darski
Regent in Training
Are you sure you could afford all your aircraft? if your money runs out they will remove units.
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TheOverseer714
Overseer
Even so, you only lose 1 unit or improvement per turn. And the game tells you what was disbanded. Very few players dip into negative cash flow for long. For me, I chalk disappearing units up to "civ3 weirdness", and move on.
darski
Regent in Training
So let's say that I am trading around a tech and I am going to trade with everyone just because I know the AI will do it if I don't..
Assume I started with the richest Civ and I am moving down the list and so...do you accept the cheap offer that some Civ makes knowing that it is that or nothing and an AI will get the deal if you don't?
This is one of those niggly little questions that drive me crazy in game. I don't want to degrade the trade but if it is all you are likely to get...
Assume I started with the richest Civ and I am moving down the list and so...do you accept the cheap offer that some Civ makes knowing that it is that or nothing and an AI will get the deal if you don't?
This is one of those niggly little questions that drive me crazy in game. I don't want to degrade the trade but if it is all you are likely to get...
Optional
Deity
I don't know what wisdom is, but I spend most time trying to get the best deal from the richest civs. If they're offering, say 40 gpt., I'll try whether they're still interested if I'm asking 60 gpt. or so. I haggle just as long until I get the most out of them.
I don't really bother about the civs that offer 10 gold. Maybe I'll get that money anyway, if the civs that I'm dealing are trading techs further down the line. I assume that happens, because after making a nice gpt. deal with a civ, a couple of turns later they have money per turn again!
Maybe it's Ok to do those deals with the poorer civs if you want to improve their attitude towards you, but I don't think what they're offering will make a lot of difference to your game.
I'm still interested to know how other players are dealing with this, by the way.
Edit: often I gift techs to civs that are struggling in the game, hoping that that'll back them up a bit against their stronger neighbours. It barely helps though, but at least that way I'm be looking at some smiling faces when I'm opening up the foreign advisor screen.
One consideration I use is the overall prospects. So if A only has 10 gold and a tech, but B has that tech and cash, go for A first to get the only value they have. Then B can give me gold.
If all only have various amounts of money, take the largest amount first, as the values will drop as it is sold.
The other thing, is there someone that I would rather not have it?
As to those with only a few gold, it depends. I am not worried they will get it from others, unless it is for an alliance. So do I care if they are bought in against me with that tech later? If so, then I may sell or gift it to them.
IOW there are so many variables, it would take a tome to define all the options.
If all only have various amounts of money, take the largest amount first, as the values will drop as it is sold.
The other thing, is there someone that I would rather not have it?
As to those with only a few gold, it depends. I am not worried they will get it from others, unless it is for an alliance. So do I care if they are bought in against me with that tech later? If so, then I may sell or gift it to them.
IOW there are so many variables, it would take a tome to define all the options.
MAS
Deity
Isn't it funny, the same people who tell you cats are great, also tell everyone they build only few, if any, defensive units.
The trick is, to put those cats, trebs, and cannons in big stacks.
A stack of 12 catapults need to only be defended by about 2 defensive units. (in levels below emperor, this is often already overkill) They'll get extra safety from the offensive units that are also in the stack.
If you face bigger enemy stacks, you'll need more. So you can create a stack of 24 trebs, and then you still only need 2 defensive units to defend that stack.
darski
Regent in Training
TheOverseer714
Overseer
I am not afraid to admit that I build defensive units, just not 2 for every city. I always cover my bombardment stacks with 2-3 of the best available defender. Defenders are really only necessary for frontline cities and stack defense. I build more than elite players, but less than builder types do. Just like in all things, I aim for a happy medium. In my current huge Monarch level Pangaea, I have 6 Infantry, 3 Muskets, and 2 Pikes. I have 31 artillery, 39 cavalry, 8 armies, 34 war elephants, 6 MDI, 8 crusaders, and 11 ancient cavalry supported by 167 cities. Doing quite well so far.
Assuming that there are techs that I need, I'll usually sell to civs with techs & gold first, then civs with just gold, starting at the highest. If there aren't any techs I need, I'll start with whoever has the most gold. As far as the cheap offer, I frequently do take the cheap offer, well it kind of depends. If the cheap offer is enough that I think another AI might sell the tech to the civ making the cheap offer, I'll take it to keep anyone else from profiting from my research. If it's so low that I don't think even another AI would sell them the tech, I wait. It also depends on what the tech in question is.
darski
Regent in Training
Aside from the early game... most Civ's don't have techs that they will trade. I tend to make beeline moves along a path and often the Civs can't use my research.
Or, they want the sun, the moon and 7 stars for an equal level tech. I really do not understand tech trading at all. I have learned to set the price high for Writing and Republic but other than that I have no luck with getting techs or luxes.
Or, they want the sun, the moon and 7 stars for an equal level tech. I really do not understand tech trading at all. I have learned to set the price high for Writing and Republic but other than that I have no luck with getting techs or luxes.
Optional
Deity
The value of a tech greatly depends on how many civs have that tech. If you, for instance, have Feudalism, but a couple of other civs have it as well, yet there's only one civ that knows Engineering, than there's no way that that civ with Engineering will swap it with your Feudalism. If it's a monopoly tech, then they will indeed ask the sun, the moon and 7 stars for it.
On the other hand, if you're the only one that has Feudalism, yet quite a few civs have Engineering, then the AI will only be too glad to do a swap. They will add money to the deal to get their hands on your monopoly tech.
But that's a simplification. You also have to take into account whether civs know of each other or not. If you have Feudalism, like a lot of civs on your continent, but you're discovering another continent and meeting more civs, and those civs don't know about the civs on your continent, then you can sell your Feudalism to them as if it was a monopoly tech, so you can ask the sun, the moon and 7 stars, and they will gladly give it if they have it.
It's quite handy, almost crucial, to have a program like CivAssist2 running, because that will show you with one click of a button which civ knows which tech. Otherwise you can find it out as well, but not without contacting all of those civs seperately, and that's a pain in the butt.
I agree with Optional that CA2 is a tremendous help in seeing which civs have what techs. Also, I find that tech trading is usually an "incremental" exercise, for lack of a better term. By that I mean: The first couple of trades that I make in a game may only involve a few gpt, but that begins to slow down their research and speed up my own. The amount that they'll pay for techs gets progressively larger, and (unsurprisingly) so does the amount that I charge. Pretty soon, lots of their gpt is going into my coffers and they simply can't afford to self-research.
darski, the other thing that I'd ask is whether other civs can afford your research. At Warlord and, to a lesser extent at Regent, the AI just doesn't have a lot to pay. At Monarch and Emperor, tech trading becomes much more lucrative.
darski, the other thing that I'd ask is whether other civs can afford your research. At Warlord and, to a lesser extent at Regent, the AI just doesn't have a lot to pay. At Monarch and Emperor, tech trading becomes much more lucrative.
anaxagoras
King
But for some of us who use Macs, CivAssist2 is not an option. If anyone feels like porting that utility to Mac OS, there's at least one person out here that would be very appreciative.
I heard that Mapstat does work in OS, it is quite good as well.
Northen Wolf
Young Hunter
Admits. What is so bad in building defense? AI fails to attack you with defense or without it... Moving line of spearmen/defense units near border cities keeps AI away... And afterall, what other unit could crush tanks in this low shield costs?
Isn't it funny, the same people who tell you cats are great, also tell everyone they build only few, if any, defensive units.
I normally build a few defensive units, but my offensive units definitely outnumber my defensive ones. (Clearly, my latest story is an exception to my usual patterns.) I think the way that I normally use defensive units is pretty much in line with Overseer's remark:
I typically cover my bombardment stack with 2-3 defenders at Monarch or Emperor. I heard one player refer to a stack of artillery, infantry and cavalry as being "almost exploitive," if I remember his words correctly. It's not until I've got my first continent under control that I'm really comfortable with just stacks of fast movers defending my borders, so I usually have 1-2 defenders in border cities until then. I do work pretty hard, however, to make sure that defenders in my towns never really get put to the test.
timerover51
Deity
Since I typically play archipelago or continent maps, I normally keep three up-to-date defensive units in every city, especially as most are on the coast. I figure that I can never be sure the AI will stay lousy at amphibious attacks, or may simply get lucky. My capital always is much more thoroughly covered. It costs me, but normally I have no trouble affording it. As for the guys on the forum that laugh at defensive units or tell people that there is only one "real" way to play the game, I could not care less.
I'm not sure I actually recall seeing anybody laugh at hearing of a preponderence of defensive units. However, for players that get into trouble with lack of gold, tech advancement, etc., the problem is usually caused by the building of too many warriors, spearmen or other defensive units.
IMO, these are only necessary at higher levels, simply because the AI has such a huge early advantage. At lower levels, the AI's are pretty benign.
The Bottom Line is that I've found this forum incredibly helpful........and NO question is considered unworthy. In fact, some of the stronger players spend many minutes giving comprehensive answers to simple questions.
The best Civ 3 Thread.
IMO, these are only necessary at higher levels, simply because the AI has such a huge early advantage. At lower levels, the AI's are pretty benign.
The Bottom Line is that I've found this forum incredibly helpful........and NO question is considered unworthy. In fact, some of the stronger players spend many minutes giving comprehensive answers to simple questions.
The best Civ 3 Thread.
darski
Regent in Training
I am wondering which graphic file I have to remove to take away that killing scene of disbanded units?
I know for a fact that when Canada disbands an infantry/other unit it does not kill every member of that unit.
Why did it seem like a good idea to kill old units?
I know for a fact that when Canada disbands an infantry/other unit it does not kill every member of that unit.
Why did it seem like a good idea to kill old units?
anaxagoras
King
I'm with you, there, darski. I'd much rather have the associated graphic look more like the "capture" graphic used for workers. Just a kneel-down and drop weapons kind of thing, without the falling-over-dead sound.
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