Civ Fanatic Newbie Needs Help-Deity

[Canuck Bill]

I have just joined this great site and my head is still spinning from all I have read. I cannnot believe the amazing job people have done on breaking down the game.

I started playing about a year and a half ago. I own Civ3Gold. My first question is what is the Gold edition? Is it just the van. Civ3 without the bugs?
I am pretty ignorant when it come to computers and the programming. I have not altered the game any way so any advice will have to take this into consideration.

I usually kick you know what on Emp. but lose 9 out of 10 on Deity. I am confused as this site seems to think the big jump is from Monarch.

This is how I like to start.
Iroquois - Love the early exploration and 1 turn anarchy but most on this board seem to hate the Expans. trait.
Large Map - is this hurting me? I like to have a good size civ to start.
Continents - is this taking to long to meet other side of world?
Sed Barbs
No Spaceship Victory - IMO a silly victory

Things I have figured out on my own (which may or may not be helping me).

Settlers and workers - didn't win on Emp till I figured out early expans. is so important.

GL - My first wonder (sometimes only until I conquer others) that allows me to catch up in tech as AI Civs seem to shy away from trading after the initial whirl at the start. What happens to cause this. I always have a Polite message from everyone. I try and get something for my tech and get offered 20Gold whereas I offer Comm., Gold and more and I am getting screwed by the AI.

Rep/Dem - I always set my civ on these gov's. This is why I like to have Rel. trait so I can go to Mon/Comm in time of war.

Weakest neighbor - I produce enough MW (10-15) and attack the Weakest neighbor and have spearman following. I sometimes use Japan and will have to wait a little longer. I have made 10-15 Horseman to upgrade to Sam. when the time comes. This is why I like the GL. It allows me to keep up in Tech until Educ. so my Sam's are not attacking Rifleman if I fall behind in Tech and by Educ. I like to have some Lib and Marketplaces.

It is this point I am having trouble. I am usually going for a DOM/CONQ victory, maybe DIP, but I really start to lag on Deity here. If I do not build UN I cannot win DIP victory as I become super nice if I am behind in Tech and no one call elections. I never win on Culture as I am not a Wonder Builder, I am a Wonder Conquerer. I do not have trouble having good relations with AI even if I war it up.

I have read some interesting strats and am wondering.

Does RCP work and will it help me in Deity?
Palace jump? - I still do not understand because do you not have Corr. appearing in the area you removed it.
Do people restart looking for prime start locations. I can win on Emp. from almost anywhere including MTNS and JUGLS but notice lack of LUX can kill you in Deity.
ROP/MPP - I usually do both depending on circumstances of game. Might want the big guy to have MPP with me so we can wipe out the world together and it becomes 1 on 1.

I know this is long and may not make total sense but I am very frustrated at myself for not being able to figure out a strat for Diety. How can I keep up or in better words catch up in late MA and early IA.

I have read lots on the board and I am unsure how the experts can get the AI to trade all their gold to you. It never works for me unless I get a big lead on EMP. or below.

 

[Heroes]

First, welcome to CFC!

It seems that you are playing the original (vanilla) version of civ3, because Iroquois is religious and expanionist. That is fine, some great players think it is the most balanced version.

Several tips which you probably didn't notice (from your words):

1. From emp to deity, you need to change your strategy. The fundamental change is that you should consider not only improving yourself, but also lagging the others. The best way to do this, of course, is war and alliance.

2. To build the Great Library or not, this is a big question. If you do build it, don't sit down peacefully when you get a new tech which is not popular in most civs. Declare war to your neighbor or the most advanced AI (or make them declare to you), then ally all the backward civs.

3. To keep your kill ratio high enough, you need to build a good number of artillery type units (catapult, cannon, etc.). Bombard every enemy unit to 1 HP, then they are toast. This is slow, but sustainable.

 

[Canuck Bill]

Thanks for the welcome Heroes and the response.

If I read this right a great idea. Basically as I receive new techs from adv. civs, I should use them as trade bait to the weaker civs to sign a M. Alliance against the #1 AI power. Sounds like a good plan as I never get much for the tech I receive from the GL. My concerns are once the war starts do I let the AI beat each other up (concern here is one AI power cleans up and becomes even bigger than the original #1 civ) and try and settle in areas that cities have been raised in and keep Forces for def only or go on the attack and try to spread out. Another concern is if almost everyone is in a M.A. with me I can't end the War until all the other AI's have for fear of huge rep hit.

Love bombard units. Always build 30-50 of these. Great for defending those crazy stacks the AI puts in your territory right before he declares war on you.
Find Art's good on offense too as they have the extra range and you do not have to park them beside an enemy city to reach them as I love to bomb a city to a 6 or 12 pop and damage most of their garrisoned units.

 

[Heroes]

If I read this right a great idea. Basically as I receive new techs from adv. civs, I should use them as trade bait to the weaker civs to sign a M. Alliance against the #1 AI power. Sounds like a good plan as I never get much for the tech I receive from the GL. My concerns are once the war starts do I let the AI beat each other up (concern here is one AI power cleans up and becomes even bigger than the original #1 civ) and try and settle in areas that cities have been raised in and keep Forces for def only or go on the attack and try to spread out. Another concern is if almost everyone is in a M.A. with me I can't end the War until all the other AI's have for fear of huge rep hit.

Your concern is certainly valid, if a super power AI has emerged. But if you do this "chop the highest tree" thing early enough, you can assure that you will quickly become the topdog at least on your landmass. For a continent map, the game often ends up to be a massive invasion to a runaway AI in another landmass, which is also quite fun.

 

[fallfromgrace]

Personally I also find expansioanist to be nearly useless. You get a leg up on tech in the early ages, but that's it. A commercial or industrious trait is much better because it provides far more benefit, from mid game to the end game.

Anyways the higher difficuly level you go, the more aggresive the civs and the more they likely to dislike you. At least one will continously ask for tribute, and declare war if you dont give in. Having the world at each others throat, is better for you. And considering that, they're much likely to be slower in the tech race, if they're consistently in warfare. You need to stay out of the fray as much as possible, other than for resource grab and some minor vulnurable cities. Your rep usually will get a hit for this type of behaviours though.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

Spaceship is an interesting victory condition, in that it forces you to go through the modern era and you can get some of those cool units. Trying to launch a space ship as fast as possible makes the game *very* challenging, especially at a higher level, because you can't slow the tech pace down - you really have to balance growth, tech, diplomacy and military, and it's hard.

Expansionist is great early and is in some ways better in conquests, because your scouts get a great view of the world, which no one else has until the late middle ages (map trading got moved to navigation in Conquests) You can know who has iron/horses/saltpeter before anyone else - and your map of the world is quite good.

That's on a pangea map, of course - on an archipelago map, it's not as useful.

And the nice thing about Expansionist is getting techs/settlers/towns/gold/warriors,while others are getting barbarian hordes it can really set you up for an early lead which no one can beat.

And scouts can be useful throughout a game, at least while at war, as inexpensive pillagers. Not as useful as explorers, of course, but still. That's not a huge help, of course, but what they heck.