Best expansionist Civ

[Ansar]

Best expansionist Civ

I'd have to say it's between the:

• Russia: Scientific Trait is good. Russian Cossack is very nice. Especially in C3C.
  
• Arabia: Could pop huts and then quickly build temples for a quick empire build. The Ansar Warrior also is pretty good (early 4.2.3, and IIRC, it's 60 shields.)

 

[Desertsnow]

I've never actually used a Gallic Swordsman, but I'd imagine that they're just expensive MWs...

Gallic Swords are expensive, but worth it; they are excellent offensive units, especially for 'offense as best defense'; they can intercept incoming attackers as easily as Horsies but have the strength of Sworders.

 

[Parivill]

Personally I like the Americans so I can get things done faster but their UU really sucks. A good second is Russia because their Scientific bonus can really come in handy and the Corsack never gets repleaced by anything else.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

gallics are subtly different from MW in important ways.

A) They have a better defense, which means they can hold what they take.
B) They upgrade from warriors, which are much cheaper to build.
C) They require only 2 techs to research, instead of 3.
D) They upgrade for a longer period - through TOW

E) MW are cheaper
F) Their upgrade path is shorter, but includes the two best units in the Middle Ages, too.
G) Agri/commercial is better than agri/religious.

 

[Scratcher]

For a conquest type game I would go for the Arabs and their Ansar Warrior, with the great movement. If you have enough scouts and are lucky to pop the tech's, you could be running amock with the Anser Warriors while the AI are still in the middle of the AA with only spears, warriors and archers. For a game where fast tech is required then the Russians are better with their scientific trait.

Regarding the comments about UU's, the Iroquois' mounted warriors are a fantastic unit, probably my favourite. I have had some very early conquest / domination victories up to Demi god level due to the MW just sweeping away the AI.

 

[GrandSultan]

The Hittites and Portugese I would tend to put near the bottom of the list (The Hittite UU is horrible. Sure, 2-2-2 looks nice on paper, but, jungle and mountains limit its range and it replaces Horsemen for them, too.)

See, you have to play around that. Think of the Three-Man Chariot as a Horseman you can build earlier, has an extra defense (which is huge; it can defend itself aswell as any Spearman that you could bring along) and in exchange you have to worka round the wheeled drawback. Obviously, they arn't fantastic if your surrounded by Jungle, but if your not you can start pumping them out far earlier than you would Horseman normally. I have used them very effectivley, and while not amazing like the Cossack and Ansar Warrior, they can be very effective.

The Hittite traits arn't fantastic, but Commercial does have some synergy in that it gives you some late game power to balance out the explosiveness of Expansionist. Not only that, but you can run a government like Republic or Democracy and still maintain a large military presence.

The Hittite most definatley arn't the best, but I don't think they are as bad as people make them out to be.

The Inca I also have a fondness for; Agricultural and Expansionist make for a completley explosive start that propels you into the game. Chasqui's leave alittle something to be desired, but they have their uses.

I also seem to very well whenever I play as the Portuguese; I havn't the faintest clue why, but I have yet to have a bad game as the portuguese.

 

[Son_Of_Dido]

I wonder.

I once had this game as the Portugese where I popped two SGLs in the ancient age with them. I never have that good luck even with a "scientific" civ, which should in theory have better odds of doing that. It does often seem like there's some hidden advantage to playing as them that doesn't seem like it should be there. I often do well with them, too. (The Portugese DO start with Pottery and Alphabet, which is a very nice starting trait combo though).

And you know, not too long after I made that post, I had a regent pangaea game as the Hittites where I was isolated on an Island, and, using the strategy of "The Ocean Is Our Army" I blew through the tech tree and went about a thousand years without having a single military unit. That plus commercial and I got to fly through the tech tree. Also, with no military, my turns were quick. Fastest in terms of real time game I've ever played. I think i ended up building one or two 3man chariots for barbarian-removal purposes so they were of virtually no use (got a golden age from popping an SGL and rushing the Lighthouse, which made it even easier to use the ocean as my defending army). I ought to finish that game, maybe even make a "Hittites in SPAAAAAAAAAACE!" story for the stories and tales section out of it.

But yeah, the Hittites were fun, but their chariot didn't have much to do with it.

 

[Desertsnow]

I can't play Portugal or America worth a crap.

 

[republipox]

Not Excactly. They arnt quite.



I havn't tried Immortals yet but I have seen the A.I capture a few cities with them. So they probably are pretty good but not quite super units.



I'm not a big fan of MW's but they do have some good features.

I prefer to call units like MA's and Battleships Super units. I know they're more modern units but it just doesn't feel so,,, fun to use.

How is it a super unit if everyone gets them?

 

[Aceman101]

How is it a super unit if everyone gets them?

It's still a super unit to me regardless if everyone get's them. You wouldn't find a stronger naval unit than the battleship. And you wouldn't find a stronger unit than the MA (Only in defence). That's why I call them 'super units'.

 

[Abegweit]

which civ do you think is the best expansionist civ.?

Expansionists sux but the Arabs have what may well be the best UU in the game.

 

[Son_Of_Dido]

Expansionists sux but the Arabs have what may well be the best UU in the game.

It's never let me down. Third movement point, so wonderful...

 

[AutomatedTeller]

I would venture that 4 things are getting you more SGL's as portugal.

1) Not having to research techs other are researching - hut popping and contacts give you a lot of tech
2) More money -hut popping lets you run at a deficit, seafaring gives extra gold in coastal towns.
3) Pottery gives immediate granaries gives better expansion
4) Starting with alpha means you can immediately go to writing, which the AI takes forever to get to.

 

[Sir_Lancelot]

ahh.. In vanilla, things are different.

I think the expansionist civs in Vanilla are:

Iroquois (Religious)
England (Commercial)
Zulu (Militaristic)
Russia (Scientific)
America (Industrious)

Industrious is a great trait in vanilla, so america is better there... but the F15 is still a poor UU.

The Cossack isn't as good, and scientific civs aren't quite as good, so Russia isn't as good.

Iroquois has a great UU.

England is sort of the portugal of Vanilla, but still playable.

For Vanilla, I guess I'd go with Iroquois - MW rule.

Iroquois, cheap culture and great UU.

Zulu, good UU and lots of free wonders!

 

[pat4]

I'm sorry do you mean expansionist as a trait or as a game plan?

 

[gmaharriet]

I'm sorry do you mean expansionist as a trait or as a game plan?

I believe this thread is looking at it as a trait. If the above mention of the Iroquois is confusing you...Iroquois were expansionist in vanilla, but not C3C.

 

[Son_Of_Dido]

In the original Civ3 Vanilla lineup there were six traits [fifteen combinations] and sixteen tribes. Every combination was used at least once, with Militarist/Religious being used twice [Japan, Aztecs].

After PTW and Conquests, there were 31 tribes and 8 traits (28 combinations). In order to get each trait combo used once, some civs had their strengths changed.

England went from Commercial/Expansionist to Commercial/Seafaring
Aztecs went from Militaristic/Relgious to Militaristic/Agricultural
Iroquoi were changed completely; Religious/Expansionist to Agricultural/Commercial.

The Com/Exp combo now belongs to the Hittites, and the Rel/Exp combo belongs [very fittingly, historically speaking] to the Arabs.

[There may have been more changes, as 8 tribes were added with PTW but the two new traits were, I think, not added until Conquests. I don't know for sure though, as I didn't purchase any of the expansion packs until it all came together in Complete.]

 

[snipefreak]

Well, America is definitely the best early-game contender for expansion. The combination of Industrious and Expansionist deliver a powerful combo for major expansion. However, as has been mentioned many times before, it has a terrible UU. I would say, for the overall game Exp./Scientific is the best combo (Russia, for example) because as the game progresses, this becomes a very, very, very scientific game.

 

[Taras Bulba]

Well, America is definitely the best early-game contender for expansion.

really, i would find that the complete opposite. I think that America is the best late game contender because then its UU is actually in use, and the workers can build railroads and clear pollution faster. (im pretty sure that is what industrious(spelling???)) i only have vanilla, so i couldn't say the very best, but i think that in vanilla, the Iroquois is the best, because their UU comes very soon, and is good for its era.

PS-hopefully getting civ III complete soon !!! w00t!

 

[Kool Keith]

Worker speed is much more important in the early game. If you can get your tiles improved quickly, you'll have more turns of high pop growth and shield production, which can provide a great foundation for your civ for the rest of the game. By the late game you should have oodles of slave workers so cleaning up pollution should not be an issue at all.

So the trait combo of exp + ind theoretically both work together to give you a great early start. I've never used America though. Hope that doesn't make me unpatriotic.