Total Newbie needs help!

[Muskokabride]

Hi all,

I've been lurking around here for the past week trying to find out everything I can to help me play this game - in addition to me studying that HUGE manual! I have the Game of the Year release - not PTW.

I have never played any pure strategy-type game before, but I wanted to try something different from the RPG or Tycoon games that I enjoy so much. However, with the 200+ page manual, and the plethora of information available online, I find myself more than a little confused.

I belive I understand the basics, but I could use any imput that all you more experienced players can give me. I'm really enjoying myself, but know I am not doing many things right and that I am definately missing things. I have played the Roman tutorial a few times, though not into the industrial age.

Last night, I decided to try a "real" game and choose the Greeks as my culture. I also chose continents, normal terrain, a 4 billion years (although I'm not entire sure what that means). I seem to have a wide culture influence and many WLTK days, but I am technologically backwards. I also don't tend to fight and try and stay diplomatic because, quite honestly it seems easier. I believe I am in the year 1500 if memory serves right...

Any and all pointers and tips to how I could make this game make a little more sense or any general tips are appreciated!!!!

Ani

 

[sourboy]

Check out the War Academy link off the main webpage. That will tell you just about everything you need to know: how to start, science tricks, diplomacy, city building strategies - you name it.

Also, make sure when you post questions that you let people know each time what version of Civ you have. Many people here have PTW.

A few tips to start off:

~ Trade, trade, trade.

~ Don't declare war on a Civ with troops already in their country, don't break trade agreements - let them expire, don't raze or abandon enemy cities.

~ Make 20-turn trade agreements with Civs you don't want to go to war with & are afraid of. They are less likely to attack you while the trade is still in progress.

~ Work the land & improve it ASAP.

~ Expect & accept the AI to be ahead of you in the early game - you may even have to give in to their demands, but keep pluggin away - you'll catch them.

~ Post & read these boards, your game will go from Warlord to Monarch in weeks if you read the War Academy info & the threads in here.


Good Luck!

 

[Muskokabride]

Thanks for replying so quickly!

When you say "trade", do I have to make sure I have a road leading to these civs, or is it enought to just make contact?

Also, improving land means what exactly? Irrigation and mines? Also, do I have to build roads to all the squares I make these improvements to or is is enough to just be done within my city's bounderies.

Thanks for the War Academy tip, off there now...

Ani

 

[Padma]

Trade: For some things (generally non-physical) like techs, diplomatic agreements, maps, and gold, contact alone is sufficient. For Resources (Strategic & Luxury), you need a physical connection to their capital: a road, or harbors with a viable route between them.

Improving Land: Roads, mines, and irrigation, primarily. And yes, it is imperative that you road any and all tiles within your city radius that citizens are working. Why? Because it adds one gold per tile. A good rule of thumb is never move a worker out of an unroaded tile. Whether you build a road first, and then mine, or vice versa, varies, but if a tile is worth "improving", it is worth roading.

 

[JACq1]

im in the same situation m8, the advice has been helpful, but u guys are always talking on this site about ur major cities getting between 25 & 30, i struggle to get to 20! how do u do it?

 

[stwils]

The most helpful way I learned to play, was taking part in Succession Games.

Padma, explain and tell about how it works.

stwils

 

[Arathorn]

You might check out threads

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=53943

and

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=53945

for two recent training SGs that went pretty smoothly. Some of the old great ones I can't find anymore. Oh well. Lots of learn there.

And just READ...there's lots to learn and you certainly don't need to know it all to do well and to have fun....

Arathorn

 

[sourboy]

don't worry about city size, you can only get as large as the land tiles your cities' are founded on will let you. This may come at the expense of production though (ie - irrigating instead of mining a square), which can be more costly. In Civ2, cities were HUGE - but in Civ3 production is far too important. If you want both, I suggest irrigating everything while playing a map that has 'accelerated production' enabled.

 

[IKHAM]

It wasnt long ago that I was posting this same type of topic and now ive moved up from chieftan to warlord level and I think im ready for the next.

As these guys say, check out the war academy. Keep browsing the forums and take in as much info as you can. It REALLY HELPS!

I think the two most valuable things ive learned here is NOT to automate workers and governors in your cities and take the game slowly. Each turn can be like a game of chess. Lots of planning and exprience will go a long way.

Good luck.

 

[TheNiceOne]

Originally posted by JACq1
im in the same situation m8, the advice has been helpful, but u guys are always talking on this site about ur major cities getting between 25 & 30, i struggle to get to 20! how do u do it?

You need hosptals to get past 12, and enough food and happiness to grow further. You get food by irrigating (+1 food) and another +1 by laying railroads. Happiness may be more difficult to maintain with large cities, but temple, cathedral, colloseum as well as some great wonders help. Also marketplace and luxury resources. And the luxury slider may be useful as well.

BUT, in my opinion, this is complete waste of your resources. Except for some of my shore cities, I almost never build hospitals, thus never get city sizes above 12. Instead I build the cities so close that they have about 12 squares + the city square each to work on, so that no squares are wasted.
This is much more effecive, since you will have played 2/3 of your game before you can build hospitals anyway, and if you spaced your cities so far apart that each have 20+ squares, then you have wasted 1/3 of your terrain for most of your game.
Also, with size 12 cities, happiness is much more easy to maintain. So forget about size 20+ cities. Be happy when they get to 12.

 

[JACq1]

thx guys

 

[AdrianE]

As others have said:

Read everything in the war academy. Twice.

Also download the reference sheets and print it off. Its a very good reference.

Check out the where to find good advice on CFC thread.

Play a chieftan game in tutorial mode (which you have already done).

Go to the GOTM forum and read the threads about a past GOTM game. See what the good players do and try to emulate them.

Play another game at higher difficulty.

Re-read Cracker's open moves article, Bamspeedy's settler factory article and AI attitude article and Moonsinger's trading article.

Play a current GOTM game.

I got civ 3 in May and barely won my first chieftan game. Then I found CFC and read all the good info here. I am now playing in the current GOTM (Emporer +) and should get a win.

The keys to a good Civ game are: early quick expansion, worker management and effective trading throughout the ages. Warfare is mandatory for a high score, unfortunately.

Adrian

 

[Hygro]

My advice? Know the rules but don't eat up the strategies: its great to be on warlord and still have a competitive enemy.

Also, check the 3rd link in my signiture. It gives some basic conceptual understanding.

EDIT: now 2nd link

 

[IKHAM]

Oh yeah one other thing I forgot to say. Just because your behind doesnt mean your going to lose. I have had a few games now where ive been 3-4 techs behind and after a few good turns of luck. Ive pulled right up and passed the rival civs.

Never give up unless you truly are doomed. Strange things happen in this game and can turn the whole thing in your favour.

 

[Veers]

Always build barracks - try to avoid building regulars whenever possible. This can make all the difference in the world - - -

 

[Sailorstick]

Never let your army slip too far behind. The AI will all gang up on you if they think you are weak and then it will be Game Over. It's not uncommon to have 9 others against you in a 10 civ game if you fall behind.

 

[kb2tvl]

read a lot and this is a good forum for it. I would not recommend to start fighting until your ready. The other civs won't leave you alone from that point on.

There is just so much that can be said and read the above suggestions. The game is pretty complex.

 

[SinisterDeath]

Have at least 2, and even better 3, of the best currently available defenders in each of your border cities, especially if you are next to any of the Militartistic ones, like the Zulus, or the Germans, or the Japanese.

Also, NEVER move all your offensive units out. Keep a garrison of 5 or 6 of the currently best ones in your home base within reach of possible resource, luxury, or city AI targets. Nothing sucks worse than having 3 defenders per city, and watching an AI spearman or archer run around and pillage all your resources and luxuries because you don't have anyone that you can attack them with.

 

[Veers]

Overwhelming force is the answer to war - - never attack unless you can win.