Japan -- Weakest civ in civ3???

[dogen]

I found that in all the games I played, Japanese is the weakest civ. They have the smallest number of cities, and I can can destroy them in a few turns. WHY IS THAT???? Has anyone here seen a strong Japan in his game??

 

[Rydbeck]

I have...

Im playing on my second game of civ 3 this far, and both in the first and in the ongoing game (270bc), japan is one of the strongest civs.

And after all, why should they be weaker than anybody else?

 

[Sam_Catchem]

Japan can rock! Watch out in the middle ages when they get those nasty Samurai! I have seen them go up in the rankings during the middle ages by pillaging some neighbor! They weren't number 1..but they sure wiped out number 3! To move behind me in the rankings.

 

[Protaxis]

I have a strong Japan in my current game. They are *probably* my #1 rival, or at least tied with the Iriquois.

I'm playing Huge, Pangea, highest land mass/water ratio, max civs. There are 3 continents. A very big one, and 2 slightly smaller ones (each about 3/4 the size of the biggest one). The Japanese control about 50% of one of the slightly smaller ones, and they are sharing it with five other civs. They've got the Chinese and French squeezed into this little penninsula to the north, each owning about 6 cities each. (which is nothing on a Huge map)

Although the Japanese' score, culture, and power ratings are *slightly* less than mine, I am starting to supply the Chinese and French with Iron, Horses, Saltpeter and technology so that one day they might be able to fend off a Japanese attack, and maybe even create a dent into his civ.

It's all about luck of the draw. Some civs start out in undesireable places on the map, whereas others don't.

 

[dogen]

Originally posted by Protaxis

Although the Japanese' score, culture, and power ratings are *slightly* less than mine, I am starting to supply the Chinese and French with Iron, Horses, Saltpeter and technology so that one day they might be able to fend off a Japanese attack, and maybe even create a dent into his civ.

Protaxis, that's a cool strategy. I seldom trade resources with other civs. Maybe I will try that in my next game too.

It's all about luck of the draw. Some civs start out in undesireable places on the map, whereas others don't.

Are all the starting locations random generated? It looks like India is always next to China.....

 

[Civilizator]

In my experience the romans are always the weakest, with difference.

And as some others have pointed out, when I choose a medium map and random civs I always end up playing with exactly the same ones, it does not seem to be random at all....

 

[Rhodry]

no civ is "always the weakest", it can depend on how many civs there are, what civs are nearby, etc. etc.

 

[Selous]

oh ... i thought that japan was one of the strongest .... at least htat is what i think .... the time the japs can get there samuri unit they have a good chance to dominate the local area that they are in if they got there early enough .... yea ... japan is one of my favorites ... great time in the game to take lotsa citys and dominate the map

 

[Camelmaster]

That's funny, for me Rome has always been the toughest, either Rome or the Americans. It's normally either the Romans or the Americans that are the toughest computer for me.

 

[Drederick_Tatum]

It depends so much on whether the civ starts out on terrain that suits it. Japan is useless on a mid-size island where the French would do really well, but if you give them a civ next door they can conquer it early with militaristic and samurai. My most successful games have been me playing as the Japanese.

 

[panav]

yup japan is strong in my game too..but theyre STINGY MAN!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[EDaddy]

Japan is actually stong! In one of my games in the middle ages when I was just learning the ropes, I had a weak military. Japan saw this and attacked with their Samurais! They managed tho DESTROY one of my cities, but for the most part it was unsuccessful. Later in the game though they actually became weak.

In my civ games i've been playing, I've noticed that Greece is always the weakest link. I am playing Greece right now though, and I am kicking tail (the Russians are the only ones stronger than me). But seriously, it all depends on the game. Sometimes Japan is weak in one game you play, but in another game you play, Japan is the one to be feared!

 

[Thunderfire]

Originally posted by dogen
Has anyone here seen a strong Japan in his game??

Sure. They eleminated 11 civ in one of my last games. Should have
been 13 but I managed to save the french and egyptians from
destruction by giving them some useless former english towns.

 

[tetley]

If you're PLAYING Japan, I think they're actually one of the strongest civs. Religious is the best trait, by far, and militaristic is way underrated. They golden in early Middle Ages, and their Samurai don't need horses.

If the AI is Japan, though, I seem to see the same thing. They tend to be weak. I think it's because they're real buttheads when it comes to trade. "How much will you give for Gunpowder?" "Oh, World Map and 1 Gold". Um, right.

 

[Toasty]

Greece is always ahead in tech and commerce (surprise surprise) in my games, the just get gangbanged by the cultural groups they have to share and island with as the only Greco-Roman . They're also usually good at diplomacy (what I've given for iron working...)
I love playing as them too.

 

[Magnus]

In the games I have played, it seems the AI does the best histographically as a religious or industrious civ - the one that combines the two (Egyptians) is generally the strongest.

 

[AUDoc]

Another Japan fan here, just got my first conquest victory with them. In my games the weakest civ usually turns out to be the English or the Aztecs.

 

[siredgar]

I agree Japan is great to play as and the samurai are awesome. The religious bonus helps, too, especially for getting a golden age. I usually get two golden ages with Japan.

On the other hand, as an AI, they seem to stink. They don't ever expand nearly as much as China and India. In nearly every game, they seem to act as the Asian "hordes" expanding all over the map. I have to band up all the Europeans as well as the Middle Easterners to keep them down. India is generally easier to put down than China.

 

[Beam]

Originally posted by siredgar
I agree Japan is great to play as and the samurai are awesome. The religious bonus helps, too, especially for getting a golden age. I usually get two golden ages with Japan.

On the other hand, as an AI, they seem to stink. They don't ever expand nearly as much as China and India. In nearly every game, they seem to act as the Asian "hordes" expanding all over the map. I have to band up all the Europeans as well as the Middle Easterners to keep them down. India is generally easier to put down than China.

Japan is indeed great, but two golden ages is not possible in Civ3.

 

[Kefka]

Originally posted by dogen
I found that in all the games I played, Japanese is the weakest civ. They have the smallest number of cities, and I can can destroy them in a few turns. WHY IS THAT???? Has anyone here seen a strong Japan in his game??

If you want proof of a strong Japan check out this story
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15101
Japan was the strongest I have ever seen they destroyed the...... Perhaps I shouldn't give away the details of the story