Ronald
Emperor
Lately I started to become interested in the issue of micromanagement. Since I could not find an easy summery, I decided to write down everything I know about the basics. Hopefully others will add their findings here as well.
One of the built in features of civ3 is, that everything produced more than needed for the goal is spoiled.
For an example: every science beaker produced more than needed for the next tech advance is lost, every shield produced more than needed for the next unit or city improvement in this city is lost and every food produced more than needed for the next city growth is lost as well.
Especially at the start when we have very limited resources, every lost shield, food and science beaker counts.
Now thats when micromanagement starts:
1 Science beakers
That is the easiest one and documented in several other threads, but since it is for me the first step to micromanagement, I am going to include it here as well:
Whenever you come to be just one step away to researching the next tech, go to the city adviser and look at the science slider. Very often you can reduce science by several 10 percents and still finish the tech in the next turn, earning considerably more money.
2 Shields
Also every shield produced more than needed is wasted. As an extreme example: Your city produces 6 shields. To produce a spearman, 20 shields are needed. After 3 turns, already 18 shields are produced, if you do nothing else, with the next turn 4 shield are wasted (you produce 6, 2 are needed to finish the spearman, 4 are wasted)
The easiest thing to do, is to check every city just the turn before it produces something. But you will find, that at that moment you have already rather limited choices remaining.
I found for me, that good results can be achieved when you check every city which is two turns away of producing something.
You can either change to tiles with less shields but more food or more commerce production, if this is not possible, you can at least make one specialist for additional science or money.
Additionally you can check if another city which could use this tile would profit from it.
3 Food
Every city needs a certain amount of excess food to grow (20 up to size 7). Every food produced more than twenty is lost. Same example as above: You have a wonderful city with lots of excess food: +6 After 3 turns, it has already produced 18 of the required 20. If you dont change anything the last turn, again, 4 food are wasted.
As mentioned above, in the last turn your choices might be limited, so again, my advice is to check every city two turns before it grows for potential waste.
Now you can either switch to tiles with more shields or make a specialist and of course you can check any other city which would be able to use this tile if it can profit from this tile.
Special case: Granaries
There is a best and a worst turn to finish a granary in a city:
The best turn is the turn before the city grows. You get the granary. The next turn the city grows and your granary is already half full.
The worst turn is the turn after a city has grown. Then your granary starts empty.
Micromanaging like described above becomes quite time consuming when you have already a lot of cities. But at the start, when it really makes the most difference, it can be done in a very reasonable time. (Lets say the first 80 to 100 turns)
In the later stages of a game, optimizing production can become a very important issue, You have enough income, but not enough to buy everything the first or second turn:
Lets again start with an example: You want to build a unit that needs 100 shields and you city produces 24 a turn
If you do nothing, the unit is ready after 5 turns and you wasted 20 shields.
An alternative would be: After two turns (48 shields produced), switch to a unit which costs 60 shields, hurry it for little money, switch back to the original. This is finished after 2 more turns with only 8 shields wasted.
You get the idea I think.
Comments and additional easy micromanagement tips are very welcome.
Ronald
One of the built in features of civ3 is, that everything produced more than needed for the goal is spoiled.
For an example: every science beaker produced more than needed for the next tech advance is lost, every shield produced more than needed for the next unit or city improvement in this city is lost and every food produced more than needed for the next city growth is lost as well.
Especially at the start when we have very limited resources, every lost shield, food and science beaker counts.
Now thats when micromanagement starts:
1 Science beakers
That is the easiest one and documented in several other threads, but since it is for me the first step to micromanagement, I am going to include it here as well:
Whenever you come to be just one step away to researching the next tech, go to the city adviser and look at the science slider. Very often you can reduce science by several 10 percents and still finish the tech in the next turn, earning considerably more money.
2 Shields
Also every shield produced more than needed is wasted. As an extreme example: Your city produces 6 shields. To produce a spearman, 20 shields are needed. After 3 turns, already 18 shields are produced, if you do nothing else, with the next turn 4 shield are wasted (you produce 6, 2 are needed to finish the spearman, 4 are wasted)
The easiest thing to do, is to check every city just the turn before it produces something. But you will find, that at that moment you have already rather limited choices remaining.
I found for me, that good results can be achieved when you check every city which is two turns away of producing something.
You can either change to tiles with less shields but more food or more commerce production, if this is not possible, you can at least make one specialist for additional science or money.
Additionally you can check if another city which could use this tile would profit from it.
3 Food
Every city needs a certain amount of excess food to grow (20 up to size 7). Every food produced more than twenty is lost. Same example as above: You have a wonderful city with lots of excess food: +6 After 3 turns, it has already produced 18 of the required 20. If you dont change anything the last turn, again, 4 food are wasted.
As mentioned above, in the last turn your choices might be limited, so again, my advice is to check every city two turns before it grows for potential waste.
Now you can either switch to tiles with more shields or make a specialist and of course you can check any other city which would be able to use this tile if it can profit from this tile.
Special case: Granaries
There is a best and a worst turn to finish a granary in a city:
The best turn is the turn before the city grows. You get the granary. The next turn the city grows and your granary is already half full.
The worst turn is the turn after a city has grown. Then your granary starts empty.
Micromanaging like described above becomes quite time consuming when you have already a lot of cities. But at the start, when it really makes the most difference, it can be done in a very reasonable time. (Lets say the first 80 to 100 turns)
In the later stages of a game, optimizing production can become a very important issue, You have enough income, but not enough to buy everything the first or second turn:
Lets again start with an example: You want to build a unit that needs 100 shields and you city produces 24 a turn
If you do nothing, the unit is ready after 5 turns and you wasted 20 shields.
An alternative would be: After two turns (48 shields produced), switch to a unit which costs 60 shields, hurry it for little money, switch back to the original. This is finished after 2 more turns with only 8 shields wasted.
You get the idea I think.
Comments and additional easy micromanagement tips are very welcome.
Ronald