$#$(*% CIV3 Can't Win

[davest]

Cripes! I've never played a game so hard and frustrating with no reward. Been playing solid for 4 weeks and can't even get a decent start. I'm always behind in tech or at most level with a couple civs with others way ahead.

My forces always get creamed by the AI, at most I can take a couple enemy towns before having to settle for peace.

I've read all the tips I can find and message boards, I'm playing on Regent and usually Persians. I build up cities in good order yet always behind.

Can't even beat the AI at the lowest level how on earth do you guys manage to do so past Monarchy? This game is very hard, I've been playing strat games for years including the original civs yet I've never been beaten so many times at the lowest level of any game before.

Sooo Frustrating that it's this hard on the easiest levels. Especially given the amount of hours I've put into trying to get a game started only to never make it past Industrial age. Let alone win.

Just about ready to delete it and go back to flight sims.



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[Turner]

Well, stroll over to the War Academy and read a few of the articles there. I would start with Cracker's opening game tutorial and Bamspeedy's Deity Settler.

Also, what level are you playing? Regent is a lot harder than Chieftain. You could also get into the editor and create your own map. Pick your starting position, and you'll know the map just like the AI does.

Civ3 can be a difficult game to learn. CFC and the War academy are good places to learn how to play. If you've got a problem with something, ask away. There are a lot of people here willing to help. Or just read the boards, as sooner or later someone will ask about the problem you're having.

 

[rcoutme]

Ok, here is how you have to think: 1. creating settlers set up for each time a city will hit 3 is bad! Since it takes the same food to go from 2-3/3-4/4-5, after getting 2-3 cities, build granaries and let those cities go to 4 or 5. They will build more settlers faster.

2. Do not send more than the first (or maybe second) settler out without protection. The barbarians will kill it. Creating a barracks will cost you the same amount as two spearmen, but it may just save your civ. Create a city that makes lots of spearmen to protect those settlers you are building in the granary cities.

3. Ignore problems with corruption (it happens, live with it).

4. Read the War Academy articles (some--maybe all--the advice I'm suggesting is there).

5. For your first tech, choose the most expensive and then watch the slider and keep it at the minimum amount to keep researching (often this will be 2 or 3, not 1, since you don't have 10gp coming in). Reason: It will take close to 40 turns to get your first tech anyways, why not save some cash for other things?

6. Try like hell to set up cities on rivers or near fresh water (if you are unsure if a lake is fresh then right-click, if it gives 2 food it's a fresh water lake)

7. Expand like there is no tomorrow. Try for Ironworking and trade for horses so that you can find these valuable resources early on.

8. Due to the specifics of Despotism, the rule goes, green:mine, yellow:irrigate. Irrigating grassland does absolutely nothing for you until Monarchy or Republic, so don't do it. If you have cattle, wheat or game on grassland, then irrigation will give you a bonus in Despotism, but nowhere else. BTW, irrigating flood-plains is a different matter. Floodplains will give the extra food.

9. Roads=Wealth. The VAST majority of your money will come from the roads you produce. Build roads early and often and make sure that your cities are using them!

10. Putting mines on hills or mountains takes a long time for not that much benefit at the beginning of the game. Wait until later to do that.

 

[Qpdaj]

And if one of your major problems is lack of resources or luxories, go ahead and create a custom map with everything close by to your starting location. Give yourself plenty of rivers, cows, wheat, etc, and no jungle. Estimate how big you want your civ to be, and put mountains and jungles on your borders. Make sure all the other civs start a good ways away (but not so far that you can't trade with them).

That's how I won my first Civ3 game, and while it may not be the most kosher way to win, it at least proves you can do it.

Don't give up. I spent almost a year myself being frustrated by Civ3 (played it for a few weeks, lost, not played for a while, tried again, lost, etc.). It was finding this site and taking some of the advice that got me my first win, and has slowly improved my game since then.

Good Luck.

 

[Arathorn]

I would also recommend reading a Succession Game or ten, to get some fairly detailed explanations of how some people play their games. There are some great ones in there, but even some of the poorer ones will probably teach you a thing or ten. Plus, I find them less dry reading than the War Academy.

Also, if you post a save, some people are usually willing to take a gander at it and post some helpful advice.

Arathorn

 

[ReZurrecti0n]

I have had the same trouble when first playing Civ3 and I also came from playing Civ1... I was on chiefton and got smashed because I thought it would be alot like playing Civ1, but it's not... My mistakes were starting wars when they weren't nessicary and found myself at war with 3 other civs and a uprising of massive barbarians. Try to avoid war until it becomes a must and just keep learning the game, it took me a good month to learn the game Civilization period...

 

[smallmoskito]

personally, i took a few months to finally get to know what i was doing in the game. i read many times, i mean it, many many times of those articles in the war academy and also the forums... getting the theory right and some practice is the way to go IMO...

Civ3 is indeed a deep game...

 

[davest]

Thanks for the great responses guys, did some study and now currently well ahead of all the other civs in tech and about to launch blitzkreig with my tanks and navy (since I have complete control of the sea) while everyone else (at most) has cavalry.



Still only playing on Regent but great to finally get to grips with this outstanding game. Very hard and a steep learning curve but alot of fun.

Thanks again for all the advice.



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[t3h_m013]

i really struggled on regent, in my last game i kinda did ok though. i was competing as apposed (sp) to being beating. thats the big difference i think.
never tried monarch but intend to play all the conquests first

 

[Ruffin]

Don't forget screwing your neighbors. As soon as I get Warrior Code I build four Archers and send them to the nearest neighboring civs. Kill workers, wreck roads, and most importantly - make them build combat units instead of settlers. Beseige a city and watch the pop drop as the force-build defenses... puts your nearest neighbors well behind you.