Newb needs help to win Space Race

[LOMO]

Greetings.
I am new to Civ 3 also have PTW. I have never been able to win the space race. I prefer to play America, and I play on the cheiftan difficulty setting. I don't cheat (multi,leemur etc..) and I usually win by culture. I try never to start wars, although I have no problem finishing them.But I cant seem to get ahead in the techs. I have read lots of forums and articles and believe I'm doing a good job. I monitor the science budget, always build lots of libraries and universitys. Money, resources and sheilds do not seem to be a problem. I have not tried to build all scientific wonders in a single city on purpose, although it seems by default to happen any way (most wonders are in Washington). Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[morkaphi]

At chieftain level, you enjoy an advantage in science research by needing less beaks to learn a new tech. With all the libraries and universities you have, it confuses me that you can't get ahead in techs. The chieftain level makes a space race difficult because the AI is so behind, you have to research the techs all by yourself.

My suggestions would be that, in the beginning of games, try to meet as many AI opponents as possible, and trade for the techs you don't have. Also try to hook up/trade as many luxs as possible and let your cities grow. IMHO, the scientific wonders only play a minor factor in beak generation when it gets to late games.

Hope that helps.

 

[wilbill]

LOMO, you don't say exactly why you have trouble getting into the space race - whether it's other civs beating you to it (doesn't sound like it) or you're winning by culture before getting to the space race or you just don't get to that point before 2050 - I would guess it's one of the latter two.
At Chieftain level, you have to do all the research yourself since the AI's generally can't keep up with you. You should be able to get to a point where you can research techs in the minimum time. That's the way you can advance into the modern age before 2050. If you can't speed up your research sufficiently by moving the science slider up, you may simply need to go to war, capture enough AI cities that your economy will allow you to researach faster.
If you're saying that you win by culture before you have a chance to get to the spacerace, well, you need to build fewer cultural improvements. Not every city needs all of them. Some of the GW's aren't that valuable.

 

[DBear]

On chieftain, the AI is so crippled that it often cannot trade you tech. On higher levels (I usually play on regent), the game is more balanced, so the AI can sell you techs that you aren't researching. This is how you get enough tech to win the space race, whereas on chieftain, you essentially have to do all the researching yourself.

 

[BobsYourUncle]

Don't suppose you could post a screenshot? How many cities do you have? Have you built plenty of roads/rail?

 

[Goober]

I didn't see this suggestion yet, but you could always turn off all Victory Types except for Space Race (in the menu when you set the game up . . . )

The Space Race video is cool, it is worth it . . .

 

[LOMO]

Sorry, I suppose I could have included a bit more info. I just can't seem to get all the techs researched in time. Sometimes I don't have enough villages to give me a head start, money seems to be a struggle in the beginning so its taking until about 0B.C. or a bit longer to finish the first techs (Dark Ages?), sometimes a lot sooner. As soon as I hit democracy my money is no longer an issue, I just have to catch up on techs and that is when, Murphys Law, some A.I. will declare war on me.

I am a definite land grabber. So I'm willing to admit I have a problem with corruption. But that also means I have all the resources, wich I use to trade for money.

So I guess my best bet would be to play at a higher level?
I appreciate the help. And any tips on playing a higher level would be good, too. Thank you.

 

[skisphereo]

Playing at a higher level won't help you get the space race any faster. You need to balance out your military spending, if you get caught up in wars it will hurt your budget significantly. So you need to make sure to keep a large enough standing army to use as a deterent from other civs. Also, keep up good relations with the civs nearest too you, maybe even an MPP, although getting drawn into war can be annoying. However, if a MPP will trade a war with an adjacent civ for one that is far away, then it is worth it. Put 2-3 units in your border cities, and then you only need 1 in your inner ones. Less military means more money for science, giving you a lead in technology, which gives you superior units. I hope this helped, the main thing you need to do is practice, however.