civ. ranking help

[drokens]

I have two questions. I'm playing on the 2nd easiest level.

1. Near the beginning of the game when it shows your ranking accorrding your size, happyness and all that stuff. I'm usually last. Is this an indication that I'm doing something wrong or is it just the way it works? Then I look at other peoples techs and they have 2 or three more than me, so how can I stop this?

2. I've heard that putting your workers to automatic is a bad thing. Well for the last two games I've done it and just let them do the work. (My last two games I finished but didn't win) If I do control them, what do I do with them specificly?

 

[Padma]

1) Build more cities. That is the number one, most important thing you can do to improve those standings. More cities = more land and more population. The pop is also spread out, so no one city is likely to be hitting unhappiness because "it's just too crowded". Also, make sure you build enough Workers, and improve the areas around your cities. (1.5 to 2 times the number of cities is a rough rule of thumb for Worker numbers.) And that leads to question #2:

2) Another rule of thumb: Mine green, irrigate brown. Mining Grassland (green) tiles makes them provide 2 food and 1 shield under Despotism, the early government. Irrigating Plains (brown) tiles makes them provide 2 food, and 1 Shield. Also, never move a Worker off a tile until it has a Road on it. You WILL want it roaded sooner or later, and you will only waste worker turns if you leave and come back, so Road it now. For (much) more detailed info see Cracker's Civ3 Opening Plays.

 

[Aabraxan]

drokens, welcome to CFC!

Now, to add my 2 cents to Padma's advice:

1) The early game is all about expansion. Focus on military, workers and settlers.

2) More expansion means more cities, more population, more gold, more science, more military. . .

3) Also, as far as techs go, have you found the science and lux sliders? I'm not trying to be patronizing here and if you've found them, good for you. If not, hit F1. Two sliders in the upper right corner determine what % of your per turn income is dedicated to science and happiness, respectively.

 

[drokens]

Thanks guys, that really does help a lot.

Whie the thread is up, I'd like to ask another question. I've tried to do warfare, when I do I take about like 7 guys and attack the closest city of the civ. I'd like to conquer. Is there a way to combine these 7 units so I can move and attack with them all at once instead of attacking and moving with them sepperatly?

 

[Mirc]

You mean combining the hitpoints? This can be done, if you have an "army". You can build armies if you've got a (Military) Great Leader in a battle, or if you have built the military academy small wonder.

 

[Bartleby]

You can use the stack move order to make a stack of units attack a target, but if you're not on railroads, all the units after the victor will burn a movement point (maybe even it you are on railroads; it's been a long time since I did that).

 

[Delphi456]

1. Attacking very early in the game can cost you 'expanstion time', so be selective about what/when you attack. Don't attack the nearest city just because it's there. Go after cities with resources.

2. You will expand faster by skipping Wonders in the AA.

 

[darski]

I think, if it can be done, the Pyramids is a major boost to your game because it really sustains growth. if you want those settlers, you need a stable home city making them.

 

[MAS]

1. Near the beginning of the game when it shows your ranking accorrding your size, happyness and all that stuff. I'm usually last. Is this an indication that I'm doing something wrong or is it just the way it works?

You mean those dialog pop-ups that say "historian X has finished his great survey
bla bla bla" ?

Those rankings are pretty meaningless.

Imagine someone testing a group of 4 years old children to see what their math skills are. Obviously, some are ahead of the others, but 2 years later, it could be 180 degree different, each child develops on his own at that stage.
Its not until they are 12 that a test can tell something about what they are good at.

Its the same for civs in Civ3. Just focus on developing according to what best leads to your superiority in the future.
If you end last when the industrial age comes along. Then you could say you did something wrong!