Quick Answers / 'Newbie' Questions

[btfx]

In this game, "dog-pile them before they dog-pile you" is a useful way to play...

A lot of you said stuff like this when I asked my question. It was good advice, aside from being the Aztecs (goot attributes and early GA), that's what got me through this game.

I started on an awkward quasi-continent, with a narrow passage attaching me to the main continents. Scandinavia was across the passage. As usual they grew jealous of my happiness. They declared war, I got my GA, killed one city and sued for peace, they were pissed - losing wines. Then I regrouped, declared war, and took more wines, and horses. They we really pissed. After horses I regrouped again, but now I had horses. Eventually I took all of Scandinavia, and just as I finished, more than doubling my size, and getting even more wines, horses, and Iron, I thought it was going to be all good. But no. This is Monarch level. The English - on an island continent shared w/the Zulu declared war, and I was NOT ready for it. So I recalled your advice, and bought the Zulu, I also bought the Russians who occupy a desert/plain quasi-continent between myself and the Engish, meaning that aside from two galleys and a warrior, I had nothing else to worry about as I regrouped. But then those Brits called upon the Indians, a small-ish nation, crippled by an earlier war with the Japanese (who were down to 2 cities). I goot spooked and took that advice again. I called the Japanese into the war, as well as the Russians (who were too far away to make a diff), and then 3 turns later the Celts. The Celts ripped India to shreds. So I got my Republic, and everyone managed to outrun me technologically and BAM, The Celts, with their surplus of Gallic Swordsmen decide my hard-earned wines would make them happy. They didn't hold that Viking city for long, I bought the Japanese (still confined to 2 cities), as well as the Byzantines and Iroquois - two powerful nations who chose to be neutral up to this point. Iroquois are in the far South of the continental system, sharing anice bid border with the Celts, and the Byzantines are between me & the Celts. Theo takes the blunt of the Gallic Sword, but I do her a favor and take back those cities (keeping them for myself, along with 4 Byz workers). Now I'm in a perfect position. The Celts are stuck in between the Iroquois and the Byzantines, and I'm safe up North.

Thanks guys, your advice really pays off.

 

[Snarkhunter]

EMan's right. Build vet horses. (Though swords and cats help, too). The AI values offensive units more than defensive ones and will perceive you as stronger. There are players who can tell you those values better than I, but I think there's a War Academy article on how the military advisor values military units.

Don't wait for the AI to gang up on you. If one DOWs you, go visit everyone and sign them up against the one who DOW'd you. Better that they be with you than against you.

Yes. In my 1st monarch, horses are very, very far away. I'm going to have to take them--or trade for them, if possible--from an AI, & it's going to take an all-out war to do it. I'd much rather keep expanding; there's a lot of unclaimed land yet. My adviser thought I was strong relative to Xerxes, but he DOW'd anyways when I wouldn't buy him off. I can churn out swords every 2-3 turns, though. I sic'd Rome on him, mostly for fear he would do the same & hope they will fight for a while. I haven't quite figured out when to go Republic yet--that's the most delicate decision I have for the next 10-20 turns. I'm reluctant to do it in the middle of a war, obviously. I do have 4 luxes & am just finishing markets in the biggest cities.

The basic pacing of the game is the hardest thing to get used to; I had thought I had achieved superiority over the AIs in tech and power towards the end of the AA, but they seem to have surged ahead of me again. It may take a few games at monarch to get used to this. . . .

kk

 

[EMan]

Exactly. A forested tile is 1 food, a mined grass is 2. Railing a mined grass adds another shield. Railing irrigated grass adds 1 food. The basic meaning is why rail a forest, when all it does is boost movement? Chop it down and if its a regular grassland, mining adds a shield and you get 1 more food. If you get a bonus grassland you gain 1 food and 2 shields by chopping and mining.

A very complete answer!

...The basic meaning is why rail a forest, when all it does is boost movement?...

The only time I can think of is if you re-forested the tile pre-railroad, it's a tundra, and you need to have rail to permit zero-movement points. (Viz. More efficient than cutting the forest, then mining and railroading the tile.) Basically what you said in 7 words.

 

[btfx]

I had thought I had achieved superiority over the AIs in tech and power towards the end of the AA, but they seem to have surged ahead of me again.

Same thing happens to me. I'm just barelu ahead at the end of the AA, and bam, the scientific AIs get new techs in the MA.

 

[Globex]

Same thing happens to me. I'm just barelu ahead at the end of the AA, and bam, the scientific AIs get new techs in the MA.

You can always just use your gold to buy the free techs that the scientific AIs get and "broker" these techs to the non-scientific AI. You can often break even or even make a profit from brokering techs. My scientific strategy during the game is to set my science slider to zero during the AA, storing up mass reserves of gold that I use to broker techs and bankrupt the AI. Then, when the MA comes, I switch to republic, slow down my rapid expansion, build markets, libs, banks, and universities in my productive cities, join workers to my core, and boom, I am speeding ahead of the AI in the tech race.

 

[krakedhalo]

Hi everyone! Long time Civ player, first post here.

I know there's a way to display the progress towards various victory conditions, but I can't find it! Any help? I've been playing on Regent after getting my butt handed to me on a few Monarch games early on. Read some tips here and am dominating my current Monarch game, score nearly 4x the nearest civ's. I just knocked the last civ off my continent, and I'm trying to decide what victory I want. I think I'm closing in on the Huge Domination limit, but I can't find the screen to tell me! v1.29 if that matters. Thanks!

 

[D0NIMATRIX]

Try the F8-11 keys, that works in Conquests, but I don't know about Vanilla. Just to let you know, Vanilla is the game term for the one w/o any expansion packs.

 

[krakedhalo]

Thanks Dominatrix, but no luck. F7-11 show Wonders, Histogram, Palace, Space Race, and Top 5/Demographics. Perhaps vanilla Civ3 doesn't have this screen? I seem to recall that Civ2 did, but I could be mistaken.

 

[D0NIMATRIX]

Oh, too bad. Now I remember that in Vanilla, the progress sheet can't be displayed on the histograph key.

BTW I highly recommend that you get Conquests, it's awesome!

 

[Keroro]

I'm not sure if Civassist II works with vanilla, but if so it provides details on things like the domination limit.

 

[btfx]

BTW I highly recommend that you get Conquests, it's awesome!

I second that.

 

[Tone]

I'm not sure if Civassist II works with vanilla, but if so it provides details on things like the domination limit.

I can confirm that it does, as does MapStat as well. Neither will tell you the true domination limit until you have gained a big enough map of the world but CAII will give you a good estimate.

 

[rysingsun]

when going for a histograph victory in a hof attempt do i get the best score by:

1) conquering on turn 2049 before time runs out on the interturn
2) conquering on 2050 before time runs out on the interturn
3) or allowing time to expire without conquering anyone?

 

[Bartleby]

I think 2) and 3) give the same score, which will be marginally higher than 1).


also,

MapStat does tell you the "total tiles" from 4000 BC, from which you can calculate the "true" domination limit.

 

[Tone]

MapStat does tell you the "total tiles" from 4000 BC, from which you can calculate the "true" domination limit.

You're right. I forgot about that. However it's a bit spoilerish though as it only works on the 4000BC save IIRC. You might as well change the option on the spoiler tab in preferences IMO.

 

[pol1]

when going for a histograph victory in a hof attempt do i get the best score by:

1) conquering on turn 2049 before time runs out on the interturn
2) conquering on 2050 before time runs out on the interturn
3) or allowing time to expire without conquering anyone?

i believe that term 'histograph victory' is reserved for 2050 end of the game.

so then :
1) would not be 'hv' but e.g. : domination, conquest, spaceship ... etc and would net only 1*difficulty_lvl ... so 1 to 8 points... and it is highly possible that You make a _lot_ more points every turn.

2) IIRC there is no 'year 2050' turn, You end at the beginning of that turn and get message that no further score would be entered.

so 2) is the same as 3)

 

[Bartleby]

Tone, are you sure about the total only working for the 4000 BC save? I've never noticed that (I have it set to the "ok for GOTM" mode).

 

[MorgothErmis]

Hi. I saw the civ3 ost thread that preceded me, but still, I cannot find the Civilization 3 ost. I can't buy it because I can't find it. Do you have any links to buy the album with the Full music of CIV3 ? Thanks.

 

[btfx]

Seems unlikely, as the music engine didn't play individual tracks...

 

[MorgothErmis]

One of the songs in civ3 is a song exactly the same with a Loreena McKennit's track. Maybe they don't have the rights or something, and thats maybe the reason they didnt release the OST.