Best Civilization

[Higher Game]

Militaristic has not been friendly to me. I do like the Middle Ages GA for Japan, though. I dunno, I think an early GA is actually good.

An early GA with the Aztecs allowed me to defeat 3 AI and get my highest score ever. I like Babylon too, but a UU that requires a resource is usually very, very good.

 

[Phoenix]

Originally posted by sappling
The English kick butt. I usually crank out about 300 Man O' Wars and the world is mine.

I also really like the Indians because Gandi is all wrinkled and shriveled up, like a raisen. Elephants can take out tanks and mech infantry with ease.

Seriously, I enjoy playing all the different civs for variety. Those who only play one civ every game are really missing out.

I never actualy bother to build the Man O' Wars when I play the English as they have to short a life span. Also I have beaten Indian elephates with a Roman Legionaire on Regent difficulty!

 

[Lord of Nothing]

France of course

 

[Fayadi]

I used to like commercial(because of lower corruption),but as you play .....you will find that Commercial civ barely gives less corruption and I think the difference between Commercial and Non-Commercial Civ is too little......From my point of view ,COMMERCIAL SUCKS!!!Expansionist sucks too!!No matter how large the island is,this difference can only be felt in early BC's and please ask Firaxis to improve on these two traits if not ,it is totally unfair.
I like China and Egypt's ability but because Egypt UU is a trash and get unnecesary golden age too fast when you only have 2-3 cities.I like Golden Age around Industrial and Middle age.Modern Age will not be good because getting golden age in Mid Game is the most important.DOnt listen to those Firaxis's people saying early GA is good,it is rubbish!
I have a hard time choosing between Civs that have Militaristic,Scientific,Religious or Industrious.I just wont bother to look to Civ that have Expansionist or Commercial ability
Why I like China?
Militaristic-In MY LONG Game of 16 civ,world map,at 1250 AD I have built 8 Great LEADERS! and I own all the important wonders
75-80% of my units are elite.The difference between Militaristic and Non Militaristic is obvious
Industrious-I will save my breath on this one.Industrious RULESS LIKE HEAVEN!!!They are easily the best trait.Come and see this website to listen all the praises of Industrious and know no other civ ability is better than Industrious

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?postid=973981#post973981

By the way,England is EASILY THE WORST CIV IN CIV III.
RUBBISH ABILITIES + RUBBISH UU= USELESS CIV IN CIVIII

 

[Higher Game]

Religious is better than industrious, and I think I don't have to explain why. But I will anyway.

#1- choose your government any time you need to. In war, you are an instant monarchy. In peace, you are democracy. No pain at all.

#2- temples are cheap, I can't get used to paying 60 shields for a temple and 160 for a cathedral. Really, pleasing the people is more important than getting roads down a little faster.

#3- You can always get more workers. You can pay 60 shields per temple if you want. I can make a few extra workers and do just as well.

Industrious benefits come in the industrial age. You can slap down railroads throughout your kingdom when they are first available. But who cares because the game is already decided by that time.

 

[God]

Industrious also helps in the early game, because it means that you need only 1 worker to go and connect up cities, and it means, irrigation gets to places faster, and the iron and horses are quickly connnected.

It makes alot of difference, because with Industrious you don't need to waste your time building too many workers.

 

[Higher Game]

Irrigation means nothing until you are out of despotism. Industrial does help with mines, however. But you really don't need a lot of production to get settlers out there. Iron and horses are important, yes. But I send all of my workers to the hill/mountain when I first find the iron. It doesn't go much slower than without industrious. If you have 1 city make nothing but workers, you will get the same effect as industrious. It's something useful for border cities with so much corruption they can't do much anyway.

 

[God]

What trait other than religious do you consider the best?

I think the best combination is the Religous + Industroius. What do you think?

 

[bobgote]

I like the religious trait, but I think Industrious is essential. The egyptian UU is just too useless. I did try the egyptians and was impressed, they start really well, because of the quick improvement and no waste of 5-6 turns when you change government ( I usually change to monarchy ASAP then to republic when I feel my cities are big enough to warrant it)

It has been mentioned before that the french seem poorly represented. I tried them too, and found them to be quite useful. I only tried them on regent tho, so the Commercial aspect might still have been useful then. The musketeers are handy cos they defend, then can attack any half-dead guys who retreated.

I still maintain that persians are best, but I also like playing as the zulu cos they're just a lot of fun!

 

[Higher Game]

I take scientific over industrious. Selling the bonus tech to 7 other civs 3 times in the whole game amounts to plenty of money. In a huge map, that's 15 other civs (I think huge maps can take that many, but my poor computer can't ) Cheaper libraries and universites give you culture and a research edge. Getting to a wonder tech can make a game difference. If I hit whatever tech is required of the Sistene Chapel, I can get a head start. And by that time, my main productive city will have all the mines it needs, with or without industrious. Combined with my religious trait, this amounts to a lot of happy people and a lot of culture. Babylon owns you all

No one could stop them until God destroyed their tower which gave a 5000% defence bonus to all defence units. Plus, that incident gave us our different languages, and therefore our different civs! They were the ultimate civ of their time, and of all time. It is so cool getting so many culture buildings cheap, and the bowman replacing the spearman. Certainly better than Eygpt.

 

[bobgote]

Higher Game:
??? Firstly, I confused Tower of Babel??
Secondly, isn't the tech at the start of each age the same each time, and Theology (For sistine chapel) isn't one of them. i play as persians each time, and I always get the same techs.
And also, Bowman vs Immortal, who wins?

 

[sumthinelse]

On a huge map, the Russians. Science. And scouts so you can scoop up lots of techs and sell maps to the AI to finance research.

 

[Higher Game]

The Tower of Babel alone is good enough to consider the Babylonians to be the greatest civ ever. I mean, everyone knows they are the greatest in the game!

Well, just me actually, hehe. But they are awesome, imho. But, because I see that many people like industrious civs a lot, I will give them some credit.

I admit it. I restart if I start out in the middle of a jungle. An industrial civ can clear away jungle and forest and get itself to a decent size where the Babylonians cannot. But I bet 85%+ people in here restart when they begin in a jungle too. Industrious is the best trait if you have absolutely rotten luck in your starting location. So, I guess it would be useful in multiplayer because someone is going to get a bad spot.

 

[Tassadar]

The only civ. with militaristic and scientific attribute is german, so i think german is the best.

1.- Elite units come very fast and then GL
2.- Once you got some luxuries you dont need temple in captured city, so built cheap library. It give culture and science beaker at same time.
3.- Free tech like monotheism, nationalism and rocketry is very good.
4.- Cheap library, cheap university give you a tech lead if you are a republic in medieval era.
5.- Panzer and bomber are no match in industrial era.
6.- You can built archer and spearman right from the begining of the game.
7.- Cheap barrack give you very quick veteran units, so an early war with german is very succesfull.

 

[Higher Game]

Luxuries are an uncertainty. You need to make temples to keep the people happy, especially in the high difficulties. Temples are great because they give you culture and happiness. I don't count on having very many luxuries. They are more of a "bonus" than a guarantee.

 

[Tassadar]

Originally posted by Higher Game
Luxuries are an uncertainty. You need to make temples to keep the people happy, especially in the high difficulties. Temples are great because they give you culture and happiness. I don't count on having very many luxuries. They are more of a "bonus" than a guarantee.

My fisrt priority in old age is luxuries, if i dont have at least 3, i go war.
A temple is very good into cores cities( 4-5), but in captured city its not a must( library is better) because temple give you only 1 CONTENTED citizen, but luxuries give you HAPPY citizen.
Once you got a marketplace then the boost came in, so a newly captured city will built library, then a marketplace( i dont like religious ). It is very hard to get a better starting city. You need the temple only to give you the possibility to built cathedral( to reach size 10-12.

 

[chiefpaco]

Originally posted by sumthinelse
On a huge map, the Russians. Science. And scouts so you can scoop up lots of techs and sell maps to the AI to finance research.

I can't pick a best civ for many reasons, but I voted Russia anyway for the same reason. My easiest game ever was with Russia.

- Build some scouts & go for as many goody huts as possible.
- Libraries and Universities give more culture than temples and cathedrals.
- Modern free tech is worth a lot.
- Granaries at the start are huge.
- Better chance of getting a settler from a goody hut. A second early city before anyone else can make Expansionsist better than any other trait..
- Cossacks are difficult to pick off if you leave them on hills/forests/mountains.

You may not need Temples. They are 1 maintenance to keep 1 citizen content. 1 gold off the luxury slider makes 1 citizen happy and you've saved the shields. Or, 1 cheap unit (Military police) does the same thing as a temple and may not cost as many shields.

 

[saintides]

I voted for the Egyptians, without hesitation sort of (see it's in the lead right now). My best games have been playing the Egyptians. I hate it when I start out next to them.

Just a few things I don't like about them. You can't build the Pyramids (I never get wonders in the first age anyway, lucky to get one) or a few other wonders, or use the Chariot in an early war. Sure, you "could", but .. I don't. Early ga is just a waste.

Minor stuff though. Egyptians just rock n roll.

I said "sort of" at the start of this. I really dig Japan too.

 

[bobgote]

I hate starting next to japanese. Left unchecked they get powerful quickly, especially after chivalry. The UU is very tough.

I can't remember what I said about expansionist before, but it's very handy if you are the first to make contact with other civs. You get the techs, then the cash for trading them (if you want to). that's why the zulu are most advanced at the start. unfortunately their UU is only useful at the very start, useless in an island match.

 

[Higher Game]

Greece is more painful to conquer than Japan, but at least they are peaceful. I like Japan's traits a lot, and their UU is better than Babylon's UU. It is very close between scientific and militaristic.