i'm in a rut

[Kuhal]

The rut you find is probably one you will also find at higher levels although in a different way. The reason is that you're current tactic will need modification due to increased AI production rates. You will have to use more cunning at the higher levels but eventually you will find a pattern that works and then be in a new rut.

I like playing random too games however I am trying to become "comfortable" in emporer level. I lose more games than I win by at least 3:1 ratio. Every game starts the same for me because I have never been too successful starting as a pacifist in emporer. At lower levels, it's fine to go hard on the land grab. Typically though emporer punishes me if I don't kill my nearest opponent ASAP. When this works, I am rewarded with 4 or 5 cities that I didn't build (because I was busy building archers and spearmen). If it fails, then I resign or die.

So, we are all in various stages of ruttedness and it's only continued play with different plans that can ge tus out of it.

One of the most useful things I do is replay the same map over and over. By knowing the early AI locations, key city sites/resource locations you have a huge advantage but the purpose of this is NOT to fool ourselves into thinking we are better than we are. It is to learn how to play the same scenario with the best tactic it deserves. That's partly why I say I've never done too well without an agressive subsumation of a nearby civ. Replaying constantly (with very few exceptions - and playing against Greek is one of these!), I find that starting agressively usually leads to survival whereas starting defensively leads to my being culturally and technologically backwards into the middle ages.

Good luck with Monarch level.. You should skip Regent and go for Monarch I think

 

[axehaxe]

I know what will make Civ 3 the entire opposite of what you are experiencing now! What's happened is, you've got tired of winning! I would say, even if this game takes long its worth it to get a huge map, SID DIFFICULTY LEVEL, Raging barbarians, and 7 civs (Germany, Mongols, Japan, Vikings, Ottomans, Arabs, and Aztecs) all on the most aggressive AI level. Play as the Koreans. If you can beat this, then you can say your bored of the game and toss it to someone for $25. If you beat it be sure to make a Civfanatics post like Basketcase lol.

 

[-Tomasz-]

From my point of view, the game gets interesting after I build factories and coal plants and have everything railroaded. It's at that point where I start to enjoy the game the most. It's easy to build military, the distances are not an important factor here as they are in the ancient and middle ages. Everything is faster and you can actually see the effects of your decisions 3-4 turns after you've made them.

The ancient age is rubbish for me . I hate the lack of human resources, roads, techs etc. And that's what I call boring

In order to avoid the rut you're talking about, I play an imagination game that refers to my civ game. I think of it like it's a real world - shields = human resources, factory capacity etc. ) I rename my ships, which creates some sort of history. Many times I looked back on my destroyers ( the one that I remember the most is DD Atoleiros ) and remember where they fought, how many ships they sunk. I also used to rename land units too, but in MP games it takes too much time darn.

I also try to connect events from the game with historical events like colonial wars ( you dont invade enemy mainland, only its colonies ).

Another way to make it more interesting is to make radical actions . Things that you would never do, or insane campaings that are sometimes successful. I'm not saying that war is the main way to keep you next to the computer, but in most cases it is. Although I dont like war when I'm not sure of winnig it. Diplomacy can be very interesting too, especially the peace talks where you can negotiate 2-3 enemy cities, plus gtp. I love those parts.

To conclude, I believe that imagination plays a big role in civ, but what can I say. It's proven that female brain hemispheres are more connected than male ones, so I'm sure you'll do a much better job at this than me

good luck

Tomasz

PS. I wasn't aware of such a big girl involvement in civ Good to hear!!!

 

[CommandoBob]

"My name is CommandoBob.

"And I am addicted to ruts.

"I would just start up a game and go through the motions. I did not really care if Hannibal was polite to me. I knew I would conquer him later. I just wanted to make my cities pretty and attractive and watch my workers make the jungles go away.

"I liked playing the Romans because my cities were so easy to see on the mini-map. I despised the colors of the Americans and Chinese because they were so light and it was hard to see all my precious cities on that itsy-bitsy map in the corner.

"I came to understand that I was addicted to just staring at the map and automating workers when I got tired of telling them what to do. It was more important to sit in front of the computer and stare at my lovely world than try to do something with it.

"Then I discovered Planning.

"Yes, it was the Invisible Ision that helped me to begin to think outside of the box. He article on the Four Rules of Wonder Addiction was eye-opening.

"So, for the first time in all my Civ games, I played a game where I did not build a single wonder. It was great. I was even so daring as to set my research to 0, na-da, nothing, null, null, null and try to buy my way to scientific advancement. And it worked. And it was fun.

"I began to read more and try more things. Like a Cultural Victory. Easy at Chieftain; too easy.

"Micromanagement of workers and citizens was next. I am still working on this. I may need a few more Chieftain games on a Tiny map in order to teach myself to micro-manage each turn, not just when I think of it.

"My next step is to either jump to Regent or start a Game of the Month or both.

"So, hyacinthgirl , I cannot tell you how to get out of your rut.

"I can only tell you how I am getting out of mine.

"Thank you.

"I am CommandoBob."

 

[Pacifist]

LOL - Nice one CommandoBob

You should start a support group for players in ruts
You could be everyone's "shoulder to cry on" to begin with

-Pacifist-
"Not in a rut ... yet"

 

[Desertsnow]

Actually, on the color issue, I'll often play Germany because they're blue

 

[Offa]

Game of the Month.

Really why play solo games, unless it is to train for GOTM.