Critical point

[ahman]

Anyone can build a settler factory and distribute settlers in a ring. That's what I've been doing up until now. But this is where I start having problems in my games, in the transition between peaceful, rapid expansion and military build up. Well, I must have problems since I can't win Emperor unless on very good conditions.

I started Granaries in Niagara Falls & Allegheny because they are 12-able. But then I thought of something I've never thought of before: Mounted Warriors is an early UU, and luckily I have both horses and Horseback Riding, so I must use this opportunity. So I switched to Barracks in both. This isn't a question, I'm just happy I figured it out.

The settler is going S-S-S to the hill and when he settles I've filled the inner ring except for 2 spots near damascus, and the desert. Salamanca is a powerful 4 turn settler factory, or a 2 turn worker factory with some loss of shields. Not using this power in the right way is my biggest concern, it's probably a key to winning the game. I'm skipping 1 settler right now to build 2 workers, for a total of 3 for the 3 southern/western cities. I do this to keep them growing. Is this correct play or should these 2 cities build their own worker?

After these 2 workers I'm uncertain of what to do with Salamanca. I can keep building workers, to work and then join cities, or keep building settlers until there's not enough space. The latter would slow down my military efforts (?). I know there's a lot of great players out there, your help would be much appreciated.

I've posted a save and a screen dump. The save is from PTW 1.27.

 

[civverguy]

I don't think you should build granaries in Niagara Falls & Allegheny because you're boxed in. You need more workers to make roads. Don't let your workers join cities because you will probably need them for later. You should train some mounted warriors in your cities to attack the Arabs. Your cities are too far away.

 

[Tone]

I've only looked at the screen shot but I agree with your capital building some workers to allow your other cities prepare for war. You've not got much room for expansion and so it looks like you're going to have to have an early fight. That could be good if you catch the AI still in expansion mode, even if it means a Despotic GA. All in all I agree with the strategy you've decided upon.

I agree with civverguy in that RCP5 is a little too spaced out from the capital. Maybe consider a RCP3 ring so that you can use some more of those tiles around the capital?

 

[vmxa]

As soon as you realized you were on a smallish island, you needed to think about packing the towns in some. You want to get down as many towns as you can, without crimping them.

By that I do not mean give them 21 tiles, I mean give them 12 and some maybe less. You want to get lots of coast.

I should be a snap to run over both civs. You need some troops or they will try to run over you. Do not wait for barracks and do not build them in so many places, right now.

You need to get those lux hooked and that means workers. No reason to run 70% cash at this stage, you do not need to pile up money here, you have nothing you can do with it in despotism.

 

[ahman]

I did indeed catch Arabia in their expansion phase. When i connected iron they had 3 warrior escorted settlers in my territory + 1 more on the way. I told them to piss off and they declared war on me

I should have researched Republic rather than collecting money. Well, too late for that now. After my Golden Age I have a 1000 gold and I loose 12 gold per turn on max research...

Too few coastal cities, big mistake. I had 1 city that could build Galleys when I got Map Making.

Really great tips, thank you.

 

[Taras Bulba]

prepare for war

i agree completely.... GRAB THOSE HORSES ***colony?*** as soon as you physically can, and start pumpin' out MW as soon as you can, and whip those Arabs, seeing as i think you have closer contact to them

 

[Fanny Brice]

Also, if you are in despotism, you don't need to irrigate (you get no benefit until Monarchy). Workers should connect roads between cities and to your "jump off" points for the war you must have. If one front is to be defensive, see if you can build choke points on a hill and fortify there. Takes to long to build forts in this situation. But some spears on a hill will do the job and channel attackers to plains or grassland.

I hope you took out the Aztecs too. They make for uncomfortable neighbors.

 

[civverguy]

Also, if you are in despotism, you don't need to irrigate (you get no benefit until Monarchy).

He is irrigating the plains tiles which will give him 1 extra food.

 

[Rising Star]

^^^He's also irrigating the cattle and the wheat, which isn't necessary. He should be mining them, if bothering with them at all. Seems to me he'd be far better off building roads, and linking one of those horses, possibly with a colony. He should also connect the luxs, but only after he's done everything else he needs to do.

 

[Bartleby]

Irrigating food bonus tiles is absolutely the correct thing to do. Food = growth = power.

 

[Rising Star]

Later in the game yes, but under despotism he won't be getting any extra food from irrigating the majority of food bonus tiles. The best thing to do would be to mine them now, then just before he switches governments to irrigate them.

 

[Bartleby]

That depends on the food bonus. The despotism penalty is that any tile that produces more that two food will produce one less under despotism. Since an irrigated grassland cow or wheat should produce four food, under despotism it yields three.

edit: I looked at the screenshot again and I see they're on Plains. I'm less sure about it now.

edit 2: meh, my numbers are way off, I should try not to spout off the top of my head.

 

[Tone]

^^^He's also irrigating the cattle and the wheat, which isn't necessary.

No, it is necessary. That is what is making the settler factory work!!!! These tiles have a base food of three (two in Despotism) and by irrigating them each give an additional food point. Food is power in the early game. Furthermore mining a plains cow does nothing in despotism as a plains cow has two shields and thus the third shield created with a mine would be lost.

 

[Rising Star]

The values sound different than what I'm used to. I have Gold, do plains cattle and wheat have different values on other variants?

 

[Bartleby]

...Furthermore mining a plains cow does nothing in despotism as a plains cow has two shields and thus the third shield created with a mine would be lost.

This is what was making me unsure. I remember once being very disappointed by a Cows on Plains tile...I guess I must've mined it.

 

[Tone]

The values sound different than what I'm used to. I have Gold, do plains cattle and wheat have different values on other variants?

No, it's the same! Cows give a bonus of +1 shield and +2 food to the base tile value in all vesions of civ III. That means that a cow on plains has a tile value of 3 food/2 shields whereas a cow on grass has 4 food/1 shield. Under despotism the plains cow will show as 2/2 and will become 3/2 if irrigated but remain as 2/2 if mined. Cow on grass shows as 3/1 under despotism and becomes 4/1 if irrigated and 3/2 if mined. In short a grass cow can be developed either way but a plains cow should only be irrigated whilst in despotism, unless you are in a GA.

 

[Rising Star]

It must have been adjusted in the mods I usually play, because it sounds completely different to what I'm used to. I guess I should play standard games more often.

 

[MAS]

There is nothing like a good overview chart!

Terrain		|Base 	|despot	|food	|Irri	|despot	|food
----------------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|---------
Grassland	|2	|0	|2	|2+1=3	|-1	|2
Plains		|1	|0	|1	|1+1=2	|0	|2
Flood plains	|3	|-1	|2	|3+1=4	|-1	|3
Cow-on-grass	|2+2=4	|-1	|3	|2+2+1=5|-1	|4
Cow-on-plains	|1+2=3	|-1	|2	|1+2+1=4|-1	|3
Whead-on-grass	|2+2=4	|-1	|3	|2+2+1=5|-1	|4
Whead-on-plains	|1+2=3	|-1	|2	|1+2+1=4|-1	|3
whead-Floodplain|3+2=5	|-1	|4	|3+2+1=6|-1	|5
Sugar-on-plains	|1+1=2	|0	|2	|1+1+1=3|-1	|2
Whine-on-grass	|2+1=3	|-1	|2	|2+1+1=4|-1	|3
Whine-on-plains	|1+1=2	|0	|2	|1+1+1=3|-1	|2
Forrest		|1	|0	|1	|n/a	|	|
Jungle		|1	|0	|1	|n/a	|	|	
Dear-on-forrest	|1+2=3	|-1	|2	|n/a	|	|
Banana-jungle	|1+1=2	|0	|2	|n/a	|	|
Banana-grass	|2+1=3	|-1	|2	|2+1+1=4|-1	|3
Dear-on-grass	|2+2=4	|-1	|3	|2+2+1=5|-1	|4

 

[Rising Star]

Whead on grass? You don't smoke it MAS!

Seriously, thanks for the chart. I'll be c&ping that immediately. I was looking through the civilopedia last night, and it is indeed the case that the mods I play often tend to have their values changed slightly, hence completely throwing me off.