Official Civ3 FAQ Update (10/26/01)

Several sections of the <a href="http://www.civ3.com/faq.cfm" target=link>Official Civilziation III FAQ</a> have been updated/revised with latest info.

Some of the new info from the FAQ are listed below:

<UL>
<LI>System requirement change: 400 MB free hard drive space instead of 100 MB.
<LI>When you are at war with another Civ, your embassy in their capitol is automatically closed, and you will be unable to investigate city or steal technology. However, you can still conduct other espionage missions (sabotage, propaganda, steal world map, steal plans, expose enemy spy) as long as your spy is not caught.
<LI>Conscripted units have only 2 hit points. Conscript units can be received when exploring barbarian villages ("Goody huts"), and are also produced when you use the draft to produce soldiers.
<LI>Drafting: Once your Civ has discovered Nationalism, the draft becomes available. Drafting citizens effectively converts a population point into a military unit. Depending on your level of scientific development, that unit will range from a Spearman to an Infantryman. Government types directly affect how many citizens from each city can be drafted per turn; Republic and Democracy can draft 1 citizen per turn, while Depotism, Monarchy, and Communism can draft 2 citizens per turn. Civilizations in Anarchy cannot draft citizens. Drafting is very unpopular with your citizens, and each use of the draft will make one citizen in your city unhappy for twenty turns.
<LI>The "Dan Quayle" screen of the original Civilization is back. After winning, losing, or retiring from a game, you will be ranked and given an appropriate title that suits your accomplishments.
<LI>Only ground, non-artillery combat units may join an army.
<LI>The effect of Mobilization is changed. Instead of halving the maintenance cost of military improvements and doubling the maintenance cost of non-military improvements, mobilization now allows all cities building a military unit to produce one extra shield in every square that is already producing at least one. A mobilized Civ may only build military units and military city improvements, and may not build peacetime improvements.
</UL>

These info have been added to the <a href="http://www.civfanatics.com/civ3infocenter.shtml">Civ III Info Center</a>.

Mobilization seems quite drastic... No peaceful improvements during war? It'll be harder to get content citizens in conquered cities.

Hey hippo , if some country concuered your native city you would be wery happy ? i do not believe it is easy to make people forget who they realy are .

It does seem drastic, but we've been told that "War will be a much more drastic matter in Civ III".

I guess this applies to drafting and mobilization for war as well, as it should be...diplomacy seems to play a MUCH more crucial part than it did in Civ II.

I think drafting is going to save my bacon lots. I'm sure everyone can relate to this scenario: You've just founded a city out in the middle of nowhere (maybe an advanced tribe), and out of the blue comes a single barbarian to ruin the fun. Drafting a defense unit instantly will save the day!

This is the first game feature I am uneasy about. It would have to be a heck of a war before I would want to mobilize under these rules. I'm committed to building nothing but military units and military improvements in EVERY city, until the war is over???

We'll see how it plays out.

Originally posted by Sparrowhawk
I think drafting is going to save my bacon lots. I'm sure everyone can relate to this scenario: You've just founded a city out in the middle of nowhere (maybe an advanced tribe), and out of the blue comes a single barbarian to ruin the dun. Drafting a defense unit instantly will save the day!

Click to expand...

I'm not so sure this will work. First, can you draft in peacetime? I'm not sure. But I am pretty sure of this: a newly founded city has a population of one, so if you draft, you've eliminated the city.

Anyone know if you can merge a drafted unit back into the city's population? I'd assume so but haven't heard this confirmed anywhere.

But I am pretty sure of this: a newly founded city has a population of one, so if you draft, you've eliminated the city.

Click to expand...

Agreed, but I've had more than a couple size 2-3 cities fall victim to the lone barbarian. It all depends on how fast a defensive unit would normally build. Sometimes it takes 20-30 turns if production is poor.

Ideally, I think you should be using mobalization before you go to war, not once you do. Build up a large force and then declare war. If you have built enough units, you might well be able to go back to a peacetime economy, build peacetime structures, and simply replenish units as you lose them rather than build an entire army.

Originally posted by Scout
This is the first game feature I am uneasy about. It would have to be a heck of a war before I would want to mobilize under these rules.

Click to expand...

Yeah, well, mobilizing your entire economy for war should be pretty serious. Obviously you can fight wars without mobilizing, so mobilization represents an all out, "our entire nation is at stake", no pantyhose or chocolate, state of affairs.

The war-weariness and other new rules sound interesting though. It may be that Civ3 wars are going to be characterized by massive buildups followed by quick and bloody campaigns!

Originally posted by pansophy
Ideally, I think you should be using mobalization before you go to war, not once you do. Build up a large force and then declare war. If you have built enough units, you might well be able to go back to a peacetime economy, build peacetime structures, and simply replenish units as you lose them rather than build an entire army.

Click to expand...

The catch there is that you cant switch out of a war time economy or into a peacetime economy without ending the wars you are involved in. I'm not sure, but I doubt that a cease fire treaty counts as being at 'peace'.

EDIT: Oh.. you meant mobilize before going to war... In that case, i dont think you can switch to a wartime economy without actually being at war . Firaxis would be pretty incompetent if the mobilization allowed you to mobilize without being in any military conflicts. Not to mention it would be a pretty cheesy exploit. If thats the way it is as the game stands now, they shoudl definitely fix it in a patch.