Conquest is the way to go!

[Chaos]

I've noticed that some ppl here use can win cultural victories etc, and simply enjoy the challenge of building massive civ. I have tried this and personally conquest is so much more appealing.

For example why bother signing agreements or spend long time trying to get a better deal or build cities from nothing? I'd much rather take big cities with all the benefits by force rather than build them up from scrath I don't bother with small cities - those I raze and whenever I see a city that's not mine - I get an urge to conquer it.

SO I was persia, other comps: greece, india, france, germans, unknown, unknown, japanese. So I was on the same continent as india, germany, greece and france. Germans were quickly eliminated, indians were killed a little later (by me), frenach were badly cripples (my work again) and greeks were eliminated just now (again by me).

So all in all I am not a pacifist and the best use for diplomacy function that I've found is agreeing on peace so I can get my armies close to enemy cities without interruption

oh and BTW you just gotta love persian elite immortals... One of them was like a one-man army, capturing cities, slaughtering units etc

So what style of playing do you prefer?

 

[Parmenion]

I must admit that military domination is both appealing and historically accurate (the Romans and Greeks both had a lot of culture but they still had lots of wars of conquest) but I still prefer the cultural and space-race victories. It still requires a military mind to out guess your AI opponents and have the occasional scrap, but it seems to be more of a challenge to me. I just love it when you know a rival culture is trying to build Sun Tzu's Art of War and you're doing everything in your power to finish the bloody thing first, then your domestic advisor tells you that your capital has finally completed it.....YES! Can't beat that feeling. Just like the small, intelligent and funny kid on the school yard who gets the big bully kid to do his bidding through trickery and brainpower, I am the small, cultural world leader whom all others are in awe of.

Still, having just said that, I really enjoyed playing the Persians and having my Immortals take 14 English cities by force in 4 turns. Elizabeth gave me 2 more just for the sake of peace, and you know what...... I'd do it again anytime, hwa hwa hwaaaa...., erm...yes, you know what I mean

 

[gonzo_for_civ]

I think that the easiest way to go is just to make an early military conquest. If you wan't a challenge, however, the other types of victories. I only play conquest if I feel like kicking a little @$$ or if the person has pissed me off.

 

[Parmenion]

I particularly enjoyed it when I took the city of Nottingham and was pondering over the Raze/Install new Governor option. I had a lot of fun teasing my flatmate who is actually from Nottingham and loves his city very much. In the end the thing was way too far from my capital to be of any use so I burned it to the ground and butchered all of it's inhabitants just for having stupid accents.

 

[Zachriel]

I like to have a little war in each age.

I usually play a crowded map (16 civ on standard), so I have to build my way up. I take revenge on a neighboring civ in the ancient era; crusade in the middle ages; overthrow the old monarchies in the industrial age; then, make the world safe for democracy in the modern age.

 

[filmic10]

The only problem with a modern war is deciding what to do with the big cities you capture from a fairly strong empire. To raze it means you're wasting the possibility of a very productive city. To keep it means you're probably going to get deposed a few times. <sigh> decisions decisions.

 

[Greadius]

Variety is the spice of life (and Civ3).

I used to like Cultural/Scientific/Diplomatic societies, and those were fun when I started.

But I lost a few, and I won using all the means except for conquest/domination.

Near the end of my last game (I always play Marla's Map so I don't get to play through many times) I turned into military savant, and it is FUN (but a LOT more time consuming).

Now, I'm playing my first game as a purely conquest civilization. I'm having quite a bit of success. I've noticed other Civs are much more diplomatically responsive and respectful when you launch frequent, aggressive, ruthless military campaigns against all your neighbors ("Maybe you didn't hear me, I said what will you GIVE me for furs??").

 

[gpsmith]

I read somewhere in the Civ3 site, that the need for combat wasn't great, and any warmongers would be severely punished as a result.

However, it seems that there is still a lot of warmongering taking place, and the main culprits are the AI Civs.

So, the question I ask is what is the punishment for warmongering?

Answer: Having your superior units routed in combat by local goat herders armed with mere sling shots, or pointed sticks.

I am disappointed that one of the easiest victories is to kick butt without having to worry about the consequences of ones actions.

- Sticks and stones may break my tanks

 

[LaZZyCaKe]

I play my game just for fun .... in fact, I don't really mind winning or not at 2050 ... I am more the Sim City kind of guy who will built an empire, do war to have some territory and make my people happy, prottect them from the others... In fact, I think I have never decided a way to win, I just play and when I get bored with that empire, I just start a new game.... to most appealling to me is not winning, it is playing the game to grow an empire...

 

[eyrei]

Originally posted by LaZZyCaKe
I play my game just for fun .... in fact, I don't really mind winning or not at 2050 ... I am more the Sim City kind of guy who will built an empire, do war to have some territory and make my people happy, prottect them from the others... In fact, I think I have never decided a way to win, I just play and when I get bored with that empire, I just start a new game.... to most appealling to me is not winning, it is playing the game to grow an empire...

My sentiments exactly. I will always win if I survive to the replaceable parts tech. The AI is just not smart enough to take a city with 4 or 5 fortified veteran infantry. On the other hand, if I want to, I can slowly take city after city of the AI's, using artillery and armies of infantry.

 

[Zachriel]

Originally posted by gpsmith
So, the question I ask is what is the punishment for warmongering?
Answer: Having your superior units routed in combat by local goat herders armed with mere sling shots, or pointed sticks.
I am disappointed that one of the easiest victories is to kick butt without having to worry about the consequences of ones actions.
- Sticks and stones may break my tanks

Which is it? Is it too easy? Or are spearmen beating your tanks?

 

[filmic10]

Originally posted by eyrei


My sentiments exactly. I will always win if I survive to the replaceable parts tech. The AI is just not smart enough to take a city with 4 or 5 fortified veteran infantry. On the other hand, if I want to, I can slowly take city after city of the AI's, using artillery and armies of infantry.

Play on a harder level, and then the AI will find a way to take those cities. Challenging yourself is always more fun. Then, infantry won't be enough to take cities. You will get to experience the trill of a tank war.

 

[Minuteman]

Total war scenarios in Civ III can be a messy affair. Has anyone else noticed how easily localized wars can escalate into a global conflagration, especially late in the game? It's all too chaotic for my tastes.

I like to wage limited wars to achieve limited objectives. Jesus, I sound like John Foster Dulles!

 

[Moulton]

I keep trying to win by some way other than total war. And have. But, it seems you need war just to get there. My civ (Greek) was doing well in this world, but the Aztecs must have thought it was doing too well. So now, I am cleaning out the last or the Aztec civ, and am twice as big. Since their culture is only a little behnd mine, I will have to eliminate them to remove their culture score.
Meanwhile, the Romans see me involved on the other side of the continent, and are rattling sabres... Iroq is marching troops along th border. I can probably win this one by culture--I am well on the road--but to have what I need, I ended up making war and conquering territory.
Iroq will sell my an extra wine for a tech or two 50 godl per turn and all my gold. No way. China will sell silk on similar terns. No way.
So I look, and Iroq has one cold deposit, with a colony on it, and is building rail. I put a city where it would absorb it.... and then sold coal to Iroq after a few turns---got my wine
I have had one war with Iroquios---pushed them back til they sued for peace.
Every war this game has been declared on me, and usually by a civ that had a MPP with me (Aztec) or an alliance (Roman and Iroq) I thought they wernt supposed to break their treaties?

I could go ahead and win by conquest, but that is not my goal, and I still want to try to get another culture win. If and when the wars ever die down.

BTW, Rome has only been happy with me when at war...

 

[Chaos]

LOL, One time I attacked a civ and another one declared war on me! Oh well Didn't take me too long to have both of them facedown in the mud, begging for mercy