Tips for newer player

[Rundown]

Recently I have gotten back into civ III, conquests and I have been trying the harder difficulties. I never really moved past chieftain until now. I have been dominating warlord and now im trying regent which I'm actually having a little difficulty for some reason.

Does anyone have any good tips that I should be concerned with when I'm playing the harder difficulties, particular Regent, but feel free to leave harder difficulties as well?

 

[TheOverseer714]

Simple tips: build more workers, settle tighter, build less/no wonders, don't hoard tech>trade it, research left to right>not top to bottom, give in to demands from nearby neighbors, dogpile enemies before the do it to you, and lastly, post a save.

 

[Pacioli]

...post a save.

This allows others to see how you are playing the game. It's a little unnerving at first to have other members post about your playing style's strengths and weaknesses. Have no fear though because many are willing to help you in a constructive manner. If you're open to suggestions, posting a save is the quickest way to improve your game IMHO.

 

[Northern Pike]

I can't believe anyone has beaten Vmxa to a thread like this.

1. Learn about settler factories from this tutorial:

http://www.civfanatics.com/civ3/strategy/deity_settlers1.php

Most positions won't allow you a four-turn settler factory, but as long as you apply the basic principles of getting all your early settlers out of one high-food town with a granary, you'll get off to a good start.

2. Address unhappiness problems by acquiring luxuries (if possible) or with the lux slider (if necessary), not by assigning entertainers.

3. This game is not about building every improvement in every city--good players are highly selective. Unless you're aiming for a cultural victory, or the structures in question are half-price for your civ, you can go a whole game without ever building temples, colosseums, or cathedrals. Granaries are only necessary in your settler and worker factories.

4. Don't be afraid to take risks early in the game, particularly in founding as many towns as possible even though your army is small. (This is sometimes called the Farmer's Gambit.) If something goes wrong at that point, you've wasted half an hour. OTOH, playing out a position that's inadequately developed because you were passive at the start can waste days.

 

[King of Anshan]

One thing that always seems to work is

EXPAND! EXPAND! EXPAND!

yet size matter not. A small but well developed nation can easily beat an enemy three times as large. Hold in mind than that you strike before the enemy develops his own land.

Another things is, as in al wars, take the initiative. Don't be a sitting duck but strike on an enemy that you can beat easily.

"Never" copy the Ai in building more than 1/2 defenders a city. A defender is onlyy useful defending and if you are conquering they are quite useless. Build a lot of, preferably fast, attackers.

good luck

 

[Raliuven]

Do not automate workers or use the city governors. The faster you learn to hands-on manage your empire, the faster you will master the higher levels.

The AI will match you in military unit production. What it lacks is quality and ingenuity. You will need tactics to win wars. Use the terrain and study the AI's movement. Fight on favorable ground - only attack units on hills and mountains if you have no choice. Wait for the AI to move units off high ground unless you have no choice. Fortified your own units on those terrains to deny them to the enemy. Don't attack across rivers. Etc.

Trade. You can bury the AI in the tech game even at Regent. Watch your expenditures and invest in science. Gpt deals for techs can net you A LOT of gold.

I wouldn't say 'don't build wonders', but you will need to be selected and have a plan. I would suggest forgoing most AA wonders - allow yourself one. MAYBE two. Settlers and REX is more important than the pyramids.

 

[vmxa]

NP too much League of Legends, been keeping me away lately.

 

[Ataxerxes]

Do not automate workers or use the city governors. The faster you learn to hands-on manage your empire, the faster you will master the higher levels.

The AI will match you in military unit production. What it lacks is quality and ingenuity. You will need tactics to win wars. Use the terrain and study the AI's movement. Fight on favorable ground - only attack units on hills and mountains if you have no choice. Wait for the AI to move units off high ground unless you have no choice. Fortified your own units on those terrains to deny them to the enemy. Don't attack across rivers. Etc.

Trade. You can bury the AI in the tech game even at Regent. Watch your expenditures and invest in science. Gpt deals for techs can net you A LOT of gold.

I wouldn't say 'don't build wonders', but you will need to be selected and have a plan. I would suggest forgoing most AA wonders - allow yourself one. MAYBE two. Settlers and REX is more important than the pyramids.

First four words are vital. I find city governor isn't too bad but never automate workers (and build enough). On Regent you can get most of the wonders after AA. But the AA is about expanding (I remember somebody quietly saying that). The only AA wonders I bother with is Statue of Zeus with Ivory (helps expansion) or the Pyramids if I get a SGL. If you're new, DO NOT get seduced by the Great Library. Trade for techs the others have.

Also, armies break warfare. Try to get a MGL by having your elite units attack weak targets.

 

[Theov]

Using the governor only pretests you from happiness... don't know how tha's bad though.
Workers are only allowed to be automated to clear wet lands. Rule 47.

 

[creamcheese]

Try reading some of the "legendary games" in the stories and tales forum (the thread is stickied). They are often fun to read as well as showcasing the play of some of the best players around, often on really high difficulty levels.

 

[Rundown]

Ok thanks a lot. Some of this stuff i actualy have learned from reading the forums too much lately haha but a lot of the other stuff I didn't not know and that is definitely going to help me in the long run. Thanks :good job:

Also the settler factory article was very useful and I will be sure to check out the legendary games stories soon.

 

[CKS]

Also try reading the write-ups for the older GOTM/COTM. You can find excellent players explaining why they did what they did in their spoilers, with the added bonus of seeing how different people approached the same situation. You can also see how the choice of victory condition affects what different players do. Plus, you can give the games a try yourself. (More recent games don't have spoilers that are as useful, though some are interesting reads.)

Vmxa has a very nice walk-through for regent players; he plays mostly for military victories so not all of the advice is appropriate if you don't, but it is still a useful read.

 

[Northern Pike]

NP too much League of Legends, been keeping me away lately.

I'm glad you're enjoying LoL. Plainly it's an interesting game, but is there a problem with the community's being immature and hostile?

 

[Raliuven]

Using the governor only pretests you from happiness... don't know how tha's bad though.
Workers are only allowed to be automated to clear wet lands. Rule 47.

This is not accurate. The governor manages the city's production - food, shields and gold. And it is not the least concerned for maximizing output. Put another way, it doesn't care about waste. It will produce 11 shields for a 30 shield unit even if it could squeeze out an extra gold or manage better food production for growth. The programming only allows for so much, so the AI defaults to shield production, even if it will be wasted. Ordering it to do something else tends to have poor/mixed results as well.

And even if managing happiness was the only thing it did, it even does that poorly. The last thing you want in the early game - particularly during your REX - is for the governor to assign clowns.

In addition, the governor acts a full round before a problem occurs, potentially robbing you of a round's worth of production. In the late game that might not matter. In the early game it can make a big difference.

Playing without the governor can be unsettling at first, but if you are serious about going up levels in the game, it is a step you'll need to take eventually. If you practice the settler factory you'll need to turn the governor off anyway unless you are lucky and get a factory site that works on auto.

 

[vmxa]

I'm glad you're enjoying LoL. Plainly it's an interesting game, but is there a problem with the community's being immature and hostile?

Yup, pretty much the case in all online gaming.