. I've got Civ III Gold (I'm not sure what version that really means, maybe somebody here could enlighten me?), and I'd like to learn from some of you folks.

I'd be open to anything, but I usually play all random (on Chieftan until I manage to win by something other than score).

Playing on Chieftan isn't a requirement; I just figured I'd let you all know where I stand.

Thanks!

ROSTER
jclast
Theryman
drakdan
cody_the_genius

Welcome to CivFanatics![party] [party] :bday: :bday: :band: :dance: :dance: :bounce: :bounce: :banana: :banana: :xmastree:

How would you like to play a Regent training game? I know someone who would be happy to help us...
*cues JB*

Find some like-minded newbs like yourself, and I will implore him to help us.

To find out what version you have, check the civilizations avaliable to you. If you can choose Incas and Mayas, you have Conquests. If you can't choose them, but can choose Arabs or Celts, you have PTW. If you can't choose Arabs or Celts at all, you have Civilization III, called Vanilla here. http://www.civfanatics.com/civ3/civilizations/

Also, check your patch and make sure you're up to date. I think it's at 1.22 for Conquests, and 1.27 for Vanilla/PTW.

Once we have that all figured out, I propose we play as China if we're in PTW/Vanilla, or the Iroquis if we have Conquests. I'd rather do a small pangea map with 80% water, since it should generate a simplier map.

Okay, so Civ III Gold (or at least my copy of it) is PTW. I have the Celts available, but not the Incas.

Also, I'm on version 1.27f (that's what it says on the initial menu).

I have one more question before we start. How do you play in Windowed mode so that I can switch between apps to take notes and stuff. Alt-Tab doesn't seem to do it.

Also, the roster so far (unless I misunderstood) is:
jclast
Theryman
drakdan

Theryman and drakdan, all of your options are fine with me. If it's okay to do so before we have a full roster (five or six seem to be avera from what I've seen here) I'll roll a start and let everybody take a look.

Okay, here's all the options that I picked.

Small world, roaming barbs, Pangaea with least water, normal climate, temperate temperature, and 4 billion years old. Difficulty is Regent.

We're China, and I've left our opponents random.

Here's the start I rolled.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e216/jclast/start.jpg

The Save (http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads11/jclast-noob-Chinese.sav)

I'm not sure what I really think of our start, but I'll tell you what I'd do anyhow. I'd plant our capital where the settler is, send our worker to road to the resource, and set our city to build a warrior to pop the hut and then explore.

I say ignore the resource, since we won't need it for a while, and let the culture expansion pop the hut. I'm thinking settle on the hill because we don't gain much from moving to anywhere else.

not a pleasant start!

If you guys would each like to roll a save and post it, too then we could go with the best one.

Also, I'm not sure how long it would take to expand far enough to hit the hut (especially if we move to a hill), and I like to check for techs, but I'm low man on the totem here.

Also, would you like to play slozenger? If so, just say the word, and I'll add you to the roster.

Culture expansion after 10 turns will automatically pop the hut for you. And if you have no military at that time, you are guaranteed not to pop barbs.

China is perhaps the one civ that can get away with building a barracks before any military, and I usually give that gambit a try.

Try this one?
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/3807/nyquil1nq.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

drakdan, I definitely like your roll better than mine. Land looks nice and workable, and a river is always nice to have.

So far, I vote for your save.

I'll join.

What level are we playing, Regent?

Yep, it's Regent. I'll add you to the roster. Is 4 enough or should we wait for 5?

I guess we could start and if someone wishes to join during the game, we could join them in to the roster.:)

These things will always end well. Ansar the King, aren't you a bit good for regent (esp. in such good conditions)?

Okay, if everybody is okay with it, I propose we start with drakdan's save. Since it's drakdan's, I think it's fair that he goes first and takes 20 turns. After that, does 10 turns sound okay to everyone? Also, 24 hours to get a save and 72 to play seems to be the standard here, and that's okay with me if everybody else approves, too.

ROSTER
drakdan ==> UP
jclast
Theryman
Ansar_the_King

Also, I'll probably be asking plenty of questions right before my turns (and probably about your turn reports, too) to try to learn.

@Tribute: Yes, thats why I liked the first start jclast rolled, it seemed appropiate for someone who is a Monarch player.:D

But I dont mind this start, though it may drop my experience.:p

Turn 1: Found on spot, send Settler to irrigate Wheat. Pottery in 10
Turn 2: Start Irrigate. Pot in 9
Turn 3: Pot in 8
Turn 4: Finish Irrigation, Start Road. Pot in 7
Turn 5: Pot in 6
Turn 6: Warrior Finishes. Sent Southwest towards some floodplains I see. Pot in 4 (+1 from Road), Worker to the Bonus Grassland
Turn 7: Worker starts road.
Turn 8: Warrior sees a hut.
Turn 9: Grow to size 2, mine BG. Hut popped for Ceremonial Burial.
Turn 10: Warrior produced, sent southeast. Pottery Finished, I set tech to Wheel, hoping to trade for Alphabet later.
Turn 11: Culture growth hurray. Warrior sees German culture lines. Boo.
Turn 12: Contact Mongols.
Turn 13: Contact Korea, not Germany (Same blue color.) Trade around Pottery/Masonry for 45 gold, Alphabet, and Bronze Working. It looks like the Mongols have not met the Koreans
Turn 14: Wheel in 9.
Turn 15: Finish road on Floodplain, Start irrigation.
Turn 16: Grow to size 3. Warrior produced, stays at home for Military Police happiness.
Turn 17: Mongols have 2 towns to our 1.
Turn 18: Exploration. Wheel in 2
Turn 19: Wheel in 1.
Turn 20: Writing in 40. Science set to 10%, we are making +6 GpT.

I'll play if we use this start.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e216/jclast/start.jpg

Same with Azzaman, cause then, it will be too easy.:D

If not, let someone take my spot.:)

I'll lurk and play a few turnsets if you want me to... is this PTW or Vanilla?

It's PTW, and I'm up next. I'll get my 10 played either tonight or tomorrow night. Also, we started drakdan's save so I'll adjust the roster. cody_the_genius, you're welcome to play full-time if you'd like, too.

Yikes, my first 10 turns on Regent. Here's hoping I didn't screw us up royal.

Looking Around:
We've got a Warrior due next turn, and writing will come in 40. I'd like to get it sooner than that, but I'd like to found a second city, too.

Turn 1
- Shifted science to 100%. We're losing 2 gpt, but Writing is due in 18 instead of 40.
- Warriors are exploring South, West, and East. Eastbound Warrior finds a goody hut.

Turn 2
- Beijing completes a Warrior.
- Beijing starts a Worker.

Turn 3
- Beijing lost all productivity. Move the completed Warrior in as a garrison.
- Popped the goody hut, got maps of the region.
- Set worker to road to furs. A luxury will do us good.

Turn 4
:coffee:

Turn 5
- Beijing comletes a Worker.
- Beijing begins a Settler.
- Warrior sees a goody hut.

Turn 6
- Warrior pops the goody hut, and we are taught Mysticism! :)
- Worker set to irrigate north of Beijing.

Turn 7
:coffee:

Turn 8
- Southbound Warrior sees purple borders and another hut.
- Worker roads irrigated tile.
- There are 2 dyes to Beijing's north. Might be a good place for a second city?

Turn 9
- Warrior pops the hut and gets more maps.

Turn 10
- The Settler is done, but I'm not sure where to send him. I'll leave it up to my successor (or the group). Personally, I'd go for the dyes, but remember...I ususally play on Chieftain.
- Beijing starts a Granary, but this can be changed.
- Worker set to irrigate NW of Beijing.
- Road to furs complete.
- The purple borders are India. We are 4 techs ahead of them: Masonry, Pottery, The Wheel, and Mysticism.
- Writing is due in 12 turns, but we're running at -5 gpt with only 26 in the treasury so it will really take longer.

Here's a picture of where I would put a second city.
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e216/jclast/second_city.jpg

Here's the save (http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads11/Mao_of_the_Chinese,_2590_BC.SAV). Let me know how I did, what you would have done differently, etc., and so forth. Thanks!

ROSTER
drakdan
jclast
Theryman ==> UP
cody_the_genius

"Turn 5
- Beijing comletes a Worker.
- Beijing begins a Settler.
- Warrior sees a goody hut."

Not sure what level you are playing, but consider switching the settler build when you pop the hut. Switch it back after it is popped. As long as you have a settler or one in the queue, you cannot get a settler from the hut.

I have managed to get a settler a few times doing this.

I will definitely do that in the future! Thanks for the tip. I didn't know that it mattered what you were building.

You have plenty of food.

Dont use one flood plain AND the irrigated wheat, switch either one to forest for growth and production.:D

By switch to forest, do you mean that I should have chopped instead of irrigating? If not, what did you mean. Sorry, I'm a bit lost.

My apologies :) , I checked the save and saw that you guys were using the wheat and a bg. I didnt see any BG's from your pic.:p Also, I thought the granary was 30 shields.http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e122/Sophie378/Smilies/confused054.gifYou guys are actually doing pretty good.:goodjob:

I can play full time? Cool. I'm in. :D

You have plenty of food.

Dont use one flood plain AND the irrigated wheat, switch either one to forest for growth and production.:D

I've always held the belief that more food is superior, simply because you'll eventually run out of food rich tiles and be forced to switch to shield rich tiles. So I usually prefer to do highest food yield possible, except in a few extremely rare cases.

As long as you have a settler or one in the queue, you cannot get a settler from the hut.

You sure? I have never heard this before. Do you have anything to verify this by, like an article in the War Academy I may of missed, or is this one of those little things that no one figured out until X years after the game was published, and hence no one knows?

Well, it's been more than 24 hours since I posted the save. cody_the_genius, if you're ready, go ahead and play. If he's around, Theryman can play after your round of turns.

ROSTER
drakdan
jclast
cody_the_genius ==> UP
Theryman

I've always held the belief that more food is superior, simply because you'll eventually run out of food rich tiles and be forced to switch to shield rich tiles. So I usually prefer to do highest food yield possible, except in a few extremely rare cases.

Well, food rich normally contain little(1) to none(0) shields, so you would be growing faster, but you would be building thinigs slowly...

You sure? I have never heard this before. Do you have anything to verify this by, like an article in the War Academy I may of missed, or is this one of those little things that no one figured out until X years after the game was published, and hence no one knows?

Yes I am sure and it has been known for as long as I can remember. I am sure there are threads about it here and I know there are many on Poly.

I would imagine that a reading of some of the early GoTM games would reflect it as well.

Simple test woudl be to make a game without the preserve seed. Put a hut near you and start a settler and pop it a bunch of times and see none come out. Then change the build and repeat and see if a settler shows up.

I am can asure you it works that way and I have tested it before. You could probably find some games posted where a settler was popped. Load tha game, switch the build and see what happens.

I'm officially blown away!

Crap crap crap. I've been out of town all day getting a new minivan (our old one is... well, old) and I just don't have time today with it being Easter weekend and all that. Theryman, go ahead and take it.

Sorry guys :sad:

No biggie. Whichever of Theryman or coy_the_genius can get to their turnset first can have it. After that, the next can go.

Just a bump to remind either Theryman or cody_the_genius that either of them is up.