Best Civ-Specific Ability?

[Scipio Africanu]

Religious is an excellent ability since you don't experience anarchy when switching governments. This is an excellent bonus, specifically in the latter part of the game. You can make or take ground sceintifically because your science production doesn't halt when your switchting to say democracy while civilizations around the world have to take a 3-7 turn break from production/science/and expansion. Those 3-7 turns can give you an edge or increase it tremendously.

 

[eliminator007]

i think the combination of scientific and reliqious is the best combo possible. You can expand your cities fast due to high culture. With those bigger cities you can make enough money to put your research levels at 70 - 80 %.

 

[El gran capitán]

Sirs, in my opinion, there are many factors for the victory:
Science, science, and more science
This is the key, to run at the tech three. Is the hability that fits in every strategy:
If you want to win in a militaristic way: Why to trade technologies?. If you are the best in science, keep your technologies only for you, your secret weapons will be the key to the victory. A warrior is not a menace for a knight, a knight not a menace for a riflemen, and a riflemen is not a menace to a stealth fighter.
If you want to win in a culture way: Maybe religious is also attractive because of the happyness that it gives. But the tech three opens all, I mean, cheaper tech buildings = faster investigation = you receive the "happyness improvements" earlier.
If you want to win by a space race: Is obvious. Maybe the expansionist gives you three techs too, but: 1- These tech are only ancient ones, the "hard ones" can´t be reached in this way. 2- The culture bonus of the tech buildings is a better advantage than the greats maps that you can get with the expansionism.

 

[Octavian X]

In my semi-professional opinion, religious is the best. This stems from my strategy, which is to wedge my latter cities inbetween culturally deprived rival cities, than sticking temples in 'em, causing them to defect, or at least respond to propoganda. The on turn anarchy is a definite bonus, too, especially if you have a large civ. After religious is science, because of the free advances. This is why the Babalonians are my favorite.

 

[Bamspeedy]

The best civ abilities does depend solely on your style of play and what kind of map your playing on.
1. I prefer industrious, because the workers build so much faster, your city will grow and become more productive faster, thus countering any advantage of the other civ attributes. You can also connect your cities faster and access those luxuries quickly. Can save money by not needing as many workers to complete your projects. Also large cities get a bonus on shields.
2. Expansionism is awesome on a huge pangea map, I often get ALL of the ancient techs from goody huts, by sending out 4 or 5 scouts. Having Construction and having the choice of becoming Republic OR Monarchy, before most of the AI even has Bronze Working is a huge lead. I also get the whole earth mapped out so I know where to settle towards (resources, luxuries). However, on an island map, or tiny map, I would avoid this attribute because it's useless then.
3. The earlier comment about that France always seems to lose when controlled by the AI, this doesn't necessarily have to do with their attributes. In the Civ3 editor I noticed there is an area where you designate what each civ builds alot of, or never builds. France is checked off to build lots of happiness improvements, so probably falls behind in other areas (military, science). Also France seems to always attack me first (I play as America), thus provoking a war and slowing down France's progress.
4. Peaceful players shouldn't be to worried about anarchy, so religious loses some of its appeal. I rarely have to switch governments when I've been Democracy.
5. Science gives you 3 free techs the whole game, but does shorten the time it takes to build science improvements. Still not worth all the hype it's given.

So here is my list:
1. Industrious
2. Expansionist (on a huge pangea map)
3. Scientific
4. Religious
5. Commercial
6. Militaristic
7. Expansionist (on a small or island map)