What is the biggest advantage the Human has over the AI?

[Theov]

What do you think is the biggest advantage in the human play style?

I try to keep this OP short, as not to steer opinions into any direction.

More to follow.

 

[AnthonyBoscia]

Battle management. As critical as tile management and the diplomacy/exploration game are, the player would be powerless if the computer knew how to zerg rush efficiently with its full might.

 

[Fergei]

I went with diplomacy.

- I can win on Emperor using the governor to manage happiness and the AI is decent with settlers and expansion. So that is out.
- the Republic/Philosophy slingshot isn't critical to victory and is situational (only in mods with vanilla tech advancement)
- naval ability and battle tactics are huge and would be on my podium (again, under vanilla settings, but less so with some customised settings)
- wonders I dont even consider a human advantage given the AI cost factor means they can make these more quickly.

With diplomacy I can:
- near enough guarantee the diplomatic victory condition if I get the UN, even if i am significantly behind on all other metrics. I can't guarantee victory with domination or conquest if I'm behind on all other metrics, particularly if there is a runaway AI on a far away continent.
- avoid wars, prioritise tech
- sabotage rivals by getting them embroiled in wars, falling into anarchy and becoming backwards.
- attack rivals after they have destroyed their military reserves in a futile war with an evenly balanced neighbour. I just walk in and pick up the pieces with a modest military investment.
- repeat some or all of these advantages whether playing vanilla or custom settings, on every map type and pretty much any victory condition.

But really, the biggest advantage is that the AI cannot rage quit or reload after horrible RNG. They just have to sit there and take it while their tiny little AI mind fumes at the injustice of it all, and they only get a reprieve when the human decides they have played enough for one day. I believe the original backstory to explain the psychopathic nature of the Terminators is because their minds evolved from the Civ 3 AI.

 

[justanick]

Diplomacy allows the human player to leverage his power. It enables the human player to make AI work for his goals.

 

[WeirdoJoker]

I was torn between the Republic slingshot - which I am usually able to do - and Diplomacy/trading, but the slingshot gives me the early advantage. After that (whether successful or not), Diplomacy is my second choice.

 

[Civinator]

I vote: Other

In my eyes without doubt the human player has control over the computer, and the AI doesn´t have this control. If the human player is surprised by the AI, or if a combat didn´t have a result, that is in favour of the human player, the human player can simply reload the game and avoid these situations. And of course at the end of the game (which in every case is won by the human player) these human players have to note, that the AI in Civ 3 is absolutely poor and must be improved.

 

[grognard]

The biggest advantage I see that the human has is the use of artillery.
My stacks tend to be artillery heavy. Defensively bombard the AI to yellow or redline and whatever survives the barrage retreats. On the offense, redline as much of an enemy stack as possible and watch your attackers become vet, elites, and generate Great Leaders more frequently. The AI simply cannot use artillery effectively.

 

[Puppeteer]

I picked worker/tile management, but really almost all of the above except great wonders. I usually let the AI build wonders for me. They're so nice that way.

 

[need my speed]

I would argue that it's long-term vision. Which is part diplomacy, part battle management, part tile management, and part other. So really, all of the above, except for wonders, because that questionable advantage is the AI's.

 

[vorlon_mi]

I wavered between battle management and tile management. On the one hand, the AI has predictable tactics which the human can anticipate. The AI doesn't use artillery units on offense, and the AI struggles to send a large invasion force on boats/ships.

On the other hand, using land, commerce and food are key to building an empire. Excellent players here have shown their ability to overcome the AI start bonuses on Deity and Sid by careful empire management. Worker improvements -- and not wasting worker turns -- allow the human to generate lots of production and commerce. If I have to choose one, I picked tile/empire management.

 

[templar_x]

I chose: Other.

The human player is capable of HAVING FUN when playing the game.

t_x

 

[Chicken Pizza]

* Timing.

* Roads and railroads.

* Patiently focusing on one goal at the time, which I have a serious problem with:

I know that I want to keep producing swordmen while I'm ahead and only the Aztecs have Feudalism, but a library or marketplace would be so nice. Maybe in just this one random town? Or two.

I know that I need gold for buying granaries in a couple of remote towns, making them worker/settler factories that support the war expansion in a beautiful way. But I'm only 11 turns away from the next worthless tech

I know that trading Currency to the Iroquois, basically giving it to everone else when they sell it, completely breaks the plan to stall the world research pace. But they have three workers and 70 gold! I would've given it to them for free, so surely I can't refuse this offer.

* I would like to say using the terrain in war, but the AI appears to be as smart as me doing that. Or I'm as dumb as the AI. Maybe I haven't mastered it yet.

* I would like to say naval battle, but is it economically justifiable (satisfying for sure) to have three boats standing by for ten turns to sink the next enemy party, losing in average one of your own boats in the process?

 

[Spoonwood]

near enough guarantee the diplomatic victory condition if I get the UN

Really? Play 60% pangea, wet warm, 5 billion (flatter map), standard size map on Sid level with maximum opponents who are scientific, and you're The Zulu. No disconnecting of trade routes intentionally to climb the tech tree or scam all the AIs gold either or get military alliances.

 

[Spoonwood]

There exist many excellent answers above.

Another thing that the human player can do which the AI lacks is use of armies. In fact, I've only heard about the AI using armies, I've never observed them using one.

 

[U1I]

Battle management. As critical as tile management and the diplomacy/exploration game are, the player would be powerless if the computer knew how to zerg rush efficiently with its full might.

the only zerg rush i know is the game, not a strategy in civ 3.

 

[Puppeteer]

Zerg rush was kind of a primary strategy of the Zergs in Starcraft. I think it's a generic enough meme to apply to Civ3, especially since you can archer rush, sword rush, jaguar warrior rush, impi rush, etc., and I can't think of a better generic name for the strat.

 

[Zardnaar]

Zerg rush was kind of a primary strategy of the Zergs in Starcraft. I think it's a generic enough meme to apply to Civ3, especially since you can archer rush, sword rush, jaguar warrior rush, impi rush, etc., and I can't think of a better generic name for the strat.

Cheap crap rush is the scientific term.

 

[Zardnaar]

Really? Play 60% pangea, wet warm, 5 billion (flatter map), standard size map on Sid level with maximum opponents who are scientific, and you're The Zulu. No disconnecting of trade routes intentionally to climb the tech tree or scam all the AIs gold either or get military alliances.

Did used to get played on island maps. Did they refine the strategy for pangaia?

 

[CELTICEMPIRE]

The human can save the game and then reload when something goes wrong!

 

[jarred!]

Did used to get played on island maps. Did they refine the strategy for pangaia?

Pretty sure he's saying the player needs to use more tools than diplomacy to win a diplomatic victory. On sid pangaea with scientific opponents, tech pace would be too fast and the human player would have little collateral for trades, if they survive contacting the AI.