Newbie to Civ 3. Numerous Questions for perfecting early game play

A sure fire way is the cntrl C the stuff you want quote. Then cntrl V it into your reply box and add the quotes.

I mean by cntl C, the part you have highlighted from a given post.
 
ArenE said:
Tried both reply and quote. I cannot figure out how to type response in a separate box after the quote/reply. How do I input the code manually? Sorry I am not used to this since I usually never post anything online.
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No need to be sorry. If you use the quote button on the post that you want to quote, then you should see another button below the box that you're going to type in and it should say "insert quotes." That should get you a quote like the others you've seen in this thread. If you want to input the code manually, you'll copy and paste the text you want quoted between [quote-] and [/quote-], but without the dashes.
Like this:
This is the stuff I want quoted.
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A few things from your recent save. Good job cleaning up the celts. Your economy seems to be very health in republic. You can easily dominate this game in technology. And your building choices are quite good, although you should be building more settlers before you build so many buildings

You also desperately need to finish your expansion. Just pump out 7-8 settlers and be done with it. If you wait, you risk the AI coming and planting cities on your continent.

You're very short of workers. You have 9, you should have at least 20 (Between 1-1.5 workers per city). You're way under the unit support cap, so that's not an issue.

Your city placement is tight around your capital and too loose everywhere else. The opposite is generally how you want to do it. Your cities near your capital are uncorrupt, so you want to give them plenty of tiles to work with. For cities further away, this is less important, and other considerations (like more cities = more unit support) take over. Make sure to fill in the space in between your cities. You have a lot of wasted tiles, tiles outside of every cities BFC that you can't use. For example, the iron hill west of chicago is a great tile. No city can work it though.
 
By the way @Aabraxan and @tjs282 I really appreciated your comments. I have been trying to use in the America restart. After this I will restart with a different Civ on Monarch. Any recommendations on Map size and Civ type. I just want to keep practicing starting and now Middle Ages. Also want to get a feel for diplomacy. Or should I try Emperor directly from Regent?
 
@SuedecivIII. Thank you for taking your time to look at my save and giving input. Seems like I focus on one thing and then learn a new nuance which is very much appreciated. I got a little lazy since there wasn't anyone on the continent left and was surrounded by lot of ocean squares.
 
ArenE said:
By the way @Aabraxan and @tjs282 I really appreciated your comments. I have been trying to use in the America restart. After this I will restart with a different Civ on Monarch. Any recommendations on Map size and Civ type. I just want to keep practicing starting and now Middle Ages. Also want to get a feel for diplomacy. Or should I try Emperor directly from Regent?
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FWIW, if I were going to try to play that America game out, my gut says go Monarchy, beat the snot out of your neighbors and look for a place to jump the palace to, if it looks like the game was going to last long enough. With that landscape, you'd be better off with Monarchy's unit support than Republic's commerce bonus. That's just a hunch, though. I haven't opened your save.

So, if you're thinking about moving up to Monarch or Emperor, first of all, I'd go to Monarch first. IMHO, the jump from Monarch to Emperor is bigger than the jump from Regent to Monarch, so I'd want a couple of Monarch games under my belt first. For elimination (a laudable goal, if you ask me), there are lots of good choices. Some of my favorites include:
  • Iroquois -- agri and comm, with an early UU. Very powerful, but I do prefer a later Golden Age
  • Rome -- mil and comm, if memory serves. Also an early UU, but cheap barracks and more $$$ is always good. One of my favorites for warring in Republic, but they also tend to have an early GA.
  • China -- mil and industrious -- Cheap barracks and fast workers ... and the Rider. Ah, the Rider.... One of my favorites. They require an optional tech, but they get you a 3-move unit at the beginning of the age, rather than middle or end (depending on how you research). They're very good for cleaning off your continent.
  • France -- Ind and commercial -- Not one I play particularly well, but popular with better players than myself.
  • Persia & Ottomans -- Ind and scientific -- Same traits, different UUs. The Persians get Immortals, which work very well for early warfare, and the Ottomans get Cossacks, which replace cavs. Pick your poison, because both are both effective and a hoot to play. Increased chances for SGLs can be lots of fun.

As far as map type and size, I'd say go with continents, standard size. That's the default and you'll have enough variables to deal with.
 
Aabraxan said:
Increased chances for SGLs can be lots of fun.
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Very true. My most recent game (Monarch/Standard/Continents/70%/Greeks) resulted in an easy Spaceship victory because I got six SGLs (I've forgotten the total number), allowing me to get Pyramids, Smith's, Newton's (got Copernicus' without one), ToE and the UN. The last one I got so late in the game I just used for a Ship part that would have taken a while, so that I finished the last two parts at the same time. (I don't remember if I had a 7th that I used for Hoover Dam) That was my second-highest score thus far, and the highest Spaceship score. (My overall highest score was a Diplomatic victory Monarch/Standard/Sumerians.) I also somehow managed to pull it off without firing a shot, or being shot at. I was considering gearing up to take out the Aztecs and the Chinese, but by the time I felt secure enough to do so the Ship was a sure finish so I kept building up the forces but didn't bother making war for no reason. (Next game I'm going for a Cultural victory as Egypt, so war will probably be a thing.)
 
Aabraxan said:
While there is certainly nothing inherently wrong with playing a peaceful empire, it's not for me. I've played one or two peaceful games, but I invariably get bored and need to go kick in a few doors to alleviate that.
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Depends on what I'm trying to do. If Spaceship, I generally try to stay peaceful (depending on getting the resources). Cultural and Diplomatic, less so.
 
WeirdoJoker said:
Depends on what I'm trying to do....
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Not for me. If I'm going spaceship, I do pointy-stick research and will need room for my science farms. If I'm going cultural or diplo, .... Well, I don't really play for culture or diplo. Somewhere around here, I posted a thread (probably in Stories?) about trying to play a peaceful game. I really meant to stay peaceful. Honest.
 
Aabraxan said:
Somewhere around here, I posted a thread (probably in Stories?) about trying to play a peaceful game. I really meant to stay peaceful. Honest.
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I've had those where I meant to stay peaceful, and either wouldn't because the AI was annoying me, or couldn't because I needed Resource "X" (e.g., uranium for my Ship). Part of the fun.
 
Thank you guys for rec's. I like industrious trait to I'll try the Chinese first on Standard continents on Monarch. I am glad I asked and you guys replied because I was seriously considering emperor (not because I can win but to learn). Now that I know it is a steep uphill, trying Monarch for a few games might be more fun and hopefully develop better habits and learn. I tend to forget to micromanage even though I keep telling myself to do it. I start with it and later get in a hurry for the next turn.

If it was possible to have peacefully most of the time I wouldn't mind as much since I can focus on improving my opening and learning nuances of the game. But I also know that once I master that it would get boring.:(
 
ArenE said:
Thank you guys for rec's. I like industrious trait to I'll try the Chinese first on Standard continents on Monarch.
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If you like Industrious (which I also do), you would probably really like the Mayans, who are also Agricultural. Early expansion tends to be much easier. I've only played 4 C3C games as the Mayans (Chieftain, Warlord, Regent & Monarch) and won each (Domination, Spaceship, Cultural and Spaceship, respectively). Unfortunately(-ish), I play them less often because I don't feel the need after a loss to go back & try again, as I sometimes do with other Civs (like Rome, which I cannot seem to win on C3C).
 
I’ve always liked China. Half price raxes & fast workers make for good early warring. Develop your roads for the gold and build horses with an eye to upgrading them to Riders. If you don’t have horses, or maybe until you have horses, go archers and spears. If you feel like posting an opening (4000 BC) save, I’d be glad to take a look to see what I see, FWIW.
 
Aabraxan said:
I’ve always liked China. Half price raxes & fast workers make for good early warring. Develop your roads for the gold and build horses with an eye to upgrading them to Riders. If you don’t have horses, or maybe until you have horses, go archers and spears. If you feel like posting an opening (4000 BC) save, I’d be glad to take a look to see what I see, FWIW.
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Thank you. I am posting the original with what I have done so far. I did not do well since Portugal and Hittites were too close to me. I probably should not have started war with Portugal first. Since I was militaristic I thought with bunch of warrior I would be able to keep them from expanding too close to me. So I destroyed 1 of their cities and made peace. Then Hittites placed a city 1W of spices (Nanking), demanded 10 gold and when I declined promptly declared war on me. I was bee-lining to Republic which I had by 1075 BC. Now too many units for a young fledgeling Republic and I need all the units just keep them from sending armies toward me. So I tried peace gained ceremonial burial and then redeclared war on them. I am trying to figure out diplomacy, war, unit experience etc. Maybe I expected too many elites and possibly MGL by this time. What I find funny is sometimes 3 warriors and 1 archer will not even make a dent on their spearman. I know to wait for horsemen and knights but I have no horses or iron nearby! I will appreciate any and all rec's regarding what I should have done, what I should do and/or consider doing to clean out the continent.
 
Be sure to watch your diplo screen for 20 turn deals. All gpt, lux per turn, and peace treaties last 20 turns. If you break a per turn deal (of any sort, I think), you'll never be able to trade for anything with a per turn deal on your side again. That forces you to make lump sum or tech deals from there on out. No outgoing gpt, no outgoing resources. And I can't recall a single game in which I was ever able to repair my trade rep. BTDT, it hurt.

As far as being militaristic, did you build a barracks? If not, your warriors are just like everyone else's. Mil just means that barracks cost 20 shields instead of 40. If you have no horses or iron, you'll have to rely on archers, cats and spears. It may be helpful to fight a defensive war for a little while. Figure out where the AI wants to send troops (they'll send to the same place over and over), try to put a town on a hill, build a wall and barracks, and pile a bunch of spears, archers and cats in there. The hill and the wall with improve defenses, the barracks will heal everyone. Use the cats to soften them up, and the archers to kill them.

ETA: Regarding unit experience:
Conscripts - 2 HP
Regulars - 3 HP
Veterans - 4 HP
Elites - 5 HP

Any unit can be promoted by winning a battle. Elites can get you an MGL, which can be used to build an army or (if my memory is correct) a small wonder. If you build an army, you must then load it with 3 (or 4, if you've built The Pentagon) units. Load all of the same type in it, or you risk losing some potential movement. For example, a knight army is a 3-move unit. An army with 2 knights and a swordsman is a 2 move-unit because of the sword. (And anyone who knows me to be wrong in this is free to correct me.)

ETA 2: When Elites get an MGL, they promote to Elite*. I don't think they get an extra HP for that, and they can no longer get another MGL. I think (and my memory is fuzzy here) that if you then upgrade an Elite*, they'll go back to veteran and become eligible for promotion and from there, another MGL. Again, someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

SGLs can be used to build Great Wonders. Don't use the "Scientific Golden Age." It's bugged, unless they've fixed that since I've been away, which seems unlikely.
 
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