Need help!

[Raziaar]

Hello. I'm a new player to Civilization. I have been playing Civilization 3 for a while, with the expansion pack, and I have been having fun... however, I am having much difficulty!

The main problem I seem to be having, is falling back considerably in technology. Even if I have 100% technology funding, as a scientific culture... and lots of specialists, I tend to fall behind all of the NPCS technologically. THey are always beating me to the different ages, and I don't know how to catch up!

I am often the highest scoring civ in the game, by a good shot, with more culture, etc, but I am usually never able to keep up with the npcs regarding technology. Can you all provide me some tips on how to completely maximise this aspect of the game? It seems none of the npcs ever trade with me, so I cannot get technology that way(while they ALWYAS trade with each other, and seem to help each other and never me).


EDIT: Also, what are the requirements to advance into the next technological age?

 

[vmxa]

You advance when you have learned all of the non optional techs in a given age. The optional ones have the circle with a line through it in grey.

 

[vmxa]

You do not mention the level you are playing, but I will presume Regent or Warlord. If the AI will not trade with you, it could be because you have a bad rep.

Do you mean that if you offer item for item they say no or do you mean they say no if you have any gold per turn in the deal? If GPT is involved, it is either you are not making a good enough offer or have a bad rep.

They will tend to trade as long as they get what they feel is fair. The Wheel for Lit is not fair. One lux for one lux may not be fair, if you have more pop/cities/markets.

Anyway know that scientific does not equate to better research, until you create libs/uni's. It means cheaper libs/uni's only and a free tech for each age.

What you need is a productive empire. This tends to mean cities of size 12 with tiles improved and roads. Libs in places that can use them, markets and later banks.

Keep corruption down, keep maint cost down. If you have a large standing army, use it or reduce it. Make an effort to get as much free support as your form of government allows. This means if in Republic, get towns up to cities and make more of them.

Trading with a bad rep is not a problem, just do not use GPT. Get a monopoly tech and peddle it around as often as you can. This is best done by choosing a tech the AI is slow to research.

Keep research cost down by having contacts with all civs in the game ASAP. If none of those things can be done, slow down the tech pace by getting the AI's into wars with each other.

 

[Michelangelo]

The key to get more research is to get more gold per turn. The amount of science generated is the percentage in the slider setting of your total income.
Let's say your income is 100 gpt. 60% science means you get 60 beakers, that can be increased by science buildings like the library, university.

HTH

 

[TheAlakazam]

You don't necessarily need to increase your science funding to 100%. That is basically a waste of money since that scientific adviser will be satisfied when you raise it to 60% or 70%. They work the same as 100% but they take way less expense.

 

[Willem]

To clarify Cool's post, setting your slider to 100% is usually a big mistake. Fiddle with your science spending and you'll notice that increasing your spending doesn't always result in a shorter number of turns to research a tech. Only set your rate to a point where it actually makes a difference, and you'll see more gold going into your treasury. With that gold, you'll be able to buy techs from other civs at some point. Trading is important in Civ 3, you can't research all the techs on your own and expect to stay ahead. You have to be prepared to do some wheeling and dealing.

And if you make a deal with another civ, don't just accept what they're offering. They'll always overprice you, so you have to haggle with them.

 

[rysingsun]

Even if I have 100% technology funding, as a scientific culture... and lots of specialists, I tend to fall behind all of the NPCS technologically.

all those specialists are probably hurting you more than all the other things mentioned so far.

 

[CarnDaWoods]

Build roads, my son, build roads. Every tile a city uses should have a road. You will need more than one worker per city in the initial phase of the game to ensure that you can improve tiles before as soon as a city starts using it.

Rather than my first build being a warrior in ten turns, I will build a worker first. If the warrior can be built in 5 turns, then I build a warrior then a worker. This is based on the premise that the city will grow from 1 to 2 in 10 turns.

All your early cities should build a worker as soon as they can, without wasting any shield production.

More roads means more gold. More gold means more research. Experiment with your luxury slider every turn until you work out how it works. The luxury slider also controls Science Research and Taxation.