I would like some tips & strategy to win the space race. I've played three times (with the Russians, the French and the Egyptians) in the easiest level, and I can't even build the first part of the spaceship. I always win by diplomatic victory or points, because I run out of time.
Tips to win the space race
- Thread starter Isis
- Start date
One problem you are having is that you are playing on the easiest level. The AI is crippled here in the tech race. That means you must do most/all of the research on your own. At higher levels, the AI becomes even with the player, and then gets bonuses, in the tech race. When it's easier for the AI to get tech, everything speeds up, because you can trade the techs around, and pull everyone up at the same time. Thus you will get to the Space Race techs earlier.
ThePrankMonkey
mowing em' down!
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2002
- Messages
- 702
i dont know, i play on chieftan and i smoke my way through the techs and get my ship built and launched before half the AI civs can get through the industrial age. i find it easy to do. i gotta find a new way to win, the space race victory is getting boring to me at this point. unfortunately sometime i have to declare war to get aluminum or uranium to build or finish building my ship. other than thats ive never had a problem winning a space race victory. i also have PTW and i find its easy to win with it than with vanilla civ III. or ive just gotten better.
Just try to get a largish empire for the map size in the first 2 eras, then trade all your extra recources/luxs to the AI, for gold, and run at 80-90% science. Go for the party lounge last as it needs most techs, and prebuild it with an ICBM. If any of the AIs try to stop you, trade some techs to others to make them declare war, and just defend. Only go to war if you need aluminum or uranium. Build the UN if it looks like the AIs might get that far, so you can stop votes and not win/lose that way.
Like Padma said you will have to do all the reaserch, so you need to start with at least 7-8 city around your capital, devlop with temple library ect... Search construction soon to built aqueduc and coliseum ( increase population).
Then you need to conquier your nearest neiborgh, with swordman or preferbly knight, hopefully you will get a great leader to rush built a forbiden palace. This allow you to built another ring of city without too much corruption.
Once you have about 18-20 city, built city improvement, reach size 12, built university and bank soon.
With that set up you will rule the world.
Edit; 20 city is for std map size, so it is about OCN.
Then you need to conquier your nearest neiborgh, with swordman or preferbly knight, hopefully you will get a great leader to rush built a forbiden palace. This allow you to built another ring of city without too much corruption.
Once you have about 18-20 city, built city improvement, reach size 12, built university and bank soon.
With that set up you will rule the world.
Edit; 20 city is for std map size, so it is about OCN.
The key to winning the space race at the Chieftain level is that you MUST give away all your techs to the AIs. If that doesn't do it, also give away all your gold. If the AIs want some luxuries, don't sell them, but do give all your luxuries away too.
It's all about gift and giving at this level.
Build two rings of cities (about 20 cities, std map size) capital being at the center of the first ring then build the FP at the city center of the segond ring.
Then build library, university, research Lab but also Market place, Bank, factory and plant in all core cities. Temple and Cathedrals for keeping Pop happy.
If you do not finish your game early, you might have to sell a few Temples to avoid a cultural victory.
As Moonsinger wrote give tech to the other Civs. Especially Scientific's Civ who gets a free tech at the begining of new age, go for Engineering and deal Monotheism with Scientific Civ, that way you will have a Tech without searching for.
You also can trade Tech for ressources.
Regarding Diplo Victory, just build the United Nations and click NO when time for voting comes, you won't take 'a chance' to win by Diplo.
Keep your military low in number, do not upgrade but build new and disband old units in cities where shields are needed.
Hope it help, GOOD LUCK !
Then build library, university, research Lab but also Market place, Bank, factory and plant in all core cities. Temple and Cathedrals for keeping Pop happy.
If you do not finish your game early, you might have to sell a few Temples to avoid a cultural victory.
As Moonsinger wrote give tech to the other Civs. Especially Scientific's Civ who gets a free tech at the begining of new age, go for Engineering and deal Monotheism with Scientific Civ, that way you will have a Tech without searching for.
You also can trade Tech for ressources.
Regarding Diplo Victory, just build the United Nations and click NO when time for voting comes, you won't take 'a chance' to win by Diplo.
Keep your military low in number, do not upgrade but build new and disband old units in cities where shields are needed.
Hope it help, GOOD LUCK !
[GoD]Toxic
Chieftain
Go up in level! That should be the easiest way. The best thing to do wenn you wont a space race victory is to play with the all and not against it.
lord42
Prince
Last time i went for the space ship I won by an accidental empire cultural with one part left. Try accelerated production, it solves the time problem.
Wooo Hoooo Post 42!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wooo Hoooo Post 42!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
zagnut
Monarch
From Moonsinger:
I think it would be helpful if you explained why you should give the techs and luxuries away on the easier levels. That concept is not logical. I know it is true, but I can remember when I started out that I wanted to hoard all my techs so that the other civs could never catch me.
I think it would be helpful if you explained why you should give the techs and luxuries away on the easier levels. That concept is not logical. I know it is true, but I can remember when I started out that I wanted to hoard all my techs so that the other civs could never catch me.
Phantom Lord
live by the sword
The reason would be that on higher levels, you acquire lots of techs from the AI, which is smart enough to invent things fast. On lower levels, the AI researches slower, which means that there a lower techs on the market, which means that the worldwide tech level is lower. You simply don't have the time needed to invent all by yourself, trade is the only way, so you have to speed up the AI's tech development by helping it in order to get a higher tech level yourself.
It looks a little paradox when you first look at the concept, but a higher difficulty level means a higher tech level in the end and tech trade is the mechanism behind this.
It looks a little paradox when you first look at the concept, but a higher difficulty level means a higher tech level in the end and tech trade is the mechanism behind this.
I was just going to ask why I should give my techs. Zagnut had the same question.
I took a saved game as the French (in 1960 AD, quite late), and I finished 4 parts of the spaceship, while only two of the AI civs had one part built. I'll play an earlier game to see what happens.
Do you think there are better civs to achieve the space race? Maybe scientific ones? However, I was technologically more advanced with my game as the French (who are not scientific) than my game as the Russians.
I took a saved game as the French (in 1960 AD, quite late), and I finished 4 parts of the spaceship, while only two of the AI civs had one part built. I'll play an earlier game to see what happens.
Do you think there are better civs to achieve the space race? Maybe scientific ones? However, I was technologically more advanced with my game as the French (who are not scientific) than my game as the Russians.
Phantom Lord
live by the sword
Scientific civs have a slight edge in science, altough they're not better researchers by nature - that's why non-scientific civs can outpower them in research. Industrious / scientific sounds OK to me if space race is your objective, especially if you want a little roleplaying element. Nevertheless every trait can lead to the goal of getting the space ship first.
Keep in mind that scientific buildings give tons of culture, so you're endangered of cultural victory happening before you're done with the spaceship.
Keep also in mind that space ship victory can mean that you have to take out an enemy capital the hard way if they're faster than you. An aluminium monopoly would avoid this situation btw.
Keep in mind that scientific buildings give tons of culture, so you're endangered of cultural victory happening before you're done with the spaceship.
Keep also in mind that space ship victory can mean that you have to take out an enemy capital the hard way if they're faster than you. An aluminium monopoly would avoid this situation btw.
Persepolis
Chieftain
Persia RULES when it comes to fast research (i always play /w acc production) i play on chieftain now... just finished my 3 game and am remembered as Xerxes the terrible (that good?) i had the SS finished but i went for militairy (builded 20 ICBM's )
)peace_frog
Chieftain
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2002
- Messages
- 40
I second the tech give away strategy with a few modifications. Like a few have mentioned you do want tech parity so that the AI will actually research some things that you don't know yet so that you can trade another tech for it. This will accelerate the tech race. The only modification I would make is I would trade enough of the techs for gold or gpt so that you can research at 100% and still generate a small surplus. To make trading effective, you need to research techs that you don't think the AI will research. Otherwise you are duplicating your efforts and not researching any faster than you would alone.
For example, the AI often waits to research Mathematics, Polytheism, currency in the ancient era, physics, and theory of gravity & magnetism in in the middle ages. In the industrial ages, the AI always does nationalism first. It seems to do communism and espionage before industrialization (which drives me nuts when I'm prebuilding suffrage on emperor and waiting for the AI to research it so I can buy it.) The AI often doesn't seem to research sanitation quickly and does the middle of the tree before the bottom branch in the industrial ages. In the modern times, I would just focus on what you need for the ship instead of guessing what the AI will research. Trading in the 3 previous errors should have accelerated research so you have plenty of time to launch that ship.
For example, the AI often waits to research Mathematics, Polytheism, currency in the ancient era, physics, and theory of gravity & magnetism in in the middle ages. In the industrial ages, the AI always does nationalism first. It seems to do communism and espionage before industrialization (which drives me nuts when I'm prebuilding suffrage on emperor and waiting for the AI to research it so I can buy it.) The AI often doesn't seem to research sanitation quickly and does the middle of the tree before the bottom branch in the industrial ages. In the modern times, I would just focus on what you need for the ship instead of guessing what the AI will research. Trading in the 3 previous errors should have accelerated research so you have plenty of time to launch that ship.
