Post short tips here!

[illuminati]

Tip #1: Quick wonders
I like to pick a fight early in the game while I still have Despotism. I position defensive units in places where the enemy will cross and let my troops be attacked again and again. Eventually, you'll get some leaders. Escort the leaders to border cities and change production to a forbidden palace or wonder. Have the leaders rush production and voila!; you'll have instant wonders. I've never even tried to use the leaders to build armies because rushing production on the wonders is so effective. I like to try to build ALL of the wonders, not just the best ones.

Tip #2: Trick the AI
Sometimes if you have an enemy building up around a weak city, you can stop them by have all of your troops vacate a nearby city. The enemy will sometimes forget about it's attack on that city and begin to move all of its troops to the undefended city. When they get near, move your troops back in and vacate the original city. They'll sometimes keep moving back and forth without ever attacking.

Tip #3: Reputation help
Give your world map away for free to everyone often. That's it. It doesn't help them much, but it's still a great reputation booster.

Tip #4: Free technologies early
Early in the game, while you are still exploring the map, save before you inspect a village. If you awaken barbarians, get a free map of 4 squares, or get 25 gold, reload the game and just wait until the next turn. Eventually, they'll teach you a technology.

Tip#5: Snuff the enemy early
Early in the game send out some settlers north, east west, and south. when you run into another civ, build a city. Try to build your cities along their border and block them in, then start building on the coast. Build a few defensive untis in each one and complain every time they try to cross your domain. Another option is to attack their settlers every time they get near. They get really mad, but you can keep them from expanding and fill in your enclosed area later. If they sneak a couplle of settlers through, you'll probably take the cities by culture anyway. Expansionism still works well in Civ3 despite some of the posts you see here.

 

[tetley]

You wouldn't want to join city with a Settler. Settler is 2 pop+30 shields. 2 workers is 2 pop + 20 shields. That's a no-brainer. However, using workers to grow Zero-Growth cities is cool.

My Tip #1: If you Irrigate a square, a Railroad will add another FOOD to it. Yes, that's right--the Railroad can add Food. If you mine it, the railroad will add another Shield instead.

Tip #2: Forest, which can be neither mined nor irrigated, gets no bonus for railroad (other than movement, of course).
Corollary: it's cheaper to plant forest in Tundra than build a mine and railroad it (and you can't irrigate Tundra). Probably better for global warming, too.

Tip #3: A population 20 city saturates its landscape; that is, there are no more squares left around the city to work. Anything above 20 has to be a specialist.

Tip #4: If you start hitting pop 20, start switching some irrigation to mines. You lose 2 (unneeded) food, but you get 2 shields. The 2 shields is better than the 1 gold you'd get from a specialist.

Tip #5: If you build Shakespeare, build it on a city you plan to grow to size 20.

Tip #6: Stack the Copernicus & Newton wonders onto the same (high-commerce) city. I was getting 4-turn science advances on TINY maps this way, with >2000 spare gold.

Tip #7: Copernicus/Newton/SETI wonders are important on Tiny maps. Their importance diminishes with map size.
Corollary: On Tiny maps, hurrying SETI with a Great Leader is wise.

Tip #8: The Theory of Evolution gives you the two CHEAPEST techs you haven't researched yet (not counting the one your currently researching). Research your cheapest techs while building the TOE, so you get better mileage out of it.

Tip #9: If you're industrious, you don't really need Democracy. Republic is fine.
Corollary: If you're already industrious, being Religious isn't that important. You need only switch governments once the entire game.

Tip #10: If you're at war with 2 civs, and you defeat one, all your cities' war weariness gets cut in half.

Tip #11: If you "almost" wipe out a civ, you're still vulnerable to your cities culturally revolting. If you completely wipe it out, they're yours for good.

Tip #12: If you have cities on two continents, you can also share resources by making your cultural borders bump into each other. No harbor/airport necessary.

Tip #13: Draft conscripts out of size 6/12/20 cities (i.e. they can't grow anymore). Keep that grain flowing!

Tip #14: 20,000 cultural win isn't going to happen at higher difficulty levels, so don't bother. Someone will win the space race first. OTOH, the 100,000 cultural win is VERY doable on large maps.

Tip #15: Founding cities next to fresh water is important for more than just the free acqueduct. Later on that will also mean Hydro Plants and Nuke plants. Very important.

Tip #16: If you capture a Settler, you instead get 2 workers. Nice, at times, but you'd rather have the Settler. If you have the time, instead follow the Settler until it builds the city, then capture that.

Tip #17: Pillaging costs 1 movement, and you can only do it once per turn. It does not have to be your FIRST move, however. For example, a 6/3/3 Cavalry can move, pillage, then move back.

Tip #18: Power plants:
a) Build Hoover Dam at all costs.
b) Cities next to fresh water should build Hydro Plant (or wait for Hoover Dam), and then replace with Nuclear Plants later.
c) Other cities, if you can't get Hoover, should build Coal and then replace with Solar later--or, if they don't make a lot of shields, wait for Solar if at all.

Tip #19: You can starve captured cities and then repopulate them. The new citizens will immediately be your nationality.

Tip #20: Read the civilopedia about Harbors!! They're more than just "ship-barracks". Citizens working sea squares from a harbor produce 2 food instead of one (plus at least 2 gold)! That means your city can eventually grow to harvest every sea square within its radius. This is a great way to get some "free land mass", by settling some coastal cities near your palaces.

 

[pravda]

I think saving the game and retrying for the decent goodies in the huts, is ok if you don't want to be proud of your final score, i could never do that.

I don't think you can rush build the wonders either, so not really sure what that tip was all about.

I think even if you start with an industrious civ, it is important to get Democracy, as it will push you even further ahead, which you really need considering how much you are being held back by what your civ lacks in the other areas.

Some good tips here though , thanks guys.

 

[Fierro1816]

Very important =====> BE BRAVE. Those AI don´t deserve to be playing with you!! They can and many times be very stupid, so abuse of their mistakes...

Pick a strat and LIVE WITH IT.

If you fight, do it TOTALLY! NO MERCY!

:soldier: :ripper:

Be nice with your enemy´s enemies

 

[dragontail]

Originally posted by tetley


Tip #9: If you're industrious, you don't really need Democracy. Republic is fine.
Corollary: If you're already industrious, being Religious isn't that important. You need only switch governments once the entire game.

I respectfully disagree The 50% production bonus of being industrious and under democracy are cumulative. You can have 4 workers plant/clear forest a square in one turn, which yields 10 shields for the nearby city. 2.5 shields/turn/worker is more or less one city worker + one mine.

 

[Phalon]

When ever an AI Civ request a ridiculous trade, I counter offer with a gift of 1 dollar. It seems to keep the lesser civs in awe of you, and you dont have to trade with them.

Another tip, when in dem and I am worried about war weariness, when you want to atttack another civ make sure you have enough strenth in units to take at least 2 cities. This way the Civ will respond to your request for an audience hence preventing the war weariness.

 

[The Splang]

Tip #1- Riflemen have an attack of 4, they can often respond to a cavalry attack with a counter attack succesfully, and have a 50/50 chance of defeating that (unfortified) musketman guarding that cannon, you can always take the chance with 1-2 conscripts.

Tip #2- Killing off citizens for production is a great idea in a foriegn city because the foriegn citizens die first. Also, if you do it ALOT in a city, then sell it to a Democracy, you can throw him into anarchy because the people stay P-o'ed no matter who controls them. This will also get you ALOT of stuff because the computer values cities highly

Tip #3- Wanna get a CLOSE friend? Build a bunch of cities somewhere really bad, then sell them to the biggst comp for a MPP, thus ruining your enemies many offences.

Tip #4(last one)- Raid a enemy territory for only workers, you throw him FAR back and rocket you FAR ahead...

 

[Yeti]

Originally posted by pravda
[BI don't think you can rush build the wonders either, so not really sure what that tip was all about.
[/B]

You can't rush build wonders with the whip or gold (depending upon your government), or by chopping forests or disbanding units, NOR can you switch to production of a wonder after doing any of those things, but the original poster was talking about getting great leaders, which can be used to rush (instantly complete) the construction of anything you are working on, whether it's a simple military unit or a wonder of the world.

 

[tetley]

Okay, maybe the industrious+democracy is useful if you want to do the plant forest/chop forest trick. That's a good way to get a temple up in those faraway corrupt cities. Personally I just hurry the temples and pay the 60 gold, though. I achieved a domination victory my second-to-last game that way (Monarch).

My experience with industrious + democracy, however, has been that it's just plain overkill. It's nice, but not important. Definitely nothing to throw a non-religious revolution over. Same with the small corruption improvement over republic. OTOH, the war weariness advantage of republic over democracy is pretty noticeable.

 

[Kikimalaka]

Right Click the stack of units, then hold the SHIFT key. This lets you choose/activate the units you want without right clicking again and again. Very useful when you have 50+ automated workers on one square, or lots of troops fortified in a city.

 

[SkidiWili]

Despotic hurryin is your friend. Especially if you happen to have a city on flood plains. Build granary for 1 turn, then hurry it next turn for just 2 or 3 population. Now the city will fast. Then you can hurry your armies, buildings, but sadly not the wonders...

 

[Fierro1816]

Drop your settler and a soldier on the enemy´s continent. When he ask: GO or WAR choose go and the settler will automaticaly apear on his closest gap. Build a city and let the invasion begin!!!

 

[joespaniel]

Great strategy tips. Thanks to everyone.

Playing style has alot to do with choosing a strategy. I like monarchy and having knights, a fuedal kingdom. Sure helps getting over the growth hump to accomodate a better government. I hate the waste of despotism after awhile.

Once a civ is close to becoming industrial, I switch to Republic (if peaceful, which is rare for me then Democracy) and become a modern imperial power.

Like I said, its all about what you want to accomplish in your game. Im going to use the Granary trick in a sucession game with the Persians, for a city on a food plain with little shield potential. Would be the perfect situation, and make a great worker/settler factory!

- Interesting note - I captured an enemy capitol and held it til the "stinking resistance" ended. It seemed to help the other captured cities' foriegn nations calm down and convert to my nationality faster. I havent tested this theory, so its open for debate.

-If you want to capture a large city, bombarding it till the population is lower first, helps shorten the resistance time.

I agree with whoever said "Forget Civ2, this is a whole new ballgame". Taking lots of cities quickly presents a whole set of problems to deal with. Better to assimilate sometimes, and make war at others.

 

[Bobo]

I've mentioned this on another thread, but I think it belongs here too.
There is one situation where the scientict specialist is quite usefull. If you are only trying to maintain the minimum science (in order to get an advance every 32 turns) a scientict can be the most efficient way. The alternative is to devote 10% of your income to science. This can add up to quite a lot of lost income.
If you have any max size corrupt cities, then changing one of your citizens into a scientist can be almost painless. You don't get any resources or trade beyond one anyways, and if the city can't grow, the food is wasted.
This isn't a tactic that makes a huge difference, but it's another trick to put in the toolbelt.

 

[Woof]

Build fighters/bombers in your most productive cities. Fly then to a city which needs a sheild boost and disband the fighter/bomber in this city. The disbanded fighter/bomber will then be converted into shields in the new city.

I use this when i need to get a quick temple in a far off continent.

 

[stravaig]

I've found that having a city (or three) plugging away at a Palace is a good way to get a leg up for the next Wonder. It's the biggest ticket non-wonder item, every city can build it, and there's never a penalty to switch.

About bombarding to lessen population - the best reason for this is to get the pop size down to 6 or less; at that point the defensive bonus goes away and makes the city easier to take.

- Stravaig

 

[VoodooAce]

I've tried holding the shift key to select more than one unit at a time and it doesn't work

Too bad, cuz it only makes sense. But then again, if it only makes sense, then why am i not surprised the function isn't available.

Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but I right click on a stack and then hold the shift key while selecting units, but I can still only choose one at a freakin' time.

BTW, where the hell is the patch?

 

[Yeti]

My understanding is that you hold down shift and click on multiple units to activate/wake them. You can't command more than one unit at a time, but you don't need to re-right click each time you want to wake another unit in a stack or re-activate another worker that was on auto.

 

[Sam_Catchem]

My tip. Regardless of how you play peaceful or whatever.

Keep a strong current military ALWAYS. If you are weak..they are going to go for your throat. Somebody out there in AI-land is going to come and smack you silly. They look for weak civs..regardless if you are friendly or not...somebody doesn't like you.

 

[Lord of Doom]

A tip.

Sometimes, a civ will declare war and bring 2 or 3 other civs in with MPP or military alliances before you have the chance to do anything about it. If this happens, IMMEDIATLY contact every other civ and try to sign an alliance against th agressors. If you don't, the'll be turned against you in a few turns.

If they refuse to ally with you, and it looks like the entire world will be allied against you, don't give up. Try to sign miliatry alliances with the more minor agressors or even with other neutral civs. The idea here is to sow discord, so the AI civs will fight each other as much as they will fight you.